Capt. Cook should have flown Emirates

---

---

We've made it to Melbourne. Unlike James Cook, (let's hear it for Whitby) it only took us 19 hours door to door from Dubai to hit Australia's second/first city. Unlike Cook, we had no trouble with the crew or weevil-free victuals. Fresh beverages were regularly served and the captain was given a round of applause when, almost on schedule, he hit (not hard) Aussie soil shortly after 11pm. Flags were planted, (thanks for the tip, Mike W) credentials shown to and accepted by the natives. Questions were asked about goods and chattels. One native was particularly interested in establishing whether my sports equipment was free from vestiges of foreign fields. Thanks to my brother's shoe brush in Dubai, I could proudly, for England and the R & A, say 'Yes'. The native smiled and said 'Well done'. This was a proud moment indeed. Now where's that bloody taxi, as James Cook might have said. Note to historical pedants: Melbourne never saw Cook, its first British settlers only putting up their first tents by the Yarra in 1835. To my knowledge he never got to Dubai, either, preferring to do his shopping in Staithes.

---