Christmas on the water

There. I think the picture says it all. Colorful LED lights festooned over Little Wanderer 2 and - you can't hear this now - carols by artistes ranging from Sinatra to ACDC (yes, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen in rock riffs!) on the stereo, good conversation and (most importantly), time with family.

I think the weekend of Dec 16/17 sums up Christmas as it is lived in our family. We have always been big on Christmas. We observe Advent (ok, some of us do). We go to church and feel the goosebumps when the priest and altar boys process up the aisles to O Come, All Ye Faithful. We think about the past year and how we can live the next year as better people.

December is when we (C and A) have always taken the bulk of our annual leave. The office can just go shove it and cope, somehow. We spend time with family, whether we are thinking about and getting the gift that will be just right, or just hanging over a meal of bak kut teh in a far-flung, time-forgotten spot in Punggol or just trying not to doze off in front of the telly at home.

This year, we hit on the idea of marking a night in a berth at our boat's home base Raffles Marina, decorating the boat and just chilling. It is just so not our scene to mill with the throngs on Orchard Road and drape ourselves over every available Christmas decoration, lighted bush or rock there, and to have to avoid the folks with eyes glued to their phones while they edit their selfies and post it on Facebook.

The day hadn't started promisingly. The skies were grey as we headed for Tuas, and a drizzle started as we made our way to the marina just before 4pm; and as we unloaded our stuff, the wet came down. When life deals you a lemon, you make lemonade, or, in our lingo, when life deals you a bit of wait time, you chill and have a beer.

At around 5.30pm, the rain tailed off. We moved LW2 to Berth E08, moored it and put up the decs.

All green garlands need a spot of red for Christmas.
We got this drapey one flecked with "snow" at Takashimaya,
and felt it incomplete until we found red "holly berries"
 and a "cardinal" (above and below).

As daylight dimmed, we brought out our supplies of champagne, turned up the carols and just relaxed. Our underwater lights came on blue, as the twinkling Christmas lights grew bolder in the failing light.

Another of Raffles Marina's beautfiul sunsets,
as seen from Berth E08.

Drone time. C sent up his Mavic Pro drone
for some stills and video.

We took a break for dinner at the marina's Chinese restaurant, Captain's Table, and weren't disappointed. (Yes, this is a shout-out for above-average Chinese food to those who are in the vicinity of Tuas or can be bothered to drive out to these boonies.)

We also took a room in the marina as a back-up and in case anyone preferred a bed on terra firma to being on the boat for the night. We took showers in the room; it is certainly better than to shower in the claustrophic box of a space on board the boat!

J1, fresh from a week-long holiday in Sapporo, retired for the night relatively early, leaving J2, C, A and R on board. A surprising number of boats out there were on shore power, given the number of sunflower-yellow cables tethered to the power points on the docks. But as the night wore on, it was really quiet out there. The water was like glass. A couple of other boats had night owls like us, still up and enjoying the cool December night.

We four were there till nearly 3am. All in, five bottles of champers and two of prosecco were finished among the five of us. Scary, but true.

This is the first time we have marked Christmas on the water this way, and going by the way it turned out, it might well be the start of another of our family's Christmas traditions.

A day out with KH and family

Date: Dec 14, 2017 

Trip #12 (#32)
Weather: Scorchingly hot
Waters: Calm out west 
On board: C, A, KH, J and ZC   
New gear on board: Itiwit kayak 

The December school holidays are here, and an outing had been promised to ZC, who is fresh from his PSLE and looking forward to 2018 in a new school. 

We took LW2 out west - seems to be our go-to destination nowadays because of the relatively short commute and calm waters - and anchored at our usual spot near the Lim Chu Kang fish farms. 

KH and J whipped out a carrier bag containing an Itiwit kayak and set of oars, along with a bottle of 2006 vintage Dom Perignon as a gift to us. We provided the club sandwiches from Marina Bistro at Raffles Marina. 

The boy, grown in height since we last met on our previous outing, was keen on going on the kayak, so C and KH got it inflated with its pump. ZC got his kayaking legs fairly quickly, and even capsized it deliberately a couple of times for fun. (Sigh, to be free from the fear of water, A thought!)  

It was sunny throughout, which was great, considering that the weather pattern in the last few weeks has been sunny in the morning and a thunderstorm in the afternoon. 

After we got back to the marina, we took a table poolside and continued chatting and drinking, while the boy took to the pool, at times with C, who has come to be one of his favourite grown-ups. 

Another day out west

Date: Nov 4, 2017 

Trip #11 (#31)
Weather: Scorchingly hot
Waters: Relatively choppy for these waters out west 
On board: C, A, J1, J2 and R  
New gear on board: Three iPhone X (yes, we are quick off the mark), and binoculars

We had a fairly late start out, and we wanted to "get there fast and then take it slow", right? We headed towards the Second Link and the waters north of the live firing area, a mere 20-minute journey, versus taking 45 minutes to Pulau Hantu. 

The Coast Guard were there most of the time, slipping into and out of view, just to be sure we weren't in prohibited waters just off the military training area. 

The waters were clean and seemingly clear of the nasty foam, but nobody (other than R) entered it (see pic below). 

R in an other-worldly shot by J2. Captured on iPhone X. 

Doing it our way. Food, drink, music. 

A tried out her new binoculars. A Brahminy kite obligingly appeared.

Bird-watching.

C working the windlass when we decided it was time to leave. 

  

Floating north of the live firing area

Date: Sept 30, 2017 

Trip #10 (#30)
Weather: Toggled between sunny and cloudy 
Waters: Flat 
On board: C, A, J1, J2 and R 

We had a late start because everyone got going late this lazy Saturday. By 2pm, however, we were anchored in flat waters north of Johor's Puteri Cove, north of the Singapore Armed Forces' live-firing area. Never mind if no live firing was going on, but to drop anchor anywhere off the live-firing area is to ask for the Police Coast Guard to come by to tell you via a loud hailer to move off.  

We had three hours there, just chilling our usual way - with wine and beer, music and lamb rolls from Baker & Cook.  These waters to the west of Singapore were so flat that even J1 didn't have major problems with nausea today. 

This is what Donald Trump is good for on our boating trips
- opening beer bottles. A gift from a friend before Trump
won the White House. It was a gag then, but with all his bumbling
since January 2017, it doesn't seem as funny any more. 

This wasn't a posed shot, despite how it looks. They all refuse
 to pose for A's camera, so she has to grab whatever
lucky moment comes along.

We had to leave our anchoring spot before we
really wanted to. We brought Little Wanderer 2
back to the marina because A had a dinner to go to.
Lovely evening light, as is typical of sunsets at the marina. 

Horsing around on the dock after cleaning the boat.
All pix today courtesy of A's iPhone 6.
The Canon 80D is on the blink.

J1 rejoins the crew; LW2 hits coral

Date: Sept 3, 2017 

Trip #9 (#29)
Weather: Scorchingly sunny 
Waters: Flat before Sinki Fairway, fairly choppy afterwards
On board: C, A, J1, J2 and R 
New gear on board: Free Breath full-face snorkeling mask

We are five again! This was J1's first time back on the boat since the trip to Sebana Cove in January - not that he was looking forward to it. He put himself at a 3 or 4 on his 10-point barf scale during the ride out, stayed seated and didn't move around too much in case the nausea got worse. This is, after all, the guy who refuses to wear the anti-seasickness accu-point bracelet, and for whom ginger-based motion-sickness tabs don't work...  

Did Dave Grohl come with us on our day out??
We had all been at the Foo Fighters' concert just the weekend before this.

The tide was too low for the boat to enter the lagoon between Pulau Hantu Besar and Kechil, so we floated just outside it, where the water was around 11m deep. LW2 anchored, we enjoyed music, beer, and pastrami sandwiches lovingly put together by C. 

J1 and J2 tried out the full-face snorkeling mask off the back of the boat. R tried it out once in the pool, but this was its salt-water debut. Visibility in these Singapore waters, as ever, was lousy. Treading water just off the swim platform, J2 said he could see no more than beyond the propellers. The mask itself worked a treat, though it would not win medals for comfort. 

R helped J2 clear his hair off the edge of
the mask for a complete seal. It was watertight all right.

It's either Dave Grohl or Jesus. 

The water looks all right here, but it was at times pocked with
gross-looking brown foam, flotsam and seaweed.
J2 contemplating the meaning of life in his beer bottle.

After more than an hour, C hauled up anchor and thought of moving to another spot, and as we were rounding the eastern end of Pulau Hantu Kechil, we all felt a huge clunk. Heart in our mouths, we checked and found that the swim ladder had hit some rock or coral in shallow water. C said the depth gauge had shown 3 metres. 

C got into the water for a quick inspection and found no visible damage on the hull itself. He manually hauled the boat out to deeper water and we got underway again. The anchor wouldn't take in the waters to the north of the two islands, so we headed back to almost the same spot we were earlier to finish the rest of the afternoon. 

The crew's Miss Sunshine!

Back at Raffles Marina, LW2 was hosed down and had its tank topped up, and we found our tans intensified from this scorcher of a day. 

Floating off Sarimbun

Date: Aug 12, 2017
Trip #8 (#28)
Weather: Overcast, drizzly occasionally 
Waters: Flat 
On board: C, A, J2 and R 
New gear on board: Break-proof wine glasses, Thirsty Hippo for below-deck

The weather wasn't in our favour, as much as we were wishing otherwise, on this, our first outing in nearly two months. It was a grey day at home, but we pressed westward towards Raffles Marina all the same. It rained on the way there, but stopped when we got to the marina. 

The skies out east looked grey, so we headed west, towards Puteri Cove. It was one of those live-firing Saturdays in the SAF area, so we headed beyond the military zone - the Police Coast Guard would have shooed us away if we lingered anyway. We dropped anchor just north of the Sarimbun buoy. Two other pleasure craft were nearby. 

There, we stayed for the next couple of hours. It was quiet, the waters were flat. We just chilled.   

Guests on board LW2

Date: June 17, 2017
Trip #7 (#27)
Weather: Sunny 
Waters: Fairly flat, peak high tide at 7pm 
On board: C, A, J2 and R, with guests KH, J and ZQ 

C had extended an invitation for KH and his family to join us on board in the mid-year, when ZQ would be on holiday, though studying for his PSLE. 

So on this sunny Saturday, just a week after our last outing, we had KH and family with us, their first time on LW2, after having been on LW with us at least twice before. KH brought his fishing tackle. 

Skipper C invited ZQ to sit with him and gave him the job
of monitoring the water depth on the screen. 

We set out relatively late, after 1pm, and  made for Pulau Hantu, where we were last week. The waters were considerably clearer today, and we could see clear to the bottom. The tide was low in the lagoon, about 1.1m, but rising. This isn't the season for sargassum seaweed, but there was plenty of this other kind of weed in the water, brownish green floating scum that looked quite gross. 

A quick search of the Internet yielded no clues on the name of this scummy
type of seaweed. It was mostly brown, but had some greenish parts at the
end of some branches. 

The lagoon was so shallow that the propellers appeared to strike a rock or coral in our approach to the lagoon. There was no further trouble after that, and a check showed a slightly scuffed propeller blade.

The tree with the bare branches at the top had a second Brahminy kite in it this week. (It was a lone kite just a week ago, see last post here.) With the telephoto lens attached to her camera, A waded about 80m from the boat to get closer to the tree, and got the following shot: 

Much closer than the pic last week. Still not a Nat Geo closeup though.

J2 and ZQ went into the water, and ZQ prattled the afternoon away, telling stories about his classmates and school, and showing his prowess with the Rubik's cube, which took him no more than five minutes to solve. The boy is on the schools-level national team for Scrabble as well, beating both J2 and R in the course of the afternoon with some pretty strategic play. 

Horsin' around. 

KH went to the bow and cast his line using just a lure, no bait, live or otherwise. He came up empty. The lagoon seemed pretty devoid of fish today. 

Back at the marina later, C set the boy to work by flushing the windlass with fresh water.  We ended the day with dinner at the marina's Discovery Pub. 

An afternoon's fun didn't come free for this lad.
'Child labour' was used in the cleaning of
this boat, haha. 

An Africa-hot day out

Date: June 10, 2017
Trip #6 (#26)
Weather: Sweltering, then overcast 
Waters: Choppy in the Sinki Fairway, peak high tide at 1pm 
On board: C, A, J2 and R 
New gear on board: Coleman icebox and personal flotation device for A 

We headed out just before peak high tide and it was blazingly hot. The weatherman had described the UV conditions as "extreme" - and this was the day A forgot to pack the sunblock for re-application. 

We dropped anchor in the larger lagoon of Pulau Hantu Besar. The water there was just green murk. The depth gauge hovered between 1 and 2 metres, but we couldn't see bottom. There have been better days. 

PFD strapped on, landlubber A went to the water to cool off, and the jacket worked a treat. No need to tread water, one hand could hold a cold beer ...  just the thing for this mid-year weather. C and J2 went in too, leaving R to snap pix from the swim platform. 

Ah, the added security of a PFD. Despite being able to swim and
 tread water, A's fear of the deep is still there. Any waters over
 1.4m deep gives her the willies.   

R boppin' to music. 

Skipper C

Pulau Hantu showed us some majestic nature today. About 150m from where the boat was anchored, a bird of prey sat in the bare branches of a tree on Pulau Hantu Kechil, not moving much. 

With her telephoto lens, A could just make out the brown and white feathers.
Here, it seems to be looking directly at the camera. Going by descriptions in
the book of birds, it is a Brahminy kite.  

Almost an hour later, the bird took flight...  

This was the best A managed as it swooped over LW2. Other online
photos of Brahminy kites in flight describe a rounded tail base, 
splayed "fingers", warm brown body and black tipped wings. 

These unidentified raptors appeared to be hunting in a pair.
They spooked several smaller birds out of the trees.

The temperatures cooled quickly, and the sun went in. Further out east, dark clouds were gathering, so we hauled up anchor much earlier than planned and made the way back to the marina after an hour and a half in the lagoon. 

The sky seemed to change its mind about raining when we were nearly back at the marina, so we did a float there, and it was much cooler already. The relaxed fun on board continued for another 45 minutes or so. 

An outing thwarted

We were all set. Ice box filled, beers, wines and lamb rolls bought, and the day was a sunny scorcher. We even remembered the sunblock, for once.

Then came the clanger: The cranes at Raffles Marina, which lift the boats off their dry-berth racks and set them on the water, were on the blink.

Plan B made on the fly: Go with all our food and drinks to East Coast Park instead.

We cussed about the berthing fees the marina charges. Shouldn't the marina give us a discount off this month's bill? It's not as if we get them to launch the boat every weekend; we go out, at most, twice a month. But this weekend - after we had woken up earlier than we would have liked to buy supplies for the supposed trip  - the crane has to be out of commission.

Raffles Marina should not have this happening again. This is the second time it's happened on a day when we have planned an outing. See account of previous time here, when we also ended up at the East Coast Park. That was July 2016, less than a year ago. Who knows how many other times the crane has broken down on weekends we weren't going out?

Today, we were just family - C, A, J2 and R. What if we had asked guests along? There would be so much disappointment and apologies.

An aside: We got a call last week from the marina, asking us whether we were planning to go out; they had called to let us know that the crane was out of order then. It just so happened we weren't planning a trip that day.

But so has the crane been broken since then? Or was it out of order then, fixed and then went out of order again this Saturday morning (May 20)??

Anyway, we parked near the Sailing Centre and broke open our beers and wine there. It was a pleasant enough afternoon, I suppose, but an outing on the boat would have been far better.

A great day out

Date: April 29, 2017
Trip #5 (#25)
Weather: Cloudy 
Waters: Choppy, then calmer in the Sinki Fairway, peak high tide at 1.40pm. 
On board: C, A, J2 and R 
New gear on board: Purple bath towels, raincoats for four 

It didn't start out promisingly. There were even a few sprinkles on the drive out to the 
marina. The wind was up, and we could see the currents sweeping into the dock area. 

But we headed out anyway. 

This was one of those days when the water was choppier just off the marina than out in Sinki Fairway. We got to Pulau Hantu in good time, and moored in the lagoon between Hantu Besar and Hantu Kechil. 

The name of the boat has been newly added to the back of the rear seat,
post-boat show.

It was to be a great day out in the way we call it a great day out.  For some people, getting a good haul of big fish is a great day out; for others, perhaps, wakeboarding or sunning themselves to a crisp on the boat. 

For us, being anchored off Pulau Hantu Kechil on a cloudy day, at high tide, turning the music up, breaking open the wine or beers would be as good as it gets. In fact, it was pretty darn near perfect. 

A pause. R and J2, post-dropping anchor. Capt C was checking
to see whether the anchor was properly... uh... anchored.

Nerd's side note: The depth gauge said 1.3 m in the lagoon, but it was actually 1.6 to 2m (or more) deep. How do depth gauges work? Where do they take their depth measurement from - the bow? Middle of the hull? Stern (unlikely)? It couldn't have been that the lagoon floor was all hills and valleys. It seemed to be a flat, sandy bottom, but yet the depth gauge showed readings of between 1.3m and 9m from one minute to another. Go figure. 

Pic by J2, who was in roughly 1.6m water.

Folks come up with all sorts of crazy inventions. Look what A found online through Pinterest today:   Magic Swim. 

A swimming pool set up just off the swim platform of your boat when the sea is all around you - more water than you would ever want to swim in??

When you think about it, it is a a pretty good idea, and those crazy Italians are on to something: 

• It is of adjustable depth, so if you get one that is, say 1.4m deep, nobody ever needs to expend energy treading water. Good for non-swimmers or those with aqua phobia (yes, we are looking at you, A.) Leaves your hands free, say, to hold a beer or a glass of wine or Cheetos. 
• Look ma, no need to fight the currents within this safe, enclosed space. 
• Look ma, no jellyfish or other critters too. 

The fine print: this thing costs 1,200 euros. Make that S$1,826.24 at current exchange rates. Argh.

Finding a good anchoring spot - on the third try

Date: April 22, 2017
Trip #4 (#24)
Weather: Drizzly and then sunny 
Waters: Choppy, then calmer much later
On board: C, A, J2 and R 

The weather has been bad for boating lately, but today... today, the weather app said it would be fine in the afternoon. 

It was wrong, of course. 

A drizzle fell en route to the marina, and didn't let up even as we headed out to Lazarus Island, our destination. We picked to go there because its bay is relatively deep, so although the tide was to be at its lowest at 2pm, we would be able to anchor there. 

We had hardly reached the Elbow when Captain C made the call to turn back. If the waters were so choppy even in such relatively sheltered water, it would be far worse out in Sinki Fairway. 

Captain C: The safety of his passengers comes first.

We decided to do a float instead of making for a particular destination. Spot #1 was near the long jetty about a third of the way to the Elbow. We dropped anchor, but the waters were so choppy that J2 was feeling ill. 

Spot #2 was halfway to Puteri Cove, just off the Singapore Armed Forces' live-firing area. Sure, we heard some muffled booms on this Saturday afternoon, but since the Coast Guard wasn't around to shoo us away (like they did once last year, when we were fishing off Puteri Cove), we anchored, broke open the sandwiches and pretzels and beer, and turned up the music.  

That didn't last. A few minutes later, a Coast Guard patrol boat came by and, through their loud hailer, the officers advised us to move out of the area. 

Spot #3 was about 200m from the entrance to the marina. Dropped anchor a third time, and this time, we stayed put till the end of the outing.  

An eagle soared overhead, and at one point, went into a tight tuck and
barrelled seaward. We thought it was going after a fish, but at the last minute,
it pulled up and shot away skyward again. Dang, left my telephoto lens at home. 

The drizzle had stopped and the sun came out with a vengeance. It was hot, so J2, C and then R went into the water to cool off. The water was also calmer now, but only looked that way. The current was strong; one needn't swim to be swept 3m from the boat in 10 seconds; the swim back to the boat was a strain, they found! 

The dip in the water was to tire them out far more than they knew.
They were zonked by dinner time.

So what looked like a scrappy outing - the drizzle, the inability to find a good spot to drop anchor - turned out quite nicely after all.

This landlubber stayed on board, fighting her demons about treading water.

Back at the marina ...

Raffles Marina cements her reputation as the place to watch sunsets.

At the Singapore Yacht Show 2017

This is how it's done, Eric once told us. He called it "being ship shape".
 Mooring rope for Little Wanderer 2 at the Singapore Yacht Show 2017

Little Wanderer 2 is on show at the Singapore Yacht Show being held this weekend  (April 6-9, 2017) at the One Degree 15 Marina at Sentosa Cove - just one of the many vessels Eric Koh of SG Boating is showcasing in his missionary zeal to get more people sold on the boating life.

LW2, flying the banner for Sea Ray, lived up to her name all right, being one of the littlest boats there. Many other vessels, outfitted like palaces of the high seas, made her look really tiny. (OK, at least one other boat there was smaller than ours.)

Random bunch of people in front of Sea Ray's
Sundancer 260, the best in the show. Haha.

Aside from the boats on the water, the indoor exhibitors were hawking boat toys and accessories, along with other items that are questionably related to boating - like women's clothing and private jets. Half a dozen Lamborghinis also yowled into the dockside area and parked next to each other while everyone gawked.

I guess the event wasn't 100% about boats as much as it was about a Swish Lifestyle that most people won't come even within sniffing distance of.

But if you have the dough, you could pick up your own submersible. The base model starts at a million euros for a two-seater and shows you the wonders of undersea life without your needing to get wet or have a problem equalising the pressure in your ears. (The unspoken thing was that you would probably have to own one of those said palaces of the high seas that would have a hold in its hull to accommodate this toy.)

If you have the dough (yes, this clause is necessary for so many things at this show), you could also cut a cheque for your own jet and a luxury apartment somewhere in Melbourne, complete with a berth for the super yacht you probably already have...

Those looking to drop somewhat less money can buy luxe bed linen, fluffy towels and soap dispensers for their boat-board shower room... or perhaps support the Nature Society Singapore by buying its birdwatching guide. (We did, for S$24. Hey, it will come in useful for spotting bird breeds from the boat.)

The weather has been really crappy lately. We hope to be able to get out on the seas on LW2 again soon.    

The first outing in 2 months

Date: March 18, 2017 

Trip #3 (#23)
Weather: Sunny 
Waters: Mostly flat
On board: C, A and J2 
New gear on board: Melamine plates (with blue Mediterranean-inspired design, no less) for future high dining on the high seas, and an in-board flushing kit 

This was our first trip out on LW2 since the Sebana Cove journey, hampered as we were week to week by bad weather and an assortment of distractions and obligations, but mostly unseasonable weather - rain, unfavorable tides and currents. December wasn't as wet, and it just seems like the skies have been making up for lost time; it's been a wetter-than-usual January/February. 

We were only three today. The day was cheerfully sunny and the waters mostly calm.  

I noticed this tableau from a few outings back. It is about 15 minutes after the
boat leaves the marina and before it reaches "The Elbow". It looks to me 
such a sad scene: it's a place where retired buoys go to spend their last days, 
baking in the sun on terra firma before they crumble and die.  

There was no plan. We came upon Pulau Hantu and decided to berth in or around the lagoon. It was just after 1pm and the tide was coming in, and for once, the mouth of the lagoon wasn't awash in that ugly brown seaweed.

The waters of Pulau Hantu Besar lagoon were a little too shallow still; the depth gauge went crazily from 1.4m to 10m, probably confused by the rocks on the seabed. We rounded the island and berthed instead in the channel between Hantu Besar and Hantu Kechil. 

The sun beat down and the guys went into the 1.4m water to cool off. Music on. Beers downed. Cashews and macadamia nuts crunched.

A, fiddling with her telephoto lens, a Christmas present, got this.   

 

It was a peaceful hour or two. We shared the lagoon with only one other boat - two dudes who were there, but not to fish. Must be good pals. Hahaha. The reverie was briefly broken by a convoy of three water scooters. They didn't get the memo about such toys being banned in the lagoon. 

The sun ducked behind the clouds briefly and we got a
"Our Daily Bread" moment. Cue soaring violins and religious awakening. 

After we got back to the marina, C hosed the boat down, and used a plastic attachment to hold the dock hose to an outlet in the boat engine. We ran fresh water through the system for a while to rinse out the saltwater. Not many boat owners do this, but we have decided to protect our investment.

It used to be simpler to do with LW, no need to lift up the rear seat and see the innards of the engine. We just attached the hose to an outlet on the outboard engine.

LW2 has power steering, which makes it more of a challenge to steer while out on the water; "trimming" is also required while underway to get the boat level, unlike with LW. Overall, it's a more sophisticated beast than LW was.

We are still getting to know our new boat.