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.