Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Bay Spuddle

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Wed 11 Mar 2015 23:57

A Spuddle Around Bay Beez

Bear took on a ‘captainly’ tone and insisted we dragged ourselves off our sick bed and take to Baby Beez, he had taken the decision that we needed to fill our lungs with fresh air. Sounded like a plan but for the small problem of taking a deep breath without choking, be-that-as-it-may I wheezed in agreement armed myself with a supply of tissues and I limped out behind him. I have to say it was a lovely afternoon and taking in the view behind us – I could see myself enjoying this. Bear then told me to be ready for a little surprise.

My coughing chauffeur pointed to our right, not that far from Beez. Two ladies that we must have seen daily but not taken too much notice of. Apparently my spuddling companion had taken a different route home from a water and rubbish run and found quite a few noteworthy bits and bobs to show me.

Well, as we got closer to the first lady things began to take on a whole new look – could this be a ‘one careful owner’ ??? Oh you haven’t seen anything yet..........this is just a warm up, as is the next lady. Ooo, well colour me with anticipation, for now I will stick to looking around this local lady.

We both felt that speed was not high on the c.v. judging by the smallholding of mussels all round the waterline. Time for my next treat.

No sooner the word than the blow, there I was a couple of seconds later looking at the next beauty, complete with dangling carpet. My oh my. Oh the best is yet to come......just you wait......you prepare yourself for a star turn. Promises indeed.......

De-daaarrrrr, what do you think to this then ????? Impressive is’nt she. My mouth opened and shut, I gave a raucous coughing fit and asked for a very slow three-sixty-tour. I could see the back of a dinghy poking out from the back left, two side by side and a floppy looking affair to the front. Whatever next. I supposed there was no way anyone could walk from the cockpit to the pointy end. The deck was absolutely covered with ‘stuff’.

I’m very taken with the ladder for easy access up the mast. I was taken with the floppy dinghy at the front. Bear then took me a little way off to give me the overall picture – another two dinghies on this side, said in a higher pitched voice, that’s five, I’ll say that again in a tone more normal for me – f-i-v-e.

Bear took me in closer for his favourite view. What do you think, all I could think was Oooooo but the devil in me made my lips form the words - you know Beez would look like that if I don’t put my foot down. Various words were muttered through the beard but I couldn’t make them out. What was that ??? Nothing dear..................

Next on list was a visit to something we had never seen before. It was very low tide and we could see something poking out of the water in a small bay. Well colour me happy, a real lady we both agreed was heading toward this years finals.

Criteria for a classic One Careful Owner in the vessel category. Rust – tick, foliage – tick, barnacles or growth, in this case oysters – tick, additions in this case birds, a shag and an oystercatcher – tick, character or appeal – big tick.

The wheelhouse and the windlass.

Just then the chap at the front wanted to show he was brave, in fact bigger than us.

The chap at the back was completely unfazed by our visit. Time for the full circuit tour.

What a find.

As we left the bay with our stunning find, we passed a house with quite an impressive staircase. As we turned the corner at the end of the bay we passed a tree growing at a jaunty angle, clearly happy with an interesting root system.

In the next curve we found an abandoned spray painters shed, a bit further on was a sad looking set-up, the lone seagull strutted his stuff proving in a most comical way that this was very much his beach.

The view looking back from the furthest part of our spuddle, just where the Russell Ferry crosses from Opua to the other side. The spray painters shed on the left and Jaunty the tree standing tallest of the trees. If we went home now we would turn left at Jaunty and keep going for six hundred yards or so, in what we have come to refer to as ‘Bay Beez’, but Bear had further places to explore and point out.

Now on the other side of the bay, we slowed in the knuckle before the wharf and looked at all the houses nestled in the trees. This one owns the most unique shape and caught our eye. I wondered how the mosquito population felt about the humans in the vicinity.

A tourist tall ship at the end of the wharf – we thought the dinghy at the back was very authentic for the era....... The wharf, where big ships used to dock, the blue building at the end is Burnsco, one of the two chandleries here that has hurt the visa card somewhat chronically and methodically, sometimes I feared terminally but the skipper assures me the big stuff is done now. I kept the thought to myself that if you add up all the little bits, cumulatively they hurt quite a bit too.

The Quarantine Dock at this time of year is used by nesting and resting gulls who chirrup and argue at night.

The far end of Q dock is used as part of the marina, here we saw a lady who had been in a tiff or two with biting inanimate things. Pine Island or our Christmas Pudding Island trees poking up above her staysail.

Then the tiny Alya who bought our old solar panels.

The very end of the public bit of Q dock is solely reserved for the boys to dry out and rest.

Homeward bound Blazing Shadz looking rather splendid as we neared her.

Christmas Pudding Island, from this angle looks attached to the land. One day we must take a picnic over. For now it’s back home for a game or two and I feel a beer coming on, that’s fine so long as I win. Grrrrrrowl, now now.

Where we spuddled. We began at Beez on the flag - mid-line to the right. Yellow star = ladies. Yellow arrow = Star One Careful Owner complete with shag, oystercatcher and house with stairs to the ‘beach’. Yellow Circle = Jaunty-angled tree. Yellow triangle = Sail shed and lady ashore. Yellow sun = picture across the bay. Red triangle = where I took the house on the hill. Yellow moon = tall ship, then big wharf. Red arrow = Injured girl, little boat with solar panels and shags resting. Black arrow = Blazing Shadz and to her right Pine Island aka Motutokape Island, that I call Christmas Pudding Island........ I’ll leave you with a classic picture.