Author: paulcollister

Had a great nights sleep, and today I planned to clean up inside the boat, and check all of the thru hulls /seacocks, as these can only be changed with the boat out of the water. Looking out the window revealed a very dark sky, great, a little less heat today.

My friendly taxi driver Zainol, turned up at 12, and through pouring rain we headed to the yard, to get there, we have to drive through a huge building site for two new tower blocks like those in the picture above, which are linked together by a huge shopping mall, the size of Liverpool one.

The boatyard, like most, has an array of abandoned boats, many wooden fishing boats like those below.

One boat,the ‘MARIA SORG MUTINEER’ caught my attention, as it looked in a very bad way, but was rigged for an ocean passage I thought, what was the story, how had it got here, and why no further. I had a quick google and found references in the Mensa English Group to the Czech owner who was considered mad by some, having sailed it from Europe to Malaysia, then flew to America and sailed to Europe on another boat

So to start I made  drawings of the hull from the outside, both sides, marking on it every place where  a hose exited. I gave each one a letter, I almost ran out letters! There are 20 holes in my boat, Lady Stardust has about 10. Then inside, and I lifted every board in the sole (floor) to find where they were and what they did, several hours later I was pleased to say, all bar one were accounted for, and none needed any work, a few were stiff and needed freeing up, but that’s normal. There’s  lot of plumbing in this boat, the air con, water generator and pressurised water and manual foot pumps, along with the shower, and deck wash are responsible.

The water supply to the Air Con was turned off, so I’m hoping this is the reason it wasn’t working when Erik tested it.

While I was in the area, I spotted bad corrosion where the mast wiring joins the boats electrics, A bit of vaseline would have helped there (as the Actress said …)

Back on deck, i did some tidying up. One of the great things about having a bigger boat, is theres space for some proper guards, There are guard rails around the mast, which give you something to hang onto, and a lot of protection when working at the mast in a rough sea. Also the guards over the dorade cowl vents are great at stopping the sheets (ropes) from snagging. On Stardust, I’m forever ripping the cowls off their base when caught out by heavy gusts.

When I arrived, I had a new neighbour, water was pouring out through his hull, so I think his planking needs a bit of attention.

And finally, I gave the galley another clean, it really is quite a big space, however I couldn’t find a way to get the stains off the worktops, I think they will be formica, or similar , any tips would be appreciated. Will try again tomorrow.

I’m adding a final picture in at a higher resolution to see how it comes across

All the best, Paul C

Well the grinding of the hull started today, and stopped almost as quickly judging by the amount of work done.

The rudder has been ground down to the gelcoat, even though the rudder had no blisters. the bit of the hull that has been done does show a few blisters, but they don’t seem to have gone into the matting below the gelcoat, which is promising.

I didn’t get up till late today, on account of abdominal pains all night, I was on the verge of calling a doctor, but figured it would pass at some point, which it did. I think I strained a muscle, which I find much easier to do as I get older. I found a hypermarket over the road from the hotel, so stocked up on all the usual supplies needed for boat work, cleaners, sponges, lots of kitchen rolls, and treated the boat to some new tea towels and a bathroom towel. I also bought some batteries so the ships clock could start ticking again, in fact she has two clocks, one near the nav station, set to UTC (GMT for you non pc folks).

The picture below is from the stern of the boat, those objects out there are buildings, possibly houses on a group of floating fish farms, they’re a hive of activity. I presume, like most things around here, they were damaged in the 2004 tsunami. I think the concrete poles in the foreground probably supported jetties back then to.

I had a good day on the boat, I found carpet to cover all the cabin soles, and sheets and blankets I threw over the cushions. The previous owner didn’t compromise on quality, and I’m constantly being surprised and pleased with new finds. Today I found that the air con doubles as a cabin heater, that the Radar works fine, and is a fancy one, that Penang’s Capital FM One, really rocks through the cabin hi fi system, that one of the two Epirbs is still working (in test mode), that I have flippers and a diving belt & spear gun (sorry Kathy), and there are spares for just about everything on board. I think the PO was very similar to me in his outlook, I also think he was an engineer, given the amount of tools and spares and liquids/ greases/ solvents etc on board.

I managed to empty out the V-Berth, and remove the wooden panels under the storage under the bed. This is where the Bow Thruster is going, I wanted it clear so I can show the yard on Monday.

I gave the cooker a scrub, not too vigorously, but enough to see it’s going to come up looking like new. It’s a serious 3 burner stove, and you should see the gas locker, space for two gigantic gas bottles, enough to cover several oceans.  Yesterday I fired up the SSB, it seems to work, but will need to have a QSO with Neil G4OAR to confirm.
Despite having no mains power yet, the wind generator and the solar panels are keeping the fridge nice and chilled 24/7

Rather late today a motor yacht turned up to be hauled out, she only just fitted into the slip

It was getting dark by the time they had her in the slings

Then it was home for me and a chance to try out the local cafe round the corner from the hotel, suggested by the driver, he recommended the thing on the right saying it was a refreshing drink, but when I ordered it, there was much merriment amongst the staff, perhaps they saved me some embarrassment by not including the fizzling sparklers. Still it all tasted great, if not a bit hot.

The guys & gals on the Baba group are doing a grand job of advising me on some of the specific baba issues I have, like what power bow thruster I need. This internet thing can be jolly handy sometimes.

Today I had my last free breakfast at the Neo+ hotel, before moving out to a cheaper hotel down by the boat.

From now on I’ll be getting breakfast in the street. I had a meeting with the boatyard managers today to discuss how we are going to proceed with the hull blisters. We have agreed to grind/sand down the hull to the gelcoat, so we can see the extent of the blistering. Once they have done this, it is likely they will grind down all of the blisters taking out the fiberglass below the gelcoat, this will then be rebuilt with fresh fiberglass and epoxy filler. We may then go for an epoxy coat over the whole hull, or some form of barrier protection. I’m not convinced either is a great solution, but I’m trying to get a surveyor down to give his opinion, once we remove all the paint/primer on the hull. The whole process may take a couple of months, depending on the extent of the osmosis, as the hull has to fully dry before the repairs start. I’m hoping they will complete the grinding before I leave so I get a feel for the scope of the work.

I was able to spend most of the afternoon/evening on the boat today, getting to know her better, and to rummage through the lockers and stowage areas. I found these pretty Japanese things, presumably left by Toshio the previous owner.

I asked my good friend, and alleged Japanese speaker Dominic, what they meant, with his usual classy wit he responded with the translation; “ha ha you have bought a shite boat that will never get you out of the harbour”, whatever happened to real humour. They actually are some kind of blessing to the boat.

Did I mention the boat has mast steps, so I can walk to the top now. That will be fun.

I’m getting a bow thruster fitted along with the hull work, it’s the perfect time and place to do this. I will also get the standing rigging replaced, that’s the 9 long wires that hold the mast up. After that it should get a good survey and be insurable for the passage around the world.

It’s really difficult working on the boat in this scorching humid heat, I think I got burnt today, also, no sooner does the sun set and it improves a little, then mosquitos appear. Some of them carry dengue fever, which is a killer, so that adds a little excitement to it all.

Saying that, I love being surrounded by nautical stuff, either boatyards, or harbours. At dusk, the fishing boat go racing out from a little port 100 meters north of me, and with the lights of the new bridge twinkling behind me, it’s very atmospheric.

And as is usual here, just after sunset, a lightning storm kicks off.

Tomorrow the boat is being moved to be closer to the grinding station, and I’m hoping I can get some mains power and start up the aircon. I will also be able to  work inside then, however I don’t expect to get much done if they are grinding the hull.

 

While I wait for some legal and financial stuff to clear relating to the boat, I popped over to the Straits Quay Marina complex, as it is recommended by many. It looks to me like its main purpose is to provide a focus for a huge property/mall development. Exactly the kind of thing I hate. But to be fair, it was exactly what a visiting yachtie might want, a safe marina, good washrooms, laundry services etc. Plus plenty of eateries in a very flashy mall. No riff raff here thank you. John the manager seems like a very helpful person, and we may well move Wanderlust here later in the year, as it will be a lot more convenient than Batu Uban

Looking back towards Georgetown, shows how much high rise development there is here

And outside the marina development, the building continues as if 2008 never happened here.

My biggest shock was checking out the Tesco, I had expected an express small version in the mall, not a mega super hyper plus store, this was at least, if not bigger, than any I had seen in the UK.

The thing I’m loving about this trip is how Malaysia is reminding me of how fast Asia is/has moved. Things like Tesco seem so British to me, but possibly one day soon, their UK operation might just be a small outpost for them. And this is just what I get from a relatively small Asian country. Goodness know what it must be like in Shanghai. When I get home I must checkout if the OU are still running the course on cities, Im beginning to realise just how victorian ours are.

On a final note for the day, here are some spices you can buy at the shop next to the marina office

Tomorrow I move hotel to be nearer the boat, I’m going to a more remote part of the island,  but will be spending long days on the boat now getting to understand how she is configured, and also preparing her for storage and the work that will be done on her

I will write a bit more about Penang before I leave in ten days from now. I haven’t done the touristy thing yet, I’ve been too focussed on making this deal happen. I believe Penang has a lot of great features I haven’t experienced yet, apparently there’s a cable car up a hill with great views, beaches, street markets etc. I’ve been walking down back streets looking for Tarporlin suppliers, debating with taxi drivers how to get to remote jeties they don’t think exist etc etc, I quite prefer it this way actually, I feel like I get a better idea of the place.
My first impressions of Penang are, on the down side, it’s too hot, humid, often very smelly. It’s very dangerous on the streets if you don’t keep a close eye on the traffic, the pavements are full of obstacles, so walking in the road is safer, assuming you can hear the scooters that come at you from every direction, and jump out of the way quick enough. Motorists have no time for pedestrians;  however the people here seem to be very happy, and they often just stop to chat with you, ask where you are from and offer any help needed. I feel very safe here. I have been told if I stagger back to my hotel, drunk at 2 am (no jokes from people who knew me when I was a drinker), I might get mugged, and I would expect that in any big city. The place is a food lovers paradise, they say the Penganese (if that’s a word) are the fattest people in Asia, but that’s not true, so far I would give that award to the visiting Germans, especially the guy sitting next to me at breakfast this morning, I felt guilty getting three little sausages, but eight, really!. He filled his large plate from the buffet table, then also ordered a cooked breakfast, reminds me of  how Americans used to be, and has me wondering if global economic power is directly related to the size of the breakfast your citizens eat.

Penang seems to have a happy mix of many cultures, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai and more, and everyone seems to get on, there are religious festivals and holidays on every other weekend apparently.
However, as you might expect, there are underlying tensions. My taxi driver the other day was very proudly telling me how everyone respected each other here, and everyone gets on great, yet within a few minutes he had everyone stereotyped into the hard workers, the lazy ones, the professionals, the stuck up and the prejudiced. It could have been a comedy sketch, if it wasn’t for the fact that it does seem to play out in the countries social policies.

Right now we are fast approaching Chinese New Year, and the town is literally turning red, this being the Chinese colour for luck. Lanterns are going up everywhere.

With all these religions, there comes a wealth of temples/shrines & mosques. I’m hoping to get some time next week to visit the oldest, but will probably wait until Kathy comes out with me in the summer to explore them fully

And finally I couldn’t resist snapping this picture

 

Yes, everything is agreed, and I have transferred the payments for the boat, these should clear within a few days and I will have the ownership documents for Wanderlust.

Yesterday, I couldn’t update the blog as Penang didn’t seem to have internet access, also I was exhausted. Buying a boat is a lot more work than you might think.

The boat is in the boatyard, racking up costs while it sits there doing nothing, at the same time I’m paying for a marina berth, so as not to lose it. I have a lot of work to schedule for the boat, including a survey for insurance. The main jobs I have identified that I want doing before a re-launch are:

1. Solve the blister problem, not with a quick fix either (up to 3 months for the boat to dry out first)
2. Fit a bow thruster, seems logical now the hull is being worked on
3. Replace all of the standing rigging (possibly using Norseman/STA-LOK, so I don’t need to go through this again.)
4. Fit davits for the dinghy
5. Repair the damaged cap rail and polish up the entry scratches we made on the way here

I need to find the place to do the work, the current yard we hauled in is by way the most convenient, but will it be the best price and highest quality of workmanship.  I need to organise some oversight of the work as I won’t be here, and I can’t easily pop over if there’s a problem. This is where the internet is invaluable, for seeking out advice and others experiences. On the plus side, labour costs are about half of what I would expect to pay if I was in Europe or America.

I didn’t visit the boat yesterday, instead I researched boatyards and surveyors all day, then spent an hour trying to find a shop that sold a pencil sharpener, there are whole shopping malls here dedicated to the God of Android (see pic below), it’s unbelievable, phones and tablets, accessories, cables, cases, chargers, attachments. Also the mall under the big landmark tower here, Komtar, has two floors just selling PC components. It all looks quite ancient to me having become an apple evangelist some years ago.

Later I had a great dinner with Erik the agent in little India in Georgetown.

Yesterday started well, we left the outside berth at the marina and motored out into the main channel between Penang and the small island of Pulua Jerajak.

The island is a tropical rainforest, I think it’s ancient and unspoilt, bar a small resort at the southern end.

The waters here are very shallow and we had to keep a close eye on the depth sounder and the navionics chart to keep in 5 metres. At the end of the little island the water shallowed again, and we had to head out to the other side of the island then down to the centre arches of the bridge.

Erik was sure we would fit under the bridge, which was nice.
I took this little video below of the trip under the bridge.

From the bridge we proceeded to the the travel lift slip, now this is where it gets challenging. Erik was in charge, but very nervous, and for good reason, with the boat so fouled she was very unresponsive to the throttle and rudder, and reverse wasn’t that effective at stopping us quickly. To make matters worse, the entrance to the lift was narrow and had a few knots of current going at right angles to it. also the waters around the sides were full of concrete piles and shallow mud. As we tried to enter the stern was being pushed down, and going fast wasn’t an option as we couldn’t stop quickly, going astern did seem to swing the stern to port exacerbating the problem, also some wind picked up from the opposite way, making it even worse. 

Erik got the bow in, but only just and the tide took the stern down river, I was doing my best to fend off , but the concrete piles were arriving thick and fast. The end result is we ground (hate that noise) to a stop on one of the piles, then we motored away to lick our wounds. We then waited an hour for slack water,  but it didn’t seem to come, waiting a bit longer made a slight improvement, but Erik was keen for me to have a go, so I did, I got a little further in before the tide dragged us around, but we managed to get lines ashore and with the help of a lot of fenders were able to get in without any further damage. The damage we sustained was slight, the topsides were scratched, a little filler and polish should sort that out!

I met up with the agent this morning, and we spoke to the boatyard where we hauled yesterday to get a ballpark figure for fixing the blisters. I took the worst case scenario, added on the cost of my flights back to check on the work, which will take a few months, then added a large contingency percentage and came up with a huge amount I wanted off the price. The agent baulked, the seller offered a compromise, I walked away, they called me back and agreed. So once we have a few formalities sorted, I will own Wanderlust. This is a great result, as I will have a very sound hull, and hopefully a little extra to cover some of the other jobs. I’m hoping to complete the deal by Friday, leaving a week before I head home.

So now I can post the details of my trip up to the yard yesterday in a new post.

Below are the blisters that caused so much concern. Bloody scientists with their lack of understanding of the long term effects of styrenes, saline solutions and osmosis eh!

I will never forget the day David Bowie died, the same day my plans to buy a baba 40 also died. The connection is strangely real for me, as if today I had committed to buying Wanderlust, then I would be saying goodbye to ‘Lady Stardust’, a boat named after a song by David Bowie about Mark Bolan.

Yes, we had a lovely motor for 2 hours up to the boatyard, and a rather harrowing ordeal getting her into the travel lift slip, then once out and pressure washed, we could see that most of the hull was covered in blisters. Big blisters, and lots of medium blisters, and lots of small blisters, probably still growing.

This is a massive blow, to fix this properly, means peeling the hull, then drying her for a few months (probably weeks in these temperatures), then layering on fiberglass, and resin, fairing and then primer and antifoul. I don’t think I have the time for all that unless the seller makes a massive discount. Also I don’t think there is anywhere nearby that can do the work.

Oh well, we will see what happens tomorrow, but by Wednesday, I expect to be just be another tourist

 

Today Erik and I took the boat out for a quick spin and to move her to a new pontoon.

Basically the marina needs dredging, there is only about 0.5 metres of water there, so you need a tide of 1.5 meters to be sure of getting out, 2.0m is more practical (Wanderlust draws about 6ft), so this means leaving on a high tide. Unfortunately, we want to be at the haul-out two hours before HW so we can haul-out, power wash, check the hull, and relaunch. So today we moved to an outside pontoon at the end of the marina that always has enough water for us to float.

Before we left Erik wanted help to change the flap valve on the head (Toilet for non-yachties),

I pointed out that I had a rule of only fixing heads on my own boat normally, but the the opportunity to be doing this on the other side of the world was too much to resist, I was reminded of the saying that owning a yacht is really only a way to spend your life repairing boats, but in nice places.

Getting out was fun, we basically had to get a few neighbours to guide us out using ropes attached to our bow and stern, it was very tight, but fortunately we were at slack water and the wind had dropped to a gentle breeze.

Once out we soon realised there was very little power going into propulsion, mostly going out the exhaust as black smoke.  Erik couldn’t understand how the rudder worked in reverse, I had explained how it could be used as a random number generator for the lottery when in reverse, but even so, he was surprised. I suspect it was even worse than normal due to all the fouling.

We had a little motor around and then back to our new home where we tied up. We were only able to make about 3 knots in fwd, so it’s going to take a couple of hours to cover the 6 mile trip to the yard on Monday.

An experiment with video and wordpress.

 

Finally as sunset approached, we cleaned up the boat a bit and headed home, me to a fifteen minute taxi ride into George town, and Erik, a 10 second walk to his home, a Benateau 40 something just along the pontoon. I took a last picture of the old bridge from this island of Penang over to the mainland town of Butterworth. On Monday we have to pass through the arches at the centre of the new bridge, further south, which isn’t on any of our charts.

Last night I braved the backstreet restaurant scene with a little trepidation, but given that this is considered to be one of the greatest culinary destinations of Asia, I felt I had to get stuck in at the deep end.
Everyone seems to speak english to a certain level here, so how I picked a Malaysian only speaking resaurant for my choice is beyond me.

I think the word Seafood tricked me, however I resorted to the universal sign language, I waved my arms in the air and looked confused, lots of strange words were shouted out by the staff, and two Malay ladies came to my rescue from the next table, not only did they help me work out an order, they joined me at my table and extracted my life story over the next half hour. They were here on holiday from Kuala Lumpa. One of the women was at university studying avionics engineering, we discussed the level of maths on such a course, and why so few women studied engineering. Their takeaway arrived and I stayed for a fantastic dish of Fish, mixed vegtables rice, and a sauce that looked innocuous, but however had hidden chilies that must be the strongest I have ever had. Bye bye taste buds.