DAY 37 - Sunday 14 March - Nai Harn Bay - Happy Birthday Brian!!! Kristie and Cilantro went to shore then called us up to tell us they had tracked down some drinking water. So we went to shore and ordered 8x 20 Litre bottles of water and when it came we lugged it down the beach to the dinghy and put four in - the surf was breaking so it was quite a feat to get the dinghy out. Peter came back to get the other four - was watching the surf and thought the waves were coming in sets of six. Peter came back in and we returned the bottles and recovered our deposit and we sat having a beer on the beach. Chris, James, Dell and Peter were joined by Judy and Mandolin Wind who had been for a massage. Sandra was expecting James back for lunch but he decided the surf was too dangerous and had a couple more beers!!! Chris said the waves were coming in sets of 7 which appeared to be correct so we managed to get back to the boat ok. We all met ashore at 6pm and went out to dinner - the little restaurants are all together just above the beach - each restaurant has different tables and chairs so you can tell where one ends and the other starts - no walls. It was dark when we went to come back so we couldn't see the waves. Kristie copped two big ones over the top and Margaret got soaked. Our dinghy got knocked sideways and took my feet out from under me and I was left sprawling across the top of the dinghy!! Eventually got back - bit battered but ok! Miles: 11 Total: 5,818
DAY 38 - Monday 15 March - Nai Harn Bay - Debbie flies to Bangkok for a photography job! Judy and Chris off Braveheart left to head back to Malaysia to get another visa. We went to shore around lunchtime and ran into Geoff and May (the Scottish Embassy) off Wavesweeper - was so lovely to see them again. They are anchored a bit further out than us. We met Bill and Jean off a cataraman called Out of the Box and they were just having a new dinghy delivered. We were very interested in it. It is a RIB but only weights 31kg so it is manageable. When we need a new one we will get one the same. Dell bought another pair of swimmers and bargained quite well this time and then we met Cilantro for lunch. We were watching Kristie come in and they got hit by a wave and Margaret's legs went up in the air and she disappeared into the dinghy! That evening we had sundowners on Kristie with Cilantro, Wavesweeper and Out of the Box. Was a pleasant evening then we ate on board - didn't want to brave the surf again!
DAY 39 - Tuesday 16 March - Nai Harn Bay Very windy. Put fuel from the jerries into the boat. Had a boat day as we didn't want to brave the waves. Cilantro and Kristie went in but when it came time to come back out they wished they hadn't. That evening we all went with Wavesweeper to a rocky little bay near where they are anchored and went out to dinner with some friends of theirs who are thinking of doing the rally. There wasn't much of a breeze so it was hot but there was no surf and the meals were lovely and cheap - no complaints!
DAY 40 - Wednesday 17 March - Nai Harn Bay - Pan Wa Bali, Ao Chalon Bay 07°48.853N 98°22.885E We left at 7.30 meaning to stop at two places on the way to Ao Labu but when we came round the point it was really blowing and it was really quite rough so Kristie and Cilantro headed into Ao Chalon Bay but we kept going around Koh Lon Island. It wasn't too bad but we decided to go in and anchor with Kristie and Cilantro at Pan Wa Bali on the eastern side of Ao Chalon Bay. We dropped anchor at 9.30am three times to get it to hold in mud. We went to shore to check out the little restaurant on the beach and the man told us that at 6pm there would be no water and we wouldn't get in till 8.00 or 8.30 - then he pointed out roughly where there was a channel. We went for a walk and had a look around and bought some eggs (turned out to be very old!!). Went back to the boat about 2 and watched the tide drop and amazingly by 4.30pm the entire beach was rock and coral with no way across EXCEPT the channel. There was a channel which had been roughly smoothed out between the rocks so it was fairly sandy and just wide enough to drag a dinghy. We went in at 5pm and got out at the start of the rocks, put the wheels down and dragged the dinghy about 100m to the beach and went to the restaurant and had a beer. James and Sandra decided to have a go too so they came in but their dinghy is much heavier than ours so all evening as the tide was rising James went down to float it a bit higher till it too was on the beach. The food was very cheap and quite good and it was a wonderful atmosphere sitting at tables on the beach. By the time we went back the tide was high enough for us to float the dinghies and motor back. A great night. Miles: 9 Total: 5,827
DAY 41 - Thursday 18 March - Pan Wa Bali - Ao Labu Bay, Koh Yao Yai 08°01.633N 098°33.782E We left at 9am and came around the point and it was still windy and quite rough so we headed across towards the island of Ko Yao Yai. The water settled a bit the further we got away from Phuket Island till finally it was beautiful and we were able to get the headsail out and motor sail. Went past a huge rock island with a few huts precariously perched on it. You can go quite close to them as the water round them is deep. Passed quite a few places we would like to do day stops at but it was a little windy for that today. Plenty of places to go back to. Kristie headed to the south of the bay as did Cilantro but we elected to anchor in the north of the bay. It was a bit boisterous at first but settled through the night. We went ashore about 5pm. The tide was almost right out and the water was about 200m from the beach. Left the dinghy there and walked along the beach and then came back to the boat. Miles: 19 Total: 5,846
DAY 42 - Friday 19 March - Ao Labu Bay - Ko Phanak 08°11.348N 098°29.191E The wind was just coming in spurts but the sea was very flat. We left at 11am without Kristie and Cilanto - sad. Motor sailed to the really exciting looking island we saw yesterday. We can see all the karsts and rock islands coming out of the sea and it looks magnificent - this is what we imagined Thailand to be like. We arrived at 2pm and motored along the edge of the huge limestone cliffs and came back and anchored in the middle of the western side of the island near the entrance to the hong cave. Apparently hong means room - there is generally a cave entering into the middle of the island with walls all the way around and no roof. We watched a couple of kayaks go in the cave and then jumped in our dinghy and went up the side of the island under huge stalagmites and the little monkeys were on the beach and a monitor lizard went up the cliff beside us and the cliffs are amazing - red in the sunlight. We went further up and turned the corner into the most gobsmackingly amazing semi hong - like a lost city - pulled into a little beach - birds, eagles - came back and as it was low tide we were able to row into a little cave which came out into a total hong with monkeys in. There was another cave on the other side - could we go up it too!! Dont want to wait too long as the tide is dropping. Relent and leave. Come back to the boat. Sat and looked at the view - amazing rock islands rising from the ocean in front of us. God is in his heaven and all is well. Birds calling from the island. Small fishing boat in front of us. SY Contessa near us and we are speechless to describe the scene. So beautiful you could cry. This is what it is supposed to be like. Sun setting amazing. It makes you glad to be alive!! Miles: 3 Total: 5,849
DAY 43 - Saturday 20 - Ko Phanak Trepidation at the thought of going through a 200m pitch black tunnel with bats. Just thought I would leave you with that to keep your interest for the blog next week!!!
Love and Cheers Fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter
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DAY 30 - Sunday 7 March - Koh Miang, Similans Took the dinghy across to the other side of the bay and had a snorkel but it wasn't that good so came back and snorkelled back to our boat. The fish are amazing - so colourful and every time we go in we see a type of fish we haven't seen before. Also saw a moray eel and Dell was quickly into the dinghy but ventured back in after a while. Dell went to get in the water from the dinghy and got the leg of her swimmers caught on a knob on the dinghy and was hanging upside down from till Peter came round to rescue her!!! We have discovered a shower ashore so had a shower and then had sundowners on the beach with Single Malt, Kristie 1, Cilantro and Jacana II.
DAY 31 - Monday 8 March - Koh Miang, Similans Had a quiet day reading and Peter made some bread. Dell had a snorkel off the back of the boat around 4pm and saw the biggest fish ever - blue with black spots. Quiet night watching all the lights from the scuba divers make their way along the island. Its quite spooky seeing scuba divers below you when you are snorkelling!
DAY 32 - Tuesday 9 March - Koh Mian, Similans Snorkelled to the beach then walked across the island to another little beach which wasn't very interesting. Tried to get back across the rocks but couldn't get down so we walked back the way we came and snorkelled back to our boat. At 4.30 we snorkelled to the beach (saw a big eel in the rocks), showered and had sundowners on the beach. Jacana II had left in the morning.
DAY 33 - Wednesday 10 March - Koh Miang, Similans Having trouble leaving. Dell suffering a bit from too much exercise - very tired so had an easy day.
DAY 34 - Thursday 11 March - Koh Miang to Ao Bang Thao 08°01.650N 098°17.116E Awoke at around 4.30am with the boat bouncing up and down and a strong wind from the South East - not good! Single Malt left at 4.30am and Cilantro left at 6.10 followed by Kristie at 6.20. One of the moorings close to the beach with a tourist boat on it broke the mooring and headed for the beach - they just managed to get off in time. We got away at 6.30 with the wind on the nose and punching into 2m seas all the way and at times we were only doing 2.5knots. The wind shifted direction to NW (good angle) about 2.30 so we were able to make some time up - got in at 5.20pm - an 11 hour day!! We handsteered the entire way as we didn't want to risk the autopilot. Just after we anchored and Cilantro got in it poured rain so we showered in the rain and Peter put up the rain catcher and we got a couple of jerries of water. A lovely peaceful night.
Miles: 54 Total: 5,797 DAY 35 - Friday 12 March - Ao Bang Thao to Patong Beach We left at 9am heading for Patong to do some shopping. Nice bit of breeze heading under headsail. Arrived at 11am and headed to shore to the wet market and bought heaps of lovely fruit and vegetables and then to the supermarket. Staggered back fully laden to the boat and sat and watched the mad jetskiers speeding about suffering the roll as they speed past the yachts as close as they can to have a look. There always seems to be one bully who tries to play dodgems with the others. Can't imagine how many people must get hurt doing this. At 6pm Braveheart, Cilantro, Kristie and we converged on the shore and went out to dinner and then to our favourite bar where we all played the hit the nail in the wood with the pick handle. Was an ok night but not as much fun as last week!! Miles: 10 Total: 5,807
Just a follow up on the leaving the beach last week with the engine roaring in the surf. It seems that James was loath to put the engine into gear until Peter got in the dinghy and Peter didn't want to get in till the dinghy was moving so it was a case of too many skippers!!!
Still trying to organise our year - will let you know when we get it sorted!!
DAY 23 - Monday 28 February -Patong Beach to Ao Bang Thao 08°01.667N 98°17.094E We went to shore at 8am as we had organised for our friends on the beach to deliver us some drinking water. True to their word there they were though they could only get their hands on 8 big bottles instead of 12 and the price went up a bit but we appreciated it. We upanchored at 10am and arrived at Ao Bang Thao at around 12.30. We headed for the middle of the bay then made our way to the north of the bay which seemed much quieter and more sheltered. There is a little creek which goes up to a lake. We went in for a swim and the tide was going out so we floated down the creek with the tide. Then we all met on the beach for sundowners and walked to the little restaurants but it seemed that they only open for lunches so it was back to the boat to cook. Miles: 10 Total: 5,670
DAY 24 - Tuesday 1 March - Ao Bang Thao It was such a lovely spot we decided to stay another day. I had an easy morning reading - I had fallen into a bit of a hole and Peter finally starting cleaning the stainless. About 11am James and Sandra picked us all up in their dinghy and we went up the creek exploring. We saw lots of concrete poles all over the place which were different heights and close together so it didn't look as though it had been or was going to be a building. We couldn't work it out. Found the lake and went back out the creek and over to the beach and went to the restaurant for lunch which was lovely. When it came time to head back to the boats there were some quite big waves rolling in - mostly in sets of three. So we timed it and all dived in the dinghy and I can see a wave coming and yelling hurry up and the motors roaring and Brian's saying it wont go!! Peter was out the back of the boat holding it. We got hit by about three waves and were all soaked and the boat was filled with water before Brian realised he was in neutral!!! Put it in forward and off we went - bailing. It was hilarious. Called by and said hullo to Single Malt on the way back.
DAY 25 - Tuesday 2 March - Ao Bang Thao - Ban Thap Lamu 08°34.097N 98°13.054E Upanchored at 7am and motor sailed on calm seas arriving at 4.10pm. It was quite windy when we rounded the point to head up the river and we had wind against tide which made it very rough. We passed the Navy base and anchored on the opposite side of the town. All you can see of the town is fishing boats - heaps and heaps of them all rafted up together. DAY 26- Wednesday 3 March - Ban Thap Lamu Today would have been Judy and Phil's wedding anniversary. Thinking of you Judy. Brian and Margaret picked us all up in their dinghy and we headed into the town across the river. There was a strong current running. We walked around the town (our first mainland town) and found a couple of hardware type stores and Peter bought some oil. We found guitar strings in another shop which seemed to have heaps of different things - very interesting. The town is quite smelly and dirty with lots of rubbish but when you see into people's houses they are really clean. We had a lovely lunch at the Navy cafe. Had sundowners on Cilantro to plan for tomorrow.
DAY 27 - Thursday 4 March - Ban Thap Lamu - Koh Miang (island No. 4), Similan Islands 08°34.097N 98°13.054E Left at 7am with the river looking like glass. The brand new raymarine auto pilot snapped off at the end - it wasn't even rough weather. So once again Peter had to get the old one out to get a part to fix it. Quite a boring day. Quite a few tourist boats passed us along the way. We managed to sail for part of the way but in the afternoon the wind died and we motored in. Kristie 1 and we picked up a red mooring and Cilantro hopped on to one of the bigger ones. Single Malt has been here for a couple of days. The sand is really white and fine and the colour of the water is amazing - so clear, aqua blue and darker blue in the depths. One of our number was heard to comment that the water is so clear you can't wee in it cause you would see it! When Kristie 1 came in to grab their buoy Margaret missed it and they had to reverse back to get it. It was only later that we found out that Brian had given Margaret a broom to pick it up with instead of a boathook!!!! We went for a walk to the other side of the island where hundreds of tents have been set up. We had a beer there but we forgot the aerogard and there were heaps of flies so we came back to the boats. A big catamaran came and anchored quite a long way from us (you are not allowed to anchor here) and put out heaps and heaps of chain which worried us a little bit.
DAY 28 - Friday 5 March - Koh Miang, Similan Islands (paradise) We were awoken at 4.30am by the buoy banging on the side of the boat. Peter went up to check and came back saying that cat is only two feet away from the side of our boat. It drifted away about 5 feet and we tried shouting to them and shining the torch on them but to no avail. They drifted out the back of us then around the front - we couldn't alert them so went back to bed thinking they would drift back where they came from. We didn't think they were dragging anchor, we just felt they had way too much chain out, but we may have been wrong. Anyway at 5.30 (still dark) there was a clunk so we shot up and the front of the cat had hit us in the side so we banged on their boat and yelled till a naked man came up and didn't say or do anything - just stood there looking down at us. Then a man with trousers on came up and said sorry and started pulling chain up and reversing back. They went round the back of us and our dinghy was almost under their boat then they moved off and went back where they came from. Cilantro managed to get a red buoy closer to shore. We dived off the back of the boat at 10am and snorkelled for an hour and a half. We didn't think the coral was up to much but the fish were so big and so colourful. Saw a great big powder blue fish - so pretty. We have a fish that visits at the back of the boat and we can feed it by hand - Jack would have loved that! Had a quiet afternoon then we all went to Single Malt and Doug fired up his barbeque. We all took a salad and meat and we had quite a feast. It was a really good night.
Well we seem to have found ourselves in a pretty nice spot so will be spending a few days here. The Similans are 30 odd miles off the coast of Thailand. We will stay here for a while as we have a buoy. There are 9 islands in the group and I think only number 8 has other overnight buoys. We will look around before we leave but meanwhile we seem to be in a little bit of paradise. Thank you to all of you who have emailed us. We really appreciate it and I get really home sick sometimes so its nice to know we are not alone out here. Hugs and kisses to Jessie and Rosie. Take care of yourselves. Love and Cheers Fair winds and calm seas
DAY 16 - Sunday 21 February - Phi Phi Don - Nair Harn Bay 07°46.395N 98°18.113E Departed Phi Phi Don at 8am and had the usual motor, motor sail, sail day arriving at Nai Harn Bay on the western side of Phuket at 3pm. Its a lovely big bay and the beach is covered in beach umbrellas and beach chairs and there are quite a few yachts in the bay. We have chosen to come here rather than go into Ao Chalon as we have been told it is rather shallow and hard to get into. We went to shore and were looking around and next thing were hailed by Braveheart and Cheshire Cat. So we all had a catch up drink together and had dinner together. There are lots of little eateries along the shore and a couple of small shops. Miles: 32 Total: 5,646
DAY 17 - Monday 22 February - Nai Harn Bay Caught a tuk tuk truck - bit like a troop carrier and we all headed to immigration, customs and harbour master to check into the country. This took about half an hour and we were in. We then caught a tuk tuk to the shopping centre to sort out phone cards and internet. Had a shopping centre lunch - not good. Got the phone sorted but not the internet. We then caught a tuk tuk to Patong Beach which is huge and is the place where the night life really rocks. We had a look around and a beer in an aussie bar where the tv displayed cartoons from playboy! (presumably!!!). Caught a tuk tuk back over a big range about 18k back to Nai Harn. Saw elephants parked in their garage(!) and a few more elephants a bit further on. Got back and had sundowners on Kristie 1. I bought some swimmers and forgot to bargain!!!
DAY 18 - Tuesday 23 February - Nai Harn Bay Had a chill out day and went for a swim then walked to Cape PromThep to watch the sun set. There is a temple there dedicated to elephants with statues of elephants and people have put thousands of little elephant statues around the outside of the circle. Watched the sun set - was a bit cloudy on the horizon so didn't actually see it go into the sea. Ate on board.
DAY 19 - Wednesday 24 February - Nai Harn Bay Hired a motor bike for the day - 300 baht ($10) and headed off to see the Big Buddha which is a huge white Buddha high on a hill made of cement and covered in white marble tiles. It is still under construction. We went to the shop and got the internet sorted, then just rode around. The Thai writing is not English letters and not a lot is written in English so by the time we realised there might be something to look at we would be past it - went back a couple of times but in the end just enjoyed the ride. We stopped at a few clothes markets on the way back but you get assailed by the stall/shop owners at every turn so it gets a bit wearing. Got back after 5 and Kristie 1 were in one bar/restaurant so they joined us because ours was cheaper and then we realised Cilantro were at another place so we eventually all joined up and had dinner. Very tiring day.
DAY 20 - Thursday 25 February - Nai Harn - Rawai 07°45.605N 98°19.165E Not a good day to do the washing but had soaked the sheets overnight so had to continue. By the time we had everything washed and hung it was raining and it was getting quite rolly. We hung everything in the cockpit and headed to shore so Peter could get a haircut. Waves were breaking on the beach so we had to move quickly to get the dinghy in. After the haircut we both decided to have a Thai massage - 300 baht ($10). For your information "in a Thai massage, the masseuse concentrates on pressure points across the body where an abundance of energy has built up. Releasing this energy and evenly distributing it across the body to create a balance is the basis of Thai massage" (in case you were wondering!!!) It was a good hard massage and they bent us up like pretzels - if you had one every week it would definitely improve your flexibility. It poured rain while we were in there. Then we walked around to another little bay and had a call from Cilantro saying it had got too rough so they and Kristie 1 were heading around the headland to get out of the westerly swell. We launched the dinghy into the waves. When we got to the boat two of my shirts on coathangers had come off and luckily were wrapped around the back of the boat. The boat was bucking and rolling quite badly so we upanchored and went around the headland to join Kristie 1 and Cilantro. A quiet night with dinner on board and sat on the deck and watched a movie "Thankyou for Smoking" - bit weird! Miles: 2 Total: 5,648
DAY 21 - Friday 26 February - Rawai to Kata Beach 07°49.142N 98°17.684E Couldnt sleep so got up very early and upanchored at 9.15 and went around to Kata Beach arriving at 10.35am. It is a very busy beach with jetskis and parasails and beach covered with umbrellas and heaps and heaps of people. We went to shore at 1pm and walked around. Brian and Margaret won a free holiday in one of those time share things so went off to see about that. We came back to the boats at 4pm and went in at 6 for dinner. Peter and I shared a Tom Yum soup then I had a massaman curry which was perfect. Peter's meal was too hot for me and he had tears rolling down his cheeks. A lovely night out. Miles- 5 Total: 5,653
All the beaches have sirens and tsunami warning signs telling you where to go in case of an earthquake and up the hill is another sign saying tsunami safety area. As you know this western side of Phuket was pretty much wiped out in the tsunami but you really couldn't tell now. We are heading slowly up the coast heading for the Simillan islands which you can only do in the NE season. When the SW's come we will tuck around in the bay the other side of Phuket island.
Hope you are all well. We currently have the internet on the boat and Katie, I was wondering how our little Rosie girl was going.
