Andaman Escapade

Jan/Feb 2008

Following our short stay in Patong Bay for New Year, we prepared ourselves and provisioned our boat for the 3-night passage to the Andaman Islands, which lay some 400 nautical miles, or 800 kilometres, to the north east. These islands are a part of India known as the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and we were lucky to have a bit of a dream run on the passage out, only having to motor for about the first 12 hours after which we were able to sail all the way to Port Blair.

The check-in procedures at Port Blair with Customs, Immigration, Coast Guard and the Port Captain were not quite the bureaucratic nightmare we expected and were completed within 2 days of arrival (in Malaysia and Thailand these procedures can take up to one hour) and only cost us six cans of beer and one can of tonic water in ‘compliments’. We’d had to provide the Port Captain with a detailed itinerary of where we would be going and where we would anchor each night. Plus we had to call Port Blair Port Control on the HF radio each morning at 8:00 and each afternoon at 4:00 to report our current position, our next position and time of arrival at our next position.

A big disappointment on talking to the Port Captain was that we would not be allowed to pass through the Homfrey or Andamans Straits, both of which would have taken us to the western shores of the Andamans. The reason was that another visiting yacht had passed through and had illegally gone ashore in a Jawara tribal area, taken pictures and then published them on the net – a big no-no – so now the rest of us visiting yachts would suffer. The Jawara are one of four ancient hunter-gatherer tribes inhabiting parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They have so far managed to resist or repel outside interference but their population has dropped to about 300 from 5,000 people.

We were pretty pleased though how smoothly the check-in had gone as it meant we could get going and make the most of our 30-day visa. However, we did manage to see and do a bit in the town between formalities including eating some delicious Indian meals. We found the local market where we were able to choose from a good selection of fresh vegetables but there was hardly any of the fruit we had been used to seeing in Malaysia and Thailand – no pineapples or ripe papaya, lots of bananas and oranges but none of the other tropical fruits we had been used to. When in Rome, I guess… A large cow was shoo-ed out of the entrance and had to back and turn amongst all the vegetables to get out. The cows and goats seem to be natural rubbish processors, it is just a pity that they are unable to digest plastic which seems to foul both the land and the waterways. People in the streets were very friendly and it was something different to see the women dressed in their traditional, colourful saris.

Havelock Island, 11^o 58.756 N,92^o 57 078

On our first day out of Port Blair we decided to sail northeast, towards Ritchie’s Archipelago, planning to anchor off Neill Island. We had a bit of a nose around but decided it would be too rolly so moved further north to an anchorage on the southwestern tip of Havelock Island. This also didn’t appeal so we ended up at Havelock Island Beach #7. We felt we’d made a good choice though because Havelock presented us with a sandy bottom, clear waters, protection from the NE wind and only a gentle Indian Ocean swell. We enjoyed the anchorage so much we stayed for three nights and made the decision then that we wouldn’t try bashing into the NE trades to get to the northern end of the Andamans to then make our way back. We had a lot of success here jigging for squid and had several meals cooked in various ways… delicious.

Our first attempt at getting ashore was an exciting event with the swell-generated shore break. It was tricky indeed to time the arrival with the smallest of the waves to surf in to the beach. The first time we did this we were approached by an Indian family on holidays from Chennai (Madras). They rushed up asking where we found our ‘speedboat’ and wanted to know if they could hire it!! They were disappointed to know that it was the tender for our yacht and we couldn’t be without it. We hired a taxi with another couple and traveled the 12 km inland to Havelock #3 – it seems that each village or locality on Havelock has a different number.

Havelock #3 was a relatively small village with the usual shops, a fresh market, and several places to choose from for eating. Apart from a couple of brick buildings, the rest of the buildings were of timber, in various stages of dilapidation. We had learnt to look beyond appearances long ago though, as we could usually find what we wanted amongst the owner-operated shops with rarely a franchised business to be seen. The people themselves certainly didn’t seem to notice it and they were always so welcoming and friendly it was difficult not to enjoy the places we visited.

We had even more fun that evening following a meal at one of the resorts ashore. It was dark when we came to our dinghy in which we then had to negotiate the shore break to get back to Tweed. Fortunately, there was a spotlight shining into the water towards our boat so it was easy to watch for the waves and launch the dinghy when a lull came. It wouldn’t be the last time or the easiest though and we’d have a few wet bottoms before our time had finished.

Henry Lawrance Island, 12^o 06.274 N, 93^o 03 133 E

We left Havelock to motor to our next anchorage in the straits between John Lawrance and Henry Lawrance Islands. The wind was against us but not too strong and it was good to get into the straits and into calm water. We tried some fishing and managed to catch on edible sized fish which would supplement the squid caught earlier in the day.

Outram Island, 12^o 12.367 N, 93^o 05.716 E

We motored through the straits, keeping a good watch for the fringing reefs on each side with only eight miles to get us to Outram Island. After some swimming and fishing we decided to move to the other end of the island where we stayed for two nights. We were certainly enjoying the slower-paced lifestyle in isolated anchorages which was a big contrast to cruising around Phuket.

North Button Island, 12^o 18.82 N, 93^o 04.00 E

The NE trades were certainly making their presence known but we decided to push on from Outram Island and hop over to North Button. It was a beautiful anchorage but too much swell was wrapping around the end of the island to allow us to stay overnight. Instead we went for a good walk around the island and then did some snorkeling off the boat. We were anchored in about 15 metres of water and even at that depth the bottom could easily be seen!! There was not a lot of coral to dive on but we saw lots of fish, both large and small. As the day progressed we realized that the island was home to sand flies and it wasn’t long before Pam was covered in red welts. Horrible little creatures!!

Long Island, 12^o 21.831 N, 92^o 54.983 E

We took advantage of the wind for our next passage and sailed across to Long Island where we anchored off the SW side of the island. Ashore there was a village which we would look forward to exploring.

We took the dinghy ashore next morning and had a walk around the village. There were a lot of abandoned wooden buildings falling into disrepair and we later found that they had belonged to a timber company which had had to close down when the island was made a national park. Cattle and goats were doing their usual wandering about the streets of the village, the people were friendly and we managed to buy a few fruit and vegies from various shops. We asked someone what most of the people did as they didn’t seem to be doing much and were told they worked in the tourism industry!! They may need to do some advertising.

We discovered that a local ferry left the island for Rangat Bay, 6 miles to the north, at 2:00 and returned at 4:00 so we thought it would be a good idea to take the opportunity of seeing Rangat town. However, we then met the owner of a local resort who suggested taking the inter-island ferry which left at 12:00 and then getting the local ferry back at 4:00. We rushed off to the boat to drop our goodies and then back to the ferry jetty. The trip only took an hour but we were noticed by the captain and then spent the remainder of the passage in the bridge where the bare-footed crew took us safely to Rangat Bay. Rangat was a bigger town but not as big as Port Blair with the same domesticated animals wandering the streets, noisy and dusty but interesting all the same and, of course, friendly people. We had some curry for lunch, bought some more fresh fruit and veg, and generally wandered about the town. It is interesting the way a lot of businesses are open to the street but it probably makes sense in the tropics. Tailors, tinsmiths, and ironing ladies all work away in view of anyone who is interested in having a look. It seems as though every second business is in the food trade and you begin to wonder if anyone ever cooks and eats at home. School kids streaming off the buses all head for some local style takeaway, be it a shop or a small food cart.

Arriving back at Long Island we were met by the resort owner who walked us to his resort, which was further than we expected. It was newly built but very rustic in style and the dining area was in a dried mud-paved quadrangle, surrounded on three sides by rows of rooms and spread with mattresses and blankets to sit on. Dinner seemed to take forever but when it came it was worth the wait. We had a full moon to escort us back along the pathways, through the village and back to our dinghies. It had been a long and exhausting day but fascinating all the same.

Havelock Island # 7, 11^o 58.853 N, 92^o 57.021 E

Same, same, and as delightful as the first time, plus we caught up with some different friends. Also we came in on the day of Pam’s nth birthday so we spent the evening at the Barefoot Resort for dinner.

The big highlight at Havelock though, was seeing the elephants walking along the beach most days. There were two females which were brought along to drink from a hose at a building site and a male which came along the beach from the other direction to have a wash in the lagoon just behind the beach. He would walk into the water, sit down and roll over and then his two mahouts would scrub him clean all over. He looked so relaxed and obviously enjoyed this luxury as a retired working elephant.

South Cinque Island, 11^o 15.711 N, 92^o 41.604 E

It was a long step down to South Cinque Island, about 48 miles, but we had some wind so had a good sail. We spent a couple of nights here in company with friends and did more fishing, snorkeling and walking on the beach. Unfortunately, walking on the beach was not a good idea as the sand flies were quite bad.

Rutland Island, 11^o 24.496 N, 92^o 36.959 E

We enjoyed an easy, slow sail across to Wood Mason Bay on the western side of Rutland Island and we were now in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park where there are both turtle and crocodile breeding areas. There is no protection programme for the turtles though and others had reported seeing monitor lizards eating the turtle eggs almost as soon as they had been laid. Our friends followed and we had a couple of quiet nights there at anchor. We did a day trip to Twins Island but found that although the water looked absolutely gorgeous, the anchorage was filled with bombies so after a quick swim we left and went back to Wood Mason Bay.

Jolly Boys Island, 11^o 30.768 N, 92^o 36.999 E

Some charts say Jolly Boys and some say Jolly Buoys so not sure of spelling!! It is a tiny island, visited each day by a couple of ferries out of Wandoor. Ashore there were toilets and some shelters where you could have some lunch or do what we did and go ashore to enjoy a sundowner with friends. There was also a sign which said “No plastic zone”. Well, it was part of the marine park so not sure what that meant as all through SE Asia and now the Andamans, there is plastic waste all over. We did some snorkeling off the nearby reef and saw lots of fish, including two lion fish, both spotted by Jon.

Rutland Island, 11^o 24.462 N, 92^o 36.792 E

After motoring around to Redskin Island and finding we didn’t really like the swell coming in from the Indian Ocean, we went back to Rutland Island. It was an interesting day though as we made our way along channels between areas of reef and rocks (maybe more nerve-wracking than interesting). Our forward-looking sounder was used to good effect when in this type of water as it showed up any rise in the seabed ahead and we have been known to avoid the odd uncharted, isolated bombie thanks to its display. Still no fish though!!

Chiryatapu, 11^o 30.096 N, 92^o 41.777 E

We motored back past Jolly Boys Island and into MacPherson Strait to get to Chiryatapu which was easier than trying to say it!! We thought there may have been a village ashore but there were only a few shops and we were hoping to find some fresh fruit and a restaurant where we could come back for dinner. After a walk up and down the road we managed to find a local who promised to bring us some bananas the next morning, provided we could be there at 7:00. The price was good so we agreed. We then met a fellow who turned out to be a geology PhD student from the mainland. He was staying at the Forestry Lodge and after enquiries found we could eat there with him as his guest.

We came back at 7:00 and had a wonderful meal prepared by the cook who was formerly the gardener!! He served the meal to us on real china edged in gold and it was the best meal we had had so far. He had no meat left but we had curried potato with boiled eggs added, curried vegetables, dhal, various side dishes, fresh roti bread and rice. The next best thing was the price – 60 Rupees or about $2.00 per head!! Our host, Raja, said that on the mainland it would have only cost 30-40 Rupees. Raja was an interesting host and we had lots to talk about.

At this end of South Andaman Island we could see the results of the 2004 tsunami. The trees which would have been along the foreshore were now up to their knees in water – apparently the island had shifted down at the southern end and been forced up at the northern end.

North Cinque Island, 11^o 18.796 N, 92^o 42.352 E

Our days left in the Andamans were now starting to diminish quickly and we still hadn’t been to North Cinque (or caught any decent fish!), so we departed Chiryatapu for the relatively short passage down to North Cinque Island. The sky had become overcast in the last couple of days and now we could see showers that we wouldn’t be able to avoid. We had been having fabulous weather with low humidity compared to Thailand and were really enjoying the change. We watched a big shower pass over Chiryatapu and wondered if our friends were getting it as they were still there. The rain continued on into the west and we went ashore for a walk on the white sand and had a swim. We noticed evidence ashore of abandoned buildings and wondered if they had been wrecked during the tsunami.

We decided to stay again the next day and found some wonderful bombies to snorkel on. One seemed to attract a lot of large fish and in fact they were so big that Pam decided to retire to the dinghy!! What a wooss!! We did manage to catch a fish though. This time it was another Coronation trout which we had for lunch.

Chiryatapu, 11^o 29.989 N, 92^o 41.657 E

During the night we had some heavy rain and strong wind come through the anchorage and so decided it would be a good time to make the return passage to Port Blair. As luck would have it though the wind came round to the NE (the same direction as Port Blair) and increased to 20 knots. We put in a couple of tacks and thought this is stupid so tacked away and sailed back into Chiryatapu. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day for sailing.

The skies cleared and the stars came out during the night so we kept our fingers crossed for good conditions. We left early, just after 5:00, hoping we could beat any winds which may pick up as the day wore on. Fortunately, we only had to contend with about 15 knots and were safely anchored in Port Blair by about 9:30. Entering the harbour we cut in between Ross Island and the mainland and wonder of wonders the drag on the fishing rod went off!! Jon wound in the line while Pam tried to slow the boat and the fish was a metre-plus Wahoo – excellent eating fish and we were so excited. Just our luck though and the monster gave a big flick as we were about to land it and broke the line and took our rig with it!! It was enough to make a person cry but instead we continued into the harbour and dropped our anchor, feeling very disappointed with ourselves.

Port Blair, 11^o 41.352 N, 92^o 42.840 E

Back to the big smoke of Port Blair. It is quite a busy port with ships coming from mainland India as well as inter-island ferries entering the harbour. There were also local ferries transporting people, cars, trucks and probably livestock across the harbour. There had also been a recent naval exercise and we saw naval vessels from Australia, Thailand, Singapore and India tied up at the wharves. It was always an interesting experience to cross from the anchorage to the ‘dinghy’ dock to go ashore. There was a local lad who looked after the yachties’ dinghies while they were out and about in town. He took the line and helped us up the stone stairs to the dock and then took our little tender out to a mooring. Then he had to swim back. When we returned he had to do the same in reverse, even in the dark, but it was always done with a smile (and we didn’t pay him that much). There was never a problem getting a taxi here – the season for visiting yachts only lasts 3-4 months so they have to make the most of it. There was always room for negotiation though on price but we are sure it was a win-win situation for both parties.

Jon did a couple of trips ashore with the dinghy loaded with jerry cans to bring diesel back to the boat. This task took most of the morning as a taxi had to be hired to go to the fuel station to fill up the jerries, then back to the boat to decant into the fuel tanks then another trip of the same. We now had enough fuel to get us to Langkawi in Malaysia if we didn’t have enough wind to sail. The day was full of other domestic duties, leaving us free to do port formalities the next morning.

We arrived at the Port Captain’s office and after several hours of hanging around and much paperwork, we handed over the money to pay our anchorage fees (we had to pay a set fee for each overnight anchorage plus an additional amount for anchoring in designated ports; Port Blair, Long Island, Havelock Island and Chiryatapu). Now, it was another taxi ride to Customs, which was painless, and then off to Immigration where we arranged for them to come to the boat at 5:00 the evening before our departure. We were now almost cleared to leave the day after tomorrow so with the morning gone the afternoon was taken up with provisioning for the passage back to Langkawi plus a bit of a poke around the busy streets.

On our last day, along with another couple, we decided to engage the services of Ravi, a local guide who knows and understands what the yachties need to do. He was excellent value and after telling him what we had to do as well as what we wanted to do we set off. One of the ‘wants’ was to visit the Cellular Jail which is now a national memorial to the freedom fighters who were exiled for life in atrocious conditions for uprising against British control.

We had already been to the light and sound show which gave a brief but very well done visual history of the jail and its inmates on our first evening back in Port Blair. The Indian revolutionaries were sent to the Andamans from 1857 but this particular prison was not completed until 1906. The fights and uprisings continued until 1947 when India finally achieved independence from Great Britain and the prisoners were released. They are now commemorated as national heroes. Does anything ever change in this world?

We then did a quick tour, visiting the Gandhi Park and the Anthropological Museum, which had good displays of the aboriginal peoples of the Andaman and Nicobar islands as well as immigration of the Indian people. Lunch was at a local café frequented by our guide where we had another great Indian meal.

One of my requests was for a market selling chicken or lamb as we had only been able to find fruit and vegetables. Ravi took us to a chicken shop – we walked in and along one side were cages holding live chickens. We had seen live chickens in ‘wet’ markets before but this was the first time we had seen them in a shop. One was promptly put on the scales and before we knew what had happened it was taken to the far end of the shop, slaughtered and then after asking if we wanted the skin on, it was skinned, feathers and all. Within a few minutes we had a hot, steamy bag of very fresh chicken – the cooler bag wouldn’t be necessary!! We decided to give the lamb a miss.

After the hustle and bustle of the last couple of days and dinners ashore at nice restaurants we decided to have a quiet night aboard. The Immigration people were duly picked up from the shore and brought out to Tweed and our immigration papers were finalized and passports stamped – we were free to leave early in the morning. During the day several cruising yachts had arrived to clear in and soon we had friends aboard for sundowners with lots of talk of what we had done and what they shouldn’t miss, and tales of the rampant bureaucracy of the Indian officials (inherited from the British colonists?). Apart from having to listen to stories of their fantastic fish catches it was good night.

Departure day dawned and with the Port Captain’s permission we cleared the harbour. There was quite a good NE wind blowing and once out of the harbour we had our sails set and were on our way with just under 600 miles to Langkawi. The wind stayed with us and we were able to sail for almost 30 hours before it died and we had to put the cast iron spinnaker to work. So on we motored, with flat seas but lines of thunderstorms passing across our track. We were fortunate enough to avoid passing directly beneath them until late on the third night the wind picked up and we were soon contending with 25-30 knots right on the nose. The conditions were not nice and the thought of having to tack off to the south didn’t hold much attraction as it would take us further offshore. It was about an hour before the navigator, Pam, rather pointedly informed Jon that the Similan Islands, offshore from Phuket, were 30 nautical miles to the north-east. A quick tack was made, putting the wind a good 50 degrees off our starboard!! Way to go!! With current with us we made good time and arrived at the Similans where we picked up a very civilized mooring buoy just after dawn. We even had the largest pod of dolphins we have seen so far join us for a while. Click the image below to see them in action.

We still had Langkawi in our sites, now about 130 NM away, so we left the Similans just before 2:00 a.m. hoping to avoid the ubiquitous fishing boats closer to Phuket. We were in for a surprise though, as there were stationary squid boats (lit up like the proverbial Christmas trees only brighter) as well as fishing boats under way all along our route by the hundreds, if not thousands, so there was not much sleep to be had. As per normal the benign conditions deteriorated by dawn and again the wind came around onto our nose. With Nai Harn Bay on the SW corner of Phuket only 5 NM away we ducked into the anchorage there and after several days of trying to work out the weather we decided to check in to Thailand and leave going to Langkawi for another month. The duty-free would just have to wait!! Like all cruising plans, there is always an alternative.

End of a Long Night Watch – Andaman Sea, 10^o 13.104N, 094^o 35.729E

It always brings a certain feeling of relief when the long-anticipated lightening of the eastern sky finally arrives. Day does follow night and a look to the west and then back to the east confirms that the sky is in fact getting lighter. The far-off cloud bank which has been flashing with lightning all night is finally seen in slightly distinct form. The stars above still shine brightly - they have been good company during the long hours of a moonless night. But the loom from behind the clouds is not the sun, as, a couple of hours before sunrise Jupiter presents itself, followed half an hour later by the beautiful Venus. The big one is still to come. Smoke and haze along the horizon turn the sky to soft lilacs and pinks as slowly but surely old Sol finally makes his appearance. The stars fade into the now lighter sky and as the off-watch crew sleeps on blissfully unaware of the new day dawning, the last of the waning moon rises. It would not be easily visible again for several more evenings when it would appear as a waxing moon setting a little time after the sun. As they say time and tide wait for no man so it must be breakfast by now!!

What's he doin' there.
I thought he was asleep!!