08°16.661N 098°37.881E
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE
Began the day with a skype to Debbie and Phil - it was a bit slow and disjointed but lovely to see them. Kristie 1, Cilantro and we all left at 9am heading to Koh Kudu Yai. The weather was still and we motored going over some quite shallow parts so we had to watch our depth. As we got closer to our destination the wind came up and the seas got a bit rough. Our anchorage was between two islands but when we got there, there was a terrible swell running through and it was obvious that it would not be suitable. We headed for Koh Chong Lat and got up into the channel between two islands. It was quite shallow going in but it is extremely sheltered as we are surrounded by high cliffs. There is a little village just around the corner. We got in at 4.40pm after a long and tiring day.
Miles: 31 Total: 5,921
DAY 51 - Sunday 28 March - Koh Chong Lat
A boat day put to good use cleaning up the boat and then sundowners on Kristie 1. Finally got phone and internet coverage in the evening so downloaded some logic puzzles.
DAY 52 - Monday 29 March - Koh Chong Lat
Happy Birthday Lottie
A boat day - Peter reading, Dell doing logic puzzles. A storm came up late in the day so we took the cover down and put up the water catcher and replaced the two jerries of water we used yesterday.
DAY 53 - Tuesday 30 March - Koh Chong Lat
Kristie 1 left to head back to Yacht Haven Marina to get some canvas work done. Another quiet boat day. Were going to have sundowners with Cilantro but a huge wind blew in at 3pm - there were willy willies on the water. We got blown around a bit and it rained so we didn't have the pleasure of Cilantro's company.
DAY 54 - Wednesday 31 March - Koh Chong Lat
Cilantro collected us in their dinghy and we went around the edges of the islands - all rocks and caves. Because it was a very high tide (springs) we were able to motor through the mangroves. We discovered some rock paintings in a couple of places and saw two different sorts of Kingfishers. One was very small and blue and white while the other was a little bigger and orange with an orangy beak - when he flies he has a beautiful blue on the back. They look as though their beaks are too big for their bodies. We found a little inlet which had a little waterfall going over it and on the other side of the channel we found a hong. It looked as though it had been blocked off, perhaps to trap the fish in there when the tide went out, but James discovered a little opening at the side so we went through and had a good look around. Really lovely. As we went past the little huts built on the water - there was one rather large one built on a bamboo platform with a little hut (woven palm) on each corner, a large one on the edge and a gazebo in the middle. Everything built out of cane, chairs included. The chap called us over and introduced himself as Salaam and offered the boys coffee and indicated Sandra and I should sit under the gazebo (away from the men!). Salaam had built the whole place himself. The huts on the corners were bedrooms with mosquito nets and a fully tiled bathroom at the back - a proper squat toilet and a barrel of water for washing. The middle hut was the kitchen - table and chairs all made from cane. They had very little English and we had no Thai though the men seemed to manage. Sandra and I didn't have much success at trying to communicate with the wife. She got us a sealed bottle of water out of their longtail boat. We tried talking and hand movements but it didn't work so she went back to chipping the growth off one of the floats which holds the whole thing up. We said our farewells and went back to our boats hoping to catch up later but once again a huge wind swept through and then the storm. We put all our flaps down and were quite comfy in the cockpit and it rained for a few hours. Once again no company!
DAY 55 - Thursday 1 April - Koh Chong Lat - Koh Pak Bia
08°06.971N 098°40.435E
Where does the time go - it feels like forever we have been away but it is less than a year! Cilantro left at 8ish to head back to Yacht Haven to get some canvas work done. We are heading for Koh Kudu Yai - a little concerned about the winds which roar in but we will see. Koh Kudu Yai had a fierce current running through despite the fact that it was almost a slack tide. We circumnavigated it in the yacht - a fantastic hong or two and definitely worth exploring in the dinghy. Looked at a couple of prospective places and decided to save them for another day. We arrived at Koh Pak Bia at around lunch time. It has a lovely sandspit at one end and some great karsts as a backdrop. The tide was high so the spit was covered with a metre or more of water. We anchored in 13.9m and went ashore for a swim. There were a few tourist boats in but not too crowded. The water was lovely and there was quite a current starting to run as the tide went out. The French in a charter catamaran anchored too close to us so we daren't leave the boat. They left just before the storm came in. Two of the little fishing boats came around and anchored either side of us. Unfortunately, when the winds blew us it straightened out our 55m of chain so we ended up very close to the now exposed rocks. The tide had dropped over 3m and the sandspit we had earlier been swimming over was 3m above the waterline and the beach was now all rocks! We probably would have been ok but probably isn't good enough so we upanchored in the pouring rain, went between the fishermen and moved further out and had a very comfortable night.
Miles: 12 Total: 5,933
DAY 56 - Friday 2 April (Good Friday) - Koh Pak Bia
Had a quiet boat day reading etc. Peter cleaned all the barnacles off the waterline of the boat and Dell did some computer work. We decided to have a shower (with all the water we had caught the night before!!) off the back of the boat before all the tourists showed up. As fate would have it as soon as Dell started her shower she could see a speed boat approaching and Peter could see one from the other direction! Just got her shower in in time! Peter waited till all the boats had gone past and the tourists were on the beach and he had his shower in the cockpit. And our boat slowly but surely started turning until the cockpit was facing all the tourists on the beach!!! Peter made a hasty retreat down below. Watched a huge storm over Yacht Haven Marina - lots of lightning and looked quite scary. We however, only had a couple of drops of rain and the evening was lovely.
The really fantastic news for this week is that Debbie and Phil are coming to stay with us for a couple of weeks on 26th April so we are really excited and will head back to Langkawi, Malaysia to stock up with goodies and be back up here to meet them!!
Hope all is well with all of you.
Love and Cheers
Fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter
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