February 2012
5 posts
February 26 - Phi Phi Don
We are anchored in Lanah Bay at the north end of Ko Phi Phi Don after an
easy daysail from Phuket. This is a tourist island - the main bay is packed
with sunburnt vacationers and noisy all-night bars, but this smaller bay to
the north is home to a small longtail fishing fleet. Ashore are tiny shacks
on stilts along the water’s edge. The bay is just as pretty, but without the
jet skis...
February 25 - Au Chalong
We are back in Au Chalong anchorage, for the last time… Dave says we will
not be this far north again until we approach Brazil, a year
away. This week we rented a car from Nina’s, and hit Makro to load up
on hard-to-find goodies (pretzels!), then the classy Villa Market for other
goodies. We went to Western Union to pay for our Indonesian CAIT, and
arranged the funds transfer for...
February 17 - Surins
We motor-sailed north for several days, anchoring in quiet estuaries at Ban Thap Lamu and in the north end of Ko Phra Thong. Each evening the big fishing boats parade out to sea, while the smaller longtails come home. In the morning the flows are reversed. Yesterday we headed west 20 miles into the Andaman Sea, and grabbed a buoy at Richelieu Rock. I stayed aboard while Dave snorkeled over to...
February 12 - Ao Surin
Baraka is at anchor on the west side of Phuket, a little north of Ao Patong.
We wanted to catch the forecast easterlies to scoot north, to see the
Andaman side of Thailand for a week or so. We got stronger winds than
expected, which gave us and the boat a good workout! Our first clue was that
we had to motor forward at Nai Harn to pick up the anchor. We raised the
main. I wanted 2 reefs....
February 10 - Adrift
Baraka escaped from the marina today, catching the high tide to make it out
the shallow channel. Nice E winds let us sail all the way down to Nai Harn
on the south end of Phuket. We will stay tomorrow while Dave scrubs the hull
and crusty prop, then work our way north up the west side of Phuket to visit
the Similans and Surin island groups. We got all our marina projects done,
and Baraka is...
January 2012
11 posts
January 29 - Home to Baraka
Dave and I explored Luang Prabang, checking out the ethnic museum, morning
and night markets, and some of the monasteries as we moved from guesthouse
to guesthouse, 4 in all. It’s Chinese New Year, and the town is packed with
tourists. Our last morning we got up early to watch several hundred monks
pass through town in a long, silent procession past alms-givers, mostly
older ladies,...
January 22 - Laos Adventures
Our final day in Siem Reap Dave was entertaining a travellers bug, so Mr. Sokhoeun took me to the Bayon for a final look at the wonderful bas relief carvings. Around the outside gallery every column has lively dancing asparas. The walls contain scenes of everyday life, crocodiles attacking people, and tigers chasing people up trees, temple builders, people cooking, cockfights, naval battles. Too...
January 17 - Thoroughly ruined
Each day Mr Sokhoeun picks us up in his tuk-tuk and drives us wherever we want to go. It’s most comfortable, padded seat and covered roof, yet open air sides let us see the country we are passing. The last couple days we visited a couple fascinating sites - Ta Prohm was the setting for the TombRaider movie, and remote Bang Maelea is even more unrestored. There is an ongoing debate - should...
January 14 - Angkor Wat - Siem Reap
We locked up Baraka and headed to Phuket Airport. Our flight was delayed but the hardworking clerk booked us onto another that got us to Bangkok in time to connect for Siem Reap. The Cashew Nut had arranged pickup, and our driver promptly delivered us to the guesthouse. Very nice - our spotless double ensuite room (air con, wifi, bfast included) is $18 a night, a preview of how far the tourist...
January 9 - Hotel California
Baraka is booked here at Royal Phuket Marina until February 1. Then the slip
is reserved for another yacht. Only problem is that we can check out but we
can’t leave - the tides aren’t deep enough for another 5 days, until Feb 5,
to make it out the channel. The marina is scrambling to find us another
slip, as there is no place to anchor. We leave tomorrow for some land
travel - to...
January 4 - Royal Phuket Marina
Baraka waited for high tide, then threaded our way along the mangroves in a dredged channel. We had our track from last year, which was helpful. Much of the way there was less than 2 feet under the keel, and in one spot we read zero (with our prop wash stirring the silt up), but we slid in ok. Royal Phuket gave us a slip at the superyacht dock so we are nestled in with the big boys. Dave rewired...
New Years 2012
Great start to 2012! We are still tucked into the east side of Ao Chalong,
though the forecasted bad weather keeps sliding out. Quite a few other boats
came here, too, so last night several dozen yachties went in at low tide to
the beach restaurant for a fun meal with many friends. Up and down the beach
people were firing off huge rockets - the sort seen at professional shows,
though these...
December 2011
7 posts
Christmas 2011 - Nai Harn
Christmas this year finds Baraka in a bay on the south end of Phuket,
Thailand. The bay filled up with yachts as we gathered to socialize with
cruising friends, many of whom we met in assorted islands during our Pacific
crossing several years ago. 8 people sat in our cockpit Christmas Eve, and
we joined a dozen others ashore for an upscale Christmas dinner at the yacht
club resort here in the bay....
December 22 - Ao Sane
Baraka is anchored at Nai Harn, just off Ao Sane, aka Jungle Beach. The bay is filling up for Christmas with yachties who are coming for special dinners ashore and reunions afloat. A few days ago Lotus arrived. My veg bin was empty, as was the egg crate, so we joined them yesterday to take a songthaew (truck with benches) into Chalong where we rented a car from the delightful Breton at...
December 16 - Nai Harn
After Dave spent a day on the engine belts, we tried again to get around the south tip of Phuket to Nai Harn. Success! Dave had rigged our 20-year-old Moulin Rouge wheel-drive autopilot to test it as a backup. It may work, but we need to calibrate it in flat waters, not the chop off the cape. We anchored in Nai Harn, almost exactly on the spot we anchored 11 months ago. Ashore we enjoyed a spicy...
December 13 - it's a boat
We have continued to linger here in comfortable Ao Chalong. My back was acting up, so for the past few days I’d kayak ashore and enjoy a Thai massage in a little beach shack. The masseuse seemed to understand my back problem, despite the language gap, and each day I was better. A full hour massage is 300 baht - less than $10! After too many days vegging here, we decided this morning to...
December 7 - Ao Chalong
Baraka is anchored next to Scarlett OHara and Estrellita on the east side of Ao Chalong, a huge shallow bay on the south end of Phuket. When we arrived Storyteller, with Harmonie aboard, were also anchored here, so we have had a fun time catching up with good friends. The anchorage is flat calm. We have been able to sleep all night for a welcome change. First priority was a full rebuild of the...
December 3 - Racha Yai
We are so glad we waited out a day at Roc Nok. The night winds howled 30 knots, while we bobbed in the lee. We kayaked ashore to explore, climbing the tsumani escape path to the highest point, up winding stairs that never seemed to quit. They finally wound down again to a rocky shore, then back to the main beach where we rewarded our tired selves with a cold Chang beer. We then snorkeled in the...
December 2 - Koh Roc Nok -anchor dramas
After an easy daysail/motor up from Chuku, we grabbed a park mooring near the gap between the two Roc Noks. Clear water! We could see every sand wrinkle on the bottom. Dave and I donned masks and swam around to check the mooring. Very solid, on a massive block that could hold a freighter, but the depth under our keel was too shallow for the following morning’s low tide. Hmmm. So we gave up...
November 2011
6 posts
November 30 - Koh Chuku
Baraka is anchored just SW of Koh Chuku, a tiny islet 1/2 mile E of Koh Tanga. This is our first Thai anchorage this year. Nearby is a Dutch yacht with a family, and colorful Thai fishing boats come and go, resting on nearby buoys. Our anchorage is bouncy with the small swells that wrap around Chuku, helping us get used to boat motion after too long in marinas. Nights are hot and sticky, but the...
November 28 - Tanjung Rhu
Yesterday we motored around the NE corner of Langkawi to Tanjung Rhu. Other yachties had told us about this special place. Dave found the GPS waypoints on the internet before we left Telaga. After a half dozen zigzags, we dropped the anchor in what appears a landlocked lake. Floating restaurants rim the sides. Today we loaded up the dinghy with camera, GPS, and depth sounder, to wind through the...
November 24 - Thanksgiving
Dave made the rounds to clear Baraka out of Malaysia - harbormaster, customs, immigration. Then we ran to Kuah Town for a final provisioning run, topping off our lockers. We plan to tuck around the corner for one more night before crossing into the first island group in Thailand, to give us a chance to check out the boat systems away from the dock. Today is the American Thanksgiving. Though we...
November 22 - some rambling
Right before leaving Rebak we enjoyed a couple dinners with cruising friends. The topic drifted to travel, and how it shapes impressions. It seems that the more we learn, the less we know. We are interpreting what we see through our western filters, which distorts any truth. I struggle to understand the Muslim headscarf - the tudung. Here most Muslim women beyond puberty wear them, and they have...
November 20 - Telaga Harbour
Baraka finally managed to free herself from Rebak Marina, though not without drama. On the way out of our slip, a loop around a fender caught on a cleat, and slightly bent a stanchion before we realized. Easily fixed, but arrgggh, we should have seen the possibility. We motored a short hour up to Telega Harbour, where we were assigned a slip. We will hunker here a couple days while a weather...
November 11 -More Africa Preparations
Every day we line a few more projects off the offshore prep list. Several relate to securing items better, as we may have rowdy seas as we approach South Africa. By now we are a solid offshore boat, but there is always room for improvement. Dave made a system for securing the aft cockpit lockers, and I added some strapping for interior drawers. These have never come free before in any seas we...
October 2011
4 posts
October 30 - Visa Run to Penang
Dave and I flew to Georgetown, Penang. Our Firefly tickets were cheap, less than $100 roundtrip for the 2 of us. We splurged and stayed once again at the lovely Yeng Keng, where they upgraded us to the Garden Suite. Suite! We had flown down to apply for Thai visas. Thailand offers a 30 day visa upon entry, but we wanted the 60 day tourist visa, extendable to 90 days. The longer tourist visa allows...
October 22 - preliminary prep
We seem to have made the decision to head to S Africa in 2012, which is shaping our days here at Rebak. We spend the mornings surfing the web, gathering info about visas, weather, radio nets, and routes. There is a healthy exchange of information among the cruisers, some already in S Africa now, others in similar planning stages. Dave and I are reviewing the boat systems to determine which need...
October 5 - Crossroads
This past week Dave and I have started talking about sailing on sometime next year, from SE Asia, toward South Africa. We had not seriously considered this direction before. On the plus side, it would be a new adventure into places we have not been. We could spend a month in the British Indian Ocean Territory of Chagos, which can only be reached by private boat, and visit the French territories of...
September 2011
4 posts
September 29 - Buoyant again
After a sticky week in the yard, Baraka was lifted in the slings for a final splash of paint under the jackstand pads. Then the yard crew rolled Baraka to the slipway and gently lowered her back into her natural element. Dave and I climbed aboard. After he checked the two new thru-hulls (yeah! no leaks) and burped the shaft gland, we were ready to fire up the engine. No hesitation, the Perkins...
September 17 - Back at Rebak
We are back home aboard Baraka after 3 months away to Seattle. Easy trip back - long flights to Narita, then Singapore, where we spent a comfortable night inside the airport transit hotel, then two more short flights to Penang, then Langkawi, where we caught a taxi, and finally a ferry back to Rebak Island. Baraka is on the hard. After being closed up for 3 months, the boat is musty and hot. We...
August 24 - Oak Harbor Yacht Club
Longtime friends Steppe and Mary invited us to speak about our Pacific passage at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club on Whidbey Island, where Steppe is Vice Commodore. The event was well attended, and the audience engaged, asking many excellent questions. Very gratifying for us! We love any chance to talk about our travels, and to pass along information as so many other cruisers have done for us.
June 2011
3 posts
June 17 - Life on the Easy
After a ferry and four flights (and, for Dave, seven! movies), we landed in Seattle. Family met us, Dad and Isabel, brother Rolfe and son Joel, a wonderful welcome home. We drove north to our new mooring, a very comfortable apartment in the home of a super nice couple. Malinda had already stocked the fridge and provided everything we needed for the first couple days, and Dad loaned us a TV,...
June 11 - Life on the hard
Baraka is landbound, hauled out “on the hard” while we travel home for a few months. This morning the crew here at Rebak picked her up gently and efficiently, best haulout experience we have had in any country. A diver in the water made sure the slings were placed correctly. A good experience. Dave just hooked up power so we can run the AC overnight. No refrigeration though - that...
June 3 - The Veggie Man
Every Friday morning the 8:45 am Rebak ferry is packed full. The marina ladies and a few of the men grab their shopping bags and ride to the Langkawi landing, where a smart local entrepreneur known as The Veggie Man drives up in his white van. A chain gang forms to unload cardboard and insulated foam boxes of fresh vegetables, fruits and other goodies, mostly imported and very high quality. The...
May 2011
1 post
May 13 - Parked at Rebak
Little by little we have morphed from cruising sailboat to liveaboard. Awnings appeared, and rigging lines are coiled. We will remove the furling sails and stow them below. I am hard at work stripping and refinishing teak, then sewing sunbrella covers so I won’t have to do it again for a long time. Other boats trickle in to Rebak and are doing the same, or stay a few days and head south to...
April 2011
5 posts
April 28 - Rebak Sojourn Continues
Days drift by. We are working on boat projects, story of our life. Actually, one of the reasons that this life appeals is that there is a never-ending list of maintenance and improvement projects for the boat, and both Dave and I enjoy doing them. I am stripping old cetol off the handrails and “eyebrow” and will repaint, again with cetol. Now that the decks are beautiful, adjoining...
April 19 - Baraka back at Rebak
Another hour motoring brought us to back to Rebak. We left in late January for Thailand, after prepaying 6 months moorage here through the rainy SW monsoon season, which starts now. Rebak is very protected. The jetty opens to the south, but several bends protect the boat basin deep within the island. This marina was wiped out by the Boxing Day Tsunami, but short of an catastrophe like that, the...
April 18, Telaga Harbour, Langkawi
After our sad goodbye with Joel, Dave and I readied Baraka for our trip south, back to Malaysia. The southwest monsoons seem to be arriving early this year, with daily and nightly squalls. We worked our way south, anchoring overnight at South Koh Yai, then a south harbor on Koh Lanta, and finally tucked into a small pretty cove on the west side of Koh Tarutao. Squalls blew up during the nights,...
April 9 - Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi Le
Back home aboard Baraka we had a busy 2 days reinstalling the mainsheet traveller, mast pulpits, and deck fittings removed for the teak deck work. Mr. Phon and family finished up our table and drawers, and washed our decks. Joel visited Patong overnight while we completed a few more boat jobs and reprovisioned. Then we used the marina pilot to snake out through the mangroves and shoals to open...
April 4 - Back to Thailand
From pretty Hue we took a bus to Hoi An, where our fancy Long Life Riverside Hotel picked us up. A short walk across the river, and we were in touristy Hoi An, mecca for custom tailoring. Joel took advantage, and had some clothing custom-made, overnight and excellent quality, at a very reasonable price. I shopped in the fabric market and bought a few meters of Vietnam silk for $5/meter. We flew...
March 2011
7 posts
March 30 - Hue, Vietnam
Sapa continued to be interesting. We had a great day trek loop to Cat Cat village. More tourist/craft shops lined the path to Cat Cat, but once beyond, the stone-paved path wound down steep hills to a waterfall, then up over more hills along non-tourist Red Dao homes, back to Sapa. We caught the overnight “soft” sleeper for the ride back to hectic Hanoi. There we had time to explore...
March 25 - Minority Villages
The Thai Binh Sapa hotel is great - a heater in the room, plus electric bed pads, needed for the chilly nights. After a good breakfast at the hotel, our guide met us. He took a look at my Keen sandals and recommended I borrow cheap plastic boots from the hotel. Glad I did. We trekked downhill, the first 3 km on paved street, then on muddy roads, and finally down steep trails through rice...
March 24 - Sa Pa, Vietnam
In hectic Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we enjoyed street food and dodged the chaotic traffic. Streets are narrow and twisty, with sidewalks blocked by street restaurants and parked motorcycles, so you must brave the street to walk anywhere. I was only struck once by a moto, though many brushed my elbows. We watch in horror at intersections where cross traffic miraculously interweaves without...
March 19 - Bangkok and Joel!
We are in Bangkok tonight with our son Joel. Joel flew here to meet us (by way of Narita, Japan, which worried me). He arrived safely, no issues, within minutes of our arrival from Chiang Mai. We are so excited to have him here with us. We have a couple days in Bangkok, then fly to Hanoi to explore northern Vietnam. Dave’s and my last days in Chiang Mai were a lot of fun. We took a Thai...