MALE, MALDIVES

MALE, MALDIVES

APRIL 5-21, 2016

Male is a shock to most cruising yachts after a long passage from Malaysia, Thailand or Sri Lanka.  The intensity of waterborne traffic is incredible.  There are more ferries, small cargo boats and sundry other craft plying these waters than we have seen anywhere else.  Added to that there are about 150 international and local flights arriving daily.  It’s a busy place!  Most of the tourists that arrive in the Maldives are booking onto “live-aboard” dive boats.  The remainder are the rich and famous that seek seclusion at resorts in the outlying atolls.  They arrive on international flights and are whisked away via seaplanes to very expensive and exclusive resorts.  Many of the resorts have leased the atolls so they are private and not welcoming to anyone other than their clients.  Paparazzi cannot gain access to the exclusivity and remoteness of these resorts.

Nothing is grown or produced on Male.  It is hub central for the other two hundred inhabited atolls (there are 1200 atolls in the Maldives).  Everything is imported from other countries.  Western food can be found in abundance along with produce from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and USA.  The country is very Islamic and prayers are called out five times a day; businesses shut down for twenty minutes to worship.  There is no alcohol allowed for Maldivians.  To be caught drinking in public is subject to a six month jail sentence.  The government is a dictatorship run by wealthy families.  The first,  last and only democratically elected president was expelled by a coup d’état and jailed.  Presently, he is in England undergoing medical treatment.

There just isn’t much here that excites me.  It all comes down to anchoring in remote atolls and diving/snorkeling the reefs.  The weather is unpredictable with frequent squalls.  It’s the hottest most humid place we have ever been.  If there is no wind it becomes a misery.  Everyday Phyllis and I take the ferry from our anchorage in Hulumale (04-13.266’ N; 72-32.138 E) into Male.  It’s a twenty minute ferry boat ride and cheap ($0.33 US).  These ferries run continuously 24/7.  We find A/C stores and restaurants to beat the heat; sad, but true.  We will try to get out of here as soon as possible.  On our voyage here from Sri Lanka, the fresh water pump on the Beta 50 engine developed a small leak. I am having another one sent from the UK as a backup.  Strangely enough, the fresh water pump has stopped leaking for the moment.  That is the only thing keeping us in “Hell-hole-Male”; I’m referring to the anchorage and not the Capitol.

The fresh water pump is, finally, delivered to the boat on April 20 and we make preparations to sail to Addoo (00-35.0’ S; 73-09.2’E) , the most southern atoll in the Maldivian group.  We depart from Hulumale anchorage on April 21, 2016 @ 1130 hrs.

The Maldives stretch some 800 nm from the North to the South.  There are three major population centers and a multitude of lesser villages.  Ulligan is in the North; Male (the Capitol) is in the center; Addoo is in the South.  The atolls are sparsely populated and have been subject to being ruled by foreign powers in their quest for the spice and silk trade of SE Asia.  The Portuguese stand out as being the most hated and cruel: looting, rape, murder, torture, and an attempt to convert the Islamic population to Christianity stand out in the annals of the Maldivians.  No foreign power was more hated.

I went to the National Museum in Male and learned a little of the history.  The atolls were ruled by a Sultanate and various Sultans.  The most profound influence was the conversion of one of the Sultans  to Islam around 1268 AD.  Since that time, the population and state religion is Islamic.  There seems to be some kind of Mosque Management system in place.  The actual “call to prayer” is sung out over loud speakers by an “live Imam” and not a recording as found in most other places.  The women are very conservatively dressed with all the younger girsl covering their head with a “hajab” and many of the older married women wearing the full “chadora” with or without veil; most do not wear a veil.  The coloring of most Maldivians is South Indian.  I have been told that they are a mixture of Indian, Arabic, Persian and various conquerors.  The language is, indeed, strange.  A look at a Maldivian map shows that the words are very long and difficult to pronounce.  The Maldivian script is written from right to left, as is the Arabic one, but is not at all attractive.  As a result of reading the Koran, most educated Maldivians can speak and read Arabic.  They are receptive to tourists, because that is where the money comes from, but not overly friendly.  Standing in a queue, a Maldivian gives no quarter.  The least hesitation invites someone pushing his way in.  The same goes for boarding ferries or public transportation.  They are not polite in the Western way but neither are they rude.  This all changes when it comes to those working in the tourist industry.  In the end, we are the infidels.

I find nothing outstanding with Maldivian architecture.  On atolls that, mostly, rise no more than ten feet above the sea level, too many storms and tsunamis have destroyed that which came before.  The country is very modern with utilitarian design.  Even the mosques are quite simple in their design.  If global warming continues, many of the atolls will have to be evacuated.  I see evidence that the Maldivians are preparing for this by building higher seawalls and barriers.  They have lots of heavy equipment to do this and one sees pipelines and seawalls going up everywhere. On a very personal level, I would not come back here.

Male, Maldives

Hi folks, we are currently in Hulumale, Maldives, I haven't posted any pictures in a long time so I figured that I would start here and go back.

This is where we are anchored. There are probably about 50 boats here at this moment. They are mostly huge dive boat and their side kicks,  the side kicks as I call them are small boats that carry the tanks and supplies for the the big boat. This is the weekend and it is buzzing .

Pictures of the sunset with all the boats around.

Not muchof a night view , I tried.

Different typies of boat.

I have not taken any pictures of Male yet but  when I do I will include then in another post.

TRINCOMALEE, SRI LANKA TO MALE, MALDIVES

TRINCOMALEE, SRI LANKA TO MALE, MALDIVES

March 27- April 5, 2016

Trincomalee was an interesting place to visit but quite limited in anything other than the daily activities of a small vibrant city.  It has one of the world’s largest natural harbors and is very safe in the harbor and on land.  The locals are friendly and accommodating.  Transportation around the city is done by “tuk-tuk” (a small three wheeled motorcycle with seats and an overhead canopy):  fast, cheap, efficient.  The local open market is bustling with activity and color.  The vendors are actively calling out their produce and prices.  The different varieties of fruits and vegetables are most interesting to see.  Within the market, there is a section for fish and lamb.  The lamb is slaughtered early in the morning, hung up and still dripping blood:  No refrigeration but the meat is very fresh.  We bought a small leg of lamb twice and it was delicious.  The chickens didn’t look as healthy but they are slaughtered and plucked on the spot.  We bought some eggs and the yolks were white!  I can’t figure out just what they were being fed to cause that kind of coloring.  The fish are mostly tuna, squid and small local catch.  The stalls are clean and ice is used to keep them fresh.

If one goes into a local Sri Lankan restaurant and orders curry and rice, as many as eight different dishes will be brought out with the rice.  Most of these will be different kinds of curries but fish and chicken will be included.  The price for this will be about $3.00 US.  Sri Lanka is quite cheap if you eat the local food.  Phyllis and I had wanted to visit the Tea Plantations but the transportation from Trincomalee was difficult and involved an overnight stay.  Since we have engine driven refrigeration, it has to be charged twice daily.  We are slaves to the refrigerator.  I had wanted to upgrade the system with DC refrigeration but still keep the engine driven unit.  It wasn’t feasible and we weren’t going to get enough out of the DC system to make it worthwhile for the money being spent. 

We departed Trincomalee, at 1230 hrs on March 27^th bound for Male, Maldives: 686 nm.  The GRIB files and WX forecast showed favorable winds for sailing SE down the eastern Sri Lankan coast but dying out on the next leg to Male.  This is exactly what happened.  We made good time down the coast and got plastered with a Thunder Storm.  Also, the Fresh Water Pump on the Beta started to leak water.

On the Eastern side of the Sri Lankan coast, there are several areas on the marine charts that carry the cautionary note:  OVERFALLS.  These are areas where the seabed rises from many thousand feet to 300’ or less.  This causes the seas to break heavily even in good weather and need to be avoided.  These places are like a Witches Cauldron and present a real danger to small vessels. We encountered a few of them on our voyage from Langkawi to Port Blair, Andaman and the experience is frightening.  The “Overfalls” on the Sri Lankan coast are even worse.  What I did to avoid these areas was to stay well inside the 300 ft depth contour and observe any turbulent areas.  This worked out well as we didn’t encounter any.

  At the bottom end of Sri Lanka we altered course for Male, Maldives (04-14.5’ N; 073-37.5’ E).  This is where the wind began to die out.  From 0600 hrs (UTC +5.5 hrs) on March 31 to 0900 hrs on April 3^rd, we had the lightest winds we have ever had to deal with:  3-5 kts or becalmed.  When winds get this light, it is impossible to carry a mainsail because the least amount of swell will roll the wind out of the sail and cause it to flog and slate.  The only effective way that we have found to deal with this is by poling out a jib sail on the port or stbd side.  Even with the jib poled out to keep it from collapsing, it will still drive one crazy with the continuous filling and collapsing.

Finally, on April 3^rd at 0830 hrs, we went from being becalmed to a wind shift to the NW at 10 kts.  This was, indeed, glorious!  We set the full complement of sails:  main, jib, staysail.  This gave us 5+ kts.  Male was about 127 nm distant so if we could hold this NW’ly wind we would be making good progress towards the goal.  I didn’t expect the wind to last but it held on for us throughout the day and all through the night and into the next day.  At 1700 hrs on April 4^th in position 4-10.1’ N; 73-46.5’ E, I dropped all sail to lie ahull until first light on April 5^th.  Later on in the evening, I used a small reefed jib to close the Male coast and keep from drifting SW.

On April 5, 2016 I entered the Customs Clearance are on the Western side of Male.  The wind was blowing out of the West and causing quite a chop in the area but even more disconcerting was the amount of boat traffic.  I have never seen such intensity or the number of boats, ferries, ships moving about.  The place is a beehive of activity.  In spite of all this, our agent managed to get aboard with the officials and we were granted “free practique” at 0900 hrs (UTC +5) Maldives time.

The main anchorage for Male is located on another island just to the north called Hulumale.  It is where the airport is located.  As I was approaching the anchorage, our new Beta engine started to show signs of not getting enough fuel.  Most likely this was caused by a dirty Racor fuel filter or low fuel in the diesel tank.  The fuel tank showed ¾ full on the electronic fuel gauge but these are notorious for giving bad readings.  I was really concerned because the wind was putting us on a lee shore and the waters in the Maldives are very deep until they aren’t.  Fortunately, two yachts anchored heard me on the VHF and sent out their dinghies to assist if the engine died.  It didn’t and we dropped anchor in Hulumale at 1024 hrs in 38’ water depth in position 04-13.266 N; 73-32.138’ E.

I have ordered a new Fresh Water Pump from Beta UK.  It was shipped on Thursday and will arrive here sometime next week.  I’m not sure what caused the leak but will find out when I pull the old pump.  It’s very unusual to have a Fresh Water Pump fail at this early stage.  When I observed the leak, the engine had less than 120 hrs on it. 

PORT BLAIR, ANDAMAN IS. TO TRINCOMALEE, SRI LANKA

March 8-18, 2016

We departed Port Blair at 0936 hrs on March 8, 2016 bound for Trincomalee, Sri Lanka 750 nm distant.  My Wx forecast and Grib files showed that the winds would be very light for this voyage.  Just how light came as a surprise as we proceeded down the east coast of South Andaman Island.  Along the coast, during the day, we had had winds out of the ENE at 10 kts which makes for pleasant sailing.  As evening approached, the winds started to go light but we still were able to make headway.  There are many passes that can be navigated between the various Andaman Islands but most have strong currents and overfalls. I didn’t want to be becalmed near land in those conditions so I decided to add distance to the trip and go down to the south end of Little Andaman Island (10-28.0’N; 92-30.0’E) and start our “Westing” from there.  Good thing I did this because at 0100 hrs on March 9^th we were becalmed in position 10-37.5’N; 92-40.3’E:  dropped all sails and waited for a breeze.  A very light E’ly wind at 5 kts came up at 0400 hrs.  When you have winds this light, it is very difficult to carry a mainsail.  The smallest amount of swell will roll the wind out of the sail and cause it to flog and slat. This is hard on the sail and nerves so a workaround is needed.  We dropped the mainsail and poled out the headsail on the most favorable side.  The pole keeps the jib from collapsing and presents a big surface to the wind.  This is most effective when the wind is coming from abaft the beam to the stern.  Should the wind be directly aft then we can pole out two headsails and run with it.  This makes for very nice sailing but should the wind “back” or “veer” one of those headsails has to be taken in.

Thus began the long light wind sailing voyage.  It’s an exercise in patience and light wind management.  Normally, I calculate the number of days to reach a destination using a 100 mile per day figure.  We have always be able to make this with 120 nm being an average.  On this voyage, our first day out from noon-to-noon gave us 79 nm with 669 nm to go.  March 10^th noon position (10-13.7’N; 91-35.7’E) gave us 49 nm in a twenty-four hour period.  That’s slow: 2 kts an hour.  A person walks faster than that.  March 11^th Noon position (9-55.7’N; 90-26.3’E) delivered 70 nm with periods of calm and very slight seas.  Later in the afternoon, a NW’ly wind came up and started to increase.  We set a full mainsail and jib.  By 2200 hrs, the wind was blowing 20 kts so we put two reefs in the mainsail and reduced the headsail.  We don’t know where that wind came from but it was glorious while it lasted.  Unfortunately, by 0600 hrs on March 12^th it was gone and left a very lumpy sea that was difficult to negotiate with a mainsail.  Eventually, we had to drop it because it was flogging too badly.  Continued on under a poled out jib and Noon position (9-36.2’N; 88-44.4’E) gave us 102 nm with 448 nm to go.  The Bay of Bengal is not a friendly place to be.  It is prone to tropical storms and cyclones.  These are unlikely in the month of March but one wants to make time as quickly as possible.  I had good Wx reports coming in from Port Blair and Iridium-Go was providing me with three day forecasts.  I’m an old seaman and I still look at the barometer in the morning and evening.  It’s amazing how consistent the barometric pressure is in these latitudes. It doesn’t vary by more than 3mb during its daily cycle.  A drop of 5mb from the daily normal barometric pressure reading would indicate some kind of tropical depression.

Maarch 13^th Noon position (9-29.5’N; 87-34.4’E) delivered 72 nm from the Noon Position with 378 nm to go.  Today is Phyllis’ birthday.  Not much wind but smooth seas so we rejoiced in being healthy enough to undertake this sailing life.  Dolphins came to visit us and played around the boat for twenty minutes or so.  Winds have been in the NNE-ESE at <5kts but pick up in the evening to 5-7 kts.  As long as the seas are almost flat, it’s pleasant but slow.  Wx remains stable with no tropical storms on the horizon.  March 14^th Noon position (9-19.5’N; 86-18.9’E) indicates that we have made 75 nm with 303 nm to go.  Still the lightest wind sailing we have ever done.  When we look back on the voyage from Panama to the Galapagos which is notorious for the light winds encountered, we find that we were on a rollercoaster next to this one.  The one amazing aspect of these light winds is that they never really die out.  They drop out to three kts, maybe less, but they are there that allows for ghosting along at 1.5-2.0 kts.  Ridiculous!!  In our favor is a W’ly setting current at 0.5 kts which is giving millage on a daily basis.  In the evening time until early morning, we are making 3.0-3.5 kts.

We still have engine driven refrigeration.  What this means is that we have to run the engine to charge the reefer twice a day for one hrs.  I have decided to engage the transmission while we are charging the fridge and this gives us an extra 12 nm per day.  March 15^th shows that we made 77nm from Noon-to-noon (9-15.7’N; 85-01.0’E) with 226 nm to go.  It’s all unfolding slowly: a pregnancy that has to be brought to term in its own good time.  At times, we are experiencing almost no wind so I am starting to motor to make distance.  I don’t like to do this on principal:  we are a sailboat!  March 16^th   brings up 70nm for the noon position (9-00.8’n; 83-51.0’E) with 156 nm to go.  Winds are very light out of the ESE.  The evening time gives us the most consistent winds and pleasant sailing.  At times, we can carry both jibs poled out.  On March 17^th, we started to experience a 0.75-1.0 kt current against us.  Given the fact that we are only making 2.0 kts, I started to motor to get out of it.  Also, at 240 miles offshore, we have had a few Sri Lankan fishing boats approach asking for booze and smokes.  They are not a threat but can be persistent in asking for something.  They have a hard life and, surely, are paid very little for their labor.  Nevertheless, to give them something only encourages more approaches for future yachts.  March 17^th Noon Position (8-51.8’N; 82-32.2’E) shows that we made good 78 nm with 78 nm to go.  It’s going to happen!

At 1100 hrs on March 18^th, we dropped anchor in the beautiful harbor of Trincomalee in position (8-33.823’N; 81-13.759’E) on a sand/mud bottom with 25’ water depth.  We found our good sailing friends on S/Y Elonissa anchored.  This was, indeed, one of the slowest voyages we have made to date.  All’s well that ends well. 

LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA TO PORT BLAIR, ANDAMAN ISLANDS

LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA TO PORT BLAIR, ANDAMAN IS.

FEBRUARY 23-28, 2016

We departed the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club berth at 1230 hrs on February 23^rd:  distance 536nm.  The forecast from Predict Wind indicated light winds from the NE switching to W’ly in the afternoon.  Initially, we set a jib for going out of Kuah and ghosted along at 2.5 kts.  At 1500 hrs we set a full mainsail w/full jib.  The wind, as predicted, backed into the W at 10-12 kts.  This continued throughout the night with the wind slowly veering to the NW.  By the morning of February 24^th, it was back into the NE and increasing.  At 1000 hrs I put a double reef into the mainsail as the wind was increasing to 15-18 kts with higher gusts.  This is a normal Wx pattern for Thai and north Malaysian waters:  wind starts to blow in the evening and continues into the morning and then starts to die out in the afternoon.  At this time  of year –NE Moonsoon – Wx systems affecting the eastern Gulf of Siam blow across the mainland and produce strong winds on the western side.  In the forecast, I could see that this was due to happen in a few days.  At 1600 hrs we were becalmed about six nm to the west of the Thai island of Ko Racha Noi in position 07-24.2’N; 98-13.9’E:  dropped all sail and waited for wind.  The wind started to blow from the E at 1936 hrs at 15 kts.  Our course to Port Blair was 309 degrees; with the wind in the E, I decided to sail under reefed jib until the wind settled in direction one way or another.  This proved to be a good choice:  by 2200 hrs the wind was blowing 20  kts gusting 25 and the seas started to pick up to 6’.  This was pretty much the Wx pattern over the next couple of days:  short choppy seas and wind in the NE or E at 20 kts dropping down to 15 kts, at times, and then back up again.

At 0600 hrs on the morning of February 25^th, we ran into a small patch of “overfalls” in position 07-50.7’N; 97-27.1’E.  This is a kind of Tide Rip where the seas heap up and break in all different directions.  It like being in a Witches’ Cauldron that’s being steered in a seething mass of boiling water.  Some of the waves are standing straight up and collapsing;  everywhere white water is breaking.  This is an unnerving experience and even more pronounced when seas are enhancing the effects.  Fortunately, we were on the southern end of the overfalls and went through them in about ten minutes.  As I looked to the North, I could see that they extended for several miles with white water breaking everywhere.  Most times, “Overfalls” are indicated on the Maritime Charts:  Many happen during Spring Tides at the full Moon.  Indeed, those are the conditions we were experiencing but they were not charted.

At 0200 hrs on February 26, Phyllis pointed out that the sky to the SE was getting very dark.  I turned on the radar and saw that there was a very heavy black band of showers.  These things are unpredictable as they approach:  possibly strong winds and wind changes direction unexpectedly.  With this in mind, I dropped the double reefed mainsail and furled the jib.  We lay ahull (helm over and secured drifting with wind and seas) until they passed.  By 0500 hrs the showers had moved off and conditions improved so we got U/W once again on reefed jib:  wind was in the E at 10-20 kts.  We have had a favorable current running with us since we left Langakawi:  1-3kts.  Even being becalmed and lying ahull, we have averaged out a little over 104 nm from noon to noon on February 24^th and again on February 25^th.  On February 26^th, we managed to make 111 nm from noon to noon.   On February 27^th, we averaged 133 nm at 5.5 kts.  At 0330 hrs, Phyllis, ran into another patch of overfalls that scared the shit out of her.  I was off watch and sleeping when she called me to “come quickly”:  I ran up naked and confused.  During the rest of February 27^th, the Wx continued to improve with the wind holding in the NE at 10-15 kts and seas at 3-5’.  This makes for enjoyable sailing.  Our ETA for Port Blair was going to be 0400 hrs on February 28^th so there was no need to put up the mainsail; we were making 5.5 kts under reefed jib.  That favorable current was magic!

We made landfall at Port Blair and dropped anchor at 0918 hrs on Sunday February 28^th in  position:  11-41.255N; 92-42.560 on muddy bottom with 33’ water depth.  Port Blair is a wide generous bay with all kinds of anchoring  possibilities.  Our final tally for the voyage was:  536 nm in 106.8 hrs @5.0 kts.  That’s very good speed given that most of it was done under reefed jib.

It took us 2-1/2 days to clear Customs, Immigration and Coast Guard.  We did not get off the boat until Wednesday morning.  That’s unusual and we don’t really understand what happened.  As a result of the delay, we decided not to visit some of the more beautiful places:  Havelock and Neil Island.  Additionally, we have found that the internet is the slowest anywhere in the world that we have visited.  I made the mistake of not getting the Online Visa for Sri Lanka in Langkawi and have spent the last three days trying to do it.  In the end, I had to contact a shipping agent in Sri Lanka to have it done as a “third party” action.  We may sail from here not knowing if we have a visa or not. 

The plan is to sail from Port Blair on Tuesday morning March 8^th for Trincommalle, Sri Lanka: 825 nm.   

PORT BLAIR AND THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

PORT BLAIR AND THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS

March 6, 2016

Although separated from mainland India by over 700 nm, the Andamans have remained part of the empire established by the East India Trading Company.  These islands have been remote and sparsely settled until recent times.  Port Blair is the largest city in the group and boasts a population of around 70,000 inhabitants.  There are over 300 islands in the Andamans, most are uninhabited.  From what I have been able to read at the Marine Maritime Museum, there are six different aboriginal groups that make up the Andaman population:  Nicabarese, Andamanese, Jarawa, Onges, Sentinelese and one more that I don’t remember.

The North Sentinelese are the most noteworthy because they have violently refused any attempts by outsiders to make contact or land on North Sentinel Island.  They are a hunter gatherer society still using bow and arrows. Very little is known about the language, customs or origins.  The Indian government has posted North Sentinel Island as an aboriginal reserve and dangerous to approach.  A few people have been killed trying to land on the island.  The description I was reading stated that there are only 39 known Sentinelese aboriginals left; living in about 20 huts on the island.

The Jarawa are a hunter gatherer society but more tolerant to outsiders.  For the most part they remain aloof to any integration of outside influences. They are located in the Nicobar Islands.

The Onges are another group of hunter gathers that, until recently, refused any outside influence and still only permit occasional contact.  This came about because one of their children was badly wounded from a fall into a ditch.  He was taken to the hospital on another island and recovered.  During his convalescence, he became friendly to the doctors and nurses.  Upon returning to his village, he facilitated rudimentary contacts with the villagers.  The picture I saw in the museum showed him wearing western style shorts.  He was standing with his parents that had the typical native dress of their tribe.  I believe that his DNA indicated that this tribe originated either in Africa or South Eastern Asia.  One of the aboriginal groups has DNA that is similar to the Bushmen of South Africa!

The Nicobar Islands are off-limits to foreigners. Indian nationals need to apply for a permit to visit.  This is a large tribal group of people and has modern facilities on the islands.

The Andamanese are another large tribal group that has been largely integrated into Indian culture.  Most of the people we have met in Port Blair have origins from the Southern Indian mainland.  This is a popular place for mainland Indians to come for the holidays.  There are several ferries that come into the harbor several times a week.  Also, flights are available from the mainland.  We have met very few non-Indian foreigners so far.  We are the only sailing boat in the harbor.  If there are others, they are visiting the other islands.

The more unsavory history of Port Blair involves the Celluar Jail that was built under British rule to exile and punish those political dissidents that made up the “freedom fighters” to rid themselves of British authority.  The little I have gleaned from that gruesome place is that the “First War of Independence” against the British took place in 1858 and was unsuccessful.  The Celluar Jail was developed and expanded right up into the late 1930’s.  The treatment of prisoners was as brutal and inhumane as any that I have ever read about.  This was a place where the prisoners were sent to die.  They were worked to death by being given unreasonable work quotas and then flogged for not meeting them.  Add that to substandard meals and brutal treatment by the guards resulted in the deaths of many.  As the protest concept of a “hunger strike” took place in the Celluar Jail, brutal force feeding by the guards killed many.  They inserted a tube through the nasal passage or down the throat that went into the lungs.   Milk was poured directly into the lungs which resulted in the death of the victim.  All this was done under the supervision of the prison doctor!

In the meantime and very nearby on Ross Island, the British superintendent, prison warden, family and friends were having garden parties and afternoon tea. In the end, their system of brutality, exploitation and death met far more determined opponents culminating in their greatest of leaders: Gandhi.

Although we didn’t venture outside of Port Blair, we had the opportunity to meet some new acquaintances serendipitously.  There were three of them in a military style rubber inflatable.  At the time, there was a luxurious yacht anchored nearby and they tried to gain access to visiting it but were told that “special guests” were onboard and denied access.  They meandered over to our yacht and we invited them aboard.  It turned out that they were from the army and navy and we had a delightful conversation with them.  I gave them our “boat cards” with the blog site on one of them.  Rehsi, a colonel in the navy, took it upon himself to read the whole blog from beginning to end.  Somewhere in there, I must have mentioned that we like rum.  They returned the following day with a gift of two bottles of Indian Rum.  Well received my friends and the consequent slow voyage to Sri Lanka found it to be of excellent quality.  So, we salute our Indian friends Rehsi, Mohan and Suresh.  They made the Andaman voyage worthwhile.     

BOAT LAGOON, PHUKET, THAILAND TO LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA

FEBRUARY 11-21, 2016

The morning of February 11^th, 2016 was special because it was the day we were to depart Boat Lagoon after having our boat there for a little over a year.  High Tide was predicted for 1200 hrs and the pilot arrived at 1130 hrs. The channel out of Boat Lagoon meanders through an ancient river bed that was never very deep and has been modified, in recent times, by dredging, tin mining and two marinas.  All this has taken water from the main riverbed channel and made it even shallower and subject to shoaling.  Dredging is a continuous process.  Most of the boats that have berths within the marina are sitting is soft mud at some time during the tidal cycle.  Nevertheless, many huge cabin cruisers call this home.

We departed our berth at 1130 hrs and made the three mile run to the entrance at 1215 hrs.  It was a great feeling to see the pilot away and know that we were free from Boat Lagoon at long last.  Looking back at the amount of work and money needed to get Solstice to this point seems distant and surreal.  It’s hard for me to believe the number of days and hours spent in confined areas with sauna like temperatures.  I welcome the fresh salt air that is lapping myself and the boat.

Plans had been made with our good friend, Gary, to sail from Phuket to Langkawi with some overnight stops along the way.  The actual sailing distance from Boat Lagoon to Langkawi is around 160 nm.  It usually involves some sailing and motoring.  The NE Monsoon is blowing at this time of year.  The wind picks up in the evening, blows through the night and into the late morning.  Then it starts to die out to an almost calm.  Nighttime is ideal for sailing in these waters but the number of fish traps, fishing boats and floating obstacles makes it less than ideal.  Most cruisers choose to find a sheltered quiet spot behind an island and wait for morning.

Gary’s boat is a 36’ Ted Brewer designed aluminum hull named “Starship”.  With a high aspect rig, she is fast but quite tender which requires carrying the right amount of sail so she won’t heel too far over.  Solstice is quite stiff in a breeze and can carry a lot more sail before reefing.  When sailing with “Starship”, I usually carry less sail so that we can be relatively close together at the end of the day.  The distance from Boat Lagoon to PHIPHI Don is 26nm.

Our first night was spent on one of the King’s Moorings at an island called PHIPHI DON.  We found a stunningly beautiful area between two outcroppings of rocks:  07-38.7’N; 098-29.5’E.  The King’s Moorings are put in place by the Thai government for use by the public.  One has to be careful that they are in good condition. The standard practice is to dive overboard and have a look at the condition of the line that is attached to a heavy concrete block.  Some are quite deep and difficult to see just what is happening on the bottom.  The King’s Moorings are red buoys with a yellow stripe.  Camel Rock is the name of this idyllic place.  Lots of current running through the relatively narrow gap between the two rock outcroppings.  A small sandy beach with coconut trees rounds out a really beautiful place.

The following morning, February 12^th, we motored over to PHIPHI LEI, which is where the movie “The Beach”, with Brad Pit, was filmed.  One still sees remnants of the movie staging and lots of ropes and lines dangling off the cliffs.  It amazes me that, wherever a movie is made, people will flock to that spot in droves to say they were there.  Since Thailand  is a place where many movies are made on remote islands, there are hordes of “Long Tail” boats and fast speed boats carrying tourists to these places.  At this time of year, most are Chinese.

No stops were made at PHIPHI LEI: just a cruise by for the crew that Gary had onboard.  Our target for this evening was Bamboo Cove on the island of KO LANTA.  It was another 27 nm run to get there and required intermittent motor sailing.  We droped anchor at 1612 hrs in 21’ water depth on a sandy bottom:  07-28.765’N; 099-05.261E.  There was a restaurant/bar on the far end of the beach so we had a very nice meal there.  The mountains are quite high in this area and, when the NE/E winds are blowing with strength, send down strong gusts of katabatic wind that hit the boat like a williwaw.  All night long we were hit with one gust after another:  no danger but it is disconcerting.

On Saturday, February 13^th, we heaved up anchor at 0743 hrs and got U/W at 0800 hrs.  Our goal today was the island of KO MUK which was 15nm distant from the southern end of KO LANTA.  The magic of this island is that it has one of the most spectacular underwater caves in all of Thailand.  Known as the Emerald Cave, the actual name is MARACOTE CAVE which is part of the islands that make up the Thai National Park.  The scenic beauty of this cave is that is has a small entrance, just above sea leve,l that can be entered by swimming, kayak or dinghy.  Once inside the entrance, the water is a beautiful emerald green with schools of small fish darting about.  Then the cave opens up and becomes pitch black for about 600 ft.  During this time, the only thing one can do is continue on into the blackness:  a headlamp helps.  While navigating on, one goes through several high chambers where bats can be seen, hanging from the ceilings, with a headlamp.  The wave action of the sea can be heard booming against dark distant places.  Just when it’s becoming rather spooky, a small patch of daylight is seen in the distance.  As one approaches this light another beautiful emerald pool is seen and then you enter an incredible pool of water with a white sandy beach completely surrounded by very high mountainous cliffs, with jungle growth, ascending all the way to the top.  I get the feeling that we are  standing in the basin of an ancient volcano.  It’s one of those places that you would like to spend a romantic  evening alone with a loved one.  Everything that one imagines about a secluded Pacific island paradise is here in this small jewel that is less that one half acre in its livable totality.

Naturally, this special place draws a lot of tourists.  When we first arrived at 1100 hrs, the place was frantic with activity so we motored over to a neighboring island called Ko Kradan and picked up a mooring:  07-18.300’N; 99-15.528E.  The idea was to wait until all the tourist boats had departed for other island with tourist facilities.  Accordingly, we departed Ko Kradan at 1512 hrs and motored back to the Emerald Cave.  Most of the tourist boats had left so we were able to get a mooring and enjoy the beauty of Emerald Cave with few others.  At 1730 hrs, we left Emerald Cave for the Eastern side of KO MUK.  The waters on the eastern side get shallow but make for a good anchorage with a sandy bottom.  Most boats anchor off the main town of KO MUK in coral but motoring around further north brings you into an open roadstead that is buffeted by the NE/E winds but has the mainland for protection so there is little wave action.  At 1830 hrs, we dropped anchor in 12’ water depth on a sandy bottom:  07-21.937’N; 99-18.788’E  The wind was out of the NE 15 kts.  We spent an enjoyable night here with the NE winds cooling the boat.  Not many cruisers have found this spot but it appears to be a great place under most circumstances.

February 14^th found us getting U/W at first light:  0618 hrs.  Our goal for today was KO LIPE, 49 nm from KO MUK, which is in the Thai BUTANG Islands.  These islands are legendary for their remoteness and beauty.  They are only 25 nm from Langkawi, Malaysia which makes them ideal for cruisers coming from Thailand and Malaysia.  It is possible to clear in and out of Thailand, with Immigration authorities, but Customs and Harbor Master have to be done at one of the full service ports.  This was mostly a calm day of winds so we motored the whole way to KO LIPE.  Our friend, Gary, cleared Immigration and we motored around to the north side of KO LIPE and picked up a mooring for the evening.   Ko Lipe is a very touristy place with lots of restaurants, hotels, bars and discos.  Perhaps, one of the more interesting places is a Rastra Bar with a 15’ penis, just inside the patio, with the words “ONE LOVE” written down the shaft.  Thais are conservative but don’t seem to have a lot of sexual inhibitions.  We were once at a place called “The Cave of Penises”.  It was filled with thousands of different size ones.  Evidently, Thai women, wishing to have children, would bring one and place it in the cave hoping that it would bring the desired result.

At 0630 hrs on February 15^th, we set out from Ko Lipe to Telaga Harbor, Malaysia:  25 nm.  The winds were NE’ly so we were able to sail the whole way with very little motoring.  I set a full mainsail and jib and averaged 5.5 kts.  At times we had wind gusts to 20kts but Solstice was sailing beautifully.  At 1300 hrs we entered Telaga Harbor, took on fuel and got a berth at Telaga Marina.  Telaga is a quaint harbor with few facilities but is a check in/out port with Immigration, Customs and Harbor Master.  Other than a fuel dock, restaurant, and service station/convenience store, there is little else.  The facilities at the marina are sub-standard.  This seems to be more of a management problem than anything else.  They just don’t care.  After the cleanliness of Thailand, Islamic Malaysia leaves much to be desired.  We decided to spend a few days here because it will be the last time we will see Gary for many years.  Also, one of his crew members was a Russian named, Vitally, who was a IT graduate from an Eastern Russian University.  He came over and solved several of my computer problems.

At 1024 on February 17^th, we departed  Telaga Harbor for Kuah, which is the capital of Langkawi:  20 nm.  The wind was fresh out of the NE 20+ kts and we sailed under reefed jib hitting 8 kts during gusts.  During the last two legs into Kuah, we had to motor because the wind angle was too close to sail and it wasn’t worthwhile to tack back and forth.  At 1442 we made fast to a berth (E-20) at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.  This marina has undergone a major expansion and modernization program.  It boasts a hotel and modern bathroom facilities.  The staff is friendly, courteous and helpful:  management cares.  The Security is manned by Nepalese guards.  This seems to be popular in Malaysia where security is involved.

Kuah, Langkawi is a duty free port.  We came here to stock up on booze and western foods.  Outside of provisioning the boat with foreign goods, the place has very little to recommend it.  It is one vast depository of imported items.  All the veggies and fruit come in from somewhere else and are not as good as in Thailand.  Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile stop and gives a good wind angle for Port Blair, Andaman Is.: 500 nm.  Our plan is to leave tomorrow February 22^nd around 1000 hrs.  It will take us about 5 days to get there.  WX reports look good, the boat is ready and so are we.  We will update this when we get to the Andamans and have a look-see.