Captain Scott's Log ~ March 16th 2008

In 2008 we will go from here to Vancouver via Langkawi, Singapore, Borneo,
Philippines, Tawian, Japan and Alaska. Aboard now is Scott Piper, Mark
Jones(Capt), Jeff ( mate & engineer) and Tip (advice giver). We have gone
north to Phangnga Bay. I was here in '99 with Gill and the Nances. With the
aid of my old log book and charts we are revisiting the best of the area. We
left the southern tip of Phuket at dawn and beat north into 25kts of
headwind--not fun.

By early morning we were reaching at 10 kts; the high
spires of the islands filling the horizon ahead. These are limestone
monuments that rise 1000 ft or more, often perfect phallic replicas. At Ko
Phrank we sailed under the 385 meter high cliffs and noted a cave entrance
that I had not found in '99. By dingy we entered the cave and soon all
outside light was gone. Canoes from a tour boat paddled by us. Their
flashlights showed us the way as well as the bat colony overhead. We finally
saw sun light from an exit 100 meters ahead. This exit gave us only a few
inches of clearance so we layed on the floor of the dingy as we entered into
an open-top sea chamber, a lagoon surrounded by 1000 ft cliffs of vines and
ferns. A true lost world. Our exploration was short as the tide was rising
and the exit was getting smaller by the minute. Back on the boat we anchored
here for the night. Eagles screamed and wealed in the heights at sunset and
dawn. Truly a great start to our trip back to America.

Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, March 16, 2008 8 11.470N 98 29.197E Panach Bay, Thailand.

This morning, we loaded the dink onto Pipe Dream and left Naihearn Beach. We had to use the engine until we were well east of Phuket Harbor. Then we turned more north and set the sails. I had almost forgotten how good that feels on this boat. Pipe Dream performed beautifully and sailed very fast. We are now anchored in the lee of Ko Pranark which is a limestone island that is 345meters tall. There are caves and passages through caves into very lush jungle type areas where the center of the island has collapsed. I took the dingy into one of those, but I was a little late and the tide was rising quickly. I made it through the cave, and had to push down to get into the center area. There was another small arch of limestone before I got into the real lush area, but I could not take the chance of getting stuck inside, so I stopped and turned around, and went back out the way I came. There were bats in the darkest area of the cave. It was pitch black, and with a light you could see them. They were chattering and some were flying about, and you could definitely smell them.

It is nice having Scott back on board and be sailing again. The girl from Coconut bar that has been cleaning the inside can also cook quite well, and Mark and I thought that a home cooked Thai dinner would be kind of cool for Scott to arrive to. He enjoyed her cooking so much that he asked her to accompany us while we are still in Thai waters to cook and clean. Tip is thrilled to be along, and never stops smiling. She will not sit down to eat with us though. She says “I am working” and never stops until the last crumb is cleaned from everything, dishes, table, stove, and floor. She feeds all of the natural food waste to the crabs, and even makes sure that everything is cut into fish bite size pieces. We are all enjoying the home cooking, and she makes enough to feed a small army. Tonight, I convinced her that soup and two entrees was plenty, and not to make the third. She was happy about being finished early, and went outside to talk on the phone. Thai people are usually happy, as I am sure Clara can attest to.

Scott is very happy with the boat it seems, and has let a few compliments slip out. He is not happy with the paperwork, but it is what it is. Paperwork and I just don’t quite see eye to eye. He hasn’t fired me yet, so I guess it is not that bad.

The scenery here is breathtaking. There are thousands of islands rising from the sea as far as the eye can see. Most are on the small side, but very tall with sheer limestone faces and stalagmites near the water When the sun was setting, the cliffs became very colorful. We saw three eagles soaring above the island as the sun was setting, and we could hear their cries. That was quite cool. After the moon came up, things became very surreal, and I really did thank God that I am able to be here and see this.

Jeff's Log ~ Friday, March 13, 2008 Back at Naihearn Beach. YEAAAA!

We are free again. Yesterday we left boat lagoon on the high tide and motored back to Naihearn. Keith and his girlfriend Yung came along with Mark and I, just in case there was some breeze to sail on. Unfortunately, when there was breeze, it was right on the nose. We arrived at the anchorage at about 4:30 and set the hook with no trouble. I went for a massage because my hamstrings were so tight they were pulling my back out of whack. I guess that all of the week’s stress ended up there. Big Tip the masseuse worked on just my legs for over an hour before she finally got things untied. I sure did feel much better after that.

Jo, an Australian girl who manages a detail co. took the floor boards for varnish on Saturday afternoon and brought them back finished before we left on Thursday. She kept apologizing for a poor job, but with only a very short time to deal with, I think that they look remarkable. They certainly are shiny and smooth. I did not give them enough time to make them perfect, as the decision to do them was made when the salon air conditioner broke. The gloss on them brightens up the inside of Pipe Dream very nicely.

Little Tip will be cleaning the inside again today to be sure everything is ready for Scott’s arrival at 3:00 on Saturday. Rick put the new stronger snaps on the dodger, and took one of the side curtains to finish repairs. We fit the new cockpit cushions, and he also took them back to his shop for some minor alterations. I gave the cushions a trial sit, and they are very comfortable. Mark finished the stanchions and reinstalled the life-lines. The surveyor e-mailed the boat’s survey to me, and there are just a few items that need to be addressed. I was very happy with that, as she is 13 years old. They did give my performance as a captain-engineer good marks, and that makes all of the hard work worthwhile. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy too.

On Tuesday, I flew to Bangkok to pick up my new passport. This time I flew into the new airport. The place is huge, and quite a piece of architecture. I was lucky, and got a taxi driver that spoke some English. He took me right to the proper entrance, and assisted me with quick access so I did not have to wait in a very long line. He waited for me and I took him to lunch. We went to a gourmet Thai restaurant in the business district. The owner of the restaurant used to cook for the King, so you can just imagine how good the food was. I know I talk about food a lot, but I like to eat, and appreciate good food. The menu had no English, and I asked him to order his three favorites so we could share. We had some slightly spicy fried prawns that he ate shell and all. I just ate a small piece of the shell for the flavor. I am not quite hardy enough to eat the whole thing. They were great though. We also had large chunks of fish that was lightly seared, and then cooked wrapped up in some kind of leaves and baked in the oven. My mouth still waters thinking about that dish! We also had a spicy Tom Yam which is a seafood soup. After all of that, I just could not leave without having dessert. He chose again, and it was very pretty when it got to the table. There was a large ball of shaved ice surrounded by creamy white coconut milk with chunks of fresh coconut, watermelon and mango. Time was running short, so we removed most of the ice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it without the ice.

It was then time to return to the airport and come back to the boat. The spinach pie lunch on the airplane was rather anticlimactic after the lunch I had. I got back to the boat, and we cleaned the bilges and called it quits for the day.