Not all those who wander are lost
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AKAMA REPORT 6
8 March 2003
Hello again. This is a rather lengthy report so best grab a coffee and settle in for a long read.
In our short time at Rebak Marina (Rebak Island, Langkawi, Malaysia) we
made many new friends. For our readers who are not boaters, this
camaraderie and easy interaction among boaters is one of the things that
distinguish boating from other leisure activities. For example, we
were exploring a shoreline in our dinghy, when we started chatting with
another couple who are doing the same thing. We then enjoyed each
others company for drinks and snacks at sundown. It's the same around
most of the marinas. We've met many wonderful people from Canada, South
Africa, Indonesia, Britain, Australia, Germany, the USA...the list goes
on.
While at Rebak Marina, we fixed two vexing problems aboard AKAMA. One
was a fuel filling problem, which we fixed by re-aligning the diesel
tank vent lines and by installing a cross-over pipe between the tops of
the three tanks. The other was to get our wing engine operating without
overheating. We also had some of the teak trim sealed and painted dark
blue, to match the boot-stripe; this small improvement prompted someone
to ask if we had the whole boat painted, so she must pass the 10-metre
examination with flying colours.
Our insurance woes behind us (see Report 5), we've left Rebak Marina on
20 January to resume our cruising. We are cruising on the West Coast of
Thailand and Malaysia. The only word that applies is gorgeous! This
area is made for boating, with countless bays, thousands of islands,
good anchorages, friendly people, stable governments, and mostly
reasonable officials. The water in the open areas is crystal clear and
we could see down for over 20 feet in many places. Of course, to cruise
here you have to like warm (25 to 35 degrees) and humid (80 to 100), as
this is what we get all year around. There are even a few good marinas
scattered around the place, should one need some repairs, or a place to
leave the boat for a while. Other than Sunsail which has a few
sailboats here, we seem to be nearly alone in comprehending this. Day
after day, we find beautiful bays in which to anchor, usually with no
other yachts at all. There's room over here for tens of thousands of
yachts, yet other than around a few popular tourist destinations the
place is nearly yachtless.
As good as this area is for boating in general, it is a trawler-yacht
paradise, mostly because of the weather. It is never "bad", as
hurricanes never happen here. Indeed, we rarely get dangerously strong
winds at all. It is usually fairly calm, especially around Singapore
and southern Malaysia, much to the chagrin of our sailing friends. And,
the boating is good year-round. During the NE monsoon (from about
November to March) we boat on the west side of the Malay Peninsula;
during the SW (from about May to September) we boat on the east side.
During the two transition seasons, April and October, one can go just
about anywhere, although we can get a lot of thunderstorms. Frankly
though, boaters used to the variable weather in temperate waters would
find the off-season boating on either coast reasonably good over here.
20 January 03: Our first foray, some of it in the company of S/Y Die
Mouse, was around Langkawi and its dozens of out-islands (which is
roughly 6d 22'N by 99d 48'E), and Southern Thailand, including the
Butang Islands (west of Langkawi), and Tarutao Island (north of
Langkawi), where they made one of the Survivor TV series).
The high points around Langkawi and Southern Thailand, where most of the water is quite clear, include:
- Looking ashore from our anchorage in an unnamed bay on Langkawi at a
vaguely familiar building, then going ashore and finding out that it was
the set of the movie Anna and the King (recent remake of the movie The
King and I); it's now a museum.
- Sneaking ashore by dinghy in the Butangs (we were not officially
cleared into Thailand or even out of Malaysia) with friends (Allan and
Paul) to eat fresh-caught fish, BBQ-ed in the Thai style, at a beach
restaurant.
- Anchoring in a secluded bay off Pulau Dayang Bunting (just south of
Langkawi), on a hot tip from our friends Allan and Paul on Die Mouse IV.
There were towering cliffs all around and only narrow passes in and
out. Around us tropical birds screeched and monkeys frolicked in the
trees. We motored up-current in the dinghy, and then paddled back in
silence to observe the unspoilt surroundings.
- Hole-in-the-wall on the north-eastern part of Langkawi, where, thanks
to having a mud map from our friend Warren Blake of S/Y Four Friends.
We boated in our dinghy along a maze of mangrove rivers, through a cave
with stalactites, through a narrow cut in the limestone cliffs, to a
place where dozens of sea eagles soar. We took several wrong turns in
the mangrove rivers and were a bit concerned that we might not get back
through the cave before high tide; what an adventure!
- The west side of the Tarutao Island, which is somewhat sheltered from
the NE monsoon winds by barrier islands, is very pretty in nice weather.
The passage has little beaches, caves, coves and a few hidey holes,
where one can anchor in a blow. One of the islands looks like a profile
of Richard Nixon's head. At another spot there is a pier and building
that look like a resort; we later found out that this used to be a
prison. From our anchorage we were watching some local fishermen pull
their wooden boats up onto a beach and take shelter in a cave. We could
not help but think that fishermen around here have been doing that
since before the dawn of history.
31 January: After Langkawi and Southern Thailand, we went farther north
stopping at Phetra Island, Koh Kradan, Koh Muk, and Koh Phiphi Don. We
spent two nights at Koh Phiphi, regarded by whoever makes these
determinations as the world's second most lovely island. By the way, it
is on one of the beaches near here that they made the movie The Beach
(there was a big hoo-hah about that, because the movie people told the
Thais that the place was just what they were looking for they came in
with a crew and re-landscaped the place. The Thai Government was
furious). Frankly, while the island scenery was great, the excessive
tourism has spoiled it. Speed boats delivering day-trippers to
overcrowded beaches run rampant. Also, most of the stores and shops are
trashy to the extreme. On the other hand, we found a lovely little
bay in which to anchor; during the day it was lousy with tourists and
speed boats, but by the evening we had it to ourselves. We also found a
secluded little beach where LA had a swim among numerous friendly and
colourful fish.
5 February: After Phiphi we went to Phuket, the main tourist island in
these parts. By the way, the ph sound in Thai is not spoken as an F,
but as a P. So, Phuket is not pronounced the way you might think. On
the other hand, the way Phiphi Islands is pronounced should provoke a
grin. Along the way we saw a small and remote islet on which there is
nothing but a few palm trees, a lovely sandy beach, and hundreds of
beach umbrellas. Even though there is virtually nothing there, some
enterprising soul has set up a beach cafe to which tourists are taken by
speed boat. Amazing! We also saw the first of many little rickety
fishermen's huts. They build these on rocky outcrops and use them when
they need a rest or if they get caught in inclement weather. Some are
literally perched atop rocks in the middle of the sea just big enough to
hold them. Others are fastened to the sides of mountains and the
fishermen have to climb up with ropes.
We spent over a week in Boat Lagoon, the fanciest marina at Phuket,
because it is where the best craftsmen seem to be based. This is a
planned stop to get some carpentry and upholstery work done. AKAMA's
upholstery was looking rather tattered and the foam was never the best,
especially in the saloon, dining area and in the pilothouse. So we
replaced it with navy blue, Thai water buffalo hide over new, sculpted
foam cushions. Also, we've added another shelf in the crew room and had
some minor repairs made. The most notable repair is to fix some rotted
interior wood in the master stateroom. Over many years water had been
seeping through some improperly bedded deck fittings into the space
between the port hull side and the plywood that finishes it. We fixed
the leak over a year ago, but too late. Eventually, the decorative
boards started to pop off and the paint is cracking, both due to dry
rot. So, out with the old and in with the new! While at Phuket, we
purchased a polyethylene, 2-person kayak. It is sort of a cross between
a proper kayak and a surf board. You sit atop the thing, in moulded
depressions, rather than sitting inside; more on that in a minute.
14 February: After the carpentry work was finished and the upholstery
was measured, we left Phuket to cruise Phang Nga Bay, which is north and
east of Phuket. The water in Phang Nga Bay, while clean, is a bit
murky due to silt from three rivers that flow into it. In a few places,
it is also loaded with biological curiosities. At one island we
marvelled at the tiny critters that floated by our boat by the millions.
Some looked like tiny shrimp, others like baby worms or snakes. Many
were totally new to us, looking like nothing we'd ever seen before.
The big attraction here is the scenic islands, which include huge
limestone cliffs, bays and coves, sandpit islands and countless spots to
anchor. The most fascinating thing about the islands of this part of
Thailand is the hongs (Thai for 'room'). A hong is a cave with the
entrance at about water level, into which one can walk, swim or even
boat. Every hong is different; some are dark, dead-end caves while
others are caves leading to large chambers. Some open into atria (i.e.,
hollow islands, like a doughnut, with the hong allowing access to the
centre). Actually, there are hongs in other areas too; we saw our first
nice one on Koh Muk, on the way up from Langkawi. At low water the
hong opening is big enough to admit a dinghy. Once inside, the hong is
large, and it is covered with spectacular rock formations and
stalactites.
Our first stop out of Phuket was Koh Rang Yai (Yai means big in Thai),
where our kayak was given its first try-out. This maiden voyage was
spectacular. As we got onto the kayak, it flipped upside down, dumping
us into the drink. There was a considerable current running and the
water was rough; so we struggled to grab the kayak, and gather up the
paddles, water bottles, hats and the like. Then, we and our collection
of flotsam were drifting rapidly away from AKAMA! Long-time readers of
our chronicles will recall that we had a harrowing experience at Pulau
Tioman (Report 1), with the current sweeping us away from our dinghy
when we were snorkelling. Because of this lesson learned, we had the
presence of mind to stream a line and buoy out behind AKAMA prior to
getting on the kayak; this saved us from being swept away as we were
able to swim to it, gab it, and pull ourselves back to AKAMA. In any
case, there was no real danger, as another boat was anchored nearby and
one of the persons aboard motored over in their dinghy and offered to
help us out. We declined the offer, realizing that we had to make the
recovery unaided, mainly to heal our wounded pride, but also to assure
ourselves that we could do it if it happens again and no help is
available. Nevertheless, when we encountered the other couple ashore we
bought them a drink as a reward for their gallantry.
Next, we went north to Koh Phanak, which has three nice hongs. There is
one on the west side where they take all the tourists; it is a very
large and dark cave. But, we found another, much smaller hong about a
half mile north of it, which is just barely passable in a dinghy at low
tide. Once through it, we were in a hollow spot in the island, about
400 feet in diameter, surrounded by cliffs with the sun shining down
from above; it was breathtakingly beautiful. We explored another hong
on the east side of Phanak. This one is mostly above the water, the
opening of which appears to be a sand beach; in fact it is millions of
tiny shells and broken bits of bigger ones. The cave that runs back
from this is huge and fascinating. Way in the back we encountered some
sink holes. Not being experienced spelunkers we went no further for
fear that we might fall into one or the surface might collapse under our
weight, creating a new one. While we were approaching one of the hongs
on Phanak, a large pink dolphin surfaced twice near our dinghy; what a
thrill!
From Phanak we went north to Koh Hong (several islands in this area are
named that). As you might guess from its name, it is known for its
hongs, which were spectacular.
We then stopped at Koh Deng Yai, just for brunch, not overnight, after
which we did a "fly-past" and took some photos of James Bond Island (Koh
Phing Kan), where they made the movie, The Man With The Golden Gun. We
might have landed, but it had hoards of tourists on it and we had been
there once before. Our next overnight was at Koh Chong Lat, where we
had a lovely anchorage among two islets between Chong Lat and the Thai
mainland.
The next day, after stopping at Koh Kluhi for a quick look-see, we went
to Koh Roi. One of the best hongs, which can be entered on foot at all
but high tide is on Koh Roi. Why this is not a tourist destination we
can't understand. In any case, you land the dinghy and walk up a sand
beach, through a 7-foot cave into a circular room perhaps 150-metres
across. It has a sand beach inside, a little tidal stream around the
edge, with small fishes and so on, and a bunch of mangroves in the
middle. The walls are limestone pillars, sort of like Stone Henge but
with no gaps between the rocks and way, way higher. Overhead a few
eagles soared.
After Roi we went to Koh Kudu Yai, where we anchored in a narrow strait
between two islands. It was so gorgeous and peaceful that we stayed an
extra day. On the beach we watched monkeys scavenging the shore for
food. They turn over rocks and grab things before they scurry away.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing they do is dig up clams and other
shells, then use a rock to crack the shell open.
After all those islands and near seclusion for a week, we anchored off
Ao Nang Beach at Krabi (7d 57'N by 96d 50'E). This is a world famous
resort area with all the amenities. Long tail boats ply the bay in huge
numbers, taking tourists here and there. The waters here are very
clear, although most of the coral is long gone. Just west of here we
passed a palace, perched high on the side of a mountain, overlooking the
sea; we thought it was a monastery at first. The east end of Ao Nang
is distinguished by huge limestone cliffs, the most prominent of which
is Cannibal Rock, which rises up out of the sea like a huge phallic
symbol. Indeed, there is a shrine to the phallus in a cave at Krabi-no
kidding; we have photos to prove it.
22 February: After visiting Krabi. We returned to Phuket via a few more
drop-dead gorgeous islands (like most around here, with the requisite
topless tourists on the beach). We rounded the southern tip of Phuket
just at sunset. On the shore there were thousands of people with
cameras, waiting to photograph the sunset and perhaps see the green
flash. Just as the sun was hitting the horizon, AKAMA was between them
and the sun. She must be a silhouette on a thousand photographs by now;
we sure wish we had one.
From Nai Harn, we cruised up the west side of Phuket, putting our bow
into most of the interesting bays along the way. This side of the
island faces the Andaman Sea, which leads to India and Sri Lanka, so the
water here is generally crystal clear. In many cases, we could see our
anchor in the sand well over 10 metres down. With such clear water, we
had hoped that the snorkelling would be great. Alas, most of the coral
is marginal and the fishes sparse. Of course, we are spoilt, as we
cruised last year in the Anambas Islands see Report 4), which are
spectacular in this regard.
Every major bay on the west coast of Phuket is occupied by at least one
major hotel, sometimes five or six of them. The sand beaches (the
beaches in Thailand are all public property) are clean and the swimming
is excellent. There are many world-class restaurants, and plenty of
local ones. Of course, this means that there are also tourists by the
thousands, but only on the main beaches; the rest are quite vacant.
25 February: We were anchored beside Koh Kala, on the west side of
Phuket, with some friends, sheltering from the ground swell that had
developed. For the nautically challenged, we would point out that swell
is continuous waves that travel great distances in the open ocean.
They are usually long period (spaced far apart) and can be very high.
They are not a problem, except that near shore they get bigger as they
encounter the shallower water, and they can be somewhat uncomfortable to
travel into or to have abeam. They are also a pain when anchored, as
the boat tends to roll continuously in them, which is why we tucked in
behind an island, where the effect is much less.
Behind Koh Kala we discovered a small stream which, above low tide, we
could navigate in our dinghies. The small stream let to a shallow and
narrow canal that was apparently dug by the tin miners. Some of it was
mangrove river. We followed it and a few of its tributaries for miles,
enjoying the sights, especially the tropical birds that would suddenly
take flight as we approached. Eventually, the canal went behind all of
the posh resorts farther south. We continued on going under bridges and
through control dams (most of the gates long since rusted inoperative
in the position they were left). Finally, we got to a narrow stream in
which was floating the bloated carcass of a small dead pig or large dog
(we did not investigate closely). We figured that we'd seen it all at
that point and returned to our boats for cocktails.
28 February: Next, we did a fly past of Koh Racha Noi (racha is
pronounced raya and means king and noi means small), then anchored in a
lovely bay at Koh Racha Yai. These islands, just south of Phuket, have
the clearest water that we have encountered to date. Even in over
50-feet we could see to the bottom. On shore is a funky little resort
on a white sand beach, with nearly all the buildings made of cane,
bamboo and thatch. The snorkelling and diving here is fantastic; while
the coral is rather marginal, the fishes are amazing in both the
quantity and variety. If any of our readers are looking for a place to
swim, dive, snorkel, sun bathe on white sand, and get away from it all
then this is it. Of course, you will be living in a thatch hut, not a
5-star hotel with air-conditioning and hot and cold running maids; but
then, isn't that what you want to get away from?
3 March: We returned to Boat Lagoon to take delivery of our new
upholstery and to check out of Thailand (the upholstery fit perfectly
and looks marvellous!). They had very little space available and asked
if we would mind a slip with a little mud at low tide. We said that as
long as it was soft there should be no problem. Little did we know that
at lower low water we would be hard aground with no water around us,
"afloat" in only wet mud! Apparently they had dredged the slip not long
ago and it has already silted up, a continual problem in a marina that
was once a swamp. The problem was exasperated by the fact that we are
in spring tides. For the non-nautical of our readers, spring tides
occur when the moon is new or full; at this time the highs and lows are
extreme. The more moderate tides, called neaps occur in between.
Springs are caused by the sun, the moon and the earth being in
alignment. Anyway, once the boat went aground the seawater intakes
became plugged with mud and we were totally disabled. This is no big
deal, as everything works when we float free and blow out the hoses, but
while aground we could not run the air-conditioners. Fortunately, it
wasn't a hot night.
4 March: We left Boat lagoon on the high tide and returned to Langkawi,
via Koh Phiphi and Koh Rok Nok. The latter has absolutely the clearest
water in the area, and some fairly decent coral (well some alive
anyway) and lots of fish. This was definitely worth the stop. We
arrived in Rebak Marina on LA's birthday and had a little party at the
marina restaurant. This chapter is now over and before we return to
Sebana Cove to prepare for our next adventure, we will take part in the
Langkawi Regatta, as a volunteer boat.
Before closing, a few words about fishing are in order. We bought
fishing rods, hand lines and all sorts of other paraphernalia with which
to catch the elusive critters. So far the fish are batting 1000 and
AKAMA 0. We lost three hooks, one to a fish (it also took all the line
off the reel). We lost one to a fisherman's net and one due to poor
rigging. The only things caught so far were a net buoy and another
fisherman's lure. He passed too close across our stern and hooked our
line. He thought he had a big one until he saw us reeling him in! We
know that there are fish here, as one of the interesting sights is
watching the fishermen pull in their big nets full of fish, with some
considerable envy. Sometimes they stop by the boat and offer to sell
their catch, and prawns, which are sometimes the gigantic tiger prawns.
Well, that's it for now. |
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