Splash and Dash Searey Seaplane Delights
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The Glory of the Pilot
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Posted By: Nickens, Dan
Date Posted: Sep 19, 2019
Description: Perseverance has its rewards. After making repairs, satisfying bureaucrats, dealing with difficult logistics, and being left shipless, I finally had it made in the shade with SuRi's SeaRey.
Date Taken: August 22, 2019
Place Taken: Malolo, Fiji
Owner: Nickens, Dan
File Name:    - Photo HTML
Full size     - <img src="/show.php?splash=7X9ojMUw3h">
Medium    - <img src="/show.php?splash=7X9ojMUw3m">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=7X9ojMUw3s">
Category: Yacht Tending Fiji
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Read what others had to say:

Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Not to say there weren't good times before finding the shade, but there was some slack time waiting for my ship to come in. Preparations had to be made for aircraft repairs as soon as it arrived. Time was short and the task daunting. It was hard to get too nervous about the prospects when temporary housing was on the beach at the Denarau Hilton.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    SuRi eventually arrived and so did Colin. He flew in from New Zealand with a 240 volt iron for smoothing ruffled fabric. In addition to being a consummate craftsman, he is a fine fellow to work with in confined quarters.

We had a lot of work to do and a short time to get 'er done. There were problems getting the hazardous chemicals we needed shipped in. That's when I called on a local SeaRey builder, Reardon. He went into his stash and brought over everything we needed.

It just confirms my decades long research: SeaRey people are great!

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    There are some advantages to getting up early for work. Early light is one of them. Who said the effects of jet lag are all bad!

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It's ARF! Almost ready to fly. First we needed an inspection and safety briefing by local authorities. Fortunately Colin had just completed a seminar instructing the Fijian inspectors in the particularities of light sport aircraft. It helps to have friendly faces the inspectors know and respect.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The airplane was ready, but SuRi was not. The ship's engineers were frantically trying to sort out an issue in the engine room. Meanwhile the SeaRey was all dressed to go, but couldn't get off the boat in a crowded marina.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    A pleasant consequence of being stuck in port was getting acquainted with local restaurants. Fijians pride themselves in being welcoming and friendly. Everyone smiles and greats you with exclamations of "Bula!". "Vinaka" or "thank you" almost always follows. This amazing lady remembered Colin and I from our first visit, always coming out of her way to welcome us.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    SuRi had arrived at the Denarau marina after a difficult crossing. Most of the crew, including the chefs, buggered out as soon as it hit the dock. That left the ship engineers, SeaRey pilot and aircraft engineer to fend for themselves. The fancy marina was not a bad place for dining out.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Moored to the marina left little room for launching a SeaRey. When the neighbor in the adjoining spot sailed off, a very limited space opened up. That was no worries for an experienced launch team. It helped to have calm wind.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Despite the fair weather, frowns abounded. The ship was still in disrepair. The expensive rebuilt fuel pump failed when it was installed. Another was ordered and on its way by courier. Meanwhile, the Owner was onboard but SuRi was still stuck in port.


         Cautionary Start 2019-08-15 06.24.11 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Desperate times demand desperate measures: I volunteered to operate the SeaRey from the international airport until SuRi got sorted out. It was a desperate measure because the busiest airport in the country had strict security and was not setup for transient general aviation.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    There were few transient parking options at Nadi International. Fortunately a local connection hooked me up with Advanced Aviation Training, a flight and engineering school at the airport. In exchange for an impromptu class, I was enthusiastically welcomed (at no cost to students or SuRi; normal parking fees are US$50 per night).

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The marina was never very happy having a seaplane around. The harbour master insisted that any movement be accompanied by two tenders, one from SuRi and one from the marina. And I couldn't operate when one of the cruise ships or ferries was in transit. With the silly restrictions on getting in and out of the marina, I ended up parking in Nadi Bay just outside the entrance of the Denarau marina. At least SuRi's crew was nice enough to move my inflatable platform out into the bay for my operational convenience.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The floating platform was pretty easy to relocate. Though SuRi, couldn’t move, the SeaRey and support crew could. The SeaRey and many other of SuRi's tenders relocated to Mana Cove to better entertain the guests.

One of the local guys who helped make arrangements for me at the airport had a seaplane. He said he would come keep me company while waiting for the guests to arrive. I anchored out from the platform to make room for seaplane visitors.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Grahame bought his seaplane from Louisiana. He was having a heck of a time getting the local Civil Aviation Authority bureaucrats to understand he wasn't operating a Fiji Airways Airbus. The restrictions and requirements they imposed were expensive and onerous. Colin was brought in as a consultant to train the bureaucrats on Light Sport aircraft and Rotax engines. Grahame was a beneficiary of Colin's excellent indoctrination course.

Grahame is quite a character. He owns a local resort and the largest fishery company in Fiji. He uses his seaplane to commute from Nadi to his fishery in Suva, a horrible 4 hour car ride, or a pleasant 1 hour plane fight around the coast.

Unfortunately he has been pressured to sell his fishing business to Chinese interests. The Fijian government wants the Chinese to move in and bring their regional fishing fleet. Between the big money and big problems waiting if he doesn't do it, the decision has been made for him.

Recently an Australian TV station asked for an interview with him about the sale. "Why did you sell out?" the newsperson asked. "Why did Australia?" Grahame retorted. It's no mystery. The answer to both questions is the same.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Every morning a new corps of students and instructors stopped by to see the SeaRey off. The SeaRey's left seat was happily tested by a newly minted flight instructor, with her student alongside.

Local flight training is expensive: one of the students told me it was about FJ$65,000 for a license (roughly half that in US dollars). Fuel (100LL) was FJ$4.70 per liter (that’s US$9 per gallon).

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Nadi (NFFN) is The International Airport for Fiji. It was normally busy with big jets, but it was especially busy with military exercises (Australian and US). A message for the Chinese moving into Fiji?

Added to airport problems was a recent controller strike and restrictions on flight training. Then there was my failure to understand what the controllers were saying. Not that they were unprofessional or mumbled, but their accent was hard for my hearing. Top it off with their unusual procedures: they had two runways and they used them in opposite directions for takeoff and landing! 02 for jet departures and 20 for their landings. 09 for light aircraft departures and 27 for landings. No worries about wind direction!

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    With SuRi continuing to be attached to the dock, I had a commute to get to the best spots. The international airport airspace extended out 25 miles and they wanted me at 1000' asl because the helicopters came in at 500'. That was way too high for a SeaRey. Sigh. I had to remember it's a privilege they let me fly at all.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    I was tasked to take one of the guests out to an island. One of the crew warned, "keep a sharp eye out for the bommies." I assumed from the context it he was warning about the shallow reefs and isolated coral heads (or "bombora" ). I may not know the local terminology, but I know ship wreckers when I see 'em!

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    At low tide there was no way past the bommies in to the beach. Unfortunately you couldn't see the bottom scratchers until it was too late from water level. Fortunately I had surveyed the situation first from above. I knew better than to try to intrude.
Mana, Fiji

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    If you can't get to the beach because of the bommies, just fly over them! The private airport at the Mana resort made that possible. The local resort manager didn't mind me interloping. I was just lucky the Survivor Series TV crew wasn't around. When they're shooting they take over the whole island and pile support containers on the runway.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Don’t like walking on sandy beaches? How about a naturally paved walkway? The worn coral was as hard as a concrete sidewalk.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The weather was fine, so there should have been no worries about leaving the SeaRey parked out in the bay. Right. It was my practice to head up to the bridge every hour and borrow the Captain's binoculars to check on my plane. It was never a problem, just floating out there waiting.

Until it wasn't! I spotted the empty float and frantically searched the bay for the SeaRey. I was horrified to see it out among the anchored sailboats.

I raced down to the crew mess and yelled for one of the deckhands to turn to with a tender. I beat him to the back of SuRi and got the tender lines free. Meanwhile, all the commotion got the second mate's attention and he jumped in to assist.

There's a speed limit in the marina. "There's no speed limit when the SeaRey is loose among parked sailboats!" I protested. The second mate agreed that speed limits don't apply to emergency responses.

We were quickly out of the channel and it looked like we might be in time to prevent a catastrophe. The SeaRey was right behind one of the closest boats. That's when I spotted the line keeping it there.

"Oh, crap. What are the salvage laws here?" I stammered. No one knew.

As we approached the sailboat a tall gentleman came out and laughed out loud at our approach. "Have you blokes lost a seaplane?" I was almost speechless, but stumblingly admitted to currently being without mine.

Captain Mic wasn't speechless. He explained in a rapid staccato that he had spotted the SeaRey floating loose and headed out to sea. He had gone over in his dingy, attached a line and secured it to his boat. His voice dripped with disdain at the obvious lack of seamanship among the yacht crew.

Then he paused, looking straight at me and asked, "Who attached it to the float?"

I hadn't. I had been assisted by a crew member who handled that task while I was securing the cockpit.

At first I didn't say anything. Then I quietly said, "What does it matter? It's the captain's responsibility. That would be me."

Mic thought that was hilarious. I'm not sure why. Was it funny that I was calling myself "captain" or that I wouldn't rat out my helper? Whatever it was, it broke him from his lecture mode.

Turns out Mic was an Australian doctor doing volunteer work in Fiji with his wife (also a doctor). They were staying on the sailboat that Mic and his brother had built and sailed from Melbourne. My shipmates thought he was a crazy lunatic. I thought he was a hero.

My offer of money for saving the SeaRey got another uproarious laugh from Mic. "I reckon we seaman have to look out for each other. No worries."

He did accept the offer of a seaplane flight. Later, however, he gracefully asked if I could take a friend of his instead who was learning to fly. I was happy to do it.

    
  
John Dunlop - Sep 20,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    My oh my, don't you just tell a yarn (that doesn't look like a photo of a "Captain Mic ")
Loved it! and wonderful photos as usual!
Brittany gets married tomorrow!
We head for the South Pacific next weekend.
Wish we were there with you, Dan! 		    
  
Don Maxwell - Sep 20,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Congrats to Tiffany, John. She'll always be about 16 right?     
  
John Dunlop - Sep 26,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Right (B will always be 16     
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 20,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Brittany getting married? But she's still a child, John! I don't blame you leaving for the South Pacific after the stresses of a wedding (though I'd expect it was more stressful for Ellen than you ;-)

Congratulations. That's all of them, isn't it? 		    
  
John Dunlop - Sep 26,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It is, and we are both about to celebrate South Pacific stresslessness. ;-)
(The audio system "exploded" and the lights went out during my toast to the bride.
The last time that sort of thing happened was
during my father's eulogy...) 		    
  
Ken Leonard - Sep 19,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Always with the adventures Mr N! Good on ya.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 20,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    More than I deserve, Ken. I've tried to give it up or at least share the good stuff, but I fear I'm addicted.     
  
Dennis Scearce - Sep 20,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Another wild story, Dan. No one could make this stuff up. When is your book coming out?     
  
Nickens, Dan - Sep 20,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    I'm told book is what you do after retirement, Dennis.

Oh, wait! I AM retired!

Well, the book will still have to wait. 		    


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