Cocos to Thailand


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Oceans and Seas » Indian
October 12th 2013
Published: October 25th 2013
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ipodipodipod

one sad looking ipod dock but it works:)
After 2 1/2 weeks we had to move on. Time for the next 1300 nm to Thailand. Not quite as nervous as the first time, though graeme was worried about the weather pattern since they are so different than what he was used to. Because we didn't have much internet it was a bit hard to get a good weather forecast, everybody else who left from here wasn't all that worried, so we just had to do the same. wind was always coming east south east the whole time we where there and since we where going north it all looked good. We sorted everything away, closed all the draws, made sure nothing is on the loose,even had our ipod dock ready upstairs. Always nice to sit up in the cockpit with a bit of music>. Out the safe anchorage we went, first big wave , ipod flew down the stairs , hm i think i was a bit ahead of myself with getting comfy. After settling everything down again, got the sail up and on the right course. Luckily we could fix our boom box. Fishing rod out the back, go mr phil - we even got a fish going past north keeling island. followed by the booby birds http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby. Everybody on board was happy. Fresh fish for breaky, lunch and dinner- even the doggy's got heaps.

200nm south of the equator the wind stopped 😞 head current and we where back to doing 2 knots motoring. graeme calculated the diesel situation, not looking all that good. We were never going to make it. After 24 hrs it still didn't look any better and he was stressing. Thinking to head for a island off Sumatra to get some diesel. Finally he rang a friend - who said not a good idea, they can confiscate your boat and lock you up if you going into a country without being a port of entry, plus no visa. Sort of boat people in reverse,so not a good option. Found out apparently we had a MPS on board which is a sail for light winds- we did look @ it in two rocks , almost chucked it out because we didn't know what it was for!!!beginners!

Next challenge how to hang it up . Lucky we know what we doing not!! After reading up in the "beginners hand book of sailing" book we finally worked it out. Then up in the air it was flying nicely and we did make better time, the head current stopped and we ended up having current from behind and we started moving again.

The doldrums at the equator is a low pressure area with no wind- and how calm is it? Like a lake, hard to describe , no wind, no fish, no birds, there is no one home at the equator, eerie ! Across the equator motor sailing, and after a couple of more days, the wind came back. Sitting in the cockpit, MPS pulling really well, i say honey we flying along , he is scrambling up the stairs to save the MPS, to late, bang, and it was in pieces.!



After that happened and the wind started to blow again. smooth sailing all the way to Thailand, Ao chalong port of entry. got a big fish just as we started to see land, but the bugger took off with the gaff, and all graeme was left with was a cut finger 😞

We were told we will see fishing ships and big tankers, not us , not till we got up to the shipping channel just off sumatra, and then they were everywhere! Went straight through the middle of them all . they where nice enough to go around us !

Finally hoisting our first Q-flag was a good feeling, we got there on sunday the 7th oct 2013


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calmcalm
calm

and not before the storm at the equator
MPSMPS
MPS

it helps
in the shipping lanein the shipping lane
in the shipping lane

just of sumatra
wake upwake up
wake up

there is chicken around the corner
ao chalongao chalong
ao chalong

port of entry thailand


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