Cruisin, Boozin' and Snoozin' 2008

Tug of war in the Andaman Islands

 It's 51 weeks since we untied Balvenie from her berth in Rebak Marina, Langkawi, Malaysia. Our goal for the season was Turkey and we have achieved it. We knew it was going to be a big year, with many miles to cover, some long passages to undertake, possible "pirate encounters", and the infamous Red Sea. What we totally underestimated was just how totally amazing it would be, we are both very well travelled but what we have seen and done this year has left us in awe.

After leaving Thailand we started in the Andaman Islands, governed by India and still following English traditions of the 1960's. You can not be in a rush here, the sooner you except this the more you will enjoy it. This is an island group incorporated with the Nicobar Islands. The Nicobar's are still off limits to any outsiders (including local Indians), the indigenous population roam the islands, defending them proudly and attacking any one that comes too close with bow and arrows. There are also islands within the Andaman group that are off limits, this is truly an outpost, sitting alone in the Bay of Bengal.

From here we were blown into the harbour at Galle in Sri Lanka. The unplanned stops are often the best and we had a great stay in Sri Lanka and managed to avoid the Tamal Tiger bomb blasts as we toured inland over Independence Weekend. This is a beautiful lush fertile country, but inland it is being torn apart by the fighting and on the coast they are still desperately trying to recover from the immense damage done in the 2005 Tsunami. They have a long road to recovery, unifying and rebuilding their country.

Colourful women of Eritrea

Onwards to the Maldives, hundreds of little atolls in the vast Indian Ocean, our time allowed just the one stop before moving on and completing the big ocean passages. Oman, well we had no idea what this part of the world would be like, maybe sand dunes and Bedouin nomads but neither were spotted, just rocks rocks and more rocks and many a camel! Oman is rich with oil wealth, new roads, latest design European cars and oh so dry. They may have oil, but they have no rainfall and the very rocky desert surely replicates a lunar landscape.

Next we moved along to Yemen and the southern Red Sea countries. This was a journey that took us back in time to the civilisations that were the founders of mankind. In Yemen, Eritrea and Sudan, time has stood still - they are truly amazing places and can not be compared to anything we have seen before. They take your breath away, and have left us with such deep lasting memories, they are a world apart and very special places. They are all so dreadfully poor, but they are survivors, they have been their since time began and life goes on regardless.



The men of Yemen

 Egypt was a huge challenge, the Egyptians being the most difficult race to deal with we have encountered. The history is phenomenal and we are pleased we have "been there - done that", would we return? NO! As someone recently said to me about Egypt "everything there is for dead people" and this is true. It is all about the tombs, the afterlife, and the treasures taken to the afterlife. Egypt may once have ruled much of civilisation and lead the way in many things but it seems it has never moved on.

And then we were in the Med, what an enormous relief and a huge sense of achievement. Greek Cyprus was a breath of fresh air after months in strict Muslim countries, it was great to feel normal again. It is a lovely island, lacking unfortunately in safe harbours so our time there was limited. Then we were just 180miles away from Turkey, we arrived 25 June and have enjoyed every day since cruising the magical southern coastline and a few of the Greek Dodecanese Islands.

Sudanese women

Has it been worth it? - absolutely! Obviously there is much publicity about the continued piracy attacks in the Southern Gulf of Aden, and most countries we visited had government warnings issued for travellers not to visit them. We never once felt threatened or unsafe, either at sea or on the land. Words really can't describe the truly amazing year we have had.

IN A NUTSHELL -
Countries visited - 13
Nautical miles travelled - 6743 of which 3263 were offshore
Nights at sea - 33
Nights tied up in Marinas or town quays - 90
Different Anchorages visited - 93 (several nights at some and also returns to some)
Nights spent off the boat touring - 13
Strongest winds - 38knots at anchor in Ras Banas, Egypt
Most miles covered in a day - 165m enroute to Oman from the Maldives
Fastest speed - 8.6knots, ironically on our last day cruising coming towards Marmaris!
Sleepless nights - 2 at sea Andamans to Sri Lanka with squalls, 1 in Greece and 3 in Turkey with thunderstorms late in the season and boats around us dragging
Rainy days - 1 (while on land travel to Asmara!). This should be rainy hours of which there are about 5 hours. A couple during squalls Andamans - Sri Lanka, 1 hour upon arrival in Maldives, and a couple of hours in recent weeks at night in Turkey
Cloudy days - 3 in Massawa while passing through the convergence zone, 1 in Turkey mid October
Sunny days - Every other day and long may it continue, currently 10.30am at 26c in Marmaris!!!!!
How much did it cost - When we were planning on going cruising it was so hard to find out how much people were spending, as I was told by one long term cruiser you will spend what you can afford which is very true. During these 51 weeks we spent an average of just under NZ$600 per week. This includes everything except for the cosmetic work we had done in Thailand (new galley bench, sail cover, fibreglass repairs to hull). I have also included all the food and alcohol provisions purchased in Langkawi before our departure from there

Skippers Malaysia-Med Cruising Notes

SKIPPER HAS HIS SAY (AT LAST)

Advice (for what its worth) and things I would do different if we did the Indian Ocean again.

1) Make sure your engine is in the best shape of its life !!
2) Make sure you are seriously spared up big time !!. Assume there is nothing between Thailand and Turkey. Get as much as you can in Langkawi. I waited until Phuket to get my Volvo and Yanmar spares/filters etc and paid up to 4 times more than I would in NZ or Oz. All the ports you visit support commercial and fishing fleets so there is always a local guy to help as long as you have the bits on board.
3) Have a very very close look at the booze situation. If you miss Sri Lanka and India you can’t buy any booze until Eygpt . Most boats ran out this year. Just think 3 cans a day (ha ha) for 5 months equals 450 cans equals 19 cases!!. etc etc. Tonic was not easily available (even in Phuket they had run out!!)
4) Have plenty photocopies of ships papers, passports and crew lists. Our boat stamp was well received. Need plenty passport photos too.
5) We have steps up to our first spreaders. These were invaluable on several occasions, we would not have been able to access some anchorages without them. So if you haven’t got them maybe consider fixing ratlines to get that extra height for visibility coming into the reef anchorages.
6) Handy to have a few jerry jugs. You don’t want to tie up to the wharfs - ugly ugly.
7) Don’t get too hung up on food supplies. There are first world supermarkets in Sri Lanka, Oman, Aden, Hurghada and Ismailia. Top up big time in Egypt its much cheaper than Cyprus, Israel or Turkey.
8) Unless you check- in at Malle, Maldives and pay a ton of money for a cruising permit (No time for cruising anyway you’re on a mission !!!) use Uligamu in northern Maldives as a pit stop only for a few days. Checking-in and out, getting fuel and water is a breeze, but you are not allowed to visit any other islands. Rest and move on. The best stuff is ahead of you.
9) Make sure you have a fishing line out closing on Salalah, plenty plenty Mahi Mahi!!!. Couldn’t haul them in fast enough. Good fishing right through till Egypt
10) Stay close to Yemen coast 15 miles or so, don’t miss Al Mukalla or Sana’a. Don’t leave until you’ve smoked a hubble bubble pipe in a Bedouin tent!!
12) No need to get involved in some military style formation synchronized motor sailing exercise. Just hang out with a couple of other boats and keep in sight during the day and maybe close up at night. Honestly we were as apprehensive as anybody about pirate alley but we ended up stopping along the Yemen coast and felt reasonably comfortable moving along the coast line with a few very friendly Yemeni patrols zooming by from time to time lobbing fish on to the boat!!
13) It is true. If it’s blowing 20knots in Aden its blowing 40knots in the Bab al Mandeb Strait. Gets very lumpy but its down hill and things flatten out after a few hours going north.
14) We more or less day sailed to Eygpt and worked our way north up the west coast in side many reefs and islands often sailing close hauled in lightish winds and flat water. Easy peasy!! This takes more time but be patent don’t push it. Just keep nibbling away. Reefs are very obvious.
15) North of Massawa – BEWARE!! An unexpected solid southerly is followed by a few hours of no wind is followed by a howler from the north. 3 times we were enjoying wing on wing sailing thinking the Red Sea is a breeze then the wind died and we motored for a few hours only to be stopped in our tracks by big northerly. Take the southerly but don’t be greedy and head for safe haven during the lull.
16) Don’t miss Massawa and Suakin
17) We only got adverse conditions a couple of times, both further north at night when you are forced to do a couple of overnighters so have a plan B.
18) I don’t mean to be a negative Nigel but the Red Sea isn’t done until its done. The toughest part for us was the last 180 miles from Hurghada up the Gulf of Suez. We were a tad late in the season by then (early June).
19) Fill up with diesel in Egypt USD0.18c a litre. Turkey is well over USD2.00 a litre, Greece currently 1.15Euro a litre.
20) Lastly have some "pirate packs" onboard. We put together water (or fizzy drinks), cigarettes, biscuits/cookies and basically anything else surplus we wanted to get rid of (old liferaft supplies!!) and threw them to the boats that came for a look. They were so grateful, and if you give them something they will then leave you alone (especially in Sri Lankan waters). Baseball caps were a winner too.

The journey from Thailand to Turkey was the most amazing season of our adventure so far. There is no doubt it’s a long haul and you are always aware of the clock ticking. The urge to get the whole journey behind you is strong when you leave Asia but try to fight it and spend time in these places. We left Nai Harn Bay on Phuket 21 December 2007 and ended up stopping in the Surins 1 week, Andamans 3 weeks , Sri Lanka 12 days, Maldives 1 week, Oman 10 days, 3 weeks in Yemen, 12 days in Eritrea, 13 days in Sudan , 5 weeks in Eygpt and a week in Cyprus and arrived in Turkey 25 June 2008. Wouldn’t have missed any of it!!

Indian Ocean north to Oman ... Feb - Mar 2008

Oman 01 - 10 March 2008

***All the hubble bubble pipes ready for action***The local men, sipping tea, smoking their pipes and gossiping at Mugsail***It's an Omani Camel up close - perhaps a little too close***The very tight anchorage in Salalah**

On Feb 21 we took to sea and arrived in the Oman after 9 days. We had a good passage with fair winds always in front of the beam and only the last day as we closed on Oman did we get unfavourable wind and choppy seas. Balvenie arrived at the port of Salalah in good shape so after catching up on some sleep we did not have too many boat jobs to do and became tourists for a change.

Gone with the Wind had stayed longer in the Maldives and arrived a day after us so we shared a hire car for about 30 USD a day (organised thru Mohammed onshore in the harbour) and drove all over this corner of Oman. Most of the country resembles a lunar landscape with a few dust blown towns dotted around but very interesting and very different from any thing we have seen before. One day we drove east to Mirbat on the coast, we felt sure this is where "Saving Private Ryan" was filmed as whole parts of the town looked totally bombed just as its filmset was. We did not discover the reason to this as Oman has not been in any recent wars. On the way back we drove inland to a couple of nearby wadis (lush areas where water gathers). It was nice to see some greenery in this very dusty landscape.

The following day we went west towards the Yemen boarder. This is an amazing road, newly built with an incredible switchback section that is a serious feat of engineering. We stopped at the Mugsail Blowholes which although the sea wasn't blowing up through them the updraft of air was enough to blow Marks cap off!! Next day we went north and drove up onto the huge desert plateau, it is miles of nothingness, rubble rubble and more rubble. We are convinced Apollo 11 landed here and not on the moon, looks just like it did on TV.

The people have been very friendly and we have experienced incredible hospitality and enjoyed some local food. There are very few Western tourists here so everyone wanted to know where we were from and why we had come!! We didnt see too many women around, it is place is very muslim and any women we saw wore the full burqa with full veil also. There were a few coalition warships from the US and UK in port, they patrol the "pirated" waters between Somalia and Yemen.

Our little haven of "normality" the Oasis Club which is like an English pub for the ex pats and is the only place around that sells alcohol was close to the port area and we generally ended up there for a cleansing ale after a sandy dusty day traveling and now I know first hand what having a throat as dry an an Arabs sandal really means. A great spot in downtown Salalah for eating was the Balbeck Lebanese, yummy, its on 25th (I think)July Street. Lulus supermarket was as good as anywhere and the fruit and veg shop next to Lulus was ok just let him know you want his best ones and out they come!!!!

OMAN
Anchorage info: 16 56.23N 54 00.30E 4.5m average depth, sand over very hardpackd base. Very tight anchorage with poor holding, boats dragging in light winds, sheltered but in commercial port
Cruising info:
Weather - we had strong winds closing in on coast but fine while there. Boats ahead had sand storms/gales and very rough seas
Security - secure as restricted port area, felt safe everywhere
Phone/Internet - local sim card available, worked in Yemen also. WIFI at Oasis Club (pay) also at Brownies Cafe in town (free)
Checking in and out - checkin relatively easy but can take time before cleared off boat- cost OMR15 for boat, OMR12 for one month visas for the 2 of us, can pay by credit card
Money - OMR1 = USD2.60 at 01 Mar 2008. ATM machine on way into town and in town. Most also despatched USD or Rials
Tours/Getting around - remote port location, taxi to town more expensive than car hire for a day. Only place walkable is Oasis Club. Hired car for USD30 per day, interesting countryside like nothing we had seen before and easy to drive on deserted good quality roads
Provisions - excellent, can't get pork products at Lulus but there is a big cold store by naval base that has some, and of course can't buy alcohol to take away and only Hilton, Oasis and another big hotel sell it to drink on the premises and not cheap. There is another Lulus in Aden if you forget anything
Fuel and Water - no diesel at anchorage. Diesel jugs taken in hirecar to fuel station and filled by us (sorry cost not recorded but cheap). Water on dock to fill jug

Indian Ocean Crossing to Maldives ... Feb 2008

Maldives 14 - 21 Feb 2008

***St Barbara all attached for our first night towing them***Welcome to Uligan, the lovely white sandy beach***The anchorage at Uligan, all calm for the moment***Fish for dinner, not much for the whole community***

We said our goodbyes to several departing yachts on 09 Feb from Galle. We had been delayed, firstly by a sheared plate that held our fridge compressor on and then by an engine leak. We were very lucky (and many thanks to Tonjuc off Yosun for his help) to find an Iranian engineer who had been flown in to overhaul a trawler in the harbour. He was an absolute gem and spent all afternoon working on our engine but would take nothing in return. The hospitality we have received by so many people in different places has just been outstanding.

So finally on 10 Feb 08 we left Sri Lanka for our passage across the Indian Ocean to the Maldives. Light winds were forecast so we motored in glassy seas. St Barbara, one of the boats we had done our Sri Lankan land travel with had broken down about 100 miles west of Galle. We were about 20miles south of them when we heard so detoured to help, Peter and crew member Sam had not been able to fix the problem of the engine overheating so we picked them up and we towed them in very calm seas to the Maldives. We did get a brief period where we both managed to sail and we stayed close by in case the wind dropped again and of course it did, so did a perfect manoeuvre at 2am in pitch black conditions and had them attached again in no time. Had we left them, well they were drifting backwards with the current and may well have ended up in India - at some stage!!!! We had never towed a yacht before, Peter had a long floating line ready and Mark set up a bridle on our stern and all went well and to plan. Except for needing to do a rather unexpected and speedy u-turn at one point to pick up a full jug of diesel (with lid securely on!!) which fell overboard while we were refuelling underway all went very well. We went a little slower and burned more fuel but conditions were so calm we hardly knew they were there.

The northern most atoll of the Maldives is called Uligamu/Uligan and they have a customs and immigration office there to process passing yachts. However if you check in here and not at Male first, you are not permitted to travel elsewhere in the Maldive group. They have since tightened their regulations even more and increased their fees, it seems they are definitely after the 5star resort market and not the self sufficient cruising community. We spent a week at anchor waiting for our friends on Gone with the Wind. The days passed but the snorkeling was disappointing after the Andamans and Surins, and although we were welcome ashore there are no restaurants or bars and liquor was not permitted ashore so not even happy hours on the beach.

MALDIVES
Anchorage info: 07 04.80N 72 55.13E Dropped in 13.5m settled 19m, sand patches and coral bottom. Anchorage sheltered from east but not much else and deep
Cruising info:
Weather - changeable with some wind through. Boats ahead of us got rain and winds. Exposed to the east
Security - just not an issue at all, very small place, totally safe and secure
Phone/Internet - no phones, no wifi or internet although the customs did let us check weather on his computer briefly
Checking in and out - they come to you to check in, all in uniforms, very professional and extremely well mannered and pleasant. No charges and very easy
Money - no ATM's or money changers, need USD cash
What to do there - Snorkeling disappointing and we tried several spots at Uligan. There is nothing to do ashore
Provisions - Very limited fresh provisions - mouldy bread, a few tomatoes and little else, basic canned goods
Fuel and Water - diesel delivered in jugs to boat USD1.30 per litre, all easy as long as fuel boat has been in. We didn't need water.

Unplanned Stop in Sri Lanka .... Jan - Feb 2008

Balvenie in Galle.............. Train trip thru tea plantation.......Sipping a nice cup of tea

29 Jan - 10 Feb 2008

We planned to do the trip from the Andamans to the Maldives nonstop, bypassing Sri Lanka as we had heard very mixed but mainly unfavourable reports on the harbour there. However after 7 rather tiring nights at sea with very changable conditions, and then a 20knot headwind just as we were passing the entrance to Galle Harbour we decided to get much needed rest and radioed to Port Control for entry into the harbour, just before sunset.

The following is the email update I sent to cruising friends following in our footsteps...

We sailed close inshore all the way round the bottom of Sri Lanka, several fishing boats came by, but most were mainly large tender size with 2 or 3 onboard and quite big outboards, they all wanted cigarettes or anything and just hung around if we didn't give them anything so we ended up throwing the odd packet of cigs and biscuits and they left. Everyone we encountered was friendly but they come pretty close. Entry into Galle is very straight forward, channel marked clearly, room inside for dropping sails, if there is a swell running there are breaking areas and would be uncomfortable to anchor for long. You have to wait for the navy to come out, they do paperwork onboard then steer the boat into the inner harbour. We used Windsors agent (VHF 69 I think) called Nana he was fine, USD200, along with the odd bribes. We tied up to the big concrete wall, it was great for the 1st 10days but then a swell came in and both there and the stern to pontoon got a little lively. Need plenty of fenders on wall!!!!! Its ok, just depends on your sea conditions at the time. Very secure, we could see 5 towers with armed guards, they do let off depth chargers at night in the harbour which takes some getting used to, this is to deter the Tamal Tigers from swimming in and blowing it up.

Nana gave us a card for Deedee Yacht Service, he has a couple of tuktuk drivers that hang around the main gate out, they will take you anywhere, get laundry done, etc. They charge 300r an hour (100r about $1.08US) and are very good. Ekka has the best English and he was also our guide for our inland trip we did. We did 3nights 4 full days, leave 0730 back 1830. 1st day along south coast then inland to an underground temple (worst stop) then on up into the hills to Ella. High up but not cold, didnt need fleece or sweatshirt. Great tiny wee place in middle of nowhere, stayed at Ella Gap Guesthouse, very good. Would have liked a spare day here as there is some good walking around. Next morning got the train (great train station)at 9.50am to ???(the boys organize everything), really really good, beautiful scenery, real must do. Then they picked us up again and off to a tea plantation and factory which was interesting then on to Kandy in time for Cultural Dancing and Firewalking, not a great venue but worthwhile. Stayed 2nights Plantation House in Kandy. Day trip up to Sigiriya, 5th century palace remains on top of SriLankas answer to Ayers Rock, quite a climb but Robert from Theleme made it and he's 71. Really enjoyed it, we were there Independance Day so quite busy with locals. On way back stopped at Elephant Orphanage, we got there while they had all been taken down to the river for bath time, about 50, all sizes, it was great. Then to Cave Temple at Dambulla, we've seen many a Buddist Temple in our time but were both pretty impressed by this one all in caves, again got some exercise climbing lots of stairs up to it, phew. (great lunch stop, even had iceream, yummy) Back to accom in Kandy. Next morn Buddist Temple in Kandy, it actually wasn't too bad either, worth the stop. Then craft shop stop got overrulled, as did spice and herb gardens (me and 4 blokes - what chance did I have!!!). It was a long day back to Galle as the Tamal Tigers let off 6 bombs during the Independance Weekend so we did a few detours, but came back down the west coast to Galle.

We never once felt threatened or unsafe, it is a shame they have the unrest there, this is an outstanding country, reasonably prosperous - certainly way above our memories of India, the people are lovely. They lost around 47,000 people in the tsunami which has just devastated some areas, they really need the tourism in the coastal areas to get things going again. Our tour cost 60,000R for the 2 of us, there were the 5 of us in a new minivan with driver and guide, all meals (they were very good), soft drinks with lunch, all entrance fees (Sigirayi is 20USD) guides where needed, train ticket in observation car, accomm - own bathroom, basically everything except alcohol and tips for guides at 'attractions' (we did 100R pp). I didn't think the tour was cheap but we were very happy with it and the standard of everything.

Back in Galle, the fort area is worth a walk around, especially peeping into the "Notaries/ Solicitors" offices, who dont seem to have power and still use manual typewriters, even more backward than Andamans. Also get a tuktuk out east along the coast (the boys will take and wait) for lunch to one of the lovely beaches.
For provisions Mikes Yacht Services deliver right to the boat (its a bit of a walk from the entrance to the boats so this is a good option) prices are regulated and he will take credit card at no extra charge. He will organize tours too, USD65 per day for car and driver, everything on top of this.

Overall we really enjoyed our unplanned stop here, but the harbour is a little like Penang - be prepared to rock and roll (more of a surge really and free salt water wash as water comes up under the wall as certain times of the tide). Things were more expensive than we thought they would be, oh diesel Nana does 96R per litre, we filled water from shower block into tanks and just filtered it. Sim card 300R and 1200R calltime did us for calls home and texts.

Overall ratings for Sri Lanka.....Anchorage 8/10, its free, secure and was great while calm
Tour 8/10 good vehicle, guide and accomodation and sights
Provisioning 9/10 could get nearly everything, including more marmite for skipper