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.