What a frustration, we can hardly believe it. The day before yesterday we have received the information that the finance minister stated that the country already lost RM 63 Billion due to the lockdown measures here in Malaysia and an additional month would cost up to RM 100 billion. The measures will be gradually eased from May 4th, shops and restaurants opening.
We were extremely happy to be allowed to walk or run on the beach again and to have the perspective to go cycling, not only for food shopping. They said up to 10 people could do outdoor sports together! 2 already would have been enough for us.
Why “would have been”? Now it comes: the state of Kedah where Langkawi belongs to makes an exception and does not ease the measures. Extremely important because here in Langkawi we had a total of 4 cases 8 weeks ago, all recovered… We feel absolutely miserable and are about to cry… even more when we are looking at alternative sources of information we cannot understand what is going on in this world.
Now in addition yesterday a so called friend of us has started a complete hate campaign after the upload of our latest video to Youtube and Facebook. 4 full days of work had gone into this video already.
So what is this about? How come he’s so angry?
Yacht Huia stranded on the beach of Paradise 101 in Telaga
A few days ago inour bay: the sky is darker than ever, the wind starts to howl like we have seen never before in this anchorage. While Reto releases some more anchor chain I spontaneously take out the camera, because I find it quite spectacular.
It doesn’t take long until the first yachts drift through the bay.Two or three go anchor up and re-anchor somewhere else.
Our anchor is holding well, we had set it carefully in 1.5 hours maneuver, because on the first 4 spots it just wouldn’t grip when doing our 2000 turns backwards.
All of a sudden we see on the left side of SHE SAN a yacht gliding through the bay, some raincover sheets flying far off the boat. It looks like no one is on board the yacht.
Oh jesus, we think, and in this moment the yacht comes to a stop, that doesn’t look good, after all! We are both shocked (we have never seen this happen before) and immediately start to think what we could do to help, so the yacht will get least damage from the contact with the ground.
Reto spontaneously calls Peter from Mardos and they consider if going out with the dinghy is an option. I fight with Reto because I want him to put on rain clothes but he refuses. Then I call Majj who tells me right away “the yacht is already here 2.5 years, the chain is full with barnacles, we cannot do any thing there”.
We have a look at the tides and realize that with the outgoing tide we are too late anyway to do anything at the moment.
After a restless night I get up and my first look is outside. “She is gone, Reto, somebody towed it away during the night” I call out happy but also surprised. High tide was in the morning at 3 am, who would have done that in the middle of the night? “Oh no, she is now at the end of the beach, directly in front of the wall of the Paradise 101.” Of course, the hide tide during the night has placed it right there.
We see Majj passing by, hop into our dinghy, because we hope to help and of course we would like to catch the story on video. Majj greats us most friendly and tells us the story of the yacht and its owner: “She is here since 2.5 years and the owner is in Mexico. He is musician and he has met a girl here in this bay, has fallen in love and when she was pregnant they went to Mexico to get the baby. Now the baby is big enough to come on board but he cannot come because of the MCO (Movement Control Order).”
In the meantime the security staff of the island Paradise 101 is checking what we are doing on their island. Majj explains to them that we are only friends and that we only want to help and for their record we all have to say our names while they are filming us. They are very polite and friendly and that’s completely ok, it is their island and we have to request permission to step on it, after all.
Then we have a look at the anchor chain and it becomes clear that is broke with some more strain on it. The material left over is at some parts less then a quarter, fascinating somehow how the sea takes its toll.
Then “our friend” is really sweet and calms down Ignacio, the owner via telephone. He tells him that there will be a solution, there are boats to help only an anchor is missing. One idea is to borrow a spare anchor from someone in the anchorage, then go buy a new one and swap it out.
OMG, that sounds complicated, I think to myself. I discuss with Reto and we spontaneously decide to offer our spare 25 kg Bügel anchor. We just have to get it out from somewhere deep down in the boat. “And what if we get into a cyclone and will miss it then?” we briefly reconsider. When you need an anchor fast, it will not be easy to get one, especially with a cyclone coming.
But we send a picture of the anchor and Ignacio agrees to pay 100 Dollars for it, so we have a deal.
Just around noon the guys get our anchor into the dinghy, we follow with another rope and the camera. When Majj sees us he asks “You are filming? Good! Look, we have attached your anchor to the rest of the chain, and for this depth of water it will be good” (the bay is not very deep) The chain from inside the locker indeed looks very good in comparison to the one in the water.
In the meantime Huia starts to stand upright and we are all ordered to go to the beach side to push with our dinghies. We are first, then Tom, then a third one. With full power we try but nothing is moving.
I repeatedly look over to the security guys and see that they have to smile at our useless efforts. At a certain moment I see them leaving and wonder of they got bored?
Several times I ask “shouldn’t we wait a bit, high tide is only in 1.5 hours”. “No because then the wind pushes the yacht further in.” I get as a return. “No, not if we all stay here and just wait” I try again without result.
In the meantime we are 5 dinghies pushing and 2 or 3 towing, we whirl up the sand and I only think “the poor animals in the sand and water”.
After a total of 20 minutes pushing (we know because we have the footage) yacht Huia finally starts to move, yippee! In this moment I also see the guys from the 101 coming to help with their orange working boat, now I understand why they have left before! Great guys, with their help everything else is a peace of cake.
The Huia is led to a new spot further out in the anchorage, the anchor is thrown in, cahin secured, what an experience for us!
Just before leaving Majj asks us to send the video, “ass soon as possible” is our reply.
So then what has happened yesterday, just after uploading the video into youtube and facebook? He immediately started the biggest shit storm in facebook we have ever seen. Reto didn’t react on the first comment because he thought he is joking. But it was no joke! He called us opportunistic because we have sold our anchor and that while pretending that we wanted to help we only want to make profit with the video and that on all available channels at the same time. In order to get this sorted out one to one I first messaged him directly and then called him up but no chance to talk as normal persons. “I call my lawyer if you don’t take the video down” was what stayed out in his verbal shit storm.
I think that’s really a pity, the video was very good. Also Ignacio immediately replied to us “Thanks, amazing editing and filming”. He doesn’t have a problem with the video.
So here again for everyone the shortened version, now unfortunately 3 minutes are missing, and they were not boring at all!
Reto now considers to give up making videos. He doesn’t like it when people behave like that. You would think that grown up individuals could communicate in a different manner, wouldn’t you?
Take care and stay healthy!
Angela
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