It was on the second day that I met Hans Tuinman (a true blooded dutch and an avid Ajax fan), and Sucheta, who run Odyssey Tours, the company for which Thomas works. There was an instant rapport between us. And within five minutes of introduction, Hans offered what could have been only a dream gift for my sons first birthday a cruise in the Solita, a neat 42 ft fibreglass beauty that rips through the tidal waves of the Goan bay with consummate ease.
Solita is a dream machine. Power comes from two American Alaska diesel electrics that churn out a healthy 145 horses. Solita can cruise at 12 knots and has all the necessary navigational systems such as a radar, a VHF radio, and the full compliment of navigational lights and digital depth sounders.
On the interior front, this luxury yacht has hand-crafted teak trims and two plush cabins complete with modern bathrooms. A perfect sundeck provides a superb vantage point to watch the dolphins at play.
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We went around Miramar beach and Aguda jail on a leisurely cruise. And after an hour of chasing the dolphins in the inner bay, Solita headed for deeper waters.
The most important thing with a cruise is the way the boat is handled. A leisurely pace, with instrumental music playing via an eight speaker stereo system, keeps the passengers from getting sea sick by the time they reach deeper waters.
Vijay Mallya who owns some beautiful collectible yatchs had kept one of his prized possessions on the Goan waters. The Southampton, a 72 ft yacht that dates back to the twenties and has none other than the Queen of England as its first owner, was anchored there. It was simply a feast for the eyes. The liquor baron has re-christened it Khalisma after he acquired it.
Hans, too, is a true boat man. He loves Solita, and there is reason for it. Solita was built-to-order with innumerable trips to a small Arroor-based firm in Kerala. And like in any custom-built model, it is difficult to miss the enthusiasm and the intricate detailing that makes Solita unique. My in-laws are surely going to talk about it for a long time to come.
Hans is now in the process of creating a beautiful office-cum-residence complex at a hill side near Calanghute. Maybe he will invite me for the house warming party and yet another long cruise...So long Solita. n
In the salubrious environs of Goa, one expects the cool morning breeze from the sea to waft into the room, and gently caress you into a lazy, long drawnout awakening. It was quite disorienting, then, to wake up to the thundering roar of Enfield Bullets with free flow exhaust pipes. It was the firangs, no doubt, who wouldnt ride anything else but a piece of British machinery to rattle the old Portuguese relics. The 350 singles sounded fantastic, I must admit, and the way they had done up their engines, the machines hardly miss a beat.
From the little I saw, most of them are averse to the idea of making cruisers out of Enfields. But some, like Mike Johnston a motorcycle freak from down under has modified their mounts extensively. Johnstons Enfield sported beefy rear rubber and a pair of clip-on handle bars that instantly gave the Bullet a low slinger, hot-road-cum-cafe-racer look.
The Cote de Azure blend of weather, beaches and touristy atmosphere means that the cars become topless in a jiffy. There were some crafty Jeep modifications to be seen. One particular group from Spain was so hooked onto the Mahindras that they bought a four-door Commander sans the top and had it painted in true Spanish national colours.
The two wheeler taxis are unique to Goa. Though the 100cc economisers are now gaining popularity among the bike-cabbies, the Rajdoot 175 still reigns supreme. Those Earls forks are straight rip-offs from the DKWs, and it was rather amusing to see these strange things doing black-and-yellow duty in Goa.
found some very interesting automobiles in Goa. The green British Minx that I spotted at Panjim was in immaculate condition. And there are a few rotting away in some of the garages. The Beetles are still a plenty, most of them having been left behind by the odd tourists who spent their last rupee on feni and did not have cash to board the flight back home.
Alfred Tuinman, Hans brother and partner in business, was building his dream automobile an Ambassador convertible, of all things. Hans was skeptical of the project, but Alfred was hopelessly sold to the idea. I decided to pay a visit to the site and found an Amby sans the top sitting pretty on flat tyres. The car was now being subject to some very Goan treatment. It had already endured one Goan Monsoon. And if the project continues at the same pace, I will consider myself lucky if Im able to drive it when I go back for my sons fifth birthday (he just turned one)!
Alfred is fast adapting to the Goan way of doing things. He proudly showed me the Toyota diesel engine that was left unattended for the good part of an year and will be powering the finished car. He still had a glitter in his eyes.
But the mechanic has done a good job (of whatever little he has done till now), I must say. The reinforcement to the chassis was done with some square section tubing and he had to work the way through the windscreen with another strong pipe reinforcement since Alfred wants his car to have four proper doors.
A four door convertible...a strange configuration, indeed. But the residents of Goa tend to be more believers than thinkers! Besides, everything takes its own sweet time. But Alfred has given the mechanic an ultimatum. Hes on the look out for the tallest coconut tree in Goa...to hang the mechanic if he doesnt finish the conversion by this monsoon!