WEEK 4 – Harbour Marina to Tanjung Leman

Friday 6 May – Peturi Harbour Marina
We had a rally briefing and then all sorts of cultural shows and music with samples of games the Malaysians play and some martial arts displays – it was lovely to see the girls being a part of the martial arts and music. It finished around 6 so we adjourned to C arm of the marina where our boat is and had an impromptu get together and most of the rally participants turned up and it turned out to be a really good night.

Saturday 7 May – Peturi Harbour Marina
Sandra had booked us a water taxi to Danga Bay. Seven of us were going to visit Whistle Down The Wind and Single Malt who were at Danga and three others came along for the ride. We hopped into one boat and started going out then we had to go back and change boats. But finally we did the 20 minute fast trip (1 hr by yacht!) to Danga Bay and we all went aboard Single Malt including Dave and Jean from WDTW and we had a wonderful few hours catching up on everyone’s news. It was great to see them again. We left at 2pm and Sandra, May and the crew aught a taxi to the shopping centre. May needed some last minute stores and we needed to top up the phone and internet. We got back around 5.30 and the cocktail party started at 6. The marina put on free beer for us down at the waterfront then at 7.30 we went up to where they had set up a huge marquee with large tables and the most magnificent buffet. They had a few decorated ice carvings and the place looked great. It is also the only place where you followed a red carpet to the loo!!! The dignitaries turned up and then we had cultural dancing – wonderful costumes interspersed with a great band and a bloke who could play the clarinet just like Kenny G. When the meal was finished Gary off Neptune II joined the band playing his saxophone and everyone got up dancing. When the dignitaries left the remaining beer was brought up – the dinner had been no alcohol. It was a really great night.

Sunday 8 May – Singapore trip – almost arrested!!!
We caught the shuttle at 9.30 to the bus station where we caught the bus to the border with Singapore. When you get there you have to dive off the bus race through, get checked out and get back on the bus before it goes – it doesn’t wait. Then the bus takes you over the border and repeat the sequence. We all went racing in and filled in our entry cards – all only carrying a small overnight backpack and were in such a hurry none of us read the signs. Peter put his cigarette lighters through the xray machine and then the bloke searched our backpack. He searched another yacht’s bag and he had a half bottle of scotch in and a water bottle but they only found the water bottle. We all went through but the bloke asked Peter if he smoked and of course he pulls out his open pouch of tobacco. Turns out that the signs said it is zero tobacco and alcohol and they must be declared. The next thing Peter is marched off and disappeared into an office. After about 15 minutes he was taken through to another office and I had no idea what was going on. He was given a lecture and was told if he had come in last week with tobacco it would have constituted trafficking and he would have been arrested but they gave him the benefit of the doubt and charged him $19 duty. Not a good start to the visit. Of course then we had to wait half an hour for another bus which took us to the train station where we caught the train to Little India where Cilantro had booked us rooms in a hotel. We checked in then had Indian for lunch then caught the train to Santosa Island which is basically a big theme park. We went through to the beach and had a ride on the little train which drives to the attractions but only in the beach area. So we walked along the rainforest walk and found the casino which I as keen to see but they have a very strict dress code and we weren’t!!! So we didn’t go in. We took the travelator back across the river and then the train to China Town. This was a great place. All the streets were decorated with lanterns and heaps of little stalls. So we parked the boys at a bar with cheap beer and Sandra and I went shopping. When we came back we went to a restaurant where they set up a big table for 7 in the street – Wavesweeper joined us – the 7th person didn’t – the atmosphere was wonderful and we had a lovely evening.

Monday 9 May – Singapore to Peturi Harbour Marina
We breakfasted on Indian then visited a couple of chandleries and then hurried back so we could attend the 5pm technical briefing and the 6pm barbeque. We got back at 3 and our diesel was delivered so we sorted ourselves out and went to check out and pay. Cilantro didn’t get their gas and Wavesweeper didn’t get his fuel and then we found out that the briefing had been at 9am and the barbie3 didnt start till 8 so we could have had another few hours in Singapore to shop which would have been nice. Wavesweeper finally got his fuel and Peturi will bring Cilantro’s gas to the next stop. We went for the barbie and free beer and had a great night. We met young Ena, one of the staff and she was a very entertaining and astute young lady who kept us very entertained. We were surprised to learn that she is Muslim – no veil or anything – just a lovely normal person. Fantastic night and the staff were great – right down to the lovely little security guy on the gate.

From 2011-05-18

Tuesday 10 May – Peturi Harbour – Teluk Punggai
01°23.179N / 104°17.665E
We left the marina around 7am followed by about five other boats and five minutes into the river we got hit by a squall!! Thunder, lightning, wind, visibility was about 500m but we couldnt see the bridge. A bolt of lightning hit the water just ahead of us so the crew decided to stand in the companionway. It lasted about half an hour. We headed out into the straits of Singapore dodging and weaving big ships, barges, cargoes etc. A Singaporean police boat went past us all at speed sending out a huge wake and sending us all rolling heavily from side to side. Cilantro went over at least 45° - looked very scary – and all our apples went all over the floor, so bruised apples courtesy of the Singapore police! After that if we saw a huge wake we just turned into it where we just went up and down. There was some rubbish in the water – we hit one bit of wood and the crew had to go forward to find the best way through the debris in the current line. We all made it around Singapore and anchored in an inlet on the SE coast of Malaysia at 5.20pm. There were 12 boats in all. It was a bit rolly when we got there but it settled down and we had a good night. It was a tiring day.
Miles: 63 TTT: 574

Wednesday 11 May – Teluk Punggai – Tanjung Leman
02°08.845N / 104°00.885E
Boats started leaving at 6.30. We got away around 6.50 and motor sailed with hardly any wind. We put the spinnaker up but it flopped after about 15 minutes but we tried again later and it flew. We were able to slow the motor considerably and went along comfortably for an hour or two but then we noticed a big cloud above us and lightning in the distance so we pulled the spinnaker down just to be safe. Cilantro was ahead of us and they left theirs up all the way to the anchorage. We anchored off a beach with 14 other boats and had a quiet night. There was a slight swell but nothing bothersome. There are heaps of brown jellyfish in the water with very long tentacles – some 2 metres long. They are about the size of a small dinner plate and look really mean!

Miles: 49 TTT: 623
Thursday 12 May – Tanjung Leman
Well it was a dull old day and Peter wasn’t feeling well so he decided not to go on the tour. We found out the breakfast wasn’t on so ate first. The Peturi Harbour boat came round to collect everyone but it is a big boat and a bit of a swell was running. They picked Cilantro up without trouble then I hopped in Bob (dinghy) and Peter let the line out so they collected me from Bob which was easy. They had a bit of trouble at the next boat and gave him a knock fore and aft. They were trying to pick him up from the swelly side. That bloke elected to take his own dinghy in. Anyway we were all finally deposited at the dock. The only things there are a big KFC and a small shop! There were two huge buses awaiting us and there were only about 15 people in each. Off we went with the tour guide giving a running commentary about the oil palms which stretched as far as the eye could see and the Malaysian way of life in general. We took a wrong turn and backed up and then came to a road block so Bond (from Peturi) just jumped out and moved it. He moved the next one too and we went to a beautiful fruit farm where we were taken through the magnificent orchard and shown all the different herbs and fruit growing. At the end we were give a banquet of different fruits to try. This seemed to appease those who hadn’t had breakfast before they left! Then we were taken to a fishing village on a huge river to Bob’s Homestay where they had arranged a mock wedding for us. Some ladies beat the drums following the bride and groom and then the children did some dancing. Then we had a wonderful meal and more dancing which we joined in. We were shown how to bless the bride and groom which constituted flicking water on them and then throwing rose petals on them. Bob’s real name was extremely long so he called himself Bob and as he is retired and stays at home he calls his place a homestay – he does have four cabins/chalets to rent. Back on the bus and I sat with Bond for some interesting conversation on the big bird buildings (built to get the birds nests) and expensive lizards among other things. We got back to a ‘high tea’ which I think was the breakfast we were supposed to have this morning!! Then the big boat took us back to our boats. It seemed such a lot of bother. Peter waited in Bob to help me out and it was easy. It had rained most of the day on our boats and there had been a huge thunderstorm with lightning hitting the water around the boats and zero visibility! Peter had been working and wired in two fans in our bedroom and the inverter. He was feeling better. At 7.30 we collected Cilantro in Bob (seemed easier than getting collected) and went ashore for the barbeque. We had a really good feed and a lovely evening all courtesy of the Puteri Harbour marina.

Friday 13 May – Tanjung Leman to Sibu Island
02°13.573N / 104°02.991E
A lovely day today, the sea is so calm and he horizon blending in with the sea. Most of the boats have left. Today we are going over to the islands opposite here. It is supposed to be crystal clear water and lovely. It is only five miles away so there is no hurry to leave. And our next rally stop is only about 40 miles and we have a week to get there so some time for a rest!! We upanchored at 11.30 and motored to the island of Sibu. We were going to anchor in a lovely bay but it got too shallow so came further north to the NW corner of the island at 1pm. Peter serviced the outboard then we went across to Cilantro for sundowners. There were 5 boats in.
Miles: 5 TTT: 628


Hoping you are all well. Thank you Tammy for your kind thoughts.
Miss you all
Dell and Peter

WEEK 3 - Bernham River to Puteri Harbour Marina

Saturday 30 April – Bernham River to Port Klang
03°02.461N / 101°20.331E
We left at 7am. Braveheart called us up to say that they had been up since 1am as a big tree had lodged itself on their bridle (to their anchor) (Braveheart is a catamaran). They had to cut the bridle and put out a stern anchor so when the current changed at 3am and the boat turned the tree would drift out. Meanwhile they don’t know how much scratching they got on their lovely new paintwork. We followed our track out of the channel followed by four other boats. It was a still day and we motored till about 3pm when a fair wind came up and we were all finally able to sail – we were doing 6.5 knots. When we came out we could see a storm further out to sea so we tracked it on the radar and kept an eye on it and were able to clear it – just caught the edge with about 20 mins of light rain. As we were coming in to the channel towards Port Klang we were going to go between two big ships when one of them started its engine, pulled up anchor and went in front of us! It was late when we came into the river at Port Klang which is the biggest port in Malaysia with heaps of huge ships and infrastructure and wharves all along the bank on the other side of the river. We dropped anchor but it didn’t hold so pulled up to retry and found we had anchored on a plastic bag! We finally anchored at 6.30pm – it was a long day.
Miles: 64 TTT: 282

Sunday 1 May – Port Klang to Port Dixon
02°31.089N / 101°48.267E
We upanchored at 7am and motored for two hours up the river – there are wharves all the way along loading and unloading huge ships. Each ship has hundreds of containers and each container is brought in by truck. We were on the opposite side of the river but were in danger of being run down by an Indonesian boat – they don’t like to deviate from their course – so we shot across in front of three huge incoming ships and went out the opposite side changing course to avoid a net. Then the crew had to stand at the bow to guide us through a heap of floating rubbish. We motored with the sea like glass with no wind and the horizon blended in with the sea. We have seen some pretty nasty looking jellyfish with very long tentacles. We could see the ships in the shipping lane of the Malacca Strait. They go up the starboard side and down the port side and we can hear them talking on the radio discussing which side they are going to overtake on. The wind came up in the afternoon and we motored with all sails up against the current. We arrived at our anchorage at 5.20pm which was up a channel between an island and the mainland with some large barges and fishing boats on buoys. We passed two oil platforms on the way in and there was a large block of units – either unfinished or abandoned close on shore and huge resorts a lot further in on the beach. It is always stressful coming in to new places especially when the skipper says ‘cant turn left where is the spanner’. The crew doesn’t know where the spanner is and does circles to the right while the skipper locates the spanner and tightens the screw to the tiller. We had replaced the screw but over time with the self steerer it works loose and we had forgotten to check it since Thailand!!! We anchored beside a dirty great barge but the crew wasn’t happy so when Cilantro and Braveheart came in we moved further back. The skipper warned Sandra of a rope in the water and she thought he said rock and they did an impressive about turn! Through the night we heard someone calling Pacific Express on the radio so Peter answered and it was a cargo boat wanting to know our intentions. Peter said we are at anchor –He said you are at anchor?? Peter explained we are a yacht at anchor – he said sorry must have the wrong boat! We think there must be a cargo boat out there called Pacific Express – we think we must have confused them!! The water settled down and it was really calm until about 3am when the crew awoke the skipper to tie Bob (dinghy) down on the deck. Then the wind came up and the waves got big and we were rolling from side to side (shades of Hummocky!!!!) The radar showed a big storm just to the south of us – in fact exactly over the area where we had considered anchoring. It was very scary for a while and plates flew on the floor though they didn’t break. In fact it was terrifying until we realised it was not going to hit us and then we downgraded it to scary. The skipper sat anchor watch while the crew tried to stay in one place in bed. We then downgraded it to just really rolly about 4.30 and the skipper came back to bed but didn’t really sleep!
Miles: 57 TTT: 339

Monday 2 May – Port Dixon – Pulau Besar
02°07.254N / 102°19.902E
We got up at 7am after a fairly sleepless morning still rocking and rolling. We checked the radar for storms and upanchored at 7.15 accompanied by Cilantro. Braveheart are to go into the marina as they are having guests arrive tonight. It was a little bit rocky as we went along but it soon settled and we were able to get breakfast and clean up. There is lots of wood and debris in the water. We just avoided a big log which gave us a bump on the side. We can try to avoid what we can see but sometimes we miss it or there is something just under the surface so I guess there is a certain amount of luck to it too. Also avoiding fishing nets. Seeing oil refineries yesterday and today. We finally passed Malacca. We cant go in there as the marina has pretty much been blown away by the Sumatras (huge storms) experienced on this coast. We went to our previous anchorage on the Water Islands but the wind mysteriously had decided to come from the South which wasn’t good and Cilantro reported the northern anchorage was ok. As we came in we could see a yacht (who was the first yacht in) having discussions with a large catamaran who had anchored close to him. The yacht decided to move as the cat refused to. We anchored in the middle had dinner and I am now writing this by torchlight as we wait for the storm to hit. All the computers and radios have been put in the oven. Lightning and thunder and we think the cat is dragging. All in darkness. Peter thinks we are seeing a Sumatra form – sound of wind scary! The lightning was spectacular, the boat bucked we had all our chain out and we all held except for the cat who dragged towards Full Flight behind him. They not only had to contend with the storm but a huge cat bearing down on them who was not answering his radio. I guess this is what is called a Sumatra and Malacca is renowned for them. The crew stayed below looking out the companionway – there is such a thing as too much stress!!!! Anyway thunder, lightning moving off, just raining, seas calming. Will be glad to get off this coast – there are not too may bolt holes. A peaceful night anyway.
Miles: 63 TTT: 402

Tuesday 3 May – Pulau Besar – Pulau Pisang
01°27.930N / 103°16.455E
Happy Birthday May
We read an interesting fact today that the months of April and May have around 21 thunderstorms a month! We left at 6.30am in calm conditions for a very long day. We motored with the headsail out – we usually run the motor at 1800 revs but today we ran at 2000 revs to get as far as we can before the current turns against us. Seas were calm and we were quite close to the shipping lane. At one point we had to take a sharp turn to the left and motor about a mile to get around a very long net which had white floats all the way along it. The crew made muffins (remembered to get the instruments out of the oven first!) and knitted. During the afternoon we were able to get the main and the headsail out and pull back a bit on the revs. Once again we did the float around the island thing looking for a good anchorage. The sky was threatening and the wind was building but we couldn’t see anything on the radar. Harmonica was in the middle but was rolling quite badly. No one wanted to anchor near the cat which seemed to have pride of place. We came through a channel between two islands in 25 metres and when we turned in it went sharply to 17, 13, 10, 8, 5, 2.9m which is when we turned away!! The crew is having panic attacks in shallow depths! Horrible. Anyway we went around the cat but came back and anchored beside Full Flight at 6.15pm We dropped in 9m and went back to 17 which wasn’t ideal. When Cilantro came in we both went back through the channel around the little island which was so calm but in a storm it would have been a lee shore. So we came back around and the skipper brought us through the shallows – 2.9 – 4m while the crew didn’t look. In the end we went back to a spot which appeared to be between two currents between the islands – the currents ran either side and we were quite comfortable. We finally anchored at 7.15 on dark after an incredibly long and tiring day. We had an instant meal for dinner!! We could hear the cargo ships calling each other up. Then we heard one captain in a state of panic wanting to know the intentions of the other ship. After a bit of a conversation the second ship said tell him f.... him. I don’t think the panicked captain would have found it amusing but it sure made us laugh!!!!
Miles: 74 TTT: 476

Wednesday 4 May – Pulau Pisang to Peturi Harbour Marina
01°25.097N / 103°39.438E
At about 3am we were awoken by the alarm – only it wasn’t – it was the mobile phone going flat!! Anyway had a good night with no storms and left at 7.30am. Today is be kind to ourselves day so we are motoring very slowly beside Cilantro who actually looks a little sad at the moment with streaks of dirt all down her sides – looks like she is crying. We are getting the swell from the big ships and there are airforce jets flying overhead. We were going to stop at an island near Singapore just 12 miles away but then we read how busy and shallow it is and decided to go through to the marina so we put on the revs and headed around towards Singapore weaving our way through anchored ships. We went up to one which was huge – 22m draft – unladen its water line was towering way above us and you could even see part of its prop sticking out of the water. The skipper had tried to minimise the AIS by having it only recognise immediate danger targets but there are so many ships around it just couldn’t cope so the chart plotter was continually shutting down and restarting – it did this last time we were here too. So we turned it off and followed Cilantro then the skipper remembered the AIS goes through the VHF radio so we turned that off and used our handheld and then were able to turn the chartplotter back on. We went under the bridge and up the channel with Malaysia on the left and Singapore on the right. Singapore has police boats at intervals and the land is military and reputed to be a live firing range. Just as we got to the entrance to the marina it started pouring rain and windy from the back. Our cockpit was soaked before we realised if we turned up into it we wouldn’t get so wet! Cilantro went in and we followed about 5 minutes later. Staff were waiting to take our lines and we were tied up in the marina by 3pm. We are next to Present – a lovely Swiss couple we have met a few times. Kristie 1 is also on our arm. We had dinner at the restaurant with Cilantro and fell into bed.
Miles: 35 TTT: 511

Thursday 5 May – Peturi Harbour Marina
Had some mosquitoes through the night so put up the mosquito nets. Judy off Braveheart ingeniously suggested threading chain round the bottom to hold them down and it works a treat. Caught the marina bus at 11am to the shopping centre. Had a look around and KFC burgers for lunch! And then did the shopping and the bus collected us at 2pm. Spent the afternoon stowing supplies. Wave Sweeper came in so we all sat and had a chat then all went to the restaurant for dinner. Its interesting talking to other boats. Seems that those that left the day before us got slammed, we had a bit of a rough trip and those that left the day after us had a good trip. Luck of the draw!! Glad the Malacca Strait is behind us. It stood up to its reputation of strong currents and raging storms with long distances between anchorages with lots of rubbish, logs and nets on the way.

Friday 6 May – Peturi Harbour Marina
Put the jerry diesel into the tank and sent the jerries off to get refilled. It is very hot so have the big fan going and the cover up shading the boat. Peter has just been looking at our charts and it seems we still have some very long days in front of us. We are just having a quiet boat day and there is a welcome reception later for the official start of the rally.

Hope you are all well – missing you
Much love
Dell and Peter
By the way if you want to see where we are try the link at the side which says where we really are - you can also check on other boats.

WEEK 2 – 23 – 29 April – Penang to Bernham River

Saturday 23 April – Penang to Pulau Rimau
05°14.805N / 100°16.687E
We found out they couldn’t get the prop speed till Tuesday so we caught the bus into town and collected the deposit we had paid – had lunch then back to the shopping centre for final supplies. Saturday seems to be shopping day as all the specials were on and the centre was very busy. Got back at 4.30, told Kristy what we were doing then upanchored and headed 5 miles down the channel. We had to avoid fish nets strung between flags and then negotiate all the pylons and machinery involved in building a new bridge – it will certainly be very long when it is finished. We anchored off Rinau Island with Cilantro, Braveheart and Spirit of Rio. A pleasant night and it will give us a head start for our long journey tomorrow.
Miles 5 Total This Trip 108 NM

Sunday 24 April – Pulau Rimau to Pulau Talang
04°25.267N / 100°34.709E
We left at daybreak around 6.45am. It was calm all morning and we counted around 100 fishing boats. Later in the morning we encountered slightly bigger fishing boats who operated in pairs towing a net between them so we were very careful not to go between them! Around lunch time the wind came up so we were able to have the main and headsail up but also motored as well. We anchored at 6pm on the eastern side of Pulau Talang
Miles 58 TTT 166 NM

Monday 25 April – Pulau Talang to Pangkor Island Marina
04°12.7N / 100°35.96E
We left at 7.30am and motored towards Pangkor Island marina. As we came opposite Pangkor Island we could see a large navy ship which had obviously come to grief. The front part was sticking up in the air and the back was under water with the middle of the infrastructure all broken. It looked as though therecould have been a fire – it had obviously been there for some time. We called up James from the marina and he told us the point to wait for him. As we were waiting we saw Braveheart come around from behind Pangkor Island so we waited for them too then marina James led us all in through the shallows to the marina – us, Cilantro and Braveheart all in a line behind James’ runabout boat. The marina staff took our lines and we were soon all tied up to our respective fingers. This is a brand new marina and the facilities etc are still under construction but there is a bar and a restaurant and marina office and karaoke rooms! Braveheart and Cilantro joined us on our finger for sundowners then we went to the restaurant for dinner.
Miles 13 TTT 179 NM

Tuesday 26 April – Pangkor Island Marina
We had to wait for high tide then Sandra and I released Pacific Express’ lines and James and Peter motored over to the boat ramp where marina James has an ingenious contraption called a Sea Lift. It is almost like a huge boat trailer which is remote controlled. Marina James uses the remote to lift the boat up and adjust it and tilt it then drive up the boat ramp with Pacific Express perched on top!! I had some exhilarating moments as it seemed to tilt a bit much when James was adjusting it!! He took it to the top of the boat ramp and the boys washed the boat down and Peter put on some primer and then hard antifoul on to the prop. Sandra and I meanwhile, along with the couple from Nimbus, were driven to Tesco in marina James’ car by one of his lovely staff. Sandra and James came around for a drink then we went to the bar for dinner. Peter and I spent a pleasant evening on Pacific Express perched high in the air overlooking the marina.

Wednesday 27 April – Pangkor Island Marina
We were put back into the water then Peter and James brought Cilantro around and they went through the same process and were also hauled out so James could do his prop as well. Marina James had taken a couple of yachties shopping and to the Harbour Master and when he came back he brought every boat a couple of cookies- such a lovely thought. At 7pm we went to the bar for the rally dinner. There were crews from about 15 boats and the other marina guests were also invited. The food was fabulous – salad, spaghetti bol, chicken, fish, prawns, beef dishes and chicken sates and chips. So much food. It was a lovely night and they all seem to be a pretty good bunch of people so it bodes well for the rally.

Thursday 28 April – Pangkor Island Marina to Pangkor Island
Happy Birthday Sandra
04°12.621 / 100°32.970E
Peter topped up our water and had recharged the batteries and we had packed the washing away and paid the marina fees and quite a few boats had already left. Peter went to help James get Cilantro back into the water and bring her back to tie her up. We had a birthday drink with Sandra and went over to say farewell and thank marina James for his wonderful hospitality. Such a lovely lovely man and we hope he does really well with his marina. The haulout contraption (which he told us was invented by an American farmer) is a work of genious. They also lifted out a catamaran which was around 8.5m wide – quite a feat. Anyway we departed the marina on a high tide at 1.30pm and motored to the south side of Pulau Pangkor where we anchored in 5.5m at 2.50pm. Braveheart was already there as was Ches Noux and Full Flight came in after Cilantro and us. Chris from Braveheart collected us in his dinghy at 5.30 and we all went to Cilantro to have birthday drinks with Sandra and a very nice evening was had by all.
Miles : 7 TTT: 186 NM

Friday 29 April – Pulau Pangkor to Bernham River
03°50.85 / 100°49.605
Well what can one say – what an interesting day!!!!! We departed Pulau Pangkor with Cilantro at 8am. Braveheart left at 7 and texted to say get out of bed they were doing 7 knots! Ches Noux had also disappeared. We watched a little fish desperately jumping out of the water followed closer by a bigger fish jumping out of the water. It was always going to end in tears for the little guy but he put up a brave fight! It was overcast and light rain so I cooked us some breakfast and washed up and when I came up I was surprised to see that there was thunder and lightning everywhere. The wind had been behind us but all of a sudden it went to the front and we were hit with a huge storm – thunder, lightning, big seas, lots of water over the bow. Peter put on his harness and went forward to drop the main sail as it was in danger of being blown out and the rain was horizontal. It was a messy drop of the sail but under the circumstances we were just glad to have it down. The wind was so strong it was blowing spray up off the waves. Peter had trouble holding us into the waves and was only doing 1.6 knots into the wind and the rain so he had to put more revs on. Visibility was restricted to around 25 metres or less so we put all our lights on – running, navigation and masthead. We could see a boat off to the left of us on our AIS on the chartplotter so were able to stay away from him. Apparently it was a yacht which had turned back. Our depth sounder also stopped working for some time in the middle of the storm. We put our jackets on over our swimmers. We were soaked and it was quite chilly and the whole cockpit was soaked. This was the biggest storm we have ever been in. We could see it on the radar and it was huge. The storm lasted one and a half to two hours – seemed like forever and then the wind dropped a bit and the rain eased. There was also a lot of debris in the water, even a whole tree. It was only the eagle eyes of the crew (minus glasses!!!) and the quick action of the skipper which averted us hitting a large wooden pallet in the water!!! We decided to check out the river for the evening anchorage as it would have been very rough anchoring out. The depths were deeper than the chart plotter indicated and we anchored in 5 metres with two other cats which were already there and Cilantro came in after us then Braveheart. Braveheart (not the yacht that passed near us) had to turn back and run with the storm for a while. They had a lightning strike 100m away from them. Chris was hand steering with a metal steering wheel!!! I feel there will be some stories to tell when we all get together again!!!! The river is well used by fishing trawlers so we copped a bit of wash but we were just happy to be in there!!!
Miles: 32 TTT: 218



Fair winds and calm seas!
Dell and Peter

WEEK 1 – Sat 16 – Fri 22 April – Kuah to Penang

I am calling this week 1 even though the rally hasn’t started yet, it is our preparation to head south to join the rally. Our time in Kuah was spent in preparing the boat and bringing on supplies.

Sat 16 April – Kuah to Fiords Langkawi
06°11.139N 99°47.204E
When we pulled the anchor up after such a long time it was entirely encrusted with barnacles so it took quite a while to chip and wash those off and then Peter had to cut away some fishing net which had wrapped around the chain. We finally got away around 10am and motored/sailed to Telaga where we took on 350 litres of diesel in the tank and 100 litres in the jerries on the deck. We then motor sailed to the fiords where Cilantro was anchored. We did about 25 miles and didn’t get in till around 5.30 so it turned out to be quite a long day.
Miles 25 Total 12,460

Sun 17 April – Langkawi to Palau Bunting
05°52.321N 100°19.405E
We left at 7.30am and motor sailed with periods of sailing till we arrived at Pulua Bunting at 3.30pm. This is where there is a big fancy causeway which goes across to the island but has never been finished.
Miles 39 Total 12,499

Mon 18 April – Palau Bunting to Penang
05°19.346N 100°18.350
Upanchored at 8am which felt like a very civilised time to leave and motored with flat seas and what little wind there was was on the nose. Went under the big bridge. Had to stand watch at the bow as there was so much rubbish in the water. We came around the island to Jerrejack and could see Helly anchored. We went right down the channel but came back and anchored near the main road and not too far from a shopping centre.
Miles 39 Total 12,538

Tuesday 19 April – Penang
Sandra and James collected us in their dinghy and we went to town on the bus. We were chasing some prop speed but Pen Marine didn’t have any. We went to the marina and saw Braveheart. The marina has lost a few berths since we were last there and some boats are sitting in mud. Not the best place to be. We walked around looking for some addresses Sandra had but didn’t really find any. Found the hardware store and our little bar. As we were walking past a little shop I saw out of the corner of my eye a man making a chair out of rattan. Peter went back to see and as he was taking some time we went to our little bar to wait. He came back with 6 metres of the rattan we have been looking everywhere for to make our cupboards. We were very pleased with ourselves! Went to James and Sandra’s little bar on the water and then went to the Red Lantern food hall for dinner. They had music with a couple singing and we were entertained watching people dance and an old man miming all the songs. As it was late we caught a taxi back to the boats only to discover that the tide was way out – springs!!! – and the beach was an incredible bog of mud! We waited half an hour and pulled the dinghy along the beach to where there was some hard sand and finally were able to get back to the boats!

Wednesday 20 April – Penang
Went to town again by bus and found the shop James had been looking for. We had actually passed it the day before. We ordered some prop speed which should be in on Saturday. We bought some toy walkie talkies to see if we could communicate with each other from the bow of the boat to the cockpit. We made sure we were back in plenty of time to catch the tide.

Thursday 21 April – Penang
Peter took James and Sandra in early in their dinghy and dropped them at the jetty and brought their dinghy to our boat. We had a boat day while James went to the Adventist hospital to see about his very painful shoulder. He saw a specialist three times through the course of the day, had an x-ray and MRI and received medication and four cortisone injections all for the princely sum of $420. Where else could one see a specialist without a wait of weeks!! Peter collected James and Sandra from the shore just in time for sundowners. It was a long day for them. Kristy 1 anchored near us.

Friday 22 April – Penang
Happy Easter all
Went ashore in the afternoon to the supermarket and got a few things. Sundowners on Cilantro.

As I type this I am sitting high in the air on our boat on the hard at Lumut. It is very hot. Tomorrow night is the rally dinner. More of that later. Meanwhile hope you have all had a happy Easter and lovely holiday.
Take care
May you always have a foot of water under your keel.
Dell and Peter

Another week gone

A week spent in laying on stores and supplies, rainy weather, and dealing with bureaucracy with respect to pool fencing regs - so over the top its not funny and once again they have failed us despite upsetting our neighbours and doing everything asked of us. They are trying to keep spiderman out not 2 - 4 year olds!!! Anyway believe all the wonderful vines on our 2 metre high front wall are gone including the bouganvillea (yes I know thorns!!!) and the pool looks so aesthetically bad!!! Sooooooo stressful. And our new tenants have opted out!

Hope your week has been better than ours.

Cheers

Dell and Peter

Sat 12 to Fri 18 March - Koh Rok Nok to Kuah Malaysia

Saturday 12 March –Koh Rok Nok to Koh Lipe Butangs
We left at 7am with a grey sky, grey sea and drizzling rain. Suffice to say that it was a day Peter enjoyed with much heeling of the boat and much wind – both of which I hate! Peter thought later that he really should have had a reef in the main but we hit 10 knots at one stage! Not a comfortable trip at all. Even when we came into the channel at the Butangs it was still howling and the beach where we thought would be good was untenable. The water was too rough to be able to look for rocks and reef so stayed away from the sheltered island. Went around to the beach at Koh Lipe which was lovely and beautifully calm. We just got pipped at the post by a ferry for the only buoy. The bay is full of boats, buoys and a floating platform and drops to 25-30 metres out the back. We tried anchoring but it was over coral and we waited for the ferry to go but he wasn’t in a hurry. Tried another red buoy but went down from 14m to 4.9m over reef before we even go to it so made a hasty retreat!! It was getting late so headed round Koh Lipe to another very windy channel where a lot of yachts were anchored and anchored out the back in 18 metres. Then the ferry came round and anchored in the channel!! We watched a few episodes of MASH and went to bed. A beach bar was playing beat box music and we reckon you would have heard it in Langkawi!! We closed our hatches and put in ear plugs but we could still hear it!! We eventually were able to open our hatch at 4am!!

Sun 13 March – Koh Lipe, Butangs
Still a bit windy but need a rest day and Peter is into a good book called The Historian by Elisabeth Kostova. We went ashore around lunch time and headed down the street to the beach on the other side of the island. Then walked back and had a delicious lunch. We came back to the dinghy and went to a bar on the beach and started talking to an English couple who run a guest house in Lyme Regis in England. They work nine months of the year and have January to March travelling round the world – sounds like a good lifestyle. Spent a couple of hours swapping yarns and travel stories and they commented on the loud music (and they were way over the other side of the island) then went back to the boat and watched the Prince of Persia and had home made pizzas.

Mon 14 March – Koh Lipe, Butangs
Were going to head for Langkawi but decided to spend another day catching up on computer work and Peter has a book to finish. In the middle of the night we had a huge storm come through.

Tues 15 March – Koh Lipe, Butangs
Upanchored at 8am and headed round the point but the wind and the tide were so strong we were only doing 1.3 knots and in danger of going backwards!!! Ramped up the revs and kept going thinking once we got past the island it would be ok. Two other yachts came out but they turned back and then we turned back too – conditions were just too bad. Anchored a bit further up in the channel in 17 metres and in the afternoon the wind dropped off so we had a snorkel and swam to shore. The reef is not very interesting and there are only small fish. Had a late lunch/early dinner on shore and returned to the boat for sundowners then watched Zulu again. The ferry had anchored next to us and we thought at the time he was a little close. When we came up after the movie they were fishing and catching tiddlers and keeping them and we didn’t really like how close they were. So once again we had to move in the dark through no fault of our own!!! We went within ten feet of them getting our anchor up and went back to our original position in 18 metres in the dark. Fifteen minutes later all the boats turned and he would have been over our anchor and touching us!

Wed 16 March – Koh Lipe, Butangs Thailand to Kuah, Langkawi Malaysia
We left at daybreak. It was still a bit windy and weren’t sure it would be good but we rounded the point doing in excess of 5 knots so that was a good sign. It was a bit rough and the wind was on the nose but off we went and the closer we got to Langkawi the flatter the seas and we got a bit of wind in our headsail and made really good time. We were heading for the beaches but decided to go for Kuah. Langkawi has never looked better. The island is so green, the water a lovely green and the sun is shining – just gorgeous and this is our home away from home! We anchored around 3pm and headed to Kuah town to buy some much needed wine!! (been out for a couple of weeks). Came back to the boat to drop off supplies and went to The Asian Restaurant for dinner. We both had the chicken with mango salad and shared a sambal fried rice plus one beer and one water and it came to less than $10 – magic.

Thurs 17 March – Kuah, Langkawi
Had a lazy start to the day then walked through the lovely park to check in – Immigration, Harbour Master and Customs. Sorted out our phones and internet, had lunch – Peter was thrilled with his lamb curry, then went to the supermarket and dvd shop. Unfortunately the hairdresser was closed. Took the supplies back to the boat, went to the post office then walked the back way to Kuah town. Found some great fruit and vege stores – think they must be new. Couldnt be bothered walking all the way down to the restaurants so came back and as we were walking past one of the Muslim restaurants just near the jetty we smelt chilli – quite overpowering really so we went to investigate and found out what it was so ordered it too. We got a fried rice with the fried egg on top, beef and vegetables in a kind of sweet and sour sauce and a small bowl of soup all on the same plate. Ours wasn’t quite as spicy but it was delicious – 6 Ringetts each – thats $2 each!!!! Plus orange and pineapple juice and it was $5.30 for the both of us – unbelievable! Came back to the boat and watched a movie.

Fri 18 March – Kuah, Langkawi
Boat day – tried to move stuff around but we also have to balance the boat and not put all the heavy stuff on one side so a bit of a balancing act. We could see rain coming so Peter put the water catcher up (which usually stops the rain!) and caught 210 litres of water so the tank and jerries are pretty full again and I have been told I am allowed to waste water now!!! Peter got in Bob to bail him out as he was pretty full too and had a bath before he bailed – I wish I had thought of that!!!!

We would like to congratulate Debbie and Phil on both doing so well in their triathalons – really well done guys!!!!

May you always have a foot of water under your keel

Cheers
Dell and Peter

Sat 5 to Fri 11 March Ao Chalong to Koh Roc Nok

Saturday 5 March –Ao Chalong
We went ashore meaning to catch a bus to Phuket town but decided to hire a motorbike instead. We were looking for the weekend market and also somewhere to buy rattan. We went right through Phuket town and didn’t find the market so went on up to Supercheap for a last shop. Asked directions to the market but it didn’t start til 5pm. We took a shortcut through the park and found the markets then went to Big C Supermarket to fill some time and just as we pulled up who else should pull up but Braveheart! So we went for a fruitjuice and caught up on all the news. Then some shopping and back to the markets. Not all the stalls were open as it was still a little early so we walked through the whole thing. By 5pm it was getting pretty crowded so we were pleased to have gone early. Headed back to the boat and stopped at the Anchor Inn for one of their fabulous salads!

Sunday 6 March – Ao Chalong
Were going to get up early and shoot up to Big C and have the bike back by 11am but we had a bit of a late start so hired the bike for another day. Went chasing down a rattan place but it didn’t seem to exist. We had pulled over in a little town to consult the map and were watching a black ute in front of us putting caged birds in the back. We had to wait for traffic and luckily hadn’t pulled out when the black ute gunned it and took off. We think he must have thought he would scream his tyres and take off - didn’t work though and a minibus was unable to avoid him and they came together – huge scrape down the side of the minibus. We cautiously passed them and back to Big C where we bought a lot of pork to put in our freezer. They have big slabs of pork and you use tongs to pick out what you want. So our freezer is stocked up. It is difficult to find pork in Malaysia being a Muslim country. After we dealt with the meat we went back ashore and went to a couple of places we had seen which looked interesting. By the time we got back the sky looked a bit threatening so we got takeaway salad to take to the boat for dinner. It is spring tides again and the tide was way out so it was really muddy. But being the innovative things that we are we pulled ourselves along the side of a tourist boat which was tied to the shore until we could reach his line which went about 30 metres out and pulled ourselves out by that – worked really well!

Monday 7 March – Ao Chalong
We took the bike back and then went to Immigration/Customs/Harbour master to check out of Thailand. There was quite a crowd in there so it took about an hour. Good to chat to yachties you don’t know as you find out snippets of information to be tucked away. We went and did some last minute shopping and used all our coin up buying cooked chicken pieces off a roadside stall. The lady was lovely and very happy to take all the coin. We bought some fruit from a roadside stall then went to the Anchor Inn for – you guessed it – the fabulous takeaway salad. Got back to Bob about 4pm and the tide was way low so pulled ourselves out along the tourist boat rope again. Had an early dinner watching the sun go down – couldn’t actually see it as it was cloudy. Watched a dvd –Inception – which we didn’t enjoy – very strange. There are now quite a few boats around us way out here. Suspect it may have got a bit shallow for some of them further in and in fact we could see a yacht on its side – obviously ran out of water. We could smell diesel all around us – not a nice feeling but the diesel barge must have spilt a bit when he fuelled the boat in front of us.

Tuesday 8 March – Ao Chalong to Phi Phi Don
We could smell the diesel again this morning and you could actually see it on thew ater but the tide eventually took it away. We noticed that the yacht which had been on its side was gone. We upanchored at 9am and headed out of Ao Chalong for the last time. Had a lovely lunch of chicken purchased yesterday and of course the wind was on the nose so it was a motor day. It was so clear you could actually see the Phi Phi’s from our anchorage in Ao Chalong. An uneventful trip arriving at Phi Phi Don at 2.45. We went in half way up the island to check out an opening which we had seen when Brett was on board. There were two hong like openings but nothing we would like to take our boat into. As we were coming around the point to Phi Phi Don a large tourist boat passed us and he was putting out a wake at least 500metres behind him. When it hit us the waves were 1.5m high – amazing and exceedingly dangerous!!! We anchored quite a way out and could only see one other yacht further in. It was threatening rain so we stayed on board. A big storm came through but passed just north of us though we did get quite a bit of rain.

Wednesday 9 March – Ao Chalong to Ko Roc Nok
07°13’021N 099°03.606E
We awoke to lots of rocking and rolling. The swell was coming from the wrong direction. We left at 7.10 and counted 10 other yachts in. Thats the beauty of taking your house with you – you can do your housework on the way. We sailed for a few hours with a SE swell and then motored arriving at 2.30. Just as we were approaching the islands we thought we saw a fish trap but it turned out to be the fins of a pod of dolphins. Five of them swam under the nose of the boat but only briefly and then they broke away. Was wonderful to see such a large pod. We came in between the two islands and anchored on the opposite side to where we had been last time. We could see a huge weather front coming in and were pleased to be anchored out of the way. The rangers came to collect their 200 baht per person but we only had a 500 baht note and 290 bht in change. They didn’t have any change so decided to only charge us 100 baht each!! We had quite a bit of rain and the storm was all around us and just seemed to miss us. We could see a wall of water (rain) to the north. A couple of cats came in and took up buoys and a French boat came in and anchored in front of us.

Thursday 10 March – Koh Roc Nok
It was very windy through the night and very windy all day – comfortable though. A few tour boats came in at 10. We stayed on board. Peter cleaned some stainless and caught a couple of fish which kept him happy and Dell made us a 2011 calendar – finally.

Friday 11 March – Koh Roc Nok
Well wind against tide did not a comfortable night make! We bucked up and down and at times went side on and rolled. There were white caps further in front of us and when we got up all the other boats had left!! The wind kept blowing but at 12 we got in Bob and headed up towards the beach but the swell was so bad we turned back and investigated the side of both islands out of the wind. The coral didn’t look great so we didn’t bother snorkelling and came back to the boat. Saw a large puffer fish – red with white spots very pretty – who was in a spot of bother splashing around on the surface and all puffed up. Dont know if he puffed himself up too much or he got hit by a boat. Anyway there was nothing we could do for him so left him to sort himself out. Around 3pm it was a completely different story. The wind dropped off, the swell dropped and we were able to go to the beach and have a swim. This is a beach with the shining white sand and beautiful aqua clear water. We had a swim and then sat in Bob and gently floated along the shore line towards our boat. Until Peter realised he was getting bitten by sandflies (they love him!) so we started the motor and went down a bit further then jumped over for a snorkel. The coral wasn’t much and it was pretty murky. We went down aways but visibility wasn’t good and we started to get a bad feeling so we came back to the boat. Seemed we were in the current line and all sorts of nasties were floating past and then we saw something interesting so hooked it. After we managed to get all the crabs off it, who were reluctant to go, we found it was an industrial strength sling used with forklifts. Might come in handy sometime so we have kept it! Tonight four more boats have come in. Three are out the back with us (much calmer) and a big timber ketch is behind us. The boats further forward of us last night must have had a really bad time. So far tonight the weather is looking good!!


It seems we will have to haul out again before we head south. We usually cover our prop with prop speed but this time decided to use copper coating which is supposed to be very good. We had it professionally done but we are not sure if it wasn’t applied properly or it just is no good. It is supposed to last ten years but really it hasn’t lasted ten weeks and the prop already has barnacles. Anyway we don’t recommend it.

For those of you who know Ann and Bill, they are finally on the move and can be found at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/seareverie
Hope you are all well

Much Love
Dell and Peter

Sat 26 to Fri 4 March - Khao Lak to Ao Chalong

Saturday 26 Feb –Khao Lak
Had a relaxing day and later in the afternoon we saw an elephant walking along the beach. Went ashore to meet with Axel and Elisabeth. We were very grateful for the floating plastic jetty as otherwise we would not have been able to get ashore. We went to the resort to keep a lookout for them and asked the waiter how much a beer was. He didn’t know but said it is happy hour sit down sir (to Dell) so we did and paid the same as normal rates elsewhere – but they did give us lovely glasses to drink out of!

From 4 Feb 2011

We met Axel and Elisabeth and went to a beachside restaurant for dinner. It was lovely to see them again and it didn’t feel like 27 years since we last met but looking at the photos of us all which Axel kindly bought along you could see that it might have been a few years!! We had a really lovely evening and we are hoping that our respective children will make contact. So good to see them. Once again on the way out we were grateful for the floating jetty!

Sunday 27 Feb – Khao Lak to Nai Harn
We left at 6.45am, motored for an hour then had a great sail for five hours. The boat was tipping which Dell hates but we were going so well we passed both destinations we had decided on and went straight through to Nai Harn. As we were passing Patong we noticed thousands of jellyfish in the water – thousands – they are bigger than a large round dinner plate and kind of like a cotton reel going in at the middle with a dinner plate on the other side and they are white, pink, some have a purple stripe and all colours between white and pink. Quite pretty really. We took Bob ashore – with terror on Dell’s part and just as we got out a wave hit and soaked Dell’s backside! Anyway had a lovely dinner at one of the little restaurants and came back to the boat without incident.

Monday 28 Feb – Nai Harn
Had a boat day – tidying and cleaning and went ashore at 4pm – made it in without incident. We found out someone had got rolled the day before (it had been his third trip in). We both had a massage which was very nice then had an early dinner and made it back without incident. Watched the final extended version of The Lord of the Rings so it was rather late when we went to bed and the wind had really come up.

Tuesday 1 March – Nai Harn
Just catching up on some work and relaxing. Still windy and so many plastic bags and a couple of fish traps have been floating past us. We have never seen so much rubbish in the bay. Have decided not to go ashore tonight – would probably get wet! So will eat on board. We could see a big storm to the east with all the silent lightning but then the wind came up and all of a sudden we had thunder, lightning and torrential rain. We had gone to bed but got up when we heard over the radio – all boats in Nai Harn – there is a cat on the loose. We went up to check and sure enough – a huge tri-catamaran had dragged all the way out and there it was just on our starboard side very close. A couple in a dinghy came out and asked us if it was still moving and we said yes so they boarded the boat. By now it had stopped dragging and it was dangerously close to us and it became clear that the people were not going to move it so we had to upanchor in the storm and go further out the back to re-anchor. There were unlit and badly lit boats around and the only way you can see them is when the lightning flashed. You could say it was a little bit stressful!!! Nai Harn has not been kind to us the year.

Wednesday 2 March – Nai Harn to Ao Chalong
The sea was a bit rolly so we upanchored and went around the point to the other side of Phuket Island. Ao Chalong is full of boats – big and small and also full of buoys so it is always a problem anchoring. We found a spot between three boats on buoys and a huge big wooden boat also on a buoy but his buoy has a big long rope and then he has a big long rope from the buoy to the boat so his swing room is enormous. We went ashore at 4pm and went to the Villa Market and bought some vegemite (and licorice)!! Then had dinner – the most magnificent huge salad – the meals at the Anchor Inn are enormous. Then Peter went to the dentist and Dell stayed to chat a while with Bach & Byte who had joined us. It was well after 8 when we started back to the boat and we could see the lightning and the dark sky. Got back to the boat about half an hour before the storm hit – timing!! We were sitting behind the huge big wooden boat and could see their TV so they were reasonably close!

Thursday 3 March – Ao Chalong
This morning we saw the most amazing thing – Peter said is that a hang glider with a boat on it. And sure enough it was a hang glider with an engine with a dinghy attached to the bottom and a person sitting in it. He bought it in to land on the water then motored to the boat ramp and drove up it – must have had some sort of wheels as well. A little later he took off and flew over us heading to another island!!! Amazing. Another thing we saw in a shop were kayaks with motors (water jet engines – no prop) in the back – Stu & Jean!!!! Good for when you get tired of paddling. Checked the weather for the day and decided to move as we were a little uneasy about the huge big boat thinking if a big blow came it would be possible for his long ropes to stretch and if we were behind him it might be a bit too close for comfort so we moved further out. Made the long trek to shore - about 1 ½ k and went to the paint store and found some paint which will do the interior of our boat and then wandered through the Home Store with all sorts of interesting things for the house. Then went back to the Anchor Inn for dinner and another one of those huge salads. It was almost dark when we headed back and dark by the time we got to the boat. It was a lovely still night with the sea like glass and we sat and watched the lights on the shore – very peaceful.

Friday 4 March – Ao Chalong
Caught the bus to Phuket town and walked around looking in all the lovely shops and went to the Dibuk Restaurant and Peter had the squid stuffed with pork which Brett had last time - it had gone up 20bht but was just as delicious. We were supposed to take a photo of it but the camera wasn’t working! Dell had the spicy pork which was also delicious. We were going to take the bus back but a tuk tuk driver offered to take us back for 100 bht (against 60 bht) so we said ok but as soon as he had us in the tuk tuk it was ‘I will take you to three stores you don’t have to buy anything but I will get free petrol for taking you there’! We weren’t at all keen as we had been caught with this in Bangkok, however, as it turned out the three stores were fantastic and we spent quite some time in them and yes we did purchase something. But it didn’t keep the tuk tuk man happy as we needed to spend 500 Bht for him to get a free t-shirt – our purchase didn’t come to that!! We went to the Anchor Inn and had another wonderful salad.

From gekko

We are preparing to head south again as our Thai visas are up on the 8th. We may have to have another look at the East Malaysia rally as it has a 500 nm section crossing from Malaysia mainland to Borneo – thats a very long way. Meanwhile huge hugs for Jessie, Charlie and Rosie – miss you all terribly. And a big hullo to Aunti Lottie in Germany!

Calm Seas and Fair Winds
Dell and Peter

Sat 19 to Fri 25 Feb Surin Isles to Khao Lak

Saturday 19 Feb –Surins
We had a really rough night with the swell coming through. A fishing boat had left the big yellow buoy in front of Cilantro so we headed over and took that one up. We jumped in Bob and went up through the channel where the really good coral was supposed to be but it was all dead so we didn’t bother snorkelling. Went back to the beach where we had first been and snorkelled there but the coral was all dead and there weren’t many fish. So we tried the other side near the boats but it was the same. A yacht left so we moved buoys a bit closer in away from where all the fishing boats raft up and give their catch to the waiting boat which must then deliver it to the market. Had sundowners with Cilantro and planned for next day. The Surins were a big disappointment.

Sunday 20 Feb – Surins – Koh Bungu Similan Islands
08°40.524N 097°38.737E
We left at 6.45 in sloppy seas with no wind so we motored. We put the spinnaker up but it was only up for 15 minutes then it fell in the water! Peter hooked a 5 ft wahoo and got it to the back of the boat – biggest fish we have ever seen – but it bit through the wire trace when he tried to gaff it. We tied up on a buoy at Koh Bangu at 4.15. There were fish everywhere under the boat so we jumped in to watch them – big fish and all different sorts. A lady of the German yacht next to us snorkelled by following a turtle and it came right up to her about a foot away from her face. Really beautiful turtle. A lovely place. The rangers came out and collected 400 bht each ($13) and 100 bht for the boat per day. We had a quiet night on board with Cilantro on the next buoy.

Monday 21 Feb – Koh Bungu
At 10am all the speedboats came in and bought heaps of snorkelers. We had a snorkel at lunch time when they had left. Heaps of huge big colourful fish. The reef is pretty much dead but the fish are fabulous. In the afternoon Cilantro collected us in their dinghy and we went across the channel to Island 8 (there are 9 islands in the Similan group) which is where the ranger station is. It has a beautiful beach and big boulders all round and is full of boats and tourists. We had a look around and went up the walk to the high boulders which overlooks both islands (8 and 9). Fabulous view. We had a swim and waited till all the tour boats left – the beach was lovely without anyone on it. Had sundowners on Pacific Express.

Tuesday 22 Feb – Koh Banhu to Koh Miang (island 4) Similans
Had a snorkel at 9am – all the boats came in at 10am and they were hand feeding the turtle with bananas. This explained why the turtle was so friendly!!! We left at 12.15 and motored to Koh Miang (Island 4) where we tied up on a buoy but it was too rough. Cilantro went around the other side of the island and radioed that it was better so we went round there too and tied up to a buoy –anchoring is only allowed in really deep water. We picked Cilantro up in Bob and went to shore for a swim. It is pure white sand with clear aqua water – just gorgeous. We had sundowners on our boat watching schools of lovely fish all around the boat. Had a lovely still night.

Wednesday 23 Feb – Koh Miang Similans
Cilantro left at 6.30 to head back to the mainland. Their visa is almost up and then they return to Australia for three weeks. After they left it got really rough here so we left to circumnavigate the southern three islands. The southern one had a gorgeous beach but only one buoy and unfortunately someone was on it. Came back to Koh Miang and tied up on the buoy Cilantro had been on. Went for a snorkel and saw a huge cow fish red with white spots and also another one with army camouflage and big cow eyes. Not sure if they weren’t some sort of puffer fish or cow fish. But very pretty. Tried snorkelling in a few different places and then back to the boat. The seas have settled a bit but it is still rocky.

Thursday 24 Feb – Koh Miang to Ban Thap Lamu
08°34.144N 098°13.032E
Woke at 2am with very strong winds and lightning high in the clouds all around us but no thunder. The large ketch anchored next to us started dragging backwards at a great rate of knots. We could hear thunder but the storm passed about 10 miles south of us. Daylight found us side on to the swell and rolling quite a bit so dropped the buoy and headed for the mainland. Thought we could see small dolphins frolicking around us but we think they may have been very large tuna! It was a lumpy trip till we got closer to the mainland and then the seas flattened out. We had wind on the nose all the way but just as we were going into Khao Lak it went SW (supposed to be NE) and the sky had a strange look and the weather felt weird so we went another 10nm up to the river at Ban Thap Lamu where the naval base is. We came in a picked up a buoy (which saved us putting our anchor in the mud!) Had a really peaceful night and slept really well.

Friday 25 Feb – Ban Thap Lamu – Khao Lak
It was a beautiful day so we went across the river to the town to get our internet topped up. Its rather a smelly kind of place. The last time we were here there were heaps of fishing boats all rafted up and the river was brown. There’s not half as many boats now and the river is a lovely green. Had lunch and then headed back up to Khao Lak where we hope to catch up with Peter’s cousin from Germany. We anchored off the little plastic jetty and went in for dinner at the beach side restaurant. As soon as we got to the jetty a young man came down to ask us about the boat and where we were from as he is trying to convince his wife to go sailing. He even offered us the use of the shower in his unit! We went for a walk up the street to see a bit of the town and to work out where we are to tell Peter’s cousin Axel and his wife Elisabeth. We last saw them about 27 years ago when we visited them in Germany. We came back and had a lovely dinner chatting to the couple at the table next door as they would like to have a sailing holiday here in December.


Well we have booked ourselves on the Sail Malaysia rally to the East leaving at the end of April. It will take us down the west coast of Malaysia and half way up the east coast and then across to Borneo – Sarawak and Sabah. If you are interested the website is www.sailmalaysia.net. There is also the Rainforest World Music Festival on in July in Kuching (www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com) so have bought three day passes for that. The rally ends in August. There are quite a few boats that we know doing it and at the end of it will be decision time for us all as to which direction we go next.

Meanwhile take care.
Calm seas be careful what you wish for!!
Dell and Peter

Sat 12 to Fri 18 Feb - Koh Phayam to Surin Isles

Saturday 12 Feb - Koh Phayam
Bit blowy but sunny. Went ashore at 11 and walked to the middle of the beach where a cement path went up. There are no roads, just wide footpaths and no cars only motorbikes. People are taken to their rooms by motorbike taxi. It was a beautiful walk with a few shops/stores along the way and we noticed lots of cashew nut trees. The nut grows at the end of a fruit. Peter tried to bite the cashew out if its shell but his mouth started burning - we have since found out that they are poisonous! We saw the nuts laid out to dry and then we came across a lady who was shelling them with a machine operated by foot pedal. There are lots of large solar panels everywhere. Also a lot of rubber trees. We walked about 5 km. Stopped at halfway and had a wonderful pineapple shake - lots of ice - which helped soother Peter's lips!!! There are two piers at the village - one has a Bhuddist temple at the end of it and the other is where the tour boats come in. We had a lovely lunch and could see a squirrel in a cage in the street - next thing the people took it down and were kicking it around with the poor little squirrel in it - looked terribly cruel. Then they poured water over it. Seems that it had got covered in green ants and they were trying to get them off - sadly the poor little thing died - was horrible. We took another footpath back - not so well used by bikes and no shops but very interesting - lots of huts where people lived and the odd mansion and we came back out on to the beach at the other end. Came back with a few beer stops and ended up at the Hornbill again where we sat and watched the sun set and shared a couple of appetisers which thankfully were huge. We were sitting on plastic chairs and James got his caught in a crack in the floor and he went over flat on his back! We adjourned to the Froggy restaurant where we were warned that there would be a bit of a wait as they were serving about six people on another table. To cut a long story short we waited 1 ½ hrs watching the other table get heaps of food. When we finally got ours it was very small and one of the worst meals we have ever had. And it was also expensive. The crispy tuna salad appeared to be the dregs that float on the top of the fryer and was totally inedible. The cat even ran away! So our early night ended up very late and was a disappointing finish to a wonderful day.

Sunday 13 Feb - Koh Phayam
Had a very late start to the day then Mandolin Wind called us up on the radio so we waited till they and Braveheart got in. Saw something spiralling towards the water from a great height and were amazed to see it was two eagles joined together just spiralling down. When they were almost at the water they pulled apart and flew away. We went ashore at 2pm. Sandra and Dell walked to the shops up the footpath and bought some sandles, cakes and cashewnuts while the boys settled into a bar. It was a lot hotter today. We walked back to our dinghies and had a swim. At 6.30 we collected Cilantro and met up with Braveheart and Mandolin Wind so all went to the Hornbill restaurant and another English couple joined us. We are amazed at how people actually find these wonderful little out of the way places. It is by no means crowded but all the little huts and units seem to be full. It is a really laid back place. We had a lovely night. As we were coming out in Bob the only wave for the day broke over us and Sandra and Dell got soaked. But a lovely day.

Monday 14 Feb - Koh Phayam
Moved around to Buffalo Bay just around the corner. It is really pretty and is more protected with rocks at the back. Nimbus, Jellyfish and Alpha Centauri are all here. Apparently there had been a village here but it got wiped out by the tsunami so the Government built the village over the other side of the bay and the beach is now laid back little resorts and cabins. The hippy bar has been build out of scraps of wood from the sea. While we were hanging the washing we started hearing shouts for help. We could see a girl pushing through the water to shore and there was a snorkeller behind her. Then we heard what she was saying - help my boyfriend has disappeared and has not come up. So all the dinghies from all the yachts came and we were doing a bit of a grid search. The girl came out in a Thai boat from shore and one of the lads jumped in so we gave him our snorkel. It was becoming pretty clear by now that we were searching for a body and it was the most awful feeling and then there was a shout from out in the bay and there he was on a kayak. The girl was in the most awful case of shock and had cut her feet up pretty badly. When we went ashore a bit later to the hippy bar they turned up to buy us all a beer. Turned out he had followed a snorkeller to shore thinking it was her and when he found it wasn't he had gone to get the kayak to look for her. She meanwhile had followed someone else and when she realised it wasn't him and couldn't find him she panicked. Anyway alls well that ends well and we were all much relieved to see him. We joined Cilantro and Nimbus for dinner at Mr Goa's which was very pleasant indeed. While we walked along the beach a few dogs started howling and being very vocal then dogs came from everywhere and they all had a dog convention all howling for about five minutes and then they appeared happy and dispersed! Very strange.

Tuesday 15 Feb - Koh Phayam
We went to shore at 10.30 and together with Cilantro followed a hard dirt track through the jungle over the saddle in the hill. The jungle was very cool and we saw some monkeys but they ran away - seemed afraid of man. We came out on another beautiful beach with a restaurant and some cabins. One cabin was built on the rocks at the end of the beach - what a perfect spot! We walked the beach then had a swim. The water got deep rather quickly and while we were talking a big pike fish leapt out of the water behind James and Sandra startling all of us including the fish. We adjourned to the restaurant and had a lovely lunch then walked back up through the jungle. There were lots of little offshoot tracks leading down to the various resorts and restaurants. We walked till the track turned into a concrete road and then headed in to the Concept restaurant which was perched on the top of a cliff. It was very rocky offshore here. It was so lovely and cool so we had a drink then went down the stairs and walked around the headland on the rocks along the beach back to our dinghies where we had another swim and then joined Braveheart in a restaurant for a sundowner. We all adjourned back to our boats and met ashore for dinner with Cilantro, Braveheart and Mandolin Wind. Another pleasant evening.

Wednesday 16 Feb - Koh Phaya
Met Cilantro ashore at 1 and walked to the village to buy some fruit for the next section of our journey. We managed to get some warm bread rolls then walked back via the temple jetty. Sandra and James took their supplies back to their boat while we walked down to the Australian's shop to get information re Koh Chang which is the next island up. Unfortunatley they were closed so walked back and met Cilantro and Alpha Centauri at the restaurant. We had a lovely meal and saw the biggest gecko - red spots all over him. They feed him chicken and we didn't have the camera!!! He makes a very loud ge-ko sound.

Thursday 17 Feb - Koh Phayam to Koh Chang
09°50.846N 098°26.347E
We left at 10am and headed 5miles further up to Koh Chang. This is only 2 1/2miles from the Burmese border. We passed a Thai destroyer on the way. We went in between the marked rocks and the beach and it suddenly went very shallow. We think the rocks must continue to the beach. Got back into 7 metres and anchored quite close to the beach. The sand was black and not as nice as Phayam but very laid back. Restaurants and cabins on the beach. We decided to go for a walk but had trouble locating the path. Walked to a dam and instead of tracing our steps we went on and fournd the pier but there were no further footpaths. Suffice to say we walked for four hours - found the gypsy village down a little dirt track through jungle - we didn't mean to find it!!!! Anyway we eventually found our way back to the beach - saw some hornbill birds. Had a beer in three different restaurants - we were gasping and then went back to the first one to eat. Had a lovely meal then an early night!!

Friday 18 Feb - Koh Chang to Surins
Left at 7am and headed out and followed the red line of the border with Burma on the chartplotter. Caused a bit of a dog leg but though it was better to be safe than sorry!! Motored all day- light winds but not in the right direction. Peter actually caught his first fish in 18 months - an 81cm Spanish mackerel. Fish for dinner! We arrived at the Surin Islands (3 clustered islands) at 3.30. Cilantro picked up a big yellow buoy and we went to the other side of the bay and picked up a red buoy not too far from the beach so we are in a top spot.

Hoping you are all well - missing you

Calm seas but a bit of wind would be good
Dell and Peter

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