To Little Island
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 6 Dec 2018 23:57
|
To Little Island aka Pulau
Talang
  After breakfast we did our very, very
final bits of tidying, I cantered around on the hoover and once stowed we
bimbled to the office. We sat with the lovely ladies whilst they readied our
final, final bill and once settled it was really hard to say ‘Goodbye’ not
‘Farewell’ this time. Quite choked, as we remembered all their many kindnesses
over the time we have been here at Pangkor Marina – the longest Beez
Neez has been anywhere. We went to say ‘farewell’ to Richard and Val
(Kereru) and wish them all the best with their new mast and hope to
meet up with them in Chagos in the middle of next year. That done, we had an
hour until our time of departure – on a rising tide. What would a ‘normal’ woman
do, I don’t know but I hard boiled ten eggs and cooked a cauliflower..........
Bear took my final rubbish to the bin and I noticed his IPad in its place above
the wheel. Knowing the sun was blazing on it, I went to fetch it indoors (too
hot and it closes down for a rest). Where is your sun shade for it ??? No idea said the returning
skipper. So we set to making a new one. I found a piece of heat-reflective sponge, added gaffer tape to reinforce the
corners and Bear whacked in four rings. He found some string and up the shade went. Nothing for it now but to saddle up the
new chartplotter.
   Much gnashing of teeth and
complaining about socks on in the bath, I finally laid
waypoints, formed a course and named it. Growling, I so miss my old
machine. New instruments at the ready. Engine on at
12:25. Standing ready at the wheel, one final look
forward, it was time for the skipper to tell me the order of rope
removal. He stepped ashore and did just that, climbed aboard and I reversed out
of our slip. We remembered our custom of Bear popping into the cockpit, quick
peck on the lips, then we both turn to wave at our slip (or anchorage or marina
etc) and then he scoots off to stow ropes and fenders. In the case of an
anchorage he comes back to the cockpit after the anchor is safely stowed.
 One look back to Pangkor.
  Chartplotter and eye-ball view.
 Sensing all was well, instruments
functioning properly and feeling settled, I suddenly
yipped and yeehaa’d.
  Half an hour later the rain cloud caught up with
us, rolling thunder and lightning over the hillside to our right. Despite
diminished visibility and pouring rain the skipper stayed
firmly upbeat. I stood under our watertight pram hood and spotted for
him. The weirdest thing. I have, for many years worn glasses for distance
clarity and only a couple of years ago had to don reading glasses but for most
stuff like cooking and shopping not bothered. Lately, my need to wear glasses
for near work has risen dramatically but today when I put my distance glasses on
things went blurry. It will take a while to realise I can see perfectly well and
pick out fishermen and net markers. Bear tested me a few times by asking
questions such as: can you see the squid man at ten
o’clock. Yes and the one at eleven too. Crickey, he’s six miles away. Yep. Strange
indeed.
  The rainstorm was with us for an hour
and a half. I poked my nose out the side, not much to see out the
back.
 Eventually the rain stopped and we
were treated to lovely swirling mist.
  The like/hate relationship with the
chartplotter – hate it but had to like the two deciduous
trees, just two ??? no, we were looking at a forest. But I did love the
whole swarm of chums further up the
coast.
 Heading to our
Little Island.
 A couple of fishermen, the odd net marker and heading in to find a couple of metres below
to anchor.
 A happy skipper
signals that we are set, pied hornbills chatter and an iguana strolls
across the little beach. Wonderful to sit in the cockpit and play games with a sherbet or two, too.
ALL IN ALL A HUGE RELIEF IN
MANY WAYS
ON A ROLL ONCE
MORE |