Another year, another haul-out

Perry about to get hauled out on the Sea-lift

We're out of the water again. This time it's at Pangkor Marina and Boatyard in Malaysia and the reason is a wobbly rudder and some planned land travel to India and Nepal.

Photo credit: Dave Deakyne of Tortuguita

The Sea-Lift machine used to lift us out of the water is similar to the Roodberg machine that raised us in Darwin, but different.
 

Mr. Beh, the Sea-Lift operator, making sure everything looks good

This time around, we tried our darnedest to keep the floors from buckling while we were in the air, as they did in Darwin. Our problem is we have escape hatches that get in the way of placing the lifting arms along the strongest part of the bottom.
 

Matt jumped in the water as well

It's a bit of a trick to place the lifting arms while the boat is in the water. In Darwin, Perry actually rested on the bottom as the tide went out (which wasn't great for our nerves when the boat banged a wee bit on the concrete ramp). Here at Marina Island, we were tied to four spots on shore. This held us mostly steady.

Mr. Beh is the veteran Sea-Lift operator that has been  running the machine since it arrived at the marina almost 10 years ago. He was sensitive to our hand-wringing. He let some air out of the inflatable tubes that cover the arms, to reduce pressure on the escape hatches. He and his team were very careful about placement of the wooden support beam that was used to spread the weight across the structural parts of the boat.
 

Photo credit: Dave Deakyne of Tortuguita

It took Matt, Mr. Beh and a couple other guys in the water to get everything lined up. It didn't help that one of the pieces of timber (about 10 feet long) being used was made of some sort of heavy hardwood that was difficult to maneuver.

After all that, when we finally got lifted, we still had some floorboard buckling (this is the thin flooring that covers the structural fiberglass in the main cabin). Although the noise and flexing were disconcerting (Mark especially was very worried), everything was okay.

As it turns out, it is a good thing we dropped the rudders (although there was only play in one, we wanted to check the other as well). The starboard rudder bearing had become unglued and even though the repair will be simple, it's definitely needed. As we disassembled everything to get at the rudder bearing, we also discovered that the rudder quadrant had a crack that requires a weld and the rudder post has a small pinhole that needs to be filled to prevent corrosion. Annoying to add to the list of repairs, but better we are finding all this out now, rather than in the middle of the ocean.

Although the rudder bearing was the main reason for our haul-out, being in a boatyard always seems to lengthen the To Do list. Things are relatively cheap here in Malaysia, which might move up the timeline for some jobs. So far, we are very happy with Pangkor Marina. The staff is helpful and friendly (and they genuinely seem to enjoy themselves). It may be the Happiest Marina on Earth.

Penang and the Dump

A view of Penang from Penang Hill

We have finally made it to Penang! We had hoped to make it here for Thaipusam in late January, then Chinese New Year in early February, but kidney stones and a slew of what-nots decided otherwise.

Penang's garbage dump is our backyard right now

After finally getting our long-awaited last package, we were able to leave Langkawi and make 2 day jumps down the coast. We are anchored at the 'Dump Anchorage' (also called the McDonald's Anchorage, which is definitely better marketing but doesn't change the fact that it's still by the town's garbage dump).

Georgetown

It smells like an ashtray when the wind is blowing our way and the (lightly treated) sewage coming out of the nearby river adds to the aroma, especially at low tide. We are a bit spoiled when it comes to beautiful anchorages, so I can't say this tops the list. And if the brown water were not enough to deter us from taking a dip, there are jellyfish sporting the longest tentacles we have ever seen.

Love the street art here

Protected and shallow, it is far from the worst anchorage though and we are in a convenient spot to explore the Georgetown area of Penang. This area of Penang is a vibrant and scenic metropolis, the likes of which we haven't seen since we visited Australia. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site, due to its unique history as a trading post throughout the ages.  There are high-rises interspersed with charming historic buildings, McDonald's (lots), Starbucks (plenty), a bike path and wonderful restaurants. We had fantastic (and cheap) dim sum the other day.

Chulia Street has these sculptures that explain local history

There are also irate drivers, motorbikes that muscle you over when you're on those bike paths, open sewers that you have to avoid stepping into at times, and other signs of urban life. The laid back vibe that we are used to has been replaced by busy city folk and pigeons.

We'll stay here for a few days on our way down to Pangkor. Matt has been having fun doing things like fixing our freezer intake that was clogged up with barnacles (after removing barnacles from the same freezer intake just six weeks ago). Also, it seems to have gotten even hotter and more humid than before, which is not helping elevate the mood on board. Besides seeing the sights (in the form of our normal heat-stroke inducing death marches), we're looking forward to the Chulia Street night market so we can try different street food.

The tram to the top of Penang Hill was surprisingly speedy

 

Pit vipers hanging around at the Snake Temple

A hornbill from back in Langkawi. None of that in Penang--just lots of crows.

This dusky leaf monkey also lives back in Langkawi

The weather is hot, I fish you were here...

Feeding stingrays at a Floating Fish Farm in Kilim Karst

In the final installment of our whirlwind tour around Langkawi's Geoforest Parks (see part 1 and part 2), we visited Kilim Karst Geoforest Park. We visited caves and fed fish at fish farms, while admiring the dramatic karsts surrounding the river where we anchored.
 

Gua Cherita

I was surprised at how much the boys enjoyed feeding the fish at the two farms we visited. Every time they tossed in food, the fish would jump up in a frenzy. The barramundi even made a startling snapping noise as they went for the food. Archer fish make their way in and out of the holding tanks.

It was funny how many boats stopped so that
people could photograph the sign

We have anchored in rivers a few times before (this anchorage is called "Hole in the Wall"), but we saw river otters for the first time--even though it was only a glimpse.

Gua Buaya (Crocodile Cave)

Every cave we visited, other than Gua Buaya and Gua Kelawar, had an elaborate walkway that was dangerous and closed for repair.

Inside Gua Buaya

A view around the corner from Hole in the Wall

Gua Kelawar (Bat Cave)

Monkey spa at Gua Kelawar

How does this go back together again?

Gua Langsir was actually more like a hong

A working fish farm (a 'grow up' farm as the friendly
manager described it)

We are now back in Kuah to stock up on groceries and wait for our remaining packages. Things continue to break (the outboard is leaking a bit of exhaust and the starboard bilge pump, which we just replaced in Kumai, is not automatically turning on again, among other things). There are no showstoppers at this point that can't wait until our haul-out in a month, but they're piling up.

Land of eagles

Sky Bridge on Mt. Machinchang (Mat Cincang)

With this installment we are currently making everything BIGGER. This is not a result of our aging eyes. Or is it? 

Aptly named, Langkawi has lots of sea eagles. You mostly see them soaring overhead and sometimes swooping down to scoop up a fish from the water. Tourists can even go to an eagle-feeding.

Telaga Bay from the top of Mt. Machinchang. A bit hazy but still cool.

After parking the boat in Telaga Bay, we took in our own eagle-eye view of this part of Langkawi (we actually got to see eagles from way above). The steepest cable car in the world offers an interesting ride up and spectacular views. The boys were fascinated by the operation of the cars. It was a bit disconcerting when the system stopped on the way down and our side of the cars floated up and down a good distance (I'm not sure how much but it seemed like 50 feet)--definitely not the typical way cable cars move.

There was a lot of discussion about hoping the cables didn't break and that we didn't die. We made it up and and down safely (and the system was actually made in New Zealand). But when none of the special glasses for the '4-D' SkyRex tram ride worked because the batteries hadn't been replaced, resulting in the whole show being blurry for everyone, I hoped that the lack of maintenance didn't extend to the cable car operation. Also included in the ticket price was the 3D Art museum, which was cleverly done.
 

3D Art Langkawi

After walking the two miles to the cable car (we are still in training for Everest Base Camp), the boys did the best they could to talk us out of continuing on to the Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) waterfalls ("But we already saw it from the cable car!"). Although it was only a kilometer more, there are 638 steps to the pools at the top of the falls. Conrad complained of dizziness and Mark literally crawled up the last 100 steps. Always sympathetic, Matt and I waited for them at the top. Once they made it, they had a blast. Even in the midst of the dry season, the water slides and pools offer a refreshing reward.

The trickle at the bottom of the falls.

Perry has been laboring through the water on our latest (and mercifully short) journeys. We have been averaging about 3.5 knots (eking out a bit more when the wind lets our head sail fly), which probably means our propellers are sporting some barnacles. The water has not been welcoming (muddy and scuzzy) but we are working up the will to jump in. Here at Telaga Datai, the water is clear but I just saw one of those huge jellies floating by. So we'll see--3.5 knots isn't that bad, is it?

Langkawi, Malaysia

The name 'Langkawi' is derived from the Malay for 'eagle' and 'reddish brown'.

Although we have been to Malaysia before, it was Borneo and not the area around mainland Malaysia. Kuah, on the island of Langkawi,  is not a big city by Malaysian standards but it has a McDonald's and a movie theater (which had 2 movies in English and 3 in Mandarin or Cantonese), as well as a seemingly unlimited supply of duty-free shops.

 

We have filled up with water, washed the boat, taken in a movie (one of the English-language options--$2 US a ticket!), taken advantage of the cheaper restaurants here, and waited. We made the mistake of letting our ATM card expire, so we had to wait a little over a week for a new one to be shipped over from the US. We ordered a few items from the US and waited for them to clear customs in Kuala Lumpur and then Penang and then waited for them to be delivered. In the meantime, our credit card was used fraudulently, so we are waiting for my parents to send us the new one. Then our generator brush assembly melted, causing the generator to stop producing power, so we are waiting for a new one of those as well.

Giants fighting (or zombie hands) at the Legends Park

 

Lion Dance at the Chinese New Year celebration- you don't
notice at first, but these 2 guys are jumping between poles
5-7 feet off the ground, with a landing pad the size of a
small dinner plate.

While we wait for the remainder of our parcels, we have decided to get a change of scenery (and get away from the endless stream of tour boats speeding through the anchorage) at some other anchorages around Langkawi. Our first stop is Teluk Dayang Bunting, one of the 3 Geoforest Parks around the island.

Teluk Dayang Bunting

Lake of Pregnant Maiden

Anyone can do it, but would you want to?

Perry at Ko Adang

There is a common debate on cruising and sailing sites about whether 'anyone' can go cruising. On the one hand are those who say that you should learn as much as you can before you go and that you're just asking for trouble if you simply sail away in a boat. Then there is the camp that says that you don't need a lot of knowledge and experience and that you should just 'go now!'

A beach that's not inundated with tourists (at this moment)

Bumfuzzle is probably the most well-known example of the latter group. We enjoyed their blog as we were still in our boat contemplation days. They sailed around the world without a lot of previous sailing experience and have said that if they could do it, anyone can. While they weren't experienced sailors, and they served up every misstep to an online community that often howled with contempt, Pat Schulte is (from reading between the self-deprecating lines) a pretty smart guy, as well as knowing his way around a diesel engine. 

Can you tell I liked Ko Adang?

After six years of doing this, we haven't found a clear answer to this question. We fell into a middle area: We had some sailing experience (Matt more than I)--mostly Lake Michigan but none in true "blue water". We didn't go through certification courses like some couples did. Matt is smart, handy, and good at figuring things out. So far, so good.

We have met a number of boats that ended up hitting reefs or, in one case, sinking. Some of these situations are just bad luck but many turned out to have been preventable with a bit more knowledge.  Even more likely to scuttle a cruising adventure through monetary or will-power fatigue, is lack of knowledge or preparation in fixing all the many, many things that break on a boat. On most modern cruising boats, you have to be a jack of all trades. Even if you have the money to pay someone to fix your issues, chances are that you will end up someplace where there is no one that can help you.  Some folks just get frustrated with this and decide it's time to get back to land.

All of this begs the question, even if you can 'just go' cruising and figure it out as you go along, would you really want to? Our passage from Phuket (Thailand) to Malaysia illustrates how unlike 'drinking cocktails and watching the sunset' cruising life can be. For three straight days, we sailed pretty much the whole day and then when we finally reached our destination, there would be something for Matt to fix.

Ko Racha Yai

A 'Sh-tty' Day

The first day of our journey was spent motor-sailing upwind and then having to deviate from Ko Phi Phi to Ko Racha Yai because the winds kept pushing us too far off course. No anchoring is allowed in Ko Racha Yai, so you have to pick up a mooring. They provide a half dozen moorings, but when we arrived there were probably 60 boats clogging the bay. Many were rafted up to the few boats on moorings, others were beached, and others stood off while they unloaded passengers. It felt like looking for a parking space by endlessly circling the block in our old neighborhood in Chicago. We motored around for about an hour before we got a mooring from a boat that was leaving.

Eventually almost all the day boats left and the bay was peaceful again. Unfortunately, Matt still had his work cut out for him. Conrad had clogged his toilet that morning and no amount of plunging or rodding out from the outside was working. Matt took apart the output hoses, trying to keep the most-foul-feces-ever off himself and all over the bilge (and mostly succeeding). Conrad kept apologizing as he inhaled whiffs of poop and listened to Matt swearing. As it turned out, the problem was the calcified build-up that forms in the hoses as uric acid and saltwater combine. A horribly stinky stone-like substance narrows the output line and sometimes pieces crack off and block the hose. 

Laurent at Just Catamarans warned us about this six years ago, but we are still not willing to switch to flushing with fresh water (it's just flipping a valve). As we get down to the bottom of our water tank, with the parts needed to fix our water maker sitting in Langkawi, it would be hard to justify flushing that fresh water down the toilet (literally and figuratively).

Even after all that (including my bleach wash down of everything), Matt (who couldn't even have a beer because he was finishing up his antibiotics from the kidney stone removal) was still up for exploring on shore. We found a not-too-expensive restaurant serving decent Thai food and walked along the beach without the hordes of people that were everywhere just hours before.

Ko Rok Nai

The next few days were not quite as 'full', but still included sailing all day followed by fixing things. Conrad's toilet was unclogged but had developed a leak in two places, which Matt was able to fix by disassembling the macerator unit and adding o-rings to a loose fitting joker valve (don't ask). Oh, and the freezer output had to be unclogged twice. These days were followed by not-very-restful nights as we either rocked crazily (visions of Honiara), had mooring balls bouncing into the boat for half the night, or experienced winds so strong that anything loose blew around the cockpit as our boat did circles around the mooring.

Clown fish at Ko Rok Nok

I suppose we need some of these days every now and then (but not too many, please) to help us appreciate those beautiful sunsets. On the plus side, we caught a tuna, which will be sushi for dinner tonight and right now we are next to a beautiful set of beaches. We plan to be in Langkawi within the next few days.

Ko Rok Nok eel