Many, many years ago
I climbed the stairs at work
To seek an engineer unknown,
To ask him for a berth.
So then upon the quay one day
There stood a motley lot,
But Tony moulded us like dough
To form a winning yacht.
So then for years we forged a soul
To do battle on the seas,
And regularly at seasons close
A trophy we would seize.
Summers came and summers went
As weekends I did crave
To share a joke and a beer
With the new friends I had made.
And then there were the cruises,
Organised to a tee,
Morning snack at ten o’ six,
Lunch at twelve fifteen.
But amongst the merriment
Tony always got us home,
There always was a steady hand
As one trip clearly showed.
Tucked in behind an island
The anchor should have been a tree,
We found ourselves quite worst for wear
At the mercy of the sea.
But Tony took the tiller,
Local knowledge it did came,
He found shelter in a tiny cove
That barely had a name.
Then after many races
Commanding from the stern
Tony turned to me and said,
“It’s time you had a turn.”
So each week I’d approach the line
With a crew as loyal as could be
Proud and honoured that Jude and Tone
Would trust their pride and joy in me.
And then as fate would have it
A change was in the air,
Armin left the foredeck,
I wondered how we’d fair.
Then off to the land of the kiwi bird
As dead as they may be
Enough to give the Dennes the taste
That there’s much, much more to see.
So wherever you may travel,
And how ever far you roam,
You always will be in the thoughts
Of the friends you’ve left at home.
So thank you Jude and Tony
For sharing your yacht and home,
Thanks for all the memories,
And Tony, have a great five-oh.
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