Back Every Hour in Thailand is a Happy Hour! 18-09-2005 ‘Amazing Thailand’ is replaced in ‘Every Hour in Thailand is Happy Hour’ The newest official slogan for Thailand! The green season in Phuket: Tropical showers – red coloured small waterfalls from the dug out hills – nature is blooming – scooters drivers in clear thin plastic cape, more or less a kind of condom package , mother and child share one – banana leaves as an umbrella and happily no dengue mosquito seen! Five weeks of impressions of Phuket: Enjoyed eating the Thai food – once or twice a week a tour by car – sightseeing much more of Phuket – totally fallen in love with the old part of Phuket town, beautiful authentically houses and shops where you can really buy things which you can’t buy in the supermarket – enjoyed shopping in a luxury shopping mall incl. a supermarket – very friendly, nice people – they have been working very hard – nicely refurbishes buildings and beautiful newly paved passenger routes along the beaches – Phang Nga bay with a lot of beautiful anchorages - visited again Kata beach, now the leeside of the island – felt almost like coming home – thrilling swells – in the wet season not an attractive anchorage because the westerlies are blowing in this season - guard towers and red flags on the beach and more tourists! Odd jobs done: water maker broke down – burned wire by leaking water filter - filters has been changed in a little messy way - soldered – chapeau for Ed – bread baked in the oven, doing this way is as well – endless making yoghurt on the NZ way, an invention – cleaned the inlet filters of the airco/waterfilters – soaked the fridge and the contents of the galley – tied the links with the charter brokers – answered a lot of e-mails – even with a slow connection, it is worthwhile – repaired the spinnaker – polished the stainless steal – lovely temperature so almost spring! Phuket Race Week 28-31 July: Have we been asked to sail a regatta on a 40ft catamaran as crew! This is my chance to experience the ‘cat’ feeling and Ed was easily to persuade. The first day, a “may day” on the VHF while it was no”‘Boléro” weather. A charter sailing boat (a waarship) had hit a rock, which was just under water, she took on water very fast. The Dutch helmsman (an acquaintance as it seemed to be later on ashore) had followed an other boat ‘what he can, I can do as well’, did not realise that the locals know the area and their own boat a little better than he did. Very soured. The third day a briskly wind (true wind 25kn) was blowing and how will a catamaran keep close to the wind? Command: Everybody to the luff side because one hull was one and a half meter out of the water! A while later we saw just before we should finish one 36ft fell over in slow motion. A spooky sight. Turned round directly that was no discussion about that despite we were laying first in line. Happily all nine crewmembers came quite quickly to the surface, a very sad sight all those frightened faces. Only the navigator was slightly wounded, who was just inside when it happened. The crew was taken on board a press-boat and the cat was dragged to swallow water with all the sails still on and of course lost his rigging. We finished by motoring and made a report what had happened. Will the jury be generous? Yet a great sailing day, sometimes very thrilling by sailing over swallow waters and even with a cat it was quite risky. The owner sometimes was quite worried but the navigator said to him: No worries, mate! For Boléro impossible with her 3.4m draft. Fourth day just before the start again such a briskly wind like the day before but happily for the owner the wind dropped and we finishes quite relaxed as second. All four days very good and great sailing for sailing downwind under spinnaker on a cat, is really thrilling! Only close to the wind we both missed the ‘real’ contact with the water like I call it; patting with the waves. Result: First overall in the multi hull class! After the races social cocktail-parties and two buffet-diners in the Evason resort. 40 boats joined the regatta and the crew have enjoyed a very successful, intimate and well organised event. Ao Chalong – Langkawi: The ‘almost drowned’ Dutchman with his wife and two sons have been invited on board Boléro and we listened to his total ‘sink’ story and still the blush of shame on his cheeks! Washed away with a nice glass of wine. It seemed to be that we had met each other for the last time 15 years ago during another regatta in Holland, of course at a party ashore. Time flies. On the 5th of August, our 30 days visa had already expired for more than a week so time to weigh the anchor to head for Langkawi. But not of course before we cleaned the boat properly and taken in delicious meat and sausages plus other delicacies which are difficult to get in Langkawi. In daytrips we sailed via Rok Nok – this time a beautiful quiet anchorage, in February it had been horrible on the same spot – tide against current – got a couple of kilos super shrimps from a local fisherman and yeah of course we stayed a couple of days longer – a lot of fish – white unspoild beaches and a few shells via Koh Lipi – singing children at the beach – took a stroll to our ‘in good season anchorage – no tourists – great hospitality – got the last can of beer out of the box and they shared their freshly baked squid which they were baking for their lunch – now a very small beach with a lot of plastic so really lee shore – to the marina in Langkawi. Great sailing with winds between 14 and 18 knots, 60 to 90degrees to the wind, what else more we can wish? Luckily, because the motor gave white smoke, too high temperature and no water out of the overflow-hole. What will be the cause this time? Docking by motor was not a problem – Carla, home again! Sailing this way between Phuket en Langkawi has its charm that’s why it keeps it alternate, it is such a spread-out area with so many islands and various of people. Thailand is more a less Buddhistic and Langkawi more a less Moslim and it is a relief how people are living together, beside each other and very respectful to each other. We find living in both areas very relaxing. Action: Motor! The engineer is like a doctor, he puts his stethoscope into his ears, listens like this to the whole engine. During 14 days, almost every day the whole engine has been checked in this manner, repairing where necessary and the cooling system cleaned and the oil-cooler serviced. Conclusion: in any case two broken valves. Grinding to fit etc.? No, eight new valves ordered at the Volvo dealer in Singapore. And than we hope that, it will last another 15 years. Washing machine! That job has to wait until we are on the hard stand. Laundry-ladies, plenty! Half of October the boat will be on the hard to give her a new layer of antifouling and some other little jobs which are still on our 'to do' list. A never-ending list, always there is something else to becoming in place of it. And that is why, never a dull moment on a boat! Kuah - marina – Langkawi: 16 September. In the meantime we are used to the living ashore life and have stroke roots here. The bicycle is much used and every day we have our swim almost twice a day. During the day, we are always doing ‘something’ and take time to read a book. Ed is reading out of one of his borrowed stories book about the Thais: ‘Man goes to the n/e of Thailand and watches the people gorged themselves on the rice-fields. Me your land buy for 250.000 Bat (5000euro) and you get from me 1000 t-shirts. You go to Patong with the whole family and you earn within a month 200.000 Bat by selling the t-shirts. Landtransferpapers are signed in Bangkok. The whole family included granny and granddad are put in an apartment to 4 by 4 for what the rent has been paid in advance for 3 months by the new landowner. Man leaves and how goes by he life of those family? After 5 months a small amount have been sold of the t-shirts, granddad dies, granny gets homesick, daddy leaves, children go out stealing, girls play the hooker and mother is pulling the strings together to survive. The buyer of the land? No where to be seen! Is this specifically Thailand? Everywhere in the world happens once and a while such a thing but too sad for words, I think’ One morning we were sitting in our cockpit having our coffee, a sailing boat with a very odd mast enters the marina. As well as the boat, the crew looked like they had experienced a very long trip. That was indeed the case; they sailed from the Maldives to Langkawi (1500nm). At the beginning of their crossing, they encountered weird waves but not that really bad weather, 40 knots max. and than their backstay breaks. So the mast overboard and damages the whole SB rail en destroys the sceptres. After the assistance of a tanker, which gave fuel, they motored back to the Maldives. Over there with the help of six Indian welders, they weld a kind of a diamond-shaped scaffolding which became their compelled by necessity mast, about ½ of their normal mast length. Yet they got in Langkawi after 16 days and this with two young children, husband and wife. Nothing special they thought. He works at the university in Singapore and his Dutch wife at a research office. After 3 days Langkawi where they fuelled and provisioning the boat, they sailed/motored another 800 nm to Singapore, a piece of cake! Its getting more busier in the marina, many acquaintances are coming back from their family and so the happy hours are getting more intensive. During those hours stories are shared ‘big and gossips ones’ and wisely advices are given. Most of the boats are getting ready for or a crossing to Africa or the Red sea. And us? We stay here for a couple of seasons. Boléro is chartered for a couple of weeks in November, December and January. A couple days ago, we had an open ‘boat’day for the resort managers to promote the sunset cruises and day-trips. The wheel is turning and we rely upon it. We are working very hard to keep the website updated, sorted out lots of pictures. We keep the fingers on the pulse with our charter brokers and we edit texts for the charter-brochures in Thailand and Langkawi. Ed his remark: We are back to business again!