THE “WAY BACK HOME” BOAT IS PULLED BACK TO THE LAND
“Way Back Home” boat had worked for COP Borneo orangutan rehabilitation center for one year and now it has serious damage. The boat is broken due to age and high usage cannot be avoided anymore. High mobility makes the boat brittle. “We were forced to pull back the boat to land.
Lifting the boat to the mainland is a challenge. Kelay River is currently on a low tide condition so lift a boat requires extra energy. After lifting it up, the boat is washed clean while marking the part of the leaked spot. Joni and Amir carefully mark it. “This is what makes the water going in,” he said while brushing the boat.
The weather in the monitoring camp is very bright. The boat dries quickly in just a few days. The next process is gluing. “Next week it will be checked again whether the gluing activity needs to be repeated or not,” added Joni.
The “Way Back Home” boat is bought by the profit from the Sound For Orangutan (SFO), a charity music program coordinated by Orangufriends (COP support group). This boat serves as a patrol vehicle on the COP Borneo orangutan island. Besides ensuring the condition of orangutans on the island, this boat is also working to transport orangutan food and other mobility needed. No wonder the villagers saying the WBH boat was the busiest boat in the Merasa Village because of its high mobility. Hopefully, the repairment of WBH boat will be done soon so it can be immediately driven on the Kelay River again. (IND)
PERAHU “WAY BACK HOME” DITARIK KE DARAT
Kerja keras perahu “Way Back Home” pusat rehabilitasi orangutan COP Borneo selama satu tahun menyebabkan kerusakan cukup serius. Kebocoran lambung perahu karena usia dan penggunaan tidak bisa dihindarkan lagi. Mobilitas yang tinggi membuat fisik perahu mulai rapuh. “Kami terpaksa ‘mengkandangkan’ perahu menuju daratan.
Pengangkatan perahu ke daratan menjadi tantangan tersendiri. Air sungai Kelay yang saat ini sedang surut menambah jarak dengan medan terjal yang membutuh energi ekstra. Usai pengangkatan, perahu dicuci bersih sambil penandaan bagian rongga yang bocor. Joni dan Amir dengan teliti menandainya. “Ini nih yang bikin air masuk terus.”, katanya sambil terus menyikat perahu.
Cuaca di camp pantau memang lagi cerah sekali, perahu menjadi cepat kering hanya dalam beberapa hari. Proses selanjutnya adalah pengeleman. “Minggu depan akan di cek ulang apakah perlu pengulangan lagi atau tidak.”, tambah Joni.
Perahu “Way Back Home” adalah perahu hasil keuntungan acara musik amal Sound For Orangutan yang dikoordinir Orangufriends (kelompok pendukung COP). Perahu ini bertugas sebagai kendaraan patroli di pulau orangutan COP Borneo. Selain patroli untuk memastikan kondisi orangutan di pulau, perahu ini juga untuk mengangkut pakan orangutan dan mobilitas lainnya. Tak heran jika warga kampung Merasa menjuluki perahu WBH adalah perahu paling sibuk di kampung Merasa karena mobilitasnya yang tinggi. Semoga perahu WBH lancar menjalani perawatan kali ini agar bisa segera bertugas mengarungi sungai Kelay kembali. (NIK)
