Rang Yai Island

We’ve been busy and the blog is slowing down a bit. It’s hard to express how busy our life feels after posting beautiful stories and the corresponding pictures in the past few months.

Everyday there’s something to fix. When we’re not fixing we’re cleaning or gathering supplies. Looking for a spare part, a tool that’s missing. Everyday we also add an item on the list of things to do during the next “workshop” in Phuket, where we will take care of bigger repairs, such as fixing a small leak in the hull/deck junction or cutting a cleaning hatch in the diesel tank. And when we’re on the move, the navigation requires constant efforts and concentration.

We often smile when we hear the feedbacks on our endless holiday in tropical paradise. We do enjoy the moments of bliss that we try to share on our blog. But we really feel we paid the price for them every time they reward us with their appearances…

There’s also the unusual freak incident, such as the tsunami alert that came with the 8.6 quake that struck west of Sumatra early April. With very little time to think, I decided to take the boat as far from shore as possible. In more than 10 meters of water, there’s little chance that the wave will break, it’s actually the safest place to be during a tsunami. We sailed 5 miles out to sea and drifted for a few hours until we heard the news that the quake hadn’t generated a tsunami. Excellent drill.

Anyways, we were tired. We felt we needed a change, a rest. So we decided to go to KL for 10 days. I lived in KL for 6 years. Iva for 12. We both love and cherish the city. It’s a small capital for Asia, only 1,5M people.  It’s green, a lot of the ancient jungle has been preserved, except for the construction. Kuala Lumpur enjoys a slow paced, relaxed mood that no resident can escape.

However, going back to any major city after a couple of month sailing the islands is always a challenge. The cars, the people, the noise, the smells, the fumes, the busy roads, the malls, the signs, the construction can be overwhelming. The first day I got there, sitting in a mamak sipping on my teh tarik on the side of the road at peak hour, I really missed my boat.

You quickly forget the fumes and the pace of the city with all the friends and the parties. Thanks to all of you guys.

Our time there turned out to be as busy as our life on the boat. Besides embracing a social life we had forgotten about in the past months, we did a lot of shopping…stuff for the boat !

We came back more tired than we left.

We were ready for our next trip to Phuket, where my brother was going to visit us early May. Julien already visited me last year in Phuket. Unfortunately, at that time, the boat was out of the water for an osmosis treatment that turned out to last 6 months. This time I really wanted to have the boat in the water and ready for sailing in Phuket, in time for my brother’s arrival.

We didn’t lose anytime and as soon as Iva joined me in Langkawi we were off again. What a delight to be out of the marina ! The first anchorage in the Butang group felt like we were right were we belonged again… But the 3 days sailing up to Phuket were exhausting. Constant 20 knots of wind in the nose, motoring against the wind with the help of the main sail. Not my cup of tea.

But we went through with it, and on the last day, after an overnight stop in our beloved Koh Rok, just after rounding a little island, 5 miles from our destination, the engine stopped. Thank God we have a sailboat. We were quickly able to get out of the heavy swell pushing us towards the reef and tacked our way towards Ao Yon Bay in Phuket, which we reached at sunset. Dropped the anchor and 50m of chain. We made it.

The following days were spent doing our administrative check in, gathering groceries for the 6 days Julien would be on board and of course, fixing the engine. When you barely know anything about a diesel engine it can be a bit stressful to work on. But every time something breaks down you know you will learn how to fix that problem. The experience accumulated makes up for the stress…I always try to think “Nice, another thing I know how to fix on the engine”. This time we quickly realized there was a problem with the fuel intake. We had gotten to the bottom of the diesel tank, where a lot of residue gathers over the years, and the tank was simply clogged up. Not that simple. After changing the fuel filters, still nothing. Turns out the tank is too clogged up to pump anything out of it, and I have no hatch to open it and clean it. How to go around the problem until fixing it permanently (remember, I really want to take my brother sailing this year) ? Just use a diesel jerrican and pump directly out of it. Oh, don’t forget to also connect the return hose to the container, if not your engine’s gonna stop again in a few days when your tank is full…

So we got the airport in time to pick up Julien and bring to a fully supplied, operational boat. We had five days in front of us. Enough to share our lifestyle with him. He quickly felt at ease on the boat and slept like a baby in his front cabin. Julien is the first real guest we had living and sailing on the boat with us. A lot of fun. Even though the weather wasn’t at its best, we were able to sail everyday to the next welcoming island.

Everyday had its surprise squalls carrying their fare share of wind and rain. We used the wind for sailing and the rain for endless games of shithead and Monopoly inside. For once we were not sweating too intensively. A welcomed change for Iva and I. Julien was so happy to be on the boat that he just didn’t care…

Our last stop brought us to the north of Phang Nga Bay. Thailand is gorgeous and Phang Nga is one of it’s jewels…especially for a boat…the shallow and protected anchorages make it is very easy to anchor and spend quiet nights with absolutely no rocking nor rolling. The downside is muddy water but the scenery makes up for it… We anchored close to the beautiful Koh Phanak, a gorgeous limestone island with epic cliffs dropping straight into the water. We spent an adventurous afternoon exploring its little beaches and huge caves. Back on the boat, we celebrated the full moon with a party none of us will forget…

Julien’s trip was too short. The next day we left the boat in a marina and dropped him off at the airport. It was clear he didn’t want to leave and we wanted him to stay… But Julien had to fly back to Paris and work… The good news is he will be back with his girlfriend Sabine in September !

So in the meantime we finally had our first real rest since Iva joined me on the boat in February. We anchored in a very quiet bay in Phang Nga and relaxed for 4 days. What a great feeling. Now it’s time to head to a marina in the north of Phuket for 2 weeks of repairs. As work on boats go, these 2 weeks will probably turn into 4. After that job, we plan to head south and around Singapore for new adventures on the east coast of Malaysia and Thailand ! Until then…

Philippe