It's About Time

It would appear that it is more than three months since we posted a blog!!  What have we been doing in all that time?  It seems to have passed so quickly.

Unfortunately, not a lot of sailing - in fact, none.  We had considered sailing to Singapore but in the end it was just too easy to stay here in the marina at Miri.  So, what have we been doing all this time?

Jon has all but finished the varnishing job and is now working steadily on the central butterfly hatch.  This is the 'window' in the main saloon, made of solid teak, hinged along the centre and with perspex fitted to each side to let in light.  Recently, it had been letting in water as well and as it was starting to look a bit worse for wear Jon decided to replace the lens.  This turned out to be a mammoth job as what looked like two pieces of perspex was actually one long sheet and the framework around the perspex is wide. Sikaflex or some similar adhesive had been used to glue it in and took days to wedge apart.  Then came the job of cleaning off all the old adhesive and sanding the whole thing before a couple of coats of varnish.  Once the other side is done the whole lot will be varnished properly.

Along with the shiny varnish the coachroof has had a new coat of Poliglow applied so Tweed is looking a lot more respectable than she did back in November when she arrived from Japan.  The topsides need doing but we may leave that until a bit later in the year.  

Not all our money has been getting spent on the actual boat for a change and we have purchased a washing machine, an industrial sewing machine and an airconditioner!!  All are working well and the aircon makes life aboard so much more comfortable, especially at night for sleeping.  The sewing machine has been used to make a new cover for the liferaft, new weather cloths for the cockpit and to convert some side curtains to side windows by inserting some clear plastic in them.  Other jobs are planned or on the drawing board.

Lambir Hills National Park

During this time we enjoyed a day out with friends from the marina, Rob and Margie, Geoff and Karen, and spent a day tramping through the Lambir Hills National Park. 










The lure was a waterfall with a lovely pool.  A nice break from the heat and a change of scenery.







Marg and Karen enjoy a cooling swim at Lambir Hills National Park

England
 
We have spent five weeks abroad during this time as well.  Most of it in England where our daughter was married in Worcestershire.  The weather was fine until they emerged from the tiny chapel and a squall came thru... sounds like boating!

Erica and Andrew

 
After quite a nice start to spring we encountered a return to winter.  Cold temperatures and wet or overcast days keeping us in our winter woolies for most of the time we were there.  We think it was warmer when we were there at Christmas time!  Record rain fell during April so we didn't just imagine it.  The rain and cold continued into May as well but it did not really dampen our holiday and time with family.

And while in London we  just had to pay a visit to Neil's Yard at Borough Markets to pick up some Stilton for the canal boat trip...mmmm!






Canal Boating

After the wedding we hired a canal boat from Viking Afloat for seven days and made our way along the Worcester-Birmingham Canal as far as Alvechurch.  We were hoping to continue on thru Birmingham and then return to Worcester down the Severn River but all the rain had put it into flood and it was closed!

Pam was a natural when it came to manoeuvring the 65' boat in and out of the locks which had about 2" to spare either side.

WE had an email to advise that a proposed camper van hire was cancelled due to the insurance company not accepting that we only had a PO address!!  Plan B - we hired a smaller canal boat and went on the Droitwich Canal.  This canal had only been reopened last year following many years of closure.  Once we arrived in Droitwich the Waterways man locked the lock behind us as the levels had risen and we would not be able to get back out!!  Droitwich has a long history going back to the Romans when salt was mined in the town.
We had to wait for these two boats ahead of us when the lock was re-opened at Droitwich.


Luckily, it was re-opened about midday the following day and we were able to return to Worcester in the given time.  The rain and the high water didn't stop us from having a good time though and we would certainly love to do it again some time in the future.

  

Venice

By this time we had an invitation from good old Kiwi/US friends on Silver Fern to join them in Venice along with another couple they know.  We hummed and haaa'ed a bit as Pam had a chest cough and didn't want to keep everyone awake at night with the coughing.  In the end we decided it was too good an opportunity to miss so we flew off to Venice for five days and had a wow of a time in great company.

Well, we are working when we are not having fun!!




Jon, Pam, Bryce, Martha, Christine and Lindsay enjoying Venice





 

Now it's back to the boat.  Jon continues with the other side of the butterfly hatch but seems to have it down to a fine art now and the Sikaflex is all removed.

On the horizon is another trip back to Australia in a few months.  When we return we are contemplating going over the top of Borneo to the Kinabitangan River in Sabah to see some Bornean wildlife.  Then, or instead, we may go to Palawan in the Philippines.  Time will tell....

And The Work Goes On....

The varnishing job is coming along a treat as Jon continues to work hard mostly on the sanding - the more time spent getting the teak smooth and then sanding properly between coats the better the finish.  He has nearly finished the starboard side - hand rails, 'eyebrow' and cap rail plus the steering wheel.  All this rubbing despite receiving treatment for a crook right shoulder at the local physio, a short bike ride away.

Otherwise life in the marina continues with some boats leaving and others arriving.   Friday nights, while the sun sets slowly in the west and weather permitting, the crews generally get together to share a drink and some nibblies to catch up on the week's happenings.


 

The giant seahorse doubles as a lighthouse at the entrance to the marina.

Marinas all over the world seem to attract wedding groups or magazine shoots for that 'romantic' touch.

Celebrating and Working

It is just over a month now since we celebrated Christmas in London, quickly followed by New Year celebrations, also in London. Since arriving back in Miri, Sarawak, we have seen Chinese New Year being celebrated by the local community and yesterday, 26th January, the Australian contingent of the yachting community here in the marina celebrated Australia Day. A barbecue on the dock was planned but rain put paid to that and the party moved to the roomy Solita, an Australian flagged motor boat from Darwin ... thanks to John and Sue. The celebrations were shared by our Kiwi friends, an American couple, a French woman and a German - very multicultural, just like Australia.

Big jobs have been the number one priority on board with the starboard fuel tank having an inspection port fitted then being cleaned of diesel 'bug' and finally filled to the top with clean diesel; a problem with the diesel generator was finally traced to the loosening of the retaining nut of the rocker assembly (the cylinder wouldn't work because the valve wouldn't work); new alternator belts have been fitted and aligned; starboard teak handrails and cap rails have been sanded in preparation for re-varnishing... these tasks have been performed admirably and uncomplainingly by Jon while Pam mostly sticks to the not all boring and domestic tasks... visiting the markets, shopping, cooking and cleaning, organising laundry, sewing and mending, etc. and learning the ropes of her new iPad, which includes downloading ebooks - a boon for yachties as it means less books to carry, less weight for the boat and also not having to rely on 'swap' books as you can choose to download what you want to read. Needless to say Belle's Books has been visited and a nice new copy of the Birds of Borneo added to our reference collection.

Sailing plans are a bit up in the air at the moment. Our Aussie based daughter is getting married in April in the UK so where to go and what to do? We are considering setting off towards Kuching and Santubong, further SW along this part of the Borneo coast, and then across the South China Sea to Singapore and into the Jahore Straits, where we would leave Tweed in the marina at Danga Bay. Like all sailing plans there could be many changes... mmmm, we'll let you know as it happens.

Sent from my iPad

Out And About, And Up and Down!

The sun did shine the day after our last blog but, boy, did the wind blow!!  We had a gale come through the marina hitting us with 30-35 knots, gusting over 40 which kept us on our toes monitoring Tweed's lines.  Of course, she was ok, it was just the silly crew who thought there could be a problem!

 It doesn't look so bad, but here Tweed pulls taught on her mooring lines

 

Then it was the weekend and we had an invitation from Mr Shimose, who has a 30-ft yacht in the marina, to have dinner at his house and to stay the night.  His wife, Kyoko, had prepared make-it-yourself sushi and had invited along three other ladies who meet regularly to practice their English at Mr and Mrs Shimose's house. 

 Mrs Shimose, Hiroko, Keiko,

Jon, Mr Shimose and Kuma

  

It was a very relaxed meal with lots of choice in what to put in the sushi - all of it tasty.  We talked about all sorts of things including our travels and the next morning Kuma and Keiko, two of the visitors, arrived to pick us up and take us for a tour of the old temples in Hakata. 

 A chilly morning at the Shimose house

 

Hakata was a separate town until 1889 when it was merged with Fukuoka town.  We visited the Jotenji Temple, built in 1242, which houses monuments to the soba and udon noodles, and manju bean-jam buns (red beans)...

The Shofukuji Zen Temple, built in 1195 by Zen master Yosai, who introduced Zen to Japan as well as tea plants.  It is the oldest Zen temple in Japan.  

 

(these spaces just won't go away!)

The main gate may only be used by  the imperial family when they visit Fukuoka.  The five lines on the wall indicate it is a temple of the highest order.

 

The third in this ancient group was the Tochoji Temple, where we saw the largest wooden Buddha in Japan which we weren't able to photograph so here are some gravestones.

 

 Colourful pagoda at

the Tochoji Temple

Along the walking trail we stopped off at a small shop front where a young man was weaving Hakata-ori, a high-quality silk textile used for obis and worn with kimonos.  This traditional local craft is over 750 years old and while the textile is still used for obis it is also utilised in other more 'touristy' products.

 

 

As we were near the Hakata Folk Museum we looked in there as well and found a local craftsman who makes and hand-paints beautiful Hakata Dolls.  

Hakata doll ready for firing - it was
cast in separate pieces and then joined

 

Next door a Shamisen group were getting ready to play their 3-stringed instruments accompanied by a couple of percussionists and a singer who could hardly be heard above the music.  

 

 

Next stop was the Kushida Shrine, home of the Hakata-Gion Yamakasa Festival, which is held over two weeks each July.  During the festival huge floats weighing up to one tonne are carried by men for five kilometers as they race through the town watched by up to a million people.  Needless to say, the men can only bear the weight for a short period so there is a constant changing of men during the race.

Jon by an old example of a Yamakasa float - nowadays they are nowhere near as tall because of the power lines!

Whew!  That was a long day and by the time we arrived back at Meinohama Station and walked back to the marina it was 5 o'clock.  But we thoroughly enjoyed the tour as our guides were able to explain a lot of things to us in English.  By ourselves we find it difficult as there is usually no English interpretation available.

Pam outside Kushida Shrine with Keiko and Kuma, our excellent guides!

Now back to business.  Monday morning we were all prepared to motor around to the hardstand area and haul out.  Unfortunately, there was a bit of delay while another boat went up before us but it was before lunch when we finally came out.  It was our first time on a cradle rather than a travel-lift which uses slings.  It was a smooth ride as we slowly rose out of the water and came onto the dock.  Yes, quite a few barnacles and other encrustrations visible on the hull and fittings.  We wouldn't be going very fast with that lot hanging off us.







The boys did a good job cleaning them off and then a high-pressure wash before we were moved along the rail to our home for the next week.

Hmmm... great braking system, but it works

Although it was more expensive to haul out here in Japan than elsewhere in SE Asia, we found it was not too bad considering that the price included their labour, the paint, and the Japanese version of PropSpeed.  They used a Chugoku product called Peller Clean to coat our prop, p-bracket and prop-shaft, which we notice is now available in Australia.  The shade of red for that particular brand of anti-foul turned out to be more of a pink but hopefully it will only be seen when we are on a reach and showing beneath our skirts!

 Yes, it's snow!

Wednesday night we had another gale with winds 30-35 knots again gusting over 40.  Just before dawn we had thunder and rain and much to our astonishment, it actually snowed on the mountains to the south of Fukuoka!!

 

While on the hard, Jon fitted in a few jobs: installed a new breather outlet for the forward water tank (this one won't let in salt water!); re-installed the generator starter motor which had been overhauled; fitted a new bonding strap for the generator; and then just as we were about to return to the water, he found two leaking ball valves in the heads - one to the handbasin and one to the toilet.  This delayed our splash by a day which meant Saturday.  Saturday we had another gale come through and it was far to windy for the helmswoman to consider returning to a berth where she had to reverse in!!  We would be there until Monday.  But then Sunday came and Mr Hamada, the owner of Marine Tech who runs the hardstand, arrived about 9:30 to put us back in!!  It was a calm morning - one of the lads who came with him touched up the few remaining areas of anti-fouling, we climbed aboard, and then slowly descended back to water level.  The wind was kind and didn't blow us onto the marina wall and we made our way back to our berth for a successful reverse entry into our berth. 

 We aren't the only ones wearing beanies!

Twice Around The Top in Two Days!

After a nice evening in Teluk Lung, nicely protected from the prevailing winds we had an interrupted night when a freshwater hose came free in the back of the boat and drenched our 1800 Watt inverter!! Jon spent some time removing the beast and trying to dry it out but on testing it in the morning it just went snap, crackle and pop plus a bit of smoke. The inverter is necessary to run out 240 volt refrigeration so we had a big problem - a fridge full of meat, cheeses and other goodies to last us for our first month or two in the Philippines. Our friends on Ambrosia offered us the use of a 240 volt generator but it did not have the capacity to run our fridge so we decided to turn tail and head back to Kota Kinabalu.
This was a downwind run after four days of hard on the wind sailing in pretty good conditions. The leg back across the top of Borneo was fast and boisterous as the wind was stronger than yesterday and the waves built as we got further out into open water but we made good time. We didn't leave until after 12:00 so time was against us to reach our previous anchorage at Tambuluran before dark. After rounding the Top sea conditions improved and we had a much more comfortable sail. We arrived just before 7.30 p.m. well after sunset but with a moon to give us a bit of light as we came into the darkened bay.

Splash Down and Departure Day

Tweed returned to the water on Thursday, 29 January, looking a whole lot nicer than when she arrived at Boat Lagoon on 29 December. After a night spent in the marina checking that the engine was working properly and getting the fridge cooled down again, we departed Boat Lagoon on the high tide at midday on 30 January.





Again, we had to navigate out through the mangroves and then the narrow channel through the mudflats before we were in safe water. The snapshot from the chart shows our track in and out and how it in no way resembles what has been charted!!

We used a pilot boat to lead us out through the mangroves...

...and then along the channel markers.



After a night at Ko Rang Yai we sailed across to Ko Phi Phi Don before sailing south once more.


All Work and No Play....

During the month of January we found at least two occasions to have time off to play. The first was on January 19 when Pam celebrated another birthday - but who's telling how many? A group of 16 people met at Nai Yang Seafood Restaurant for a meal and another good night together. It was also a night of goodbyes as most were heading either west or south and would perhaps never meet up again. But that's the cruising lifestyle - meeting and making new friends and saying goodbye to old ones.






The second was on 26 January when being good Aussies we had an Australia Day barbecue at home. Along with Ley and Neil, we were joined by Bryce and Martha (Kiwi and American) from the yacht Silver Fern and neighbours from across the road, Brian, Kaew and children, and A, from next door plus all four of her dogs. We all enjoyed food in abundance which was topped off by Ley's delicious pavlova.

A New Year and Almost a New Boat

With Christmas over it was time to prepare for our haulout at Boat Lagoon on 29 December. We sailed over to Ko Rang, a small island a few miles from the mouth of the channel through the mud and mangroves which led into the marina. We anchored here for two nights, enjoying being at anchor for what would be the last time for maybe two weeks but probably four. Boat Lagoon is depth-challenged and with our draft of 2.2 metres we could only enter on a tide of 2.7 metres or more. Our first opportunity would be the 29 December. As novices at entering the meandering, mud-surrounded channel, we requested a pilot and he duly arrived at 10:00 at the first of the channel markers. Pam took the wheel while the pilot calmly called out when to make any turns and then Jon took over to take us through the mangroves. It was disconcerting stuff to see the depth sounder showing nothing under the keel but the pilot assured us that there were no rocks or sand beneath only slippery mud so we wouldn't get stuck!! Well, he was right and despite a bit of a slide as we entered the mangroves we arrived at the lift-out berth and Tweed was expertly lifted from the water. After a hose down with the high pressure hose, she was then transported to a section of the hardstand and propped up into position where she was very secure. Jon now spent his time preparing the engine for removal as he had to replace the rear oil seal and it was impossible to do it in situ.

Tweed being put in position at Boat Lagoon

We were met by friends Neil and Ley from Crystal Blues. They also have their boat on the hardstand where they are doing a re-fit over a six-month period. They have rented a 3-bedroom house and had kindly invited us to use the ‘spare’ room. It was holiday time though, so we had plenty of time to prepare as well as think about New Year's Eve. Kris and David from Taipan had invited us to spend the evening with them at Patong Beach but a last minute plan changed the location to Panwa Bali, tucked into the eastern corner of Ao Chalong. The reason: An uncomfortable swell was running on the west coast of Phuket where Patong is located and, as Kris had her elderly parents visiting, it was not considered safe. We and our friends Ley and Neil thought this was a good decision and duly arrived about 7:30 p.m. with no parking problems and a calm anchorage. Neil was kept busy talking with Edna, Kris's mum, who had the same surname before marriage and they were keen to work out if they were related. We all enjoyed the food, the drink, the fireworks and the company. It was an excellent night and before we knew it, it was well past midnight and time for us to go home.


Jon's workshop

The new year period was spent removing six large bronze fairlead fittings, unfastening the whisker cables from the bow sprit, removing the teak from the boomkin, pulling cables back inside the boat which ran to the wind generator, the GPS, the solar panels, the stern navigation light and the barbecue light. Everything attached or running through the teak had to be removed before the workers arrived. A forklift arrived on 2 January to remove the engine and the 4 January soon rolled round when the workers came back from their breaks but our work didn't start in earnest until the next day. Since then it has been all go and now Tweed is looking very nice indeed. The new teak along the bulwarks is finished and looks fabulous; the cockpit teak seats and cockpit sole (floor) have been freshly sanded; a roller door has been made for the cupboard which housed the old microwave; and the hull below waterline has been stripped of layers anti-fouling that have accumulated over who knows how many years. Mali's team of carpenters from Yachts Repair Company have finished and we are very pleased with the results. The bottom is now having a rest before having a barrier coating applied and then the anti-foul. Jon has replaced the engine rear oil seal and the engine is ready to be hoisted back aboard. The engine is located beneath an island galley bench and entailed removing the granite-topped bench complete with double sinks and taps, then hoisting the engine out through the coach-roof via the large hole left when the butterfly hatches were lifted off.

Old Teak Removed From Below Caprail and Bottom Scrubbed

Pam has been kept busy either tidying up after Jon, cleaning numerous bolts and nuts, or sanding and varnishing various bits of portable teak such as storm boards, boomkin, timber-framed hatch screens, and fridge lid, as well as some pine oars. Next job will be the roller door.

Teak work not quite finished yet