A different summer for us

We are back in Rebak Marina which is a small island just off Langkawi Island which is also a duty free area in Malaysia. This is good for all things that we might have to order abroad as there is no duty or taxes on whatever you order. For us this would be boat parts etc. Having said this there is no problems with Kilkea II at the moment. We have been back for two weeks having cleared customs, imigration, and harbour master in no time at all as well as filling the boat up with diesel all within half an hour. This was at Telaga Harbour which is just five or six miles from Rebak. When we arrived we met up with some of the old cruising friends which was a lot of fun catching up on all their travels and adventures.

The last two weeks have been busy with us putting the boat to bed so to speak. Marian has completely washed and scrubbed the insides, done tons of laundry etc. We have taken the Jib off and put it away and then put the cover back on the boat. It came off a lot easier than when we put it back on. It took nearly two days to get it right and we think next time we are up at Phuket we will get some adjustments made on it. If it was not so hot it would be much easier but with the temps in the 40's and the humidity at 100% it is not possible for us to work more than three hours in a day outside. Then we go to the swimming pool! We have purchased a box air conditioning unit and will have it run on a timer for when we are back in Canada. It will help keep the humidity out and hopefully not allow any mildew getting started. We also will leave three bleach bottles open as the chlorine that evaporates helps kill the nasties.

It has been rather interesting this year as we have done very little sailing (more motoring due to lack of wind) and are back where we started which is rather different as we seem to be going west most of the time. It has been fun just hanging out in Thailand and not having to be on any schedule. We are rather stuck here now as the pirate situation still is stopping us from going up the Red Sea but we are hopeful that maybe next year it will be safe to go that way. Otherwise the options are to ship Kilkea II to the Med or sail around South Africa or just stay here. Our plans right now are to leave tomorrow for Tokyo for a couple of days and then to Vancouver on the weekend. We will be home for about five months and it seems rather strange to be leaving our home just sitting here in the marina. I do think that for me it is the journey and challenges that make it so much fun to be doing what we do wheras Marian enjoys the destinations a little more than I do but she does enjoy the sailing just about as much!! Oh well we will have much to do and see in Vancouver as I have a least a couple of weeks to get Kilkea (the power boat) up and running and we do plan cruising up the BC coast this summer. Lots of fresh prawns and salmon to catch and eat!!! We look forward to seeing all the grand kids and have them get to know us a little better as most times we are home it is only for a short time before we are off. This summer we should be able to have lots of fun and ice cream with them all. I will keep up the blog every couple of weeks form m/v Kilkea and let you know what we are doing in that part of the world.