Going down with Mister Chad
27
| Life is short,
time is money and now speed diving is the latest name of the game. So, if you fancy a
quick plop on Shark Reef before breakfast, Mr. Samehs’ new monster RIB – the M/Y
Valiant - is the way to go. Call me a petrolhead if you will, but there’s something
about the smell of 2-stroke fuel and the roar of 12 cylinders producing 300 barely tamed
horsepower first thing in the morning that sends a tingle down my spine. Couple that with
skipping over the crests of the waves at 37 knots, (that’s 70 kph to Europeans), and
I’m in a waterborne hydrocarbon heaven. Cruising speed drops to around 27 knots, but
that’s still motoring on water, and she reaches Ras Mohamed in 15 minutes from Travco
Marina. There’s something somehow superior about flying past the old daily boats as
they plod off to Jackfish Alley of a morning, doing an hour long dive on Shark Reef with
the place to yourself, and then smugly speeding back past the same old daily boats which
are still plodding on their way to Jackfish. It’s a kind of Business Class on acid.
Whilst at first sight the stirrups and grab rails gave me cause for concern, it’s
not too bumpy either and I didn’t spill a drop of my G & T on the way back.
Many RIB rides are akin to hanging on to bucking bronco, but once those twin Yamahas dig
in and the bow lifts heavenward you feel as if the only contact with the water is through
the props – which it probably is the majority of the time. In fact, the only drawback
to the whole trip is that the ride’s so exhilarating, the diving felt almost
superfluous. Now, if we took the X scooters with us next time, we could have a totally
motor propelled experience. Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be home for breakfast. |