1.2 billion yacht neighbors
On June 21, 2020, after half a month of self-isolation outside Dubai Port, Liu and I finally sailed into Mina Rashid Marina. We have been wandering at sea for 83 days since our departure from the Egyptian port of Galib on April 1, and now we are finally going ashore. I plan to stay in Dubai for 3 months, and Xiao Liu will also return home from here.
What is it like to be neighbors with a yacht of 1.2 billion?
I felt a slight dizziness when I first stepped onto the pier, and this was the first time I had fainted. Xiao Liu has moved out two large buckets to start receiving water, no matter what arrangements are made later, we will wait for us to take a hot bath first.
It's time to land
Halo
The marina we docked was built for large yachts, the pontoon bridge was long, the berths were very large, each berth had a luxury yacht comparable to a small cruise ship, and a small white sailing ship looked particularly pitiful when sandwiched in the middle.
Before I could take a shower with Liu, the local neighbor next door invited us to visit the boat – their yacht shared a pontoon bridge with us, worth 148 million euros (1.17 billion yuan).
Yacht marina
The yacht's captain, Cameron, was an Englishman, and there were 12 crew members on board besides him, all of whom were employed by the yacht's owner. Captain Cameron first invited me and Xiao Liu to dinner, and then took us on a tour.
1.2 billion yacht neighbors
This is definitely one of the most trenched ships I've ever seen, none. I got lost as soon as I got on the boat. The yacht has five floors, there are stairs, elevators, and next to Cameron's bedroom is an elevator, but it is not a transporter, but a special food transporter.
Liu and I followed the captain through countless luxurious suites, unable to remember which roads we had traveled. How did Cameron manage to be so familiar with every corner of the ship?
The yacht owner's room is the most luxurious, the whole pure wool carpet is worth 200,000 euros, and the wall cloth is hand embroidered in China, worth 1 million euros; The VIP suite features a study, a bedroom and a living room, as well as a separate toilet with a bathtub.
1 million euros of Chinese embroidered wall coverings
Stunning sea view
In addition, there are rooms for the crew, which are also of the standard room level of star hotels. The important rooms were decorated with famous paintings, expensive works of art, pure solid wood furniture, and any piece of art was more expensive than my ship.
A Chinese dragon boat carved from whole ivory
On the top floor was the swimming pool, standing here looking out at the big white parked on the other side of the pontoon, and I suddenly understood why these crew members were so excited when they saw us entering the harbor: "Look! That little thing is finally coming in! "Probably that's the mood.
Look out over the great white from the yacht
The whole ship is equipped with an intelligent control system, and the lights, curtains, audio-visual, air conditioning, monitoring, etc. can all be controlled by an iPad; There is also an indoor cinema and an open-air cinema on board.
It's been almost an hour since the surface of the sea, and Cameron took us to the bottom floor of the yacht to visit the engine room, warehouse and various storage rooms.
The yacht alone holds 50 tons of water, which is 5 times the weight of the great white ship; In addition to water storage, it is equipped with 4 water machines, 1 seawater purification system and 3 generators, so there is no need to worry about fresh water and electricity. Each room has air conditioning, and fresh water is used for swimming and bathing in addition to meeting the needs of life.
swimming pool
But what struck me most was that there was not a trace of dust anywhere on the ship, even the engine room was as clean as new, and the surface of the stainless steel equipment was brighter than a mirror. It's hard for me to imagine how they managed to maintain the boat to this extent.
There is a yacht barn in which three tour boats are parked, the smallest of which is worth 3 million euros, which is nearly 10 times that of The Great White. When the local tycoons drive large yachts to places like the Maldives and the Seychelles, they can change to a small excursion boat to jump out to sea, which is very convenient.
But how do these dinghies get out? Cameron pointed to a wall and told me that it was an automatic door that could be opened and the dinghy could be put into the sea.
The look of the tour boat hatch opening
There are also a few dive jets in the cabin of the tour boat, each worth 20,000 euros, and the equipment I used to dive in the past is not worth mentioning compared to these local tycoon toys.
Diving waterjets
Finally, there is the storage room, the cold room specializes in storing fruits and vegetables, eggs and dairy products, and there is a freezer room for all kinds of meat; A wine cellar with 100 bottles of various liquors, with a single bottle of wine costing from 30 to 15,000 euros, and these wines alone are worth more than Dabai...
A wine cellar that is more expensive than my ship
A laundry room was larger than my ship, and there was a very hidden cubicle dedicated to guns and weapons, which were legal but could only be used in dangerous situations such as pirates.
Laundry room
After all the visits, Cameron found a large pocket to give me and Xiao Liu supplies, and went all the way to stuff various things into the bag. He said that if we wanted to watch TV, even the TV could be moved.
Captain Cameron loaded us with supplies
This was my first day in Dubai with Liu, a superyacht day trip.
Captain Cameron said that when he knew that Xiao Liu and I were trapped at sea, he planned to deliver supplies to us if we had not been put in by Tuesday (6.23), which made me particularly touched. They have never met each other, and Cameron, as the captain of such a superyacht worth more than a billion, is willing to sincerely care for and help strangers like us, which may also be the trait that the yacht owner sees from him.
A person can move to a bigger platform and take on heavier responsibilities, and I think in addition to professional ability, there are also some things that we usually find difficult to notice that also play an important role, such as enthusiasm, sincerity and kindness. In this complex, impetuous, and quick-to-do environment, it is also these qualities that allow us to stabilize ourselves and not lose our way.
Friends on the yacht
3000 yuan / time nucleic acid, sour to burst
After the quarantine, Xiao Liu and my friends on the yacht got the short pass and could go into the city, as long as they made sure to return to the dock before 12 o'clock every night. We are all waiting for the 7th of July, when Dubai will reopen to tourists, when we can apply for visas and become truly free people.
And Luke went into town
The once bustling Dubai Mall is now a huge aquarium that is usually crowded with people on three floors and three floors outside, and now no one cares.
An empty aquarium
The Dubai Fountain outside the mall was originally a great viewing spot for the Burj Khalifa and a favorite photo mecca for tourists, but it was only empty and silent, and the world's tallest tower seemed to belong to me alone. I have to lament that the power of the epidemic is too terrifying.
Deserted Burj Khalifa
The Dubai government has a very strict control of the epidemic, and must wear a mask when going out, and if caught without a mask, it will be fined 3,000 dirhams (about 6,000 yuan).
On the morning of July 7, a car came to the dock to pick up everyone to go to the immigration bureau to apply for a visa, and Xiao Liu and I became the first Chinese to obtain a Dubai visa after the epidemic control.
Take a visa
After applying for the visa, we suddenly announced in the afternoon that we were going to do nucleic acid, and the two of us suddenly panicked. During this time, we ate and played with our friends on the yacht next door every day, and everyone had a short pass, and they all went into the city to meet a large number of people.
Even if 1 of our 15 people tested positive, everyone would be doomed - I don't know how long I will be quarantined, Xiao Liu's plan to return to China will be in vain... Is the freedom that came after hard work going to fly away again?
Nucleic acid testing is in a nervous mood
Nucleic acids are urgent and measured individually, and a person is 1450 dirhams (nearly 3000 yuan). The nucleic acid is a Canadian hospital, nasopharyngeal swab, with a small stick into the nose to stir twice, sour to no friends.
Nucleic acid measurement
Waiting for the results of 24 hours is more difficult. I asked Xiao Liu, "Do you use one sentence to describe your current mood?" ”
Xiao Liu: "Whether it is an enemy or a friend, we will see you tomorrow." ”
Xiao Liu returned to China
On July 17, Xiao Liu, who had been with me for more than three months, finally returned to China. After getting the visa, he bought a ticket back to China as soon as possible, flying from Dubai back to Egypt, where our journey began, and transferring home from Cairo.
At first he planned to sail with me for 10 days, from Egypt to Djibouti, and who knew that he had been on the ship for 110 days in one breath! Xiao Liu said that it is like your mother signed you up for a 199 tutoring class, and as a result, she accidentally went to a full set and earned a lot.
Xiao Liu returned to China
Before I went back, he specially prepared a surprise for me, including fruits, Wang Laoji and cola for life, and even got a bottle of red wine.
Not only that, but also a special dream cake was customized, on which each element has a meaning: the blue cream represents the sea; The sailboat is great white, and at the same time means the wish of "smooth sailing"; There is my lucky number 7; There is also a fish tail that symbolizes my diving element.
Cake carefully prepared by Xiao Liu
The small sign reads "Red Sea Operation Successfully Completed", but it is more appropriate to change it to "Middle East Operation", because we have almost run out of the entire Middle East coastline.
Such a good thing certainly can't be swallowed alone, we brought the cake next door and shared it with our friends on the yacht.
Share the cake with your yacht friends
Xiao Liu majored in hotel management, and before coming to sail, he had been admitted to Cornell University, the most cattle school in this major. Although disembarked from the Great White, his journey around the world was far from over.
On our way to the airport, we were lucky enough to hail a red flag taxi, recalling the raising of the national flag when we set off from Egypt in April.
Hit the red flag car
Upgrade the Great White
After more than two months of drifting in the Middle East, it is time for The Great White to do a comprehensive upgrade and maintenance. I first asked two groups of people to install air conditioning on the ship, improve the control of the monitoring system, and then drive the ship to another port (port al seef), and the shipping agency company hoisted the great white out of the sea for half a month of maintenance and upgrading.
Complete the monitoring system installation
Polishing off the large number of sea creatures attached to the bottom of the ship; Clean up the fishing lines in the propeller; New copper outlet holes and air conditioning pump holes were punched; As well as repainting the bottom of the boat and applying a protective coating (anti-barnacles), this coating can inhibit the attachment of marine life and maintain it for about a year.
The bottom of the great white boat is overgrown with marine life
Half a month later, the whiteness was renewed. Re-enter the water and get ready to embark on a new journey.
Big white into the water
Next preview
After 3 months in Dubai, I set off on my own for my next stop: Maldives.