by Judy Handley | Nov 10, 2009 | Malaysia, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 15, Year 5: Second Thoughts . . .
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Weather: Sunny Morning Turning Stormy in the PM
Location: Rebak Marina, Pulau Rebak, Langkawi, Malaysia
Knowledge is supposed to be a good thing, but when you spend a day reading about how to get home from here, you get just a little apprehensive. I think I’ve checked every website out there and learned just enough to be dangerous. Just the sheer miles are daunting and then there are the piracy issues if you go through the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea or the wicked weather if you go around South Africa. Cochin, India is looking much more inviting than the Maldives, but again, that is at first glance. And then the Red Sea, which we thought would be cheaper for us than going all the way around South Africa, is looking more and more expensive. Just the Suez Canal transit alone will cost us $500-$700 US plus all the backshish (alternate spelling of baksheesh) we have to pay. Wikipedia states that, “Baksheesh is a term used to describe tipping, charitable giving, and certain forms of political corruption and bribery in the Middle East.” We know from other cruisers that this form of tipping is not an option. If you don’t pay, you might be awakened in the middle of the night during a terrible storm and told you must leave the Suez Canal RIGHT NOW. Fun and games. But there are wonderful things to see and beautiful people to meet, so we’ll continue the research and hopefully come up with a plan that suits us. We are still sticking with the Red Sea route for now, but as with almost every cruising couple we have met here, there is still a tad of indecision lurking out there..
Mark continued his work on our stove issue and determined that it is faulty sensors, so tomorrow we trek to Kuah on the main island of Langkawi to look for sensors, take our mainsail in to have a new cover made, and shop, shop, shop for food, drink, and various boat things. We have just gotten Windbird cleaned out and ready for provisioning, so now the process of filling her up with food stores for the next six months begins. It is an arduous task, but once done, you really do have your food supplies for months and only need to catch fish and buy fresh veggies and fruit when it is available. By tomorrow night, Windbird will sit just a little lower in the water with all the goodies we find in town.
by Judy Handley | Nov 9, 2009 | Malaysia, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 14, Year 5: Looking Forward
Date: Monday, November 9, 2009
Weather: Still Sunny and Hot
Location: Rebak Marina, Pulau Rebak, Langkawi, Malaysia
Our first issue of the day was dealing with the website. The host was able to restore the site with formatting up to November 2, but we lost everything from that point on. That was not a problem as we have copies of everything, but we did lose the comments posted after November 2. So if you sent a comment after that date, maybe you would take to the time to send it again so we have a record of who contacted us when giving us the information you sent along. The second web related issue of the day was that the internet here is off and on. I’m not sure what is happening, but I doubt that I will get to send this log tonight. We are definitely offline right now, so we’ll have to wait until the marina office opens tomorrow morning to see what’s happening with that.
The success of the day was that we got the headsail tack sewed then cleaned and raised the sail. So we now have a headsail and staysail. On Wednesday we will take our mainsail to Kuah to have the new sail cover made and by the end of the month, we will be ready to sail-hopefully. I don’t want to be too optimistic as it seems each time we are, some other issues rears it’s ugly head, like our stove. Today it started acting up and by this evening, we are using the little butane gas stove we bought when we lived on land in Thailand to finish cooking our dinner. We have some electrical problem that causes the propane solenoid to keep shutting itself off. This problem is not one that we expected, but so it goes.
Early this morning our neighbors across the dock in front of us invited us over for coffee at 3 pm to discuss plans for our voyage from here to the Red Sea. Linda and Mike are from New Zealand and their boat name is Hanalike (Ha-na-like-ee). As with many of us, they are a little undecided as to what they will do this season. They will either leave Thailand in January headed for the Red Sea or they will head back home. They wanted to pick our brains as to see what cruisers we know that will be making the trip. Just the fact that they wanted to get together to discuss this prompted both Mark and I to start looking forward. After raising the headsail, we spent the rest of the day searching the web (when it was available) for information from cruisers who went through the Red Sea last year and figuring out just how far we have to travel from point to point. Yikes! It is a long way across the Indian Ocean and up the Red Sea, but at least now we have a better handle on what faces us. We still have to decide if we are going north to the Andaman Islands and whether we will stop in Cochin, India or in the Maldives south of India. But in any case, we have about 1500 miles from Thailand to either the Maldives or India and then another 1400 hundred miles from either of those places to Salalah, Oman. Just the passages to those locations will take us roughly twelve days each and then it is another 650 miles from Oman to Aden in Yemen. That’s another five days. And then we have the 1500 miles up the Red Sea to Port Said on the Mediterranean side of the Suez. That trip will be done in baby steps-day trips from one anchorage to another, so it could take a month or two. So we have lots of miles to cover before we reach Turkey in the Mediterranean. We have finally started the planning for this part of our voyage and will spend much of the next two to three weeks here in the marina doing just that while we have the internet connection, albeit not the most reliable we have ever had.
One last note. We went over to check on Shirena after a dip in the pool late this afternoon. As I have mentioned before, Tina and Robert of Shirena are back in Australia to attend a family wedding and we are just checking on the boat every day or so to make sure all is well. While there, we noticed that Wild Card is just down the dock. That is Fatty Goodlander’s boat and he apparently came in yesterday. For those of you who read Cruising World, you know his name well. Wildcard was here earlier and Robert and Tina got to know Fatty and Carolyn quite well. We met the Goodlander’s in New Zealand, but maybe if they are still here when Robert and Tina return, we can get to know them even better. I’m assuming they are getting ready for the Red Sea run and I would love to talk with them about that. We also saw Margaret and Patrick of Aqua Magic. They came in today and are right beside Shirena. They will be leaving for five weeks in the UK on Wednesday and when they return, they will start their trek toward the Red Sea. So the cruisers are gathering and it is time for those cruiser get-togethers where we share information and thoughts.
by Judy Handley | Nov 8, 2009 | Malaysia, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 13, Year 5: Thirteen Is NOT a Lucky Number
Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009
Weather: Sunny and Hot
Location: Rebak Marina, Pulau Rebak, Langkawi, Malaysia
Today was just one of those days when things didn’t go quite right, so when I started to write this log and saw that is was our thirteenth day into this cruising year, I can put the blame there. I’m sure tomorrow will dawn with a much more positive aura and things will be fine again aboard Windbird. Nothing really bad happened today, it is just that nothing went smoothly. The first big issue is our website. If you are reading this log, the site probably looks considerably different that it did yesterday. We have been having issues with our logs getting posted since we returned and this morning Mark went into he site to try and fix the problem. First mistake. We always have our son do the fixing, but he is at a conference in Florida and we decided to be a little more independent. Second mistake. When Mark made the fix, the site came back saying we needed to do an update, so that is what Mark did. The next thing we knew, all of the logs had disappeared. We had only a white screen. Since we had been having problems, Justin had emailed the current information on how to contact the webhost, so we did that and Mark has been in a back and forth email conversation all day. Basically, we should never have done the update. But since we did, we have lost all formatting on the travel logs part of our site. We’ll muddle through until Thursday when Justin will be available again and hopefully he can get things back to normal. In the meantime, the webhost is restoring the website to their most current backup on November 2. But that restoration is taking a very long time as the website is large–8 gigabytes according to the host. So things might be a bit crazy until Thursday or Friday. Just hang in there with us and we’ll get it all set right.
We had planned to have an early morning video Skype call with Heather, Jed, Sam, and Jonah, but we overslept. By the time we got up at 8:15 am here it was 7:15 pm on the East Coast of the US. That is bath time in the Goldstone household, so we emailed Heather letting her know we would connect on another day. But about that time, we heard the Skype call signal on our computer as she was calling. Things started out great, but then we kept losing sound and finally the video. We called their home phone and talked to Heather, but we didn’t get to watch Sam and Jonah in action for very long. We did get to see Jonah sit up all by himself (he’s only four and a half months old) and we watched as Sam tried to explain that he was on the moon collecting water. So we did have contact but it was disappointing that the internet signal just wasn’t strong enough.
Today was Mark’s organization day. All of the extra spare parts from our refit in Thailand needed to be stored away and there was no room to store anything. So we worked together to consolidate, record what things were going to be stored where, and then get things put away. We have another day of work to do on that, but progress was certainly made.
Everyday boats come in and other boats depart. Today Peter and Catherine on The Southern Cross left for Thailand. We will probably be in the Andaman Islands at the same time as they are, so we plan to see them there and continue on toward the Red Sea at the same time. They are a catamaran, however, and we won’t be traveling at the same speed. During the next week we hope to connect with other cruisers heading our way that travel at about the same speed. There is a boat from New Zealand right across the dock from us, Hanalike, that looks like a possible match. We hope to find time to connect with Mike and Linda and check out their plans. Wild Card, Fatty and Carolyn Goodlander’s boat, arrived here yesterday. I know they are also headed our way and should be compatible in speed, so we need to check with them to see what their plans might be. So the search has begun and we now have Windbird organized enough to start and put our efforts into planning for the months ahead. Right now we are thinking December in Thailand, January in the Andaman Islands and Cochin, India, February in the northern Maldives with arrival in Salala, Oman. And then March from Salala to Aden in Yemen and on through the Red Sea with arrival in the Med in late April or early May. So now I have put it in writing and this will give us the incentive to really start doing our research to see if this is really the schedule.
by Judy Handley | Nov 8, 2009 | Malaysia, Sailing Logs Year 5
Day 12, Year 5: Lines Up the Mast & Granola in the Cupboard
Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009
Weather: Threatening Clouds Amid Sunshine and Distant Thunder
Location: Rebak Marina, Pulau Rebak, Langkawi, Malaysia
We lucked out today with the rain. The forecast was for rain, but all we saw were threatening clouds and the rumbling of distant thunder. The outside temperature is about 85 degrees F but the humidity must be 110 per cent and when the sun is shining, it feels more like 95 degrees. My work continued today inside the boat, so I was protected from the heat, but Mark worked on deck all day. He was running the lines through the mast which required a few trips up and down the mast. I would go up to tail the winch when Mark was climbing, but that’s all I saw of the outside today. If you are wondering why the lines were not already run through the mast, here’s the longer story. When we had the mast down to be painted last year in Thailand, all of the lines had to come down. When we did that, we ran small messenger lines (disposable lines that show the way for the real thing) so we would eventually be able to attach the real lines to them and pull them back through. Without the messenger lines, weaving lines in and out of the mast would really be a trick. And I guess they are called messenger lines because they leave the message as to where the real lines are to be run. When we left Thailand, we didn’t put the lines back up the mast as we knew we would have to take them all back down again before going home. So we motored the 100 plus miles from Phuket to here and saved ourselves an enormous amount of work. If you are wondering why we would not just leave the lines up while we traveled home, the answer is that the tropical sun is deadly on lines, so you protect them when you can. So the lines that had been carefully washed and soaked in fabric softener in Thailand and stored inside the boat while we were gone are now all back up in their right places. Mark also got the staysail up today and hopefully the headsail will go up tomorrow. The mainsail needs to be taken to Kuah, the main town on Langkawi island, where a new sail cover will be made. We are planning on renting a car on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week to take the mainsail to town and to start our food provisioning for the trek across the Indian Ocean. But back to the mainsail . . . our current sail cover is a Doyle Stackpack and our mainsail is actually sewn into the cover. When the sail comes down, we just have to zip up the cover that is always right there on the boom. Ben, the sailmaker we will use in Kuah, is going to make us a new stackpack that will work just like the old one, but this time the sail will not be sewn to cover. That way it will be much easier to make repairs to the cover or to replace it without having to remove the whole sail with it.
My accomplishment for the day was making granola. We have eaten our homemade granola for so many years that we find it almost impossible to find a substitute. So I had the oven going for six hours and was very thankful, once again, for the air conditioner. While watching over the baking process, I continued cleaning out food cabinets, throwing out food that had not made it through the heat while we were gone, and organizing what is left. All spices had to be thrown out and they somehow solidify and mold. Most dry goods were vacuum packed, but that didn’t protect everything. Dried beans made it but lentils did not. Nuts survived but are rubbery, so those had to go. Crackers that have never been opened are all moist and have to be thrown out, but most noodles seem okay. Its like the survival of the fittest, but for the most part, we are going to be provisioning from scrap.
By the way, the cocktail party last night was fantastic. The resort hotel staff treated us like kings and queens, making sure we always had a drink and food in hand. This marina is different from most since it is located on an uninhabited island with only the marina and the resort. There is no town, which makes it slightly inconvenient when you need a boat part or run out of food. But it is a beautiful little island and being able to use the resort facilities makes it especially nice. I guess that is why so many cruisers get stuck here and return year after year.
by Judy Handley | Nov 8, 2009 | Malaysia, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 11, Year 5: Still Raining
Date: Friday, November 6, 2009
Weather: Rain All Night and Day
Location: Rebak Marina, Pulau Rebak, Langkawi, Malaysia
It’s umbrella weather here. We had a deluge of rain on Tuesday afternoon, some sun on Wednesday until late afternoon, and then the rains started, and they just haven’t stopped. Today was the worst. It was dark and stormy all day. The weather report calls for rain through Sunday and then only scattered thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday, so maybe we’ll get a bit of sunshine in between rains. That would be a welcome change. Having to be totally shut up with no air conditioning in this weather would be almost cruel with the high humidity levels, so we give thanks for the air conditioning that is making life inside Windbird most pleasant.
We started our day with a ferry ride to the main island. Every Friday, the food man (known as the Veggie Man even though he sells wonderful meats) comes to the ferry dock in his van. He has the most fantastic array of frozen meats, cheeses, and fresh veggies available in this part of the world. You pay a little more, but everything he sells is fantastic and you don’t have to rent a car to go buy it. So going to see the Veggie Man on Friday mornings is a ritual when you stay at Rebak Marina. Mark went with me this morning just so he could see first hand what everyone talks about and he was quite impressed.
We returned to Windbird by 10:30 am. Mark went over to check on Robert and Tina’s boat, Shirena, and did a little visiting along the way. When he returned, we had a great Skype call with Justin, Jo, and Ziggy. Ziggy is the most verbal baby I have ever heard. When Justin or Jo tries to talk, he starts squealing. It almost sounds like he is saying, “Wait a minute, guys, I want to do the talking here.” As soon as they stop talking, he gets quiet. It is really a riot. He now has his first two teeth, lower front, and just seems to be such a happy baby. Justin and Jo announced that they are moving from Santa Fe back out into the desert to a town named Madris. It was once a mining town and then became Hippy Haven in the 1960’s and 70’s. The hippies have grown older, but the town is still a really kicky little place. They are doing this so that they can buy horses and keep them on a ranch in nearby Cerillos. Why do they want horses? Because they plan to travel across the country in a covered wagon drawn by horses. You reap what you sow and Justin is definitely his father’s son with dreams of adventures beyond the imagination. Do we worry? Of course we do. But we once sold everything we owned and headed to Alaska to build a cabin in the north woods. We actually ended up in northern Idaho and built that cabin. It was a wonderful experience. So we can’t say much when Justin and Jo come up with their dreams that seem a little over the top. All we can do is to hope that their dreams really do come true.
After talking with Justin and Jo, I spent the rest of the day trudging away at cleaning out the closets and cabinets on the boat and Mark worked on getting various electronics working once again. He is still trying to get the new wifi booster working, but he is having trouble with that one. So that will continue tomorrow. And I am still trying to dry the clothes that I washed yesterday morning. I had them hanging in the cockpit, but they just weren’t drying with the humidity. I brought them inside today and let the drying of the air con work on them.
There is always more work to do on a boat, but we are setting Monday as our deadline for starting to spend at least four hours each day looking forward. We have got to make some decisions about our stops along the way when we leave Thailand. Are we going to the Andaman Islands, and if so, when, and are we going to stop in Cochin, India? If so, we have to go back to Penang to get a visa for India. Are we going to be in Thailand for more than two weeks? If so, we also have to go back to Penang to get a Thai visa. It is really weird, but you can only get two month visas if you apply in another country. If you enter by plane or boat without a visa, you get only two weeks.
We are now off to the cocktail party being thrown by the marina and resort. That should be great fun and nice way to end a dreary day.
by Judy Handley | Nov 8, 2009 | Malaysia, Sailing Logs Year 5 |
Day 10, Year 5: One Little Job at a Time
Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Weather: Rain Off and On All Day
Location: Rebak Marina, Pulau Rebak, Langkawi, Malaysia
It was a rainy day with very little sunshine. Just as the sun would begin to shine, the black clouds would come once again from the northeast and shower or deluge us with rain. The good thing was that without the hot sun beating down the air conditioner was allowed to keep the inside of the boat cool. The bad thing was that I did a huge laundry that had to be taken down each time it rained and hung back out between rains. I finally found a way to hang it all in the covered cockpit, but it is still not dry. Now the hope is that it dries before it mildews.
Mark and I both worked on our list of jobs to be done today. After washing three bucket loads of clothes, I made my attack on the inside of the boat by starting in the forward head. My goal is to clean out every cabinet, closet, and drawer in the boat, inventory what is there, and get rid of things we really don’t need. Believe it or not, I only got through one of two cabinets in the forward head plus the four plastic crates that are stored in the forward head. It is slow going, but I will get there one cabinet at a time. Mark’s jobs today included rewiring the GPS, hooking up the new remote control for the autopilot and getting the new wi-fi booster up and working. He finished the first two but he only got halfway done with the wi-fi booster. Internet was not working this afternoon, probably because of the stormy weather, so he will continue tomorrow.
We invited Gerry and Donna of Scot Free II over for dinner tonight. They are leaving in the morning for a couple of weeks or more in Laos. We so wish they were heading on through the Red Sea to the Mediterranean with us this year, but they are determined to spend another year here exploring the countries of Southeast Asia. So we need to seriously start reaching out to find other cruisers headed our way. We know three boats that are travelling our way but they are all catamarans and don’t travel at our speed. We also have Robert and Tina of Shirena, but they are faster than us. I guess they will just have to slow down and we’ll have to push as hard as we can to keep up. But more importantly at this point, we really need to decide exactly where we plan to stop along the way and go back to Penang to get our visas. Mark is lobbying hard for a stop in Cochin, India, so I guess that will be the next big decision. As quickly as possible, the TO DO list of boat chores needs to be accomplished so that we can start focusing on our travel plans. Or maybe we need to institute 50-50 days-half our day working on boat chores and half our day focusing on trip planning. I think I like that idea.
Note: We have been having trouble with the website since our return to Malaysia. Logs are not posting and we are not sure why. So you might read this log as posted, or it could be a few days. You’ll just have to be patient and hope we can work out this situation soon. In the meantime, you are probably going to be reading logs a few days after they were originally sent. Sorry about that. And we are also hopelessly behind in getting our website updated. Hopefully that will happen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates in trip planning.
