Choppy waters!

Date: Aug 22, 2015
Trip #2
Weather: Overcast, windy
Waters: Choppy
On board: C, J2, R and A  + Piang (unplanned-for passenger)

The skies looked gloomy, but we headed west to Raffles Marina anyway, hoping the skies wouldn't open up. They didn't, but the skies stayed grey, and the sun, hidden.

It was to be just the four of us this time, C, J2, R and myself.

Little Wanderer needed to be topped up, and this was the day we found that a full tank of petrol would set us back around S$400+.

It was at this point that we played Death Cab For Cutie's Little Wanderer.  It is the anthem for this boat after all, isn't it?

Pre-departure checks, settling in.

One of the two or three places on the boat where one can pick a pre-set radio station
or pair the sound system with an iPhone. 

Getting out of the marina, however, proved to be a bit of a problem. The wind was up and the current within the marina was strong. And with the closed-in area being a no-wake zone, C didn't gun the throttle enough and lost a bit of control over the vessel as it was pulled into a slow whirl within the marina.

At one point, the port hit the side of the dock, leaving our hearts in our mouths. There was a faint scratch on the hull, a white gash against the shiny black, as if the boat name was being underscored.

(A few days later, we were to learn to our relief, the marina folk had the scratch polished out of existence. Nothing serious.)

As we righted the boat by the side of the dock, a young, tanned fellow carrying a backpack came up and asked if we needed help. He introduced himself as Piang - at least, that's how I think his name is spelled - and asked if we wanted to go out and if we would like him to drive the boat for us.

Alarm bells went off inside my head. A total stranger with us, on the high seas?

We said OK anyway, taking comfort in the thought there were four of us against his one. Piang steered the boat out of the marina confidently and took us south, towards the far western corner of Singapore, where we would have to turn to port to head for the Southern Islands.

Piang at the wheel.

The sea was rough. No two ways about it. Piang gunned it and still, we were bounced around. And though the conditions weren't ideal for a nice day on the water, it was perfect regatta weather. A big group of sailboats were out.

A depressingly grey day.

Conspiratorially, Piang told us that his boat piloting licence was a Malaysian one, and that if the Coast Guard popped by, we were to say that he was only the 'co-captain' for the day and relieving C of driving duties for a while.

My feeling of unease returned. We weren't exactly being kosher... but, with the waters like that, and the both of us yet to be used to the boat, we'd rather he be at the wheel.

We seemed to take a long while to reach Singapore's far south-western corner, with the rough waters slowing down our progress. R, seated up front at the bow, was covered in salt spray, her hair in damp strings.

R at the bow again, like on the maiden trip out. 

It was further south than we had ever gone on the practice boat and on our previous outing. The scenery wasn't too beautiful, actually. Lots of container-laden ships, cranes and facilities that were fenced up.

Finally, we got to the point we were supposed to make the turn to port. Piang asked if we wanted to go on. About 100m ahead, we saw the heaving sea, blue-grey with white caps. I said we ought to turn back, for it looked like the currents out there were crazy. Piang said we could forge ahead, but that water would seriously begin slopping on board.

No, we turn back, I said, my land-lubber mode kicking in. Piang got us back to the marina without further incident. The ride back seemed faster than the one heading out.

The Southern Islands would have to wait another day.