The Wine List

Photo by Jan Pitt

After a busy few weeks we are almost ready for our departure to Sri Lanka and beyond.

Friends Ray and Jan Pitt signed off the boat in Thailand, leaving us spoiled, relaxed and ready for the future.

Four weeks ago we sailed south (overnight) from Koh Phayam, spending four days in Phuket, provisioning and making ready.

Then another overnight passage, again hard on the wind, brought us into Kuah Harbour in Langkawi, our final provisioning stop before departure for destinations west.

Its here that we finally created "The Wine List"....

We've spent over two weeks now provisioning and finishing off various systems and "boat jobs".  We've had every power tool in use and every conceivable combination of electrical, electronic and mechanical work underway.  Even the paint pots came out again.

We're now down to a list that is manageable, in fact its entirely forgettable, as we're stocked up and anxious to go sailing.  But those lists can create there own problems .....

The Koh Phayam Cricket Club

January 26 is Australia Day, and at home the Aussies are relaxing around BBQ grills, swimming, drinking and generally lazing about.  Beach cricket is a popular pastime, so here at Koh Phayam we celebrated Australia Day in a perfectly traditional way.

With Crystal Blues "dressed all over" we joined the other Australian boats here for an afternoon of drinks and cricket. Ley raised the Australian flag on the beach and dinghys of all types converged to celebrate.

A dinghy paddle is not a great cricket bat, but it was much better than no bat, so we soldiered on (thanks to Adagio for that).  The wicket was paced out carefully, an umpire appointed, the drinks whistle tested and away we went. 

Predictably, the pitch was shortened as the game progressed, usually after each drink break .... these older cruising bodies were struggling.

The day was completed when we retired to Crystal Blues for a pot luck BBQ dinner with several other boats - Adagio, Chinook of Canada and Sylvia May.  Fireworks mysteriously appeared on the beach that evening, another Aussie contribution to the day - thanks to Persian Sands and Boomerang.

Cruising At Ko Phayam

Our approach to Ko Phayam was compounded by 25 knot squalls and lumpy seas.  A contrary current combined with wind over tide conditions to challenge us, and then the wind changed direction several times over five hours, keeping the crew both cranky and busy.

So when the anchor hit the sand in Buffalo Bay there was a collective sigh of relief from the crew - we'd arrived.

You could actually feel the tension leaving the boat.

Now, after 10 days here, we're chilling....  It's two years since our last visit, and some things have changed, there are more cruising boats visiting, but the essential laid back character of Buffalo Bay remains the same.

This is a very beautiful place, I think perhaps the finest cruising boat anchorage on the west coast of Thailand. When the other locations are rolly, Buffalo Bay is nearly always OK.  Local businesses will provide drinking water for visiting boats, and the river delivers good water when there has been rain.  Of course the food is still sensational. But what about the hippies ?

Dangerous Liferaft Servicing

Early this year we broke our own "boat rules" and could well have paid the penalty with our lives.

The Only Time We Want To Be Inside The Raft.

Our number one rule is to try to service and maintain every item on the boat ourselves.  Our number two rule is to always work alongside and supervise any contractor working on the boat.  

We broke both rules when we sent away our DSB / Secumar life raft for servicing in Bangkok. The last time the raft was serviced, in Singapore, we had watched the entire operation.

This time, under pressure to complete our refit,  we shipped the raft to be "serviced" by MSC, Marine Survitec Company near Bangkok.  What a dangerous and expensive mistake.

A Cracked Anchor & Fake Rocna's

Cracking Up!

Planning an ocean crossing, early this year we sent our Bruce anchor and chain to Bangkok to be galvanised.  Tick another job off the list we thought ...... wrong.

Whilst the chain came back looking shiny and new, our anchor came back showing a significant crack above one of the flukes. The Bruce has been great, 15 years of sterling service for us and 8 years on the boat prior to that.  This crack was not evident before it was galvanised - but better to discover it now than when it inevitably fails under load.  Click on the photo at right for an enlarged view of the crack.

So the search was on for a new anchor.  After the usual wasted days of reading and research, we decided to buy a galvanised 33kg Rocna anchor.  It has a number of advantages over the Bruce and other more traditional anchors, including greater holding power, the roll bar for instant setting and it is self lauinching.  

Is It Fake Or Is It Real ?

Rocna anchors are readily available in Phuket, but we just couldn't work out which was an illegal copy and which anchor was the real thing.  We spoke with many resellers and came away more confused.....did a real Rocna have impressed lettering or raised lettering - we saw both types.  Each dealer claimed to have the real Rocna, and warned about fakes every where else.  With rumours everywhere, we found even the Rocna website warned of copies, and the variance in pricing was quite remarkable.

So we contacted the Rocna head office in Canada, first by email and then on the telephone, to clarify the situation.  How could we pick the fakes ?

Welcome Home To Yacht Haven - Animal Farm

Fish, Lizards, Snakes & Rats

After four weeks away it was good for both Ley and I to be back on board.  It had been a stressful month.  We arrived home to find rat poop on the deck, so the marina provided rat traps and bait, and sure enough we caught the culprits by the nearest rubbish bins (one reason many marinas don't provide bins on the docks).

As usual the propeller, shaft and thru-hulls needed cleaning.  The shellfish growth here is incredibly fast - it took 2 hours to scrape clean the propeller and shaft, which had last been cleaned only 12 weeks before.

Crystal Blues has a single large (1.5") thru-hull that delivers sea water to several services, including the water cooled refrigeration and the air conditioning system.  The constant flow of warm, nutrient filled water means we also need to clean the intake pipe and hoses quite regularly.  It doesn't seem to be a problem in cooler climates and clear water, but here in the warm silty water at Yacht Haven the little devils grow thick and fast.

Whilst cleaning I had constant company from a growing school of beautiful tropical fish, all chomping on the growth I was removing.

What I didn't see (until later) is that there are larger creatures in the water here, like our friend at left.  This water monitor was resting on our fenders yesterday, oblivious to us watching through the port-light from our navigation station.

Last night the critter was even bigger - we stopped and watched a 3 meter reticulated python cross the road at the marina entrance and disappear into the trees above our pathway home. 

What next ?   If only we could get the lizard to eat the shell fish and the snake to eat the rats for us .... but lets not go there, we've had three snakes on board Crystal Blues over the years, and three is enough.

The Cruising Life At Yacht Haven Marina

The Admiral Is An Expert Painter

After four months of cruising we berthed at Yacht Haven Marina two weeks ago and immediately started preparations for our next voyage.  One big job was the removal of the old generator, but (as always) there are many on the work list.

We've cleaned and refreshed the hull paint where the old generator was, and we're now working on the support base and fuel tank for the new generator.

Just Cruising - The Boat Shack At Ko Phayam

Cruising Sailors Enjoy The View At Ko Phayam.  The Crew Includes Fellow OCC Members Gordon & Helen MacKenzie (Mantra of Glasgow),  Aussie Cruisers Mark Ainscough & Cathy Charlick (Catch A Star) And Our Newly Minted First Mate, Ray Pitt.    Photo By Jan Pitt

It did take us seven years to discover the place, for which we are kicking ourselves, but this year we've spent seven weeks at Ko Phayam.  The island is beautiful, the people are friendly and the pace of life is oh-so laid back.  No cars, no AC power distribution, but lots of small independent resorts right on the beach with basic facilities and great food. 

Tony & Pen - Photo By Mark Ainscough

Then of course there is The Boat Shack, a dreamy thatch roofed pavilion right on the beach in Buffalo Bay - the northern bay on the western side of the island.  Its run by Tony, an expatriate Aussie, and Pen his wife of over 30 years.  They've traveled widely together but settled on Ko Phayam 20 years ago.  Now they run a small guest house plus The Boat Shack, from where they rent out paddle boards, small boats, wind surfers etc.

Tony and Pen welcome cruising sailors to the island, providing local knowledge, advice and logistical support with many of the things that cruisers need. I should add that Pen is a mean cook and her Thai food is delicious.

As long term cruisers, its the people we meet who make a difference in our lives - thanks Tony and Pen for treating us as old friends - you're special people.

For Buffalo Bay & Boat Shack location & details, read on.

Fish Traps In Paradise

A common hazard in Thai coastal waters, fish traps create differing reactions among cruisers in the region.
Onboard Crystal Blues we work hard to avoid them, though it is common to be sitting in the cockpit and see one slide past only a metre away.  Oops.

The flags are often poorly maintained and they can be very hard to see subject to daylight conditions. Of course at night we have no chance, so our coastal navigation is almost always in daylight.

The dark fish trap flag in the photo above, a good boat length from Crystal Blues, is easy to see against the sky, but difficult against the darker water.  We pass many hundreds of these in a coastal day sail, and they are prolific north of Phuket, between Ban Thap Lamu and the Myanmar border.  One sailor I spoke to says he has given up worrying about them - he just ignores them.  Others I know have spent frustrating hours hooked up to traps, working to clear lines from rudders, skegs and propellers.  We value our paint job, so we do everything we can to avoid them.

Double The Crew, Double The Fun

A couple of weeks back we were joined on board by good friends Ray & Jan Pitt, veteran Crystal Blues holiday sailors and determined thrill seekers. As you can see from this photograph, they're very comfortable onboard.

That is Ley and Jan at left, having fun at the Hippy Bar on Ko Phayam.

What a time we had - a week at beautiful Ko Phayam and then a slow cruise south to Phuket, including Ko Ra, Ban Tap Lamu and the Similan Islands.

Ray has become a great First Mate on Crystal Blues, whilst Jan continues to perfect her role as Galley Bitch Extrordinaire - when they're not sleeping of course. 

Check below for images from our cruise with Ray and Jan.

Gong Xi Fa Chai

The year of the snake is upon us ... it started a few weeks back with a green and yellow sea snake trying to climb aboard the dinghy at Kata beach in Phuket.  No photos I'm sorry, we were too busy trying to discourage it !

However this year is set to be an interesting one for us - we're up to our necks in planning a departure from Asia, after seven years.  The current plan (and it may change of course) is to head down to Singapore in May, then move down through Indonesia to the Sunda Strait, Krakatoa and then the Cocos Keeling Islands.  From there we'd head south west, across the Southern Indian Ocean to Rodriguez, Mauritius and La Reunion, about 4000 nautical miles in total we estimate.

I Love My Onan Genset ....?

So everything is being serviced and updated in preparation for our first long distance voyaging in some years.  This rush of activity has not been helped by yet another genset breakdown - working on it this morning I couldn't help but remember the sea snake that called our genset home for a few days back in New Caledonia - quite exciting to remove him.  This year may well be equally exciting !

We're presently anchored at beautiful Nai Yang Beach in northern Phuket, ticking off maintenance jobs and updating all our safety systems for the voyaging ahead.

The list of changes and updates required is a little daunting, and it includes some new technology that we hope will improve crew safety at sea.  We'll post news on that work over the coming weeks.  Visitors are expected later this month, so we hope to cruise back to beautiful Ko Phayam again in a week or so.

Nai Yang Beach & Anchorage

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A Room With A View

Ley reminded me the other day that it has been a few years since we were "serious" cruisers.  It's taken three months since we re-launched at Boat Lagoon, but it now really does feel good to be cruising "properly".  We're discovering new places, meeting new cruising friends and getting back into the regular swing of life afloat.

So I thought we should share this image, taken during our rigging inspection a few days ago at Ko Phayam. Those who've been following our work will pick the new solar panels on the bimini, but no one can pick the 30 or so plastic cable ties that needed replacing between the bottom of the mast and the top.  Fortunately I love the view.

Thai Trawlers

Clean & Tidy,  But The Smell ..... !

In this part of the world cruising sailors quickly become familiar with the local Thai trawlers and squid boats.  At sea they often move in unpredictable and haphazard directions, keeping us on our toes as we pass them off the coast.  They also often work in pairs, trawling a huge net between the two boats, and we do know of yachts that have been "netted" in this way - not a lot of fun !

Can You Keep a Secret ?

Buffalo Bay

We're anchored in a slice of paradise at Ko Phayam, near the Burmese border.  After a week, we now find a new excuse each day not to leave. There are a few jobs to finish where we need a quiet anchorage - tick. We have friends arriving soon...still waiting - tick. There is another side of the bay, yet to be explored - tick.  We could go on ....

We do love it here, and have to ask ourselves why it has taken us 7 years to sail here. It is some comfort that we met another boat that has been in Asia since the mid 1990's arrived here for the first time the same day we did.  Is this the best kept secret in Thailand?  Many say that Ko Phayam is now like Phuket was 30 years ago.

Our first anchorage was at Long Beach, which many cruisers have christened as "Wide Beach", as it shallows very slowly and at low tide the dinghy drag back from the high water mark is across a firm 50 meter beach. We rented a motor bike, criss crossed the island on the narrow concrete paths and dirt tracks.

There are no cars here, a few tractors that cart around drinking water and generator fuel, and many motor bikes. The paths took us through acres of cashew nut and rubber tree plantations and also natural jungle.

We rode across to the pier and the main village, purchased fresh fruit and vegetables, explored all points of the compass and then collapsed at the first village. Neil recovered with a massage, Ley with her book.

Cruising Into the Mist

Clear Water & Sandy Bottom At Nai Yang Beach

Last week we departed Phuket for a short cruise along the north western coast of Thailand, up to (but not over) the Myanmar border.

Our first anchorage was Nai Yang beach, where life is very sweet. The water is exceptionally clear, the bottom is sandy and a reef wraps around both corners giving reasonable protection.  There is a great afternoon market on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, mini marts, cheap massage and literally a hundred restaurants either on the beach or lining the one and only road.

We had great wind on our sail to Nai Yang and then the following day to Ban Thap Lamu. 8 to 12 knots, usually from a friendly direction, so our sailing moments have changed into endless hours of delightful sailing in flat water. 

Power To Live

Eco Friendly Power

Here we are at anchor, with the new solar panels and wind generator putting amps into the boat systems.  Just as well, because our house batteries are DEAD, having lasted exactly 4 years and 7 months.  They were Trojan AGM batteries, admittedly not too expensive, but they didn't last very long. Our first AGM batteries, made by Lifeline, lasted 8 years....

Fortunately the sun is shining and the wind is blowing in beautiful Nai Harn Bay, so the wind generator and the Kyrocera solar panels are earning their keep. Life is fairly normal, electrically speaking, during the day.

However night time is a different story.  After the evening genset run to chill down the refrigeration system we turn into amp-misers, turning off everything that we can.  Fortunately the anchor light and cockpit lighting use low current LED lamps, and the Fusion sound system draws very little.  But other creature comforts (like fans) are banned.

Sailing at Last

Phagna Bay Sailing

We went sailing last Sunday - what a joy.  There was no destination in mind, just wherever the wind would take us.

It had been 9 months since we last hoisted sail, so the thought of silently moving through the water was enough to get us all motivated early that morning.

Neil and Ray checking out the sails

Ley and Ray raised the anchor, washed off the sticky sausage of mud that coated the chain, secured the anchor and then slowly we got ready to sail.  Oops the wrong sheet was tied to the genoa in our dash to splash, so that was taken care of.

Then the wind started to blow, sucking us towards a storm front in Phagna Bay - we gladly took what it offered.

Flying towards the storm front

Flat water sailing at 8 knots on our first sail since March, good company, what more could we ask for.  All systems working, we raced towards the storm enjoying the exhilaration.

The wind increased as the storm grew. Then it started to rain over the northen end of the bay so we tacked about and headed home, back to Koh Yao Yai.  By the time we entered the anchorage the wind had died, leaving us a sweet memory of our first sail this season.

Life on the Hook

Koh Yao Yai beach - not busy at all

We escaped from Boat Lagoon in Phuket last Friday, and Koh Yao Yai is a lot more exotic than the boatyard and hardstand ...

The jungle grows right down to the sand along the gracefully curving beach of Yao Yai.  The water is warm and aquamarine, gently rocking Crystal Blues.  A low key resort on the beach welcomes cruisers, with both meals and massages at reasonable prices.  This is a big island, predominantly Muslim, very friendly and peaceful.  We're anchored in 7 metres of water over sand and the beach is accessible at all times as there is no fringing reef.  Perfect !

Repairing the vacuum

All is good until the vacuum cleaner decides to stop working and the dinghy pump refuses to pump.  Nothing else to do but repair the broken bits.  Well,  we have to do something constructive, can't lounge around reading books in the cockpit all day, that would be slothful.

Placing the modular units of the water maker

So once again we are in work mode, after a brief day of R&R.  Next job is  planning the new reverse osmosis water maker installation - all the parts are laid out and then we place all the modular pieces exactly where we plan to install them.  We even take a photo to record the placement.  This time we're installing an ECHOTec water maker, manufactured in Trinidad.  Our 10 year old Schenker unit from Italy had given us good service for a few years, then it became problematic and unreliable.  We contacted Schenker direct to send the 12 volt energy recovery pump back to Italy for a service, but their reply was not what we wanted to hear, "we'll send you the parts, you can fix it". This attitude and the lack of a local dealer in Asia pushed us into junking the unit.

So we now have an ECHOTec 390 AML.  It is not fancy, a manually operated unit that is built strong and sturdy using "off the shelf" components.  Yes we'll miss the automatic functions of the Schenker, but we won't miss the foibles and problems.  Before we ordered the ECHOTec we spoke to many cruisers, read the online testimonials and then dealt directly with the man who makes them.

She Floats !

We hauled Crystal Blues out of the water back in March, here at Boat Lagoon in Phuket. We initially intended a short stay on the hard, but this eventually turned into a larger commitment to refurbish the hull inside, in areas we had not previously touched.  Doing that refit work now, here in Thailand, was easier and less expensive than tackling it elsewhere in the world in future years - and we have great local resources here in Phuket.

Floating At Last, image by Dana Fowlkes

So the refit has been extensive (again), and Crystal Blues is better than new in many areas - certainly the hull, rig, machinery and electrics are far far better than they were when we initially moved aboard. In the seven months here we've tackled an awful lot of projects, discovered new ways of working and even found parts of the boat we'd never seen before.

If you're "into boats" you can check the partial job list at the end of the story.  In that same seven months we've managed two visits to Australia, a northern Thailand holiday and Neil has spent many weeks working in India.

On November 1 we re-launched - and what a great feeling it is to be floating again.  The travel lift picked us up at 8.30am and Crystal Blues spent an hour hanging "in slings" whilst we touched up the anti-fouling paint under the keel. By 9.30am the procession to the water began, and we splashed around 10.00am, an hour or so before high tide.  We spent the next 30 minutes checking for leaks in areas we had serviced, before giving the yard crew the all clear to remove the slings and move the machinery away.

Black and White

Antifouling

Today was all about black(antifoul) and white (sails).  We had applied antifouling paint back in May when we thought we were ready to relaunch, but this was not to be.

Our aft and forward bilges demanded some intensive attention, so here we are now "reactivating" our antifoul 5 months later.

Crystal Blues has been painted with Jotun Sea Force 90 for many years now.  We are very pleased with is performance as we usually manage at least two years of good protection between haulouts.  Following advice from Jotun Thailand, we pressured washed the hull and applied one additional coat of antifoul paint to reactivate the underlying coats.  Anodes will be bolted on tomorrow, we are almost ready!

Both of us ended up being splattered with antifoul and we provided much entertainment to the Thai workers around us......we don't think they have seen "farangs" antifouling their own boat here at Boat Lagoon!

Removing the Black

We have really enjoyed the life in Asia for over 7 years, but our sails have suffered as they are continually exposed to the black pollution streaks left by each rain shower - specially in Singapore.

Over the past two days Ley has been gently pressure washing the sails and then scrubbing them with Blue Dynamo laundry detergent.  Our sails, constructed from Dimension Polyant Hydra-Net are still in fabulous condition after 8 years - and with this cleaning became white again.  Today we enlisted help to lift the mainsail from the hardstand back on the boat - thanks Villa G, Blue Star and Sea Bunny.

When the wind dropped at the end of the day we fitted the Antal batten cars to the mast track then dropped the sail into the boom bag.

Three days to splash down!