Farewell Malaysia, hello Indo

With Przemslaw and Basia from Poland aboard we completed our outward paper work and headed off, first stop the mouth of the Kinabatangan where Sloop caught up with his the Probiscus Monkey friends.

Tun Sakaran gave us a chance to give some of the kids clothes left with us by Max and Nadine to the local sea Gipsys much to their surprise and excitement.

 We took the opportunity to scrub below the water line in preparation for the crossing as well as snorkeling the outside of the reef.

 We picked the dive resort island of Mabal as our departure point and in between snorkeling trips pre-prepared our passage meals. With a windy forecast Friday evening worked out to be the best time to go even though as most sailors will know, its bad luck to set out on a Friday. We soon discovered that perhaps there is some truth in it with the autopilot on strike2 hours out and a sea water leak at the stern gland. After some discussion the decision was made that we could hand steer the 420 miles and as the water leak was only a problem while sailing and could be managed by the pumps.

 The wind was as expected and the first few days we were kept busy with pumping and steering,  thankful for the meals that we made before departing.

 As the wind began to ease Przemslaw (now called Chamois) made the mistake of whistling. This is also bad luck onboard, fabled to bring strong winds. The wind picked up again and he paid for his mistake by losing the contents of his stomach on a few occasions. The morning of day 3 brought the sun, swimming in water 4km’s deep and cleaning vomit off the side of the boat.

 Pleased to be back on land Chamois found himself with his first ever drinking coconut, instead of kissing the ground as promised. I think he was sold on the first sip - just wait till we show him what it’s like with a little rum. Everyone but me also got to snorkel with a Dugong. I thought Amanda was yelling Turtle and swam the other way. Shit.

 Bear Gryls I mean Chomois / Przemslaw attempted to light the beach BBQ with a flint before I had to show him the marvels of dingy fuel.  Finally a hooker dive and off we go for our inwards clearance in Talaud.

SIGNAL 1!!!

After all the excitement of Quezon, relaxing in the tree house at Fish bay was a nice change. Amanda getting low fresh coconut supplies sent us out on a mission to restock.

Oyster inlet was our next stop where we put sea urchin collection technique to the test. After about 2 hours of collecting and another 1 of cleaning we were ready to eat our half a cup of finished product. Mixed with onion, tomato and garlic we turned it into a cracker spread. Although tasty I think it’s more of a survival food source.

With a little bit of Internet we could see a tropical storm building to the east forecast to come our way. With this in mind we decided to hang around for a bit as our anchorage was a recognized hurricane hideout.

The mayor of Puerto Princessa has an Island close by. We had got friendly with the caretaker and his wife and managed to strike a deal were we gave petrol for their boat, milk powder, some matches and pork if they took us to the nearest village where we could get a ride to Puerto Princessa for a day trip.
Our mode of transport was to be the roof of a bus that only got one flat tire.

Vergie the caretaker’s wife also ended up coming along for the trip and was a great help at the markets and with public transport. It also ensured the Mayors boat was waiting at the dock when we returned from town.

By the time we arrived back at the boat we had about 7 hours to prepare before the tropical storm arrived. In the end the wind was not as strong as expected (< 50knots) however the eye passed directly over us, which was a very unusual experience. We waited another day for the sea state to ease then headed off in search of the underground river.

Farewell Layang Layang

With time starting to run out, a trip to a small island home to the many sea birds in the area was planned. Some of the paired Noddies had eggs or chicks.

Not being a bird expert it looked like 2 other species were hanging out on the island. The one’s with the Mohawks were apparently Crested Terns.


The other end of the Lagoon had dive sites like shark cave, Snapper Ledge and Wrasse strip so the decision was made to up anchor and shift down to the other entrance. We passed some possibly disused automatic fish farms along the way, anchored and headed out for a snorkel.

Lucky for us the tide had just changed and the current was sweeping us along the edge of the wall back the way we came. A check of the GPS showed we had actually snorkeled 1.7km back… my how time flies.

Amanda did see a large shark at shark cave but scared it off before I got there. Who scares off sharks?

With the weather starting to pack it in we moved back to our previous anchorage in preparation for leaving


During or trip back, much to Sloop’s disgust we had small birds and even a cricket stay for the night. How these guys get 80 miles against the wind from land is a bit of a mystery. Safely anchored in Kudat, Ivonne headed off for new adventures and we psyched ourselves for a haul out.

Back down the Malacca Straights

Storms were starting to roll in most afternoons so after the departure of Mum and Karen the decision was made to head south before the weather packed it in. Gadfly turned up after playing catch up since Phuket and we headed off early to the new marina at Port Klang via Pankor. No real surprise, nobody else was there.

The management had been busy while we were away building a water feature out the front, putting in free washing machines, dryers, big screen TV’s etc. Amanda was very impressed. Thyme had everything washed, Sloop included.

We even found (again free of charge) the flashest massage chairs I have ever seen. They gripped your whole body and did things that were almost scary.

Our friend the monkey was still here not having changed at all.

After 2 days (an amazing feat in Asia) Simon had installed powerful new 8v batteries on Thyme and with everything clean we headed to Palu Besar. From here we caught the ferry into Melaka needing the Internet and someone to send us a fax. Easier said than done. It appears to be much easier to by a coffin than send a fax.

After another overnighter we arrived in Johor Bahru at Danga Bay Marina where we've decided to spend the next month or so preparing for our trip East. Who knows might even have time to break out the secret photo comp again?

Stepping back in Thyme - Ko Phayam

We left the Similans with the wind on the nose, tacking back and forth unsure of where we would anchor. We finally rounded the point of Ko Ra to watch a flotilla of 50 or more fishing boats leave the port right before a torrential rain squall hit. Simon sent me up the front to keep a lookout and I only wished I had taken my shampoo with me!


We pottered around some deserted islands for a few days before heading to Ko Phayam near the Burmese border. It was like stepping back 20years. Small-scale tourism, friendly locals and older hippy tourists. We hired a motorbike – not sure why they insisted no riding on the beach given the roads???

Wanting to stay longer we decided to tackle some jobs here rather than rush back to town. Simon had to seek inspiration before cleaning the inside of the toilet plumbing. Toilet jobs not my cup of tea I made myself scarce and headed to the beach.

There was no more delaying, we really had to drag ourselves away and head south. The map shows our trip north from the Similans to Ko Phayam.

Koh Lanta - Old Town

The trip from our peaceful anchorage behind Ko Muk to Ko Lanta was as expected a little rolly.




Motor bikes were again the order of the day for exploring the island. We went south first thing having to shelter in a interesting resort for a number of hours to wait for the rain to ease.


Having discovered we went the wrong way, we made our north and crossed the island in search of a waterfall and caves. After skillfully navigation our way past the guides with elephants, we made our way up the slippery clay track following our nose. When the bikes could go no further we continued on foot.

Finally after a half hour jungle tramp we found the elusive waterfall without the assistance of a guide where I got my first thai massage.

The trip back to old town wasn’t without event. Trevor on the lead bike sustained a fall, resulting in the loss of a small amount of blood and 5,000 baht. Not sure what hurt most…

Bawean to Karimun Jawa - Attack in the Shark enclosure

The rendezvous on Bawean was celebrated with a lamb spit roast, champagne and cocktails. Needless to say none of us were in any state to leave the next day so we lingered, swimming and socializing in between preparations for our next passage to Karimun Jawa.





At Karimun Jawa we braved the Shark pool where we swam with over 20 sharks. Shaun was severely wounded by a massive, angry and vicious Triggerfish. He needed loads of TLC over the next few weeks to help him recover both emotionally and physically. Just between you and me, I think he was milking it for sympathy…





With the temptation of Malaysia so close, we set sail to the backdrop of a waterspout for a 2-day passage to Belitung Island some 270nm away. We now had 3 in our company being joined by the yacht Gadfly. It was great sailing in company, the support of friends when times are tough… One afternoon with the spinnaker up and a ship looming down on us that refused to respond to our radio calls, I could hear Moontan and Gadfly taking bets as to whether we would be taken out or not! With the engine in reverse, the spinnaker flapping, and the crew threatening mutiny we watched the ship pass by about 300m ahead.

Banda - The Spice Islands

With a 5 day forecast of 25 knots ahead of us we departed Darwin into what was going to be an uncomfortable trip across the Arafura Sea.


We briefly stopped in the Taninbar Island group before continuing on for Banda. Enroute we had a forward watch looking evidence of a submerged obstacle that appeared on our CMAP charts. When the rain clouds parted we spotted our underwater obstacle in the form of a large volcano arising from the 6km depths of the Banda Sea.

After picking our way into Banda in the dark, tip toeing between the floating fishing huts, we awoke to find ourselves anchored beneath a Volcano. I knew this would spell trouble as Amanda would try to make me climb this.

After a few Bintang’s over lunch, we headed for the old dutch fort we met Ben, our new best friend. Much to Amanda’s delight he took us on a tour of his garden where she was able to open her first Nutmeg. As expected it appears we will climb the volcano…

It’s cooling down

While I hear reports of wind, rain and freezing weather from our friends down south and from NZ – thought we should let you know we share your pain… we used the duvet last night for the first time on what feels like… forever. Just so you’d believe me how freezing it is I photographed Simon and Sloop under the covers with the alarm clock showing a chilly 24 Dec C! Brrr Brrr!




Yes it is also 8am and they are very lazy!

Farewell Unlimited Water & 240 Volts

With the final storm clouds rolling out and a hint of a southeasterly breeze, we decided it was time to drop the dock lines and head out to the bay. We rushed around for the last 2 weeks in the marina finishing off some last minute jobs requiring 240V power, before shedding the air-con and enjoying a last long shower. I now have a nice timber floor in the cockpit meaning I no longer need to stand on tippy toes while at the helm!

Shortly after leaving the marina I also finished up at Perkins Shipping, where I’ve been working for the last 5 months. Freedom again – what adventures will this year bring? It’s just business as usual for Si who managed to dodge the call to work again this year, insisting a full time maintenance man is much more useful.

Nitmiluk

Early Australia Day morning, we headed out of town to explore Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge). Amanda and Stuart, preferring a more relaxing holiday booked onto the boat cruise, while I decided to head off on a hike. Man versus Wild here we come!

I experienced some amazing countryside, skirting the cliffs overlooking the gorge before rounding for a beautiful view of the surrounding country.



Just when I was beginning to think I was on the trail to no-where, I rounded a corner to overlook the gorge again. Looking up stream I could see some small ants walking towards a boat. Spotting Amanda’s green shirt I started yelling and jumping, waving my hat. Luckily Amanda spotted me as some of the other tourists thought I was in trouble!


The main objective of the walk was to get to a fresh water swimming hole – croc free. After a bit of a scramble down into a gorge I was so excited to see Amanda & Stuart there. The boat trip had unexpectedly decided a swim was in order. After a swim and a bit of rest unfortunately it was time to head back.



Southern Rockhole was a fantastic walk, but I’d recommend not trying it in the middle of the day in summer… the trail temp was 50!!! In the dry Si and I are planning to hike further up and lilo back down – when the crocs all clear out after the wet.

Blown apart gulf – Joseph Bonaparte Gulf

We nervously headed out the Berkely at 8pm in the dark. The moon was not expected up for another few hours and Simon fought to hold our course in the dark against the cross currents just out the river. We knew we were going to cross the worst sandbanks about 1nm out and were literally sweating on there being enough water. We breezed over in the last hour of the tide without hiccup and set a course for Darwin.

We had varied wind – some good, light and calm and sailed, motor sailed and just motored our way across the gulf. On the last night out we got hit with a particulrly nasty storm. I was on watch and when I saw lightening hitting the water up ahead I thought it was time to wake Simon up. I had already tried to get him to shorten our sail without success so when he came up and said, “Shit it’s black” I suspected we were in for trouble. We had no time to reef the main as within seconds we were hit, the wind going from calm to 45knots instantly. We heeled right over and we swung into battle stations. Si at the helm, me battening down, all the while our path being lit up by lightening bolts. The thunder was deafening, the wind was tossing us around like a rag doll and then the rain starting sheeting down. The worst was over in 30 mins and the fear receded to the back of my mind like a distant scene from a movie and with my eyes heavy we carried on Darwin bound.

We anchored the next night before Darwin waiting for Barra B to sail the last leg in company. As it turned out they were held up in another storm and we only caught sight of them heading into Darwin. Chatting on the VHF, a voice came up calling Barramanda. That’s me I thought and replied, “this is Barramanda go ahead”. I was promptly advised, “this is the Australian Navy, please change to another frequency Barramanda”. Looks like the nickname is going to well and truly stick around now, even the Navy is onto me.

Oh well, Darwin here we are! First stop the vet this afternoon for Baby T.