Under Volcanoes

The trip takes two hours.

The Bonnie Celeste stops, a short distance offshore.

There is no sand on the island. 

They must land amongst boulders.

Now, says Steve, I'll leave you the dinghy, and return to this spot at four pm tomorrow. Call me if anything changes.

Will do, says Katherine. Arthur, you get in first.

Arthur drops into the dinghy, and sits in the middle. 

Steve hands down the oars. Arthur fits them into the oarlocks.

Gaius looks on approvingly. Arthur can always be relied upon to know about things such as oarlocks.

David steps into the dinghy. 

Wey-o! It dips obliquely. Arthur is almost unseated.

Sit down David! calls Katherine. Not there! At the back. Centre your bottom, no wonder it's tipping.

Now you, Katherine, says Steve. Careful. Well done! Easy!

Gaius is last to board the dinghy. He has done it before. Not this dinghy, but other dinghies. Under volcanoes. This one is a doddle, although Te Hauturu-o-Toi is also volcanic. Just look at those 300 metre high cliffs. He looks up. Impressive. 

Steve chucks the backpacks into the dinghy. Unclips the cable. Throws it to Arthur, who kicks it under his seat.

Happy exploring! says Steve, turning on his outboard motor.

Rroooom! Steve is soon a dot on the horizon. 

Arthur is facing the island.

He pushes down with his legs, leans back and pulls in with his arms.

The dinghy moves smoothly away from the island.

Just turning, says Arthur.

What did that girl do, in the video, to turn her boat round?

Problem? asks David.

No, says Arthur. He remembers that there were three ways.

one: drag a paddle

or: paddle with one

or: pull with one, push with the other.

or: weren't the first two the same?

Whatever, the third way was the fastest.

He pulls as he pushes.

The dinghy spins around in the water and heads for the boulders.

I'll keep a lookout for the first boulder, says David. We don't want a hole in our bottom. Oop! There! Careful!

But Arthur has already planned a smooth landing.

He explains the procedure.

Graze the first boulder. Stop. Take your shoes off. Get out. Drag the dinghy over the boulders. Clip it to a tree. 

Arthur has obviously thought this out beforehand. 

Well done he.