SAILING CAMELOT

So up we go, slow slow because the water is shallow and murky, in a single file. We’re last in line and despite our care we manage to bump our propeller into a rock. Oops. But apparently everything is ok, no noticeable damage done, so we proceed after raising our engine a little.

 In front of us, Hugh and Annie didn’t notice that their propeller is obviously stirring up the dark mud at the bottom of the lagoon. Tom hollers at them “look behind you!”, drawing their attention to the oil-black trail they’re leaving behind. This lagoon is very shallow, quite stinky, but somewhat fascinating.

We soon see our first croc, a small one posing in the shallow water like a statue, its snout wide open. It looks like a puppy, but I assure you there’s nothing cute about this kid. It’s only smaller in size but it doesn’t look any less menacing. 

We carry on a little further, towards the end of the lagoon. It’s like a basin, and we’re thinking about turning around when Annie (always the eagle-eyed!) half yells and half whispers “look over there!”.  Sure enough, there’s Papa Croc taking a break from his busy life. He’s laying on a strip of sand/mud, half hidden under the jungle-like vegetation. It looks just like another statue, eyes closed, no sign of life.

Papa Croc

 

It looks about 15 feet long, but being so immobile it doesn’t feel threatening. We decide to take pictures of each other on our dinghies, close but not too close, with Papa Croc snoozing in the background. You’ll probably notice the slightly tense smiles on the pictures…

Too close for comfort

Get your limbs in and get out!

As we’re taking the very last shot of the Serendipity crew, Papa Croc must have decided he had enough of our loud whispering and intrusive presence. With an agility and speed I would never have thought possible he turns and slides in the muddy water. All that’s left of him is a trail of small bubbles on the water. We’re not whispering anymore… Tom is closely following the trail of bubbles, they disappear under our dinghy, reappear in the vicinity of Serendipity’s dinghy. We all start our engines and make the most expedite and less graceful exit in history.

Enough excitement for the day? I’d say! Better go back to the safety of our boat and end this day while we’re still ahead of the game.