Love boat

For someone who hates boats I see this is my third boat blip!
Today was one of these days that only comes along once a year! It began with an interview with Oban fm re my work. I had assumed it would be an off air interview to be edited later! WRONG! it was a live on air one so being as this was the lot that wouldnt punt my drama festival under the auspices of charity you can be sure I got my own back!. However interview went well and I got to pick a Michael MAra track so all was well.

I then found myself at a lose end in Oban at 11am on a Sunday. What to do? I then noticed a couple of tender boats so I thought ah there must be a cruise boat somewhere out the bay. So I drove along towards Dunollie Castle and sure enough there she was. I then drove back and thought I would get a better shot of the tenders coming past the lighthouse and so pulled up at the war memorial and waited. I turned round towards the memorial and saw three poor bedraggled people and the lady stepped out of the shelter and said that they were off the big white ship. She then asked straight out "we have walked up & down the town already, do you know anyhere else we could go" I asked them how long was the big boat going to be there for and she said the last tender was at 4! Then she asked "can you take us on a tour" "we will pay you" I said no but then they looked so miserable and I thought what the Hell can they do in Oban till 4 so said "ok"

They were three in total. They came from Somerset and spoke like pirates with that arr arr we are cider drinkers accents. The husband & wife were lovely and he was a shipwright and made wooden boats and their friend was retired. So off we went, I took them over Connel Bridge up to Castle Stalker & we had a coffee at the lovely cafe there. Then back and over to Taynuilt to the shore of Lovh Etive, then onto St Conans Kirk on Loch Aweside then finally back to Oban and to Ganavan so they could get a decent shot of their boat. Turns out the cruise boat they were on was the one that was the original Love Boat in that 70's American comedy. I thought they were winding me up at first. They had left Bristol, gone to Dublin and were meant to be in Tobermoray today and Oban tomorrow but the captain swapped due to the wild weather. They were lovely and when I said the older guy sounded like that old chap on the Vicar of Dibly that says no no no, he did an impression of him and I almost went off the road laughing.
They insisted on putting 20 quid of fuel in the car & offered more money but I declined as I really enjoyed my afternoon with them they were so funny. As they were leaving the lady gave me a nice card which she bought at the Stalker cafe so that was nice and an invite to call in if ever we are in Somerset. How lucky were they though to have found the one person that used to be an actual tour guide! Strange world indeed! Should have asked them the name of the damn cruise boat, the tender had Discovery written on it but that might be the tender boat's name. I just googled her and its the sister ship to the one that was on the tv though she did stand in for a few episodes so They wernt far wrong.
Happy blipping all