MV Naera Acoustic Jams With Bob McTavish & Murray Patterson

Words by Murray Patterson.
Photos and clip by Andy Potts.

The recent Perfect Wave trip to the Maldives with Bob McTavish was a ripper.

Having flown in via Singapore, Bob and I met the guests at Male airport and were transported directly to the Naera. The next day after a surf at Riptides we started moving south encountering over the next week a variety of world class waves to suit all the different surfers on board. I was particularly taken by the long, powerful but friendly righthanders that were not dissimilar to the North Coast points so dear to Bob and myself.

All manner of craft were ridden: thrusters, singles, twins, bonzers, longboards and logs, and Bob’s nightly “Wave of the Day” award was won across the board by almost everyone (except myself!). It was a great mixture of Aussies, Brits, a lovely Irish Lass and a frothing Kiwi. Andy Potts kept busy filming each day and all the guests we stoked with photo and video packages of themselves sliding in crystal-clear water over stunning coral reefs.

Some of the diving was extraordinary: floating along Indian Ocean drop-offs with turtles, rays, sharks and glorious reef-species. Two of the guests, Steve and Terry the Incinerator, trolled whenever we were on the move and kept us supplied with Coral Trout, Trevally, Wahoo and Barracuda. This supplemented a fantastic buffet each meal prepared by our wonderful chef Bodube.

The boat crew were AWESOME, even joining in with us on our impromptu acoustic jams. Bob is a most gracious host: always quick with a compelling story and his rendition of the Gillian Welch song “Miss Ohio” was a real treasure. Everyone chipped in on jam nights with the craziest mix of songs. We’d go from Yellow Submarine to Buffalo Soldier to Cool Change: songs I may or may never play again, but the singalong memories will stay with me. Good surf, good food, good folk: good times.