9. Pufferfish

Moreton Bay – early morning

Perhaps you might question whether life in a small village might become boring and repetitive, especially when I complete the same walk every morning to the pier, saying hello to the same people.  But I would firmly disagree. How could it be, when the sea is always revealing more of itself, always stirring things to the surface that you wouldn’t expect? I like to think that people are like the sea, full of different moods and stories, and that the more time you take to get to know them, the more details will emerge and the more we will come to understand each other.

The big news this morning was that Jules caught a Pufferfish.

I always find it exciting when something unusual is caught or brought up from the water around the pier. You never know what to expect when a fishing line suddenly starts to run away and everyone gets interested and involved. But this time, rather than holding onto the fish, Jules promptly threw it back into the water (although not before it delivered the contents of its stomach onto the deck of the pier). 

Now, until this moment, I confess I didn’t know much about Pufferfish. I’ve since learned that they can inflate themselves into a ball shape several times their own normal size. I’ve also learned that Pufferfish are very poisonous and that some types have spines to protect themselves against predators. Their poison can apparently kill us humans and unfortunately there is no antidote. So, I’m very glad that Jules didn’t hold onto hers.

Some other facts I’ve learned: Some Japanese restaurants have a very poisonous blow fish, a species related to the pufferfish, presented on their menus as a dish called “fugu”.  The fish for this dish are prepared by specially qualified chefs. Also, “Toadfish” is another name for certain types of pufferfish.

Thankfully, clean-up was not an issue. Jules’s friend, a big black crow, ate the mess which the Pufferfish left behind, with the help of the local pigeons. This crow often stays in the rafters of the enclosure from which Jules fishes, and it keeps an eye on everything that happens. Jules says she’s got used to him but he does steal anything edible that is left unattended, such as bait fish or Jules’ date loaf, which she brings to the pier for Logan.

I’m not quite sure how or why, but the pufferfish reminds me of my own adventure, back in 1956, with a sea snake. Yes, that’s 67 years ago, when I was still working on ships in Indonesia.

Let me bring that story to the surface for you now.

We had started our voyage in Singapore with an interesting coastal two-week trip to ports I had never been to before.  Our first destination was Banjuwangi, which is located at the easternmost end of Java, opposite the island of Bali, which was visible in the distance.

In Banjuwangi most of our Indonesian crew, who had been with us for many months, were given leave for a couple of weeks to enable them to visit their families. Almost all were from the island of Madura, opposite Surabaya. While they were on leave they were replaced by a team of “old-timers”, older Indonesians who were no longer able, or willing, to go on very long voyages. I really enjoyed having them on board for the next fortnight. They seemed friendlier, calmer and more experienced than the crew which had just left us, and I think that they were really happy to live and work on our ship for a few weeks.

From Banjuwangi we sailed via other Indonesian ports to Makassar, which is sometimes called the “Gateway to Eastern Indonesia”. Makassar, which is located on the Island of Sulawesi (previously known as Celebes) has always been an important trading centre and is now one of the largest cities in Indonesia. We were only there for a day to pick up and load several empty barges, which were stowed on our main deck.

In Makassar we saw many small cargo ships and traditional wooden ships, which trade between the thousands of islands that make up the Indonesian archipelago. It’s a very interesting place with a long connection to the sea. The Makassarese fishermen, who are known to have sailed all the way to Australia long before European settlement, have, for centuries, fished for trepang (sea cucumber) near our northern coast.

I once read that Joseph Conrad described Makassar as “the prettiest, and perhaps the cleanest looking of all the towns in the islands”. It may no longer warrant that description but I felt that, when we were there, it was one of the most exotic places I had ever been to.

The barges which we had placed on top of our cargo holds in Makassar were offloaded near the small port of Donggala, further north on Sulawesi. Donggala didn’t have suitable port facilities for our ship, so the barges were hoisted over the side of the ship and pulled to the shore by small tugboats, where they were loaded with copra, to be returned, full, to our ship. It took 4 days to reload the cargo and the barges back on board our ship.

In the meantime, we were able to make a trip ashore, where we walked along the waterfront and waded in the shallow water of the bay. The water was warm and there was no surf. This is where I saw my first sea snake. It was very colourful and to us it looked quite beautiful. It was not large and when we walked around it, it did not swim away. I was later told that these sea snakes are extremely poisonous and should be strenuously avoided.

The only other thing I remember from our visit ashore was that our walk led us to a Chinese-style house, standing alone on a hill.  It looked very traditional and picturesque. There was no sign at all of other houses nearby. I remember becoming aware then that the Chinese were everywhere in Indonesia, even in this peaceful and quiet outpost on Sulawesi.

Since 1956, when we were there, Donggala’s population has increased sharply. However, in 2018 a large earthquake was recorded, followed by a tsunami, which reportedly killed more than 4000 people in the district and destroyed nearly all the houses in Donggala itself.

Moreton Island in the distance

I think that the reason I remember so much about my time at sea and about walking around the sea snake is because it was all such a big adventure for me. Just as today’s catch of a pufferfish by Jules was an exciting moment that I will probably now also never forget.

After telling me all about her pufferfish, Jules insisted that I have a second piece of her date loaf. And do you know what? My thought was that it’s good to remember the exciting and unusual things in one’s life, but it’s really the many small things which happen day after day that continue to make our life interesting and enjoyable. I loved that piece of cake!

O.P.

P.S. Next week we talk about Pippi and friends.