JUWE? OLUWAFEMI writes on the several top-notch business executives living the fast life on sea. They say it’s an experience they won’t trade for anything in this world because of the therapeutic feeling they get from it.
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For Gbenga Ogunedojutimi and his popular refrain, which is the nursery rhyme: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” you could tell, there’s no dull moment for him.
Gbenga is truly one dude who loves to live life to the hilt. As a businessman with vast business concerns in the oil and gas sector, sprawling as far as the West coast of Africa, and one or two countries in Europe, Gbenga has not stopped telling his friends he is not a dull Jack; and to impress it on all those who care to hear him out, at the end of every week, it is now a tradition for him to take a boat ride from the Tarzan Jetty at Lekki Phase One to as far as the Suntan Badagry Beach coastal water area.
His companions are, a few selected friends, the soothing gentle waves of the sea that turns sheet after sheet of its endless pages, and of course, his favourite bottle of Champagne— Krug, Clos du Mesnil.?
For Gbenga and his select group of friends, the amusement is the sight of the rustic seaside, the mini desert along the Badagry Coastal Region and fishes that stray to the sea surface.
“From the seashore to the deepest depths,” observes Gbenga, “The Ocean is home to some of the most diverse life on earth. There are big sea creatures and little ones; long and short ones, multi-coloured and drab ones, and those that never stop swimming as we speed past. Such sight is breathtaking and it makes me forget the troubles of this life.”
With a paltry N50, 000, the Yemisi Osawaeh family who have formed a new habit of visiting the country on vacation from their London base in the United Kingdom says the entire family has been having a swell time of their lives on the Lagos Lagoon. Yemisi who is Wande’s wife, specifically mentioned her sailing experience from the Lagos Yacht Club to Tarkwa Bay, courtesy of a boat rider, Oketola Oni, popularly called Wumbe who ensures the family misses out from none of the fun. “We sailed a lightening sailboat from the yacht club and anchored in Tarkwa Bay about 45 minutes later. We swam ashore and went body boarding. The waves were huge, but lots of fun. After a while of playing in the sand, and chatting with the locals, we swam back to the boat, and sailed home in safety under the expertise and watchful eyes of Wumbe,” an excited Yemisi said.
From the dramatic coastlines and idyllic fishing villages to sea-bathing, promenades and donkey rides, the popularity of the seaside has led to its enduring status as a quintessential experience.
Hence, the sea has become the rendezvous of those who can afford such luxury. It is typical of such patrons to take a ride out of town from the hustle and bustle of Lagos on boat, accompanied by all of its wild excitement. Without doubt, the beautiful yachts and boats that adore the Lagos lagoon waterfronts give a glimpse of how adventurous life on sea can really be.
A look at the cosy interiors, safety gadgets and calibre of people who ride on these luxury boats speak of how expensive and classy such trips can really be.
In some parts of Lekki and other coastal areas of Lagos like Ikoyi and Victoria Island, hardly would one find houses that are situated by the waterfronts without catching the sight of beautiful cruise boats idly mooring on the Lagoon.
Interestingly, this latest trend from a tripartite angle is a win-win case for those involved in the game. While it is becoming big business for the boat men who need the money, it also serves as a kind of help for the real owners of these boats who mostly are in far away countries and would not want their boats just anchored by the sea-side, idling away. And for the fun loving patrons who cannot afford the very expensive short cruise boats, excitedly and expectedly, they readily opt for them.
Before now, it seems only a few with the “means” really savour the pleasure of a sea ride, but that trend is fast changing, because nowadays, there is a trend initiated by some experienced and influential riders to give those who desire an experience on the sea but without the heavy financial muscle back-up, the opportunity to do so at a “reasonable fee.”
The Lagos Yacht Club is a case in point where members have better negotiations with riders who supervise yachts owned by club members who always want to savour a lifetime experience on the sea.
Wumbe, pointing at a boat, says, it has been lying ideal for six months because the owner practically lives in Canada, and as such, offers the ride to family members who can maintain it, or other commercial riders who need it for a while. The bottom-line, Wumbe says, “Is in order to warm the engine,” adding, “I give out my contact to many who seek fun from the sea, and engage boat owners on deals that will service their boats and still leave something in our pockets.”
Fredericks and his girl friend have formed the habit of having the time-out, almost every weekend to sail on the Lagoon aboard one of the beautiful boats berthing at the Civic Centre waterfront along Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The experience is usually grand because of the extra comfort and mileage of some of the boats that are entirely left in the care of the riders and technicians who decide when they are due for maintenance.
For one of such trips, Fredericks says he coughed out N10, 000 for a ride from the Civic Centre waterfront to Banana Island and back to the take-off point. “It was fun. At least my woman was happy, it was as though we were both on honeymoon,” he enthuses.
But he notes that the rider cashes on the availability of the boats and the confidence the owners repose on him. “Often times, he calls me to tell me there’s a boat available whenever one is readily at his disposal, courtesy of an owner is probably out of the country. So anytime there is one available and we are free, we go on a boat ride into the deep waters in the heart of Lagos and at times, on the outskirts of Lagos. If we are not free, we introduce new friends and colleagues that can pay for the service to our rider.”
Another rider with a boat nicknamed ‘Sea Cat’ – a luxury cruise sea boat, notes that a boat makes no sense if it does not propel on the water and give the desired splendid ride.
He observes that while some boat owners prefer flying around, abandoning their cruise boats, the rides take advantage of their absence by taking patrons on a short ride on the Lagoon and smile to the banks. Never mind that these junketing real owners voluntarily give their boats to reliable riders who they expect will not only contract the boats out for some fees but also bear its maintenance cost and everything that goes with it.
But that, according to him, does not mean that the owners are regretting buying the boats. “It is just that business sometimes take them out for between three to four months with the boat rusting away,” another boat owner observes.
There is however no illegality in the business that seems to be thriving for the riders. Wumbe however explains that riders must be registered, and the real owner must approve of it and often times even give what distance to cover on the sea. He said this became a recent caveat, from the real owners of many of these boats following the disappearance of many boats. He cited the case of a cruise boat of a church member which was stolen and found on the waters in Ghana. “In fact, the boat had been painted and we had given up any hope of finding it again, but somehow, somebody identified it and informed us. We rushed down to Accra n there it was. Now it is back to Lagos waters, but some of its exquisite furnishings have been badly tampered with,” he said.