Now that this sailing season is over,and we are planning our next one,I cant believe we will mark our 4 years living on a boat at sea this coming October!Some of you may remember we were on a 5 year around the world schedule ,well best laid plans etc. the world is just too big,and we sail at bicycle speed,so if we want to explore and experience some of these fascinating cultures ,it will just take time......So we aren't setting an actual date anymore. We will keep going west until we have completed the circle.
We are now back in the marina on Rebak island resort this is a short ferry ride from Langawi .What is extremely nice here is that we can use all of the hotel facilities ( included in our marina fees) ,so this afternoon we will go over to the pool, towels provided and relax in the shade ,overlooking the sea after a hard morning of boat chores!
We are preparing to leave Callisto for 4-5 months whilst we pursue land travelling in Vietnam, London ,San Diego and Sun valley .For those who don't own boats this entails hours of cleaning inside and out ,every surface must be washed down using vinegar and/or bleach.
Laundering all curtains, upholstery , indoor and outdoor cushions,bedding etc,etc.
We are leaving her in hot ,humid conditions and things need to be spotless.We even scrubbed the chain plus the chain locker with bleach,no easy task unloading 110 Meters of chain on to the dock then back into the boat.Scrubbed the sail locker and repacked all the sails neatly in their bags. In fact all the lockers inside and out!!
After washing ,there is waxing! A never ending saga in these harsh sun and saltwater conditions.So when we are asked what do we do with ourselves all day,these are examples.
We spent 7 weeks in Thailand, taking about 5 days of day sails each way from Malaysia.There are so many islands to stop at along the way making this a true sailors paradise.Next season when we return to Thailand we already have a few favorites we would like to spend some more time on plus new islands we haven't yet explored.
We will also do some land based tours in Thailand and nearby.One of the islands on the way up toward Phuket is called
Koh Lanta this is an island that has a charm about it with backpacker plus some upscale resorts ,but it still has a feel of locals living and working there ,not just servicing the tourists (no airport so that you have to come by ferry from Langawi or Phuket , )probably what Phuket was like 15 -20 years ago before it became so commercialized.We spent a couple of weeks in
The outer islands in the andaman sea ,the surin and similan chains ,thay had the clearest water we have seen since the pacific,the coral unfortunately was mostly dead with some recovery in places, but still plenty of colourful fish .We were still able to find many remote ,uninhabited ( by humans) beaches and islands.We have become very spoiled by the islands in the pacific ,especially with the clarity of the water and the coral, we also do not like to share the waters or beaches with throngs of tourists anymore.
The southern and middle Malaysian coastline is rather flat and boring in comparison with the northern Malaysian and Thai coastlines which have a lot more height and dramatic landforms.
These are both countries where I have enjoyed the sailing,as the seas are for the most part flat ,so I have only taken medication for the dreaded mal de mer twice in the last 3 months, a record.Also all the trips can be done by day ,due to short distances ,shallow bays and anchorages and the fact that it is not safe at night with small unlit fishing vessels leaving unmarked nets and floats randomly .No overnight passages are perfect as far as I am concerned.
Thai food is delicious ,the captain is now a connoisseur of Tom Yam goong ,a hot and spicy sour shrimp soup and various green, red and yellow curries, not forgetting singha beer.My favorite Is Som tum, a spicy green papaya and /or green mango salad.We have found fresh markets with abundant choices of vegetables everywhere making provisioning very easy.
Langawi,here in Malaysia is a duty free spot ,so it's good to have boat parts shipped here also alcohol is very cheap for example a liter of Bombay gin is around 8 dollars,so this is the place to replenish the stocks before leaving .
We have found the Thai and Malaysian people very friendly and helpful with lots of smiles.
We have a de- salinator ( water maker )on board so we haven't filled our tanks with dock water since Australia ,as the marina water in this part of the world can be dodgy, but this can be a challenge when in a marina if our supplies run low and we are living on the boat doing everyday activities,showering,toilet flushing,washing up, drinking etc this obviously depletes our supply.
So we have a newly devised plan aboard Callisto ,we run the hose with shore water through the port (window)into the head (bathroom for non yachties)now we have unlimited washing water,with great pressure no more navy showers :) the water is also warm as the ambient temperature here in Rebak is hot, We are now bypassing our tanks. We have a bucket of water also in the head with a jug, for flushing ,an improvised Indonesian toilet,for those of you who have been there!
Another of my useful tips! I have found that bright sunlight takes away all the reddish ( tomato or curry based foods) stains from my storage Tupperware :)
A very useful buy this year was a solar charger with multiple adaptors,so we can charge iPads ,phones etc wherever we are.
We have increased our solar garden lights also ,so at night we can easily spot where we are in the anchorage and as they are light sensitive we never have to remember to turn them on.
Again the iPads have proved to be our most useful gadgets as we travel by boat or on land,the built in GPS works navionics , a navigation program.Google maps(previously downloaded)when we are in a car and can't read the language on the sign posts!,a planets app that allows us to identify any star or planet above or below the horizon.
It is our communication using email,voice,video, texting and mailing of cards to land addresses (no more need of a stamp or a post office) we use Skype, magic jack,viber,text+, google plus ,Facebook,postcards on the run , and an app called cards .Anything needed to be researched ,read ,booked and or ordered via the Internet .
It is our camera , (and photo album) when we don't want to carry my monster super camera around.
All our reading material is in iBooks or kindle.
We play our games at sea for example scrabble , monopoly, trivial pursuit, so no pieces to blow away or fall down if we heel.
When sailing the captain and I are in heated tournaments of scrabble, I believe I am still a tad ahead of him.
It also stores and plays our music, all our todo lists etc etc I could continue ...
We are extending our time in south east Asia another year as we have enjoyed it so much,so sailing off to South Africa is likely to be in August 2014.
On Sunday we are flying to Saigon and moving north as far as Sapa near the Chinese border, this will be an 18 day tour of Vietnam , using planes and trains for the most part.There should be plenty of photos and info to follow.
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