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.