The End of the Year is Nigh... sigh...

We are starting to feel that we could sail the route between Langkawi and Phuket blindfolded!! After several weeks back in Phuket we suddenly discovered that doing a visa run to the Thai/Burmese border by road would no longer give us another 30 days to enjoy Thailand as well as haul out for necessary boat work. Instead we would receive only 15 days. We usually arrive in Thailand with a 60-day visa which may be extended to 90 days. However, this time we didn’t deem it necessary as we proposed to do one visa run and then leave for the Andaman Islands. Oh, well, the best laid plans...

The good news though is that during our short stay in Thailand, most of the varnishing has been redone on Tweed’s teakwork and she is looking a bit spiffier than when we left in August. As well as spending time anchored off Yacht Haven Marina, where we were able to catch up with cruising buddies, we also anchored for a few nights at Panwa Bali in Chalong Bay where we had good protection from the prevailing constant gusty north easterly winds. We were able to swim and go ashore for a meal if we wanted where there are several local style restaurants serving great Thai food.

Large Thai Fishing Vessel

So here we are back in Langkawi once more. This seemed to be the simplest solution – sail to Langkawi and check in to Malaysia, have a day of shopping and refuelling, then check out and sail back to Phuket in time for Christmas (we hope). Our passage this time took in Ko Phi Phi Don (caught one bonito on the way), Ko Muk (caught another bonito) and Ko Tarutao (caught another 80cm mackerel, so the average is improving), arriving in Telaga on Thursday 18 December.

In the waters between Ko Muk and Ko Tarutao there are literally thousands of fish traps marked with a float and a coloured flag. A constant watch has to be maintained to avoid the possibility of getting the rope caught in the propeller or, worse still, catching the fishing lure on one. We have done this twice and each time have been able to turn the boat round and unhook it before losing our gear.

Steering clear of another fishing float

With one week to Christmas Day we have our time cut out as Friday in Langkawi is their ‘weekend’ and the shops we need to get to are closed. The plan is to refuel on Friday, hire a car on Saturday and leave on Sunday which should see us back in Thailand by the 24 December.

Maintaining the Average

The good news on the fishing front continues. Having dragged a troll line all through Indonesia in 2006 and then in and around Malaysia and Thailand ever since and failing to catch the 'big' one, as reported in the last blog the drought has broken. Since catching a nice mackerel leaving Thailand in August, we have caught three more ranging in size from 70-102 cm. We have enjoyed having fresh caught fish to eat and it has been made a whole lot more enjoyable by being able to share our catches with others. This gives us an average of one fish per month and we are hoping to improve on that or at least maintain it. The amazing part of these catches was that three of them were caught (separately) on our set of five small plastic squid lures on nylon line! Only one was caught on our 'proper' Rapala red and white lure complete with wire trace. We have obviously missed a couple though as twice we have had to repair ithe rig by adding a couple of new hooks and plastic squid when they went missing, probably bitten off by a biggie. Added to this tally of mackerel has been one wolf herring. These fish are often seen leaping from the water, usually away from the boat, and seem to bounce as they hit the water and then leap off again, sometimes leaping 10 or more times before they disappear beneath the waves once more. Well, one of them obviously became confused and leapt right onto our foredeck, bouncing off the coachroof and then slithering down the gunnel. Down below it sounded like a sheet rope had come loose but on checking Jon saw the fish thrashing itself to death. It seemed a pity to waste it by throwing it over the side so although they are very bony, the chief cook managed to fillet off a few strips of flesh from the 70cm fish for dinner. She wasn't too fussy though so a lot of it was donated to other creatures of the sea. Not knowing what to expect a delicious red curry of fish pudding was served - a mix of red curry paste, coconut milk, egg and chopped fish, steamed in a bamboo steamer lined with Thai basil leaves.... mmm mmm....

Another Fishy Story

We see many fishing boats along the coast here which keep us on our toes on any passage, long or short. These range from large ocean-going trawlers, large and small squid boats with booms fitted with bright lights to attract the squid, trawlers in pairs (don’t want to get caught between those), long-tails with usually two people aboard and maybe some sort of flimsy covering. If they think it is at all possible, they will try to pass in front of our bows, believing any demons on their boat will pass onto our boat. While in the Bulan passage, there were several smaller long-tails with two fishermen aboard who motored into the anchorage, shut down their noisy diesel engines and then just drifted past us on the current. They didn’t set lines or nets or use rods but just a handline with a hook on the end which they simply jigged up and down and regularly pulled in a small fish. Size doesn’t seem to matter here and if you look closely at the picture you can just make out a fish being brought in by the fisherman at the back of the boat. You can also see the engine and understand why it is so noisy!

Return to Phuket

Since leaving Penang on 16^th October, Tweed spent a month in and around Langkawi, mostly in the anchorages at Telaga and off Kuah Town. A few jobs got done, duty-free stores were taken on board, some sightseeing and shopping trips were made plus of course some plain old relaxation with friends. The night of the 28th was spent with friends at the Wonderland Restaurant in Kuah celebrating Jon's 65th birthday and a good night was had by all. Several nights later a squall of 50 knots hit us while at anchor in Telaga causing a few anxious minutes as Tweed was hit broadside and knocked over at least 30 degrees. The anchor tripped as she slewed round and she started to drag but, fortunately, being on the western side of the anchorage we were able to motor forward in the heavy rain knowing the way was clear and then to drop the anchor where it held securely for the rest of our stay.

Jon, left, celebrating his 65th with Bryce and Martha, SV Silver Fern

Tweed arrived in Phuket on Friday 21 November after leaving Langkawi on 14 November. Our first night was spent anchored off a long beach on Ko Tarutao where we were joined by David and Kris on Taipan. After a dinghy ride up the freshwater creek we all went ashore for a barbecue on the beach while the sun went down. It was a pity about the sandflies though. Next day we went the short distance to anchor in the passage between Ko Bulan and Ko Khao. This was a delightful anchorage out of any swell and strong wind and as the tide receded we saw lots of Long tailed macaques feeding along the mud flats. We decided to spend the next day here doing a few odd jobs and enjoying the anchorage.

Pristine fresh water creek

We left the next morning, taking the northern entrance to the passage which the charts showed had a depth of less than one metre and our pilot guide recommended even catamarans think twice about going through. However, while out in the dinghy we had checked the depths with a hand held depth sounder, so we went through on a spring low tide and it never fell below 3 metres in the shallowest section. The channel itself was over ten metres for most of the way.

Not so pristine beach

From here we did a longish day of 42 miles to arrive at Ko Muk just before sunset and it was only right that after such a long day we should join Taipans for dinner at the restaurant ashore. Although there are several restaurants there belonging to the resorts we chose a very 'rustic' place run by locals, located on the side of a hill with views over the anchorage to the sunset. The slight shore break made for an interesting dinghy launch in the dark to get back to our respective boats.

Next morning we decided to beat the tourists and re-anchored a couple of miles away in a lovely little cove not far from the Emerald Cave. Although we had been this way before the conditions had never been right to go into the cave which opens up to the hong so named because of the effect of the sunlight on the jungle foliage covering the sides. The cave through to the hong is a relatively short distance in the dark as it curves round to come out at a small beach. We did it at low tide and paddled through in the dinghy. Back in the cove, a walk on the beach revealed the usual assortment of footwear, polystyrene, fishing floats, cigarette lighters and other garbage which we can almost guarantee does not come from any visiting yachts.

Cave entrance on the inside of the Emerald Cave hong.

After some snorkelling and lunch , it was a short 5 miles away to Ko Ngai - we had been enjoying some quiet anchorages so now it was time to moor on the east side of an island and see if we could provoke a nice north easterly. We managed this quite well and spent the night rocking and rolling in the 10-12 knot breeze, casting off the mooring as soon as it was light enough to see.

The north easterly stayed with us as we sailed north to Ko Lanta and then up the western side to an anchorage at the northern end of the island. The sustained wind, although not strong, had built up a slight swell so it was a bit rolly but relatively comfortable. We went ashore for some lunch and found our way through the string of resorts lining the beach to the main road and eventually a suitable place to eat - that means not resort prices. It was so nice to be back in Thailand and enjoying Thai food once again. We all had a delicious Pad Thai before making our way back to the beach stopping along the way to pick up some necessary fruit and veg.

We had good sailing again the next day when we did a leg up to Ko Dam Khwan or Chicken Island, so named because of the chicken shaped rock on the south side. A couple of miles out the wind picked up and was gusting to 20 knots when all of a sudden the fishing rod drag went off!! Pam had to ease off the sails to slow the boat down while Jon wound in the fish. It was mackerel number four and this one measured 70cm. So, it was dinner on Tweed that night with Taipans for company to enjoy it. The anchorage at Chicken Island did not offer a lot of protection in the gusty conditions where we anchored in the lee of a reef and small island.

Our last day on passage we decided to go all the way to the anchorage at Yacht Haven. We set off across the bay past Ao Nang with winds gusting over 25 knots so our first five miles were pretty sprightly. Once we got in behind the headland leading up into Phang Nga Bay the wind eased but continued to gust up to 20 knots occasionally. We came round the top of Ko Yao Noi with flukey winds but managed to sail most of the way to Yacht Haven.

Star Clipper cruise ship in Phang Nga Bay

Festival Time In Penang

It is now almost three weeks since we arrived in Penang and as we decided to apply for our Indian visas while here we have had a bit of a wait on our hands - they take 10 working days to process plus there just happened to be two public holidays in there as well – Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, marking the end of Ramadan. This meant two and a half weeks to fill in Penang – not too difficult. We still had varnishing work to do and our friends on More Magic were next to us so we would also fit in some sightseeing and shopping around Penang. Most mornings began with a walk along the waterfront and back through the streets of George Town, taking in the markets. Some mornings we lingered for a Chinese breakfast of yum cha or rice porridge, or an Indian breakfast of roti with curry sauce and mango lassi. Passing through the markets we would pick up fresh fruit and vegetables to see us through the day until it was time to head off for dinner.

Just next to the marina is the Jetty where seven car and passenger ferries ply between George Town on Penang Island and Butterworth on the mainland. We had never done this trip before so along with Daun and Chris we decided to have a day out in Butterworth and visit the Bird Park. The ferry only charges on the return trip and costs RM1.20 (AU$0.40) so is good value. The Bird Park was well worth the visit and we saw lots of fabulous birds including many different owls and hornbills from both Malaysia and other countries around the world. There were also many Golden Pheasants which had stunning plumage. During the afternoon a thunderstorm passed through and by the time we arrived back the marina was very lively with boats rocking and rolling in the turbulence.

We arrived in Penang just before the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, and shortly afterwards it was the Nine Emperors Gods Festival which, according to the Taoist calendar is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. This is when the spirit of the Nine Emperor Gods, which are believed to dwell in the stars, descend to earth and possess spirit mediums, putting them in a trance. During the Festival, stalls are set up to sell vegetarian food and special Kew Ong Yah vegetarian cakes and other goodies. We were fortunate enough to be with Daun and Chris from More Magic when a Chinese friend of theirs, Catherine, was visiting from Malacca. She took us for a vegetarian meal at the restaurant at the Indian Temple of Fine Arts and then on to the Nine Emperor Gods Temple in Burmah Road to watch the mediums having the bad spirits beaten out of them. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday night and they weren’t doing it that night but they were doing it at another Nine Emperor Gods Temple a few kms south of the marina so we whizzed off there. In the space of a few hours we had eaten Indian, watched traditional Indian musicians and singers, witnessed the entranced mediums and watched a bit of Chinese opera (very noisy).

The festival culminates in a float procession where the gods are sent into the sea in emperor boats. Unfortunately, we missed that bit as we were at the airport waiting for Erica to arrive from Brisbane. After a missed flight from Kuala Lumpur to Penang she finally arrived at 8:00 in the middle of heavy rain but safe and well. It was good to see her at last and we hoped to be able to show her some of Penang on her short stay with us.

Meanwhile the festivals continue in Penang. Thursday evening, 9 October, we saw a Hindu procession of a highly decorated chariot drawn by two decorated bulls through Little India as part of the Navarathiri or Nine Nights Festival as it left from the Arulmigu Maha Mariamman Temple (the oldest Hindu temple in Penang). The chariot carried the image of the Goddess Mariamman, a Tamil village goddess related to fertility and rain. Locals had told us that during the nine-day festival rain was expected each day and as the procession left the temple a thunderstorm came through drenching everyone! The chariot proceeded very slowly through the streets with shopkeepers and local merchants bringing out trays of offerings to be blessed. It was all very colourful and noisy with most of the noise coming from the following truck carrying a generator to power all the lights.

Following on from this we thought it was fitting to eat Indian that night and after meeting up with Erica enjoyed tandoori chicken, curries and banana leaf at one of the local restaurants. Jon had banana leaf where a section of banana leaf is used as a plate with three different ‘side’ dishes of dal and curried vegetables served with either white rice or biryani rice. Further curry dishes and breads are added to your choice for a delicious meal.

We plan to be in Penang now until about 15^th October after Erica has returned to Australia. We will make our way back to Langkawi for a short stay and then continue on north to Phuket in Thailand.

Time Out for Family

Kids and Breaking the Drought

Time Out For Family

After a lot of sorting out we made room in our aft cabin for the arrival of Andrea and Will on 31 August who would be with us for 12 days. They arrived on Merdeka Day which celebrated 51 years of independence of The Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule and we had had a fabulous view of the fireworks in Kuah from our anchorage the evening before which they had missed. It was also one day before the start of the month-long Ramadan, when Muslims test their faith by not eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset. Luckily for us there were still plenty of Chinese providing food for the non-Muslims during daylight hours.

They arrived just before lunch so we made a stop at a hawker centre to introduce them to some of the local Chinese food served in these places, namely chicken rice and char kway teoh (stir-fried wide rice noodles). Malaysia is no place for those with finicky appetites and a preference for spotless restaurants but luckily they both seemed to enjoy it and they were assured of plenty of it especially when we moved on to Penang. Will certainly was in foodies’ heaven with all the chili. Once settled on to the boat we went ashore for dinner at Wonderland where we enjoyed several seafood dishes, one with an accompaniment of very spicy ‘white’ chili. Will really took to this hot little chili.

We left Kuah the next morning, planning to circumnavigate Langkawi Island over about 5-6 days and then, if the weather was still holding, to sail 80 miles south to Penang Island and Georgetown. We had good weather for the first few days stopping off at several different anchorages, relaxing and swimming. We saw quite a few Long tailed macaque monkeys feeding along the mud flats at low tide and anchored in The Hole In The Wall we had a troop of Dusky leaf monkeys feeding along the cliff face opposite us. Later that day while Andrea and Will had gone off exploring in the dinghy, Jon attempted to flag down one of the fishing boats returning from a day’s fishing. It was only as the last one came through when he decided to wave a 50 Ringgit note that one stopped. Not surprisingly, we negotiated with the husband and wife team the purchase of a bucketful of very large prawns which we barbecued for dinner.

Our run of good weather started to come to an end by Thursday afternoon when after a snorkel in Teluk Datai the wind had come round to the NW and was coming straight into the anchorage. We made a quick departure and headed for Telaga Harbour which would put us on the south side of the island and out of the wind although some swell was coming around the corner and into the bay. Friday we decided to hire a car to do some sightseeing and some shopping. A visit to the cable car was definitely out as the cloud was covering the hill and the wind was up but we walked to the top of the Seven Wells Waterfall and then back down in heavy rain before continuing on to visit a craft complex, have some lunch at Tanjung Rhu, shop in Kuah town, a massage and then some dinner at Pantai Cenang.

The weather had by now settled in to windy and rainy. After a bit of time out rolling around at anchor we decided that sailing to Penang was not a good option so we booked Tweed into the marina and flew down instead staying in an old Chinese mansion which is now a hotel.

We were in Penang for three and half days and between meals managed to get around and see some of the sights of Georgetown, including Fort Cornwallis built in the early 1800s and the surrounding colonial buildings and churches, the Chinese clan house Khoo Kongsi, Little India, and many Buddhist temples, Muslim mosques and Hindu temples. We also found the coffee maker who prepares local coffee in his smoky shop-house, roasting and grinding in the traditional style over a wood fire. A first for us was the Temple of the Reclining Buddha which claims to house the world’s third longest reclining Buddha. The food was fabulous as usual, with Chinese seafood and Indian being the major choices, although the mornings started with ‘normal’ western breakfasts of muesli, yoghurt, fruit, juice and coffee. On their last morning we had breakfast at the colonial Eastern and Oriental Hotel, a Penang landmark built in 1885, closed and in disrepair in the 1990s and renovated and reopened in 2001.

Another sad goodbye and Andrea and Will left for Kuala Lumpur and their flight back to London with promises to return again next year for another visit, wherever we may be. Perhaps next year we will have better weather and they will be able to get rid of their London tans.

We stayed on an extra day to visit the famed ‘skin’ doctor at the Lam Wah Ee hospital. Jon has to have regular visits to have his skin checked and usually emerges from the hospital covered in blisters from the frozen nitrogen treatment and this visit yielded the same results.

The Breaking of The Drought

We flew back to Langkawi to pick up Tweed once more and prepared to sail back down to Penang – this time we needed to attend to several medical matters as well as apply for our Indian visas to visit the Andaman Islands again. We left Telaga Marina and had a lovely sail down to Kuah where we anchored off and Jon went ashore to see if our bicycles were still there – we had left them there before Andrea and Will arrived as we needed the room. Not surprisingly, they were still there, so after a bit of provisioning we set off for a leisurely passage to Penang.

We decided on three shortish day passages and on our second leg from the southern end of Langkawi Island to Pulau Bidam, which is about 20 nautical miles north of Penang Island, we finally broke the drought which had been plaguing us since before we left Australia two years ago. We caught a BIG fish!! First we hooked a small, 32cm tuna, which we thought could pass for an evening meal and on resetting the line – the same one rigged with five plastic squid-covered hooks with NO metal trace – we hooked an 82cm narrow-barred mackerel. It was safely landed and Jon quickly bled it to put it in the fridge to chill for later. We were in company with Daun and Chris from More Magic so we were delighted to be able to share our catch at the end of the day at Pulau Bidam with them, especially as their barbecue was not out of gas as ours was. It was a delicious meal to round off a great day with good friends.

It had been a lovely, almost sunny day with some good sailing and very good visibility but on leaving early the next morning for Penang the breeze had come round to the SE, bringing smoke haze from the land and reducing the visibility to only a few miles. Whereas the evening before we could easily see Penang, now it was covered in haze. As we approached the northern channel the wind picked up and it was a tricky entrance to the marina with the 20-25 knot wind on the nose and the current already turned and running 1 knot the other way. The water was very sloppy, including inside the marina as the floating wave-attenuation dock has broken away in places and is useless in calming the waters inside in these conditions. However, we made a successful docking with Daun and Chris plus the Dockmaster to take our lines and soon we were safely tied up, albeit rocking and rolling more than in any recent anchorages we have been in. Aaaahh! The noise and smell of Penang – the nearby car ferries arriving and departing non-stop, the loudspeaker calling as each prepared to depart, the nearby clock tower sounding out the hours, the smell of foul mud as the tide dropped, the floating garbage and, just to top it all off the night club right on the marina would get underway at 11.00 p.m. and would go until 3.00 a.m. Well, where else would we rather be??

Shopping, Socialising and That Dreaded Work

Arrival in Langkawi, anchored in Bass Harbour off Kuah Town, reminded us that we were back in a Muslim country. The calls to prayer from the nearby mosque carried out across the water to us but they were nowhere near as strident as those throughout Indonesia in 2006. It also meant that the holiday was over and out with the to-do list, both for shopping and work. Check-in went smoothly as always in Malaysia, so then it was off to fill the fridge once more before a delicious meal ashore.

While out shopping the next day we received a message to say friends on Crystal Blues would be arriving direct from Singapore after two and half days mostly motoring up the Malacca Straits (all those miles covered while we were dilly-dallying around between Phuket and Langkawi!). They dropped anchor not far from us just after 8:00 p.m. and it was after 1:30 a.m. before we got to bed!! We had a lot of catching up to do and lots of stories from their two months up the Rajang River in Sarawak to listen to (check out their blog here). We joined them again for dinner the following night after provisioning with fresh fruit and veg from the local Saturday night market. Following a Sunday breakfast of roti and curry sauce at a local Muslim eatery we bade them farewell as they were continuing on overnight to Phuket. Lunch was shared with more friends from Aquarius who we hadn’t seen since April, and then after more shopping we joined them again for a delicious dinner at Silver Sands Restaurant on the foreshore overlooking the mudflats at low tide.

The shopping and socialising has ended for the moment so it is back to the ‘real’ jobs. Installing the new HF radio, installing the replacement autopilot control head, organising a refrigeration technician to re-gas the fridge which was taking forever to cool down, maybe some varnishing, laundry… the list seems endless. The jobs will get ticked off, more will be added, but as the end of the month approaches, we hope to be in good form as Andrea and Will arrive from London to spend ten days aboard with us. Something to motivate us to get those jobs done.