Chapter 41: Planning Three Passages

“You know? I’ve never made love to a queen before,” I said as Jeanne opened her eyes. The Wednesday morning sun was streaming through the window as she lay beside me. “Come to think of it, I’ve never danced with one either.”

“What brought that up?” she asked.

“I was just thinking about how you have come back into my life, but soon, you’ll be gone again. Back to being a queen,” I replied.

“It isn’t like you think. The title is mostly ceremonial. But I think I enjoy it. I’m not sure what I can do for all the people of Céleste. There is so much that they need and I’m not sure how to get it for them. Or how it will affect their lives.”

“You’ll figure it out,” I said.

“Well, for now, I just have to figure out how we can win the Senior Open,” she said. “C’mon. Let’s get this day going!”

We showered together and then dressed and went downstairs to breakfast.

Wednesday was much like Tuesday in that we practiced our dances for most of the day. At supper that night, Cynthiana announced that she was sending us to Zurich tonight so that I could take Yachtmaster Coastal exam in the morning. We each threw some things in a bag and headed to the airport. Samantha and Sarah went with us as security.

Jeanne had never seen the house in Zurich, so I spent some time, showing her around. She loved the giant atrium and the statue of the giant Panda.

Thursday morning I was up early and after a quick breakfast with Captain Franc, Larry drove Captain Franc, Sarah, and I to the marina where they were conducting the exam. Sarah and I walked around the marina until the Yachtmaster Coastal Exam was scheduled to start.

At 8:30am, I paid my fees and was introduced to my examiner, C.D. ‘Duffy’ McCrae. Duffy was a Scotsman from Dumbarton and had been sailing since he was a ‘wee laddie’ (according to him). I discovered that he had sailed in college and spent several years in competition sailing, including a couple of America’s Cup races.

This exam itself is practical and is taken under sail or power and the certificate endorsed accordingly. It lasts about eight hours, and is conducted in a boat between 7 meters (23 feet) and 24 meters (78 feet) in length. I was using Captain Franc’s Catalina 22 which was barely 23 feet, but Duffy explained that larger boats were not very practical on Lake Zurich. Had I been testing at a marina on the ocean, a bigger sailboat or catamaran, such as the ‘Serendipity” would have been preferable.

The examination included an assessment of my skippering skills, boat handling, general seamanship, navigation, safety awareness and knowledge of the IRPCS (collision regulations), meteorology, and signals. They set tasks for me to demonstrate my ability as a skipper and asked questions on several parts of the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) syllabus for all practical and shore based courses up to Yachtmaster Coastal level.

Once we returned to the dock (which was the hardest part for me) and tied up, Duffy spent another hour going over my knowledge of the boat, inside and out. He tripped me up on a few things, but I got most of them right. Finally, with the sun setting behind the mountains surrounding Lake Zurich he said, “Well, my boy, ye’ did a right fare job and me thinks you may just have passed your exam. But I’d like to hear more about these rescues you performed. Maybe over a pint at the pub one night?”

“Yes, sir,” I told him as I waved goodbye. I was exhausted!

Larry took Sarah, Samantha, Jeanne, and me straight to the airport. Because we were flying on a private jet, there is no security check points, no concourses crowded with people, and no food. I was starved. There were snacks on the plane, but I needed nourishment. I finally convinced Sarah to let us stop at a fast food drive-thru on the way home.

Once there, I followed Jeanne to our room and fell into bed. I remember waking as she removed my clothes, but I couldn’t wake up enough to brush my teeth.

Friday morning dawned too early.

“Please! Let me go back to sleep!” I begged.

“No way, buster! You pooped out on me last night, so you owe me and I’m here to collect!” she announced as she slowly sank down on my morning wood. As far as a way to wake up, I haven’t found one better. And if it hadn’t been for a full bladder, I would probably have stayed there until noon.

“Maria (Grazia Chiuri, the creative director at Dior) will be here to fit your costumes in about thirty minutes,” Cynthiana said when we joined her for breakfast. “Also, I asked her to look at a few designs for Jeanne to wear to formal functions. We can’t have the queen showing up in blue jeans or grass skirts,” she said with a laugh.

“Now there’s an idea for a ballroom dance costume. A grass skirt!” I chimed in.

“And what would you wear?” Samantha asked. “A loin cloth?”

We practiced our dancing around our fittings, and fortunately for me, Jeanne seemed to take it a little easier on me.

Just as we sat down for a late lunch, Denise announced that I had guests.

“Who is it?” I asked, surprised that I would even have guests in Paris.

A Captain and Mrs. Fourreau,” she replied formally.

“Please. Show them in and let the cook know that we’ll be having two more for lunch,” I replied excitedly. “And let Cynthiana know, in case she wants to join us.

She did, and once everyone was settled and the introductions made, lunch was served. I suspected that the cook had upgraded our meal from our normal fare since I had visitors, and I reminded myself to thank her later.

In typical French fashion, the meal was unhurried and much time spent in conversation between courses with Captain Alfred and Princess Archara telling Jeanne all about my first cruise with them. Finally, the dishes were cleared and Captain Alfred got around to why they were here.