To Telaga Anchorage
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Fri 2 Dec 2016 23:57
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To Telaga
Anchorage
 The sky at twenty past
seven. We set off for Kuah to check in to the duty free
island of Langkawi.
 The sky twenty minutes
later. A very grey dimness over a now choppy sea.
 17:20, we can see Langkawi, then the rain fell hard.
 I never did get a picture of the
skipper the other way round, so for a change, the back of
his sleeping head.
 18:08. The
rain now a steady drizzle. I started my shift with Bear saying we can keep bashing, going nowhere in this headwind or we can turn
left and head for Telaga where we can also check in. Let’s go. We
went from a little over a knot in speed to real sailing at 6.1 knots. I listened
to William Shatner telling his life story and very good it was too.
 19:04. The sky put on her best blue of the day, twenty minutes later it was pitch
dark, no sunset as there was no sun, it had had the day off.
 Bear left me with what he called
a big ship. These glaring, neon lights gave arc eye........
 Bears big
ship suddenly had many babies, I lost count on this row and the row
behind on the horizon, it looked like an alien invasion. They are indeed little fishing boats with two men on board getting soaked
and cold all night. At half past nine the genoa was furled so I could turn sharp
right between a pair of lights the greatest distance apart that I could
see..........Mmmm.
 As we were about to head steadily to
the ‘n’ in the word obstruction on the five metre
line, at the very last second, in the heavy drizzle and lacking in good
visibility, I saw a tiny, bamboo stick with a red LED light flashing on the top,
shortly behind it a small white float, then another, then another. Sharp intake
in breath and an even sharper right turn as I twigged this was a fishing net
right across our intended track (as seen on the following days course).
I clearly needed to know where the
end of the net was that I hoped would also be lit by anther bamboo
flasher........... At the same time Bear had been following a red flashing light
on shore some three miles off, this was the conversation as I sent Bear out with
his trusty torch.
Can you see the final red flashing
light. Yes, it’s about three miles away. No
the fishing marker. No, it’s not a fishing marker it’s a
navigation beacon. No, it’s a fishing net. No, it’s a beacon. I
sighed and clearly Bear had not been privy to seeing the net which was about
twenty feet from the left side of the girl. I called him back into the cockpit
as I went into neutral to get things straightened out. Can you point your torch
to the left and see some white buoys. No.
What do you mean no, no you can’t or no you won’t. By now we were falling about
laughing. Both soaked to the skin, both wiping our spectacles on soggy tee
shirts and continuing to laugh. Shall I start again............ Yes, please do.
What had happened was as Bear had
left the cockpit with said trusty torch, for the split second he had looked up,
MY red flashing bamboo stick was in direct line with HIS flashing stick, I had
turned sharp right, he hadn’t felt the turn and was in fact looking at a
different red beacon on shore thinking it was his. Do keep up dear
reader......... I had to as I had no choice.
Back out of the cockpit for the
second time did indeed find my stick but in all the kerfuffle was now some quarter of a mile off and no threat dear
lady................
Bear stayed out, down came the main,
we proceeded to the five metre line and anchored. Note to self, don’t go to bed
after turning the instruments off in night mode as you can’t see them when you
switch them back on in daylight as you see nothing and have to guess what to
press to get them back to day setting.
Another note to self, try not to do
this trip again and I really have to – make it in daylight.
Goodnight all.
ALL IN ALL AN ODD AND FUNNY
RUN
A DIFFICULT JOURNEY WELL
EXECUTED |