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So I’m writing this as we arrive in Malaysian waters, I don’t have a signal on my phone yet, so I don’t know if that’s because my PAYG contract has expired, or if I’m still too far away from land.

It’s been an interesting few days. We have spent the last 5 days cruising around the Butang islands. On Thursday morning we anchored off a lovely little island, maybe only a few hundred metres long, but surrounded by a stunning coral reef with lots of fish to look at. I have a lot of video waiting to be edited .

We didn’t actually anchor, the National park service here provides buoys, some more reliable than others, and we picked the first of the two there and spent the night swinging on that. The only real problem we had was the swell from the south built up overnight, there must have been some anomaly in the weather down in the Malacca straights that sent the swell our way, and by breakfast on Friday morning 8AM, it was so bad we had to hold on to things while brewing the coffee. I decided to head around the side of the island to pickup the other mooring buoy, protected from the swell. I checked on the chart, and we were well clear of the rocks/coral and should have 6 metres of water below us. Off we went, maybe doing 3-4 knots, and after just a few minutes CRUNCH, it was a very shocking moment, the whole boat stopped dead in its tracks, there was no doubt, we had hit a rock.

To put this event into context, it’s one of the worst things that can happen to a yacht. The result, depending on many factors, can range from, no damage, just minor scratching, to complete loss of the boat and loss of life. So that noise we heard, sent shivers down my spine. Fortunately it was clear we were in no personal danger, worst case, we could swim to the shore in lovely calm(ish) waters easily. Also the boat is very tough, unlike many yachts built today, ours uses a different style of construction. The keel is part of the hull, very thick and solid and won’t snap off, this would have been a real worry on a modern production boat. After a collision, it’s imperative to get the keels checked on these boats. So all I had to do really was get the boat off the rock.

Usually it should be possible to reverse and that’s it. however we were properly stuck on. No amount of reversing had any effect. Then the swell came and said hello, the boat was lifted a foot or so by a large rise in the sea level, then dropped back onto the rock. BANG, now that sent another shiver down my spine. It actually sounds and feels a lot worse than it is, but it does help focus ones thoughts to the task at hand. In a big sea, we have been thrown onto waves by the sea, and that makes a bigger bang.

The propellor seems more efficient going forward, but it’s counter intuitive to motor onto rocks, so I didn’t want to try that, going back didn’t work so I was a bit stuck. So I launch plan A, , to kedge myself off backwards, sounds rude, but basically it requires me to put my little anchor I keep at the stern of the boat in the water, say 50metres astern, and winch myself back towards it. I have done this on Oracle once in Greece, but we were in sand, it was very calm and we had all day to mess around. Now I had to move fast as the swell had us bumping again, though thankfully the first bump was the worst. Now this is were the plan turns to farce.

I untied the kedge anchor, and tried to hang it over the stern enough so I could get it into the dinghy which thankfully was tied up below, however the chain in the locker must have been snagging, or more likely had fallen on itself after I stowed it last year. I was tugging the chain like crazy to get it out when Kathy shouted out something about rocks from the bow were she was peering over. I left the anchor hanging over the pushpit (the rail around the stern of the boat) to see what she was saying, she was shouting out that she couldn’t see any rocks, so I had to investigate, possibly it was all a dream and I might wake up after seeing a spaceship rise from the water and Captain Kirk offer some help. Maybe not. I ran to the bow, and looking down to starboard I could see we had at least 5 metres of clear water below us, over the bow was clear as well, looking to port made me realise we were on the very edge of a large granite boulder. Now one of the things about Sister Midnight is that the propeller produces a large amount of prop walk, and it’s all to starboard when going ahead, this means that if I give it a surge of power ahead, from stationary, the boat instead of moving forwards, tries to swing hard to the right. This has got to be worth a try I thought. So back to the wheel, Hard to starboard, mucho revving, no revving, mucho revving, no revving, then WOW, we are off the rock. and moving away from it slowly. So where’s the farce you ask? Well just as we clear the rock, my kedge anchor cleared itself and went screaming over the stern and anchored itself to the very rock we were escaping! Bugger, I tried to grab the  chain/rope as it was shooting over the stern, but it was going too fast, and I didn’t want to slow my exit from the rock so I let it go. I could see the mooring buoy we had left, maybe 100 metres ahead of us, so I figured I should try to get back to that and work things out from there, however, would I have 100 metres of rope on the kedge, I couldn’t remember, and 100m seems a lot.

I shouted to Kathy to bring me large quantities of rope and a knife, plus a fender. I thought ‘plan A’ would be to cut the anchor warp, tie a fender to it as a buoy, and come back for it later, ‘plan B’, cut the line, tie more rope to it and keep going to the mooring until I ran out of rope. As it turned out, I had loads of rope on the warp, and we picked up our mooring buoy while still anchored by the stern to the rock. A kind of weird ‘med style’ mooring.

Next I jumped in the dinghy, and headed back to the rock and retrieved the kedge anchor and all was back to normal. As luck would have it, the water there was crystal clear, so I dived on the hull with my snorkel and could see deep scratches, possibly gouges in the surface of the keel along the bottom edge, I couldn’t see right under the keel, but expect the gelcoat to be cracked there. However that was all, above the bottom edge of the keel there was no damage I could see. I’m hauling out sometime in the next few months to refresh the antifoul, so will sort that out then.

I have since checked on the chart, I have my track recorded, onto and off the rock, and I can see that it’s meant to be safe water there, so I have learnt a valuable lesson about trusting charts close up to reefs.

That night we picked up another buoy, further north, protected from the swell opposite a monkey beach, where Kathy got quite freaked out when a few monkeys took over our dinghy and started going through the storage pockets playing with our sun tan and Deet, I had to shoo them away, but not before the Dad monkey tried to shoo me away.

We left there on Saturday and went back to Ko Lipe for our final night in Thailand, unfortunately it was a very noisy night at anchorage there, it’s a party beach with house music banging out. We anchored in 23 metres of water, and although the anchor seemed very secure, and the weather was very calm, I was woken about 2AM to the boat swaying and strong winds, on going above I found the wind to be very strong 20-30 knots and all the boats around me were swinging around a lot. Checking our anchor rode, of which we had all 110 metres out, I could see it was very taut, and this would be testing our anchor. I spent the next hour closely watching all the other boats and repeatedly taking bearings of objects on the shore and our relation to other boats, however when you have a swinging circle off 200+ mtrs in diameter, you can never be sure which way you are dragging, or if you are just swinging. After an hour or two, we hadn’t moved, our GPS was backing this up, another hour passed and about 5AM the wind passed on, leaving a very calm bay, I went to bed and slept well, only to be woken a few hours later by a bang. “Shit” was the first word I could think of saying as I flew from the bed, we had hit something, I knew that, I was just hoping it wasn’t land, that bay is fringed with very sharp jagged coral. I hoped it was another boat we hit. I’ve hit loads of them, never a big deal. Actually I t-boned a firefly dinghy with a big heavy clincker boat when I was about 13 in the sea cadets, that was a big deal 😉 As I came out into the cockpit, there was no mistaking the back of the Langkawi ferry that had moored right behind us at about midnight last night. He was on a fixed mooring, so it was safe to assume it was us who dragged, we had bumped against a big metal frame he had on his stern, I don’t know what it did, but it was a flat surface and hadn’t marked us at all. A few tugs on our anchor warp and we were away from him. It was now 7AM and Kathy was up, I asked her to flake the chain down, and I hauled in the anchor and we left. By now the crew on the ferry must have wondered what was going on and was walking around the ship looking for a problem.

I fail to understand how we stayed in position all night in the wind, then once it’s calm we dragged , maybe 150ft to the ferry. I suspect the current was strong when we dragged. On my new super powered boat computer system, all these elements, parameters and variables will be logged, providing real time playback analysis, until then, I’m going to practise anchoring 😉

We are now anchored in a little manmade lagoon area at Telaga, in Langkawi, Malaysia, I don’t have any 3g or phone service here, but I have managed to borrow some wifi data from the local hotel across the bay. It’s nice to be back in Malaysia, but we were greeted by thunder and lightning. We will sneak ashore tonight and have a meal to celebrate our arrival, in the morning, we check into the country officially, get fuel and head down to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club marina, where I can fix the gearstick problem. Kathy returns to the UK a week tomorrow for a month.

Paul Collister

Just a very quick update to say we are about to leave Thai waters (and Thai 3g data range) and enter Malaysian territory. I’m not sure if my 3g will work on the old Malaysian phone SIM, so a quick post to say we may be quiet for a day or two.

However when back, I promise to post about our encounter with a very big rock that wasn’t where it should be, followed by our collision with a ferry this morning, It was exactly where it should be, our mistake there. All sounds much worse than it was, but I know Bob likes a good story, so stay tuned in.

Paul Collister

 

It’s not all plain sailing and experiencing gorgeous tropical paradises. There are complicated tasks and more mundane pleasures involved in this nautical way of life. Time spent in marinas allow us to use their facilities and to prepare for the next stages of our travels, as the following few entries show.

Monday 27th Feb

Woke up to another sweltering morning, so we concentrated on maintenance tasks and cleaning jobs in the cabin. Paul created a rota for things that need to be done on a regular basis (see pic below) which helps us remember what needs doing and when (although my brain took a while to figure out how the dates and letters work – see pic below). It’s not a rigid set of rules and obviously there’s room for flexibility concerning frequency, but with so much to remember it’s a useful aide-memoir.  The two fans we have in the cabin have proved to be sufficient for keeping us cool, even when doing strenuous chores. The somewhat cumbersome air-conditioning system that Paul had in operation when I first arrived in Asia is very heavy and it was a faff to get it in and out of lockers and on to the deck whenever we moved on. I found it a bit too cold anyway, and I didn’t like the fact that we had to keep all the windows and the hatch closed while it was on; it’s now stowed away until we decide what to do with it. Today, the fridge got defrosted, cleaned and sorted and I washed all the mud splashes around the anchor locker in the V-berth, along with a few other chores. It had clouded over by the afternoon and then came the rain – lots of it, for a few hours. During one break in the downpours we walked to a small local shop to get some drinks, and then holed up in the cabin for the rest of the day listening to the radio and poring over our laptops.

Tuesday 28th Feb

More work today. Paul programmed, I cleaned and tidied, read, wrote and typed. It’s made life easier having a laptop of my own to work with because I don’t have to rush to finish things so that Paul can get back to work. It’s not so easy when Microsoft ‘crashes’, ‘malfunctions’ or ‘gets confused’ (insert any one of those terms) and Paul reminds me how he never thought he’d have the displeasure of having to work with Windows again ;). We both needed a breath of air and to stretch our legs by the afternoon so we went for a walk into Ban Koh En. The air turned out to be hot and humid as opposed to refreshing but by 4 30 at least we can be certain that it won’t last long. The sun starts to lose its intensity by 5 and sets at 6 45 so during that time there’s often a breeze and the dazzling glare fades. After buying some bread and collecting the laundry we went for another meal at Mama Papa’s by which time the breeze had got strong and cool and was as invigorating as having a cold shower after a long walk in the heat.

Wednesday 1st March

We’re planning to leave the marina on Friday to begin the protracted journey south towards Malaysia where I will be getting a plane from Kuala Lumpur at the end of March to spend a month in the UK. Today we did a bit more preparation for the journey. I filled the water tanks, made lists for provisions and we both spent some time staring at computer screens to make the most of the marina’s strong internet. After dinner, my laptop kept losing the wifi signal just as I wanted to upload and post some pictures on the blog. Sorting all that out took time we’ll never get back that’s for sure! It also made for a very late night and more about how Apple technology would never cause as much hassle and stress 😉

Thursday 2nd March

Collected the car mid-morning and followed our usual routine with it: Boat Lagoon, Rolly Tasker (to collect Paul’s sail – unfortunately still unrepaired despite being in there for 5 months!) and on to the supermarkets to shop for provisions.  We also needed to go to Ao Chalong for the checking out process. This took longer than expected because there was only one guy on duty in the immigration office and he was having to sort out a confusing situation for the man in front of us. We sat for almost an hour waiting patiently (good thing I have books to read on my phone). Drove to Patong afterwards and shopped in the ‘Big C’ supermarket in the mall there. Neither of us felt like another walk down Bangla Road so after a quick look round a night market (see pic below), we had a drink and some fries in Wine Connection inside the plush, cool indoor area of the mall before heading home to unload and stow (thankfully without the added drama of impromptu swims this time).

 

Friday 3rd March Koh Yao Yai

Up early and out of our berth by 10am, we had a trouble-free departure even though I (with a bit of help from the bow thruster) motored us out. There was a good wind so the mainsail went up within 30 minutes of leaving and by 11 we had the engine off and the yankee sail out, doing just over 5 knots. Unfortunately the wind stopped suddenly not long afterwards and never returned, so on went the engine all the way to Koh Yao Yai, where we dropped anchor at 3 o’clock. Ao Labu is a lovely sheltered spot which, as the pilot guide informed us, has ‘a long sandy beach fringed with casuarina and other tropical trees’. It also stated that further in the northern corner of the bay there’s a small settlement where coconut and rubber are cultivated. We never go far enough in to see these industries in action; I suspect there are quite a few tucked away behind the pretty front views of the islands that we haven’t been aware of.  Two other yachts anchored near us late in the afternoon just as it began to get very gusty but the bay was sheltered enough, so the strength of the wind caused no concern. We sat in the cockpit and watched lights on the shore come on to gradually reveal objects and dwellings we hadn’t seen in the daylight.

Saturday 4th March Ko Phi Phi Don

There had been just enough gentle rocking on the waves to ensure a restful sleep. Our destination for the day was Phi Phi Don, an island we’d visited on the way up to Thailand in October. This time we went northwest of our previous stop and ended up on the opposite side of the isthmus. It looked extremely busy with the usual longtails, diveboats and speedboats but we managed to pick up a free mooring buoy at Monkey Beach (no prizes for guessing why it’s called that). We were quite far from the beach but could see there were lots of people on it.  As it was getting on for 5 by then, we guessed they’d start leaving soon so we dinghied over to take a look. The monkeys came into view pretty quickly. It did look rather as if they were taunting the visitors instead of the other way around. I could see them running up to ‘tag’ them, or snatch something perhaps and then run away if anyone responded to them.  Reaching the beach, we parked the dinghy, intending to go for a swim and snorkel but I became distracted by events involving a group of young visitors and a couple of monkeys a few metres away from us. This time, the people were running towards the monkeys, jeering and laughing about something and the monkeys were running away. One of the monkeys had a tiny baby clutched to her tummy. I couldn’t see any overt cruelty but something made me feel uncomfortable about the interaction. I wanted to keep watching anyway and the little monkey family ran right past us closely followed by the band of people. When they’d almost reached the other end of the beach one of the men started throwing clumps of sand or something at one of them and that’s when I set off to intervene. Paul thought that maybe the monkey had pinched a camera or a phone or something. Anyway, the monkeys ran off out of the way in to the foliage and the visitors had to board their boat back. It made me smile when they reappeared a bit later (probably having stashed their loot away safely somewhere). A few pics of them are below.

We didn’t linger on Monkey Beach for a swim, deciding instead to explore a short stretch of the coastline in the dinghy. We passed by the spot we’d anchored at in October because I was having trouble recalling it (well with so many other islands we’ve seen…) and then Paul took me back to Sister Midnight while he took the dinghy to swim and snorkel near some caves opposite to us and to practise filming with the GoPro.  The beach was more or less empty by evening but the neighbouring boats livened up, as did the shore of Phi Phi Don. Screams and shrieks of delight filled the air from passengers on pleasure boats enjoying the fun of water activities. They were being dragged and bounced along at high speed on rubber sofas and chairs or sliding down inflatable slides hanging from the boats’ sterns and splashing into the water. Meanwhile, people on the big catamarans around us lit up their decks, put music on and partied – long into the early hours according to Paul. Phi Phi Don was also brightly lit and playing music. It’s high season here and we’d expected the popular destinations to be ‘buzzing’ but in fact the nightlife hasn’t been as lively as we thought it would be. It seems reports of a dip in the number of visitors and bookings this year is a fact.

Sunday 5th March Phi Phi Lee

Phi Phi Lee is only a short distance from Phi Phi Don. Our previous visit to the area had been in bad weather and we’d glimpsed the famous movie location island through a sheet of drizzle and cloudy greyness. Leaving our anchorage at 11am after a lovely long sleep, the weather couldn’t have been more different. It was a clear, sunny, blistering hot day, and in the hour it took to get there we knew we would not be enjoying anything like the solitude and peace of previous anchorages.  The sheer volume of marine traffic and the accompanying noise was no real surprise but the fact that we managed to pick up a mooring buoy was. This location was popular long before it rose to prominence as the location for ‘The Beach’. The diving school boats and the plethora of divers around them confirmed that it’s an area where sea turtles and three types of shark can be seen (Black tip reef, Leopard and Whale sharks apparently. That large ‘fish’ I saw in the clear water when I was bending to hook the mooring buoy could well have been one of those.

Once secure, we sat back and gazed at the lively scenes before us. We didn’t intend going ashore until most of the visitors had left anyway so we watched divers, snorkelers, swimmers, and an increasing number of tipsy visitors arriving on longtails. There seemed to be a required celebratory dance that no one had told us about, which involves standing near the front of the boat and swaying around with your arms up in the air while crying out something…unintelligible. Lots of people did it on arriving but we hadn’t – hope that wasn’t a faux pas ;). The beach itself was packed with sunbathers and walkers and of course lots of longtail boats. We debated whether to stay – I know Paul wasn’t keen on the fact that it was such a hyped-up ‘naff’ location. My desire to see it came not from being a Leonardo fan, although I do enjoy his films. It was more that I saw that film so long ago and remembered looking at the idyllic scenes and imagining what it must be like to walk on those sands in such a place. I never thought I would actually get to see it! So yes, I felt an unashamed thrill at being within touching distance of it. Having decided to stay, we had a swim to cool down and then put snorkels on to check out the sea life around the boat. We saw sea urchins, tiger fish and what might have been small sharks but no sea turtles unfortunately.

At 4 30 we went across to a small beach to have a look at the interesting flat-pebble structures on the edges of the sand. I’ve seen a few similar ones since then on other beaches. I don’t know what they signify, if anything – maybe it’s something like the padlocks on bridges craze that cropped up everywhere for a while.

After a quick row around to see if we could spot any turtles, off to The Beach we went. It’s proper name is Maya Bay, and in pre film days I’m sure it was more like the beautiful unspoilt ones we’ve seen on our travels around Thailand. The first thing I noticed as we drew closer was a line of signs plonked unceremoniously at the back of the sand. There was also a garish blue platform made from pontoon segments that served no purpose at all (or so it seemed to us). Quite a few of the longtails had left by then but it was still quite crowded. We found a spot to beach the dinghy on the left side of the sand and stepped over the legs of sunbathers waiting for their boats to collect them. The signs I’d spotted had intrigued me and I was keen to see what was on them. Surprisingly, none of them advertised the fact that this was the location for the film. One, rather alarmingly, told of the risk of stings from creatures known as Portuguese man o’ war (NOT a jellyfish I’ll have you know-it’s a siphonophore!) and how to treat them – I might not have gone snorkelling if I’d seen that first!.  Another sign simply said ‘No Drones!’. Apparently, these are banned due to their irritating buzz, yet that would be nothing compared to the constant drone of the longtail engines. Another sign, and this only highlights a few of them, warned that bringing polystyrene food containers onto the island would result in hefty fines.

There was a strong smell of fuel coming from some of the longtails with dodgy engines, and I was very disappointed to see so much litter: food wrappers, plastic bottles, cigarette ends and fag cartons (even though smoking is prohibited) were strewn everywhere. I’m sure rangers have a clean-up system in place, but I’ll never understand why people think it’s ok to drop or leave rubbish where they feel like it. I thought back to an interview I’d read when the film came out, in which Leonardo, a keen environmentalist, had stated that when filming was over he’d been adamant that the beach should be left exactly as they’d found it with not a scrap of litter to spoil its beauty. I think he would be dismayed to see it now. We walked along the length of the beach and back, had a look at some rocks and caves, took some photos and then headed back to the boat.

I was interested to see how deserted the place would become as the evening wore on. We sat on deck watching the boats leave one by one; it was just before sunset when they had finally all gone. Apart from one dinghy and a couple of people (rangers maybe) in the wooded area, the beach was empty. This is possibly the only pocket of time in the day when it’s a clear white stretch of sand with no people or boats at the water’s edge. The wooden signs appeared even more incongruous when unobscured by people though.

Kathy

Alternate titles:
“Don’t Panic”
“If something’s going to break, then it will wait for the worst time”
“I really should have sorted that out earlier”

Yes we had a bit of a problem today, while Kathy was reversing on the anchor rode, to get it to really dig in, the morse cable snapped on the transmission meaning we were stuck in reverse, with not much we could do about it. But more on that later.

We spent Sunday and Monday on Ko Tarutao, a large island, which makes up the largest National park, and the first in Thailand, back in the 80’s I think. It’s a very beautiful spot, but unfortunately the wind has been unseasonal again, it’s meant to be from the NE but in fact has been blowing a steady 10 Knots from the West most of the time, this made our mooring very rolly and we couldn’t stop as long as we would have liked, so we took the dinghy up a large winding river inland and explored a very pretty river / creeks. I made a couple of videos, but until I get a proper wifi, they won’t get uploaded.

From Tarutao, we headed west into the wind and to a lovely little island called Ko Tanga, I think this is part of the Butang group, we were heading for Ko Lipe, a popular holiday island at the southern end of the Butangs, from here we can see Malaysia. All of the islands on the Butangs suffer from the same problem, the beaches are lovely, but go from very shallow to very deep in no time at all. In a boats length it can go from 8 meters deep to 20 metres deep. This make anchoring very difficult. So at Ko Tanga, we had to drop our anchor in 21 metres of water, This meant I had to lay out 60 metres of chain, then another 50 metres of rope, I haven’t done this before and was rather nervous, the previous night we were being rocked a lot, and although we were on a national park mooring I had fretted over how much the rope chaffed (rubbed) on the bobstay and fittings. Now the rope could chafe and if it snapped, not only do we get washed onto the very rocky shore, but I also lose a very expensive anchor.
Anyway, the wind was very light and all was fine, with no chafe to worry about. I am going to put a plastic tube on the bobstay now to help, I didn’t want to, as they look so ugly, but I need to sleep at night.

Ko Tanga, has this arch on one of its islets, you are meant to walk through it with your partner to ensure everlasting something or other, people were actually doing it too! (Eat your heart out Malta)

We left Tanga early, it’s lovely and cool at 7am and the 2-3 hour trip to Lipe was easy into a headwind of about 5 knots. However when we arrived we found the same problem with a very deep shoreline, no chance of getting close in as the day tripper boats had laid moorings everywhere decent. We spotted a national parks mooring buoy, and tied to that, we were just getting the ropes tidied up and about to turn the engine off when a dinghy came speeding to us, it was an Australian skipper who was keen to point out that there was no connection between the mooring buoy and the sea bed, just a rope catching in the rocks, and that he had almost ran aground yesterday when he tied to it. We were very lucky, as it looked great when we tied to it, we might well have gone below for a drink and not realised we were dragging to the shore! You learn something every day in this game. So off we trekked again, looking for somewhere not too deep to anchor, eventually we had to settle on a spot 23 metres deep, this is getting serious, we anchored, let out 110 metres of chain and rope, but by the time the anchor had set (got stuck in to the ground) we were too close to another boat, so we had to pull it all back in and start again. Second time we seemed to be doing well, the anchor was holding, we seemed to be in a good spot when Kathy declared the gearstick was flopping around doing nothing. I waggled it and it seemed to be disconnected, so either it had come lose at one end or the other, or it had snapped. These cables are like big versions of the brake cable on a bike, they often fail, and just a few days ago I noticed the gearstick was quite stiff and I was wondering whether it had always been stiff, or if it might be getting old. I have had very bad luck with these cables breaking on me, so I was thinking I really need to sort them out, or at least carry a spare. So a quick ripping apart of the steering binacle, were the gear and throttle controls live and the cable is attached to the gearstick lever, so into the engine, upside down, head first, as Kathy waggles the gearstick, no sign of life, noise, twitching or anything in fact, so that means cable broken. We are now swinging on 110 metres of cable, in a 10 knot wind, not 100% sure we are dug in properly. I like to reverse with a lot of revs for a few seconds to make sure the anchor is fully set, and I’m wondering what the correct procedure is for such a situation. We can’t go anywhere, but I have a few more anchors I could throw over, I could force it into ahead on the gearbox, and we could motor out, I think. By the time I have gone through all these thought, I realise we are holding well, the forecast is for the wind to drop now for a couple of days, so I decide to stay put and try to fix the problem. So apart comes the binacle, fully, the throttle cable has to come off now, that makes my means of escape harder, but when I realise I also have to take the steering chain off the wheel to get access to the broken cable, I sit down and have another think. No steering, gear or throttle, in a crowded anchorage! I fit the emergency tiller, and realise I can control the throttle with a pair of pliers once the cable is out, so off we go. 3 Hours later, I have it all back together, minus the gearstick cable, which now sticks out of a locker, and has a new control lever. Pic below.

Kathy wants the old control back, I quite like the new one, but it’s going to make the marina entrance more interesting. I’m hoping I will be able to pick up the cable in Langkawi when we get there. Kathy likes it here so much she wants to stay for a few days. They have lots of shops, bars, bakeries and book shops!

It’s bed time now, we had a lovely dinner ashore, the boat stayed just where we left it, but I have just been up and checked everything, the tide has turned and of course with 100 metres of anchor warp out, we have moved 200 metres to the other side of the bay, unfortunately, the guy next to us, has a much shorter warp out so didn’t move away that much, if he gets much closer I will be able to step aboard his boat and wake him. However his short warp might mean he drags away from me anyway.

Just a couple more years and I might get the hang of this boating thing.

Paul Collister

We are working our way south, and seem to be encountering some very nice beach resorts on the way.We came to this island, Ko Muk, mainly to see “The Emerald Cave” which is actually a hong, accessible via an 80 metre long tunnel. Normally you have to swim in, but we were lucky to catch the tides right and get in with the dinghy.

Once in it was quite spectacular, a lovely sandy beach with trees growing all up the vertical walls. The Emerald bit was lost on me, must be my colour blindness, but Kathy understood.

I made a short vid of the trip.

 

Later we sat on the beach and watched the sun set behind sister Midnight. I was hoping the other beach goers taking pictures were thinking, ‘how lovely to see the sun set behind such a classic stylish yacht’, but they were probably thinking, ‘shame about the yacht getting in the way!.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we head for Koh Nok, a three hour sail I hope, then on Sunday a 6-8 hour sail to the Butang island group, and the island of Ko Lipe, for a few days, then a day sail into N Langkawi, Malaysia.

Paul Collister

 

 

Friday 24th Feb

By 10 30 we were motoring away from Koh Panyee with the mainsail up, the intention being to head straight for Koh Phanak, the island we had first visited when we began our Phang Nga Bay excursion earlier in the month. Looking at the map, however, I noticed we would be passing near to Koh Khai and remembered it as a place that was highly recommended in the Hong guide that Jack had given us. Paul made a quick course change and we arrived there at midday. Koh Khai is shaped a bit like a snail when looked at from a distance and the nearer we got to it the prettier it looked.

The guide stated that we might need to swim into the Hong, which was fine by me as I was really feeling the effects of the heat by then. Paul rowed us over to it while filming and commentating with the GoPro which is proving to be a great asset for recording events and places. It became clear as we got closer that small and low as it was, we would be able to take the dinghy under the rock entrance and right on to the tiny beach. Once inside, it was deliciously cool and we could see that this fabulous little Hong with very steep sides was similar to the ones we’d seen before, except this one was in miniature! We parked the dinghy and waded into the clear water for a swim and a closer look at the amazing rock features above our heads. As it was such a pretty and peaceful spot, and we were in no great hurry to reach Phanak we stayed a while longer and had lunch when we returned to the boat.  The heat hadn’t abated by the time we set off again so I sat on deck to get as much of the breeze as possible for the rest of the journey to Koh Phanak.  There aren’t many anchorages around Phang Nga Bay that don’t have a picturesque view and our next one was no exception. Paul went out in the dinghy to check out the area for our visit the next day. There were several kayakers with guides exploring the caves and the coastline. It’s always useful to watch them because the guides know the locations of the entrances of the Hongs and the best and safest times of day to enter regarding tides.

Sat 25th Feb

At 10am with the sun already hot but with an accompanying cool breeze, we set out in the dinghy to look at our final Hong of the trip. The choppy water made for a bit of a bouncy ride but it was lovely to sit gazing at the beauty of the scenes around us. People on the kayak in front of us were pointing and smiling at something on the cliff’s ledges which it turned out to be a solitary monkey who was doing a pretty good imitation of us gawping at it! It sat and stared blatantly back at all of us watchers with our phones and cameras aimed at it, completely unfazed. A bit further on, Paul slowed the dinghy so that I could photograph two more who looked like they were having a chat on their ledge. We got fairly close and I grew alarmed by the look on their faces, convinced they were going to jump into the dinghy with us, much to Paul’s amusement.

The tide was quite high by 11am and the Hong entrances didn’t look as though they could take a dinghy. We did, however, spot a cave that looked promising – dark and low and twisty, but promising. In we went. I had to use the flashlight on my phone as we went further in because we’d forgotten to bring a torch. There was an extremely pungent smell inside – musty and slightly sulphurous but at least the walls were dry, and I used them to push us away from some of the jagged rocks in the shallow water. It was exhilarating even when it was dark in front and behind us. Paul rowed when the water got deeper and we saw a glimmer of light ahead but the roof was so low we almost had to lie flat at one point. When we reached the light we could see that it wasn’t a Hong, more a cavern with a slit in the roof. Paul swam a bit further on while I held the dinghy steady with a rope attached to an overhanging rock. He was only gone for a minute but it felt eerie sat there alone…in the darkness…in total silence.  I was glad to hear him come back – he said it was a dead end but that it had been a thrilling swim. We had the current with us on the return trip and I positioned myself flat on the bow with the phone’s light to guide us back.

At midday we left Phanak and set the course for Yacht Haven Marina, but first we wanted to find somewhere nice to stop and anchor for lunch. With everywhere as far as the eye could see looking gorgeous, there was a vast choice on offer. After picking out Koh Wa Yai, we anchored off its coast and dinghied ashore for a walk. It’s not a resort, but luxury holiday bungalows are advertised for £25 a night and we’d spotted people on the beach and children playing on swings so we hoped that there might be a beach bar or café there. There wasn’t, so we had a short ride along the coast to have a nose at the accommodation (elegant chalet-style bungalows, an ideal place for an away from it all break).

After lunch on board we motored on to Yacht Haven and anchored outside the marina at about 5 30. The Deck bar beckoned before sunset, so back in the dinghy for a drink there and then on to Mama Papa’s restaurant for dinner. It’s definitely the best place I’ve eaten at in Thailand and each time we’ve been it’s been busy, mainly with yachties of all nationalities. It’s always the same friendly lady who cooks the meals, and she often takes the orders too! She does an amazing job, helped by only a few other family members. A varied choice of meals are freshly cooked in a small open kitchen, so the chips I have there – with a spicy cashew salad – are delicious, and a welcome change from the ‘fries’ most places serve.  We had to navigate our way back to Sister Midnight using my phone as a torch again in case other dinghies were heading out from between the boats and pontoons. Back to a berth on the marina pontoon tomorrow.

Sunday 26th Feb

It wasn’t until 2 o’clock that we weighed anchor and were guided to our pontoon by staff on a marina dinghy. It was very calm, so berthing was easy and we wasted no time getting connected to power and water and wifi. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting the boat shipshape and catching up on internet stuff. Later Paul went to check us in and I took a huge bag of laundry to the marina facilities at the top of the hill. Paul had lots of computer work to catch up on in the evening and I had a bit of reading to do ;). Inevitably we both fell asleep in the cabin, waking up in the early hours to walk the half dozen steps to bed. Almost time to check out of Thailand and begin the leisurely journey back to Malaysia.

Kathy

Not really, but we did do some practising.

We left Phi Phi Le, the setting of “The Beach Movie” on Monday 6th, I was glad to be away, a lovely location, but totally spoilt by the hordes of visitors, in contrast, we arrived at Ko Yum, a 4 hour motor away to find deserted beaches, with very tasteful resort chalet nestled in the trees. We like it here so much we have decided to stay a few days, before sailing south. The wind has gone away this week, 5 knots, and we are anchored just off a lovely beach in 5 mtrs of water.
I have been doing boat chores, and today I rigged up the danbuoy and lifebuoy in their designated spots at the stern of the boat. I manufactured holders for the danbuoy from plastic piping bits I bought in the hardware superstore. These are devices that are thrown to a man overboard to help in his survival and recovery. The danbuoy is basically a floating flagpole with a flag and light on the top, however ours is without the light at present. The lifebuoy is what you grab hold of to stay afloat, that comes with a very modern flashing light, automatically activated when it hits water.
So once it was all fitted in an easily accessable spot, I threw myself over the back of the boat shouting “Man Overboard” and waiting in the icy treacherous waters for help 😉
Kathy chucked the lot over and I was saved. Let’s hope we never need to do that for real.

Kathy loves the ramshackle beach bars here, it’s a very chilled spot.

Tomorrow, a short hop down the coast to Ko Lanta, then a larger hop down to Ko Tarutao and the Butang group of islands.

 

Paul Collister

Thursday 23rd Feb

It was hard to believe we were anchored when I woke up this morning – it had been such a calm, still night there was no movement at all on the boat. I was up at 6 30, in the cockpit with the binoculars watching the bats soaring above the peaks of the Hong in the early morning light. When Paul got up around 7 30 he said it was time to get going – this happened to coincide with our neighbours on the catamarans doing a jolly morning workout routine: facing each other from the decks of their boats, they sang and chanted whilst dancing and exercising and cheering each other on. We weighed anchor and moved on.

For most of the morning, the autohelm and I took on the steering and watching while Paul tried to get a signal to send his work reports.

We were heading for a small Muslim fishing village called Panyi which has quite a fascinating history. Two families from Java, Indonesia set out at the end of the 18th century to seek a suitable place to settle and make a living from fishing. It was agreed that whoever found such a spot first would raise a flag to alert the others, which is how the village came to be called Panyi (panyi means flag). All the families living there today are said to be descended from those original settlers. We had read up about it and looked at images online. It looked an incredible place – a village built on tall wooden stilts at the foot of a limestone cliff and boasts a market, souvenir shops, seafood restaurants and a notable mosque.  As we got nearer to it a longtail boat followed us from behind until it was close enough for the guy at the helm to gesture that he would show us where to anchor. We weren’t sure if we had a choice or not, and he led us to somewhere different from where we’d intended to drop it, but there were fishing buoys around and he may have been keen for us to avoid nets so we stopped where he’d indicated. The area was full of other longtails and motorboats carrying visitors to and from the piers of the village. It’s a popular destination to visit for lunch in the seafood restaurants or an afternoon of browsing the stalls.  After we had anchored the guy in the longtail drew alongside to tell us he would take us ashore and guide us around the village (for a fee, naturally). He didn’t really want to take no for an answer until I made the universal sign for sleep and even then he said he’d come back later.

We wanted to wait until all the day visitors had departed anyway.  He returned as promised at 4 o’clock just as were getting ready to go across. He got the message when he saw the dinghy but we thanked him for the offer and had a friendly chat with him about the village.

It was short hop across to the visitors’ jetty and some small boys came running up, eager to help Paul tie it up. I was struck by how flimsy the structure seemed as we walked off the pier and into the ‘streets’. The stilts are wooden and are sunk into thick, smelly mud teeming with all kinds of wriggling creatures. I couldn’t help thinking how awful it would be to topple in; the walkways are fairly narrow, often with no barriers on the sides.

Luckily there was no risk of being jostled because all the day visitors had gone and we seemed to be the only visitors there. This fact made me feel slightly awkward because it felt like we were gawping at people’s houses at times, especially as you could see right inside to their living area while walking by. The central part of Koh Panyi is a concrete floor that connects to a row of tiny souvenir shops, and from there a narrow maze of uneven planks leads to the villagers’ wooden homes.  It would be easy to become disorientated in the network of walkways and small shops, all of which sell gifts such as tee shirts, batiks and handmade items made of shells and coconut shells.

Away from the centre, the space opens up between the wooden houses and you can see the seafront where all the restaurants are…but the smell lingers. We ambled around the souvenir stalls, had a look at the grand and gleaming mosque but were unable to go inside because only Muslims can enter it, and then on to the floating football pitch, built out of bits of wood and fishing rafts by local children back in 1986. Football is popular here despite the confined space, and we saw a group of boys playing it underneath the cliff.  We had intended to eat here but we weren’t hungry enough and as it looked as if it was about to bucket down with rain, Paul was keen to get back to Sister Midnight in case the anchor dragged. The dinghy trip back was a wet one: the heavy shower and a strong wind started just as we were getting in it, and we felt quite cold by the time we reached the boat (feeling chilled really is a novelty here). The anchor had held well despite the strength of the squall – we hadn’t moved an inch. Some more pics below of Koh Panyi Village.

Yes it continues, lovely unspoilt beaches, crystal clear waters, relaxing sails, blah blah blah. Nothing really exciting to report.

We spent Thursday in Phuket town, checking out and picking up spares for the trip, we restocked at a few stores on food and drink, and went to immigration, Harbour Master and Customs to check out. Back to the boat, and a very low spring tide, so everything was exactly the same as the last time we loaded up the boat bringing the trolley down a very steep ramp to the pontoons, however this time I stayed out of the water. One thing I realised, is that as I fell backwards into the water, I pulled on the trolley to try to stop myself falling, and that’s what helped bring it onto my head. I should have pushed it away from me, that way I would just have got wet and the trolley may have stayed ashore. I wonder how fast your brain would have to work to suss that out in the split second you have. Obviously faster than my old grey matter.

So Friday morning we left early on slack water, 3 hours before high tide, and headed off to Ko Yao, a big island with a few villages and had a lovely overnight stop, Saturday we left early without going ashore and continued straight on to Phi Phi Dom, arriving an hour or two before sunset.

We were lucky to pick up a mooring buoy here, as anchoring is difficult, the waters very deep off the coast, and is sandy, which isn’t the best for anchors, they prefer mud. also as the water gets shallow, there is lots of coral you could damage, or even get your anchor stuck under. I have a system ready to deploy when I drop they anchor, that will allow me to get a stuck anchor out, but I haven’t tried it yet.

We are here primarily so Kathy can visit ‘The Beach’. If you don’t know what ‘The Beach’ is , then you’re probably not a Leanordo fan. It’s going to be very crowded, but it has to be done. Later today I hope we can scoot across the rest of phang Nga bay to Ko Yum, just off the mainland Thai coast where we continue our journey south to Malaysia.

I have some good footage of fish I shot yesterday with the goPro, will try to edit that up.

As far as our position goes, there is little AIS coverage on the internety around here, but I self report to Marine Traffic via my mobile phone each day and on passage. If you want the latest position, check us out here.

AIS Position details here

The Autohelm is behaving well since I fixed the rudder feedback, so fingers crossed. Everything else is working well. so All’s good here in Paradise 😉

 

 

Monday 20th February Krabi to Koh Dam Hok

We had to wait until the tide was right before leaving Krabi so it was late afternoon when we got to the fuel dock to refill for the passage.  Anyone fed up with me relating how hot it is yet? Well…it was hot and very humid too so once we were out of the river and back out on the shallows it was such a tonic to feel the sea breeze on our skin. The mudbanks were much more visible on the return trip but Paul was more confident this time and we made it across much quicker, with no threat of going aground.  Paul chose a great place to stop for the night, just as the light was beginning to fade. Several mooring buoys were available near the small, charming island of Koh Dam Hok. Through the binoculars I could make out a long strip of white sand and what might be a ranger’s hut. A few longtail boats were anchored near it but it clearly wasn’t the busy thoroughfare for marine traffic we’d experienced at Ao Nang, which we could see lit up in the distance.  I picked up a mooring buoy (have I mentioned that I can do this pretty skilfully now ;)) and we were securely tied on to it before sundown – in fact we sat on deck in the cool evening air to watch the sun set and as it was such a clear night we lingered up there until it was full dark, enjoying the peace and the starlit sky… such are the simple pleasures of this sailing life 🙂

Tuesday 21st February Koh Hong

The security of the mooring buoy and the serene location proved to be ideal conditions for a deeper and longer sleep. However, I was glad to be up in time to see the sunrise when Koh Dam Hok was revealed in all its glory: shades of green from the dense forest behind the spotless white sand, a turquoise sea and a clear blue sky, were all enhanced by the pinkish early morning sunlight. I could have admired it for ages. Paul went for a swim after breakfast to check the condition of the hull and we slipped our mooring at 10 o’clock to journey to Koh Hong. We were able to have the sails up for a while during this passage, although it’s never long before they start flapping and the engine is turned on again. I keep forgetting to mention that the fishing line is usually trailing behind us on these trips (once, it even caught a juicy bit of seaweed).

At 1 30 we arrived at Koh Hong and after sussing out that there were once again plenty of free mooring buoys, we motored around the triangular-shaped island for a better look at it.  One side was quite lively: two long beaches with lots of day visitors and associated longtail boats. The water was busy with divers, swimmers, snorkelers and kayakers. Round the corner was a smaller, more peaceful beach with fewer vessels so that’s where we (I) picked up a mooring buoy after we’d been round the whole coastline. This is flagged as another ‘must see’ Hong and it was easy to see why.  The binoculars showed steep, rust-coloured stripy cliff sides, surreal rock formations, sea caves and intriguing creeks and inlets. Add to those the gorgeous beaches, lush vegetation and the awe-inspiring Hong itself, and this Hong’s got the lot! The day visitors begin to leave from about 4pm so we waited until 4 30 for our dinghy trip. Our first stop was a cave behind the trees on the beach which could have come straight out of the kind of Enid Blyton adventure stories I devoured as a child. It was dark and eerie inside. I couldn’t see any bats – lots of stalactites and stalagmites and dark corners dripping with water though. Paul went further in but it didn’t lead to another Hong so we left and dinghied round the corner to the main one.

Taking the dinghy into the Hong’s lagoon was delightful (to begin with). It’s huge, and I kept seeing beautiful blue birds flying off the branches of the trees on the sides of it. My mission then was to get a picture of one of them. Part of the enjoyment of being inside a Hong is the tranquil setting, the bird calls, spotting wildlife and taking in all the nature on display.  The general advice is that outboards should be turned off when inside in order not to disturb the wildlife and to respect the surroundings. It’s nice to row around it in a leisurely manner anyway. Pictures from inside Koh Hong below.

Unfortunately, despite almost having it to ourselves, we were subjected to calls and screeches of a human kind when a motorboat carrying about a dozen tourists (either French or Russian) entered the lagoon and began whooping and cheering and jumping in the water, and then compounded the rudeness by playing loud, ghastly Eurotrash music. I was seething with indignation and would have loved to let them know how ill-mannered they were (I tend to go into grumpy old woman mode a lot more frequently these days ;)). Anyway I know it wouldn’t have done a lot of good to confront them. I did manage to get a picture of one of the pretty blue birds on our way back to the boat though (it can just about be seen).

Wednesday 22^nd February Koh Roi

It’s a smoother and faster exit from a mooring buoy and not having to flake the anchor frees me up to get things tidied and sorted below. It doesn’t take long for the cabin to get cluttered and for items to go astray if the rule of ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ isn’t adhered to :). We also need to keep up with charging phones and various other devices so we make the most of the power inverter while the engine is running. Up above, scenes straight out of the glossy pages of travel brochures were coming into view on the port side: golden beaches and palm trees with luxury holiday accommodation nestling in the jungle-like forest. There is nothing garish about these resorts, the buildings blend in with the surroundings and they are designed so that it never becomes too crowded.

We arrived at Koh Roi at about 2pm and decided we would visit this Hong earlier. From our anchorage we could see the arched, cave-like entrance to the Hong and looking through the binoculars I could see that people were stooping underneath it to get in. Paul checked the tides and worked out that 3 30 would be a good time to visit. As luck would have it, it looked as if the beach was deserted as we approached on the dinghy. Looking around me I was struck by the sheer beauty of our surroundings. It’s hard to describe in words, I think the pictures convey it well, but it’s the very size of the rocks, and their solid, molten shapes that look almost too crafted to be natural that inspire such awe. Travel writer Thomas Swick sums it up well in an excerpt from his book, The Joys of Travel: And Stories That Illuminate Them:

No technology can replace the visceral experience of arriving in a new place, the moment when you step out of an airport, or off a ship, and subject yourself—body, mind and heart—to a strange land. You’re attuned to everything: the sights, the sounds, the smells, the textures, very soon the tastes.

Leaving the dinghy on the beach we headed straight for the cave, sweating profusely from the heat and humidity and when we stepped into that Hong I did indeed subject myself body, mind and heart to the strange environment before us. The first thing that hit me was how gorgeously cool it was in the dim cavern after the searing heat. Then I noticed the mangrove trees, their dry roots on show without the water we usually see covering them. I was aware of screeching noises and assumed they were birds or monkeys. I kept looking down to paddle my way through the shallow, murky pools of water we had to negotiate to get further in.

 

When I looked up the sight that met me was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. The noise we heard came from bats – the fruit bats I had been so keen to spot, and there they were in the tall trees in the Hong, hundreds of them. Hanging upside down from the branches, their black wings were either wrapped around their bodies cocoon-like or stretched out as they opened them one at a time, but it was their dark beady eyes that fascinated me. Like portraits hanging on walls in stately homes where the eyes appear to follow you, each bat I looked at seemed to be staring back at me. The noise was deafening as we went further in. Strangely, it built up to reach a crescendo and then gradually subsided until it was almost silent before slowly building up again. I could have stood there for hours looking up into their cute furry faces. Picking our way over the rock strewn floor with its gnarled and tangled tree roots and swampy mud, this Hong was like a Gothic grotto, complete with a colony of bats. It wouldn’t have looked out of place in scenes from Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings. I loved it! More pics below but unfortunately the bats didn’t photograph very well.

Back onboard, we sat at the bow watching the people from the two catamarans that had anchored near us, swimming over to the Hong as the sun set. By then, the tide was in so far that it was impossible to see the arched entrance, but I could still hear the bats clearly.