Chapter 28

"Bill, up until this moment you have been fun as a friend and I was looking forward to knowing you better as a grandfather but now," I raised my voice and came to my feet to state. "I have to take into account that you seem stark raving mad!"

I raised my palm to stop him interrupting and continued. "First you might be up to your eyeballs in debt and I have enough difficulties in life already without that. Even more; if by some chance you are solvent there isn't a court in the land that wouldn't find the very nature of your proposal evidence of your insanity!"

"Well put Venus and the way you put it reassures me you at least are not crazy. I'm not as it happens in debt, in fact far from it, but I don't expect you to take that on trust. The reason I asked you this in front of everyone is so that if I renege on the deal you have witnesses and can profitably sue me. Also I now state in front of these witnesses you are free to withdraw from the deal at any time without penalty up to the time of my death which, as a soon to be groom, I intend to be a very long time from now. Venus? Do you agree?"

I looked at Grandma Tina who knew Bill far better than any of us and she was nodding her head for me to accept. My parents and sister were clearly as perplexed as me and there was nobody else with advice around so…

"We have a deal Grandad!"

I lifted my glass in a toast to the agreement and around the room others did the same none of us but Bill having the faintest idea what I'd agreed to. The evening instead of winding down seemed to be just finding its legs as Bill signalled me to join him. I looked to my parents for some reaction to my decision but to no avail and my sister was engrossed in some whispered conversation on her mobile phone. I was 18 and rapidly learning that in the adult world, when the really big decisions have to be faced, you are on your own.

Bill, instead of informing me of what his legacy would be, was caught up in the excitement of the upcoming wedding as though, heavy weights having been taken from his shoulders, he hadn't a care in the world. It was if anything a relief when I saw Litara waving me to join her in the ladies room…

Sitting doing my business a couple of minutes later I did wonder that in a room full of people who knew my history none had thought to object to my using 'the ladies'. Maybe it was that I'd acquired a degree of confidence but flushing and joining Litara at the mirror I could see anything but confidence in her face - indeed it looked as though she had tears in her eyes.

"I've let you down and made a fool of myself! she burst out. "The project is dead!"

Slowly the details came out. The inspiration for the project came through a conversation with a team member of a competing producer. It was news to me that producers might compete but I let her continue as she described a deal done to cover the transit of Venus where the team would stop in Tahitian luxury instead of the usual squalor endured by film crews.

Being no astronomer and having no reason to suspect otherwise, that news inspired her whole project and her confidence had been attracting other documentary makers like flies to a honey pot. This evening however she'd learnt that the luxury location for the filming was a 'wind up'! The documentary would be made here in Britain because that is where the transit could be seen, not in Tahiti where it would be happening during their night!

"If you want to film a planet passing across the face of the sun it does help if the sun is visible in the sky!" she sobbed as the floodgates on her tears burst.

My mind was racing and as I comforted Litara, eventually encouraging her to tidy herself and repair her makeup, a plan formed. Like my sister I had little knowledge of astronomy but I did know some history and having read sailing accounts knew something of what was possible.

Marshal your facts. Give those who would help you the means and time to prepare and steamroller opposition before it has time to organise itself!

"Litara, I'm going to leave you now but don't panic. I want you to meet me in five minutes in the dining room."

Back with the others I explained to Grandma Tina that I needed to borrow her new fiancée and dragged him off to a corner table explaining on the way that the voyage to Tahiti was in trouble and why. A minute later Litara joined us and I began.

"Let me introduce you," I said, arranging the seating so that they were in the two sides of the corner and I faced them with my back to the room. "Litara this is my experienced sailing friend and prospective boat supplier Bill. Bill this is my wheeler-dealer, documentary producing sister Litara. You don't know each other but you have a lot in common as you have both, with the best of intentions I hope, been trying to railroad me into furthering your own grander plans."

I gave them a moment to look at each other and continued. "You Bill have dreams of conquering the world through a new design of boat aided by the publicity gained by its appearance on television but don't seem to have thought of what happens to your expensive creation afterwards."

I took a sip of my wine before turning my attention to my sister. "You Litara have been swept up with enthusiasm for your project without considering that the only reason the transit of Venus has a place in the public imagination is through its association with Captain James Cook who we all heard about growing up"

"I've gone along with you both as an accomplice as I'm 18 with no idea what to do with my life while having prospective financially and socially disastrous medical problems."

"Now both of your plans are in trouble because you've found that although the transit of Venus will take place on June 8th, 2004 it won't be seen in Tahiti but here in Britain where Captain Cook started and finished his voyage."

"You two are the experts in making the seemingly impossible happen while I'm just trying to find a place for myself in what I find a scary world. To offer a future for the three of us, if you two can make it work, I will take Bill's boat and retrace Captain Cook's voyage by sailing it around the world to arrive back in Britain in June 2004 for The Transit of Venus."