Jeff's Log ~ February 3, 2008 7 57.458N 98 26.626E

Sunday,

Pipe Dream was scheduled to be hauled this morning. We got there right at high tide, and could not get in to the marina. We ran out of water about halfway up the channel. Then some of the speedboats that were going out made some huge wakes and put us pretty firmly aground. The marina sent a dingy with a couple of guys and we launched the dingy and added some line to the main halyard, and used the dingy to pull the mast over from the top to lessen the draft of the big boat. The marina dingy pushed the bow around while I pulled on the halyard. We were successful in getting her to deeper water. The tide tonight is half a meter higher, and we should be able to make it in tonight.

I am glad that my friend Keith was with me. He is a retired professional sailor who sailed big swans most of his career, so nothing really rattles him. We went in the lee of a cute little island called Ko-Rang Yai, which according to the chart is 64 meters high. It is two miles away from the inlet to boat lagoon.
Pulling up the anchor this morning was a very messy ordeal. The first ten or twelve feet of anchor rode was pretty well grown with barnacles and other sea creatures, and covered in green slime. I was thinking of my big sis Chris as we worked to not make too big a mess. She asked me to float some in a bowl and take a picture of it for her, but there was no time for that. She teaches biology at the local college. I’m sure before I leave Thailand I will be able to do that for her. (By the way, I’m referring to the green slime).

The process of launching the dingy when we ran aground was some hard work. Once the dingy is in the water, we tie it so that the rear of the dink is even with the rear of the big boat. Then the main halyard is used to lift the outboard motor off of the stern pulpit which is where it stays when not in use. The engine is a 25 horsepower Yamaha, and they tell me it weighs more than 40 kilos. When that got lowered to me in the dink, a large wave hit at the same time. With the big boat sitting on the bottom, the dingy went up and down, but the big boat did not, Things got a bit out of control for a bit, but we recovered with no injuries or damage, except for some black tire marks on the side of Pipe Dream from the dinks wheel rubbing on the paint. A good scrubbing will take that off.

After she was free, Keith headed back out to deep water quickly, and I could not keep up. In the process of everything that went on. I got quite a bit of water in the dink, and in the large waves, it was feeling pretty stern heavy. In the rush to launch, the bailing jug was not in the boat. I whistled and waved, and Keith slowed so that I could get it. Naturally while all of this was going on, the wind had come up, and so had the waves. By the time all was safe and I was back aboard Pipe Dream, I was pretty tired. Once we were safely anchored, we had some breakfast and then took a nap. We are in pretty close, and it really is a nice change to hear birds singing on shore. We had a visit from a small bird that really was pretty. It sat on the lifeline and sang for a bit. Remembering what happened with the birds in the red sea, I told Keith Get the gun, quick. We both chuckled a little over that.

Its 4:00 now and we started a trend. When we anchored here, we were the only boat around for miles. It’s such a peaceful spot, there are now six boats around us, and a couple of them look like they want to stay for a while. Can’t blame them, what’s not to like? As it turns out, those boats were all heading to boat lagoon too, they were just smarter than we were and arrived a day early. We would have done that, but Rukker’s birthday was Sunday night, and we had to be there for that. The marina attendants came out to meet us at 2030 as planned earlier, and came aboard to help pilot us in. The extra half meter of tide gave us safe water all the way in. It was still quite nerve wracking because some times on shore were bright lights shining over the water that blinded us. The Thai guys are in and out every day, though and know the channel by heart. After getting the boat tied up on a floating dock which was only a third of the boat’s length, Keith left for home, and I put the screens in my cabin port lights to keep the mosquitoes at bay, closed the door and went to sleep.

In the AM, the yard guys came to the boat about 7:30, and we went to the haul out slip and got Pipe Dream up and out of the water. I was very proud because when she came out, the bottom was nice and clean, except for a couple of spots. A couple of other sailors asked me why I was even bothering with the bottom at all. I told them I would rather haul out and do minor repairs here than have to go swimming regularly to clean the bottom in Alaska. Today is Wednesday, and the rudder is being repaired, the bottom is sanded all the way down the starboard side, and arrangements have been made to have the scrapes and nicks repaired on the topsides. I have also ordered a couple of things needed for the main engine.

Jeff's Log ~ Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

Today is a rather sad day for me. My taxi driver Jimmy was involved in a head on collision and is in the hospital. They did surgery today, and he is in the ICU. He is not only my driver; he has become a dear friend as well. I am thanking God that it happened after he dropped me off. I am also praying that he’ll be ok. There are angels watching over me I think. That was a near miss. The accident was Thursday night. We had been traveling around to the boat yards earlier in the day and stopped for a bite to eat and I had a few cocktails, he had a few beers. The car that hit him was a rental driven by an intoxicated “farang” who was driving on the wrong side of the road. I don’t know the condition of that guy.

Pipe Dream is coming out of the water on Monday, so I have been busy getting things put together for the sail over to boat lagoon. I can hardly wait to make her work again. Tomorrow morning, I will dive the bottom using the scuba gear so that the running gear is thoroughly cleaned. The propeller is a “Max-Prop” which is a feathering prop, and it doesn’t like to work properly if there is anything growing on it. I have not been in the water since I sliced my hand, so I’m sure there will be a bit of work to do. I’ve noticed little sergeant majors hanging out at the back of the boat. That’s a bad sign of barnacle growth. I remain amazed at how fast those creatures grow here. There is no antifouling paint on the shaft or prop.

Wishing a Happy Groundhog Day Birthday to Lori.. May you have many more.

I also got some very good news. Clara has finally received her passport from our speedy homeland security department. It only took three and a half months. She has put together a system of flights which is relatively inexpensive and is coming for a visit. That brightened my outlook. I can hardly wait till she gets here. It’s been months and months!!! While she is here, I think a trip to Bangkok to renew my passport will happen. She’ll be able to be my adventure partner. They say that renewals will take 24 hours. We’ll see.

Jeff's Log ~ Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Same old place.

I have been working hard on the boat as usual. I have the generator mostly disassembled to repair the oil leak, but got wounded when a big roll caused a little mishap between a sharp tie wrap and my left index finger and back of the hand. It slit me like a razor blade through a grape. Needless to say, progress stopped. After taping the seam shut, things were just too sore and tender to keep on working in the confined space where I have to feel my way along. I began working on the shift and throttle control now, because I can see that and work on it without my index finger for the most part. My varnish work is coming nicely too. I think that if it keeps going as well as it is I’ll call myself Steinway, because it is nearly as shiny as their pianos. I now have the confidence to start on the floor boards. Actually, they might be easier because they were done pretty well in Turkey last year. They just have a little wear and tear on them. Scott, the owner, and I have decided to have the boat hauled because of the problems going on underwater. That’s a big relief to me. I am really bonding with the boat now, and I want her to have supreme care.

Today I went around to several boat yards and looked at jobs under way and jobs which were completed and noted deficiencies. I made my choice as to where I’m going. It’s called Boat Lagoon, and the company I’ll be dealing with is called ProYachting. The owners are Pro and Jill. They are Thai people, but Jill speaks English fairly well. They were the last I visited, and definitely had the most pride and best attitude of the people I spoke with. I feel very comfortable with them, and they are knowledgeable about modern yacht systems. They were not afraid to give me a quote based on mutual trust and knowledge. She asked very good questions about my underwater damage and pulled some files of similar boats and discussed things with me. I’m looking forward to working with them.

While I’m here, Clara is taking care of things for me. When I spoke with her yesterday, she had just been on the phone with my Mom for an extended call. Mom is in Arkansas with my Uncle Milton. He is a “retired” Catholic priest, and a really good chap. She goes to his house every year right after Christmas, and stays until sometime in February. He is a ham radio operator, and has a host of other skills and talents. The reason I put quotes around retired is that I don’t ever think he will fully retire. His parishioners love him too much to let him stop working completely. He just doesn’t live at the church anymore!

Clara also heard from my Dad, and he is going on February 21st for surgery on the shoulder that got messed up in a fall that he took. Please remember him in your prayers too, as he is not exactly a spring chicken either.

I love you Mom and Dad

Steve, you made feel pretty good with your comment about keel cleaning. All I can tell you is that I could not even come close to being able to do that in Egypt. Practice makes perfect. As far as books go, I like to read anything except trashy romance novels. Mysteries, adventure, true adventure stories, light historical stuff. No-Mow, I’m still trying to get some house and land pics for ya, Got the waterfront housing in Ranong. Usually when I go out, I have a lot of business on my mind and forget camera. Today, tried to use my phone, but it had other ideas. After I got back to the boat, I turned it off and on, and the camera started working again. Maybe next time…

Jeff's Log ~ Wednesday, January 23, 2008 5:30PM Same old place, Naiharn Beach, Thailand

Today I went to Chalong, and my package from home had arrived. I could not wait until I got back to the boat to open it, so I went to Coconut Bar and opened it there. I drew a crowd I’ll tell you. There was a lot of Thai chatter going on as I took everything out piece by piece. The cards I waited until home for, but sure got a thrill out of everything. After it was all un wrapped and stowed in my backpack, the people in Coconuts all told me in their very crude English that I am blessed to have people that love me at home and that I should thank Buddha.

The Sperry sandals were a big hit. They all loved the camel toe sole on them. Thanks to Linda, Sara, Amy, Becky and Beaver for the cards, and Janey thanks for the fish cookbook and card. Vicki and Sandy thanks for the portable clock weather station that should come in handy. Slim Jim thanks for the calendar, until now I’ve been using my wrist watch and the tide chart. Liz, David, Marsha and Gary, thanks for the assortment of movies. I’ve been watching the same six or seven since I got here, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy these a lot more than once. I’d like to thank Fuzzy and Neva who sent some books, boy I’ve been reading the same things over and over it’s so nice to have something new. And last but certainly not least, thanks to Adolph and Patty for the M&Ms. they will add just a touch of sweetness to the rest of my treasures.
It’s so nice to have such a great group of friends who cared and took the time to think of me..
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

Clara, my wonderful girlfriend, sent me the first season’s complete set of two and a half men, my favorite sitcom, some new smaller shorts which fit perfectly, music cd’s and cd’s of the blue collar comedy tour, , a M&M coffee cup with my name on it and a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. She’s absolutely wonderful, and I feel like I hit the jackpot, and I don’t mean just with package from home.

Thanks Nancy for the blog addition. You’re going to be a Great Great Grandma! Lori thanks to you too. I guess that you will be a Great Great Aunt???? I think that I’ve got that right. Pat and Paul, I’m glad that your cruise was so nice. And Clara truly enjoyed your visit as did our friends from the Fire Plug she loved taking you guys around and maybe next time I’ll be there too.

Things here are about the same. I had the companion way varnished and it looked so much better, but I decided to sand it down one more time and do some detailing. The teak has been coated with varnish so many times that the corners weren’t corners anymore. They were all rounded and dark colored because the varnish has never been stripped. Well, I’m not going to strip it because of the mess involved with that, but I did take an x-acto knife and sculpted the corners sharp again. Most of the real dark varnish is now gone, and I’m looking forward to the finish coats now. Let’s see, I think that this is the sixth day working on that? I really hope that it turns out as well as it looks in my mind’s eye right now.

Sunset tonight was one of the prettier ones since I’ve been here. I took a couple of photos and if they look nice, I’ll send them. The screen in my camera blew up, so I don’t know what I’ve got yet. Wow! They turned out really nice, the color is just unbelievable, and notice how boats are all pointing in different directions? That drives me crazy!! The American flag was struck right after the camera was stowed. That is part of the day’s routine. The first thing in the morning is putting the flag out while the coffee brews, and everyday at sunset, the flag is struck and stowed. I try to be a good American and a professional captain.

Please keep those comments on the blog coming, they really brighten my day Love you all.

Jeff's Log ~ Saturday, January 19th 2008

Another day of varnish school is completed and the student earned a B+ for the day. Now I have to really go on the hunt for a tack cloth because in the finish coats, I don’t want the little grit particles that stay there even though I wipe everything down with a clean thinner dampened rag. When I got the varnish and stuff, I asked and looked around a bit, but nobody seemed to know what I was talking about.

My calendar says that it’s January nineteenth and a little flag that says it’s Becky’s Birthday. Happy Happy Birthday Becky, and let me buy you a double on the rocks from Naiharn Beach, Thailand. Next year, I should be home for your birthday. A BIG HUG for you too!

Tonight, my friend Keith is coming to the boat for dinner and stories. He is the fellow whose boat is in the yard being painted. He called me and told me that he had a bit of bad luck. He decided to paint the lower ten feet of his mast. He secured the top of the ladder to the mast, but did not secure the bottom. As he was coming down the ladder, the bottom shifted and he flipped the can of white paint up in the air, all over the freshly painted grey deck. He’s all right, just hurt his pride and caused himself a couple hours of cleanup. My varnish problems all of a sudden didn’t seem so bad.

Today, I went swimming and was quite surprised at how the port side waterline had mossed up already. It’s been less than a week. I spent the afternoon with mask, fins and snorkel cleaning again. I’m getting in better shape than I was. I can now snorkel and clean the rudder and keel. That makes me feel pretty good.

I also was working on the jib roller furling system. The manual that Harken sent me was not very much help. The only service info said to spray with a dry silicone compound. Absolutely no information about replacing the bearings. I figured out what had to come apart and began disassembly. When I started getting down to the bearings, it became obvious that the headstay has to be taken down to replace the bearings. I’ll think about that for a little while. That might be a boat yard job, I may be able to do it with a knowledgeable helper. I did lubricate them, and things rotate much nicer. Maybe I’ll put the jib back up and see how it works. I did get to see the actual bearings, and I didn’t think they were too beat up.

I also gave the dingy leak another try. It was storming yesterday, so we didn’t go to Chalong as planned. Instead of using a patch, I decided to use good old marine-tex. Instead of working where the dingy usually hangs, I rigged a couple of the halyards that come from the top of the mast and raised the dingy above the lifelines and with a couple of lines pressed it against the halyards so it could not swing around when the boat rolls. This let me see what I was patching, instead of guessing. After the marine-tex cured, I splashed the dink, and so far so good. When Keith gets here, I’ll take it for a high speed run and see if it holds.

GO GREENBAY PACKERS!!!!!!

Jeff's Log ~ Thursday, January 17, 2008

Day two of Jeff’s varnish education is complete. Today I began learning about thinning the varnish so that the brush strokes flow out. I am beginning to be happy with the results. There is a marked improvement over what was there before, and I only have two thin coats of varnish on. My auto-body shop instructor in high school, a great man by the name of Karl Schmidt, always said “painting is the gravy of bodywork” and I have never forgotten those words. I really took some time sanding and carefully masking where others hadn’t, and thinned the varnish to a maple syrup consistency, and the results are not too bad, if I do say so myself. Another few coats and it will look like new.

I was a little worried because right after I finished cleaning my badger hair brush, it clouded up outside and began thundering. Thank God that the rain held off for about an hour and a half, so the varnish had set up by then. It was dark when it stopped raining, but I looked it over with a flashlight, and it looks ok.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll put another coat on it, and then the dingy and I are going to Chalong in a truck because the dink is filling with water from holes in the tube attaching flange. I’m going to have the dingy guys glue patches on, because they can get it dry, and properly glue it together. I have tried gluing patches on here, but they just don’t hold well enough because I can never really get it dry and salt free.

It will be nice to get off the boat too. I have not been ashore since Sunday, and the boat is beginning to feel quite small. I feel like there might be a fresh cinnamon roll and a hot cup of coffee in my future tomorrow morning! There is a real nice bakery and coffee shop across the street from the dingy shop.

Jeff's Log ~ Wednesday, January 16, 2008

I did my visa run to Burma on Sunday, and this time we had a modern Mercedes turbo diesel powered bus, and a driver that wanted to get there and back quickly. We stopped at the same Lion’s club for breakfast, and it was very good again. The driver was going fast around curves and up and down the hills. We got to Ranong at about 11AM, cleared out and were on the boat by 1145. The warehouse that had the lofts has been cleared, and the whole area smells better. It looks like the warehouse is going to be used commercially instead of residentially from now on. The trip to Burma on the boat was uneventful, and the crowds at the dock were not as large or aggressive as they were last time.

This time, I couldn’t resist trying the 80baht fifth of rum. That’s about $2.30 US. I got two, because that is all you are allowed. When I got home I tried it, and it’s not bad at all! Now I’ll have a mission for my final visa run in February.

On Sunday morning, the day of my visa run, I got up at 0445, made coffee, etc and was feeling good about getting to the pick up spot on time, and had my pillow and reading material in my backpack, all ready to go. I put the dingy in the water and locked the boat. For the first time ever, the dink really gave me a problem starting. Usually, when it’s cold start in the morning, it starts on the third pull. Well, I was ready to give up and row, but decided one more pull. It roared to life just like normal. Haven’t had problem since either. I guess it’s just not used to waking up at 0530!!

After the visa run, I was back on the boat around 2000, very early compared to the 2230 last time. With the trip being quicker, and on a Sunday, I found out that a lot of the buildings that I thought were either commercial or farm outbuildings are actually peoples homes. Most of the garage doors were open, and I could see inside, and they are open air living rooms. Most looked very clean and shiny inside with very little furniture. Most people were hanging out outdoors and sitting on plastic patio furniture or seating made from various trees, cement blocks or whatever. Very few had TV’s visible. Also, while on the housing subject, I have learned through visiting various business homes, that a lot of the homes do not have running water. They usually have toilets, but keep a barrel of water close by with a bowl left floating in it. When you finish, you flush by dumping bowls full of water into the toilet until it is clear. At this kind of house, a shower is taken out side with another barrel of water and a bowl with which to rinse yourself. The women shower wearing sarong, so the neighbors don’t see them naked. Must be tough to shave their legs!

In the homes that have running water, in most cases, the water is not potable. In order to drink tap water, there must be a treatment facility installed in the house that has multiple filters, and a ultra-violet sterilizer. Maintenance on that is costly, so only the wealthier people have that, and the ones I have seen, only have the kitchen water treated. The homes without toilets still use old fashioned outhouses. One or two holes, no waiting. Some of the old businesses still have outhouses for their patrons.

It kind of sounds like I have traveled back in time doesn’t it? I have knuckled down and am working hard on the boat. I disassembled, cleaned and lubricated the cockpit primary winches. They are three speed racing winches, and this was the first time I have ever had any of these apart. Lots of tiny springs for the ratchet pawls!!! The book on board was only for two speed cruising winches. The first one took a long time; the second was a lot easier and quicker.

Today, I decided to try my hand at varnishing the companion-way teak. Watching someone varnishing sure is a lot easier. I did learn that it cannot be rushed, and the second time that I sanded it down and varnished it going a lot slower, I proved to myself that I can do it. PATIENCE, PATIENCE. I’m sure I’ll still learn a lot more in the next few coats. The first one was an absolute disaster.

Clara finally got her Christmas present today. For those of you that don’t know, I got her a choker of black pearls and matching earrings. The earrings are “Thai style” with a ring of diamond looking crystals as a base. She was very happy when she received them. I was glad that they finally arrived intact.