16th/17th April 2016 - giant supermarket stock-up - crocodiles

Saturday 16^th April 2016 (actually it is now Sunday 17th…internet not working yesterday…)

Our night-time view of neighbouring masts

We have been back on 2XS in Ocean View marina for a month and two days.  A very long month and two days…I think the heat makes time go s-l-o-w-l-y. 

We will be up on the hard stand for a while longer; the painters have told Pete that they won’t be able to start painting until Wednesday.  And there is still lots of work to be done on the motors etc wtc.

The past two days we have been away from the marina, on long trips into Davao and beyond.

Thursday was the regular monthly trip to S & R bulk supermarket, in the little green van.  I had been on this trip before and I VAGUELY remembered how very far it is… Possibly it is worth it but I don’t think I will ever do it again.  I would rather pay a few cents more for my tinned tomatoes…I quite enjoyed going up and down the wide aisles with my enormous trolley, mind you, while Pete disappeared off into the middle of Davao looking for bits and pieces for the motors.

Once again I was stricken dumb by the immensity of the Spam aisle… How many different variations can there be on this horrid theme??

And I shouldn’t complain at all – I actually enjoyed the trip in the van, with a whole gang of people I hadn’t met before, newly arrived in the marina.  They had some terrifying crocodile stories! 

Mike (paddleboarder!) and Jules

Apparently a Russian tourist got taken by a large saltwater croc in Raja Ampat this month.  OMG!!!  And Mike, from SV Sirius, was paddling his stand-up board into a lagoon, also in Raja Ampat, a month ago, when he heard/saw a large splash.  And there, swimming towards his board, was a very large croc… It went UNDR his board and up to the surface on the other side.  He paddled VERY carefully back to his boat and then he and Jules ventured forth to take phots.  It was loner and wider than the paddle board…over twelve feet!!

I asked LOTS of questions…WHERE in Raja Ampat did this happen?  Well…in the mangroves!  This justifies for me my fear of swimming anywhere near mangroves; I am so glad I listen to my own inner warnings…

Wendy and Greg (SV Verite)

I sat next to Greg (SV Verité) in the van and he told me a ghastly story about some people he and Wendy knew, sailing somewhere off the coast of northern Queensland in a monohull.  They were anchored somewhere nice and peaceful and were in the V bunk at the pointy end of the boat when a large crocodile clambered aboard and stumbled down into the cabin… They were trapped there for ages while it thrashed about demolishing the interior of the boat… Eventually some friends nearby came and shot the croc but…how totally ghastly for all concerned (especially the crocodile!!)

(I am particularly hot and dopey today…literally dopey because I took some strong painkillers at midnight and they still haven’t worn off…So I will write about Excursion #2 tomorrow.  Painkillers because…I fell over, on Excursion #2 and twisted my leg like a pretzel