In between all this activity, we also enjoyed a nice long video chat to Keenan and Brooke and to Elaine’s brother and sister-in-law.
The highlight of the day, though, was the 80th Birthday celebrations arranged for Elaine’s mom. Besides numerous birthday phone calls, a beautiful bouquet of flowers from her sister and brother-in-law and a variety of gifts from her friends, her day started with opening all the cards and presents gathered ahead of time from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren scattered around the world and delivered to her by Elaine’s sister, Dianne. Then, since Dianne and Elaine had also arranged a suite at the Buurendal Hotel as a gift on behalf of the entire family to be followed by a birthday dinner party, the small group of revellers, Elaine’s folks, Dianne, our cousin Anthony, and our aunt and uncle (the birthday girl’s sister and brother-in-law), gathered in the hotel lounge for what they thought were pre-dinner drinks, but in fact, it was a surprise Zoom meeting for the birthday girl with all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. What a laugh it turned out to be and, without a doubt, a cat’s choir who sang Happy Birthday to her, but having everyone “together” made for a very special celebration indeed.
Happy 80th Birthday Mommy!
So, after a cooked breakfast enjoyed in the cockpit and a chat to Terence in Australia, we both got to work on the aerial of our SSB/HF radio that needed to be waterproofed again after the last lot of tape we put on it while in Straits Quay marina, on Penang Island, simply disintegrated. Elaine then started the washing machine for laundry day, throwing in a few “spring cleaning” items too like all the covers off our throw cushions and the mosquito net covering the saloon door, while Roy jumped into each of the engine compartments to replace the saildrive oil and it was a good job he did; rather than finding the usual blue-coloured oil, it was pitch black, something we’ve never had before. We can only assume that this was a result of the recent maintenance on the clutch cones and the new bearings and seals wearing in. In the middle of this exercise, Roy also enjoyed a chat to Richard, off Charon, before we had lunch and a short afternoon nap.
Feeling refreshed again, Roy then replaced a few toggle switches on the watermaker system and resealed the latches on both engine compartments, while Elaine continued with her detailed cleaning activities, this time in the port aft cabin.
Today we were awake with the alarm to dinghy ashore, collect the hired car and drive to Patong Hospital on the west coast of Phuket Island for our second COVID-19 vaccination jab. While chaos rained at the hospital following our arrival, it was surprisingly efficient once we eventually worked out the process being used, without much guidance or instructions lost in translation. Nonetheless, we were in and out within an hour and extremely grateful to the Thai government for their generosity, at a time when vaccines are so scarce in the country.
From there we drove to Boat Lagoon marina, where we stopped in at Dean and Deluca for a morning coffee and, of course, yet another baked delight. Then, while Elaine enjoyed the comfort of the air-conditioned environment, Roy completed his shopping at the various marine stores.
We did, however, also squeeze in a tourist attraction, one Elaine has wanted to see since we arrived on Phuket Island and one we’ve driven passed on numerous occasions; the Buddhist temple, Wat Srisoonthorn, named by King Rama I, but known to locals as Wat Lipon, built in 1792.
As we walked through the gates, we couldn’t help but notice the huge golden reclining Buddha, stretched across the roof of the main building. Research revealed that it is 29 metres long.
Surrounded by hills and tall trees, the property was very quiet and peaceful as well, surprisingly so, considering its proximity to one of the busy main roads.
As we wandered around the grounds, we also noticed a small bell tower and a number of smaller Buddha images in different positions. Apparently there are nine of the latter, all facing the entrance, as if to welcome you to this holy place of worship.
Seeing a few non-Buddha images, including giants, lions, roosters, eagles and an assortment of other animal figures, was somewhat surprising, but later learnt that these come from the Thai myths and are believed to act as the guards of the temple.
Other interesting images included statues known as “Phets” (Ghosts), believed by some Thais to be people in the afterlife who did bad things while alive. Many “Wats” have these ghostly image as a reminder to be kind to others.
Depictions of Buddha in a sleeping position are considered very important to devotees, as it represents the Lord Buddha in the stage of dreaming. Legend has it that, after the end of his six-year-long period of extreme self-mortification, in the hope of discovering the truth about life, Buddha had a dream that made him realise that he had indeed reached the stage of enlightenment.
A few more errands and a dinghy ride back to Paw Paw to sanitise all our purchases before returning the car, brought another busy day to an end.
Elaine, on the other hand, finished her review of all our emergency equipment and expiry dates thereof, resulting in yet another list of items that need to be replaced. The issue, however, is finding new supplies, which is becoming increasingly difficult. What is extremely annoying is that our newer EPIRB, which was bought specifically so that the battery could be replaced, is proving to be the most troublesome item, as we’ve now discovered the battery can only be replaced in the UK or in the US; fat lot of good that is to us! Fortunately, its expiry date will coincide with our arrival off the African coast, where we’ll have more time to either replace it, or ship it to get the battery replaced. With all the shipping delays occurring right now, we’re not prepared to take that chance this close to our planned departure date.
The remainder of our day was passed enjoying an afternoon matinee, followed by a nice long chat to Elaine’s folks in Ireland.
Given the number of tropical depressions circulating in the area, though, including Dianmu, which had moved well into the Bay of Bengal and another low depression sitting over Thailand’s lower northern region, compounded by the fact that the region is also coming to the end of the annual typhoon season, which whips up west-moving storms from the Pacific Ocean into the South China Sea, we had yet more rain overnight and all day yesterday. What we didn’t know is that Thailand is about to enter its traditional wettest month of the year, October, and here we were thinking it was about to improve. Grrrrr!
Regardless, it was watermaker day, although we’d already filled all our water containers with rain water in preparation for our next laundry day. Elaine also finished all her notes on the Maldives rally, as well as started to collate her To Dos List for all the pre-arrival formalities, completing a few as she progressed, including making initial contact with the Maldivian agent.
Video calls from Elaine’s sister in Ireland and from Justine in England wrapped up another very wet and soggy day, although it was lovely to catch up on everyone’s news.
We were, however, rather disappointed to wake up to more rain showers this morning, since the forecast last night had, once again, indicated sunnier skies. The attached photograph, which was not enhanced at all, of the clouds over the National Park and the colour of the water, indicates just how menacing the weather was this morning. Nonetheless, we had no choice, but to weigh anchor and head south, since neither of us felt comfortable remaining in the Ao Po area with the COVID-19 cases on the increase and getting far too close to us for comfort, besides the fact that we needed to hire a car again for another upcoming hospital appointment and after noticing on our last outing that the car we’ve been using was not cleaned and we have no idea who in the area has been using it besides ourselves, we felt it best to move.
So, by 0800 we’d weighed anchor and motored south with the wind on the nose. By 1030, though, the sun had peeked through the clouds adding a dash of cheer to our day, the decks had dried out and we could see fishing boats back out on the water. We’d hoped the forecast was wrong again, but in our favour this time, but, by the time we reached Chalong Bay we had to standoff to let a rain shower pass over. Then, after circling around to check depths and orientate Paw Paw to the numerous shallow patches, it was 1330 when we eventually dropped the hook, just in time for the next rain shower.
While this is not our favourite bay or area, there is a decent car hire and the large Villa Market grocery store is within walking distance, making it more convenient. Also, during Roy’s reconnaissance this afternoon when he went to book the car while Elaine had a nap, he found a few more useful shops, cafés, restaurants, etc, so we’re definitely not going to starve! Returning with a jelly coconut for Elaine’s sundowner on the foredeck this evening was a nice surprise too.
We said goodbye to the last of our sailing friends who were still in Malaysia with us, as they set sail for pastures new or to sail back home. Keenan and family remained safe, although they endured a COVID-19 invested household after the in-laws moved in infected, unknowingly. Our two little men turned 4 and graduated from pre-school, our precious William graduated from Kindergarten before heading to “Big School” and our beautiful granddaughter, Capri, started Middle School. Fortunately most members of our extended families stayed COVID-Free, but a few didn’t dodge the bullet, although they lived to tell the tale, thankfully. Sadly some friends didn’t survive their infection; may they rest in peace. However, we were very appreciative of our agent who was able to arrange our COVID-19 vaccinations, although we anxiously await our second jab.
We enjoyed a fabulous Christmas at the 5-Star E&O Hotel on Penang Island in Malaysia, which included our first “high tea”, an event that was repeated a few months later, as it was simply delicious. A low-key New Year and Chinese New Year rolled by, as well as our birthdays, but the major family event was the surprise celebration for Elaine’s parent’s 60th Wedding Anniversary via a Zoom get-together with the family and special treats delivered to their home to mark the occasion.
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter we were forced to leave Malaysia when the visa amnesty was rescinded, but that opened the opportunity for pastures new as we set sail for Thailand and received a warm welcome from the fishermen at our first anchorage.
After surviving quarantine, we wasted no time in getting some long overdue maintenance work completed on Paw Paw that couldn’t be done in Malaysia and should have been done in Thailand last year had the borders not closed. This included specialised engine maintenance and a haulout to redo the antifouling, before we set about exploring our new world; discovering the Longtails, experiencing our first rides in a Songthaew and a ride in / on a Saleng, the strange looking sidecars attached to the motorbikes which are everywhere, savouring the gastronomic delights, enjoying the tourist attractions, spotting some of the wildlife, appreciating the hospitality extended to us by the manager of the Ao Po Grand Marina, who permitted us to use the swimming pool and frequent the Port of Call restaurant, where we’ve enjoyed the services of the chef who has produced a number of gastronomic feasts for us. We eventually got to visit a Pearl Farm and, by no means least, we’ve enjoyed some fabulous beaches and resorts around Phuket Province and further afield.
To celebrate our day today, Elaine opened her beautiful gift from Roy, which he’d purchased directly from the Pearl Farm we’d visited a few weeks ago, we collected the hired car, ran a few errands which took us to the Boat Lagoon marina, where we enjoyed a morning coffee and shared a baked delight at Dean and Deluca, then after a few more errands, made our way to our chosen restaurant, Little Paris. Our lunch of a Goat Cheese Salad for Elaine and a Platter for Roy as a starter, was followed by our main course of a Duck in Cherry Sauce for Elaine and an Argentinian Steak for Roy. Needless to say we had to skip dessert; we were both bulging by this stage. However, our fun afternoon playing with the elephants at the Phuket Nature Elephant Reserve worked off some of the calories and what a brilliant afternoon it was. For the size of these creatures, they are so gentle, but it was so sad to learn of their abuse and mistreatment by their previous owners, to the point that we cancelled the Elephant Trekking outing we had planned. We were content to have spent a wonderful afternoon in their company, feeding them and getting up close and personal. A highlight of our circumnavigation indeed!
Happy 38th Wedding Anniversary to us. In all, we’ve had another wonderful year together, albeit during the trying times of this relentless pandemic and Elaine’s health.
Prior to these activities, Roy finished charging all our new lithium batteries and started to top balance them as well, while Elaine eventually finished reviewing the last of the yacht insurance policies applicable to our “backup route”. However, given that all the policies have the usual “outs” or “gotcha” clauses like “at the discretion of the underwriters” or the favourite airy fairy, open to interpretation “due diligence” and “seaworthiness” clauses with absolutely no parameters or guidelines to ensure compliance, making these types of policies not worth the paper they’re written on, we’ve ruled out a Red Sea passage unless dire circumstances develop in South Africa.
With that out of the way, Elaine was able to finish her review of all our cruising guides and passage planning guides for our planned destinations en route to Richards Bay in South Africa and started the review of all our emergency equipment onboard, specifically the expiring dates thereof, to identify what has to be replaced before our departure from Thailand, all of which is becoming an expensive exercise after all the “hanging around” we’ve had to do these past two years.
Today we woke to a bright, sunny morning and decided to dinghy ashore for breakfast, while taking the opportunity to update all our electronic devices to the latest Apple operating system.
It wasn’t until we were returning to the dinghy that we bumped into a captain we’d met previously off one of the megayachts that is in the marina, who updated us on the latest COVID-19 situation that had developed in the marina, apparently started by one of the marina office staff members who got ill, but, while she works in a separate building / office to everyone else, she was in direct contact with Derek, the marina manager, who has been quarantining since. We’d previously heard that a crew member of another megayacht had contracted the disease and the entire crew was forced to quarantine on the yacht in the quarantine anchorage, but we had no idea of these latest developments. Fortunately we’d last spoken to Derek on the dock a fortnight ago and Roy’s visits to the office to collect our parcels this past week have been brief and secure. Additionally, although the office staff ensure the delivery services disinfect every parcel delivered, Elaine repeats the exercise with everything that comes back onboard, including Roy! It appeared her OCD habits had found a valuable use after all, although it was definitely a little disconcerting that this disease was getting far too close for comfort as we anxiously await our second jab to be fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, it was about to get a whole lot closer before the day was over.
Back onboard, everything we took ashore was sanitised, per our usual practice, following which Roy started regression testing on all the devices that support the Anchor Basic and Anchor Plus applications, finding bugs in the new operating system which have affected the applications; a real hassle, as this occurs with every single Apple operating system release and proves very time-consuming to fix everything.
Elaine spent her time pottering around, but, while she was in the shower, the Marina Dock Master appeared at Paw Paw’s stern with a message that Derek needed to speak to Roy by phone. What unfolded was news neither of us wanted to hear!
Apparently a new cleaner for the Port of Call restaurant had her first day on the job yesterday, but, while these cleaners who work outside of the restaurant’s hours and are not permitted to be in the restaurant when customers are present, called in sick today with suspected COVID-19 and since Roy was the only person in the restaurant yesterday after she had cleaned in the morning, he had to be notified of the situation, although the risk of exposure was considered low, something that hasn’t filled either of us with any great sense of relief. The slightly more worrying part, however, is that both of us were in the restaurant this morning prior to the marina being notified that this cleaner was ill and the restaurant is now closed for two weeks for deep cleaning. Fortunately this cleaner wasn’t in the restaurant today, but we have no idea what exposure the other restaurant staff members have had to her, if any. However, as with all these situations, what is done, is done! There’s nothing we can do, but hope that, since we’ve had no direct contact with this individual, which just as easily could have been an asymptomatic person walking passed us in the street, our stringent and regular precautions have been enough to keep us safe and that the cleaner doesn’t, in fact, have COVID-19. Regardless, all the clothes we wore while in the restaurant are steeping in Dettol as we speak and Roy jumped in the shower too soon after receiving the news, to be sure, to be sure!
Our day ended on a far nicer note, though, with a beautiful starry night before the moon appeared from behind the mountains to the east.
Fortunately the winds lightened, although on occasion we’ve had storms packing in excess of 30 Kts come over us and the torrential rain has continued on and off since.
There was, however, enough time for Roy to dinghy ashore on Sunday afternoon to dispose of the garbage and collect a few parcels from the marina office, one of which included a new snorkel set for Elaine and fins for Roy, given that our current ones have all but disintegrated.
Afterwards we passed the afternoon designing a whimsical and fun “boat stamp”, something we’ve never bothered with before, but it seems to be more extensively needed as we continue west, especially those countries, where paperwork is paramount.
Unfortunately yesterday, Elaine was having an “off” day, but given the rainy, overcast weather, it was the perfect excuse for her to crawl back to bed to shake off the fatigue. While she was warm and snug, though, Roy decided to brave the weather and enjoy a long walk ashore. When Elaine surfaced around lunchtime she found Roy back onboard and baking up a storm in the galley; gluten-free chocolate muffins for her and a “tres leche” cake which he hasn’t baked in years.
Today we’d hoped the weather would hold off long enough to allow us to dinghy ashore for a walk and morning coffee, but no such luck. Instead, Elaine forced herself to start her review of yet another yacht insurance policy for our “backup passage” before the both of us got stuck into cleaning the helm station and surrounding rubber trim, since Mother Nature was kind enough to provide us with a surplus of rain water for the job.
Then after a nice shower, Elaine settled down to enjoy an afternoon matinee in the comfort of her bed. It’s a little difficult to describe what Roy did with the rest of his time today, but it’s fair to say he’s trying to find the end of the internet again, besides enjoying a chat to Craig, off Il Sogno.
First was the crystal clear water, revealing healthy coral leading up to the shoreline, where we beached the dinghy at the Dinghy Sailing School and watched the very enthusiastic children take to the water for a day of racing. Next we found a lovely promenade leading to the Aquarium and then, hidden behind a lush garden, was the Kantary Café, where we enjoyed a morning coffee and a delicious baked delight; a fruit tartlet for Elaine and sweet cherry cheesecake for Roy. Clearly our waistlines are paying the price, but cutting down on other meals will hopefully not be a fruitless exercise to stave off the battle of the bulge.
Back on Paw Paw and with the swell persisting, we weighed anchor and moved to the Panwa Bali anchorage, where the forecast afternoon thunderstorms passed in the distance, allowing Elaine to get the laundry done. This move, while reducing the swell, also afforded us the opportunity to enjoy sundowners on the foredeck while watching a magnificent sunset, the first in a very long time.
