Chagos - Third Week
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Thu 4 Jul 2019 23:47
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Chagos – Third Week   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.
 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.
  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.
   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.
  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.
 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.
 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.
 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.
   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.
 So odd to see feet that look like rubber gloves with
toe nails closed around a
handle.
 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.
 A very pretty sunset.
 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.
 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.
 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 |