OVERHAUL IN LUMUT

OVERHAUL

Well, we are on the hard again where we need to tackle some major problems. As you know we had some issues (understatement) on our trip to Thailand and while we fixed some and coped with others it was time to resolve them permanently.

GALLEY BEFORE

We need to pull the galley apart to dismantle the mild steel diesel tank that has developed a leak, (well it is more than 30 years old) replace a broken engine mount, (much easier said than done) replace the shaft as the old one is badly pitted, (once again a mammoth task) and repair our dinghy properly as it is still deflating.

AWW, NO STOVE, NO COOKING

Seen like that, it is only a small paragraph’s worth, but I am sure it will not be that easy.

NO WONDER THEY COVERED IT WITH BLUE TILES!

As we had booked to go back to Australia for five weeks, we had just two weeks to get things organised. One week still in the water and one week after we haul out.

That first week was hectic, we dismantle the galley, (aw shucks that means I can’t cook and we will have to dine out every night) rip up the floor, disconnect all the cables that run forward, remove fuel lines etc. then Bulat and his boys come in to remove the old tank. Once this is achieved we need to decide how best to replace it.

BULAT REMOVING THE TANK

After consultation with various “experts” we decide on a fibreglass tank to be made integral with the hull. Not only will it not rust, it will have a larger capacity and last the lifetime of the boat. We commission Joe to make this while we are in Melbourne, so that we can get on with other things when we get back.

THE OLD TANK IS STILL GOOD FOR SOMETHING.

After we haul out, the laborious task of removing the two back engine mounts falls to Bulat’s boys with Tony helping and supervising. The shaft is eventually cut in half as this is the only way to remove it. Bulat will organise a new shaft to be made while we are away, and we will chase up new engine mounts while in Australia.

OOPS, NO RUDDER.

Our five weeks in Australia go very quickly, Tony revamped the van (another story) while I worked a few shifts and chased up the necessary parts for Sunray. Also visited kids and grandkids, mowed lawns and trimmed bushes for mum and a myriad of other things.

BIG HOLE IN THE FLOOR

We booked into the hotel across the road from the marina so that I would be able to clean thoroughly before moving back on board, only to find that Joe hadn't completed the job as promised. We cooled our heels in luxury for four days all the while pushing Joe to get it finished. This meant that we moved back on-board amidst utter chaos, which would be the norm for the next couple of weeks anyway.

WORK IN PROGRESS ON OUR RETURN

NEW TANK

First the floor had to be repaired before the boys could get in to replace the new engine mounts, the galley had to be reassembled, painted, varnished and the new tap installed.

GALLEY AFTER

While I was busy doing that the engine mounts were installed, the new shaft put in and the propeller and rudder returned to their proper place.

After polishing the topsides and antifouling the bottom, we were ready to go back into the water. Life is so much easier if you don't have to haul everything including ourselves, up and down a ladder.

PAINTED AND POLISHED

Once back in the water the work continued, we revamped the head, (shower/toilet) installed a new basin, new laminate top, varnished, painted, rerouted plumbing and replaced the mirror. As you can see there is no tap yet, as I can't find one suitable here so that will have to wait for our next trip to Oz.

BATHROOM REVAMP

Then came sanding and varnishing the timber inside, the same for the table and steps, and a general clean and tidy up. While all this was going on, our dinghy was off getting itself repainted and new tubes (this time hypalon) put on. This means it is as good as new and should last us another ten years.

BATHROOM AFTER

Now we are off to Australia again, to attend our eldest granddaughter’s deb, and do a bit of land travel in our revamped little camper.

THAILAND 2

PHANG NA BAY

The starter motor is starting, the dinghy has been repaired, a few minor problems resolved, and we are ready to explore this beautiful country. Things can only get better right? They sure can!

Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is the only south-east Asian country to escape colonisation by a European Power, mainly because it was politically relatively stable and managed to become a buffer between the English and French.

The Kingdom of Thailand as it is officially known, is mainly Buddhist, with a population of 64 million people. They are the largest exporter of rice in the world, and are a popular tourist destination. The most popular being Phuket, the largest island in Thailand.

TSUNAMI SIGN

In 2004 Phuket was devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami, but despite widespread damage the tourism industry was up and running a mere matter of days later, within twelve months all damage had been repaired, except for some very remote communities.

The cuisine in Thailand is renowned, and we are busy working our way through the food on offer.

YACHT HAVEN

We left Yacht Haven Marina on Thursday afternoon and anchored just outside for the night. After a leisurely start to the day, we ambled to our first anchorage just 12 miles away.

KO PHANAK ENTRANCE

STUNNING WALLS

Koh Phanak, like many other islands here, is made of limestone, and has many passages and lagoons known locally as “hongs” (which literally means room) and make for interesting exploring by dinghy. Unfortunately everyone else thinks so too, and by day hordes of tourists in inflatable canoes descend on the islands. The advantage we have is that by late afternoon they have all returned to their air-conditioned hotel rooms and we have the place to ourselves.

KO PHANAK TUNNEL

After exploring the hong, which is only accessible through a pitch black tunnel at half tide, we up anchored and headed three miles further north to Koh Hong.

 

 KO HONG

KO HONG

KO HONG

This particular hong is a stunningly beautiful, enclosed pool with a large chimney opening to the sky. Truly magical.

KO YANG

Our next anchorage was Ko Yang, near “James Bond Island”. This is where the movie “The man with the Golden Gun” was filmed and as a consequence has become very commercialised and swamped by tourists. There is a lot of concrete rubble at the base of the island, reminder of the devastation caused by the Tsunami. 

 

JAMES BOND ISLAND

Anchored outside the route to the island, this was a delightful, peaceful spot, enticing us to stay an extra day. We packed a picnic lunch and found a tiny secluded beach on an uninhabited island where we spent a couple of lazy hours relaxing. It's called living the dream.

Our five day National Park pass was up, so we headed back down to Ko Rang on our way to Ao Chalong, the main anchorage on Phuket. We even managed to sail a large amount which put the skipper in a good mood. We spent five days at Ao Chalong catching up on chores, catching up with friends and just chilling out. There was a great little restaurant on the beach which served fabulous Thai food for great prices.

KO ROK NOK

After checking out, a tedious procedure but a necessary one, we day hopped our way to Ko Rok Nok. A tropical paradise with crystal clear water, not too many tourists, another little restaurant and while the coral wasn't much, the fish were many and colourful. After spending two nights there we left with the promise to ourselves to return for another visit.

After a less than memorable night at Ko Bulon due to all the thunderstorm activities, we arrived at Telaga Harbour at 3.30 pm on the fourth of April.

Check in was quick, easy and free. No problems!

Spent two days at Langkawi, mainly to stock up on alcohol, as Langkawi has the cheapest beer and spirits anywhere. Two fairly big days and one very short day saw us back at Marina Island Pangkor, ready to haul out (again) and tackle some major jobs.

But that is another story.

THAILAND 1

TELAGA HARBOUR

Before we can enter Thailand we need to check out of Malaysia. We decide to do this at Telaga Harbour as we were told by friends that it was a very easy and painless process, Harbour Master, Customs and Immigration all being in the one building.

Yes all true, except that we arrived on Friday only to be told that the Harbour Master was away until Sunday, so please to come back at 8.00 o’clock on Sunday, no problem madam.

TELAGA LIGHTHOUSE

Come Sunday morning we are on the doorstep with our paperwork ready to check out. No problem, just no Harbour Master! Yes, yes, no problem, he just having breakfast, maybe open 9.00 o’clock. Another couple, Jezz and Becky rock up to check out, so now there are four of us sitting on the steps.

Finally at 9.30 the Harbour Master opens the door and we are in, but not out. Apparently we need to check in before we can check out. More forms. Okay, no problem, you take this to Customs. Goodbye. See you later. No. problem.

CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION

Off we go to Customs. Yes, you guessed it. First check in then check out. No problem. You go immigration now. Now that really was no problem! Fill out one little form, stamp the passports and off we go.

KO TARANTAO

We are only going about 20nm today, so a late start isn't a problem. Our first anchorage was a little rolly, but not too bad. It is a bit difficult to decide which side to anchor, as the afternoon SE sea breeze kicks up a swell, but the NW puts us on a lee shore.

KO PHETRA

Monday we do 26nm to Ko Phetra, a stunningly beautiful anchorage with towering cliffs and tiny beaches. If this is a sample of what is to come then we are going to be very spoilt.

KO MUK

Another easy day on Tuesday and another beautiful anchorage at Ko Muk. We dinghy in for drinks and the sunset at the Chill-out Bar, and make arrangements with friends off Extra Spirit to take the local ferry to Kantang in the morning to check into Thailand. The plan is to meet on the beach at 7.15am, take a bike-taxi to the ferry, the ferry to the mainland and a car to Kantang.

Bright and early next morning, (okay, maybe not so bright yet) we arrive at the beach with five minutes to spare. Hmmm, guess we're a little early. That's okay, looks to be a lovely sunrise. 7.15 becomes 7.30, then 8 o'clock. Guess they slept in. Oh well, lets wander around the resort and then go back to the boat for a coffee. Just as we are ready to launch the dinghy our friends arrive. What we didn't know and they failed to inform us is that there is a one hour time difference with Malaysia. So at 8.15 it was only 7.15! Things could only get better, right? Yeah sure.

LOCAL FERRY

The motorbike taxi has a sidecar, which can fit four so it is off across to the other side of the island to catch the local ferry. The trip takes about half an hour, and then another twenty minutes in the back of a ute. The driver stops at Immigration to let us out, but it seems there is a problem. It is closed. On a Wednesday. Middle of the week. Someone comes out with a notice, it is a bank holiday, so please come back tomorrow. Oh well, we will wander round, have a bite to eat and then head back. Things can only get better, right? Yeah sure.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

We travel the reverse to the morning, and arrive at the beach. Hmmm, does our dinghy look flat? Yes, very flat. Okay, Jezz runs me out to pick up the pump and we inflate the dinghy. Doesn't look too bad, it's not far to the boat, and we will check for leaks then. In we go through the surf, get wet, again, and oh oh, it's deflating very fast, hope we make it. Quick get the outboard motor off and haul the dinghy on deck. A seam has let loose, with a gap as big as a fist, no wonder it went down so fast. Oh, well, things can only get better, right? Yeah sure.

DEAD DINGHY?

Looks like we will be heading to Phuket sooner than we thought. Early next morning we set off for the 40 mile trip to Phi Phi Don. Plenty of time so we ghost along hoping the wind will pick up a bit. It does, blowing 35 to 40 knots from the north east, exactly where we want to go to! Wind, rain, very choppy seas, having to motor because we can't sail into the wind. Things can only get better, right? Yeah sure.

STUNNING SUNSET

Next morning it is 30 miles to Ko Yahka Yai, where we will anchor for the night before going into Yacht Haven Marina. A late start and very little wind with the tide against us makes for a slow trip, but we anchor around six o'clock at a lovely little island along with 6 other yachts and a container ship. Turns out the yachts are waiting to be loaded onto the container ship for transport to Turkey. Due to the Somali pirates people are having to find alternative ways to get to Europe. It made for a very interesting evening.

YACHT HAVEN MARINA

Saturday we discover fuel in the bilge and track it down to a leaking tank. Looks like we need a new fuel tank, not easy when you have to demolish half the galley to do so. Surely that's the last of it and things will get better now? Yeah sure! Oh no, our engine won't start, we replaced the batteries so now what. Sounds like the starter motor. We eventually get it started and up anchor. Arriving at the marina we are advised to anchor off for at least another 3 hours as the tide is running far too swiftly to come in safely. Aaagh, who said boating was fun. They say that cruising is just fixing the boat in exotic locations, and how true that is. To be continued...

ESCAPE

 PANGKOR

On the 18^th of February we finally threw off the lines and escaped. After months of hard work Sunray was looking good again. There is still a lot that I would like to do inside, revamp the galley for one, but that can wait, and it is now time to go and enjoy and relax.

When we left Melbourne just over four years ago, I had visions of lazing around, swimming, snorkeling, drinking sundowners, meeting new people, exploring exotic places, and wafting silently across a calm ocean.

Well!! Sure that is part of it, but only a very tiny part. Mostly it is about work. Yes, that four letter word I thought I had left behind.

Sailing is hard work! Sails up, sails down, sails in and sails out. Flying downwind or bashing into seas. Very rarely is it the stuff of my dreams, although as I write this we are gently wafting along on a calm sea to Langkawi.

Then there is boat maintenance. This is constant due to the harsh, damp, salty environment in which we live. All systems must be in tiptop condition at all times, and things are constantly in need of repair or replacement. But enough, all the hard work is behind us for now, and it is time to enjoy.

We left Pangkor marina just before high tide and travelled just around the corner to Lumut and dropped anchor off the yacht club. This was only ten miles, but we had decided to chill out here first and to check that all systems were working as they should be.

Lumut is a naval town, with large dockyards and good facilities. The yacht club is old English colonial with a lovely swimming pool. Unfortunately it is becoming very run down and dilapidated, and the sand barge collected a couple of pontoons on its way past. It needs new management and/or owners but the asking price of 45million ringgit ($15 million) is so ridiculous that unfortunately it will probably just close and become just another neglected eyesore.

Our first night on anchor promised to be calm as the wind dropped out and we went to bed expecting a good night’s sleep, only to be ripped from our dreams by the harsh TOOT TOOT TOOT  of the sand barge coming straight for us. Quick, start the engine and anchor up. Seems that even though we were out of the channel, the barge needs lots of turning room and we were in their way. We reanchored closer to shore and around 2.30 went back to bed. Once again we were ripped from our slumbers to the high pitched BEEP BEEP BEEP of the anchor alarm, the wind had turned and we were only metres from shore! Up anchor and move further out again, drop anchor, have a cup of tea, decide not to leave today and fell back into bed for another couple of hours of sleep. Not a good start to our relaxing holiday trip.

We decided to stay another night, which turned out to be a good decision as we had a very calm, undisturbed night’s sleep. The next morning we headed out for the 14 mile trip to Pulau Tenang. We managed to get in an hour’s sailing before dropping anchor at 11 a.m.

 PENANG

Once again up at first light, which is around seven here, and heading for Penang. While we did motor the whole trip, there were no dramas and we anchored at a lovely little island at the bottom of Penang. Next morning we motored into Jerejak anchorage where we planned to stay for 2 nights, do a bit of shopping, inflate the dinghy, check the outboard and potter.

Two days later we headed out in the dark with the tide. They can be something fierce up here so we wanted to use them to our advantage as much as possible. We were only going some 35 miles to Pulau Bunting so once the tide turned we dropped anchor for lunch then sailed on. Very pretty little anchorage where we had another good night’s sleep.

 

 APPROACHING LANGKAWI

First light and it is off to Langkawi. We are sailing along at around 3.6 knots (about 6.5 km) and yes, this is the stuff of my dreams.

 FJORDS

 We decided to anchor at the “Fjords” and what a beautiful place it is. Surrounded by majestic islands, one soaring higher than the next, it is a peaceful haven that seems a million miles from anywhere but is only ten miles from Kuah, the main town on Langkawi.

 DISNEYLAND

After two very enjoyable nights there we headed to Kuah to stock up for our next trip. We anchored not far from “Disneyland” otherwise known as the Bella Vista Hotel, where we stayed last time we were here.

 

 STORM OVER KUAH

Since our arrival here we have been having huge thunderstorms right about the time we want to go and eat, so I have had to improvise both nights, but thunderstorm or not, tomorrow night we are going out for dinner with some other cruisers. Then it is off to Telaga harbour, our last stop in Malaysia before entering Thailand.

UPDATE

 LOVELY HOLLAND

I haven’t posted for awhile, so first I will bring things up to date. On the 11th August 2011, Tony and I flew to Paris; this entailed a 4 hour bus trip that took 6 hours, a 13 hour trip from Kuala Lumpur (with Airasia of course) and then the Paris metro to Gallieni bus station. Two hours, four trains and many miles up and down stairs and ramps we finally made it. The bus trip to Eindhoven took another 6 hours which made a grand total of 27 hours; no wonder we were tired when we arrived at Tony’s sisters’ place.

Annelies and her husband Pieter, and their 2 daughters Renske and Suzan live in Asten, a town in the south of Holland. This is the town where Tony grew up, and where I met and married him, so this was also a trip down memory lane.

VOLENDAM

We had gone to Holland as Tony’s eldest sister and her husband were celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary. We spent 3 weeks catching up with family, and even managed to go to a boat show on the north of Holland.

BACK IN OZ

We flew back to Kuala Lumpur from Paris on the 4^th of September, and then flew to Australia on the ninth. Yep, just call us the jet-setters! We certainly do seem to spend a lot of time in the air. After a quick visit to family, friends, doctor, accountant, bank, and Whitworth's boat shop it was back to Malaysia and Sunray II on the 28^th where we proceeded to settle back into cruising mode.

We left Danga Bay on the the first of november after spending just over 1 year there, really was time to move on. We anchored somewhere every night and arrived at Port Dickson on the fourth, where we spent a couple of days before heading out on the 8^th for an overnighter to Pangkor Island. All was well until 3am when we were caught in the centre of a HUGE storm. There was lightning all around us, but no wind or rain as we were in the eye of the storm. Very eerie.

HAULOUT IN PANGKOR

That night we anchored off the bottom of the island and the next day we entered Pangkor Marina, where we planned to haul out to do some much needed maintenance. We had planned to be back in the water before we flew back to Melbourne for Christmas, but this was not to be, so we left Sunray II high and dry while we enjoyed Christmas with our family.

THE HAPPY COUPLE

The highlight was of course the wedding of our daughter Angela to her partner Craig. What a wonderful day it was.

Back to Pangkor on the 27^th of January, and after another fortnight of hard work Sunray II was returned to her natural environment and we are prepared for our next adventure. We are off to Thailand so stay tuned.

For those landlubbers who constantly ask what our boat is like on the inside, the following photos are for them.

LOUNGE ROOM

KITCHEN

MASTER BEDROOM