Lowest Low

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 27 Sep 2015 22:57
Lowest Low Tide in Three Hundred Years
 
 
 
 
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Thursday morning this week we jumped up to the lowest low tide since records began. A brisk start saw Bear help me with the freezer and everything from the cooking frenzy was inter-shuffled with frozen stuff. The view out of the back of Beez was fairly usual, one boat on the waiting buoy, out the front things were interesting – the jetty we use to climb ashore was higher than the pulpit. Made for some very interesting grunts and positions to stand on land. Thank goodness we aren’t by the wall like on our first night here. I feel the need for a perambulate around the estate after I put the washing in to soak. I’ll come too. OK and off we bimbled with the promise of a happy-food fry up after the laundry was dangling about like Mrs Woo’s.
 
 
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The water was indeed a long way down and the launch platform looked very leggy.
 
 
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We bimbled around the other side of the marina lagoon to find the pressure of work was nothing more than a tricky crossword problem in todays paper. A lady with a bit of a project on the go.
 
 
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A guard dog and a very busy nose end.
 
 
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The gateway to the sea. Don’t look or think about it. OK, but it’s hard not to think we should in Vanuatu by now. Anyway back to looking at the wall, quite a climb for anyone coming in just now.
 
 
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Looking back over to where we started, Beez - four to the left of the red hull of Risky Business, first met at the Blue Lagoon.
 
 
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I couldn’t help myself, I walked to the end of the wall for just one more look out to sea, I promise the last time until I actually point and line up Beez’s nose, when we leave here. A sigh escapes and then I am cheered by two chums sitting quietly.
 
 
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I am then cheered by a local parrotfinch scruffing about in the grass.
 
 
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A handsome little chap, then his wife appeared and the pair carried on as if we were not there. Must bring out the big camera. Mmm.
 
 
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Time for us to investigate the ladies in hull pits.
 
 
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Hull pits come in all shapes, sizes and keel depths. This cyclone protection, should we have Beez in one, would cost us two thousand three hundred pounds from the first of November until the 30th of April, twenty per cent off if you book early and pay by the end of March and ten per cent off if you pay by the end of May.
 
 
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We remember this lady from somewhere – a fairly unique name wethinks.......... The busy crane at rest. The boys ‘potting shed’. My shower is just to the right, Bear’s is next door, just off picture. Nothing fancy but you get as long as you like – a nice change from the four minutes on timer in New Zealand and the temperature stays the same throughout. Not sure what would happen if there were all the crew here for all the boats, a long old queue........
 
 
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The chap who leads boats into their parking places and secures the back ropes chats about the state of the tide with the yard manager or as I call him ‘the mover’. We bimble back to Beez for me to rinse the washing and then it will be time for a much needed ‘happy food’ fry up.
 
 
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I cracked Bear’s eggs into the wok and colour me amazed, two sets of double-yolkers. When I cracked mine I too had a pair. Well we’ll take that as a good omen and immediately a plan sprang at us. Instead of moping and feeling time slip by, we’ll book a taxi to Nadi airport, fly to Port Vila, book a cheapy self-catering place, a tiny hire car and do all the tourist stuff we need to do on Efate. Within the hour all was achieved and we are off on the morrow. Yeeha.
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A SHAKY START WITH AN EXCITING FINISH
                     A MIXED WEEK OF EVENTS