Sabang, Sumatra

After taking another unplanned trip back to Kuah in Langkawi, we had to give up on an abortive attempt to find a new iPad.  Sheila, our iPad, (we give a name to everything on the boat), started giving us some serious problems.  We use her for our navigation as the Navionics programme is just ever so easy to use and we 'lost' (literally) our chart plotter back in Jepara - that's another long story which remains an eternal mystery.  Suffice it to say, the loss of this means the loss of our radar and the electronic chart chip which could have been used in our second chart plotter.

Due to the fact that we are imminently to cross our last ocean where we will be negotiating some tricky areas, a reliable navigation system is somewhat of a must and dear Sheila kept losing her GPS capabilities rendering her a tad useless.  

We scoured the town of Kuah with its myriad of cell phone shops but an iPad was nowhere to be found!  The reason, we were told, everyone buys them online these days.  Damn, not good.  We have a back-up system using Open CPN with C-Maps charts on Paul's computer which is very good but Navionics has spoiled us rotten.  The iPad can run all day whereas the PC is extremely power hungry, not a good feature on a sailboat.  

Right now, and I'm crossing fingers and holding thumbs when I say this, she's behaving well and led us safely across the Straits of Malacca to Sabang on the northern tip of Sumatra where we now lie at anchor.  Sabang is holding a Marine Festival for the next few days and are expecting 25 yachts for the occasion which should prove to be great fun.  We have met up with our friends Janice and Mick from Zoa who we last spent time with up on the hard in Pangkor and originally met on the Indonesian rally three years ago.  We're also hoping to meet up with other boats planning to cross the Indian Ocean at the same time, surely we can't be the only ones!

Our trip across was relatively uneventful, a good thing if you think about it.  The wind did its usual trick by placing itself right on the nose the entire way.  We could have zig-zagged across but the Straits are a very busy route for huge tankers coming and going to Singapore and, at times, we felt 'sandwiched' in amongst them; a straight, unwavering line is the safer option.  This is where our new AIS system really came to the fore; what a wonderful invention this is!  We could tell, even from 20 miles away, which boats were on a collision course with us.  It gives us their name and details so we could call them up to ensure all goes smoothly.  We even had one Ethiopian captain call us in disbelief that we were sailing around the world in such a tiny thing!  The words "whoa" and "wow" constituted the majority of his conversation leaving me with the impression that he's not come across too many of us during his travels.

Now off to party!

Lake of the Pregnant Maiden

The Lake of the Pregnant Maiden was purportedly named due to the shapes of the mountains overlooking the lake.  If you looked carefully and used one hell of a lot of vivid imagination, you maybe, just possibly, but no guarantee, can make out a shape which just might perhaps, almost, have a tiny resemblance to a pregnant lady lying on her back!  However, I defy anyone to work that one out by themselves!

Part of the welcoming committee

Nevertheless, it was a very beautiful lake nestled in the mountains, a short walk from the docks where the numerous tour boats tie up bringing in many dozen, no make that many hundreds, of tourists each and every day.  We got there early, before the first tour boats arrived and were surprised to find quite an elaborate infrastructure in the form of a restaurant, small welcoming hall describing the geological history that formed the lake, relatively well maintained steps and footpaths and a huge floating platform for all the water toys.

We had seen a bridge structure from Calypso which obviously led from the entry point but discovered that this path cordoned off.  When we asked why, the answer came back "broken".  However, they weren't particularly concerned when we asked if we could go through to check for ourselves.  This path took us all along the northern edge of the lake but had been badly damaged in three different sections due to rocks and trees which had tumbled down crashing through the structure.  Well, we managed to carry on despite large missing sections and were able to get to the little bridge overlooking the sea with Calypso in the distance.

The sure-footed and the....

not so brave!

By the time we returned to the main section, it was chock-a-block full of tourists either swimming, out in paddle boats, on kayaks or just wandering around taking selfies.*  Definitely time to leave.  Thank goodness we'd arrived early enough to avoid this as we thoroughly enjoyed the path less travelled.

*Paul feels that all these hundreds of people taking hundreds more selfies with their latest smart phones would save an awful lot of money if they simply bought themselves a mirror with a handle.  I have to admit, he's got a point.

Beautiful backdrop

Final provisioning and farewell to Malaysia

Things are moving faster now.  We dropped into Langkawi for our final provisioning, you know, those important tins of beer and bottles of wine so necessary for toasting the sun going down over the Indian Ocean.  We are now totally recovered teetotallers, a sever condition that hit us during our lengthy sojourn in Indonesia.  We even managed a few bottles of whiskey and port!  A bottle of reasonable whiskey here is the equivalent of US$4.50!

Oh yes, and we bought some food too!  If truth be known, we didn't buy that much as the supermarkets in Langkawi are certainly not brilliant.  We managed most prior to leaving Pangkor and then again up in Phuket.  We're still very shy of all things fresh e.g. fruit and veggies as those we saw in Langkawi I'd feel guilty feeding to my pet pig if I had one, so we can only hope scurvy doesn't settle in during the four or five days it will take to get over to Sumatra.  Somehow, I'm sure we'll survive.

We left the Kuah anchorage this morning to venture around the southwest side of the islands where there are apparently quite a few beautiful anchorages that we haven't investigated previously.  It's still a little early for us to set off for Sumatra as we only wish to arrive on or about the 25th and it's less than 300nm.  We'll be arriving back in Indonesia without a visa which only allows us 30 days including the day we arrive and the day we leave so we don't want to get there and use up unnecessary days before the Marine Festval starts on the 26th.  After the festival, we have a fair distance to go to get down to Pedang to check out on our way to Cocos Keeling so every day is precious.

As I write, we've just dropped anchor in a gorgeous spot next to the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden (and no, I didn't make that up!).  It's too hot to go off hiking to it now so we'll leave that for the cooler (yeah right) hours of the early morning.  Any photos will have to wait for a later time, the Internet is so limited here, it's a "catch me if you can" situation so no chance of uploading photos.  

The next time I write, we'll be back in Indonesia and starting our homeward bound journey.

Still here, sort of...

Despite having left Phuket and officially having checked out of Thailand, we managed to extend our stay by virtue of island hopping on our way back southwards.  On the way up, we had stopped at different islands each night to avoid the minefields of fishing paraphernalia which proved to be very successful so we decided to do the same thing on our return voyage.  

Our first night was spent anchored at Koh Phi Phi again which is a great overnight spot.  We had spent all our Baht so didn't venture ashore to any of the plethora of restaurants.  This bay is very active with tour, dive and fishing boats but settles down to a nice quiet bay once evening descends.

Early the following morning, we set off to return to the Koh Rok group of islands but plans changed midway.  Halfway through the trip, we could see a group of rocks sticking up out of the sea on our starboard side so we read up about them.  They sounded really quite nice so even though we were already a good few miles past them, we turned around to have a look.  The wind and current, both against us, caused it to be an hour long leg but, once there, we were so glad we did.  What a beautiful spot!





















 

 

The group is Koh Ha Yai and is made up of five islands, or rather rocks, with a shallow area between four of them which has created a lovely coral garden for snorkelling and a small white sandy beach.  Just off the rocks, the depth is 30 metres, too deep for anchoring, so we were thrilled to find a few mooring buoys which appeared to be in good condition.  The water was crystal clear and the coral, although not outstanding, was full of a great variety of tropical fish.

Again, it was a popular location for divers during the day which meant that, at times, it was quite busy but a nice peaceful and thoroughly beautiful anchorage all the same.

This brief stopover turned into a two day relaxing stay, something all the boat maintenance has prevented us from enjoying of late.  No such thing as boredom.

Back on track, we motored (no wind to speak of) down to Koh Rok thinking we'd try the west side as the east had been a very difficult anchorage on our way up.  However, it was far too rolly so we motored around to the east.  We could see a handful of yachts in the distance and one in particular looked very familiar.  As we got closer, we could see it was indeed Troutbridge!  Anyone following our blog over the years will know why this was so familiar to us; she had been a constant companion and source of interest for many years.  Sadly, our old friend Peter is no longer the owner having returned to England to start afresh.  We met the new owners and were happy to see how much work they've been putting into the old girl.  I sent photos to Peter who admitted that he succumbed to a slight lump in his throat. 

In between our visits, the Parks Board had installed a dozen or more new mooring balls, what a pleasure for us and a savior for the beautiful coral.

While pulling into the next anchorage, Koh Lipe, our engine suddenly sounded horrific while idling.  After a quick search, Paul discovered that the culprit was the water maker pump which had broken it's securing bolts thereby damaging the threads.  He managed to secure it again but may have to rebore, tap and screw for a final fix at a later stage. There's always something that needs fixing!  An extra day to do this temporary solution and then it's off to Langkawi.

Farewell Thailand

It's time to leave.  We had a great stay even though we didn't do any touring while in Thailand but the main purpose was to see friends before departing this corner of the world.  We had a wonderful visit with John in Bangkok and then with Neville and Tish here in Phuket.  Super to touch sides again.  

We also met up with a German couple who we'd originally met way back in Brazil as well as several ports throughout the years.  Here was I thinking that there was absolutely no one we knew when we entered Ao Chalong only to find their boat very close by.  I don't think we've ever entered a busy port without knowing at least one or two others at anchor.  Cruising life is amazing!

Paul now has his visa for Cocos Keeling which is such a relief and from now on, we will be moving closer to the starting post of the Indian Ocean crossing.  

Our plan, as always written in the sand at low tide, is to make a quick stop at Langkawi for the final liquid provisions and then sail westwards to the northern tip of Sumatra.  The town of Sabang on the little island of Pulau We is holding a Marine Festival towards the end of this month which sounds like a worthwhile stopover: free food, 100 litres free diesel, free t-shirt, free entertainment, so yup, a worthwhile stop.

So for now, farewell Thailand, sawadee 

Meeting old friends

Upon returning from Bangkok, we were invited by our friends, Neville and Tish, to spend a couple of days with them at their house in Phuket.  Another wonderful bus-man's holiday!

They picked us up in the morning, took us for coffee and delicious apple pie (such a treat) before taking us to purchase our meat provisions for the Indian Ocean crossing.  Now this may not sound like much to landlubbers but for us, wow.  I bought the meat, took it to their house, repackaged it all in meal-size portions and placed it in their freezer.  Within the day, it was solid.  If we had attempted to do the same aboard Calypso, considering it takes a minimum of two days to barely freeze a small tray of ice cubes, it would never have frozen before it all went off!  What a godsend!

We loved their house, a fabulous combination of practical design and beautiful decor.  They built it and moved in about eighteen months ago after having lived in Australia for over thirty years.  The two days literally flew by with a tremendous amount of reminiscing; catching up on the years since we last all lived in South Africa.  Great company with many good laughs.  We spent a wonderful evening at friends of theirs who invited us along to join them for dinner.  It's interesting to meet so many expats and to hear their views on the lives they are leading in foreign countries.

Neville and Tish threw in another bit of absolute luxury by treating us to an hour-long foot massage.  Now that's what I call being spoiled!  

Thailand is definitely the place for massages and we kept thinking we should indulge but somehow just never got around to it.  What a pleasure indeed.  When the time came, we were sorry to say farewell.  Who knows if and when we'll meet up again.  I hope so. 

 



 





















Back on the home front, we have a major problem with our modem which allows us to send and receive emails via the SSB radio.  It no longer works and this means that we cannot receive weather information or send out our position as we are underway.  Paul's been trying everything and is still not sure if it's the modem itself or the cable which is faulty.  Neville took him to a marine electrics shop who felt the cable could be the culprit but could do nothing about it.  In the meantime, John, up in Bangkok, has pounded the streets trying to find a replacement.  It appears that this is an archaic museum piece so no luck but a million thanks for your efforts John.  I'm not sure what the next step is going to be but...... bit worrying to say the least.

Time is matching on now, we'll soon be moving southwards again to head towards Sumatra.  The good news is, Paul's Australian visa to visit Coco Keeling has finally been approved.  What a mission that was primarily because he's a South African citizen applying for the visa outside of SA.  As its all done by computer these days, the 'answer' blocks don't allow for explanations so he didn't fit into the norm.  Anyway, it's done thank goodness!  We can now stop at Cocos.