That meant on Friday morning we dinghied ashore for breakfast, followed by a walk around the gardens, then returned to Paw Paw to get a few chores completed in light of the improved weather. Although it was still windy, it was the perfect weather for laundry day. So, while Elaine spent her day stripping beds, airing bedding and getting everything washed and dried, Roy started cleaning the rubber trim around the transom; something that really needed to be done again after our time on the hard.
By early evening we had complete calm, so sundowners were enjoyed on the foredeck, followed by dinner and a movie.
With the sunshine continuing, we enjoyed a day at the swimming pool of the Ao Po Grand marina yesterday, complements of the Marina Manager, Derek. Elaine spent so much time in the water, she had difficulty moving a few muscles this morning. A cool refreshment was followed by lunch before we called it a day and returned to Paw Paw.
Given, the improved weather and being a weekend, the waters around Phuket Island seemed to come to life, albeit briefly; a few more yachts arrived in the anchorage, fishing boats were out again, yachts were seen out sailing on the bay and another yacht carrier had arrived to unload a few “gin” palaces as well as load yachts bound for destinations unknown. This was our entertainment for the rest of the afternoon as we lazed in the cockpit.
Today Roy was up early to clean Paw Paw’s bottom, given that it’s been nearly three weeks of sitting in this anchorage, hunkered down for the bad weather. Elaine, though, spent her day sifting through yacht insurance contracts; a task she detests, albeit an extremely important one.
On the local news front, a candlelit memorial service was held on Bang Tao Beach for the 57 year old Swiss tourist, Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, who was found dead, believed murdered, near the Ao Yon Waterfall on Thursday. She had arrived as part of the Phuket Sandbox initiative.
As the sun set on the western horizon, bouquets of white flowers were laid in front of an image of Ms Sauvain-Weisskopf with a circle of white candles placed before it.
Needless to say, while sympathies and condolences have been extended to family and friends, this event has rocked the foundations of the Phuket community, with pledges made by officials to do their best to make “Phuket a safe and pleasant place to live for all life on the island, including tourists who come to visit.” There are obviously grave concerns that this incident will severely affect the Phuket Sandbox initiative. Although nearly 15,000 tourists had visited the island in July as part of this initiative, equivalent to approximately 450 foreign arrivals a day, while a minuscule number compared to the 43,000 daily arrivals before the pandemic, it is still a start to try and recover this tourism-dependent economy, providing hope and a light at the end of the tunnel for the tens of thousands who have lost their livelihoods. In 2019, the country welcomed 40 million foreign arrivals, of which 10 million visited Phuket. With numbers like these, it’s no wonder this economy has been devastated and “ghost towns” are seen up and down the west coast of the island, while resorts and restaurants lay abandoned on the surrounding islands. An incident like this murder was the last thing this island needed, never mind the grief it has caused.
On a more pleasant note, we enjoyed a lovely sunset, the first in weeks and the South African Springboks became the first side in the 130-year history of the British and Irish Lions contest to come from one Test down to win the series 2-1. History repeated itself as Morne Steyn kicked a late penalty to give South Africa the 19-16 match win and the series. Go Bokke!
