While working to prepare for a very exciting upcoming project (more news soon), we had to sail all around the island of Langkawi. On one of our sails we noticed a beautiful golf course that ends right at the beach. We couldn’t resist the urge to anchor in front and take the day off to enjoy the beautiful blue skies & fresh cut grass…
Last hours of Dali in the water
Iva and I had decided to leave the boat in Phuket for a few months while we would spend sometime on land. We had to go to KL to make a few appearances related to Season 3 of The Apartment, the reality TV show we had won in 2012. We also wanted to edit a documentary about our trip to the Andamans and switch our blog to a self-hosted website with improvements to come. It seemed easier to do it on land, with unlimited access to power and a fast Internet connection. This was also an opportunity to spend some time promoting our website, in various publications, radio and TV shows. Then, in July we were going to head for Europe to celebrate my grandfather’s ninetieth birthday and visit my family and our friends for over a month. Dali had been afloat for a year and a half. These were all good reasons to lift the boat out of the water and give it a proper refit on our way back.
Sunset drinks with our friend Guy, visiting from Doha, and the owner of our favourite Reggae Bar on Bang Tao beach
We were lucky enough to discover a new boatyard that just opened in the north of Phuket. There, we would be able to leave the boat out of the water for four to five months at a reasonable price.
Rainbow before the clouds set in…
This boatyard lies in the muddy passage at the northeast of Phuket. To enter, there is only a very small channel in between the mangrove trees. With Dali’s 1.85m draft, it is only possible to go through at very high tide, during three or four days, twice a month. We have no choice but to enter on the first of these days, since we have an obligation to be in KL the next day, with our flights already booked. The management of the boatyard tells me to enter at 10 am, when the tide is highest. Iva, Guy and I standby in front of the tiny channel, waiting for instructions to come in. But there is another boat before us. I call at 9:30, they tell me to wait. I call at 10:00, they tell me to keep on waiting. The tide’s going down, I tell them. It’s going to be fine, they answer. Finally at 10:40 the bow of the boat passes through two sad little sticks signaling the entrance. Pretty quickly we get stuck in the mud. I call for help, they take ages to come. The tide is still going down at an accelerating rate. A tiny dinghy with an 8hp engine comes and helps us push and pull, while I rev my engine to the max, nothing happens. A passing dinghy, this one with a 25hp engine starts pushing on the other side.
Finally we free ourselves from the mud. But as we exit and turn around we get stuck again. This time it’s even worse. My good friend Kosta, owner of Sheidegg and working on a powerboat nearby, comes with a large dinghy and a powerful engine. We try everything: tying a rope from the top of the mast to Kosta’s dinghy 100m away, to tilt Dali on it’s side and lift the keel over the mud, with Guy climbing to the tip of the boom to give the boat an even bigger angle. We push and we pull but there’s nothing to do. Dali is stuck in the mud for good. We’re not going to make it into the boatyard on that day.
Tide still receding..
Dali on dry sand.. and Guy keeping busy with a bucket…
Dali will have to spend the afternoon lying on it’s side, an usual sight that brings tears to Iva’s eyes, while Guy is trying to dig an exit way through the mud for the keel once the water will come back up. I’m not at my best, but have confidence in the strength of my 25mm. fiberglass hull. We’re just going to have to spend a very tilted afternoon. It feels strange to walk through the boat lying at a steady 45 degree angle. While gathering supplies from the inside, I fall many times, unsure of where to put my weight or hold on to. This is not how I wanted to spend my last afternoon on Dali.
The tide comes back with the dusk and slowly Dali starts floating again. What a sweet feeling to feel the boat moving with the tiny swell. We have dinner and wait for the tide to be highest, start the engine and anchor further away.
The next morning, again, is full of surprises. This time we are the first boat to come in, at high tide. This boatyard is a low budget one and there is no crane. It is a cradle that is placed under the boat and pulled out by a tractor. There is a little puddle of water where I have to wait while the staff places the cradle under the boat. As I enter, not a single staff member is there to catch my ropes!
I scream for help and even anchor in the small space trying to prevent the current from pushing Dali onto the rocks. Luckily Guy is on board with his two precious extra hands. We are able to guide the staff into catching our lines just in time before a crash, and to tie us up in a proper way. After a lot of screaming and sweating Dali is finally secure. It is now time to pull the cradle out of the water with the tractor.
Iva has never witnessed such an operation and loves the boat so much that she worries about it as if it were a child. But soon enough the worst is behind us, and Dali is finally resting safely on its stilts.
The next few hours are a blur. Guy, Iva and I go into frenzy mode so that we are able to prepare the boat for four months of loneliness in time to catch our flight. Somehow we manage.
Guy, you are obviously welcomed back on Dali anytime!
Phil
Photo by Julien Estiot
Let’s go back in time a few months. May 2013. Phuket. After an overwhelming trip to the Andaman Islands, Iva and I are back in Thailand. We enjoy our first real shower. After cooking three times a day for two months we take a rest, sit down and order our favorite Thai dishes. We don’t forget the juicy burgers and ice-cold beers either. Tourists are everywhere, the beaches aren’t empty anymore, but tourism has its perks. My brother visits again, so do Iva’s parents. It feels nice to be surrounded by family and familiar grounds.
Beers on the Beach
Julien getting a Thai haircut
Photo by Julien Estiot
Afternoon Boat Activities
First bottle of wine in two months!
Photo by Julien Estiot
We enjoy the company of our friends. Jose and Ana, owners of Zarco, who I met in Fiji nine years ago. Dutch Chris, iconic figure of Ao Yon Bay and owner of the Andaman Sea Club, a catamaran charter company. The amazing Maillard family on Tsarapenhoat : Arnaud and Katia left their steady life in Reunion Island to buy a 38 foot catamaran in Phuket. On board they home-school their four children. We sometimes struggle to cook for two. They do it every day for six.
More friends fly in from Kuala Lumpur. Andy and Steph, who are responsible for introducing me to Iva, finally make it onto Dali. Jess and Rich join the party and make it another memorable outing to Patong. What a contrast to the past two months spent in a bubble with Iva on Dali!
Enjoying a swim in fresh water at our friends’ hotel!
Photo by Jessica Lewis
The Andaman trip has been tiring. We raised anchor almost everyday. I need my lazy days back. So we sail up to Phang Nga Bay, and realize that we haven’t explored it thoroughly. We have gone so far to blow our minds with unexpected images, but Thailand is just as beautiful.
The limestone rocks of Phang Nga Bay. The caves. The secret enclosed bodies of water that we discover everyday. The Thai call them “hongs”, which means “rooms”. OK, we’re not exactly at the end of the world anymore. In most places, hordes of kayaking tourists invade the grounds from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon. That’s my lazy time. The rest is our oars caressing the calm waters of the bay with no one in sight.
Before and After the tourists
Can you spot Iva ?
Seashell Beach
Seashell Shower
Sunset on Limestone Cliffs
My good friend Guy visits from Doha. He was one of the first guests on the boat back in 2009, shortly after I purchased it. At the time I didn’t have the confidence I have now as the captain of Dali. I thought this time everything would go smoothly, especially thanks to Guy’s sailing experience. I had to think again…
Phil
We are so excited to finally unveil the teaser for our upcoming documentary, Andaman Dream. Catch a little glimpse of what we will soon share with you of our first open-sea crossing together!
Después de varios meses lejos del mar, fue linda sensación volver a poner los pies en el agua. Cuando el taxi nos dejó en la playa, ya los dos soltamos un suspiro… Aliviados al ver el velero flotando todavía en su lugar. En los días que siguieron, los primeros de este año ya bien empezado, trabajamos con cuidado buscando complicaciones y problemas que por (mucha, mucha) suerte nunca encontramos.
Una vez que estábamos convencidos que todo seguía en orden pudimos recibir a nuestra primera visita del 2013; mi hermana Ileana y su novio Alejo.
Hacía mucho tiempo que esperaba poder compartir con mi hermana lo que he vivido este ultimo año sobre el barco. Desde que éramos muy chicas, de las dos ella fue siempre la aventurera… Y ya que por el momento esta ha sido mi aventura más grande, quería compartirla con ella.
De nuestros invitados, Ile y Alejo se destacaron por su facilidad de sentirse como en casa arriba de Dali. Fueron los que más tiempo pasaron en el agua y los únicos en atreverse a prepararnos una cena. Con Phil nos admirábamos del entusiasmo infalible de los dos a pesar del calor infernal de la cocinita abordo.
Disfrutamos de poder mostrarles un poco de nuestra vida marina. Visitamos cinco islas en siete días, aprovechando para introducir Alejo a las particularidades de las playas Tailandesas. El también nos sorprendió, victorioso en su primera y muy pública pelea Muay Thai!
Así pasamos una semana soleada, clima perfecto para empezar el año. Sin embargo las vacaciones se suspenden un tiempo, mientras que Ile y Alejo vuelven a sus vidas porteñas y nosotros nos preparamos para la próxima aventura.
Iva
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After these joyful reencounter with the boat and the Thai island hopping life, it was finally time to get ready for our first faraway trip on Dali.
The Andaman Islands. 400 nautical miles (760km) to the North West oh Phuket. Three to Five days at sea with usually fair winds from the North East this time of year. It will be Iva’s first open water crossing, and also my first time to sail the open seas with my own boat. It’s exciting. The Andamans are a part of India, hundreds of gorgeous lush tropical islands with an almost untouched marine life, since commercial fishing is prohibited in the area. Most of its islands are uninhabited and we look forward to the amazing snorkeling, fishing and deserted beaches.
But as usual there was a lot of work before departure. We needed to get the boat ready, a task that always has its fair share of surprises. Change the batteries, Check the rigging, grease the winches, install the wind wane, repair al sorts of small details. Fill up with water and diesel, buy a month’s worth of groceries, replenish the pharmacy, wash the boat inside out, check the engine…it’s a long list.
Laundry Day on Dali
We also had to get ready for the Indian authorities that will board the boat at arrival in Port Blair. Visas, a large pile of paperwork with introduction letters, inventory, itinerary, requests to spend a lovely month cruising the Andaman Islands.
The Beautiful Visa Photo Studio
We also needed to get our communications working. SSB radio, Satellite Phone, VHF to be able to send and receive emails, most importantly receiving weather charts during the crossing. The authorities also require that every boat radio’s in its position everyday while cruising the islands.
It was hard getting everything ready with only three weeks to spare as we wanted to leave early to catch the end of the NE monsoon. We made our way North along the east coast of Phuket to spend our last week of preparation at Yacht Haven Marina, definitely our favorite marina on the island. On the way, since the paperwork finally came through during our visit to France in October, we were finally able to undertake a little ceremony to change the name of the boat. There are many customs to achieve a peaceful transition to a new name. We tacked (crossed the axis of the wind) three times, with a drink of rum for Neptune, the boat and the captain (the first mate was also invited !) after every tack. Dali can now show off its beautiful name on the high seas.
We are finally ready. We should leave in couple of days, after meeting up with our good friends Bernard and Pui on Salulami, anchored off Mai Thon Island ! Next post in more than a month with undoubtedly exciting stories !
Phil
In starting this new year, we wanted to take the opportunity for one last walk through our beloved Dali home. Participating in and winning The Apartment: Style Edition was an incredible experience and we grew very attached to our unit, as week by week it was filled lovingly with fruits of our joint labour. Although the house is not the prize (we won an apartment in the upcoming Véo!), we will always have very fond memories of our competition ground.
East Residence is a modern courtyard linked villa within a gated community. It is located inside the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC) in Bukit Kiara, overlooking the 12th fairway. Each team was given identical four level units to design, each of approximately 490 square meters (5,300 square feet).
Here is a better look at where it all took place:
Location of East Residences on a map of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Floor Plan of an East Residence Unit
Here are our finished spaces, from the third floor down to the basement level.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Imagine Group, Sime Darby Property, Jamie Durie, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and all the guests who attended the Finale and voted for us! Thanks to all of you, we won an apartment!
Phil & Iva
If you missed the story behind our win, click here!
