Phuket to the Maldives via Sri Lanka and India

We decided back in March that we would remain in Thailand for the SW monsoon season to rest, work on boat projects, and travel, which we did. Still, it was a longer stay than we would have liked and we couldn’t have done it without the A/C. But we needed to time our next passage with the NE Monsoon so we stayed put on the north side of Phuket Island for 10 months. Roger spent much of this time working on a plan that would get us up to the Med with a convoy and security on board at a reasonable cost. Shipping the boat by sea was way too expensive, shipping by land was wrought with problems, with Saudi Arabian customs, and neither of us really wanted to sail around South Africa… notoriously and accurately called the “Cape of Storms”. Our “Plan B”, if we couldn’t sail up through the Red Sea, was to head back around Singapore and up through the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and then Japan. We’d spend a season there and then sail to Alaska, down the west coast of the US, Mexico and then cross the South Pacific bound for New Zealand. Plan B eliminated the possibility of our completing a circumnavigation, which we’d both like to do. It also eliminated our dreams of sailing the Turkish coast for Roger, and in Greece, Malta and Italy for me. When it looked as if our “Head to the Med through the Red 2015” convoy wasn’t coming together cost-effectively, we were faced with making a choice… South Africa, Japan, or possibly head to Singapore to find work for a year or two and fill up the cruising kitty. 

We discussed the pros and cons of each option… weighing costs, timelines, highlights and low lights of each. We just could not come to a decision. I was leaning towards heading west to complete our circumnavigation and was trying to work up a hearty enthusiasm for the lemurs of Madagascar and the ellies and wildlife parks of South Africa, but Roger wasn’t leaning at all… or would lean one way and then another. We missed two deadlines we set for our decision making and just when it really, REALLY came down to the wire, we had a breakthrough… 

Roger found a website for an association of maritime security companies. They listed contact info and summaries for all their members (about 150 in all) and he painstakingly went through almost all (at least up to the P’s or S’s) and sent dozens of emails off in hopes of finding a workable solution. It paid off! We had 6 or 7 companies that were very interested in working with us, at more reasonable prices below our pain threshold. One of these turned out to be just the right solution. The company owners made a trip to Phuket to visit with us for a few days and to discuss the plans. The energy was great, the price was fair (relatively speaking) and the contract and details just needed to be sorted out. All of that still took another two months, but the Universe was telling us to hang in there and not give up. 🙂 We’ll be documenting our trip and post details for others who might be interested once we complete the journey and are up in the Med.

The NE monsoon this year was very late in coming. Roger was diligently watching the weather forecasts for a good window to leave Phuket and start our passage over to Sri Lanka. We had hoped to leave the Yacht Haven Marina by mid-December, but cyclones pounded through the Philippines one after another and kept the weather unsettled. WOW, are we glad we decided not to head up that way to Japan. We would have been smack in the middle of those cyclones and would have gotten hammered!

Phuket was bound and determined to hold us in its vortex, but we finally pulled ourselves out of the marina and sailed around to Ao Chalong to check out and then Nai Harn for a few last-minute tasks and provisions (Nai Harn grilled chicken… yeah baby!) We sold our A/C to a yacht spending another year in SE Asia and delivered it to them in the bay by dinghy. Then off we went, finally, destined for points west… new cultures, new cuisine, new landscape, and who knows what else! 

Day 610 – 618 –  29 Dec – 6 Jan 2015 – Nai Harn bay, Phuket to Galle, Sri Lanka

We had decided to stay another week or so until the weather settled down a bit more, but as soon as we decided that, the next morning Roger was at the computer checking weather and thinking we should be on our way. So, as we often do, we changed our minds and within an hour we we pulling up the anchor and heading west.

Day 1 – we had everything from no wind at the outset to 40 knots late in the afternoon. We had a dolphin escort for a bit and I took that as a good sign for our journey. We had a squall that stirred up the seas in the afternoon and left us both on the queasy side. We skipped dinner and simply had a few crackers with our Dramamine.

Day 2 – we are crossing the Andaman Sea and should reach the Nicobar islands in the morning. Although these islands are only two days off the coast of Thailand, and even closer to Indonesia, they belong to India. No foreign visitors are allowed to stop there without visas and permits, so we cruised on through.

Day 3 – we arrived at the Nicobars in the morning and enjoyed a nice sail through the passage with wind and current behind us. As we entered the channel between the islands we saw a beautiful rainbow and I knew my grandma and especially grandpa were smiling down at us. We continued on, dodging a few rainstorms, and the wind was mostly enough for sailing.

Day 4 – the winds lightened up and are almost on the nose… Unfortunately. So we are motoring with nice flat seas. We aren’t able to get the GRIBS (basic weather forecast chart over radio) as the Indian Ocean is lacking close-enough substations to transmit to/from. So we will deal with whatever we get.

Day 5 – we are about half way to Sri Lanka and continue motoring in a glassy calm ocean. Roger thinks the wind will switch to the NE later today…. And sure enough it has. We are still motor-sailing though as winds are light. Just before lunch we had a huge group of dolphins join us and give us a friendly escort for a while. They were riding the bow, frolicking and jumping for joy. Such beautiful creatures. I always think it is good luck when the dolphins come to play with us.

Just as I was heading down to the galley to start preparing a proper dinner meal, with the conditions so calm, we heard an awful banging of propeller and shaft. OMG! We immediately put the transmission in neutral and then shut off the engine. Roger checked the engine and the drive shaft but couldn’t find anything there, so thought the problem had to be in the prop. That meant getting in the water and under the boat for a look. We had to “heave to” to stop the boat as much as possible. The sun was setting and the thought of Roger off the boat and in the water in 12,000 feet in the middle of the Indian Ocean, even wearing a harness and tied on, made me queasy. Needless to say that whatever might be wrong with the prop would necessitate leaving the engine off and using sails only… problematic with the anticipated lack of wind forecast for days to come. We also had no way to contact anyone as no boats were within radio range. I was concerned, but felt so confident in Roger’s experience and capabilities as well as the sturdiness of the boat, that it didn’t escalate into real fear. I am so appreciative to have a solid partner and boat I can rely on. Everything looked fine with the prop and Roger was back on board within a few minutes. He checked the engine again and everything was okay, so we started it up and it was fine. The best we can speculate is that a bag or something underwater got tangled in the prop and took it out of balance for a few minutes and then it cleared when we took it out of gear. Everything has been fine since and we continue motor-sailing happily along.

Day 6 – the conditions have been benign, not much wind, very calm seas. It looks like we will have to continue to motor as there isn’t enough wind to keep the sails full. Roger hasn’t been sleeping much/well and is exhausted to the point of feeling a bit queasy. We had brekky early and he went into our cabin to sleep since the conditions are calm. With the help of a dramamine and his own comfy bed, hopefully he will be able to sleep until noon.

Day 7 – Finally we are able to sail. In fact we had to slow down a bit so we don’t arrive in the shipping lanes off the southern coast of Sri Lanka in the middle of the night. There are so many boats heading around that way, coming or going between the Malaca Straits and around Sri Lanka. Many are heading through the Red Sea, but others will head down and around South Africa. The wind picked up in the afternoon and the seas got a bit unsettled, but we were able to take showers on the back deck in sunshine, which is always a delight. No matter how luxurious a resort might be, it can’t compare with an outdoor shower on the back deck in the sunshine or under the moon and stars. Unfortunately, while Roger was showering he somehow tweaked his back and is not a very happy camper tonight.

Day 8 – Our last full day of this passage. This is my first ocean crossing, although we’ve only come across half of it so far. We ran into some very surprising contrary current off the coast of Sri Lanka. We were getting set south with about 4 knots of current while the wind was coming from the northwest… When it should have come from the northeast. We were crabbing along trying not to get pushed south into the shipping lanes, which were a major thoroughfare of cargo ships, freighters and tankers. It was very tense for a while and Roger was stressed with concern and exhaustion. Luckily we were able to motor-sail a few hours through it, making slow progress, then the wind began to shift to the beam and we eased off the engine, eventually able to sail.

Day 618 – 631 –  6 – 19 Jan 2015 – Galle, Sri Lanka

Arriving in Galle Harbor – We arrived at Galle at 5am and anchored just outside the harbor, behind a point of land, sleeping a few hours and waiting until daylight to call our agent and enter the harbor for check-in. Two navy officers motored out to meet us, checking passports and boat papers. We then motored in and tied up to what amounted to a floating plastic Lego pier… not the best conditions for tying up the boat, and no electricity available, which means we won’t be able to leave the boat for more than a day or two to travel inland. The check-in procedure involved many forms and signatures and stamps, immigration, customs, and port clearance. Good we had had an agent, Windsor Reef, to assist us. After finishing the process, we got a tuk-tuk into town, changed money, got a SIM card and then enjoyed our first Sri Lankan lunch, which we ate with our hands. Chicken curry, Dal, jack fruit baked with turmeric and other stuff, soy something-or-other, poppadom, coconut, salad and rice. It was spicy for us even though we ordered it “not spicy”. I am feeling happy, uplifted energy here and am looking forward to exploring the country, as best we can. Tomorrow or the following day we will head to Colombo so Roger can apply for his Indian tourist visa. I was curious as to whether the famous Indian head “waggling” would also be present in Sri Lanka and was delighted to find that there was, indeed, some waggling here. I’m sure it isn’t quite as prevalent as in India, but we got a chance to practice and it is a delightful part of the culture. 🙂 (smile, waggle waggle, repeat)