Happy Easter

Surin Island beach



Typical beach bar



Also a typical Thai restaurant

David's viewpoint from atop Sail Rock, Similan Island

Beach bar at sunset

Latex rubber sheets drying. Thailand is the worlds largest producer of latex.

Sea Eagle on huge boulder on pile of huge rocks

Thai Wat

Kilkea II

Longtail boat in Surin Islands

Sea Gypsy village, Surin Island

Large fishing boat, note size of crew on deck tending the fishing net

some pictures with more to come????



Two boat boys waxing Kilkea's masts



Big Buddha overlooking Ao Chalong Bay

Thai market



Yes these are live chics....why are they coloured...we don't know!



Yacht Haven

After four days in the Surin islands we motored 30 miles to the Similan Islands which are also marine parks. This area is much different as it is closer to the mainland and lots and lots of high speed tourist boats come every day around ten in the morning but leave by four in the afternoon leaving us and some live aboard dive boats to enjoy. The island are very nice with great big boulders along the shore with beautiful soft sand beaches. The water here is also very clear with lots of fishes but as we found out three years ago the water temperature went up over 34C for a few weeks and that killed all the coral. It is making a try at coming back but it will take a long time to recover. The water temp now is around 31C. We spent three days and then left for an anchorage by the airport on the north end of Phuket Island where we did some swimming and walks, one to a hotel behind the beach which you would not know was there from the water side that was very wonderful with lots of pools and lovely gardens, as well we enjoying dinners and lunches out as the beach restaurants. Seems that is the main event of the day for all of us cruisers out here. We worked our way around to Ao Chelong where we enjoyed a Sunday evening  enjoying a couple of singers at a beach bar who were very good so had an enjoyable evening. Then it was off to Yacht Haven to clean up and do some boat chores. After three weeks the boat was in need of a good clean up.

I have said that it is HOT here and with the coming of the south west monsoon in a few weeks it is getting even hotter. In the last month the highs and lows are both 5C higher so the highs are around 38+ and the lows 32+ so it is very nice to be at a dock where the A/C can run all day and we can sleep at night. We have taken our jib down and into the sail maker to have the u/v strip re sewn and have it all checked over. Also we are having a complete cover made for Kilkea to provide some shade as we could easily cook an egg on the deck and maybe a whole meal!!! HOT!!! It will come in three pieces so we will be able to use whatever part seems most necessary on the day as it will take awhile to put it all up. When we are at a marina or leaving the boat we will put it all up which will help keep the boat cooler and also protect it from the very harsh ultra violet rays and when the rainy season starts it will keep her drier.

We plan to be here another week then do some more cruising around. The 13th is Thai new year and one of the tradition apparently is to throw buckets of water at everyone which would not be a bad idea. One is always soaking wet here just walking around so a bucket of water would be good. Our visa is up on the 14th so not sure yet if we will get an extension or not. We will be back in Rebak around the end of April to lay up Kilkea and then head for home and some cooler weather. I know I know no one has any sympathy for us complaining about the weather but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Oh well soon we will be upset over too much rain and cold. Never happy are we.

The best part of the day is after the sun has gone down and lots of us yachties head over to one of the local restaurants for dinner and drinks. It is hard to spend more than twenty dollars for drinks (beer) and dinner for two so pretty good. There are lots of nationalities at these get togethers so the conversation is interesting and it is an oportunity to make new friends from around the world.

Surin Islands

We have spent the last two weeks motor sailing up the west coast of Thailand doing about 35 mile hops. We have been stopping for two nights at most places and enjoy the beach restaurants that are in every village or resort area that we pass along the way. The whole coast is a beautiful white beach so it doesn't matter much where we stop. Along the Thai coast the water is a blue green colour so makes for a pleasant view but the air has a haze that limits visibility to maybe five miles. This is real tropical  jungle type weather and is still very HOT. We sailed up to Ko Phayam island which is right on the  boarder with Burma. This was a beautiful island with a great anchorage good food and easy walking. It would be nice to go further north as the charts show nothing but islands with great anchorages for the next two hundred miles up the Myramar coast but this area is closed to us at this time but I expect in the future it will open up as the political climate changes. Next we sailed offshore to the Surisn islands which are a marine park and the water is clean and clear with lots of colourful fishes. Unfortunately most of the coral is dead. I don't know if this is due to warmer water temperature of the ocean or an effect of the tsunami that had such devastating effects on this whole area in 2004. There are very few tourists here but you can rent a tent from the park and spend a few days on deserted beaches for a very inexpensive cost. They even have two canteen type restaurants where you can get basic meals that are very good. Eating in Thailand is a joy with lots of different flavours to enjoy. We will stay another two days here and then move to some more offshore islands called the Similans and see what is there. One thing will be more tourists coming out for day trips from the resorts on the mainland coast.

Off cruising tomorrow

Kilkea II is all clean and polished and looks great. We had the waxing crew hear for four days. The hardest part was the waxing of the masts which took over two days of the boat boys being up both masts. It was badly needed to be done. We went off with Callisto driving to pick up odds and ends for the boats and to do a big shopping. We stopped at a sail loft, which is a huge building called Roley Tasker, and bought a  new jib sheet line as well as a few more bits and pieces. They make rope there and have a full rigging area where the can make anything at all. We will be heading off tomorrow up the west coast of Thailand about 140 miles to the Burma (Myramar) boarder before crossing to the Similan islands where we are told the water is crystal clear. We did stop at the big Buddha on top of one of the hills and enjoyed the wonderful views. The Buddha is really big and is still under construction. It was another very hot day and really it is hard to do anything between 11am until 4 pm. All one can do is sit in the shade and read a book which is what we are looking forward to for the next few weeks. Plus just falling overboard to cool off.