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Posted By:
Nickens, Dan
Date Posted:
Jan 28, 2016
Description:
As I was touching down on the swell I noticed SuRi pulling anchor. Really? I could've slept in. SuRi was moving to a better spot about 15 nm away. At 10 knots....that's a lot of time for beachcombing.
Date Taken:
January 14, 2016
Place Taken:
Smuggler's Beach Near Taurikura, Northlands, NZ
Owner:
Nickens, Dan
File Name:
Waiting for Work 9907.jpg - Photo HTML
Full size - <img src="/show.php?splash=6ywHgf7yPh">
Medium - <img src="/show.php?splash=6ywHgf7yPm">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=6ywHgf7yPs">
Category:
Yacht_Tending_NZ
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Click on photo to view the original size. |
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Read what others had to say:
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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This guy didn't mind sharing the rocks.
Smugglers Beach, Near Taurikura, Northlands, NZ
Beachcombing Too
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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At the edge of the sand the grass looked like it was pretty well wind-whipped.
Smugglers Beach, Near Taurikura, Northlands, NZ
Waves of Grass
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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A spindly seed looked like it was all set for being wind-whipped.
Smugglers Beach, Near Taurikura, Northlands, NZ
Beach Star
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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An old tree trunk lying in a small stream bed was definitely age whipped and cracked up.
Smugglers Beach, Near Taurikura, Northlands, NZ
Beachwood
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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Like the fabled tortoise, SuRi eventually gets to where it is headed. Beachcombing time ends in favor of SeaRey surfing.
I'm assisted in my work by an advisory computer. Assisted? What good is a computerized conscious if all it does is shock you unnecessarily? The lady who keeps track of the landing gear position in SuRi's SeaRey nearly gave me a heart attack with her unwarranted aspersions about my imperfect focus on operational issues.
Perhaps there was some reason for concern. I was out on the high seas with SuRi. The wind had picked up during the morning, providing a tricky crosswind to the 5' swell. Any prudent SeaRey pilot would have long sense fled to shore.
Trauma on High Seas
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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That was my plan. Before I could implement it I saw the tender approaching with one of the stewardesses. Francine is a particularly lovely young Fijian with a beautifully naive personality. "Oh, please sir, can I have a quick flight? I've been stuck inside so long I've forgotten what the outside world looks like!"
Her smile is not to be refused. With her weighing about the same as a feather it wouldn't be any worse than me leaving by myself anyway. That was my rationalization.
Francine
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Nickens, Dan - Jan 28,2016
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She squealed with delight at the bouncing over wind-whipped wave crests. The roughness of flight in the tumbling air only delighted her. Her pleasure seemed to validate my decision to launch under the difficult sea conditions.
That decision was called back into question as I approached the yacht to return. The sea was now green with anger at the wind crossing its beautifully constructed swells. Foaming whitecaps skipped across the tortured water.
The approach required critical timing and focused attention to catch the contrary undulations of the just right swelling. That focus was frequently disturbed by exclamations from my passenger. ""Look! Dolphin! There's Giles on the aft deck. He'll be so jealous! Did you see that albatross! We almost flew into it!""
I admit I missed the albatross. Did I also miss completing my pre-landing checklist? I can't say.
The alighting was just as I feared. My timing was an ill timed wind wave off. With a jolt we came to squealing, splashing arrival.
My eyes flashed to the swirling, foaming white water so close to my canopy. The next millisecond was followed with a shrill shout in my headset, ""Raise Gear! Raise Gear!""
My heart stopped. Time expanded. I had sank us! The gear was down and I never saw it!
But wait, right above the water's grasp I could see the wheel in its proper position snug against the strut. My head jerked to the other side of the plane. Had one gear dropped while I wasn't paying attention?
I couldn't see the starboard gear! Francine was waving and shouting at her friends on the yacht. I jerked against the shoulder harness, moving in panic only to see the big black tyre in its rightful place.
My surprise turned to an angry glare as I focused on the malicious computer. She now sat there quiet, no longer insisting that the gear be raised. Was that a smirk on the rolling attitude indicator? What was the computer thinking? ""Foolish pilot. Never get so distracted that you fail to complete your critical checklist items.""
(An alternate explanation might be that the gear moved downward just enough in the big splash to release the gear-up micro-switch. That rational exploration fails to account, however, for the malicious timing of the computer witch!)
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Don Maxwell - Jan 29,2016
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Dan. Oh, poor Dan! You suffer so to protect the rest of us from angry ocean swells and naive passengers.
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Kenneth Leonard - Feb 01,2016
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I had heard that the Fijians were Believers in the water gods. Perhaps Francine has some lady of the lake in her!
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