To Hoga Island
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 11 Aug 2016 22:57
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To Hoga
Island
  Spot the Difference Between A and
B.... The journey today in warm sun was a laundry opportunity. The engine would
have to be on as once we round the next island the wind will be on the nose.
Bear can set the water maker to busy mode and I can wash and rinse to my hearts
content. Plan – put everything in to soak now before we get going. In my mind
that indeed sounded the way to go and off I went to the nether regions of Beez
for my big flexi-bucket. Rolled forward to fit under the tap, I was half way to
filling when OH MY WORD........... the water delivery spout
fell off. My mind felt the urgent need to reach for an umbrella but the
sensible part of me (yes, I do have one now and again) reached to turn off the
tap and all was well, except for lowered vista of my mixer tap that
is................ Not overly bothered as I can do my laundry in the cockpit
using the al fresco shower we continued to make ready to leave. On the morrow
Bear can do the head scratching prior to working something up and receiving
customary advice from Heath Robinson who usually adds inspiration and a couple
of choices.
 We waved our our
final Wanci lady and the anchor was up at nine thirty. Will we miss their
very loud chugging.......
 The dredging
operation was still hard at it as we swung by.
 To our left the pale shallow dropping off to deep water.
 To our right the satisfying look of
emptiness. It has been a very long time since I have felt such relief at
leaving anywhere. Wanci will sit in the memory as having a decent internet
signal but the overriding thoughts will be of NOISE. The anchorage was smooth
after the awful rolling of Namrole but a quiet night and a decent sleep is so
very much needed. Karaoke rasped and shrieked until gone midnight, the roosters
then thought it pertinent to get their chance as the Imam wound up at half four.
The first fifteen minutes was always quite lovely until all the other
loudspeakers around the town felt the need to compete. Call to prayer for the
slumbering was swiftly replaced with the shake the cemetery dwellers into
leaping up to clean their fleshless teeth. Once that all stopped the chatter
amongst the stall holders, the chugging of the local boats and the hubbub at the
ferry dock ensured that only Bear had had a restful night.
 I thoroughly enjoyed my Mrs Woo
session in the sunshine and soon my washing was pegged about the cockpit. Bear
gnashed and growled about the wind on the nose and thought that had unsettled
him to losing five one at backgammon. The rest of the thirty mile journey he
kept snagging wins on the tri-omino battlefield. Hoga
Island on the left.
 Away to our right a fairly poor
population live in a town on stilts, intrepid sorts
will visit us to trade or sell fruit and veg.
 A local
boat leaves Hoga Island anchorage.
 We head to the
port marker and had been warned to look out for a floating
obstruction.
  Our little arrow
on Google Earth shows us accurately passing between the reefs where my chartplotter has us ploughing straight over
it.......
 The reef to our
right was very easy to see. As we came up to the port marker depths
dropped from 9.1 metres below steadily down to 4.4, then after our left turn
soon dropped to 20.
 The obstruction. Look between the
blue hull of Serica and the cat Soul along the bottom of the picture to see
a big, fat, brown metal hawser, once passed we headed
over to the far line of boats and found fifteen metres to anchor with swinging
room against the far reef. Anchor down at half past four we were invited for
sundowners on Soul an hour later. Quick boil up of Bear’s stew, wash and change
and off we went. A select group of boats watched a green flash that brought
newbies to the club and increasing the total of those that had seen one before.
My excitement grew during the evening as the promise of Nemo, his family and
friends, lots of colourful reef and a buoy to tether Baby Beez to
awaits us in the morning, well after the tap rebuild......... Later, Catherine
and me had the ten cent tour of Soul with Karen and the boys went with Mike. I
could hear Bear drooling as he looked at the space around the engine and the
tool shed. I just stared in awe at the space, beautiful lines and a sense of
agoraphobia when I sat in the lounge – must not harbour any unfaithful thoughts
as I love Beez far too much. Time for a peaceful night with just the
breeze for company.
.
ALL IN ALL A BEAUTIFUL
SANCTUARY
PRETTY SUNNY JOURNEY HARD ON THE
WIND |