A 60 foot Luxury yacht, warm people, chilled beer, avionics of Jonathon Livingston Seagull, Black Panther with a Machine Gun… a little bit of trouble… and a whole lot of fun!
Thank you Mr. Mahesh Walke, for sharing your one-of-a-kind adventure with us.
Thy sea route to Diu
“Dawn on a cold Mumbai morning and we were on an adventure. We were sailing on lazybones a 60 foot luxury yacht, to the mystical island of Diu Once a Portuguese colony.
The Yacht owners Bob and Ray were Australians. Bob was a retired Australian army officer and he and his wife Ray had sold their house and were on a sailing vacation. They had no real destination. They would like to go around the world they said bur you know would say Bob we will stay where the beers are cold and the people warm not the other way around like some islands…
They stayed for a year on their yacht in Mumbai harbor (of course the yacht was moved to the docks during the monsoons)
Well to make a long story short we that's a friend of mine and me managed to wrangle an invitation to sail with them from Mumbai to Due. They would then sail on to Salala in Oman. We veer excited both Rio and me had been on some long sails but in small open boats called seabirds. Never in a fancy yacht like Lazy bones.
The day of becoming dawned. It was Jan, there was a nip in the air, and we rowed from the Slip way at the Gateway of India to the boat.
Let me describe the boat. You climbed up on a ladder about four feet high from the stern that's what the backside of a boat is called on to the deck. There before you were an open area that could seat about 15 people. On the right jutting out over the boat was a barbeque. On the left were a basin and a very important requirement on any boat a small ice box and refrigerator.
In the center was the raised roof of the dining room and the master's cabin. You walked around it and in the center was the bridge no Nat a table to play cards on but the main control for the boat or where one sailed or drove the boat from.
The bridge was spacious with broad sofas that could seat 5 or so.
A small staircase led down from the bridge to the main salon. This was like any small sitting room. A few steps at the back and you were in the dining and cooking area the galley as they called it.
At the back was a big bedroom with a double bed and a attached toilet the master cabin.
If you walked towards the front from the salon you again had to negotiate a few steps. And on your left was a small cabin with a double bed. Pop that was a shower and toilet and a washing machine. And right in front was a cabin with four bunk beds.
Bob and ray greeted us with a warm good morning and a steaming mug of coffee.
We stowed our gears in our cabins and were all set to sail bob started the engine and moved the boat forward slowly as Ray started the electric winch witch pulled up the anchor chain. Stop engines bob shouted ray as ray killed the engines and came forward. We looked as ray pointed at the chain that had come up and you what a sight it was covered by a slimy layer of much and looked more like a rope than a steel chain.
Okay Mates we have a bit of work on our hand don't we said Bob. Out came the buckets and steel brushes and we all joined hands at getting the slime off and believe me it smelt foul and it felt worse.
This is how our dream luxurious champagne holiday started. We stood there sweaty smelly when a piercing sound almost as if a 100 hyenas had suddenly appeared or was it wailing banshees shattered the silence I was in shock. What was that I wondered?
Now you hear what we have to go through every morning said Bob that's your bloody laughing club at the BPT gardens.
Bob then rigged up a shower on deck after using lots of soup we felt like humans again.
Finally at 11 am with our ear drums almost shattered we filially got underway.
We jibed out of Bombay harbor and up went the sails. Now when sailed we had to pulla lot of ropes and tye them and hod the tiller and sail thhe boat.
This was high tech We had to pull up the3 sails but once they were up. Volla bob set the boat on auto pilot and that's it the boat was sailing herself.
This is how it worked.
Bob punched in the map co ordinates of where we wanted to go. Th auto pilot compaired that coordinate with the reading it received from a in built Goss witch told u where we were our speed and how long it would take us to reach our destination.
Now the marvel did not stop here the pilot was also connected to the radar. So if it saw any obstacle the pilot would automatically navigate the boat around it. In fact we did not touch the wheel even once until we reached Diu.
The ski was clear and we watched the marine drive fade into the distance. We had hoped to be able to see more of Mumbai from the sea but alas there is a reef that makes it necessary for boats to sail out into the blue sea also our destination was north west of Mumbai and we were crossing the Arabian sea,
Rio pulled out cold cans of beer. And we were on our way. We watched as a flock of sea gulls came over to investigate us. For the next half an hour we were entertained to the best avionics show I have ever seen to me they all looked like Jonathon Livingston Seagull.
Alas a fishing boat approached and the gulls I think found the smell of fish more exiting and off they were surrounding the fishing boat leaving us to lament.
We had a cold lunch so smoked chicken ham salami and French bread alson with a tossed salad, followed by some after 8 mint chocolates.
Bob then set up a fishing line on th port side of the boat and We shared stories about sea experiences and occur fishing stories about the big one that got away.
Bob and ray decided to rest Me and Rio had the first watch. Even though every thing is automatic one has to watch out for fishing vessels as they do not shout on a radar.
We sat in the wheel house enjoying the feeling of power web were in command of a 60 footer super yacht that was worth half a million dollars.
The sun was about to set a lovely orangey golden color seemed to spread across the horizon I was standing on the bikini deck lost in thought suddenly I heard this loud magnified in my ears This is Black panther This is black Panther hold course and reduce speed I jumped out of my skin and my face the sight that I say took my breath away. A machine gun was pointed at me barely 10 feet away from the deck of a mean looking black and white boat. My neck and back shuddered I could feel all my hair standing and there were goose pimples I could feel that knot in my stomach Pirates My body trembled in excitement and fear.
What happened next was a let down the voice on the hailer continued. This is a Navigation hazard warning. It seemed that there was a ship toeing a 4 mile cable 20 miles east of our position and we were being told to stay away from that area.
Why any one wanted to tow a cable was beyond me.
Bob and Ray hearing the commotion had joined us and booth immediately said sundowner time now mates.
Well fed and happy me and Rio had the first watch as darkness enveloped the sea the sight was breath taking the sea seemed to be covered with floating candles it regimented me of arti at the ghats in Haridwar when people set out floating dias on the Ganges.
Then suddenly in the distance on our port side we saw small Christmas trees we wanted to go closer but Bob said we weren't allowed those were the oil rigs at Bombay high.
Though it was the end of our watch at 12 pm I stayed awake until 3 am.
I woke up the next morning at noon..
The rest of the afternoon got a little monotones just the boat sailing itself Even the gods had disappointed us we hadn't caught a single fish.
An then at about 8.30 rio shouted land ahoy. Sure enough we could see flashing sights of Due Light house. We were there well almost.
At 10.45 we entered due bay and what a sight it was the coastline completely lit uh like a neck less and a band playing.
The moon was bright, the waters calm, no boats around us, just the lights and the band.
We almost convinced our hosts that the band was in their honor. We put down our anchor. WE had arrived!”
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