Chagos - Third Week

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 4 Jul 2019 23:47
Chagos – Third Week 
 
 
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Friday the 28th of June. My birthday, which meant I got to choose how the day flowed. A couple of episodes with a light breakfast in bed, games in the cockpit – very affronted to lose at backgammon. Time for a fry-up. Sadly no eggs but chicken sausages, bacon, tinned toms, mushrooms and baked beans. Replete, we set off for Birthday Island (aka (Ile Mapoa). We enjoyed exploring but at a quarter to three the sky went suddenly very dark.
 
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We had a quick stop on Ile Yakamaka to look at a the wreck of a fishing boat and for me to pose with the sea birds who sat on a sandbank. The rain came at quarter past four so we headed home.
 
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We found Bobby waiting for us settled on the wind generator, he had brought a friend who was stationed at the top of the mast. Just as we stepped indoors, the heavens really opened. It continued to pour for most of the night.
 
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Saturday the 29th of June. A very dull start to the day so we did some indoor chores, Baby Beez was nearly half full of water so I dealt with that. Late morning we enjoyed our customary game of backgammon. After lunch we settled to a game of Mex Train Doms and saw our watchful guardian and now fast friend try out a new roost, happy as he can see more of us than from the top of the mast. He sits and chats away happily, well it’s more of a squawk-come-bark.
 
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This afternoon Bear took a ceiling panel down in a bid to completely halt the leak into the electrickery cupboard. There was a bit of cogitation and then he set to work with sealant. I settled to write blogs.
 
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Late in the afternoon, hot and sticky, let’s go for a snorkel, where do you fancy. You choose. Let’s go back to the underwater wreck, I really enjoyed it there. So off we went. Great gangs of Mr Fish and we got to spend half an hour with this chap.
 
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Sitting on the outboard of Baby Beez............
 
Sunday the 30th of June. Rain for most of the night and with it came the roll. For a change the wind was not strong enough and was easily bested by the tide which meant we rolled from side to side. Uncomfortable, and as I sleep too close to the edge of the bed I took myself and an audiobook to the cockpit at two. Still rolly this morning and as rain was threatening we spent the day playing games, discussing forward plans and after showers took to watching Without a Trace. The rain came mid afternoon and forgot when to stop, at least it ironed out the water surface and settled the rolling.
 
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Bobby was back this morning. Closer view to watch for fish, potential lunch.
 
Monday the 1st of July. A short squall last night with a fair amount of rain which brought a dozen fairy terns around Beez. What noise, cackling and shrieking, flying into the rigging, not so much sleep. Then the rolling began, side to side, side to side and on it went. This morning began slowly with breakfast in bed watching a couple of Without a Trace. Bear went to check the leak, now small but it still has him scratching his head. I changed the bed and did the laundry.
 
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A couple of games, lunch and then Bear shouted at Bobby for pooping on the outboard. He flew off in a huff but soon came back to try the seat in Baby Beez, he wasn’t keen and bimbled to the side. There was a growl from Bear about pooping and ditto, off he flew, but was soon back to try the outboard handle. Mmmm. They didn’t chat for a while then all was forgiven.
 
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So odd to see feet that look like rubber gloves with toe nails closed around a handle. 
 
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Late afternoon we went back to what is now known as ‘our beach’ on South Fouquet. Looking back toward Beez, a glorious afternoon. We had rain in the evening, not for too long which made a change.
 
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A very pretty sunset.
 
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Tuesday the 2nd of July. We got up to a stunning, sunny, hot day. Not wanting to waste it we headed out after an early fry-up to our beach on South Fouquet. The beach was gorgeous but we could see lots of plastic bottles. A quick dip, a bimble to the spit and we found a single sized mattress of polystyrene, mmm, Bear put it to use as a beach blanket. The hermit crabs immediately came to see what the new ‘dance floor’ was all about..... The rubbish kept beckoning so we spent an hour and made three piles, must come back tomorrow with bin liners.
 
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Wednesday the 3rd of July. A gorgeous, sunny, hot day. After breakfast we raced over to Pepe’s Island knowing the beach was covered in plastic bottles and other human detritus. The baby turtles are due to hatch on the next full moon and we didn’t want their first view of the world to be yucky, so out came the bin liners. Baby Beez was soon full with five sacks of unmarried flip flops and plastic water bottles, a jerry can, a big polystyrene box, a rubber mat, a rusting LPG bottle and several glass bottles. We took it back to our beach on Fouquet and began a pile. Too much to finish today so we know what we will do tomorrow.
 
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Thursday the 4th of July. This morning began rolly, windy and dull but brightened up in the afternoon. Today’s task was to tame the fishing net we recovered from the seaward side trees and continue to bag the rubbish we had collected in piles. A very high tide saw the seaward water (left) and the atoll water (right) clash over the sand spit. Looking toward Pepe’s Island we enjoyed the colours, as did four sandpipers. We got in at a quarter past seven, tired but delighted with our growing pile of collected refuse. 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A VERY ENJOYABLE WEEK
                     SOME SUNSHINE AT LAST