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Posted By:
Nickens, Dan
Date Posted:
Mar 13, 2015
Description:
The yacht has a new toy, or at least a new replacement for an old toy. The old one had to be replaced when we got a new helicopter. The helicopter paint scheme changed. It’s just too gauche to have unmatched aircraft on a yacht. The new Searey is a factory built Special Light Sport Aircraft. It’s pretty sharp, except for those high visibility registration numbers!
Date Taken:
Sept. 2014
Place Taken:
Searey Central, FL
Owner:
Nickens, Dan
File Name:
1017rightsideonwater.jpg - Photo HTML
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Category:
Yacht_Tending_Indo
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Read what others had to say:
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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All packaged up and know where to go! She could ship to Bangkok where SuRi hosted the film crew for “The Mechanic 2”. But SuRi is on a tight schedule. Any delay in delivery or Customs would leave the new Searey on the wrong side of the ocean for the owner’s holiday plans.
She could go to Bali. SuRi could stop in there and pick her up on the way to the Raja Ampat Islands for the holidays. But Indonesia isn’t exactly friendly to imported goods. It could easily end up costing an import fee of 110% or not getting out of Customs before the next century.
Hmmm….well, then there is Singapore. It is right in the middle between Bangkok and Bali. It has a friendly tax and predictable Customs laws.
That’s it then: Singapore.
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Where To
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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To fly or float? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the air to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous flying fortune, Or to succumb to a sea of troubles, And by floating away on a boat madden the Captain? The SuRi*s Captain had no time to squander on a little Searey. He was operating on a tight schedule, delayed in Thailand by the typical craziness of a movie production. His preferred alternative: “just fly it to the yacht.” He left the choice to me: Bali or Bangkok. Either way was fine with him. Fine with me too! Either was about 1400 miles of uncharted Searey territory. “What about having to fly over all the native cannibals?” I*m told they now prefer to eat at McDonalds. “What about the rebels?” They fear air power and would scurry away from a fearsome looking Searey. “What about all that jungle with cobras you*ll have to cross?” I*ll just fly around the coast and take my chances with the sharks. “What about the statistical probability of a carburetor float failure?” Well, sure 100% of the engines in new Seareys have had this problem in the first 25 hours of operation, but it shouldn*t take me that long to fly 1400 miles. And I have spares. “What about finding fuel? The airports in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand don*t have piston aircraft fuel.” It*s a Searey! All I need is to get to a gas station. I bought a 25 gallon ferry tank to minimize my off airport excursions. “What about the weather? You do know it is monsoon season, right?” Right, but it is an amphibious airplane. How bad could a few rainstorms be? (As I found out, pretty bad. The forecasts had a 90% chance of storms starting at noon every day. Before noon it was only 50%. And they weren*t little isolated cells either. They covered the whole of the Malaysian peninsula.) “What about flight permits?” That*s what agents are for. The agent was concerned. “The Civil Air Authority wants to know why you don*t have a Standard Airworthiness Certificate?” Because it is a “Special” airplane. “Special is bad. There is no provision for special.” Well, maybe I could explain why it*s special. Special airplanes are not prohibited, are they? “This is Asia. Anything that is not explicitly permitted is prohibited. There is no basis in regulation for ‘Special* aircraft.” That was bad, but pretty pictures of the airplane and the yacht seemed to be swaying wary bureaucrats. “Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost?” Um, no. “Airport access in Singapore to assemble airplane, $4,000, Ground handling fee to take off from Singapore and land in Malaysia, $2,000, CIQ Singapore, $300 Flight Permits, Singapore and Malaysia, $1500 Air Navigation Charges, Singapore and Malaysia, $800 Flight planning, $800.” Uh, what about Thailand? “Thailand won*t even consider letting you land a seaplane in their territorial waters.” Okay, so Bali it is. Except by that time the SuRi*s Captain wasn*t convinced that the Searey was a reliable international means of transport. We checked on trucking it from Singapore to Bangkok. Everyone we contacted has the same answer: “That wouldn*t be advisable.” Finally the Captain just decided to come to Singapore and pick it up. Estimated cost in extra fuel, permits, harbor pilots and dockage: $50,000. Benefit to having a Searey aboard for the owner*s holiday: priceless.
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To Fly or Float
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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With nothing to do but wait for SuRi there was plenty of time to tour Singapore. Look! Up in the sky! On top of those buildings! It*s a giant sausage! It*s a beached boat! No! It*s a flying beached boat that looks like a sausage! Well, if there is no Searey flying to be done, a trip on a beached flying boat would be bit of a consolation.
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Flying Boat
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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The top of Marina Bay Sands Skypark is about 600*, or typical Searey height. Even with the wind blowing it would still be an imperfect approximation of a Searey.
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High View of Port
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Geers, David - Dec 14,2014
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Dan I thought you went up the top to check out if the pool is big enough to land a Searey. I also notice the new Searey has the new
ailerons will be keen to find out what you think of them?
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 14,2014
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My thinking about the new ailerons is a bit too technical and tedious for this site, David. In non-technical terms, however, they
do enhance the SeaRey's flight characteristics, and when they are available for $250 installed, tax included, I'll put them on
N220WT. I acknowledge, however, that there are some people who would pay more, and some people who would not settle for
less even if they have to buy new airplanes. You'll just have to fly one to see how much it is worth to you.
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Geers, David - Dec 15,2014
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I'm guessing you be waiting a while Dan.... Thanks for the info I will across them off my Christmas list.
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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Singapore is first a port. Big boats and big money are its principal source of revenue.
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View to Port
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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Aren*t botanical gardens supposed to be, well, natural? Singapore*s has some, but mixed with the not-so-natural. Just like the city. To be fair, the city has more greenery than most. It*s actually very nice (for a city-state). The greenery is all part of a national plan to transform from the “Garden City” to “City in a Garden”. To that end, the “super trees” are actually vertical gardens.
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Unnatural Gardens
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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Back on the ground, but still in a foreign place.
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Back to Earth
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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There were lots of regulations to cover everything from imports, to speed (device in truck alarmed at over 50 km/hr),to cranes, including the requirement for a lift plan. It was too much to expect the yacht engineers to come up with on short notice. A local crane was hired instead to move the new Searey onboard SuRi.
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Coming Aboard
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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Tied down and ready to sail to wherever.
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Secure Aboard
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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It*s not the departure I would have preferred, severely stuck to the water, unable to lift off and fly away. It*s also not a quick two day aerial dash. It is a planned six day crossing of relentless plowing through the endless sea, all day all night long. That*s just to get to Ambon, a point of entry into Indonesia. It will be another two days after Ambon to Sorong where the new Searey wings will be unfurled.
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Dark Departure
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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One doesn*t starve at sea when two chefs occupy their time by testing tasty creations on willing ship rats.
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Cruising with Spice
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Nickens, Dan - Dec 13,2014
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How do you mark an equatorial crossing when there is nothing by sky and water in sight? Watching the sunset. There were crew on board who crossed for the first time. Nautical tradition holds that they should all be initiated into the college of the briny deep and presented with a certificate, to wit: Whereas by our Royal Consension, Our Trusty, Well Beloved (seaman or seawoman) has this day entered Our Domain. We do hereby declare to all whom it may concern that it is Our Royal Will and Pleasure to confer upon him the Freedom of the Seas without undue ceremony. Should he fall overboard, We do command that all Sharks, Dolphins, Whales, Mermaids and other dwellers in the Deep are to abstain from maltreating his person. And we further direct all Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and others who have not crossed Our Royal Domain, to treat him with the respect due to One of Us. Given under Our Hand at Our Court on board Motor Yacht SuRi on the Equator in Longitude .....° on this ..... day of ..... in the year ..... (Signed) Cancer — High Clerk Neptune — Rex In an abundance of caution, the Captain decided it was much too rough to test the Slimey Pollywogs credentials for becoming Shellbacks. I hope he hasn*t angered King Neptune or her Highness Amphitrite.
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Equatorial Sunset
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