TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

Dear Friends and Family,

After enjoying touring the west coast of Phuket Island, we returned to beautiful Chalong Bay in the southeast corner of the island and made it our base of operations. From there we were able to get several items taken care of on Sand Dollar, one of which was having a new awning/rain-catcher made. The girls that made it work in a loft above Rick’s Surf Shop and did an outstanding job at a reasonable price. We also had our engine’s starter and alternator overhauled by a local expert in Phuket Town. It was entertaining to watch him disassemble, clean and replace the worn out parts. We think he could have done it blind-folded.(A picture of his smiling face is included in the recent photos we’ve posted.) One evening Sand Dollar joined the crowd as the majority of boats in the anchorage steamed out and headed seaward, making for deeper water after an earthquake in Indonesia was rumored to have spawned a tsunami, which happily never materialized. We also made a couple of trips to small islands near Ao Chalong. Time passed pleasantly, with us enjoying Thai cuisine, visiting with fellow yachties at the funky Phuket Cruising Yacht Club, and occasionally renting a motorbike from Bei, a friendly and charming local woman, to tour the countryside. After our 60-day visa ran out, we sailed back to Langkawi Island, Malaysia. For the last week or so, we’ve been anchored in lovely Telaga Harbor (zoom in on #72 on the map). Sea-eagles cruise the anchorage, we can hear the hornbills cackling in the jungle, and the other day on shore, a monkey snuck up to a little convenience store and made off with a loaf of bread, with the shop-keeper in hot but futile pursuit. In a couple of days we will sail over to Rebak Island Marina to take advantage of its washing machines and fresh water in order to clean and prepare Sand Dollar for her five month hiatus. During the rainy season, she will be moored on the peaceful Killim river while we’re gone (see #64 on the map). Another season of cruising has come to an end, but we are looking forward to returning to our home base in Florida once again.

Cheers! Ken and Katie

SandDollar_N4KS@yahoo.com