As the sun slowly set and the island vibe slowed to an even more relaxed pace, we were invited to place our bets. “Sorry, what?” I’m not really a gambler, but this sounded so incongruent to our surrounding my ears perked up. Having spent hours on the side of sports fields, cheering on children, I know what encouragement sounds like, so without too much hesitation I joined the mass exodus out the clubhouse onto the beach to select in the evening light, my own personal brilliant, athletic and majestic hermit crab.
With every guest having chosen their own beauty, a circle was drawn in the sand. All crabs were gently placed in the middle of the circle and then the fun began. It’s really simple – the winning crab is the one that exits the sand circle first. And you can place bets on them. Now seasoned crab racers will tell you a lot of nonsense when you select your first crab to race. Things like, it’s better to get a big one, or the spiral shell hermits move in straighter lines or even that colour makes a difference.
Despite everyone’s counter claims, I think it was my melodious voice and the years of practice pitching my voice at just the right level so my kids could hear me far away that led to my crab being the ultimate winner. The bottle of wine and host of 2M’s were well worth the whispered instructions issued to my crab. Claw, as I called him, was released back onto the main beach with instructions to meet me at the same place the next evening to continue our winning streak. Claw didn’t return as I hoped, or maybe it was him in another shell. Nonetheless my winning streak continued on a double or nothing basis for another 2 nights and I thereafter retired from further competition due to a slight rasp in my voice. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that I know very little about crabs and one’s luck doesn’t last forever. Just one of the many little gems enjoyed at Situ.
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