At the end of her second watch of the night, 0400 to 0700, Roy surfaced to take a few photographs of her at sunrise to mark the occasion, following which he created an improvisation for Elaine birthday cake; a peppers and cheese omelette with bacon. Perfect!
Then after hoisting a double-reefed mainsail to ensure it didn’t blanket the headsail and slam around in the persistent swell, Elaine went off watch, but not before she received a birthday message from her sister in Ireland.
When she woke, Roy was baking a cranberry muffin loaf, which was thoroughly enjoyed with a nice cuppa.
We did have one incident onboard, though, but fortunately nothing too serious. At the time, Elaine had scolded Roy for not being more careful in the sun yesterday after noticing his face, torso, arms and hands were bright red, but then had to apologise when he indicated he’d just taken the new Niacin (B3) vitamin we’d purchased from Grace Pharmacy in Thailand before our departure and that he wasn’t only bright red, but his skin was itchy, tingly and sweaty too. With instructions to head for the shower and then covering him in Aloe Vera, he discovered the warning on the label this morning: “Niacin may cause a temporary flush, itching or tingling sensation in some people. This reaction is common. Discontinue use if you have a prolonged affect“; clearly he was “some people”, although he’s taken this vitamin regularly for years, albeit a different brand. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for his symptoms to settle back down, thankfully!
On the sailing front, the engine was switched off at 0915 after the wind had kicked back in; a breeze from the northeast of anything from 9 to 13 Kts, giving us a SOG (Speed Over Ground) of anything from 5.5 Kts to 8.5 Kts. Elaine had received her birthday wish; to be under sail on the day, not motoring or motor-sailing!
However, by this evening the winds had died down again, so we were back to motor-sailing, but happy to have enjoyed another day of sailing.
Birthday wishes from everyone on the evening net and birthday greetings from Keenan, as well as an update on his IOE, sealed a lovely day, topped off with some cranberry muffin loaf and custard, followed by a few of her Ferrero Rocher birthday gift chocolates; a birthday to be remembered indeed! As Michael, off Golden Spirit, said: “They’re aren’t too many people who’ve celebrated their 60th birthday crossing the Indian Ocean!”
By midday, we were more or less far enough south to miss the southern tip of Sri Lanka, but not yet south enough to be south of the shipping corridor in this area, which becomes extremely busy with ships joining the corridor from India. As a result we’re continuing on our west-southwest COG (Course Over Ground) as planned.
Elaine’s morning started with the beauty of nature that one can only appreciate at sea; the full moon setting in the west as the sun rose in the east, reminding her of our arrival in Nuka Hiva, in the Marquesas, after our Pacific Ocean crossing in March 2016. This would be another memorable occasion etched in her minds-eye of our Indian Ocean crossing.
As for the rest of the morning, though, Elaine slept through it all, while Roy remained on watch. Fortunately the horrendous squeak that persisted all night, right above Elaine’s cabin, caused by the bauberhauler on the genoa and kept her awake for most of her off-watch time, was rectified when Roy came back on watch this morning, replacing the squeaky block with two soft blocks to split the load, which, thankfully, removed the squeak. It didn’t help matters that Elaine’s attempts to get some sleep by moving to the starboard aft cabin, simply created another issue; it was far more uncomfortable being on the “rougher” side, since we were on a starboard tack. No amount of cushions wedged around her served the purpose! Needless to say, she slept like a baby this morning in the comfort of her own cabin, waking up as fresh as a daisy!
By 1500 we had to put an engine on again. Although the winds would afford us to sail, we’ve had very strange currents since yesterday, setting in directions unusual for the area; in fact 180 degrees in the opposite direction to the norm, all of which had slowed us down.
Of course, even at sea, news of significant world events still reach us; on this occasion, the underwater volcanic eruption and associated tsunami in Tonga. Our hearts go out to the people of this tiny Kingdom in the South Pacific, where we experienced kindness and generosity that will always remain with us; our invite to a potluck dinner at the home of one of the locals; a group of ladies coming aboard for an afternoon so Elaine could teach them how to bake Irish soda bread, the man who stopped to give us half of the most delicious watermelon we have ever tasted, while we were out walking, picked from his plantation that morning, the man who stopped to give us a ride in the back of his truck, where we sat amongst the coconuts he’d picked that afternoon, the delicious meal and the singing goat at one of the restaurants, the traditional feast we attended, where we enjoyed local dancing and singing, the beautiful handmade earrings and hair clip given to Elaine as a gift and the stunning natural beauty of the country, including the wonderful sea-life, particularly the numerous humpback whales we had the good fortune of sighting within a few metres of Paw Paw on numerous occasions.
Our evening net revealed that both Golden Spirit (Caroline and Michael) and Talulah Ruby III (Andy and Paul) were not far behind us after they’d enjoyed an excellent day of sailing.
However, on the eve before Elaine’s 60th birthday, it’s hard not to reflect, once again, on how this pandemic has changed so much of our plans, given that we were supposed to be in Cape Town, South Africa, with family and friends to mark the occasion. Instead, we’re at sea, but nonetheless a gift in that we are continuing west and continuing our circumnavigation. Having birthday wishes sung to her over the satellite phone by her mom and dad this evening certainly added a dash of cheer to the day as well!
Elaine, however, never quite made it to the end of her early morning shift. Fortunately Roy woke up with a 1/2 hour of her watch remaining as Elaine struggled to stay awake and deal with nausea after taking her weekly methotrexate, forgetting that on our last passage from Australia to Indonesia, we’d switched the watch schedule around on a Sunday night to accommodate this weekly occurrence. Fortunately after an hours rest, she felt as right as rain again.
Under sunny, clear skies, having left the Nicobar Islands and the Indonesia island of Sumatra in the distance, we continued west with a variety of cargo ships and tankers for company, some passing within a mile of us.
By lunchtime we had no choice, but to drop the mainsail, given that a nasty swell had developed and was causing it to slam; the age old problem we’ve experienced on most passages. However, our full 150% genoa didn’t falter, giving us an average SOG (Speed Over Ground) of 8.5 Kts; we definitely weren’t complaining!
Our evening net was a wonderful break in the day to hear familiar voices, but, more importantly, to know that both Golden Spirit (Michael and Caroline) and Talulah Ruby III (Andy and Paul) were not far behind us, all progressing on the same COG (Course Over Ground) as ourselves, albeit that Talulah Ruby III was slightly further south. It’s always comforting to have other yachts around, although, on this passage, we’re definitely not short of company.
Fortunately, after a great day of sailing yesterday, we sailed through most of the night too, with the exception of a few hours just after dark when the winds died down and we had to motor-sail.
This morning we had white, puffy clouds around, after a completely clear blue sky yesterday, but the winds remained, thankfully. With winds out of the east of 13 to 14 Knots, we enjoyed a SOG (Speed Over Ground) of 6.5 to 7.0 Kts on headsail alone, approaching the Great Channel south of Great Nicobar Island and expect to exit the Andaman Sea into the Bay of Bengal tonight. What we weren’t expecting, though, not only the number of cargo ships we have encountered, but also the streams of garbage floating passed us; ropes, nets, plastic waste, specifically plastic bottles and plastic wrappers, flip-flops, logs, cooler boxes, even a plastic chair! Just terrible!
After Elaine had caught up on her sleep after breakfast, to pass the time while Roy caught up on his sleep, she baked a banana loaf using a recipe she got from Paul’s mom a few years ago on one of the occasions when Justine and Paul were visiting us on Paw Paw; an unplanned event, but what do you do when all your green bananas ripen at once, because we were foolish enough to stow them differently to what we’ve done in the past! Oh the joys!
The good news from the SSB/HF radio net, though, was that Golden Spirit (Caroline and Michael) and Talulah Ruby III (Andy and Paul) were, like ourselves, converging on the Great Channel tonight too. Should be a good “race” to the Maldives!
Sailing out of Chalong Bay, with the sun peeking over the hilltops behind us, on a broad reach, doing 6.7 Kts under a double reefed mainsail and full genoa, was a fabulous start to our passage. By 0900 we’d seen our first cargo ship and had dropped the mainsail to sail downwind on the genoa alone, enjoying a SOG (Speed Over Ground) of anything from 6.5 - 8.5 Kts, reaching 10 Kts at one point, with a following sea. Perfect! Maldives here we come!
As we’ve mentioned before, setting sail provides a sense of calmness and peacefulness in many ways, regardless of the usual stress associated with setting off into the big blue yonder. All the running around, all the planning, all the preparations, are completed. There’s no social media or world news. There’s no impromptu communications with family and friends. There’s no movies to stream. We enter our “sailing bubble”, where all we have to do is sail in the general direction of our destination, avoid any obstacles like ships and fishing boats, keep an eye on the weather, keep our shore-based contacts updated, eat, sleep and take care of our personal hygiene, as well as read if we choose. Everything is scheduled around our watches and the SSB/HF radio net, the latter giving us the chance to catch up with other yachts underway. It’s very basic living, taking one day at a time as a daysail. The best part about this passage, however, is that it’s taking us closer to home and to our loved ones, one nautical mile at a time!
Being our first day at sea, we were both on watch until after our mid-morning coffee, following which Roy went for a nap, leaving Elaine to do the first watch. Then it was Elaine’s turn to take a nap. Not surprising, though, neither of us actually slept, but a wee rest was better than nothing!
The only excitement for the day was a cargo ship passing just ahead of us as we turned to port to pass astern of it.
Our day ended with the SSB/HF radio net, a delicious chicken and vegetable soup and lighter winds; the latter expected per the forecast. That, however, forced us to start our starboard engine to run at a low RPM just as it was time for Elaine to go off watch. By 2100, the winds had started to pick up again, but not enough to propel us under sail alone. So tonight, under clear skies, with a waxing gibbous to guide us, we continue west.
By 1130, we were back onboard, so, while Roy repacked the starboard aft cabin bunk (aka his workshop) and then dinghied ashore to get the last of our laundry done, Elaine sanitised all our grocery bags, sanitised the cockpit area, again, washed the helmstation and helmstation screens, then stowed all the superfluous items below deck. By then Roy had returned with the washing, so that was hung out to dry. The last tasks of the day were to freeze our passage meals, after letting them cool, wash the pots, stow the clean laundry and enjoy a chat to Elaine’s mom in Ireland. To wrap up our time in Thailand, we also enjoyed one last meal, watching the sunset, at At the Beach, before heading back to Paw Paw for a shower, a nice cup of tea and bed, both in desperate need of an early night.
Today we were awake early again, but this time, after a good night’s sleep. However, before we got started on our remaining To Dos, we enjoyed a video call to Brooke and the grandsons, who were very excited that: “Dad is arriving home in 1/2 an hour”, given that they hadn’t seen him since New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately the grandsons, although they didn’t show symptoms after contracting COVID-19, they were all definitely a bit out of sorts, understandably so. They’d been through a lot, with every adult in the household ill and isolating, leaving them in the care of big sister, Capri, who did a marvellous job under difficult circumstances. Fortunately, Brooke was fully recovered and the grandsons were all returning to school after the weekend, so life was starting to resemble some normalcy again.
Afterwards, Roy started the watermaker, prepared the mainsail, stowed all the winch covers and the saloon sunscreens, opened the sunscreens on the helmstation, dinghied ashore to dispose of our garbage and purchase petrol for the dinghy, as well as removed our flashing light, which had prevented fishing boats from ramming into us at night. Although our anchor light was always on, this light was a necessity in these waters.
Elaine, on the other hand, worked her way through the remaining items on our Pre-Sail Checklist, which included ensuring our Grab Bag had everything needed, all the jacklines were secure and the transom lifelines were rigged, as well as forwarded all our completed documentation to our agent in the Maldives.
After nearly three years in SE Asia, two years longer than originally planned due to the pandemic, in and out of lockdowns, loneliness and constant visa issues, our time had eventually arrived to set sail and continue west, leaving behind the precarious medical care for Elaine, specifically in Thailand, which involved an extremely expensive medical treatment plan that, not only didn’t work, made matters a hundred times worse, although she had received wonderful care in both Singapore and Malaysia, expenses we never anticipated, again specifically in Thailand, due to shoddy workmanship which resulted in two haulouts within six months, difficulty in provisioning, particularly in Thailand, not only in terms of getting purchases back to the yacht, but always needing to hire a car and drive on terrible roads, with terrible drivers due to the lack of decent public transportation or having to deal with taxis trying to charge London prices, all exacerbated by the dangers of trying to walk anywhere, due to the lack of decent pavements or cars and motorbikes constantly parked on the pavements, which forced us to walk on the roads, compared to the excellent and inexpensive Grab services in Malaysia and the fabulous public transportation system in Singapore.
However, what we take with us are the wonderful experiences of vastly different cultures and customs, of the kind, helpful, friendly and humble people, the fabulous tourist attractions and adventures we have enjoyed and our tastebuds still tantalised by the delicious food! We’re glad we ventured to this part of the world and leave with very fond memories indeed!
Our last tasks of the day was a phone call to Elaine’s sister in Ireland, sending notes to family and friends informing them of our departure and making up the saloon bed, where we spend a large amount of our time lounging around while on passage.
We were ready at last! Nervous, but excited!
First up was the “chicken chute” and although there was very little wind, we at least ensured it wasn’t twisted before re-socking it. Next was the gennaker. Being a little nervous because it had been years since we’d flown it, it too went up perfectly and, since a lovely light breeze had developed by now, we enjoyed a sail on it before bringing it down. We’d barely stowed it, though, when the wind speeds increased significantly after getting out of the shadow of Koh Yao Yai, providing us with the opportunity to sail the rest of the way on our new genoa on a fabulous broad to beam reach, enjoying a SOG (Speed Over Ground) in excess of 6.5 Kts in a 12 to 15 Kts breeze. Considering how loaded Paw Paw is for our departure, we were definitely pleasantly surprised.
Once anchored back in the Panwa Bali anchorage, which had certainly emptied out since our previous visit, it was time to continue with our never-ending To Dos; Elaine got started on completing all the paperwork for our entry into the Maldives, as well as completing our Float Plan and a few other miscellaneous tasks like stencilling Paw Paw’s name on the dinghy and the new lifering, while Roy reorganised the sails for easy deployment and ensured all the rigging was secured. A quick refresher on how to deploy the EPIRB and all the safety equipment on the lifelines, something we hope will never be required, completed another very productive day.
Too tired to cook, Roy collected a delicious dinner from At the Beach restaurant whilst doing a garbage run; multitasking was taking on a whole new meaning as our departure date looms.
Although we thought we were well prepared and ready for our departure, everyday something has happened that needs resolving or fixing; today was no exception, with a gremlin creeping into our chartplotter, which stopped the display of AIS data for no apparent reason. We knew the AIS equipment was transmitting and receiving because we could see our own position coming up on Marine Traffic and AIS data was being received and displayed on our laptop, so, in true Raymarine fashion, a reboot sorted out the problem.
The next issue to raise its ugly head was Roy’s older iPad bulging all of a sudden. Some investigation indicated that it was the battery expanding and needed to be replaced as a matter of urgency. The problem was twofold; we didn’t want the risk of a potential fire resulting from an electronic device exploding and this device held all our Ovital satellite images and tracks through all the reef areas we’d be encountering on our way across the Indian Ocean, whichever route we ended up taking. We absolutely needed to preserve that information! That, of course, resulted in a few frantic activities to backup the tablet, which could then be reloaded onto Elaine’s tablet, if need be, and phone calls to see if there was somewhere on Phuket Island that could replace the battery.
Satisfied that the situation was in hand and after a good night’s sleep, for Elaine anyway, we were both awake before the alarm to dinghy across the bay to Chalong Pier, collect the hired car and complete our final provisioning; our frozen and fresh produce, as well as to drop off the tablet at a recommended repairs facility. What we weren’t expecting was to find in the various shops we visited, resulting in trips to eight different grocery stores just to get our meat, fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, cheese and some prosciutto ham and then two trips to a repair facility since the recommended iPhone repair shop was completely useless and just wasted our time with a drive all the way into Phuket Town, only to return to a repair shop in the complex of the Lotus grocery store we’d just left. Very frustrating, but we were relieved to get it returned in working order, nonetheless.
By 1300 we were back onboard, delighted that we’d managed to get our own “Songthaew” along Chalong Pier, without a tourist insight, but it took awhile to wake up the security guard, the ticket attendant and the bus driver from their slumber!
By 1530, our purchases had been sanitised and stowed. The freezer was now bulging too, but fortunately we’d managed to get deep-frozen items too, which would assist the freezer in freezing the fresh items. Exhausted and delighted that we were eventually finished with all our provisioning activities, we both needed a nap.
Our day ended with a nice long chat to Elaine’s sister in Ireland and receiving the news that Keenan had completed his first flight as a Captain for Delta Airlines into Miami International airport from JFK, unfortunately rerouted due to bad weather, but, regardless, successfully completing his first of three IOE flights. Brilliant news indeed!
