After the video call, we dinghied ashore for an early morning swim off the beach, before returning to Paw Paw for breakfast. Being a beautiful, calm, sunny day, we decided that lazying around the cockpit was the best way to spend our time, content to watch the kids from the nearby sailing club enjoy a day of racing out on the bay, all very enthusiastic indeed, given that they were out on the water again in the afternoon. At one point we both nodded off, though, waking up just in time for lunch.
However, Roy did mustered up some energy to start the preparation work for the next stage of the lithium battery solution, which involves the new busbar, the worst part of the installation due to the tight quarters he has to work in, as well as temporarily having to remove the inverter and battery charger to make space.
We had planned on getting the paddleboards out too, but we were both too lazy, so we settled for another swim instead, this time off the back of Paw Paw. We’d no sooner got back onboard, though, when Roy noticed a huge sting ray come out of the water, setting the stage for a beautiful evening on the foredeck, with a lovely cool breeze carrying laughter from the beach, as people poured outside to enjoy the good weather and since a few more lockdown restrictions had been lifted.
Today started with another wildlife sighting; this time a massive sea eagle, the biggest we’ve seen, circling overhead as we enjoyed breakfast in the cockpit after a calm, peaceful night. Then it was time for our two-hour workout; cleaning Paw Paw’s bottom. While Roy tackled the barnacles, Elaine cleaned the waterline and stripes. It’s fair to say, we’re not impressed with our new antifouling at all, but, unfortunately, the Jotun we’ve used since New Zealand, which we’ve had great success with, is not available in Thailand, so we picked the best we could find, which wasn’t exactly cheap either. Guess we’ll be kept fit until the next haulout, especially when having to constantly fight a current while undertaking the cleaning efforts every few weeks.
A shower and a hot cup of coffee was followed by a “wee rest” after our morning workout. Afterwards Elaine started the process of cataloguing our latest photographs before we dinghied ashore to dispose of the garbage and enjoy a light dinner at the Used Books Café, both requiring a hike straight up the side of the mountain, but the meal and the views were well worth the effort!
On our return to Paw Paw, after rescuing a dinghy sailor who’d got becalmed in the anchorage when the wind died and who was very grateful for a tow back to shore, we noticed another yacht enter the anchorage and anchor bow-to us. Having had this happen twice before, which tripped our anchor, lo and behold, it was tripped again. Fortunately, we’ve wisened up to these idiots, so, not taking any chances, when we backed down on the anchor it reset about a boat length from its original position just as daylight faded. Very frustrating, but at least we didn’t end up on a reef this time!
