Pudding definitely has his sea legs (but not for swimming)

Date: Dec 29, 2018 

Trip #18 (#38)
Weather: Cloudy mostly, occasionally sunny 
Waters: North of the SAF firing range, flat 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R, L and Pudding
New gear on board: Leica DX7, Fujifilm X-T100 (Christmas presents!)  

Wow, it's been three months since our last outing. A combination of having this or that commitment on our designated boating Saturdays, or bad weather, or both, has seen to that. Just life getting in the way, in other words. We were thus looking forward to being on the water again as the year draws to a close. 

L (left) is a dive master and marine biologist. 

L the marine biologist joined us on this outing, but no, there was no chance of her showing us sea critters and telling us about them. The waters north of the SAF firing range looked clean enough, but weren't clear.  Seems it's too much to ask for when you are talking about Singapore waters. 

And I say emphatically Singapore waters, because the Malaysians have unilaterally decided in recent weeks that these waters are theirs. A couple of their vessels have been recalcitrantly dropping anchor in these parts, triggering a war of words between the two states through the media.  On this Saturday though, we didn't see any Malaysian-flagged vessels there. A Singapore Coast Guard boat made its appearance once (as they usually do in our outings), but only to tell us to drop anchor 50 m further north because we were technically still in the live firing area. 

What a dramatic international diplomatic incident it would have been if one of those Malaysian boats detained this Singapore family for their "incursion" into "Malaysian waters". But nah, it didn't happen. 

Meanwhile, Lord Pudding seemed really happy to be on the boat this time. He moved from spot to spot on board, with none of the fear he had on his first two outings. It got a tad hot for him though. 

#dogsonboats

However, he is still fearful of water. This pic says it all: 

He was curious, but appeared to take their word for it that the water was
lovely. Not even a liver-flavoured treat could lure him in. 

Looks like a few more swimming sessions at The Naked Pet are in order for us to be the owners of a doggo that would take a flying leap into the blue beyond. Friends have suggested that we just chuck him in (which in itself is getting to be a challenge since he now weighs 28 kg or so), but we don't want to traumatise him. 

Mutability

Date: Sept 22, 2018 

Trip #17 (#37)
Weather: Sunny, then overcast (very overcast), then sunny again 
Waters: Slightly choppy just outside the marina and on the way to the anchor point, but calm after dropping anchor north of the SAF firing range 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R and Pudding 

The following pictures say it all about the fickleness of the weather on this outing, our first since The Big Move to our new home in Siglap. (Since then, it's been six weeks of dealing with the interior designer and the developer for the various fixings needed around the house. Truly, one never knows what needs to be done around the place until one moves in and starts living there.)

Time: Around 1pm, searingly hot, just off Raffles Marina. 

Time: Around 3pm, north of the SAF firing range. Beautiful storm light. 

Time: 5pm, back at the marina. Blue skies. 

The mutability of the weather was kind of surprising on this Saturday. Heavy thunderstorms had been predicted for the afternoon, so at first we canned the idea of going out in the boat. But the day dawned bright and clear, so the plan was back on. It was still sunny as we got underway; the heat was so searing that everyone applied sunblock with some diligence (except for C, who thinks himself immune from UVA/UVB).

It has been about three months (THREE!) since our last outing, and Pudding seemed to have forgotten the business of boating. He was restless as the engine roared, either because he was freaked out or because of the heat or both. 

After we berthed at our usual spot just south of the fish farms, the grey skies swept in, and brought with them the tiniest drizzle. Nobody moved to go below deck; I don't think anyone even thought of the possibility of the boat being tossed like a cork in a rainstorm. J2 put on his raincoat, but realised it wasn't worth how hot he was feeling under it. The light was all grey and yet orangey; it was dark and yet quite bright, this storm light.

We stayed put, calmed by the silence of the waters, the silence broken by our choice of music, washed down with beers. This is our Saturday oasis, one that we never tire of coming to.

We hoisted the anchor at around 5pm, partly because A had forgotten to bring along Pudding's lunch, and everyone figured it would be around 7pm before he would get his first meal since breakfast. A felt #contrition, though J1 said that as the dog gets nearer his first birthday, he should be getting used to having fewer meals a day anyway. We plied him with more treats than usual to make up for the oversight. The things we do for this dawg.

The drizzle blew over soon enough and we cruised back to the marina in bright 5pm light. It was as if the threatened bad weather was never there at all as we went through the post-outing ablutions.

Mutability, change. This family has been buffeted by it in a big way this past year, and I think we seem to have come through it with some grace, despite it having been change that was unsought. But we are finding our own new level after it and maybe even liking it, though, on a day-to-day basis, some of us still find comfort in doing things the old way.

Yes, one has to look back, sometimes. Pic by J1.  

We don't want to forget our old home, and so have brought along with us some pieces of furniture, some knick knacks, to remind us from whence we came. We have these things to tie us to the past, but we also need to look forward, all of us ...

... both the young... 

... and the not-so-young. 

It's so hot out here!

Date: June 21, 2018 

Trip #16 (#36)
Weather: Sunny, very hot and still 
Waters: Slightly choppy just outside the marina and on the way to the anchor point, but calm after dropping anchor north of the SAF firing range 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R and Pudding 
New gear on board: Non-slip mat for the dog (Grandma's gift!)

This is how we remember mid-year weather to be - sunny, sun-burningly hot, in fact, searing. We just broke out the beers, turned up the music and chilled, our way. 

Pudding uses the non-slip mat that Grandma bought him.

The dog, on his third outing on the boat, was restless. Then we realised he was desperately in need of a cooler spot. Unlike us humans, he doesn't have a built-in system of sweat glands to cool him off. Wearing that coat of fur doesn't help.  He was chomping gratefully down on cubes of ice tossed to him from the cooler, and moved from place to place on deck to find a cool spot to lie on.  Then J2 doused his head with water from the hand-held shower head on board. He didn't even fuss - and this is a dog who everyone knows hates bath days.  

Wet (and glad) dog.

The hat didn't stay on for more than a second
after this shot. How do all the other cute Instagrammers
get pix of their doggos wearing the coolest head gear?
And this "Spraying & Praying" hat was put on him
with the best intentions -  to keep him cool 
this hot day at that...   

When J1 went below deck into air-conditioned comfort for his customary nap, the dog followed him readily. 

Dog-dad J1 in a happy moment.

R cosies up to her pal. 

This was a really chill afternoon - strange use of the word, come to think of it, given that it was anything but cool. But the flatness of the dark green, murky water, the stillness of the secondary jungle onshore, and our having that whole stretch of water south of the fish farms to ourselves was a wonderful Saturday respite from a hectic work week, which we undertook amid the hub-bub of renovations of our new home. So many things to tend to, some in consultation with the interior designer:   

Where do you want the grommets on the study desks? 
Do you prefer the bedside power points above or behind the bedside tables? 
Has the fan for the front yard been ordered and paid for?
When do we install the awning if we are unsure of the Building & Construction Authority rules? 
When are we going to start packing? 
And where do the boxes sit in a home that is still pretty much lived in? 
Will Move-In Day run smoothly? 
What about the leaks in the basement of the new home - will that continue to haunt us and break our budget down the road? 
What other things are left to buy? 

We are all looking forward to moving - well, more precisely, settling into - the new place, and finding our new routines and rhythms. 

And it's not just us. The dog too, four months into his life with our family and after graduating from a Puppy Start-Right programme, will have to find his own new level too. 

We really don't understand people who keep moving house, either because of circumstances or because they get a good offer on their existing home. The unsettled-ness is awful to us. That sense of Place is key, the feeling that when you come Home, you know where all your things are; it's also where people important to you are.    

At the close of yet another great day out.
Raffles Marina dock

  

Pudding gets his sea legs (we think)

Date: June 15, 2018 

Trip #15 (#35)
Weather: Cloudy after a brief drizzle
Waters: Slightly choppy on the way out, but flat where we anchored, north of the SAF firing range 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R, Pudding and Grandma!  

Finally, Grandma said yes. 

We have been asking her to join us on the boat for a year or more, and we think she had always thought that we had to swim out to the boat or something, and she isn't fond of the water or swimming. We promised her that she would board the boat from the dock and no swimming was involved.  

We think she enjoyed herself! 

It was Pudding's second boat outing and he seemed a lot calmer this time. He had spent most of the last boat ride taking refuge in J1 and J2's laps, shivering. (See post here.) This time, he switched between being on the seat with Grandma and A, or lying at Captain C's feet. He happily chewed cubes of ice on deck and often raised his head to take in the salty air. His tail: definitely not between his legs.

Who's havin' a good time? 

Now to make him jump into the water from the swim platform. Hahaha. Baby steps, baby steps.  

The weather had threatened to tank this outing. It was drizzling all the way to the marina, but by the time we got there, it had stopped, but it stayed cloudy. We had to top up the tank for the boat, so that delayed our start a bit. 

After we anchored though, it was all good. The waters north of the SAF firing range were an emerald green, clean and flat. We just kicked back and relaxed, glad that this was a long weekend, courtesy of the Hari Raya public holiday. 

Our kind of afternoon, away from the madding crowds.

J1 needed his nap, either because he might have been a little seasick (again) or because. So the air-conditioning below deck was turned on and he retired. Pudding followed him.

Buddies.

Pudding's first day out at sea!

Date: May 12, 2018 

Trip #14 (#34)
Weather: Cloudy
Waters: Choppier than usual out west 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R ... and Pudding, the family dog!  
New gear on board: A dog life jacket, size M, slighly oversized now

Folks, we have a new member of the family. Pudding came to our home two months ago, and in that time, it has become abundantly clear that our nearly-six-month-old pupper is no water baby, despite being a golden retriever. We have been taking him to the beach and installed a kid's inflatable pool in the balcony, and we bathe him every Sunday. Each time, he's shown that he'd rather be somewhere else. 

So what are we to do if the original plan had been to include a water-loving, athletic dog in our outings on the boat? 

Force it. Haha. 

Pudding was carried on board. He had no say. The engine was already running, so he wouldn't have to deal with its sudden firing up. He weighs about 14kg now. Eventually, when he hits adult weight of between 35 to 40 kg and refuses to board, we may not have this option of carrying him on board... 

Notice his tail between his legs.

We didn't want to make the trip longer than needed, so we turned to starboard upon leaving Raffles Marina and headed up towards the SAF live-firing range. We dropped anchor north of the live-firing area and cut the engine.

Pudding calmed down considerably without the roar of the engine. He wouldn't jump off the swim platform into the water though, no sir. Then again, none of us felt inclined to either. The water was a murky dark green-grey today.

He even managed to catch a nap with J1, who had to sleep off some sea-sickness. They were both below deck, in air conditioned comfort.

R comforts a nervous Pudding as
the boat pulls out of the marina

'God, why did you have to assign me a family
that keeps bringing me to the beach, to pools, and now,
this big, noisy thing that floats on a LOT of water??'

Pudding didn't seem to mind being up front with C and A.  

We'll be back, and so will he.

The boat stalls! In the SAF live-firing area!

Date: Feb 24, 2017 

Trip #13 (#33)
Weather: Scorchingly hot
Waters: Calm out west 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R 

Another day out, and we were looking forward to it. The last time we had been on the boat, it had been days before Christmas, and we hadn't even gone out to sea. We had booked a berth in the marina to celebrate Christmas on board. 

The trip out west (towards Puteri Cove, Johor) had started out without incident. Then, while we were in the channel, a high-pitched beep sounded. This is what C saw on the dash: Sensor fault.  

The beep stopped soon after, but we continued our way. The beep was to sound twice more, each time squealing thrice, and then stopping. Subsequent times, instead of "Sensor fault", the dial gave an oil pressure reading. 

Then the LW2 stalled. The engine just cut on its own and we were adrift, right on the edge of the Singapore Armed Forces live-firing area. (No, we didn't hear firing going on then. It was around 3pm.) The engine refused to fire up again.

C called Eric of  SG Boating, but he wasn't picking up his phone. We called Raffles Marina, but they said they "couldn't" send any boat to tow us back to the marina "if the boat wasn't within line of sight of the marina". Another call was made to SG Boating's office, but the connection was bad and the person on the other end couldn't hear C. The thought did occur to us to call the Police Coast Guard for a tow, as it wasn't at all wise to hang out in those waters. 

After a few minutes, the engine could be restarted. We moved beyond the live-firing area and dropped anchor.

Finally, we got Eric on the line, and he advised us to take a slow drive back to the marina, and not to gun the engine beyond 2,000 rpm. 

We figured that since we were already out there and it was a pleasant-enough afternoon, we would just float and do our usual weekend relaxing thing board. After some beers, music and conversation - J1 went to sleep because the dramamine from a Japanese pharmacy was working too well - we made tracks back for the marina. 

A couple of brahminy kites circled overhead, squawking loudly. We did agree that for a majestic raptor like that, its call sounded decidedly unmajestic. 

The trip back was uneventful, though it was the slowest we have ever gone on the boat, which had just come out of its annual servicing just before the Chinese New Year. So did some wiseacre not put back the parts properly? This baby is less than a year old. 

It's back to the workshop, I guess.