We were excited to be recently featured in a Travel article in the Phuket Gazette. Having spent so much time in Phuket, we are happy to see the boat in one of their main English-language publications! Thanks to Andrew for the article and his visit to Dali.
Yacht Haven Marina
Three months have passed since our last entry… We’ve been busy.
No major repairs had been undertaken on Dali since November 2011. After 6 months of sailing up and down the coasts of Malaysia and Thailand, the boat needed some love and care to fix its injuries. We headed to Yacht Haven Marina in the North of Phuket for a month of work.
The biggest job would be fixing the leaks at the hull/deck junction at the back of the boat as well as on the bow. While the hull is solid fiberglass and most of the deck is a fiber/balsa wood sandwich, the sections around the cockpit and on the bow are just plywood covered with fiberglass. Due to bad isolation, some of the plywood was rotten and needed to be changed. Both storage areas at the back of the boat were leaking water !
Beginning of Deck Repairs
Deck repairs being finished
The diesel tank was completely clogged up from not having been cleaned for years. The only way was to take it out, cut a hatch into it, clean it and put it back.
Diesel Tank Repairs
Tank Repaired, Aft Cabin Painted & Organized
Our cushions covers were old and tired, and we were excited to replace them with the fabric we had purchased in KL’s Little India a few months back.
Curtains to match the cushions
As you start working on the boat it is hard to stop. You keep on taking things apart, finding new areas that can be improved or repaired. The toilet needed a major servicing, the anchor chain and anchor could do with a galvanizing, the anchor winch needed maintenance, one of the chain plates had cracked and a replacement had to be ordered from Bangkok, the water tanks were leaking and needed repairs, a new main sail was in order…the list is long.
Replacing the Chain Plate
Quick Nap Between Jobs
Beautiful New Main Sail !
And the weather didn’t help. As soon as we docked, it basically started raining for a month, a very unusual thing for May-June in Phuket. This made everything more complicated as we tried to protect the working areas from the rain so that the resins used in the repairs could dry properly. And during this time we were still living on the boat, moving it’s contents from one area to the other as the jobs moved on, sleeping in the middle, with very little living space.
Luckily, we ran into Chris, an Australian sailor aboard Lady Bubbles, whom we had met in Koh Tachai a few months back and happened to be doing repairs on the opposite dock ! He was leaving his boat for a month in Phuket while going back to Australia, had rented a room nearby, and offered us to stay in it for two weeks while he was gone ! Thanks mate ! This enabled us to start on a brand new paint job inside the boat, while the rain kept pouring and a lot of other jobs where on hold.
Bathroom Before & After
Storage Space Revamped
After enjoying the freedom we had in the past months sailing the gorgeous waters of the Andaman Sea, it is not easy being stuck in a marina for weeks. No more virgin beaches, crystal clear waters and outrageous sunsets. Just work all day. Trying to figure out the best ways to fix complicated systems. Driving around Phuket town trying to find the spare part that’s missing, or the greasy machine shop that will do the welding job you need… before heading back to the dull Marina life where every boat just floats there, sadly tied to its pontoon. And then, slowly but surely, you start to move on. You’re not taking things apart anymore, but putting them back together. The boat starts looking less like a workshop and more like a living space. The exit is near…
Shop in Phuket Town
Second-hand Bookstore, Phuket Town
Interesting Architecture of Phuket Town
Freaky life-like monks
Yacht Haven Marina Parking Lot
Trees grow as we work
Then there are administrative issues. Our Thai visa was only valid for a month. We needed to get out of the country. The fastest and cheapest solution when you are in Phuket is to do a visa run to Myanmar, 300km to the north. It turned out to be a lovely trip under the rain. We decided to rent a car and drive up the West coast to Ranong. From Ranong you can take a long tail boat for an hour, crossing the estuary that separates Thailand from Burma. On the other side of the boat trip you really are in a different world ! A much poorer world; with hundreds of boats living of border trading activities. Dozens of cute children jumping from boat to boat. Very chilled custom officers in a little hut that only accept brand new or ironed US dollar bills. Buddhist temples everywhere. An intriguing country where I would have loved to spend more than half an hour.
Ranong Pier
Approaching Kawthaung, Myanmar
Back in Thailand, we stopped at the impressive Ngao waterfall. It felt great to be on the move again. The green hills of South West Thailand in the rain really soothed us after a long month of work…
Ngao Waterfall
Ngao National Park
A month and a half had passed and we were almost ready to move back onto the boat and finish all the jobs. The leaking was fixed, the serviced diesel tank was installed, the cushions were ready everything had been freshly painted and we were putting the last finishing touches when the phone rang…
That’s another story.
Philippe
In sudden and boisterous contrast to our first two months alone, we have spent the past few weeks welcoming friends and family on board. The first guests we were expecting were newly wed Cedric and Sum from Hong Kong. Since they graciously welcomed us at their wedding earlier this year, we wanted to make sure we returned the favour and showed them a good time on the boat. That same weekend, some friends of ours from Kuala Lumpur were hosting a farewell party for a notorious Mr.Freddy. Those who know us (individually and as a couple) know well that we aren’t the kind to turn down a good party… So we anchored in Pantai Cenang and prepared to socialize for the first time in weeks.
We all spent a lovely afternoon on the boat. Sum and Cedric were excited and at ease. At the time they also shared with us their hopes of having a baby and since we have recently found out this dream of theirs has come true we can’t help but think maybe a little Dali magic helped speed things along! In any case, may they realize the rest of all their ambitions.
That night Sum & Cedric retired early (possibly for reasons stated above) and we joined our KL friends on the beach. It was great to be surrounded by such familiar faces and feel like we were not too far from the city we both called home, and its people. The night was complete with a full blown game of Flunkyball after which we even visited Langkawi’s ‘hottest night club’. All in all a great day and night amongst friends and a warm welcome back to Malaysia.
Photo Courtesy of Romie L.
However, the party could not continue the next night as we moved the boat and prepared for the arrival of Philippe’s parents.
Fuel Dock in Telaga Harbour
Dali anchored in front of Philippe’s parents hotel, awaiting their arrival!
I was very happy to meet Philippe’s mother and father, Renate and Alain and to see that the feelings of relief were mutual as we all got along effortlessly. Their easy ability to adapt also applied to the boat, where they were both instantly comfortable.
While I was just beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, we had to brace ourselves for the arrival of my family.
The day before my family was to arrive Phil wanted to take his parents out for a short sail. We left in the morning, enjoyed lunch and a swim at a nearby beach and were making our way back when Phil noticed a problem with the engine. For those of you who know about boats, and those of you who don’t: engine problems are stressful. Philippe and I had gone up to the border of Myanmar and back – sometimes using the engine for 13 hours straight and the first day he takes his parents out is when something decides to go wrong. Needless to say we both believe strongly in Murphy’s Law. I also believe in Karma and like to think that’s why we were lucky enough to have good conditions and were able to sail back and anchor in front of his parents’ hotel and identify the problem with the engine: a broken impeller in the water pump.
Alain and Philippe raising the French and German flags
The next day my parents arrived at their hotel with me sweating and stressing, and Philippe up to his neck in grease. My parents arrived in the middle of the problem yet eager to help. I spent the afternoon with my mother and sister on the beach while the men worked on Dali. With help from my dad, who has always loved mechanics, the problem was finally fixed – just in time for celebratory sundowners.
That evening we met back with Philippe’s parents and had a wonderful meal together. The rest of my family’s stay was just as pleasant and the next day we all went for a sail around the islands of Langkawi. I was very happy to have my parents and sister experience a little of life on the boat and be able to imagine what our day to day is like in more detail. All in all both families were very happy to have had the chance to meet, and Phil and I the happiest of all.
Both families. Only missing Philippe’s brother Julien (who will join us soon) and my sister Ileana who will hopefully visit this year.
My parents returned to Kuala Lumpur as Philippe, his parents and I sailed to Koh Lipe, Thailand, for a few days of clearer waters and gorgeous beaches. We enjoyed our small vacation and returned to Langkawi happy and relaxed, with his parents even more at ease on Dali.
Beautiful Koh Lipe
We have said goodbye to Philippe’s parents now, happy to hear that they are excited for their next visit. In a few weeks our string of visitors continues as we prepare to welcome Philippe’s brother on board. Meanwhile, we may take a short holiday to Kuala Lumpur to take a break from playing hosts!
Iva
So far we’ve sailed from Langkawi to Phuket. With a few stops on the way.
We made our administrative exit from Malaysia in Langkawi. Our first stop on the way to our entry port Phuket was Koh Lipe, in the Butang group, where we spent a couple of days.
We then spent a night on the west coast of Adang, the largest island of the group.
The next day we sailed to Koh Rok, two small islands 20 miles offshore, where we spent 3 nigths and celebrated Iva’s 25th birthday !
Next stop was Koh Lanta where we spent a night.
We then sailed to Koh Phi Phi and anchored one night in the south bay and the next in the northern bay.
We then finally reached Phuket and spent 4 nights in Ao Yon Bay south of the island. We made our admistrative entry in Chalong bay.
We are now anchored in front of Bang Tao beach on the west coast of Phuket, our last stop on this island before heading for The Similan and Surin islands 35 miles offshore, close to the Myanmar border…
What better way to start than to show you all around the boat!
As Phil mentioned some of the technical details, I won’t pretend to know them and instead aim to give you a better idea of how we live onboard.
Overview
This is the layout of the boat, which you see as soon as you go in from the cockpit. On the immediate left is the kitchen sink, opposite that on the right (not within view) is the chart table. Further forward is the galley. On the left is a double bed where Phil and I sleep, which can also be changed into a table with U-shaped seats and on the far right is another bed/lounge area which is very comfortable for reading.
Behind the far wooden wall is another double cabin which we soon hope to use for guests and down the main corridor all the way at the front of the boat is the bathroom.
The Captain at his chart table
Here is the chart table, it’s on the right as soon as you descend from the cockpit and it’s function is more or less self-explanatory. A space for Phil to map our course and dump all his stuff.
Bathroom sink
This is a partial view of the bathroom – I will write a separate post soon regarding hygiene habits onboard but in the meantime you can see the cabinets (which I recently re-organised) as well as the cute soap holder!
My Beautiful Wardrobe
Believe it or not, this is the totality of what I brought with me. Thanks in part to my sisters’ aggressive editing, and mostly due to my superb packing abilities, I was able to bring my favourite boat-ready beach apparel. In the laundry bag are bikinis, behind that bras & undies, two rows of t-shirts and shorts and a little jewelry for special occasions!
Phil’s Clothes
After graciously giving up one of his cabinets, here is the state of Phil’s clothes. I hope to get my hands in there soon and do some much needed folding.
Chill Area
I like to call this the Lounge Area. It was Phil’s bed when he was alone and now we use it mostly to chill. I know you love the décor.
Some of the things I like most about the boat can be seen in these pictures. I’m happy to say I’ve been very warmly welcomed.
Iva
Let’s BLOG then.
What more to say ? That I’m very lucky ? I’m grateful to admit that I live with my beautiful girlfriend on my beautiful boat…
The girlfriend is called Iva. She is 25 years old and from Mendoza in Argentina. She spent most her life living in Kuala Lumpur and Buenos Aires. We have been together for a year. I was giving my boat a nice refit in Phuket, 6 months out of the water, and Iva was working in KL. We have been living on the boat together since February.
The boat is called CHRIOD, soon to be renamed DALI. It was built in 1980 in France at the DUFOUR boatyard, designed by the architect Michel Dufour. It is 35 feet long. The Dufour 35 has become a classic over the years. It’s simple, it’s solid (in the early 80s the fiberglass boats were still strongly built) and for a cruising boat, it’s pretty fast.
We started in Langkawi, a large island NW of Malaysia. Iva already spent some time on the boat last year, but for very short periods of time. We are excited about this real test.
On a small sailboat like Dali you share all of your time. You are never apart, unless one person takes the dinghy alone to shore and leaves the other person on board.
Life on a boat is thrilling but most of the time it is not only pleasure. It’s always moving. There’s not much space. There’s a limited amount of energy and water that mainly depends on the elements : sun for power and rain for water. Things break. They need to be fixed. Most of the time nobody’s there to help. In this region, close to the equator, the weather is very unpredictable. Stuck in between the two tropics, it gets hot. Very hot. Most of the time there’s no wind. And then squalls out of nowhere brining 40 knots of wind followed by a incredible downpour of heavy drops.
And sometimes everything works. You are sailing on calm water with 15 knots of wind from the NE. You are going NW. All the sails are out. The scent of land not far away tickles your nose. And you breathe in. The boat is singing in the waves and you can even share the moment with another smiling individual…it’s almost hard to believe things can get that perfect. Over the years I have learned to recognize these moments of bliss, accept the short time they last, and live them throughout, like the wind momentarily filling the sails and pushing the boat a bit further…
Philippe
