Passengers:
Rory Stander, Jeremy Baldwin, Andrew Hogg, Kurt Stander, Gary Wintle, Gary Naidel, Paul McGroder.
By an amazing coincidence, the last trip of the season was booked by a group where everyone's first name was "Bob"! To avoid confusion, especially after a few frosty ones had been sunk, they were al given nicknames. Thus Fisherman Bob, LA Law Bob, Bald Eagle Bob, Baron Bob, Yarpie Bob, Giggling Bob and Eight Poo Bob all sailed out of Padang harbour with a Bintang in hand.
After cruising through the night, Team Bob was shattered to pull up at the right hander to hear that there was only one other boat in the whole of the Mentawis and it was going back to port the next day. Spewing! As the swell picked up and the wind whispered offshore, Captain Bob led the way with the tube riding. That night in the Barrenjoey Beer Garden , peroxide was put on the wounds, the Broken Baron Boards were put away and everyone was laughing as the only other boat headed home.
Five surfs in a day? Fall asleep after dinner and beers by seven o'clock? Wake up the next day and start all over again·.
The wind changes and off Team Bob goes in search of lefts·and the next day a different left·.and the next day rights·and so on.
Fisherman Bob was convinced that the island chain was fished out even though everyone else managed to catchy fish·go figure. We couldn't even find out the results of the Rugby World Cup Semi between Oz and the Sheep so we just kept surfing and relaxing. The BBQ kept the chilli ginger tuna steaks coming around, and the secret marinate steaks, and the butterflied leg of lamb, and the crew kept the Bintangs on ice·.
Back to the rights cranking across the "testing challenge on your backhand" reef to watch Captain Bob park in the tube forever. We all bagged him when he finally didn't come out of one and broke his favorite board just to find out he had FIFTEEN more in the hold.
The days flew by as we skirted new islands and spots before one final surf in the lee of Gilligan's Island . Bintangs back to Padang , Bintangs at the airport to land in Singapore head for the bar just in time for the Rugby World Cup Final and to almost get the special result. As the Singapore Airlines flight headed home, Eight Poo Bob chuckled to himself over a beer as he thought about what all the experts had said:
"THERE'S NO WAVES IN THE MENTAWIS AT THE END OF THE SEASON." Ha!