Bits and Bobs to the 22nd of September
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 22 Sep 2019 23:57
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Another Quick Week – to the
22nd of September
  Sunday the 15th of
September. The week began early with seventy-three local fishing boats
in the bay, laughing and shouting at five o’clock this morning........ By nine
o’clock there were just forty-one........ After breakfast Bear attacked the salt
water pump he had bought in the week from the chandlery up the road from the
anchorage here in Crater Bay. After fitting and finding it leaked (despite being
told it was new), Bear went about trying to reseal the
pump but no, leaked like a sieve. He plans to return it to the shop and
get a refund. Virgin Bank card reader system was due to begin today but that has
been cancelled for now.......
  Lunchtime. We went ashore to see a
yachty dog having fun at low tide. Every other Sunday
is pig roast but today was ‘bring your own to BBQ’, with the kitchen
upside-down, we ate off the menu and Bear’s steak in pepper
sauce was delicious. I had my now ‘usual’ honey pork chop and chips. Late
afternoon Irma and Kevin, Jane and Craig returned from South Africa and were
soon enjoying a cold beer. Lovely to catch up. Dropped back to boats, we all
decided on a few sherbets ashore in the evening.
 Monday the 16th.
This morning we picked Irma up to drop her at the supermarket (Kevin stayed
aboard to do blue jobs), en route with Denis, our taxi driver, to the airport
for our Visa run. Loving putting dotted lines on a
map. At the airport we found Vince who was accompanying Rena and Andrea
(Zap) also there for a Visa extension. They paid in local, we were told
to bring Euros, and the following day Brett paid in US dollars....Mmmm.
Sixty-one pounds and eighty-six pence for both our Visas and twenty-five pounds
and sixty pence for the taxi. All done in four minutes, well the Visa was. I
felt done the whole day. We may not need the extension (until the 28th of
October) but it keeps the pressure off Bear for remaining jobs and the ever
looming leak, more to follow.
   It was nice to see a bit of inland
Nosy Be. Along the way we saw kapok trees, lots of
greenery and some odd-shaped, stumpy trees no taller than a man.
 The cananga odorata, known as
the cananga trees produce a yellow the flower used to
make ylang ylang perfume – the island is famous for. The trees are kept to a
height that makes harvesting the flowers easier.
  Scenery as
we headed back with Denis.
  One chap
resting and back in Hellville, another
working.
 The
market, as always was in full swing. Ten minutes to the mall and
we met Irma in Leader Price, Monday is not the
best day for choice but we filled a trolley, loaded with Denis we headed back to
Beez. A message came through that we were all to eat ashore as a ‘farewell’ to
The FOB Four. Too soon to have honey pork and chips, I took a salad for me and
Bear had pizza.
   Sunset. A
full moon and Ken and
Beattie (Petra) who organised the evening.
 Tuesday the 17th.
The day began, as usual with being woken by the fishermen. I know I’ll hard boil
some eggs. Other than a fun egg event, so far so
good. Bear put the generator on as overnight things drop as I am still running
the booze fridge as a freezer and Bear has not got around to fixing a problem
with the solar panel wiring. Bear returned the water pump and got a full refund.
I compared Media Monkey to Bee Music.
  Ooooo, well, whilst the generator is
on methinks to charge up my elderly Mac Book Pro that
has been on bed rest since Malaysia. Switch on. Bleep, bleep, bleep. Look at
forums and videos, press lots of tabs as ordered. Bleep. bleep, bleep. Call in
the boss who watches a more complex video. Bleep, bleep, bleep. Suggestion is –
the battery is deceased. Look up price, between $129 and $199. Simply cannot
justify that malarkey. Back it went on the shelf from whence it came. Helped
Bear in the office and managed to poleaxe my middle toe with something that fell
off the shelf, followed by a five nil loss and a hammering at Mex Train – is it
too early to retire injured. No but you can go for an
early shower. Growling quite loudly.......
 Wednesday the 18th.
Back to Sakatia Island and colour me happy – a chartplotter
with detail and depth.
 Overnight did it rain. It hammered
from two until half four and other times a fine downpour. At one point the leak was a constant drip and the jug filled to the brim
in no time. Another restless night emptying, checking and puzzling.
  Difficult to see but Bear is over ankle-deep in rainwater. Fifteen minutes of
bailing required.
   Thursday the 19th.
Chores and jobs kept us busy until we went ashore at four to enjoy a late lunch
with Beattie and Ken, Irma and Kevin, Kimi and Trevor – fish, octopus (not for
me), rice, salad and bread. A gentle dusk, sunset and
later Kimi was put in charge of giving the children
lollipops that I had found getting sticky in our supplies.
 Friday the 20th. At
seven we boarded Canace to have a super day out with Kevin and Irma
(own blog). We motored to Nosy Fainhi about ten miles away to snorkel, lunch and
have a cracking sail back just before sunset. We tried fishing but sadly no
bites. Beattie and Ken watched whales swim around Beez and we await the
photographs eagerly. A local along the way. On our
way back we saw the tails of two whales (very white under, very black uppers)
and a few spouts before they took breaths, sadly they were swimming away from us
at quite a distance but lovely to see.
     Dusk as we
came down the channel between Nosy Be and Sakatia Islands and Beez at sunset.
   Saturday the 21st. A
slack morning, lunch and at two we headed back to Crater Bay. A dull afternoon with an early
sunset. Just as well as Vince ‘welcomed us by
mooning’ – not for old ladies or young children...
 The pleasing picture as we pulled into
the bay was of this local lady with a very sad looking
sail but still moving at speed.
 We picked Vince up at half five and
headed in for supper. From the left: Bear, Mandy and Brett
(Leventeia), Vince and me. Back on Salty Dog we
‘tidied’ up the ice cream, port, rum and as Bear had mixed me a vodka and
lemonade to take, that had to be finished as well. A great evening with calls to
Vince’s friend Corrina in Cape Town. She has kindly ordered us two three
terabyte external hard drives and Vince will bring them back on the 2nd of
October. Yay, happy me, I can finally tame all my music and Audiobooks into one
corral. Did it rain at midnight. Silly us, we left as it got a little lighter,
back to Beez soaked to the skin and just after we stepped aboard, yes,
it stopped completely.......
   Sunday the 22nd.
Bear picked Vince up, swung by for me to wave –
primarily so I could check that this rascal had indeed left..... We will see him
again on the 2nd of October. Missing him already – not..... At one we went
ashore for pig roast with Allen (Nauti Nauti), Kimi and Trevor
(Slow Flight) and Mandy and Brett (Leventeia). Back to Beez
for backgammon and Mex Train (I won both, makes a change at the minute, growling). Settled to watch a White Collar only to find the
TV or Media Player are on strike. Both growling.
ALL IN ALL FRIENDS, FUN AND
FOOD
A FEW GOOD BREAKS BUT CONTINUING
CHALLENGES
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