by Judy Handley | Jan 12, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand |
Day 82, Year 4: The Adventure Begins
Date: Monday, January 12, 2009
Weather: Sunny with Increased Winds
Location: Ao Labu, West Coast of Yao Yai, Thailand
We did it! We finally broke away from the marina and have started our adventure in earnest. We only traveled eight miles, but that eight miles took us from modern Phuket to one of the islands not yet infected with the Thailand tourist craze. Ko Yao Yai is not dramatic, but it is beautiful. Heather and I went food shopping in the morning, so we didn’t leave Ao Po until well into the afternoon. Sam was taking his nap when we left and he didn’t stir until we got close to our destination. But he woke up ready to explore. We set the anchor at 3:45 pm and immediately launched the dinghy and got ready to for a trip to shore. We were all anxious to see how Sam was going to deal with climbing off Windbird and into the dinghy and then how we would deal with small boat travel. Any anxieties we might have had were certainly dissolved once we all got in the dinghy and took off. He didn’t like sitting in the dinghy waiting for everyone else to get in, but once the motor was started he obviously
loved it. The faster “bapa” goes, the more he likes it.
Our trip to shore was wonderful. It was nearing low tide when we went in and low tide had turned the shore into a long mud flat. We took our dinghy in as far as we could with the motor and then I jumped in and pulled it further into shore. Finally, the water got so shallow that everyone had to get out and we just pulled the dinghy up on the mud flat and started walking to shore. Walking on a mud flat at low tide is similar to walking on a reef. There is so much life sitting there waiting for the water to return. This mud flat had hundred of sea stars, some on the sand but most buried just beneath the surface so you could still see their outline. We’d never seen this before. And there were so many moon snails and many moon snail egg cases that look like rubber gaskets. There were crabs in abundance of many different varieties. So needless to say, we all enjoyed our explore on the mud flat and on the beach. We got back to Windbird around 5:30 and unfortunately that was too late to get dinner ready in time for Sam. He fell asleep without eating so it could be a rough night. But then it would be hard to top last night. He got up around 3:30 am and sang a concert for us for the next thirty minutes. It was quite amusing for grandparents, but probably not so amusing for parents. But he did finally go back to sleep and didn’t start his day until about 7:30 am-a much more humane time to be up and about.
Tomorrow we will leave this anchorage and head for Phi Phi Leh. This is a magnificently beautiful little island that we visited with Kevin and Claire. We only stayed overnight before, but we will probably spent a couple of days there while we wait for the wind to pipe down. We had hoped for lesser winds today, but that didn’t happen. And according to the Thai weather information, we will not have calm weather again until the 17th or 18th. But at least our sail to Phi Phi Leh is downwind and we will simply wait in that area until the winds subside some.
by Judy Handley | Jan 11, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand |
Day 81, Year 4: Settling In with Sam Aboard
Date: Sunday, January 11, 2009
Weather: Sunny with Slightly Decreasing Winds
Location: Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket Island, Thailand
We spent another day here at the marina helping everyone to get their sea legs before we take off tomorrow. We walked to Chandara Resort in the morning to swim while the sun was shining, but unfortunately it was too early in the day for the water to be warm. Instead of being in the 80’s, the water was probably in the upper 70’s and that feels chilly when the wind is blowing. So Sam didn’t spend a great deal of time in the water, but we still had fun having poolside fruit drinks and dangling our feet in the pool. All of us jumped in and swam except for Sam. I think only his toes went in the water this morning.
After our swim, we walked down the hill to the little Muslim open-air restaurant to have Phad Tai and Tom Yum Gai for lunch. Delicious! And then it was time to head back to Windbird for afternoon naps. Heather, Jed, and Sam all took a nap and I saw Mark cat-napping from time to time. But I did the laundry and worked on naming photos. Sam took an exceptionally long nap and then we walked to the beach to play in the sand. It was late in the day by the time we returned to Windbird. We decided to be lazy and not fix dinner aboard, so again we all walked up to the Chandara Resort and had dinner. The food there is good but not great, but then all food is great when you don’t have to prepare it. And the food there is presented in a beautiful manner even if it is not as fantastic as it looks.
Mark and I spent most of our time just watching Sam. Mark asked me today if I thought our children were ever as alert and inquisitive as Sam. I had to reply that I am sure they were, but I must admit that Sam has more than the average amount of charm and alertness. We are just totally loving having him with us and observing his every move.
by Judy Handley | Jan 10, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand |
Day 80, Year 4: How Wonderful . . . Life Aboard with a Two Year-Old
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weather: Sunny and VERY Windy
Location: Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket Island, Thailand
We went to the airport at midnight last night to wait for the 1 am arrival of Heather, Jed, and Sam. The plane landed a bit late and by 1:30 there were no more passengers coming out of the International Arrival area. There had been so many tour operators awaiting the arrival of clients, but by 1:30 everyone was gone. We were worried. Where could H, J, and S be? We could look through the glass doors to the arrival area and no one was there. About the time I started to really panic, we saw a little blonde two-year old bopping about in the area. It was our Sam dancing to his own tune and not looking the least bit sleepy. We then saw Heather and Jed, and as they approached the glass doors separating us from the arrival area, Sam saw us and that beautiful face lit up in a complete grin as he ran toward us. It was certainly a look of recognition and that made me a very happy grandma. By the time we got back to the boat and went to bed it was almost 3 am and Sam slept fitfully with crying spells until about 6 am. At that point, he fell fast asleep and we all slept until almost 8 am. Sam had a few tenuous moments this morning getting used to the idea that there is no land around our house. But by day’s end, he seems much more comfortable with the fact that Oma and Granddad’s home is a boat floating on the water. We took a morning walk up to the marina and on to the Chandara Resort to show Sam the pool and the beautiful views. He amazes us with his “Wow” and “Whoa” statements when he sees beautiful views. We returned to the boat for lunch and naps (all of us) and then went back to the resort for a late afternoon swim and appetizers before dinner. We returned to Windbird for a grilled chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and salad dinner, and by 9 pm Sam was fast asleep and tucked into his little bunk in the main cabin. As parents and grandparents, it has been an absolutely amazing day. It is just so special to have our children join us and experience a little of our amazing adventure, and even more incredible to have a grandchild and grandchild-to-be with us. Yes, our daughter Heather is pregnant and due in mid- to late-June. So we will be returning home for the birth of two grandchildren this year. Life just gets better and better.
We will probably spend one more day here at the marina. That extreme high coming down from China has caused a very, very windy situation here in the Phang Nga Bay, Things are supposed to calm down considerably by Monday mid-day, so we will spend another day here tomorrow and head out for our first adventure on Monday. In the meantime, we will spend time playing on the beach here at the marina and at Chandara Resort swimming. There was a full moon tonight. Can’t think of a better way to spend a day.
by Judy Handley | Jan 9, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand |
Day 79, Year 4: Less Than Five Hours ’til H, J, and S Arrive
Date: Friday, January 9, 2009
Weather: Partly Sunny
Location: Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket Island, Thailand
It is 8:15 in the evening here and Heather, Jed, and Sam should arrive at 1 am. The excitement is building. We had a rental car starting at noon today and we did our food shopping in the afternoon. I think I have become a bit of a food shopping snob. The grocery stores here are modern, big, and beautiful, but the fresh fruit and vegetables are pitiful. I much prefer shopping in the local fruit and veggie stands. And after today, I won’t even think of buying fresh food in a supermarket in this
part of the world again. But regardless, we had a great afternoon and drove down to Ao Chalong to look for a really good flashlight. The marina manager here told us the only place on the island that we might find a really good flashlight (called a torch in this part of the world) would be in the dive shops in Ao Chalong. Well, we did find a really good waterproof LED flashlight, but it cost 23,000 Baht which is something like $700 US. No thanks! I guess we will continue our search and someday
find a really good flashlight at a more reasonable price. In the meantime we will continue exploring in the dark!
The weather is changing here. We have had almost ten days of gorgeous, sunny blue skies, but that came at the end of a few days of overcast, rainy weather. Well, the overcast rainy weather is returning. It is caused by an extreme high pressure system that moves down from China. The good thing is that Heather, Jed, and Sam will have a few days of relief from the intense sun when they first arrive, but the down side is that it will be windier and certainly not as beautiful as it is when the skies
are bright blue. But the beautiful weather will return while they are here and by the time it does, they should be used to the heat.
So in less than five hours we should be on our way from the airport to the marina. It will certainly be interesting to see Sam’s reaction to arriving at a boat. There’s a bit of wind tonight, so maybe it will rock him to sleep. We can only hope.
by Judy Handley | Jan 8, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand |
Day 78, Year 4: Ready and Waiting
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009
Weather: Yet Another Beautiful, Sunny Day
Location: Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket Island, Thailand
I awoke this morning realizing that we had rented a car for the wrong day. We have been so anxious for the arrival of Heather, Jed, and Sam that we somehow jumped a day and were prepared to go pick them up at 1 am on Friday. But they aren’t coming until 1 am on Saturday, so we had an extra day today to really take our time and get things just right. The first thing we did was call and cancel the car for today, but unfortunately we were misunderstood and the car that Tina and Robert had arranged
for was canceled. They got that worked out, but it delayed the start of their day a bit.
We then called Justin and Jo as they are now home from their Christmas vacation in England. They are working furiously to get ready for Jo’s art show opening at a gallery in Santa Fe. They already have the art work hung and they said it looks great. They were spending today practicing the music they will play at the opening. They had an appointment with the mid-wife that will deliver Wee Gerbil earlier in the day and everything looks great. So they are happy and both are loving living in Santa
Fe. It was so good to talk with them and hear them sound so happy. After the Skype call, I spent a good deal of today making granola and Mark got out the sewing machine and made a cover for our cockpit monitor and a new sun/rain shade for the v-berth hatch. Somehow we kept ourselves busy, busy all day long.
I feel like I’m getting ready for Christmas. The stockings aren’t hung by the chimney, but the v-berth is made and ready for Heather and Jed, the port settee is made-up as a bed for Sam with the lee cloth up to hold him in, the adorable little kiddie pool is on the back deck and his new UV head cover and body suit are hung and waiting for him , and a toy box filled with goodies for Sam is tucked in beside his “bunk”-beach toys, Duplo Legos, an envelope filled with stickers, a bag of new books, and
a couple of little trucks. The laundry is all done and Windbird is shiny both inside and out. So we really are ready and waiting.
Tomorrow we will get the rental car just before noon and head into Phuket Town to do the last minute shopping for food and miscellaneous boat “things.” There are always more boat “things” to purchase. We will then return to Windbird to get a few hours of sleep before we go to the airport just after midnight. We just hope that Heather and Jed are still speaking to us after the long, long flight from Boston to San Francisco to Seoul, Korea, and then here to Phuket. We so much wanted to share part
of our adventure with them, as we did with Justin and Jo, but so much travel time with a two year-old could be quite trying. If things are a bit rough, we will just have to make up for it once they arrive here in beautiful, beautiful Thailand.
by Judy Handley | Jan 7, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand |
Day 77, Year 4: Meeting with Friends
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Weather: Another Beautiful, Sunny Day
Location: Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket Island, Thailand
We spent much of today continuing to get Windbird ready for Heather, Jed, and Sam, but we also met up with our friends Tina and Robert of Shirena. They arrived midday and we had lunch with them at the little Muslim restaurant just past the marina entrance. We then met them at the Chandara Resort for a late afternoon swim in the pool and then cocktails and dinner. It was great to get to know their kids. Two of Robert’s and one of Tina’s grown kids have been sailing with them for the past week
or so. They are delightful and added immensely to make an enjoyable evening.
