Date: March 9, 2019
Weather: Sunny, bright
Waters: North of the SAF firing range, flat, but stormed on the return leg
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R, K, and Pudding
The plan was to head east from Raffles Marina to go to the Southern Islands, but everyone (excepting C and A) got up too late. It is a rather longer cruise, be it to Sisters' Island or to Pulau Hantu, and we would have returned to the marina too late, probably in semi-darkness, so the plan was canned.
We are starting out from the marina no earlier than noon or even 1pm these days, so our choices are seriously limited.
We do miss going to the islands. The previous boat, a Chaparral, had an outboard motor [see the 2019 model of the Suncoast 230 that we had here] which could be raised in shallower water so it didn't hit rock or coral. We would get right into the shallower lagoons in the Southern Islands and just wade to shore, carting our stuff for a picnic.
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| The trusty Weber grill with gourmet sausages on Pulau Hantu, November 2015 |
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| Little Wanderer, a Chaparral Suncoast 230, anchored in the low-tide lagoon off Pulau Hantu, 2015 |
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| A picnic on Pulau Hantu while the boat is anchored just offshore, December 2015 |
This isn't an option with the Sea Ray Sun Dancer 260. If we go to the islands, we'd have to drop anchor outside the lagoon and swim in - not a very exciting prospect for water-phobic A and Pudding. And swimming in towards shore also means we can't carry a BBQ pit, or speakers for music and a hammock ... you know, the mod cons. [Looks like having a dinghy would be a solution?]
That's why the five or six of us have been pretty much stuck on the boat north of the SAF training area.
On this particular trip, it rained quite hard on our trip back to the marina and we were mostly soaked through. We just took quick showers back at the marina and headed home. We don't stay long at the marina post-boat trip nowadays because the marina has made clear its no-dog policy. They have no objections to dogs passing through the carpark and the marina grounds to get to the boats, but going to the bistro or pub after a boat trip is a no-no - even if we would be happy to take a table far from everyone and out al fresco so as not to annoy other dog-hating people.
That's why the five or six of us have been pretty much stuck on the boat north of the SAF training area.
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| On the way to our usual spot, March 9, 2019. |
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| Derpy dog below deck, in air conditioned comfort. |
So the bistro and the pub have lost our custom. The dog is part of our family and if you outlaw him, we won't stick around, Raffles Marina.
