Thanks for the memories, Little Wanderer

Yes, we are moving on ... to a bigger thing.

We bit the bullet a couple of months ago, and traded in Little Wanderer, our tireless steed of the sea, for a bigger boat - which will let us drop anchor and do sleep-on-board over-nighters off Singapore and maybe even Malaysia.

We had to pony up some money of course, but because Little Wanderer (a 2015 model Chaparral SunCoast 250) is still quite new - and we have taken good care of her - we got (what we thought was) a good offer from Eric of SG Boating.

Our new boat, a Sea Ray Sundancer 260, will have sleeping berths for four adults, a small on-board kitchen (microwave, stove-top), bath and head - all below deck - and seating space for about eight adults above deck. It will have an inboard engine, unlike Little Wanderer's outboard one.

Over the last two months or more, this boat has been on some cargo ship, taking the long route to Singapore from the US, via Australia. (Sigh, yes.)

On the night of Dec 7, this boat got towed from the port to Raffles Marina in the dead of night, in the company of police outriders.

The Sea Ray, still under wraps, arrived at Raffles Marina, late on Dec 7.

The next day, most members of the family - A and R excepted, because they were at work! - went to take a look at it. It was still parked in the wash bay for pre-handover inspection, her hull still virgin from Singapore waters.

The Sea Ray in the marina boat shed, many parts still under plastic wrap.

We are letting Little Wanderer go, but with a pang. She was ours for just over a year, and we had 20 memory-making trips, be they to the Southern Islands or just to float somewhere to fish or to chill.

C, and occasionally J2, have enjoyed piloting her. A and R have spent a lot of time in the seats up front, wind in hair and getting "marinaded" by saltwater. We have taken family and friends out, and bar none, the trips were memorable, whether or not we made an island landing, and yes, even when we were fighting off aggressive macaques.

There have been anxious times, like when we got into too shallow water (see this post), when the boat was practically beached (see this post), and when we had problems hauling in the anchor, which was stuck fast - twice, both in the channel off Puteri Cove, so we think it's a major Anchor Jinx.

In tribute to Little Wanderer, our new boat will be christened Little Wanderer 2.