To Trincomalee - 7
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Wed 27 Feb 2019 16:05
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Arriving in Trincomalee, Sri
Lanka – Day 7
  I get up at eight to find a very
dull, cloudy morning, must be nearing land as the
fishing boats zipping by are small. Before dawn Bear
had brought us through row upon row of bigger fishermen but plenty of space between the rows. At nine thirty (eight local time) I ring our agent to confirm our
ETA.
  Land Ahoy –
and with that the sea went glass flat.
  Locals
waved in welcome and a Naval vessel nosed out of the
harbour.
 Trincomalee is heavily guarded by the
Navy, Port Control and several other uniform wearing authorities, we thought
P322 would come over to check us out, no,
off on her own mission.
  Skipper was
delighted as Elephant Island came in to view.
A cue for me to radio Port Control for permission to enter the harbour. That
done, on we went.
 We were halted by P245 who asked us to stand by until they had radioed the
Long Room. We told them of Port Control but there we were told to stay. I
waggled the radio for them to chat more easily but in reply had my first proper
head bobble or Indian head shake (technical terms). Ten minutes and another
bobble and on we went.
 Tucked behind Elephant Island was a
rather lovely looking old lady.
 A bit confusing was a red buoy - not
to pass with it on the left as it marks the corner of a series of buoyed channels to the Navy parking space. There have been
stories of boats getting caught up here.
 Away to the left a couple of girls resting.
 The final few hundred yards heading toward Town Bay. We will both be SO relieved when
we don’t have to stare at the blue arrow.......
 Trincomalee
Bay or Koddiyar Bay with nearly four thousand acres of water is one of
the world’s largest natural harbours, protected by two headlands with a five
hundred metre wide entrance. Enough deep water inside to make it viable for
heavy industry. Over the years the Portuguese, Dutch, French and finally the
English who used it as a naval base, the Ceylonese government took control in
1956.
 Ahead of us a local girl from Colombo
called Grace, built in 2006, she is off to
Krishnapatnam this afternoon.
 Away to the
right we could just make out the masts of anchored yachts. We headed that
way and saw one of the agency workers wave us on to the jetty to complete
formalities, all secure against the quayside by eleven thirty our time. Sandeep,
our agent was first aboard and settled in the cockpit, next came a jolly doctor
who handed over our health certificate after a nice chat. Bear went off with
Sandeep to the Immigration Office on the quayside. The
officer was like a Sri Lankan version of Billy Cochrane. Who ???
You know, that Scottish fellow who was the
policeman. Do you mean the police psychologist played by Robbie
Coltrane in Cracker. That’s the one. Oh dear, oh dear, give my tired spirit
patience. Last to arrive was Customs and that was a nice, general chit-chat. All
done and dusted by five to four, at anchor ten minutes later. Not a soul went
below and not a single cupboard was opened. Now for late lunch, nip ashore for a
SIM card and tomorrow begin to tidy and clean the fine patina of sticky, salty
dust off everything.
890.5 nautical miles which brings our
total from Malaysia to 1162.1
ALL IN ALL
DELIGHTED TO BE HERE
FIRST THIRD OF THE INDIAN OCEAN COMPLETED,
YEHAA |