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

Long Stay in a Marina, Short Trip to Burma

Last weekend we had to do a visa run as our Thai visas expired on Monday. One option for doing this was to take a minibus 300 km up to Ranong, then a ferry in and out of Burma, and return to Phuket in the same day – a trip of about 10-12 hours. Ranong is the most northern town on the west coast of Thailand where it meets Burma. We decided to do it at a more leisurely pace so we hired a car to drive ourselves instead. We made an internet booking at the Andaman Club Resort on Thahtay Kyun Island, just inside the Burmese border which allowed us to travel on their private fast ferry and pass through the Thai immigration and customs on their jetty – much easier. Plus, it was the low season so the cost of the night in the resort was fairly minimal. The drive up was probably more interesting than the stay on the island – there was a lot more to see and we are not really ‘resort’ people and found that part a bit boring. Wouldn’t you rather be checking batteries, planning your day around getting the laundry done or worrying about mooring lines?? Still, it was a nice break away from all the boat work and the scenery along the way made it all worthwhile.

Rainy afternoon in Yacht Haven from the condo

We moved off the boat in mid-June and rented a condo owned by the marina for six weeks. Originally we thought a couple of weeks would see the end of all the grinding, sanding, dust and dirt plus fibreglass smells but with the weather and other hiccups we finally moved back aboard a week ago before going to Ranong. It was a lot nicer to have a big air-conditioned room to escape to which included a large bathroom and a BATH.

So now, another week has gone by and still the work continues on Tweed in Yacht Haven. We are seeing some real progress though and the final layer of Gelcoat was sprayed on the non-skid sections of the deck yesterday, 12^th July. It is always assumed that boat work will take longer than originally anticipated but now we can see that the job is in the final stages and are almost thinking that soon we will be able to leave for Langkawi before our 30-day Thai visa expires. The boys from Boat Biz have been doing a great job and for us softies it is hard to believe that they can work away all day in the heat and humidity. They took the covers down when they started to spray which has taken longer than expected but we should be able to get them back up in a day or two. Their work now is concentrating on cleaning things up, re-fitting all the equipment that has been removed and generally getting things ship shape again.

In the meantime, apart from boat jobs, we have been enjoying meals at the local restaurants, getting to town occasionally, walking for an hour each morning about daybreak and socialising with other marina-bound yachties. Jon has finished re-jigging the nav station and it looks much better but most of all the spaghetti mess of wires behind it is all sorted out.

Decks really looking good now!!


Click here to see a slide show of work in progress
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What a Time To Be Spending Money

Apr/May/Jun 2008

The quotes had come in and we had made the decision to have the deck work done so now we just had to make our way from Langkawi in Malaysia, back to Phuket in Thailand. We felt like old timers as we made our third passage up the northern end of the Malacca Straits, island-hopping in familiar waters, keeping an eye out for fishing boats and the weather. For once we weren’t under any real time constraints and we enjoyed anchorages at Ko Taratao, Ko Muk, Ko Ngai, Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Yao Yai where we met up briefly in passing with Aquarius before finally arriving at Ao Chalong in Phuket.

More stamps in the passports and we were cleared for the first 60 days of our 90-day tourist visa. A few stores were bought and we left the anchorage for a short hop across the bay to Panwa Bali where we caught up with old friends on Crystal Blues for lunch and then dinner. A new day dawned and it was now the 10 April – time to get moving up to Yacht Haven Marina where we would spend the next two to three months having Tweed made over. We had lots to do before the work started in earnest on the 16^th. The shade covers had to be put up; the water maker had to be back-flushed as it would not be used while in the marina; the air conditioner had to be installed in the companionway; gear stowed on deck had to be removed to storage; deck equipment also had to be removed and stowed somewhere; plus we had to make time for friends we hadn’t seen for months or even longer – all this to do and it was so hot!! Thank goodness for the aircon!!

The boys from Boat Biz duly arrived on the allotted day and soon there was lots of noise, lots of dust and old teak being removed above decks. It was reassuring to see the results of all the work and know we were getting somewhere. The deck on the coachroof was in good condition so preparations continued for a few more weeks before the new teak would be put in place. The foredeck was, as expected, suffering from some rot in the balsa core. This was a result of water ingress around through-deck fittings for the anchor winch and the deck-wash. The damaged core was removed back to dry balsa and replaced with ‘plastic’ wood – a polyurethane board which is strong and waterproof and relatively cheap. This put the project back a few weeks but at least now we knew where the internal leaks were originating and no amount of re-caulking the old teak would have fixed them.

In the meantime, anti-skid sections have been pre-fabricated from fibreglass for us and these have been measured, cut and positioned on the side decks. They just need a bit more preparation and then the whole deck will be sprayed with Gelcoat – so it will almost look like new again! At least this time we will be able to see the results of the money we spend.

One diversion while here was celebrating another birthday with David from Taipan. We had a fabulous night out at Nai Yang Seafood where they serve the biggest oysters to be seen!!