Pulau Weh, Indonesia

Inside the Japanese bunker

Boiling water of the volcano

Took advantage of the waterfall to cool off

The potential Sabang Marina - not sure if this will ever see any boats!

One of the local students talking at our school visit

Pulau Weh, Indonesia

March 31 2016

"Pulau" means "island" in Bahasa Indonesian. So we are on Weh Island. Today marks the end of four days that were planned and sponsored by BPKS. This is a company, funded from the Indonesian government in Jakarta, that builds and plans marine infrastructure projects to promote business in the various areas of the country. The manager and some staff from the Sabang office have spent most of their time with us. Conversations on the bus and over meals have been interesting to get a sense of business here. They have certainly been generous to us, thanks to Luc's negotiations.

Yesterday afternoon Luc did a presentation to them and other local business people on tourist development. Today we visited one such project that is to be a marina. Docks are in, retaining walls, stairs and several buildings. Now they are wondering if the location is right for the depth and seas. They were looking for our comments and also letting us know that they are looking for someone to manage it. One of the points Luc made in his presentation is that you need to think first and act second. One of the city guides with us said " I think they forgot to do that." Unfortunately, it looks like a few projects have gone that way, but they are trying to learn.

On Tuesday we took their bus on an island tour. There is rain forest in the center, good views, great beaches, wildlife, and lots of good snorkeling. We passed many iguanas on the road, and monkeys waiting along the road for a possible snack. Our guides introduced some of the plants and fruits growing along the road. We stopped at an old Japanese bunker from WW2 when they held these islands. Of course , it had a great viewpoint. They still have the tunnels to the beach. Another stop was at a volcano where there are still spots with bubbling water in them. We climbed around the whole crater area. At another spot there were swimming pools with hot spring water flowing in. After a lunch we did a slippery hike to a waterfall. At one time there were bridges over the stream but many had been washed out. Like many waterfalls, there was a good swimming pool at the base that we took advantage of. At the end of the southwestern peninsula is Kilometer 0. This is the most western part of Indonesia. As a landmark they are erecting a huge monument with a zero incorporated into it. Although not yet finished, tourist stalls have already sprung up around it. Given the size of the structure we were wondering what the Kilometer 3000 would look like at the other end of Indonesia!

In the evening, we had an official welcoming dinner with other dignitaries present. As well as good local food, we had entertainment. A group of boys did some serious drumming along with two singers. Great costuming and enthusiasm in the Indonesian style.

Wednesday morning, the crews of three boats visited a local Junior High School and spent time with some of the students. Although they knew a bit of English, they were quite shy and we communicated with translators. We told them about the BPO and our goals regarding climate change. We also shared with them some of the effects we have seen in our travels. They shared some changes they have noticed, like the dying off of corals. Mostly it was a chance for both groups to ask questions. We broke into smaller groups where everyone felt a bit more comfortable talking. We were pleased to know that they discuss these topics in their curriculum. They have also helped with planting trees in the mangroves as many were destroyed in the tsunami. The most moving part of the morning was a sharing of 2 personal experiences from the tsunami. Banda Aceh, on the mainland, was the hardest hit spot. There was not as much damage here. But the manager of BPKS lives in Aceh and was there, high in a mosque, as the waters and bodies went by. He was to have been at the ferry dock coming in to work here but their baby was sick and he decided to stay home. The whole ferry area was wiped out. He shared much more, as well as the Muslim views on all these things.

Thursday we got a chance to enjoy one of the things Pulau Weh is famous for, the diving  and snorkeling. The water is very clear and warm with lots of rock and coral near the surface and the shore. The area around Iboih and Rubiah Island are where the tourists go but it is still very quiet compared to Thailand. The variety and colours of the fish were amazing. After a seafood lunch by the beach it was back to Sabang.

In the meantime, with help, we found an engine mechanic to look at our dinghy motor. It has been gradually performing worse each day since Thailand. When we got back to the dinghy dock today, he had it running great. ($20 plus a grateful tip).

Before we leave this area we want to take the ferry to Aceh to visit the tsanami museum, which is supposed to be worth seeing. They are closed Fri as that is the afternoon of prayers for Muslims. So we plan to take that trip Sat with Gaia. Tomorrow we need to plan the beginning of the next leg, probably starting Sunday.

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday - Passage to Pulau Weh

Couples come here prior to marriage to receive gifts - we did'nt get any but enjoyed  the chance to sit down!

Seaside dinner first evening in Sabang

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday

Passage to Pulau Weh

March 27 2016

Just as last year, I spent my birthday on a passage. But we had had a celebratory dinner with Dave and Ben the week before. Rob did dinner and dishes on Sun. Monday No Regrets came over to Maggie with a cake they baked for me. Can't complain! Rob put our Indonesian sim card back in the phone and within a few miles of landfall emails started to arrive with birthday wishes. Thanks for those! Easter didn't get as well celebrated. We'll have to do better next year. This island is 98% Muslim so we aren't likely to find a church. The mosques do the call to prayer 5 times a day so we could use that as a personal reminder.

As forecast there was wind to sail the whole way. Overnight Saturday there was more than enough and we were both up reefing sails. Even reefed we had to slow down all day Sun to not get in Mon am before sunrise. Because Pulau Weh is at the northwest tip of Indonesia there is a lot of shipping traffic passing it to enter the Malacca Straits. Overnight Sunday was spent dodging the freighters as they came up on the AIS. Eventually we motored to have some control. But it was a good passage except for being tired afterwards. Because of the good weather window there are 6 sailboats in the harbour now. Sumatra is not often visited by yachts, so this is a big group. Luc has invited any of them to join us on the activities he has planned here. We feel good that some have come out as the locals have gone to a lot of trouble for us.

One boat, in particular, Gaia, with Jim and Helen aboard have joined us most of the time. Their boat is registered in Ottawa but they have lived aboard traveling for the last 21 years. It is rare to see another Canadian boat. It has been informative to talk to them about many of the places they have visited, as well as a pleasure to meet them. They already knew Luc as SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association) commodores. Five of the six boats are planning to cross the Indian Ocean at some point. The other is doing a boat delivery to Bali, where the owner will continue on to the west and south coasts of Australia and on to New Zealand.

Monday, Luc helped with check in which involves a lot more in Indonesia than other countries. Two dinghies worth of officials visited and wanted photocopies of many things each. We had a boat stamp made at Christmas time that made a good impression. I was upset that Quarantine confiscated all our expired meds. Part of the problem is that I did not have a list of what they took to be able to replace it, or whether we could even get some of the supplies. We don't throw them out often, but keep for backup. They did the same on each boat. But Luc has arranged for us to be able to get them back after we check out, in sealed containers, not to be opened in Indonesia. I'm not sure what the issue is. On one boat they confiscated a case of beer that was supposedly past its expiration date. Not likely destined for the garbage. That is also going to be returned.

The rest of the day Luc helped with logistics like finding ATM's and phone cards and top ups and food. We have a van with driver provided by the tourism dept for 4 days.  We also had  a short city tour of Sabang including one of the beaches and museum. An early outdoor dinner looking out over the Andaman Sea and sunset finished off the day. We are looking forward to the next 3 days planned exploring the island. So far, it looks like a very beautiful place.

Farewell to Thailand, and Blue Wind and Tahawas

Last lunch -Yacht Haven Marina

Yacht Haven Marina with hull of grounded yacht - constant reminder of how shallow the water is here.

Farewell to Thailand, and Blue Wind  and Tahawas

March 26, 2016

The last week in Thailand was getting back to the boat jobs that we had put aside. We stayed a few days in the anchorage by Yacht haven and did laundry and cleaning. One day we rented a car for a day and drove to the main city of  Phuket Town. The "old town" is noted for its' Sino-Portuguese architecture. Driving in the heavy traffic, on the left side with lots of construction and motor bikes was nerve racking, even for the passenger. We were still glad that we saw it. In particular, we wanted the car to stop at a marina along the way that has many marine shops. We found a number of the things on our boating "wish list". One was a better fan like the ones we had on Watermusic to cope with the heat at night. Being imported it was expensive. When opening it on the boat we saw that it was made in Wiarton, Ontario! As well as chandleries, there was a grocery store. Catering to foreigners at the marina, we found some of our favourite treats from home. There was also a salon where we got much needed haircuts.

Wed. we sailed back to the south bay of Ao Chalong as that is where we needed to check out from. Tahawas and No Regrets were also anchored there so got together that night on Maggie. That was the beginning of making timing and routing plans with No Regrets. Their crew, Chris, decided that day that he didn't want to sail the Indian Ocean after all. He was finding the boat too hot and claustrophobic. Or he had other reasons that he didn't share. That leaves them short of time to find someone. There is a website for crew finding that they have some leads from.

Daphne and Ruy were on Blue Wind in the marina we had visited earlier. They took a taxi down Thurs evening and we all had a "farewell" dinner at a local yacht club. Fri we got the check out procedure done for a Sat departure. We found a dental clinic for a teeth cleaning which our dentist couldn't find the time to do for us in Jan. We saved money doing it here. Rob was one of 5 patients in a year whose teeth didn't need cleaning, so she polished them up for free. We had hoped to do some major cosmetic work on the boat in Thailand as labour is cheap and skilled. But the time had run out for that.

There had been almost no wind our whole time in Thailand, so it made the heat seem even worse. It was mid to high 30's, (up to 107F on the boat thermometer). The wind was starting Sat for a few days from the northeast so a good chance to sail the 2 days to Indonesia.

Cruising Phang Nga Bay with Dave and Ben

Visiting the site of of The Big Buddha above Ao Chalong

View looking west from The Big Buddha

The Big Buddha!

Ben feeding the baby elephant - the elephant trecking tour didn't look too comfortble!

An afternoon on the well populated Kata Beach

Captain Ben at the helm

Didn't take Ben long to master the paddleboard

Monkeys looking for handouts at the exit of a cave leading to a hong

Spectacular island formations

Maggie at anchor - James Bond Island is on the right

Limestone erosion

Great swimming at Ko Hong

Dave getting the hang of the paddleboard

Cruising Phang Nga Bay with Dave and Ben

Mar 14 to 19, 2016

Ben was also keeping a diary of this trip so we could check notes on the highlights. For our limited time we had to choose between going up the west or east coast. The west coast has all the famous, large beaches, surfing and some snorkeling. The east coast offers offshore islands with caves, hongs, and beautiful anchorages. On the Monday we took a cab to the closest beach for a few hours, along with hundreds of tourists, and decided to go the east coast route, which we all enjoyed. That same day we went up the highest point above the harbour to see the "Big Buddha". He is so large that you can follow him into the harbour from miles out. The location offers great views over the island. We stopped to see some elephants kept for trekking on the way back to town. A trip to the grocery store for provisions for the week was the last errand.

All week we travelld in the mornings and anchored at a different island for the rest of the day. At Rang Yei, we had the beach and harbour to ourselves for a few hours before tourist boats started to drop people off. We got the paddleboard inflated and relaxed with that, swimming, hiking and reading. There was even a bar, lawn chairs and showers!  It was nice to be in a small place where you didn't have to leave someone guarding your possessions.

Wed we entered the Phang Nga marine park area of 40 islands. First stop was at Phanak, known for its caves and hongs. A hong is like a small lake inside an island reached through a cave. At the entrance we had a family of monkeys visiting. After getting partway through paddling in the dinghy, we lost all the light and had to return for flashlights. It was worth having a spotlight to see the rock formations on the walls and ceiling. We could also see colonies of bats sleeping on the walls. It was good that we had towed the paddleboard behind us because the entrance to the hong was too small for the dinghy. One at a time we lay down on the paddleboard and ducked under the rock to enter a fairly large area of water open to the sky. Some hongs can only be entered at certain stages of the tide- or you wait inside for up to 6 hours to get out.

Despite knowing that it would be crowded with tourists, we wanted to see "James Bond Island" on Thurs. It was there that some of the 40 year old movie, "The Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed. We watched the movie ahead of time on the boat. In the movie they are portraying the location as part of China-to fit the plot. The movie also had scenes from Bangkok that were fun to see-cars racing in the streets and boats racing through the canals. We found a beautiful, quiet anchorage not far away to enjoy during the day. After the tour boats left for the evening, we visited the setting for the movie by dinghy. Well worth the visit!

Fri we motored to Ko Hong to visit another hong. It was an easier one to access and had way too many tourists in inflatable kayaks to even fit into the hong. Out in the anchorage Rob rigged up the boom over the side so that Ben could swing out into the water from a rope. He also climbed to the end of the raised boom to jump in. We each had some paddleboard practise. Ben certainly had the best balance. It must help to have your center of gravity lower.

 Later in the afternoon we sailed back to the north end of Phuket. This was the first sail of the week. We have had to motor most of the time in the light winds. It is nice to not have storms but without the wind it has been very hot on the boat. Sat we motored up the channel separating Phuket from the mainland to anchor near Yacht Haven Marina. At the beginning of the channel we were dodging many long tail boats from which the fishermen were catching jellyfish. We certainly saw a lot of jellyfish in the water all week, each about a foot across. It is a short cab ride from here to the airport, and we will be near supplies to get some boat chores done during the upcoming week. Dave and Ben left here about 4pm. It sure was a fun week for us and I'm sure a memorable one for them.

This morning we had 2 emails about the BPO trip. No Regrets received a reply from Chagos saying they will not be given permission to stop there on the trip across the Indian Ocean. We are assuming we will get the same response. And Tahawas has decided not to continue traveling in the rally. They are going to stay in this area for a few years longer. Lots to think about today!

Bangkok, Thailand Visit with Dave and Ben

Why have only one Buddha when you can have a hundred!

Monks worshiping at Wat Pho Buddha Temple

Another Buddha at Wat Pho

Horned building (for keeping away evil spirits)

Bangkok longtail boat - the motors keep getting bigger - this one looks like a truck motor!

Couple engaging Thai dancers to support their prayers at Erewan Shrine

Dave rolling the stone in the statue's mouth for good luck

Massive reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

Dave and Ben riding the river ferry - efficient means of transportation in a busy city!

View of Central World - a seven story shopping mall downtown Bangkok

Bangkok, Thailand

Visit with Dave and Ben

March 10 to 13 2016

They say that Bangkok is the most visited city in the world. You can understand that better when you tour the sites. People are there from many countries, but there are also lots of local tourists. To visit an important temple will bring you good luck, or health, or prosperity. It is like a pilgrimage. At each one (and there are many), Buddhists will be lighting incense sticks, chanting, praying and bringing gifts to the monks to get a blessing. There is so much to see that is unfamiliar to us in Canada.

Rob and I flew to Bangkok from Phuket on Thurs, March 10. There is an elevated train line from the airport into the heart of the city. From there we could walk to our hotel. Within walking distance there were 6 shopping centres and the streets lined with markets also. It was hard to walk along with our luggage through the people and tables. For not too much money we had rooms in a good location with pool and air conditioning. In the evening the modern buildings were lit with video commercials and other lights. On the weekend there was a music festival with a variety of bands outdoors across from the hotel.

Dave and Ben arrived 7:30 am Fri after leaving Ottawa after work Wed and driving to Montreal to catch the first leg of their flight via Qatar. They did a good job touring for 2 days while fighting off the jet lag. There are "sky trains" around the city but they don't go into the historic area. For that we switched to a ferry boat travelling along the river. The transport itself was fun. On Sun we figured out that we could take a canal boat from near the hotel to within walking distance off some of the major sites. It was a fast, wet ride. Later in the day we took a motorized "tuk tuk" back to the boat. Ben wanted to keep his eyes shut the way the driver dodged through traffic.

Fri we visited Wat Pho, the word "wat" meaning temple. I had expected a building like a church but it is usually more like a small community with many buildings. The monks live in some quarters, and various kings have built different worship areas over the centuries. Thailand was Hindu at some point in its past until one king converted. The temples were just reused so retain some architectural features from each religion. They all have many statues of Buddha. In Wat Pho the main statue is of a reclining Buddha covered in gold leaf that fills a whole building. There is a massage school on the premises. (Thai message is popular with tourists and much cheaper than at home.)

We visited a number of smaller wats while walking around. But the large one we toured Sat was Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. It is several city blocks long and wide and took a few hours with an audio guide. The famous Buddha here is small but made of emerald. Much of the art work on the walls depicts the stories of the kings' exploits and the teachings of the Buddha. There are huge concrete statues of famous people, made in China and used as ships' ballast on a trading vessel. The whole place is extravagant in its artistry. There is even a scale model of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Later in the day, we took the river boat to Chinatown. Mostly we walked through the web of tiny alleyways and crowded markets.

On Sun am we visited Jim Thompson House. Although not Thai, he did much to preserve the art and culture of the country. He worked for the CIA in Bangkok in WW2, and then started a silk industry selling Thai silk to high end US companies. With the profits he collected many valuable antiques and works of art. The Thais believe broken Buddhas or any art that is cracked is bad luck so prices were cheap for things that needed repairing. With his mysterious disappearance in 1967, his home and contents were donated as a museum. (Locals would say he got the bad luck. No children, a divorce, and a murdered sister.)

Of course, we made sure we tried lots of Thai food, both from restaurants and from street vendors. A buffet breakfast at the hotel let us try most of the specialties. Sunday we flew back to Phuket. After a cab ride to Ao Chalong, it was into the dinghy and out to Maggie. We were happy to see them right where we left them.

Thailand

Thai lettering

Long tail boats on beach - not much room for swimming!

Karst  island formations on way to Ko Phi Phi

Ko Phi Phi main harbour - interesting rock formations

Dramatic rock faces on Ko Phi Phi

Fishing markers of some kind - a challenge to avoid!

Entering Ao Chalong harbour - Phuket

Tour boat negotiating shallow water at low tide

Thailand

March 9 2016

Before leaving Malaysia we heard news of a 7.8 earthquake SW of Pedang. That is the city in Sumatra where we will be leaving from to cross the Indian Ocean. There was a brief tsunami warning that was later cancelled. But the fishermen came in that night and some sailors were considering leaving the harbour. They had so much destruction in this area in 2004.

We travelled for 4 days through the first Thai islands to Phuket and have been here since the 7th. The first half day's sail took us to our first island in Thailand, Ko Lipe. It is a small island that is a part of the larger Butang group of islands, similar to Langkawi. But we could tell that it was a different country. The Thais are more oriental looking. The language on the signs uses an alphabet closer to the Chinese characters. Although many locals try to learn English it is very difficult to understand them. Tourism is a much bigger business than in Malaysia or Indonesia. We have been disappointed by how crowded it is most places. The unit of currency is the Baht. We tried the 3 ATMs to get cash but none were working. Fortunately the second money changer we tried converted a bit of our leftover Malaysian $ to baht. It was a treat to be able to have a beer ashore.

We cleared in to immigration there but still needed to do customs and harbour master in Phuket. It was coincidental that Blue Wind pulled in while we were doing that chore. They had been out at some other anchorages in Langkawi for a few days. Ko Lipe looked to me like a backpackers vacation spot. Lots of interesting low key spots and accommodations, and nice beaches. We rowed the dinghy in from a quiet bay to a beach on the opposite side to town and walked across. The surrounding islands are marine parks with good diving and hiking. The second night we took a mooring ball at another national park island, Ko Rok Nok, but didn't go ashore.

The third night we decided to take a bit of a detour to see the Phi Phi islands, pronounced "pee pee". (As Phuket is called "puket'). They are considered one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The movie "The Beach' was filmed there. It was very dramatic, but it seemed like everyone in the world was visiting. It is a day trip outing from Phuket so all sizes of tour boats were coming and going. What was called an anchorage in our guide book is now filled with private mooring balls. We found another anchorage along with a handful of other sailboats. But the shoreline was shallow with coral so no way to take a dinghy to shore. Lots of loud music from different venues until 2 am.

It was only a morning's sail to Ao Chalong Bay where you need to check in to Phuket. Again the bay is quite full with sailboats and many mooring balls. We got that job done as well as a new sim card for the phone and local cash. It is interesting to just walk around and get your bearings. We found a small yacht club as well as a chandlery. There are lots of diving operations on this side of the island, where you take a boat out to a good location from the pier in the bay. The beaches are on the west coast. The bays on this side get shallow for a long way from shore at low tide. Being a new moon today the tide is particularly low. Some tour boats are struggling through the mud to the dock and dinghies are left high and dry.

We have switched from reading the Malaysian guide book to Lonely Planet's Thailand. I thought it was interesting in the religion chapter about Malaysia that Islam is a state religion with its tenets part of the law. The government says it wants to protect the "moral fabric" of the country. But it is Sunni-no Shia's allowed. Thailand is 80% Buddhist.

Yesterday was spent getting the arrangements made for our trip to Bangkok. We are going to leave the boat at anchor and pull the dinghy up onto the dock and lock it. There are others doing that here. The weather forecast is identical for every day this week, 10 to 20 km/hr, ENE and sunny. We are going to fly as we are short of time to take a train or bus the 500 miles. We fly out Thurs and Dave and Ben arrive there Fri. We have bought tickets to return on Sunday afternoon. It will be a busy but fun week.

Telaga Harbour, Langkawi

Maggie alone at anchor

Princess Lake - freshwater lake among the hills

Lots of monkeys!

View of Telaga harbour from cable car

Skybridge from top of cable car - suspended from a single support!

New high end golf course - The Els Club

View of the 18th hole with the most southerly Thailand island in the background.

Telaga Harbour, Langkawi

March 2, 2016

After returning to Langkawi, we sailed to another bay on another island, Pulau Dayang Bunting. The scenery was beautiful with the steep rock walls exposed. We are on a line of islands formed when, in ancient earth history earth plates collided and pushed up old sedimentary rocks. There are a number of marble quarries as well with the marble formed from years of pressure on the sediments. We wanted to visit this particular bay as there is a small fresh water lake just over one of the hills. It was formed when the roof of a large cave collapsed and is now kept filled with rain water. Some books call it Princess Lake, but it depends on how you translate the legend of the "pregnant maiden". There were many tourists swimming and paddle boating there, although they have to come by boat as it is part of the national park with no accommodation. We had the whole bay to ourselves for the evening and overnight. It would have been perfect except for a strong, gusty, katabatic wind blowing down the hills.

The next day we moved north to Telaga Harbour where we are still anchored. There is a marina here as well. It was built in 2004 and later that year was completely destroyed by the tsunami. But it has been rebuilt, but they added 2 small offshore islands to block the seas in the southwest monsoon season. There are a number of shops and restaurants, gas station, immigration, etc, and a ferry to Thailand. We have seen 3 Canadian flags while here which has not been very common.

Four of our three BPO boats have been here for a few days. It has been fun to catch up with everyone and compare notes for visiting Thailand next. Tahawas has been there already as they didn't go home for Xmas. We enjoyed a dinner out Sunday along the tourist  beach strip which is a cab drive away. All the boats are here because of repairs that need to be done. No Regrets arrived for a short visit but their engine was overheating on arrival and a motor mount was broken. The anchor windlass motor burned out on Tahawas when they arrived. Blue Wind is installing a new watermaker and freezer. Rob has  repaired the wind generator switch, the steaming light, and installed some new cockpit lights for when we are anchored. They say "sailing is repairing your boat in exotic locations", or is it "add money and stir". Bob and Barb took the ferry from here to Penang, and then a flight to Singapore, Vancouver and then home. The guests on No Regrets also started home the same way. Zeke and the new crew for No Regrets are arriving in Penang the same day. Tim is also there getting the Indonesian visa.

We are taking the time to be tourists as well. The most famous attraction within walking distance of here is a cable car to the top of Mt Machinchang.  The 15 minute, 2.2km ride is considered the world's steepest. When you get off that one there is still another to a higher peak, as well as a 410 ft suspension bridge to walk across to another peak. All of this is in rainforest. Spectacular views all around- even the first islands in Thailand. There are many monkeys in this whole area, even along the road from the marina. At the cable car base a whole tourist village has been built. The Malaysians are doing a better job than the Indonesians on giving tourists opportunities to spend money.

Today Rob and I rented a car and went to see a new golf course built by Ernie Els in the northwest corner of the island.. The whole bay there is being developed as a high end resort destination with private beaches backed by the mountain range. We had dressed better than our usual and convinced the security staff to let us visit the lobby of one of the resorts. It really is stunning scenery. We had lunch at the golf course and they let us rent a golf cart to drive through the course. It obviously was not very busy. About $200 will give you green fees, cart, and caddie.

Although we don't know the Malaysian language it has been fun to sound out some of the road signs. Some examples: polis, bas kapten,  ekspres,  teksi,  kompleks kraf,  klinic and surgeri,  butik. As you can tell many sound like phoenetic english.

We are waiting until Thursday to check out of Malaysia and Friday to leave for Thailand. We took down our dodger, the canvas and strata glass in the front of the cockpit to take in for repairs. Both zippers are broken and much of the stitching is disintegrating. We should get a call tomorrow to pick it up. We will again rent a car. It is an interesting procedure . The marina staff just let you use their cars for $3 per hour. You donn't have to show them a drivers licence or sign anything-just your boat name on a scrap piece of paper. You can see the first Thai islands from here, one only 4 nm from the north side. One of them that is 25 nm away is a check in location. Our plan is to take 3 day sails to Phuket. We are looking forward to seeing Thailand and especially to get in a visit with Dave and Ben. They leave Ottawa Mar.9 and arrive the morning of Mar. 11 in Bangkok.