West coast sojourn
I can hear my fans calling – ‘where have you been, we can’t live without your blog’. My answer, get a life. Who wants to read a blog of someone who may be living your dreams. Just makes life harder!
All kidding aside it has been a while since I have had a chance to sit down in a place that has a wi-fi connection good enough to load pictures and serves a decent cup of coffee.
This is going to be more of a photo journey as, surprise of surprises, I don’t have much to say. Wouldn’t you all love that; a nice quite Tony. I doubt that will happen anytime soon but for now I just have to let the saltwater wash out of the brain as we have been mostly cruising the west side of Thailand up to the Burmese border for the last little while. Would love to have gone into Burma but the permits are very costly and one must have a Burmese guide onboard 24/7 which is OK but then there is a room and board charge for that person of $40/day. So, until things free up a little will wait.
So, enjoy the photo journey
So, you want to sail away….
I received this email a few days ago from some friends from Germany, Holger and Antje, onboard their sailboat, Freya, in Langkawi, and it made me think of all the times I have wished to live on land…
“A couple of days before we had a very nice and interesting day! We tried to fix the sail into the new furling – but after 3 meters it didn´t work anymore! Erja had repaired the sail and now it was too thick! ARGHH! We brought it back to Erja and she made it thinner.
After this frustrating moment, Holger wanted to repair our Ventilator (it made noises). During this, he kicked with his foot the kettle with nearly 1 litre of water in it! Then he took our best, WHITE kitchen towel and cleaned the bottom – which I had varnished with oil before…
That was the right moment for a discussion! Then Holger fixed the cover from the ventilator, but he kicked (!) a bottle of whiskey, that broke and inside we had a nice smell!
The whiskey stood in the pantry, because our footpump was broken and we pumped nearly 30 liters of water in the bilge. Holger could not repair this the same day, he had problems with his back!
One day later we found a hole in the fridge. Holger tried to repair it with silicon and now our fridge has a good smell, like a dentist room! Just another fucking day in paradise…
So you can see – it is not boring here! I asked me, why people live on boats??”
So, is it always like this onboard a boat? No, but at times thinking about living on land seems to be a lot easier. But then we read of the -22C temperatures in parts of Canada and think no, this life is OK.
However, here we are in supposedly the north east monsoon season cruising along the west coast of Thailand and up towards Burma. Well, the NE winds are really not in existence. There are light winds from the east in the morning and then we are treated to 10-15kn winds from the west. There are no anchorages on this coast that offer protection from the west so in the afternoon everyone is holding on to handholds in their boats as the swell sweeps in to the anchorage making life onboard like living in a washroom during an earthquake that doesn’t seem to stop.
I guess one option is to head ashore in the dinghy. It’s getting into the dinghy from the pitching and rolling deck that’s a challenge. Once in the dinghy then rowing a shore can be fun as we surf down the front of small breaking waves. Then there’s the shoreline. How to make it ashore without getting soaked in a breaking wave. We strip off to the delight of the vacationers onshore, try to time it perfectly but despite all the preparations it’s either leaving or arriving on the shorelinie that we inevitably time it wrong and take a wave into the dinghy soaking all our clothes and purchases in salt water. That’s why we both look at our clothes and try to pick out the ones that have the least mould growing on them! My hats are getting pretty bad though. I can’t seem to get rid of the little mould spots and I love the hat and can’t through it away yet.
My current favourite hat destroyed by mould
At these times the feeling of being able to walk out the front door or a house and putting the key in the ignition seems a lot simpler than taking the dinghy ashore.
Season’s Greetings
To all our friends, family and blog followers all the best for the holiday season.
For those of you on the Gregorian calendar A Happy New Year from Thailand.
Connie making a tropical wish for Christmas
Just wondering what Santa has up his sleeve this year!
Travelling on the shoulder
We recently completed a trip from Langkawi to Ao Chalong, Phuket. It was what I call done in the shoulder season. By that I mean it’s the time of the year when the seasons are changing. Here in Thailand/Malaysia we are changing from the south-west monsoons to the north-east monsoons. It’s a tricky time of the year as the wind can come from any direction.
We were confident that we would be OK weather-wise. We have been in the area now for almost a year and we have rarely seen the wind blow from the same direction with any strength for more that a few hours. However, we were caught out this time.
We left Khua, Langkawi and headed over to Telaga, on or our favourite anchorages in Langkawi. The wind was from the north-east which it had been blowing for the last week and our thoughts were that the north-east monsoons were settling in and our guest, Sandy from Edmonton, would enjoy a trip north with us.
We anchored in Telaga for the night and with predictions of a bit of a blow and a low coming in we left for Koh Lipe. The prediction was for the wind to change directions and come from the southerly quadrant. We headed up to the north-west coast of the island despite the wind coming from the northerly sector making the anchorage a little jumpy. Sure enough that night the wind changed to a more southerly quadrant and the bouncing anchorage became smoother.
By nightfall the wind was up, local fishing boats were coming into anchor, rain had been blowing hard for two days and were not at all comfortable. Night was no better especially when the wind shifted to the south-west. By morning we could not see the boat next to us as it disappeared in the swell. Time to move. Local boats were calling us to follow them so up with the anchor and off to the east side of the island.
We were finally in some degree of comfort with the seas calmed by the island but we were tired of being trapped on the boat so headed ashore. And the day after we left for points north.
What follows are a few pictures of the storm’s aftermath in the various places we visited as we made our way to Phuket.
Beach scene on what should be a calm anchorage
The above scene is in Koh Lipe and is taken in an anchorage where most boats normally anchor but with the southerly winds blowing it left it exposed and those who stayed behind had lots of trouble on their hands
A charter cat on the beach
And here is someone in the same anchorage that stayed too long and their mooring broke and when they started their engines the ropes became entangled in the engine props and around the rudders
Sunken in Koh Phi Phi
Look closely under the water and see the sunken tourist boat – 4X350h.p. engines and seating for 40. Don’t know the story but now it’s flagged and underwater in the main harbour of Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi harbour
Yet more damage in Koh Phi Phi’s main harbour. Lots of local fishboats that are now only good for firewood
This is all just a reminder to us at sea that we too could possibly end up on the beach in a storm but we hold on to our luck and hope for the best.
The Choke Point Community
Choke Point
a strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
There are only three ways to transit between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. First, one can drop down to the roaring fourties (40-50S latitude) and make your way around the south end of Australia. The other is to transit the Torres Straits between Australia and Indonesia – notorious for swift currents, typhoons/cyclones and difficult navigations through reef strewn shallow waters. The last and most used route is that through the Straits of Malacca i.e. between Indonesia and Malaysia – notorious for variable or non-existent winds, pirates, currents and hot spices.
In the last 10 years the one factor that has influenced the movement of long distance ocean cruisers is that the passage through the Red Sea is no longer a given. Pirates infest the waters and cruisers have been kidnapped, killed and maimed while trying to enter/exit the Red Sea. This has forced them to either wait in SE Asia for conditions to improve i.e. for piracy to abate, or choose to go south around the Cape of Good Hope. Not everyone wants to make their way around the cape as it has a notorious reputation for dangerous seas that has provided nightmares for sailors for centuries.
Hence, south-east Asia is a bottle neck for cruisers from around the world. There are boats here registered in almost every major port of the world as well as the smattering of boats from the U.S. that can be registered in places like Reno, Nevada. There’s a cornucopia of people onboard. Here at the docks at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club on our pier there are people from the Solomon Islands, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, United States and the list goes on. What brings people here?
People come here for the obvious reason that if you are sailing around the world you can’t avoid it. The Malacca Straits acts as one of the main funnels between the Indian and the Pacific Ocean hence Singapore has grown into an immense city-state with man-made as well as natural islands filled with industry and surrounded by hundreds of tankers either at anchor or on the move between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Singapore is not the choice for sailing vessels transiting the world as a place to stop for very long. It’s crowded, expensive and has limited dock space. However, head up the Malacca Straits to Phuket and Langkawi and one enters a dreamland for long distance sailors.
The islands entice sailors with good anchorages, hidden but accessible hongs, sandy beaches, exotically spiced foods,, affordable and most important of all there are no typhoons or cyclones at any time of the year.
Unlike a lot of other cruising areas of the world there are a whole variety of reasons why so many sailors are here.
First there are those we refer to as the Charterers: people who come from around the world to charter a sail-boat to cruise through the islands around Phuket and north as well as the islands south to Langkawi. They are here for a short period of time be it three days or up to a month. They may or may not have chartered and/or sailed in other areas of the world. They are here with money in their pockets and are expecting to experience as much as they can in the short period of time they have set aside. The charter trade here is predominantly populated by 12-20 metre catamarans that can accommodate a lot of people to share the costs. They can roar around from anchorage to anchorage either under sail or by using the two engines they are usually equipped with.
The charterers are not interested in meeting other people on cruising boats. They have an agenda and they are here to accomplish what they have in mind. They set out for the trip with plenty of food, friends onboard, dive gear, a bar well stocked and a cruising guide to see them through the islands with all the anchorages marked and evaluated for their beauty and/or facilities.
Secondly are the people who have left their boats here for the SW monsoon season and are just now, in November, coming back to claim their boats, get them ready for the season, repair any damage left undone when the boat was put away or occurred during the SW monsoon season. Lets call these the Part-timers (in Canada they may be known as snow-birds). They know the area well, they have been here before and they know what they want to do and see. Many of these are Australians as Air Asia runs cheap flights to almost anywhere in Australia from either Phuket and/or Kuala Lumpur. However, there are also others from may other parts of the world.
Part-timers are only here for a short time. They are focused and still probably in ‘work mode’. That is, they haven’t slowed down, are efficient with their time and have a specific idea what they want to accomplish in 6 months. They are not so interested in connecting with the people living and cruising on their boats full-time from other countries but do partake in social gatherings of other yachties if they are around.
Then there are the Full timers. They live, travel, work and reside on their boats 365 days of the year. They rarely travel ashore and are on the move depending on weather patterns. Some have been cruising for upwards of 35 years or more and others are just starting on their dreams of long distance voyaging. They sometimes travel alone or having found compatible cruising friends sail for a while together before eventually parting ways hoping to meet up in an anchorage in some far off spot in months or years.
The Full timers are usually very social. The boat may be their life savings and the only home they know but for the most part they are debt free and able to wander the earth’s oceans content to know they don’t have a payment to make next month. They may not have a lot of money but they can keep going and are not beholden to monthly payments for communications, cars, mortgages etc. They sometimes stop for work if the purse is empty or they may be fortunate enough to be economically self-sufficient. They see no end to their movement and have no thoughts of returning permanently to land. Being at the choke point they may be seeing other full timers they haven’t seen in years but they are also ready to make friends with sailors who may have just joined one of the groups above. This is their community.
This Choke Point has created a local sub-culture of boaters the local community must have a hard time understanding but for someone caught up in this whirlpool it presents interesting opportunities and endless fodder for discussions and laughter.
In the end we have come together through good fortune, hard work and a passion for travel and the sea. No matter if we are a charterer, a part timer or a full timer I just hope the sea is kind. I hope none of us have to experience the traumas of a typhoon such as what has just happened to sailing friends and local communities in the Philippines with Typhoon Haiyan.
Thinking of the Philippines
An amazing typhoon called Haiyan has now entered Surigao Straits. It is one of the most powerful typhoons in history. We are thinking of the people of the Philippines and the many sailors we have met who are up there waiting…
For more information on this typhoon see this site for typhoon Haiyan
Sojourn to Bangkok
I got itchy feet. Since a friend was heading up to Bangkok to get his visa for Burma I decided to follow also thinking I might go to Burma.
With Connie’s blessing and a ticket at least across to mainland Malaysia in my hand I left Connie behind to do her painting and varnishing projects.
Varnishing the interior of Sage
Connie worked hard on varnishing and painting part of the interior when I was away.
Connie’s on a roll (no pun intended). Varnish, varnish, varnish…
Her’ rolling and tipping’ technique made varnishing a large flat surface a little easier.
And when she was finished and I came back and found Sage a new boat! What a transformation.
Seen on the docks recently. Not a bad varnish job
Now after all that varnishing Connie deserves a little R&R
After a long hard morning of sanding and varnishing it’s off to the massage chair at the mall!
My ticket took me across to Alor Setar and from there I made my way across the border to Hat Yai to meet up with Marcello.
Through the wonders of cell phones, sim cards and tablets we managed to locate each other, buy some train tickets to Bangkok and the sleeper (ie night train) and then headed out for something to eat before the train was to leave.
Marcello on the train to Bangkok
How fortuitous as we ran into the ‘Vegetarian Festival‘ which is held in the 9th lunar month of the Chinese Calendar. Some of the pictures are a little out of this world and others just another festival.
This dragon was awesome
great costumes on many participants
Lots of colour, fireworks, costumes, masks and of course the dragons
Ouch – yes self torture seemed to be popular at the vegetarian festival. I still haven’t figured out what the point is.
After an hour or so of taking festival pictures it was time to climb on the train for the overnighter to Bangkok. The train left at 1645hrs and arrived Bangkok at 1045hrs. Everyone has a sleeper, one up/one down, and there is a restaurant car which is always a great place to meet people and have a bite to eat.
As for Bangkok. We strolled around for 4 days taking in various sites and sounds from Wats (temples) to shopping centres, art galleries (Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC)), street foods, Chinatown, klong rides, Richard Thompson’s house etc etc. Here is Bangkok in pictures.
weaving silk in the traditional manner
Marcello and Salvador
Ode to Salvador Dali
Hard on the eyes but great representation of Bangkok at night
Lovely oil painting at MOCA
My favourite painting at the MOCA. Do you see the 2 Muslim women looking at each other?
Another gilded statue
Another gold clothed buddha
Interior space of the Bangok Arts and Culture Centre
Interior of BACC
Tony and Marcello portrait
then it was time to say goodbye to Marcello who was heading off to Burma by bus and for me it was a trip back on the train and ferry to Langkawi.
Langkawi at rest
There’s something about this house that attracts me. On the way into town I pass this house either walking, bicycling or in a taxi. It is located right next to a small river that runs on the southern edge of downtown Khua.
It evokes so many questions.
I finally took the opportunity of walking around the property and love the way the jungle is consuming the home. It’s like some benign monster chewing away at the foundations and consuming the history.
Phuket To Langkawi
Phuket to Langkawi – September 2013
Air conditioning is deadly
September 15
After almost a month on land and living in an air conditioned house we are struggling to make the adjustment back to the boat.
On arrival in Phuket we thought the weather was great. A gentle to strong breeze blew most of the time and we seemed to be enjoying the great weather. Now it is like starting all over again. After sleeping in the house where we could turn down the temperature to a freezing 22 degrees so we could snuggle under the duvet we now sit stripped down, drenched in sweat with all the fans on.
Tonight I am lying out on deck to escape the down below stuffiness as there is no breeze tonight. It comes with benefits though. I can hear the music from onshore with loud rock but over to port I hear what I think is a sad Chinese lament of lost love and karaoke off to the strern. But then off to starboard aft I can hear what could almostbe Celine Dion wafting across the waters from another yacht. Perhaps what I should do is go down below and get my I-pod to tune everything out.
I still stay glued to the deck as the half moon has risen, it is a clear tropical night and the lighted giant Buddha is shining down on the anchorage. We have just come from onshore where we treated ourselves for our last, at least for the time being, meal in Phuket. No we did not have some exotic sounding Thai meal but rather partook in the Sunday roast at Ao Chalong Yacht Club. Me, roast lamb and Connie, in preparation for arrival in a Muslim country, roast pork.
One always meets interesting people at the yacht club. There are many ex pats who drink at the club and then there are the itinerant drifters who drop by on their way from point A to B and then beyond. Tonight we met Earl. An Australian whose work is based in France, currently on a 2 year leave of absence and who just arrived from South Africa via Madagascar, the Maldives and now Thailand soon to move on to Malaysia and Indonesia.
Earl sails an old Colin Archer schooner which he has just refurbished after nearly sinking twice in the Indian Ocean. He basically tore his boat apart, rebuilt all the frames, the deck and the interior.
A labour of love
Needless to say he has spent a fortune but he does work as the skipper of one of the few remaining whaling ships (power) which is 30 metres in length and is currently on the market for sale for $250,000. Yes, despite the pristine condition no-one wants to buy it. Costs close to $500,000/year in maintenance. Anyone interested in buying contact me and your finders fee will be very low.
Well, that’s it for the night before departure. Tomorrow we hope to start off south. We get to test out the newly insulated fridge, the sinks, the new taps, the soap dispenser and get to sit and smell the new teak in the cockpit. We are like kids at the exhibition. Boyit does not take much to get us excited. We must be deprived.
Oh yes, and for the first time ever we are loaded up with 7 movies thanks to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), our high speed internet at the house we rented and I tunes for putting their 99 cent special on during the festival. I will not bore you with details on all the movies but we have watched a few excellent movies from the festival..
Oh yes I almost forgot. I have season 4 of Breaking Bad and Season 3 of Mad Men. I know, I am addicted to both and also way late in getting to watch them.
Okay day one:
We still have a few small things to do. First off Connie heads ashore, hops on the bike to go to the market while I head out in the dinghy to get a few photos. Leaving the boat to head ashore we leave the yoga matt out on deck with a few water bottles on top to assure it does not get blown away.
Connie quickly cycles to the local market, picks up a few forgotten items and then calls to say she is ready for pick up. I am still out taking photos but head back, fold up the bike, load Connie’s market treasures and then we take the dinghy over to the beach to collect our last lot of drinking ice. What boat goes to sea without the much required ice for the gin?
I can only hope the ice lasts as long as the gin.
We headed back to the boat, clambered back on-board and started to store things away. Picking up the water bottles off the yoga mat I noticed three black marks. Looking more closely I realized the yoga matt had been burnt by the sun being magnified as it passed through the water. Who would have expected that to happen? I doubt it would have caught on fire but I am not willing to experiment with that concept.
We are still not done. We have a lunch date that coincides perfectly with realising that we are almost out of fuel for our dinghy. So, once more ashore to meet up with Denny a friend we first met back in Port Dickson for lunch and buy some fuel.
Denny is 75, sails solo most of the time on a Spencer 53 foot sail-boat. For the last month he has had his grandson visiting and they have managed to fit in scuba certification for Taylor, sailed to Lankawi and back with stops at a number of islands for scuba adventures. I admire Denny’s resilience but do not think I want to be out saling at 75. Who knows, 75 isn’t that far away!
Lunch over, engine started and off we go only making two miles to the first anchorage south! We’re happy. The wind blows freshly, the skies are clear, the water is a little clearer and the anchorage is only 2 metres deep.
Day two – Phuket to Ko Phi Phi
Wind blowing from the west at 10 knots. 0700hrs we pull up the anchor and drift away from the island while munching away on breakfast which is leftover last nights dinner made into an omelette i.e. Scrambled eggs with a sausages and fried potatoes. The boat takes care of herself while the genoa pulls the boat along at 5 knots.
We know we do not want the hassle of Phi Phi’s main harbour so head around the south east corner and supposedly an anchorage in 11 metres off a sandy beach. Is nothing sacred? We arrive at a sand beach at low tide and cannot find the 11 metres but rather 18’metres and a beach fringed with a coral shelf. Ah, great for snorkelling. The only problem is there are at least 20 power boats each with 30 people on-board tied stern to the reef. Passengers are all bobbing around in lifejackets and the reef looking like an apple dunking tub at the country fair.
Once one boat leaves two more arrive. They arrive with great fanfare. Having three 350 h.p. engines they do three doughnuts in the anchorage at high speed to the thrill of the passengers who must think they are on the roller coaster at Coney Island throwing their arms in the air and screaming for more. All I feel like is taking out my flare gun and carefully aiming at the fuel tank letting go with a barrage. Makes me wonder if I can purchase a repeat firing flare gun.
Well, it is the only anchorage close by and we are a little burnt by the sun and know night time will bring relief from tourisma extravigansa. However, we also learn that we are on a major passenger route between down-town Phi Phi and the east coast resorts. Combined with the bobbing apples we are also rolled side to side by the ferries, bangkas, ski boats, fishing boats and whatever else decides to fly by with either 3 X 350 h.p. or what sounds like a NASCAR without a muffler. I think the tourism industry here is slowly learning that tourists do not like to be deafened by unmuffled longtails but a few die-hards still survive.
Finally peace arrives by 1900hrs but by this time I have sworn never again to come to Phi Phi. The problem is that in transit from or to Langkawi or Phuket it is a convenient stop. But if there is a next time I will come with a multi repeater flare gun!
Day three – Ko Phi Phi to Ko Rok Noi
Amazing. Pulled up the anchor at 0700hrs and as the breeze pulled us out to the open water we sat and had our tea, cereal and warmed buns. Sky was clear a strengthening breeze and we were off on our next 38 mile leg to Ko Roc Noi, a small uninhabited island that is now a national park. Our only concern was if the island would provide us enough protection from the SW swell.
We rounded the north end of the island at 1330hrs still wondering if we would get a comfortable night. First we see one Thai fish-boat anchored out on the spit at the north end and then two then twenty then when we have a clear view of the anchorage another ten to make it forty! Yes, the anchorage is protected.
We know the fish-boats are anchored for the day while they rest up before heading out at night for their regular fishing routine. It seems there isn’t and part of this coast that is not fished. Sustainable? I have no idea but I suspect not.
As we manoeuvre in to anchor we cut it a little close and come close to skewering ourselves on a coral head. We are always looking for the opportunity to anchor in 3 metres of sand but typical of this coast the shoreline is fringed with patches of sand interspersed with coral heads that are too close to the surface and too close together to manoeuvre Sage amongst them to find a secure anchorage. So it means heading out to where the water depth is 12+ metres and where there are fewer coral heads.
We find a good spot and wonder why we see no other sail-boats. It’s almost perfect. There is a slight swell that sweeps around the island making us roll slightly. The wind is channelled by the break in the two island allowing the tidal flow to move through the anchorage. The gap is angled in such a way that in the SW monsoon the majority of the swell is broken down.
So, here we sit, we are anchored two hours before low tide, there is still ice in the cooler from Phuket and the wine bottle is uncorked and the brie cheese is in a perfect state to be eaten with the remaining epi. We are rapidly running out of all our wonderful fresh treats from last minute shopping in Phuket! These are not the types of things available in Langkawi.
Day four – Ko Roc Noi
A day to relax and take in the various opportunities available in the anchorage. Most of the fish-boats anchored late in the evening are now gone. I can only imagine they are just pulling up their nets from a night of trying to second guess where the fish are. Am sure the boats will be back in later to rest up for another night of fishing.
Our first call is a trip ashore to where I can see a run of fresh water spilling on to the beach from the forest. Fresh water showers might be the order of the day. Sad to say the water turns out to be too brackish; the high tide pushes the salt water up into the basin making the water impossible to drink and even dubious for showers. Ah well there is a ranger station and camp-ground further along the beach.
The camp-ground is immaculate but the place is empty except for a few staff who speak very little English. The island was used for the French ‘Survivor’ series and we think the complex infrastructure in evidence on the island was a result of the TV series.
Slinking around are some interesting creatures
There are 80 solar panels tucked in amongst a grove of trees that have been cleared to allow sunlight through for at least a part of the day. There are also cottages dotted around the woods but all in very poor repair.
The King and Queen are never far anywhere in Thailand. This is the park HQ
They look solidly built but on closer inspection the wood is rotting, the water facilities disconnected, the pathways overgrown with weeds and most of the windows broken or in poor repair. It is obvious that at one time there were expectations of lots of visitors but is it the lack of maintenance or the remoteness of the location the reason for the state of the buildings? I do not know the answer but even now there are no other sail boats in the anchorage whereas in January there must have been at least 12 pleasure craft.
Ko Roc Noi – apart from lizards there are all sorts of things to discover. Even a shrine to you know what…
Ah cool off and see how many fish we can find?
Day five – Ko Roc Noi
Another gift. A relaxed day spent doing a few on-board chores, reading and then three hours snorkelling around various spots on the east side of the island.
The coral is reasonably healthy in places and in others show either the ravages of dynamite fishing or simply the slow rejuvenation process. Whatever area we swim through it is a pleasure. When you do come onto an especially lively piece of coral there is a rainbow of colours to enjoy from the frills of the clams to the quickly darting fish. At times great schools of brightly coloured fish follow us for ages and at other times we glide over large expanses of sand as we swim towing the dinghy behind us looking for another coral head to hover over.
The water is exceptionally clear which is a real treat. This area of the ocean does not have a lot of clear water anchorages and it is always a treat to get far enough from the mainland and out to the islands where most of the time one gets clear water.
Day six – Ko Roc Noi to Phaetra
The fickleness of sailing in the SW monsoon season. We sail up the anchor and start our 32 mile trip across to Phaetra. Our original destination was Ko Bulan but with a dead downwind run progress is slow as the apparent wind drops to about three knots. We roll our way over the waters making slow progress. Gives us time to enjoy the day and the scenery.
Always keeping on eye out for fish boats, fish nets, buoys etc we are surprised by a fin off the port bow. It is not something usually seen so we are knocked out of our somnambulist state realising what we are seeing is two whale sharks. We have never seen whale sharks and it has made our day. We didn’t even know whale sharks were in this area and wondering how they have managed to escape the fisherman’s’ nets.
Although the event only lasts a split second it gives us something to talk about for ages. However we still have a few miles to go before our altered destination, Phaetra. Readers of the blog will remember thst on our way north we also stopped here and we came to the conclusion that it was the island of lost sailors souls. This time we did not meet any.
Phaetra at sunset
Evening descended. There was no one to share the anchorage with us and the fishing boats were out at sea or so we thought.
Day seven – Phaetra to Ko Bulan
The day started early. 0330hrs to be precise. The evening had been still and humid so I was sleeping on deck. There were no other boats around and we were anchored in an area where there was about 2 square kilometres of anchoring room all in less than 8 metres.
0330hrs comes and I am half conscious of a fish-boat motoring by very closely. It is crawling by. I do not arise thinking yes it will keep going. Suddenly the engine stops. That wakes me up. What is going on? What with all the anchoring space available is this guy doing anchoring less than fifty metres from us? Their lights are on, it is a large fish-boat with a crew of 7. They are all chattering away as though the diesel engines are on full blast and they are banging away on pots and pans and whatever else makes enough noise to wake everyone within three square kilometres. But we are the only ones within hailing distance.
My overly active imagination goes into full gear. They’re setting this all up to board us and take what they want. What can we do? Out comes the flare gun, spread the tacks on the deck, fire up the satellite phone, turn on the VHF and generally stress out. So what are they doing? They are out on deck mending their nets, they are singing away and after about ninety minutes things quieten down and they are obviously resting.
I cannot stay awake any longer and snooze away in the cockpit with the flare gun loaded. I am startled awake by the starting engines. “OK” I say to myself. “Come and get us if you can”. But no, they motor off for another day of fishing leaving us with gaping mouths feeling like fools. I should say me because Connie was not concerned and early on had called me crazy and went below to fall asleep in the V berth.
Oh well we are awake so we may as well head off. Pull up the anchor and off we go for a beautiful 18 nautical mile sail to Ko Bulan. It is one of our favourite anchorages as on our way north we stopped and found a fresh water stream.
Ko Bulan anchorage looking north to the entrance we used. Narrow yes – only 12 metres wide but gives access to one of our favourite anchorages
Day eight – Ko Bulan to Taratao
Lovely short sail down. Clear skies, gentle seas and wonderful scenery.
Taratao has an intriguing history. It was used as a prisoner camp particularly during the height of the communist insurgency in the 1950s. Oddly enough in one of the english language newspapers here was a story of a returning communist being arrested at the airport with ‘seditious’ written materials in his suitcase. The chief of police in Kuala Lumpur was quoted as warning citizens they had better not read or have in possession such materials. I have now cleared out my bookshelf! Since when was free speech and thought outlawed in Malaysia?
Anyway back to Taratao. There are many miles of walks to do on Taratao including a walk through the old prison camp and the cemetery where some 700+ graves are marked. Best of all though is the non stop water hose at the end of the 75 metre jetty that was built to unload prisoners. The jetty is now crumbling but with attitudes like those expressed by the chief of police we may have a work project in progress in the not too distant future.
Taratao pier
We made ample use of the water at the end of the dock and managed a few short walks. We are still finding the heat oppressive and difficult to exert ourselves during the heat of midday. However, the beauty of Taratao drew us out of the boat’s cocoon and out and around the island. We will make it back there again on one of our forays north or south over the next while.
Day 9 -Taratao to Tanjung Rhu
So now we cross over the border and back into Malaysia. Tanjung Rhu was a 15 mile jump and is situated on the north eastern shore of Langkawi. We had not been in before and on the charts it is shown as inaccessible for draught vessels. However, we had seen other boats in there so decided to give it a try. Interesting entrance. The entrance is not simply for a bay but for a complex and very large mangrove basin. There are untold numbers of channels navigable by small boats at high tide. Tourist boats make good use of the area taking people into bat caves, off to see eagles and to the numerous floating restaurants with sea pens attached where you can make your lunch choice.
Tanjang Rhu anchorage – no point 7 to 8 was not our route!
Coming into the anchorage was nerve racking as depths varied from 1.5 metres to 8 metres. Never having been here before and not having any clear chart of the possibilities was a little tense. However we found a place that was about five fathoms and dropped the anchor. It was in the main channel from the open water through to the mangrove area and in the distance we could see the floating restaurants which we were dying to try out.
We let the boat settle down, made sure she wasn’t going to drag and then we hopped in the dinghy for a little excursion ashore. First stop was the floating restaurant. What a great place. You can walk around and look at the nets they have in the water with all the varieties of fish they will cook up for you. There is snapper, ray, huge prawns, squid etc. Feeling sorry for the penned fish we chose the most innocuous and most common – squid. I love squid. They have a lovely way of making squid here serving it lightly fried and kind of like a salad with green mangoes. Lovely sauce and accompanied by a few other dishes. we were so thankful to get off the boat and have someone else prepare and cook the food.
Ah lunch out. We also ordered some Tom Yum soup to take back to the boat for dinner
After lunch we motored around the mangrove area for a while, took a walk onshore and then headed back to Sage. Next day headed to Khua, check in and perhaps some acquaintances in the anchorage or at the yacht club. It will be our home for the next while as we welcome some old sailing friends coming in from the U.S. and wait for our next guest arriving from Edmonton.
Next chapter? Who knows
Langkawi Island
Sage on sail 
Thailand – tourism or bust
Protecting the temple
I just finished viewing a friends photos of their sojourn
Sierd and Elsbie enjoying the sunset Thai style
Photo by S. Hortsing
with us sailing the west coast of Phuket. Makes me think twice about this blog I was contemplating.
Tourism – is it the scourge of modern-day life?
We all want to get away for a break from our day-to-day existences. However, what does it mean to those areas in which tourism is almost the sole source of income and raison d’etre?
I come from a tourist town – Victoria, BC. I have worked in tourism for many years. I grew up in a family that sold and conducted European tours for youth from the early 50s through to the 70s. I have travelled extensively to many different areas of the world. I love travelling. However, I can’t ignore the impacts of my actions and sometimes question the impact I am contributing to as a tourist.
Modern modes of transportation and cheap flights are rapidly changing accessibility to more remote locations and virtually nowhere is immune to the impact of travellers. Planes fly in dropping off hundreds of tourists at a a time. Cruise ships bring in thousands of visitors at the same time.
A good example is Victoria B.C. where as many as four cruise ships can stop at one time. Virtually none stay overnight – they don’t want to incur berthing fees for overnight stays. As many 10,000 people descend on the downtown area at the same time. It has changed Victoria’s tourism trade. Where people used to come by boat, plane, car, bus, ferry etc many now come by cruise ship. When the ships disgorge passengers the downtown becomes a carnival – acrobats, street artists, hawkers, food stalls, street sellers flood the pavement. The city hums for about 4 hours and then suddenly it dies. The passengers are back on their ships shortly to leave for the next destination.
Phuket is another example of tourism on steroids. As much as I love Phuket I can at times hate it. It is full bore tourism that goes on all year with anincrease in the winter season from Christmas to Easter time. Everyone is chasing the tourist dollars as it’s the main economic driver in town.
Both Phuket (pop: 500,000) and Victoria (pop: 385,000) are not large. but both rely on tourism. Victoria hosts some 3,000,000 visitors/year and Phuket 5,000,000/year. Phuket is a small island comprising 543 square kms compared to Vancouver Islands 32,000 square kms . Phuket is quite hilly with residents and tourists crammed in along the coastline on both east and west sides to take advantage of the proximity to the beaches and services.
No it’s not a clown but just another tourist
Unlike Victoria Phuket’s roads are crammed with vehicles. In Phuket there is no fresh drinking water available and in many cases there isn’t even running water accessible for the homes of residents. There isn’t adequate sanitation resulting in places like Patong, at the really busy Christmas season smelling like the local sewage treatment plant except it’s the ocean providing that service.
Despite all the negatives it is a beautiful place. It has some of the most gorgeous beaches in SE Asia. It has world renown Thai cuisine available everywhere. It’s relatively inexpensive and on top of that anchorages for visiting yachts abound. The whole west coast is one bay after another each distinct in its character, charm and safe during the NE monsoon period.
“So what”, you may ask. I don’t know the answer about how best to manage tourism but unrestricted access is ruining some places. In the rush to enjoy the natural beauty we are destroying that we have come to visit. I believe unrestricted access is not the answer but neither is making it financially inaccessible the answer. With some places contemplating the building of hotels to accommodate 15,000 people on islands where there are only 2,000 inhabitants it won’t take long for it to look like the downtown of some major city.
We are soon to experience a burgeoning tourist population from China. Finally, with a little money to spend, the Chinese are starting to travel. Who can blame them? But are we ready for the influx. It’s the next big tourist market. They will be travelling in very large numbers and the impact will be huge.
Okay, this is just some thoughts as I go off to visit another beautiful island but I am not going to tell you where it is or how I got there. And once my camera is fixed I will post some pictures and then you can pass the information off to another million people on your networks!
Is Buddha popping out moons?
Interesting related link on the same subject
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/20/tourism-overwhelms-historic-places-venice-cruise-liners