High & Dry |
Olhao is a fishing community, so of
course there are boats coming and going all the time, piloted by
seamen who know their way around watercraft and can drive boats
better than they drive their cars, motorcycle and trucks. Their
vessels are how they earn their living so they are finely tuned
crafts kept in perfect seaworthiness. Well, most of them . . . . . .
. .
I saw just such an example last evening
down on the waterfront. We went down just to enjoy the waterfront as
the sun went down and the town turned dark. We found a bench right on
the Malecon, and sat down to sit and watch for a while.
Proper Rope Work |
It was low tide, and there was a fellow
down below the seawall demonstrating his finely tuned boating skills.
A closer look however revealed that perhaps this was not Olhao's
finest at work. His boat was old, and in need of paint. It was
painted an odd green below the waterline – no wait that 's not
paint that barnacles and sea grass.
He was standing on shore with a rope
about 12 feet long. There was a rock tied onto one end, and he was
throwing it towards his boat which appeared to be attached to a rope
at the aft end, but the bow was drifting. At first I thought he was
trying to get the rope onto the boat to pull it in, but the rope was
not long enough and kept falling short. Then I noticed a rope in the
water attached to the front; he was throwing the rope hoping to catch
the bow rope which he had somehow lost control of. Time after time he
threw the rope without luck. Then a breeze blew the bow out further
from shore. He simply waited for it to drift back in, and when it did
he continued to throw the rope with little luck.
Olhao Fishing Boats |
There was a woman also down there with
a little dog, and I thought she was yelling at the dog, but once
someone else called the dog up from the seashore I realized she was
actually berating this seaman for his inability to corral her
transportation.
Finally after about 15 minutes another
little similar boat appeared coming in from the channel out to the
islands. Seeing the embarrassing situation his compatriot was
suffering he nosed his own boat with skill and dexterity towards the
misbehaving craft, bumping into it and pushing it towards the shore
until it could be corralled and pulled closer.
Well equipped vessel? |
The woman on the shore worked her way
skillfully over the rocks in her flip-flops and was helped into the
boat. Once she was seated, the seaman jumped on board, started the
motor and they made their way out around the dock, along the sand
bar, and into the passage out towards the islands.
Oh Bill, as you expected, the ropes
were simply thrown on board willy-nilly; no proper coiled ropes here.
Jude and I have just finished reading your "dog" blog. (Was that one of his brothers we saw under a table, tethered to a chair?)The blogs, as usual, have been very interesting and informative. Sounds like you're having a great time.
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