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Andaman Islands

Andaman Dream : Full Length Documentary

We are proud to present to you our finished documentary.

The documentary traces our first ever ocean crossing together, following our journey between Phuket and the Andaman Islands during February and March of 2013. The 35minute film shows glimpses of life aboard a sailboat during our four days on the way to Phuket and five days return crossing, as well as highlighting all the beautiful paradisiacal islands that we discovered during our month in India. Our message is simple but powerful: the idea that a dream, no matter how crazy it may seem, is achievable through hard work and strong will.

*Please know that there was a considerable loss of quality when uploading the video to You Tube. Please contact us if you would like a copy in perfect quality.

Andaman Dream Trailer

On February 10th, 2013, we embarked on our first open sea crossing.

Four days of nothing but watching the waves, the dolphins and the horizon brought us from Phuket to the Andaman Islands in India. There, we had the incredible chance to discover in almost complete solitude the uninhabited jewels that make up this group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal.

Enjoy this trailer and keep an eye out for the full documentary, out October 23rd 2013 right here on our website!

Reflections

It was not easy to leave this corner of India that had us so eagerly engrossed. Returning from Cinque Island we fought against our visa deadline and tried hastily to squeeze a few more anchorages before returning to Phuket. We wanted to run on more beaches, see locals in sarees dancing on the sand and taste new native flavours. Chidiya-tapu and Port Blair bid us a colorful and warm farewell.

There are a lot of finer moments and small details of our trip to the Andaman Islands that have escaped our writing thus far. We have spoken of the incredibly beautiful, deserted beaches, the locals friendly and exotic and the fish plentiful and multi-colored… Yet as we began to conclude our tour of the islands I couldn’t help but feel that some of the more subtle yet significant discoveries had happened between our couple and within our selves.

As Phil set the sails and adjusted the wind-vane, the sun fell and we prepared for our night shifts. Unlike the first crossing, this time we had the moon to guide us during the early parts of the night. While Phil slept and the engine hummed loudly, I had the crescent moon as my companion and more than once danced on the deck looking at its bright yellow light. I danced, and stretched to stay awake during the hours of my vigil in the vast darkness. I admired the stars until my eyes lost focus and I began to see them move and blend and vibrate in the sky. Perhaps they are not called bewitching hours for nothing for it was during these moments that I found myself most exposed, more susceptible to the fantasies that sprung from the atramental night.

Took advantage of the lack of wind for a quick dip

During our crossing Phil and I would at times hardly see each other as the days passed. It was important that whenever someone was awake, the other was resting and regaining the energy necessary to take the next shift. I had more time to give in to my thoughts, no one to edit them for me and was left to indulge myself in my emotions, which fell and rose with the waves. At times I was exhilarated, in a trance with the music I blared from my headphones to help keep me awake. Other moments I was convinced we were on the verge of being in danger, that a strong gust of wind could at any moment catapult us into a disastrous squall… My heart beating loudly and my senses at once heightened from the nerves but dulled from the lack of sleep. I would stare at the soft orange light of our compass for hours on end, my eyes fixed on a range of three degrees until all else disappeared around me. Then dawn would come and with it an immense feeling of relief, followed by the overwhelming bliss of visits from dolphins and pilot whales.

Dolphins

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Pilot Whales

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Pilot Whale

Enjoying the few hours a day that I saw Phil, both of us awake and excited, me in awe of his growing, brilliant abilities as Captain. And sometimes sheer frustration, lack of wind and lack of movement for hours on end… Being pushed in the wrong direction by a current we can’t fight in heat we can’t escape. Night again: my eyes fixed on the sails and the compass when something bright flashes and in fear of it being lightning I look up immediately and instead see a meteor blazing across the stars.

Midnight as we see the first bright lights of fishermen appear on the horizon and we know we are closer to Thailand. Twilight as we approach Phuket and the silhouettes of the wooden boats with sleepy fishermen greet us and lure us closer to shore. Dawn breaks over Promthep Cape and lights up the Big Buddha who gives us the official welcome. Yindī t̂xnrạb

Iva

Climax

I have been dreaming of sailing my own boat around the seas since I was a teenager.

The open seas. Deserted islands. Self-sufficiency. Choosing where to go, deciding when and with whom. Living close to nature, following its rhythms – the movement of the water, the light that hits the beach – the sudden change in weather, the power of the swell. Finding time for myself, a good book, hours of contemplating the variations of color in the sky. And most importantly, good company.

Well, I dreamed a lot over the years. And then slowly things started taking shape. Years of work that made the possibilities seem more real. The purchase of a boat that physically embodied that dream. Months of hard work on that boat to get it ready to carry me to the place I had hoped for. And finally the encounter with Iva. The perfect partner to give me the last piece of the puzzle : a person to share your hopes with.

And then you dream of the perfect spot. A place that exceeds your dreams with its perfection, its simplicity, and the serenity it rewards you with.

Iva, Dali and I found that spot in North Cinque Island.

As we entered the west bay of the Island it was still early morning, the rising sun still blurring our view of land with its glare and the water with its reflection. We could barely see the reef and anchored in 12meters of water in the middle of the bay. As the sun rose in the sky, its light unveiled a perfect spectacle : a long stretch of sand separating the island in two lush hills outlined by giant trees carried by sinuous trunks. The water was splendid, the bay playing with different shades of blue and green, from the coral heads scattered across it to the perfect pool on white sand lining the beach.

We reached land with our dinghy, walked to the top of the stretch of sand only to fall on the ground, in awe of the other side : another perfect bay, another perfect beach. The same one, really, a long white line of fine sand holding two jewels on each side. We looked at each other and smiled.

We spent five days in North Cinque Island, all too quickly carried away by time. Days of exploring the forest, or lying on the sand. Playing with the water, snorkeling through the reefs. Spear fishing in the rocks, taking our time to elaborate gourmet meals.

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On our first sunset, we climbed an old dead tree lying on its side. The island rewarded us with yet another blissful surprise : a herd of deer feeding on the grass, meters away.

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After three days in The Perfect Bay we moved to the South side of the island.

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There, the passage between North and South Cinque, covered in reef, answered our wildest snorkeling and fishing hopes : a vibrant underwater life. Thousands of  small reef fish, huge schools of parrots and surgeons, crayfish, hump head wrasses and parrots, giant groupers and trevallies, sharks, and on the last day, our biggest reward : a manta ray aknowleged us with its gracious swimming style, and glided away.

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Fishing Action

Fishing Action

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Delicious Sweetlips

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Iva’s Favourite Coral Reef Fish : The Oriental Sweetlips !

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Attaining your dreams is something you have to deal with. Trying to reach a goal brings you forward and helps you deal with the common interrogation of existence. Why am I here ? What should I do ? What will I work towards when I wake up tomorrow morning ? For years, I was aiming towards the idea of a woman, a boat and a perfect place. All these images in my head finally took a clear shape and gave me more than I had ever expected. But what’s next ? What do I do now ? Thankfully I’m not alone anymore to figure that out…

Phil

Above and Below

It was hard to leave Havelock Island. But we were already one week into our trip, and the Indian authorities only deliver a one-month visa for the Andaman Islands. The frustration of not being able to spend more time in paradise slowly started creeping in. We had to plan our trip accordingly. It wasn’t easy to find the balance between our yearning to visit as many islands as we could and the need to spend more than a couple of nights in the places we loved the most. With only three weeks left we made our way to our next stop, Inglis Island.

As perfect as Havelock Island had been, Inglis rewarded us with a striking convex stretch of white sand contrasting with the deep turquoise of the water. And we were alone. The island was ours. The excitement grew as we anchored in ten meters on sand. As soon as we dropped the anchor, we were greeted by a group of mouse deer feeding on the beach. The next surprise came from the sky as a very intense experience: a Coast Guard helicopter circling 30 meters above us! We made contact though the VHF radio, identified ourselves, confirmed we had properly checked in in Port Blair and were bid farewell with a lovely “Have fun…and be safe!”

We spent the next couple of days exploring the island: the beach, the forest and the gorgeous sand cliffs rising above the water. Their different shades of yellow would constantly change with the light and amaze us throughout the day; we were grateful to sit in the shade of its caves, protected enough from the harassing heat to contemplate the waves breaking on the outer reefs.

Land Art

Land Art

Mouse Deer Skull

Turtle Skull

Again, it was hard to leave, but we had to stay on schedule. We motored north against a strong breeze and a choppy sea to reach North Button Island.

We both expected a lot from this tiny island as we had read that it was vibrant with sea life. Iva wanted to see manta rays. I was pretty excited about the fishing.

North Button Island from the Water

North Button Island from the Water

Iva hunts for photos, while Phil hunts for food! Here, a beautiful but very poisonous Lion Fish

Iva hunts for photos, while Phil hunts for food! Here, a beautiful but very poisonous Lion Fish

I started spearfishing back in 2003 when I was crewing around the South Pacific on sailboats for eight months. It quickly became an addiction at the time, although I barely caught any fish the first few months. Spearfishing is a difficult sport. You usually have to dive down in at least five meters of water to catch anything. 10 to 20 meters if you want to spear the big ones. The fish can breathe underwater, you can’t. The fish is really fast and reacts instantly to any movement or noise nearby. As free divers we are slow and not very agile underwater, especially if we want to stay long and keep enough air in our lungs to actually catch something. The slightest movement of a fin or the click of the gun releasing the spear will scare the fish away instantly.

Considering fish is our only source of fresh protein on the boat, it’s an exciting challenge.

I had done a bit of spearfishing in Thailand in the past year, but the Thai seas are so overfished that it is very hard to catch anything more than a small parrotfish or snapper. I was finally confronted to a proper fishing ground, as commercial fishing is not allowed in the Andaman Islands.

On the first day I caught a small grouper that was delicious but left us craving for more. On the second day we decided to take the dinghy further past the west point of the island. There was a lot of fish out there, but I wanted to challenge my fishing skills by catching something big, fast and delicious. A big grouper – always hiding in the rocks and very hard to catch – or a jackfish – one of the fastest hunters out there. As I jumped in the water at our second stop, I couldn’t believe my eyes : a school of small tuna was swimming right in front of me ! Tuna are rarely seen that close to the reef in shallow waters. I had caught some in the Pacific trailing a line of the back of the boat in open sea, but never actually seen one underwater. I tried to control the adrenaline pumping through my veins, gave a very smooth stroke of a fin towards the school and aimed at the closest fish with strong determination but little hope. The whole school instantly swam away from me but I shot anyway and rejoiced : I had caught one ! It was the strongest fish I’ve ever had to bring back onto the dinghy. This tuna was fighting hard but I somehow managed to pull it up, throw the spear into the dinghy and quickly finish it’s days of swimming the Andaman Sea.

That catch ended our fishing for the day. A two/three kilo tuna is definitely enough for the two of us ! I cut two beautiful filets out of our little friend that more than filled us up. We first enjoyed an appetizer of sashimi, then had one filet for lunch and one for dinner, accompanied by delicious vegetables, of which our favorite will remain the lovely little Andaman aubergines !

North Button Island also enabled us to do a bit of socializing with two French boats anchored next to us : Sea Lance and Nez Rouge. It felt great sharing stories around coffee in the morning and beers in the afternoon with people who have been sailing for years around the world… But we had to leave, to make it in time to an anchorage we had identified with Iva on the way up as a perfect place to celebrate her 26th birthday… more on that in the next episode !

Phil

Havelock
Dali and the Mangroves

Dali and the Mangroves

It was difficult to know where to begin… The Andamans are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal. There are 572 islands strewn vertically over an area of 8,249 square kilometers, which for us meant that we had the luxury of being able to sail only a few hours before finding ourselves at a new destination.

We decided to start our discoveries by visiting some islands north of Port Blair. We sailed just 30 nautical miles from Port Blair and anchored on the South West tip of Havelock Island. Belonging to Ritchie’s Archipelago, Havelock is the largest of this island chain and also one of the few Andaman Islands that are inhabited.

However, we did not see anyone at our first anchorage. The day was spent marveling at the water, framed by lush greenery punctuated with red. We wasted no time in adopting what were to become our island-life rituals. Phil plunged into the turquoise depths spear gun in hand and with the fruits of his hunt we celebrated the first of many fish inspired feasts.

Dinner

Dinner

As the celebrations continued into the night, we made a bonfire on the soft sand and watched the sun disappear behind a few stray mangrove trees.

The next morning we moved north and anchored in front of the monumental Radha Nagar Beach, also known as “Beach Number 7”. To say the seven miles of sand, deep, flat and white, were impressive is a gross understatement. Looking at the sprawling beach from the boat, I felt dwarfed by its magnificence, in awe of the sheer magnitude of its collective beauty.

Clear Water

The lack of a coral reef allows for a lagoon-like crystal pool that touches the edges of the fine sand in calm waves. From the depths of the beach sprung the massive trunks of trees, accentuated by smaller varieties in all shades of possible greens. There were even small thatched lookout posts, which seemed comically perfect – as if the whole landscape was a man-made set, ready for its close-up.

We spent several days at this beach, both at the beginning and end of our Northern tour. It was by far one of our favourite anchorages.

Dali Awaiting a Squall

Dali Awaiting a Squall

Also a popular destination for Indian tourists, it was a spectacle in itself to observe women dressed in beautiful saris play in the waves. Returning one afternoon from a visit to the nearby village, we were also amused to find that an Indian family had made a homey rest stop out of our dinghy!

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From the beach we were able to hire a Mahindra jeep and visit the nearby Village No.3, or Govind Nagar Village. The ride inland was beautiful, crossing plantations dotted with brightly painted houses and white cows.

The village was equally charming, being comprised of a small stretch of shops clustered around the fresh market. Walking the short street, we found everything we needed and even made our first international call home! It was good to hear my father’s voice and though we have been separated before by much greater distances, finding an international landline in the village and the static on the other line made me feel like I was phoning home from the ends of the world.

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Waking up to its imposing scenery, walking and walking the stretches of sand and buying samosas from a very friendly man under an umbrella. The vegetarian menues were amazing and we found each dish delicious and perfectly seasoned with mild spices.

In short, it was hard to say goodbye to Havelock. The island seemed to have everything we could have hoped to find in our Indian travels. But this was just an introduction, and we were already short of days so we lifted the anchor and continued north…

Iva

Farewell Havelock...

Farewell Havelock…

Welcome to Port Blair

512px-Map_of_Nicobar_and_Andaman_Islands-enArriving in Port Blair was exhilarating. Though Phil and I have both lived in Asia for many years, this is my first introduction to India and after months between Thailand and Malaysia, it looks, smells and feels extremely dissimilar. There is something already exotic about arriving somewhere by boat. Even if that place happens to be readily accessible by other means of transport, by evading them you avoid arrival terminals, other tourists, taxi cues. Instead we were greeted by a bustling port and as we entered Chatham channel – all the while communicating with local port authorities with a VHF radio – I had the ridiculous but giddy feeling that we were discovering something new. Granted it was only new to Phil and I, but the excitement mounted.

We anchored finally in the designated area for visiting yachts and for the first time in five days the rocking, rolling, lurching, climbing, falling… stopped. Though it had taken my body some time to become accustomed to it, I had luckily never found the movement uncomfortable during our crossing and it was actually the lack thereof that resulted in an immediate headache. In my mind I pictured my brain, which had been bobbing along happily, hitting the front of my skull as the boat reached a halt.

Although I was itching to explore the first piece of the Andamans we had access to (and also curious to see how my legs would feel on firm land), we could not go to shore until the following morning. We spent the day of our arrival welcoming authorities onto the boat, which sounds anticlimactic but was actually a very comical and colourful experience.

Port Blair at Dusk

The next morning we made the one-kilometer long dinghy ride to the dock and began to visit Port Blair, the largest town and capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India.

As I have not had the chance to visit mainland India, I cannot make any comparative statements but according to Phil the South Andaman Island port is a “very chilled out version” of India. And I can see what he means. There are the beginnings of the chaotic characteristics associated with India; jaywalking cows, loud music blaring from invisible speakers, fishing boats near the roads, the intermittent car horns. But all with a laid back island-life attitude in much less densely populated space.

Driving to the heart of town you feel that you have travelled back in time. That you are on an island somewhere in the 60’s or in some warped Asian version of the Dharma Initiative. We rode a beautiful HM taxi through streets lined with white linens drying in the sun. We arrived at the Harbour Master’s office where we had to present our itinerary for approval and receive our final clearance to visit the nearby islands.

No Traffic Lights in Port Blair

No Traffic Lights in Port Blair

The building, well maintained but clearly out dated had incredible charm as we stepped into offices where windows were wide open, letting the sunlight yellow the stacks and stacks of papers that have not yet been replaced by computer hard drives. Everywhere we visited was clearly over staffed with officials taking time and pleasure in completing their duties in an orderly fashion as well as consulting their colleagues or inviting them in just for fun. Though we had read warnings about the bureaucratic procedures necessary to visit the islands, we were on the contrary surprised by the officials’ friendliness and enjoyed participating and observing their administrative culture.

Phil and our friend the Customs Official

Phil and our friend the Customs Official

We had lunch and did our grocery shopping in Aberdeen Bazaar, which consists of one main road that starts with a giant golden Ghandi monument and stretches upwards for about four blocks. These four blocks are packed with stores side by side, on top of each other, above street level, below street level and some almost on the street itself. Everything from bakeries to dental surgeons, clothing, supermarkets, electronics, chai tea stands and Internet cafes is packed in the small and bustling downtown area. We bought our fruits and vegetables from the fresh market then continued up the road to Baba Restaurant where eight four-person tables are crammed into the last shop lot on the road and we waited in line to get a seat and some delicious chicken masala, vegetable curry and tomato rice.

One of the many bakeries in Aberdeen Bazaar

One of the many bakeries in Aberdeen Bazaar

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market

Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market

Buying Fruits

Schoolgirls in Uniform and Matching Braids

Schoolgirls in Uniform and Matching Braids

Blender Repair Shop

Blender Repair Shop

Back on the boat, and though thoroughly charmed with Port Blair, its colourful wooden houses perched on hills with wandering goats by the roadside, it is the beaches and the water and the islands that we came to visit so once our administrative procedures were underway, we were happy to leave and further our exploration.

Iva

The Crossing

We left Phuket as the sun got up over Mai Thon Island. A strong 20 knot breeze pushed us through the few islands lying south of Phuket, and we quickly rounded Promthep Cape, heading North West, to the Andaman Islands (India), 400 nautical miles away ! Finally we were at sea. My first time crossing a sea with Dali. Iva’s first time in the open waters. I had been waiting for this moment since I started living on my boat in 2011. Island-hoping along the coast of Malaysia and Phuket is one thing, but being out at sea for four days is totally different experience.

Finally we do not need to worry about the coast, the reefs, the fishing boats. Time and days as we know them on land disappear. All of a sudden, it’s only about making the boat sail well in the right direction. The sun gets up on one side, and before you know it, it’s down on the other. Activities are limited to maneuvering the boat, cooking and reading. Life becomes very simple.

A very happy cloud over the Andaman Sea

A very happy cloud over the Andaman Sea

Fish with Wings

Exocoetidae : Fish with Wings

The toughest part of the crossing is to get used to the incessant movement of the boat and to find your new sleeping pattern. The sea is in constant movement, and so is the boat. Everything needs to be stored away. Your body needs to adjust. For most people who are not prone to severe sea sickness this takes two to three days. Luckily Iva and I felt at ease straight away.  We just needed to get our night shifts in order. At night, someone constantly needs to keep watch. It is not easy getting used to sleeping in three hour shifts. Unfortunately we were sailing without any moon, and I can tell you, it gets dark, really dark. Luckily Dali’s radar is in good functioning order and most ships are therefore easily avoided.

On our first morning we were welcomed in the Andaman sea by a school of dolphins, about a dozen of them playing around the bow of the boat ! What an amazing sight to have these large mammals guiding us towards our destination are the sun gets up… We felt welcomed. Our second day at sea, we maneuvered a lot, trying to get the most our of the five to ten knot breeze pushing slowly towards Port Blair. As the wind died, we motored through the night.

Our third day at sea turned out to be glorious. Thanks to a fifteen knot wind from the North East we managed to cover 80 nautical miles on a beam reach (the wind blowing on a 90 degree angle to the boat) in 12 hours. It felt perfect, being in the middle of the Andaman Sea, just the two of us, with only water around us, and the boat, so happy, singing in the waves. I wish that day would have lasted forever.

As the wind died we enjoyed a swim in the crystal clear Andaman Sea waters.

Depth : 2,500 meters

We mainly motor-sailed the last stretch to Port Blair, the last night being cloudy and amazingly dark, with it’s share of rain. We were happy to see the sun get up as we were 40 nautical miles of our destination !

Port Blair Lighthouse

Port Blair Lighthouse

Reaching your destination after a long crossing is one of the most amazing feelings one can experience. Your eyes have only been used to the blues of the sea and the sky divided by the horizon for more than four days. And all of a sudden there is so much to see, to hear, to smell… Port Blair is a lovely tropical Indian town on a peninsula. We anchored in a very large protected body of water, close to a few other sailboats and not far from very large cargos on their way in and out of India. Finally the movement stops. It feels strange.

In India as a sailboat, you are treated like any other ship. Which means that as you enter the port you need to contact the authorities and wait for Customs, Immigration and the Coast Guard to board your boat and complete the necessary paperwork. We had read that this was a very complicated experience and that dealing with the local bureaucracy was a nightmare. What a pleasant surprise to be welcomed by lovely officials, most of them all smiles, interested in our story and very happy to help ! Of course it is a big change from dealing with the authorities in Thailand or, even easier, in Malaysia. We had to prepare some paperwork prior to our arrival. But in India people are just interested and care. They try to do their job, sometimes too well, but who can complain about that ?

Team Dali + Port Blair Coast Guard Official

Team Dali + Very Trendy Port Blair Coast Guard Official

As the sun set we were done with the 12 people that came on the boat that day, and enjoyed a few cold beers while chatting away into the night, about the crossing, our boat, our life, and the many amazing years that are still to come…

 Phil