Self-Contained Underwater Bedeviling Apparatus
05 June 2016 | En Route Djemadja
Saturday 4 June 2016
Week got away from us. Fun few days in Tarempa, neat town with hardly any flat ground in front of steep hills. Most of the place is built over water, some on cement piles, but mostly wood. No idea what they do when that rots. Even so, the narrow streets are concrete. It's a bustling community with a million scooters (slight hyperbole) and not totally dry due a few Chinese owned restaurants sporting Tiger beer, sometimes, but not always cold.
While filling scuba tank, compressor's 5.5 Hp Honda engine quit. Figured old fuel, cleaned the carburetor. Then figured dirty oil, changed that. Then figured dirty petrol (that's English for gasoline... they're weird) tank, took that off and cleaned it. Then figured plugged hoses, cleaned them and then boiled the carbie. Good spark. Never got the slightest pop. Finally, firm in the knowledge that nothing could possibly be keeping it from running, checked intake suction which led to discovery that valve rocker arm had jumped off its cam. Now purrs like a kitten and the whole kit and caboodle (all badly in needed of attention, including frame and box it's in) are sparkling clean. This took several hours over 2 days and was more fun than a barrel of boogers. Regrettably, taking a meaningful lesson from this experience would engender regular maintenance, but perhaps it will be helpful to someone else. Remember, if it ain't broke don't use it.
Adding to the fun, hauling anchor to leave Tarempa Harbor required diving on chain wrapped around a derelict Herreshoff then, when finally underway, turning around to rescue another crew whose chain was criss-crossing over, under and through every chunk of coral within 10 meters of their completely superfluous CQR. His windlass, having been overburdened, declined to help at all, possibly because he'd never had a reason or inclination to locate the circuit breaker.
Long 3 days, but managed to get in 4 dives (besides anchor dance and with the kindly offered use of Champagne Charlie's compressor) and 2 beach barbies complete with more than sufficient attitude adjusting beverage to ease any disquietude. Good thing we're in training. Ibuprofen stores are taking a hit.
Sunday
Currently heading back to Djemadja for a day or so and on to Bawah (the "Pearl of Anambas") for at least a couple. After diving our brains out (what's left of them) we'll sail overnight the 180 NM to Serasan, off NW coast of Sarawak followed, after much anticipated sleep-in, by 90 NM overnight into Santubong anchorage near Kuching. Clearing back into Malaysia is arranged for the 12th, but mostly don't want to miss big party that night. Two of the 3 previous days will have been on the wagon, so Muslim or not we'll find a way to correct that infelicitous deficiency.
Jack