Chagos - First Week
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 20 Jun 2019 23:57
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Seven Days in Wet Chagos
 Friday
the 14th of June. Anchor set it was time for our routine chores, Bear
settling Beez and making a much needed cup of tea, me doing the
logbook, mileage, delete current course and build a new one to Madagascar. A
shudder as the next journey is indeed my Nemesis, however, we have the support
of a wonderful man called Des who has promised to keep the “sting out of the
tail” by advising on weather, routing and general information. Course done it
was time to shut everything down and take in our
surroundings. After lunch we swam around Beez. Bear wanted to scrape and
clean the girl’s hull, I snuck off for a snorkel on the reef between us and the
shore – all hard coral in good condition with loads of fish including huge
parrotfish.
 Saturday the 15th of
June. Bear jumped up and spent the morning working
on Baby Beez, in Gan (Maldives) he had diagnosed a couple of
little holes. Gluing done, we now just have to wait for seventy-two hours for
the glue to set. I cooked several portions of rice and ten hard boiled eggs.
After lunch we went for a long snorkel.
 I led Bear over to the patch of reef
I had explored yesterday and wow, we saw a turtle.
She seemed completely unconcerned by our company and carried on about her
business. Along with huge parrotfish, angels, groupers, jacks and another,
slightly shy turtle.
 Sunday
the 16th of June. This morning
after breakfast we sat in the cockpit and went through all the anchorages Des
and Nell sent for the west coast of Madagascar. Bear had trouble with his chips
in the chartplotter but I had success with the old-fashioned way – paper charts,
although I was a bit rusty with the ruler / whizzy thingy combo.....that will
show rust, no idea what it is called but I should...... Then the skipper went
forward to do the final repairs to Baby Beez, I watched a medium sized
lemon shark patrol by. After a late lunch and a few games Bear checked Baby
Beez, I think we can semi-inflate and try a test
drive. All well and gently inflated, we launched her and on went the
big outboard engine, time for a quick service. At
five o’clock we went for a test spuddle across to Pepe’s Island and stopped to
explore.
 The waves on the outer
reef were quite dramatic.
 As we headed back Bobby
suddenly came up from behind us and so low, we felt our hair part.
Mmmm.
  Beez looking
lovely in the last of the days sunshine, Ile Fouquet
beyond.
 A
pretty sunset.
 Monday the 17th
of June. I couldn’t sleep and at five thirty this morning was sitting
on the back shelf listening to an old favourite (audiobook) and watching a
bright, bright moon. We had a lazy start watching a
Wire in the Blood then got stuck in to cleaning the cockpit and sorting our
rubbish. A carrier bag for clean and crushed cans, a soft bag for all paper cut
up small and one for anything plastic. Yoghurt pots are washed, cut into strips
and poked in an old Sprite bottle. We have to carry all our litter with us,
until we get to Hellville, Madagascar.
After lunch we had a comical game of
Mex Train Doms, Bear scored 425 in the round fives to zeros to gain a total
score of 685 to my 162. Huh and double huh.
We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting with the only other yacht here,
Adiejewah. Harry and Maril are both retired GP’s and of course, as
yachties are - no shortage of chatter. We had a few bits of drizzle during the
afternoon but come evening it rained heavily. Thunder and lightning just before
we went to bed. Rain all night.
  Tuesday the 18th of
June. This morning Bear took to the task of replacing an errant bolt on
the boom preventer and scruffed
around in his tool shed. It rained until lunchtime and finally brightened
up late afternoon. I lost badly at backgammon but had success with Mex
Train.
Wednesday the 19th of
June. It rained hard all day, all evening and all night. We
settled in the cockpit and played through all of our games. Everything now feels
damp and sticky, humidity thick enough to cut with a knife. We watched the last
two Wire in the Blood and hope it brightens up tomorrow.
Thursday the 20th of June.
We woke to a very dull, overcast day with a stiff breeze that took the
temperature down from thirty three to twenty nine, it actually felt chilly.
Tonight we started to re-watch Without a Trace.
 When the sun does put his hat on, we
are in such a beautiful place but just now we watch as more storm clouds gather.
ALL IN ALL EXTENDED SUNSHINE
NEEDED
PARADISE IN THE
RAIN |