Beez Neez now Chy Whella - Beez to 07/02/19

Beez to 07/02/19

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Thu 7 Feb 2019 23:57

Beez Neez to the 7th February 2019

Monday the 4th. Sweet joy. Having waited with short pants and a eager demeanour – and the time difference between the UK and Malaysia, Richard came up trumps with a year of insurance, no nonsense, all areas covered and £770 cheaper than our current one - that cannot prove sufficient paperwork to keep BIOT (British Indian Overseas Territory) happy or cover the East Coast of Africa AND who wanted a pro-rata DAILY costing with the need to say where we are and where we are going all the time....... deep breath, hand over the credit card number and breathe – all done. Thank you Richard and everyone who has offered help and suggestions – you know who you are.

Meanwhile, an email from our current lot “oo still waiting for a quote from the very company you have gone with, you have a cool off period if you want to stay with us as your broker and a special rate for being valued customers....... drum roll and wait for it.........£48 price reduction for fourteen years with them. Well excuse me for not leaping up and down with my knickers in the air........., if you know that song, you’re showing your age.......actually first released in the UK in 1971...... Our company could have done this search weeks and weeks ago, saved me countless sleepless nights, form filling and the latest (who will be emailed in a minute) who wants a blow by blow account of our life, watch system and inside leg measurements....Mmmm......clearly not sailors at that brokerage in America......... Hope to report receipt of policy soonest and successful application for BIOT Permit but all in good time. Message from the crew of Scott-Free, arrived in Bangkok, smiled at the camera and welcomed with little fuss – if only everywhere we visited was as simple. Hope you have a wonderful time, both.

Tuesday the 5th. Bear went to work on servicing Baby Beez and firing up the compressor before it goes to bed and SNAP, the pull cord broke. Muttering and need a loaded cappo before I get back to it. I settled to make a Master Copy of all our photographs and get on with chores as it whirrs away. Amazing the year 2014 we took just over sixty-two thousand pictures. We clearly need to get out more. Yes dear, go away now. OK. I stare at the lounge table at my pile of mess that now hides the printer completely in some disbelief. I look at the bed and Bear has been rummaging in his tool shed, again.

I look at the open tool shed and go to look away, my eyes catch at the top left – a set of toilet seat seals. At least I know where one thing is to hand.........

At least ‘you-know-who’ is happy at his task of re-stringing the compressor pull-cord.

Wednesday the 6th. Bear played with the Red Box, a gadget to connect and compress data for all our various machines to get internet through the Sat Phone at sea. Lessons needed methinks. I settled to washing the bedding and hanging it out in forty degrees of bright sun, not too long to dry then......that done a quick trot on the hoover.

Thursday the 7th. Final shop and an easy check out. No. We stopped at a new (to us) supermarket as they sell the best bananas on the island. That done we headed through heavy traffic (Chinese New Year crowds moving about) and eventually found a parking spot and off we went to see the Harbourmaster. There was a Chinese family beside us and a weary looking chap asked if we had our boat insurance. Bear flashed it up on his mobile and the Harbourmaster showed it to the mystified Chinese family – the son could speak a little English and muttered as they stared at said mobile. Harbourmaster “All ships big or small coming in to Malaysian waters has to have insurance. You no insurance. You no check in”. Son looked at us “How do we get insurance”. We completed our ‘stuff’ but were caught by the same family for more explanations about insurance. All we could offer was for them to telephone an agent in their country and wished them well. We went to Customs “No, can only clear you out if you are in Kuah marinas. Must go airport and Immigration as well”. Shopping done we headed to the airport and after changing our purse money to US dollars found a lovely young lady who cleared us with Customs. Next, we found a sleeping man in Immigration who once awake was really helpful. “No, cannot clear out here”. Suddenly four officers burst through the door having attended the crowd arriving on a recently landed aircraft. A very fit – as in shoulder muscles way too big for his slight frame told us in perfect, unaccented English that he was “very sorry. We do not have the necessary stamp to put in your Passport. I suggest you try Telaga Port tomorrow”. Right then. Back on the three thirty-five ferry. Fridge cleaned, sorted and reloaded. Time for a quick dip. Egg on toast with beans for a most wonderful supper, a real treat for me (not supposed to eat bread).

Good news, YAY, actually excellent news. Our new insurance policy came at ten o’clock. I leapt into action, printed it off and set to work on the Chagos Permit Application Form. All done by half eleven, I lay down and go through expenses, payments and forward plans and have no idea exactly when Bear went soundo but the next morning he remembered nothing...............I won’t growl.