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Today was the big day; after months of planning and preparation work, including extensive research and numerous conversations with various experts on the subject, as well as unexpected delivery delays of various components, our new lithium batteries were installed.

As with everything on a yacht, this too was no easy feat. First the lid of the battery box was trimmed to size early this morning, then the battery pack had to be lifted from the cockpit seat onto towels we’d positioned on the cockpit table. From there the pack was dragged and pushed across our makeshift “bridge”, along the port deck and positioned on top of the anchor locker. Once the old batteries had been removed and our hoisting system in place, using the spinnaker halyard, Elaine winched as Roy positioned the pack and it was slowly lowered into the battery compartment area.

After getting everything in place in the battery compartment, it was then a matter of wiring the smart relays to the BMS, connecting the battery cables and voilà! However, initially we switched the battery pack on with only the solar as the charging source to monitor and adjust the configuration.

Next steps involve re-configuring the Victron Multiple Plus for the other charge sources ie for the generator, the wind generator and the alternators. However, we’d barely tidied up and got everything secured, when the heavens opened again, accompanied by winds in excess of 30 Kts, after pouring down most of last night. This meant that we started the engines, to be sure, to be sure, given that the storm had come out of the southeast, putting us on a lee-shore, but, having the engines on, gave us the opportunity to monitor the impact of the alternators on the new batteries too.

What’s extremely annoying about the weather here in Thailand, though, is that we’ve patiently endured the very rainy Southwest Monsoon season, but the only difference now with the onset of the Northeast Monsoon season, is the direction the storms are coming from; it is relentless!

We’ve spent months squeezing our yacht projects, outings and explorations into the precious few bright, sunny days we’ve had in between the storms and, worse, the remainder of our stay seems to be stacking up to continue in the same vein, potentially reducing the possibility of exploring a few more areas we’d like to see in Phang Nga Bay and Krabi before our departure. Fortunately we’ve explored the west coast by car, so if we don’t get to sail it, that won’t be a huge disappointment.

Regardless, this evening, with the rain continuing and lightning visible in the distance again, Roy cooked up a fresh seafood dish, accompanied by a nice cold beverage, to celebrate his achievement. All his hard work had come to fruition. Well done Captain Roy!

It’s been all systems go aboard Paw Paw this week as work has continued on our lithium battery solution, interspersed with a few other activities, both planned and unplanned.

On Tuesday after breakfast, while Elaine enjoyed a pleasant morning completing her efforts on our latest video, although this still needs to be uploaded to our website, Roy dinghied ashore to run a few planned errands, including paying for the dinghy repairs and visiting a chandlery for a few more lugs, as well as to get a new power cable made for our SSB/HF radio and watermaker, since the industrial strength lug on the existing cable had simply disintegrated when Roy went to move it. It was a lovely surprise, though, when he returned in our own dinghy having originally expected the switch with the “loaner” to take place later in the day at the high tide; turns out the half tide worked just as well! Unfortunately, though, Roy only noticed after the delivery truck and trailer had departed that our oars had not been returned, resulting in an unplanned walk back to the shop later in the week.

Back onboard, Roy connected the octo-isolator relays and top-balanced all the batteries again, given that we’d had to wait much longer than expected for delivery of the BMSs (Battery Management Systems).

With our week planned out to finish the lithium battery installation, a late afternoon phone call from the dermatologist sent our plans out the window, as the specialist needed to see Elaine first thing on Wednesday morning.

So, after rescheduling the booking of the hired car and rearranging our appointment with our agent, we were up early on Wednesday to head to the hospital and from there we drove to the most northern area of Phuket Island, where we met our agent at the Yacht Haven marina to collect our renewed Customs Clearance and Yacht Sanitation Certificate, the latter required for the Maldives, as well as a parcel that had been erroneously delivered to the wrong marina.

Since this was an area of Phuket Island we hadn’t explored before, we decided to return to Chalong Bay via the northwestern coastline, stopping at Sirinat National Park, where we enjoyed lunch at the Dewa Phuket Resort and Villas, before taking a stroll through the National Park and along the beautifully wild and unspoilt Mai Khao beach.

Before returning to Paw Paw in the early evening, we stopped in at the Market Village for an afternoon coffee and to pick up a few provisions, getting back onboard just before the rain set in. After sanitising everything, though, we were both too tired to be bothered with stowing anything, apart from the fresh produce.

Yesterday, having collected more rain water overnight, it was laundry day. So, while Elaine cracked on with that, Roy started the generator and the watermaker, then continued with the lithium batteries, including drilling the holes for the high amperage cables and cable-tying all the wires, ready for installation. In between all this activity, he also popped ashore to stretch his legs and collect the dinghy oars, surprising Elaine with a bunch of flowers, a pineapple and a bunch of Longan berries on his return, all purchased from a roadside stall for tuppence.

After a short afternoon nap, Elaine continued stowing our provisions and we began our daily process of turning what feels like a building site at the moment, back into some semblance of a home, following which Elaine enjoyed a phone call from her mom in Ireland.

While we’ve been busy with all our activities onboard, we’ve also watched the tenacity of a few sailors re-float the beautiful old schooner which sank in one of the storms a few weeks ago and yesterday evening their efforts paid off as the deck of the yacht eventually broke through the surface. By late last night it was completely emptied of the sea water and towed to it’s new spot in the anchorage awaiting the commencement of a total refit.

Today we moved back to Panwa Bali as planned and where the next, very unpleasant and extremely dirty job was completed; removing one of the shelves in the battery compartment. While Roy worked in the heat and the plumes of dust, Elaine retreated to the dinghy to give it a detailed cleaning, put the chaps and engine cover back on, return the anchor and put all the other bits and bobs back in their rightful place, ready for our next dinghy excursion. By then we were both in desperate need of a swim; straight off Paw Paw’s stern! Bliss!

Feeling refreshed, lunch and another nap was enjoyed before sundowners and a barbecue this evening. It was the massive thunderstorm, though, as we watched its approach from the foredeck, enjoying the power of nature as the skies lit up all around us and eventually passed over us, that literally had Elaine standing butt-naked, under the cover of darkness of course, enjoying a wonderful, icy cold, natural rain shower; a gift from the heavens indeed! At this point we can safely say we’re definitely over the heat and humidity, accompanied by the copious amounts of fluid we expunge from our bodies on a daily basis in the form of sweat. It’s been ridiculous, but the storms tonight have brought a very welcome relief, thankfully!

These past few days have been all about the various stages of our lithium battery installation, a yacht project we knew would rank amongst the most unpleasant and we were not disappointed!

This meant we were up bright and early on Saturday and yesterday so that Roy could work during the coolest part of the day. This, however, still resulted in a dreadful sweaty, difficult and uncomfortable task, in the sweltering tropical heat and humidity without fans, since the house batteries had to be disconnected and resulted in a change of clothing required twice.

Saturday’s early morning task involved installing a new board and re-installing the negative busbar before work was halted midway because another hole had to be drilled and, of course, we had no electricity at this stage; Murphy’s Law! At least, by this point, though, Roy was able to reconnect the house batteries and jury-rig a solution to use the drill with the generator running.

Elaine busied herself by staying out of the way, updating her medical notes, submitting medical claims, arranging bi-annual checkup appointments for Roy and commenced work on our next video, “Tantalising Thailand - Exploring the Islands of Phang Nga Bay”.

Yesterday’s tasks included the installation of the “Allowed to Charge” and “Allowed to Discharge” smart relays, splitting the positive bus in order to put all the charging devices on one and all the discharging devices on the other, reconnecting the inverter and returning the battery charger to its original location.

Afterwards we both needed to get off Paw Paw to stretch our legs, although, given the heat and humidity, we jumped on a “Songthaew”, to take us to the end of the pier and from there walked to the Village Market mall for a coffee and baked delight, as well as to pop into the hardware store and into Villa Market to get a few groceries. We did, however, notice immediately how considerably busier everywhere was, to the extent that the previously empty carpark at the Chalong Pier was full, including the overflow area, in addition to the number of tour buses dispatching and collecting tourists for boat trips.

Back onboard, our early morning starts had caught up with us, requiring an afternoon nap, following which we tidied up. Our day ended with a stunning sunset and a rather late-night Zoom family get-together so that Keenan and the boys could participate. Turns out we had a few unexpected participants as a friend of Keenan’s and his two sons were staying over for a “boy’s weekend”, while the wives were away on a “girl’s trip”, all of which resulted in a heap of laughter, especially the state of the two men who were looking after 5 boys under the age of 6; they both definitely looked worse for wear! As always, though, there was plenty of chatter across six countries and 4 continents, which continued until almost midnight. It was the perfect ending to a busy day!

Today was a day of rest, well, sort of, given our very late night and being Elaine’s off-day due to her weekly dose of medication. After a lazy morning, Roy decided to work on assembling the entire battery pack in our custom-made box, as well as connecting and testing the new BMS (Battery Management System), ensuring everything was ready for installation.

By then it was lunchtime, so we dinghied across the bay in our “loaner” dinghy to Panwa Bali for a Thai lunch at My Beach Resort, where Elaine eventually got to taste sticky rice in Thailand; in this case Mango Sticky Rice, served with coconut yoghurt, which was simply delicious. A lovely walk along the beach sealed a perfect afternoon, while a light dinner back onboard, followed by a movie, wrapped up the day.

After thunderstorms overnight giving us both an interrupted night’s sleep, we were up early on Wednesday morning regardless to collect the hired car, run a few errands and return to the hospital for a followup appointment. Our errands, however, took us all the way back to the Ao Po Grand marina to collect a few parcels before heading to the Boat Lagoon marina, where, as usual, we enjoyed a morning coffee and baked delight at Dean and Deluca, allowing Elaine to enjoy the pleasure of the air-conditioned environment while Roy did his rounds at the various chandleries again. We were, however, delighted to eventually take delivery of the two BMSs (Battery Management Systems) we’d ordered for our lithium battery solution as well as purchase a spare windlass controller. Slowly, but surely we’re getting everything we need for our departure, albeit that items have been significantly delayed with supply chain issues. Afterwards, it was Elaine’s turn to purchase a few items which didn’t involve a chandlery; a selection of cotton t-shirts that she’s needed for some time.

With rain overnight again, but thankfully the thunderstorms remaining in the distance, we woke to a cloudy, overcast, muggy day yesterday. While Elaine stayed onboard and enjoyed a lovely chat to Keenan and Brooke after the children had been put to bed, Roy completed a few more errands which we hadn’t managed on Wednesday, including making arrangements to get our dinghy handles replaced, buying a few groceries and eventually exchanging the last of our Malaysian ringgits which, surprisingly, will actually cover the cost of the dinghy repairs. Of course, all the treats Roy returned with, including Lindt chocolate, French pastries and a variety of sweets and biscuits, is definitely not doing our waistlines any good, never mind all the baked delights we’re consuming!

After an afternoon nap, Elaine woke to a quick video call from Justine before she headed to work. We also received the news that another nephew of Elaine’s had left South Africa to live in Zimbabwe; at this stage we’re not altogether sure what family will be left to see by the time we make it to South Africa. Regardless, we wish him every success in his new venture.

After a peaceful, calm night we both woke up full of beans today and with that a busy morning ensued. Taking advantage of the generator running to give the watermaker a jumpstart, we tackled a few more tasks; some modifications were undertaken on the dinghy chaps and outboard engine cover after both were removed in preparation for collection to have the dinghy handles replaced, cutting a few bungees to length to replace those on our blocks for our larger headsail and putting heat shrink on the new busbars. By then it was time for Roy to dinghy ashore to meet the staff of Cholamark Boat Company at the boat ramp as arranged. He’d barely returned in the “loaner” dinghy, however, when the heavens opened, allowing us to start collecting rainwater again for our next laundry day.

Given that it then rained on and off for the best part of the afternoon, we decided an afternoon matinee was a suitable way to pass the time, but we can definitely say we’re reaching the end of anything that is worthwhile watching now.

After breakfast yesterday morning, Roy hopped back in the water to finish cleaning Paw Paw’s bottom, removing the remaining barnacles on the port hull, but not before he’d started the watermaker.

While the watermaker was left running, we then dinghied ashore to revisit one of our favourite cafés, Kantary, where we enjoyed a coffee and a baked delight, while savouring the view as well. A stroll afterwards took us to the grounds of the Phuket Aquarium, along the promenade and back to the beach before returning to Paw Paw to complete a few more items on our Action List, some of which rolled over to today. These included preparing the busbars for the lithium battery solution, programming a few Indian Ocean weather channels then testing our SSB/HF radio and securing our PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) to our new lifejackets. It was the programming of our MMSI number into the PLBs as well as the complicated instructions to test it all, that made our heads hurt by yesterday afternoon, opting to leave that effort until today instead.

We had also planned on enjoying the paddleboards this morning, but, waking up to a swell running straight into the anchorage, we decided instead to move Paw Paw to Chalong Bay a little earlier than intended.

However, we had a few mishaps in making this move; not only did we make the classic novice mistake of leaving the dinghy painter partially hanging in the water, although the dinghy was on the davits, a first, which, of course, resulted in a tangle with the starboard propeller, but we also dragged while trying to set the anchor. Turns out we’d snagged the anchor on an old fishing net and pod. Fortunately our second attempt was successful after Roy was back in the water to untangle our propeller, all nothing compared to the problems the owner of an old wooden schooner had after his yacht sank during one of the storms we had last week.

Redoing both the dinghy painters was on the Action List anyway, but, by then, we both needed a coffee; it had become far too hectic a morning for our liking. Afterwards, reluctant to get back into the water again, not surprising, given that a crocodile was sighted in this bay a few months ago, Roy redid the dinghy painters from the transom steps and tackled the last knot from the dinghy itself.

On other news, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) had reported only 144 new local COVID-19 infections and 2,552 people under medical care or supervision, both numbers significantly lower than those of a few weeks ago. Sadly, 3 new deaths were attributed to the disease, bringing the total number of deaths in Phuket Province since 3rd April of this year to 96.

The current Phuket tally, however, does not included the 155 Phuket Sandbox arrivals who have tested positive for the virus after landing on the island since the Phuket Sandbox scheme began on 1st July 2021. Certainly doesn’t fill us with any sense of confidence to fly when passengers are supposed to have tested negative before boarding; just another expensive procedure which serves no purpose!

It remains to be seen, though, how all these numbers change over the coming weeks with the easing of the provincial entry restrictions, allowing fully vaccinated domestic tourists on to the island without any screening for COVID-19. This has resulted in long tailbacks at the checkpoint as people drive on to the island, estimated to reach 10,000 cars a day, after seeing just 1,000 a day under the previous restrictions.

One can’t help but wonder what was the point of the lockdown we’ve endured since our arrival in Thailand, when an irresponsible and inconsistent decision is taken to drop the COVID-19 screening test at the checkpoint for domestic travellers, but international travellers still need to do these after arrival, all of which could render the lockdown and precautions taken to date pointless. Guess time will tell!

On a cheerier note, our rather busy day ended with a magnificent sunset to the west as the moon rose in the east, making for a fabulous evening on the foredeck.

Yesterday we woke to more good news; Keenan had made Captain again, 18 months after the pandemic had screwed up his initial placement. While Keenan doesn’t want to get his hopes up this time until he’s actually sitting in the Captain’s seat of an Airbus A320, understandable, given that this pandemic is far from over, we are, nonetheless, extremely proud of him and wish him every success in his new role.

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!

After another calm night at anchor, once the late evening storms had passed over, this morning we woke to all sorts of the wonderful news, including the fact that Elaine’s nephew, David, had secured employment in Ireland after him and his wife had recently relocated from South Africa and the family had welcomed a new arrival, baby Layla-Rose, born last night at 1115 in Belfast. We’re happy to report that both mom and baby are doing well. Our congratulations to Tierna and Luke. May their little bundle of joy bring them plenty of happiness for years to come.

That news was swiftly followed by a video call from Keenan and Brooke to spend time with the grandchildren. Needless to say, there was great excitement about the Halloween decorations going up around the house, which included numerous painted pumpkins by various family members. There was also excitement over the new X-Box play area that Keenan had setup for the grandsons. Watching Capri, though, cooking a meal for the entire family for the first time was fabulous and what a great job she did, including setting the table beautifully, with lit candles and fresh drinks for everyone. Cooking for six people is never easy, but to prepare an entire dinner at the tender age of 12, is no easy feat. Well done Capri! By the smiles on everyone’s faces, it was a delicious meal too.

By then it was time to hop in the dinghy and await the video call from Customs, scheduled for 0930, to prove that we are indeed in Thailand on our yacht, Paw Paw, and that our faces match the photographs sent to Immigration earlier in the week. The short video call involved us showing our faces to the Customs officials, without wearing our hats or glasses, and then circling around the yacht, making sure they could see the name clearly; all very simple, right? Nope!

Numerous messages back and forth between us and our agent revealed that the Customs office was having a few technically difficulties, but eventually, after a two hour wait, we made contact and completed the task. In the interim, tired of sitting in the dinghy under a blazing hot sun, we dinghied ashore, enjoyed a morning coffee, collected our passports from our agent, containing our new 90-day visas and got back to Paw Paw in time for the successful video conference call with Customs at 1130. Although it was a busy morning, we were delighted to have completed another round of the Thailand officialdom process, our last before our departure, albeit that the cost of all these renewals, including the initial quarantine, have certainly resulted in a very expensive stay.

With all of that out of the way, we eventually weighed anchor shortly after noon and motored south, with the wind on the nose, as usual. Had we been allowed to go across to the islands of Phang Nga or Krabi, we’d have had a great sail, but both provinces are still off limits until 1st November, so we’re told. Roll on the Northeast Monsoon season and the removal of the remaining lockdown restrictions.

En route down to Ao Yon, where we’ve anchored for the night, Elaine enjoyed a phone call from her sister in Ireland, who was a very excited Granny after the birth of Layla-Rose and understandably so. Roy, on the other hand, used the time to clean the bridle, which had, once again, developed a small reef. A day filled with wonderful new, excitement and delight was wrapped up with a barbecue, under a clear starry night, a waxing gibbous high above us and what looked like the entire fleet of the Thai Navy joining us in the anchorage.

© Copyright 2011 - 2024 Elaine & Roy Cadman - Do not use any written content or photographs without written permission. All rights reserved

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