February Newsletter 2019

News from the Crew of Matilda

February  2019

Incredibly this month we saw no navy warships, so here is a lovely shot of Matilda gliding gently through the waterway of Koh Phra Thong - there was zero breeze and only her wake rippling was on the water.

Ships log: 

• February 8: 47.9nm's to Koh Lanta (southern end). Anchored at 07 28.77N, 99 05.16E in 8.1mtrs at low tide. 
• February 9: 30.7nm's to Ko Lian Tai, anchored at 07 06.59N, 99 25.25E in 10.9mtrs at low tide.
• February 10: 25.4nm's to the bay between Ko Bulan/Ko Khao Yai anchoring in 5mtrs at high tide at 06 48.81N, 99 41.03E.
• February 11: 49.9nm's to Bass Harbour (Kuah), Langkawi. Anchored at 06 18.98N, 99 50.44E in 4.2mtrs at low tide.
• February 23: 16.4nm's to Telaga Basin, Langkawi. Anchored at 06 21.68N, 99 40.50E in 4.6 mtrs. 
• February 25: 26nm's to Koh Lipe, Thailand. Anchored at 06 29.47N, 99 17.60E in 19mtrs.

Crew log:

One of the 100's of beautiful sunsets we get to see.

This month we have enjoyed a quieter time, less moving about and enjoying sitting at anchor, relaxing and doing boat jobs. Our Thai Visa was expiring early February so we decided to slip down to Langkawi, Malaysia for a while before heading back up to Phuket for April. February has proven a fantastic month to move about as the easterlies are well developed making for great sailing. 

Thanks to our extra solar panels we installed a few months ago we regularly see 30amps pumping into our batteries which makes us very happy sailors indeed.

At the beginning of the month we sat at Panwa Bali (Ao Chalong), Phuket to do some provisioning at Macro and Tesco, refill our Aussie gas bottles and we checked out at the Chalong pier. While we sat at Panwa we did the walk up to the lookout, or lookouts as there are a few along this road.

Bruce on the final stretch to the lookout. The walking paths were very good on the walk.

From the top the view of Panwa Bali beach was worth the walk in the hot sun.

For those who need a gas bottle filled while at Phuket, we were told of a shop near the Chalong Pier. We had 2 Australian gas bottles filled (4.5kg each) and it cost us Baht520 for both. The price was very good if you compare it to having it done from Phuket Yacht Haven Marina. To get to the shop we took our tender from Panwa Bali (9.9hp) to the Chalong jetty which took us about 10 minutes. Walk to the end of the jetty, turn right, go to the end (its a dead end), it dog legs to the left and walk up to the main road. She is on your right opposite the Gasoline Bar and Restaurant. Across the road is Cholamart Boat Co, which has all your tender needs covered. 

Cholamart is across the road.

This is the store. The lady will have your bottled filled within a couple of days (not Sundays). 

Her shop is right opposite the Gasoline Bar & Restaurant.

The Hulk turned up out the front of a second hand Chinese home wares shop.

Once we left Ao Chalong, Phuket, Thailand bound for Kuah, Langkawi, Malaysia we stopped off at some familiar places. All giving us a beautiful sunset each night. One of the stops during the 154 nautical mile trip we saw loads of fishermen catching these pink jelly fish. We believe they are a delicacy in China!

Searching for the pink jellyfish. A lot of shouting goes on when they see one.

This is what they are chasing - they are quite large, about the size of a big watermelon.

And he has one in his scoop.

On the trip down to Langkawi we enjoyed stopping at Koh Lanta, Ko Lian Tai and a new to us anchorage between Ko Bulan/Ko Khao Yai. Koh Lanta offered a fantastic anchorage from the easterly winds. Loads of small anchorages to pick from with good depths. We did notice the shoreline was very rocky, even on the beaches. The morning we left we noticed what seemed to be Brahma cows walking along the beach.....I didn't get a photo.

Koh Lanta, west coast on the southern end.

Ko Lian Tai is a unique anchorage. It is two very tall limestone karsts. Its surprisingly not that deep (just outside of the area we anchored it was 40+mtrs) beside them. Again they both offer fantastic protection in an easterly. They are also right near Koh Phetra, an amazing piece of karst. 

Matilda entering the anchorage behind Ko Lian Tai. You can see the gap between them. The water rushes really fast between the two karsts.

A good shot of the lime stone melting.

While we do get to see incredible sunsets, the sunrises are amazing. Koh Phetra offered some great views for us as we passed her early the next day.

Phetra being bathed in pre dawn light, the suns not up yet.

Phetra from a different angle as we pass it. Its very tall, but very slim.

Phetra looking from its southern end, its a very slim karst.

The sun just poking its head up now. Some local fisherman heading home after dropping their pots.

The sun is now fully up. Phetra looks very different from this angle.

Fish farms - something we hope we never hit.

A couple of rocks to avoid.

Another rock with some fisherman resting beside it.

Does anyone else see a face on the cliff, like its mouth is open and the fisherman are about to be gobbled up!!!

Kuah, Bass Harbour at Langkawi is a great spot for us. Like most cruisers here we anchor out and use our tender to get to shore. Its easy and the tender is safe while we walk, go grocery shopping, haul diesel and catch up with friends.

Walking back from Billion (supermarket) Bruce spotted a Hornbill sitting on top of a huge burl in a tree right beside a very busy road. The ground below was littered with tree debris and we wondered if the bird was making a nest as it disappeared into the tree.

This is a little road side food stall, that sold lovely treats. (see next photo).

Our morning tea treat from a road side stall. For AU$1 we bought: 2 sugar donuts, 2 deep fried somethings, 2 curry puffs, a bean ball and 2 curry/coconut balls. So good, just don't tell our doctor we had so much deep fried foods.

This is the Petronis service station we hauled our jerry cans to. In total we save ourselves either AU$44 or if you turn it around we gained an extra 60 litres for our trouble - pretty good value all up.

One of our friends enjoys playing live with a few mates at a cafe near the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.

Good friend Mick, Captain of Wishful Thinking, enjoying some solo time at a cafe.

Our catch up night was finished off with a lovely sunset over the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.

On our walks around one morning we watched this pussy cat up a tree, feeling quite at home.

This is the known as the Fisherman's Jetty, it has seriously deteriorated since we where here last a couple months ago.

The tides were big during our visit and at half tide we were noticing there wasn't much water around the jetty.

Lucky this magnificent frangipani was in bloom to brighten up the jetty. We haven't seen many solid red flowers like this one.

During the king tides we did a grocery shop one day and misjudged the water level on our return. For 2 hours we waited for enough water to come into the little inlet so we could refloat our tender and go home. Luckily there was plenty of local cafes around that we could spend a few hours eating at. Being Muslim none served alcohol so we enjoyed some lovely fruit juices. They where even kind enough to let us put our frozen & cold items in their ice cream fridge once we assured them we had no pork in our bags.

Even the fast boats where stuck fast.

The little bay was totally dry, we had never seen it like this.

Our pontoon was completely out of the water, that's mud to the left of the screen.

Our tender (grey cover, 2 white handles) is sitting on some very sloppy mud.

Our cafe that allowed us to wait for 2 hours no problems.

Bruce with our 2 nanny trolleys, 2 backpacks, 2 extra bags and the cold/frozen goodies are in the cafes ice cream freezer.

Every time we revisit a place we always find something new. This time we found a bakery supply shop. It was awesome to find things like: dried fruits, flours, nuts, etc for baking.

Jennice Wan address and opening hours.

The red dot showing the location thanks to Google Maps.

Looking towards the main road, the hotel: Adya is a street maker for the bakery shop. We walked to the shop from the fisherman's jetty no problems. 

Matilda enjoying the sunset, a lovely cool breeze was a welcome change this day from the heat.

What have we cooked or baked his month?

Everyone loves a chocolate cake. Click here for our simple recipe.

An old family favourite: Cornflake Biscuits - omg so good.

What other things have we written this month.....

• Bruce continues to document his work on the Raspberry Pi set up. Here is a write up on how to get the tide function working on OpenPlotter.
• We all know the importance of backing up data and here is a write up on how to backup your Raspberry Pi data.
• Hose clamps are imperative on a boat and some boaters under estimate their importance. Here is a piece Bruce wrote about awareness.

Photo of the month - Chalong is crazy busy with the road works going on and we had a laugh with these ladies as they took off with their new mattress.

February Newsletter 2018

News from the Crew of Matilda

February 2018

Ships log:
Matilda spent the entire month of February on the hardstand at Pangkor Island Marina being spruced up. She had her hull completely sanded back to mostly fiberglass. She then had 2 coats of epoxy barrier coat painted on. Followed by 2 coats of epoxy primer: Safe Guard and then 3 coats of anti foul. Plus an extra coat on her points, being her bow, front of the keel and on the front facing of the rudder. Her topsides have been polished so they shine like glass and her water line green stripe has been given a new lease on life with a fresh coat of paint. Once being splashed back in the water and tied up to the 'fuel dock', she was washed and polished all over. All back to beautiful and ready for her trip up to Penang, Malaysia.

From that to this.

Head quarters for the yard boys - always a hive of activity. 

Marina Island Jetty complex. Loads of shops here to shop and eat.

The under cover area.

The marina.

Not sure what the purpose of the tanks on pillars are for, but they are very colorful. Pangkor Island is in the back ground.

Crew log:

We arrived back to Matilda round midday on the 2nd of February. The 9 hour evening flight from the Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur International airport (KLIA2) is never fun. It is very difficult to sleep in such cramped conditions on the Air Asia flights. Once landed, we collected our luggage, and had some breakfast. Then jumped on the Star Shuttle bus for our 5 hour bus ride from the airport to Sitiawan (one of the main towns near the marina) and then had a short taxi ride to the marina. What we did enjoy was the seats in the bus. They are massive recliners complete with foot rests. We dozed all the way from the airport to Sitiawan along with the other 5 passengers on board!

Our bus for 5 hours from the airport. Huge comfortable seats that fully reclined!

Since we arrived back Bruce has worked every single day on Matilda getting her ready to go back into the water. From 0630 till 1700. Some days were longer and he worked non stop for 28 days. I think he is well due some R & R. It's very hot most days in Malaysia, but some days seemed hotter when the sun was out than others. Those days Bruce came back upstairs continuing his work doing inside jobs.

The yard dog: Diana. She was always coming over for a pat and checking on everyone. 

We have known since we bought Matilda in 2010 that her hull needed to be bought back to fiberglass and all her paints done fresh. It is no mean feat and we are glad to have done it properly knowing we will never do it again. The task is mammoth, but the outcome is sensational - a very smooth paint job on her hull.

Some tasty treats from Aeon - yes they were delicious.

The removal of the old anti foul was done while we where in Australia. The final decision to employee Islam and his team was made after a chat with James, the marina manager who ensured us Islam and his team are excellent workers producing very good outcomes. We did note they used 16 grit sanding disks to remove some anti foul. We thought 60 or 80 grit was tough, but to use 16 just showed us how difficult a task it was to remove. It took two men the better part of 2 months to complete the job. Glad we lashed out and paid for the pleasure!. 

16 Grit!!!!!!

As mentioned in the January newsletter, we had Matilda's prop shaft straightened. The spare fixed prop was serviced and polished. A new rope cutter was slipped on to the prop shaft. A new set of PSS bellows were installed and a new cutlass bearing was put in to replace the damaged one. All new sacrificial anodes where secured to her prop shaft, rudder bearings and rudder so as to avoid the metals from being eaten away.

Newly polished prop, new rope cutter, new shaft anode all on the newly straightened prop shaft. 

For those interested, here is a list of the services we used: I have put their business name, contact name and phone numbers here. A full list of available contractors can be obtained by contacting Ruz at Pangkor Marina. Also a copy of their business cards is at the end of this post. If you use Google Maps: key in the business name and it will appear. We did this for all these business's and found them without any issue.

AJ Harware. AJ is your contact: +60123229868. We bought all our anti fouling and most supplies off AJ.
Bulat for stainless steel and other works: 0182752834. Bulat did our anchor bash plate.
Mr Chan - Straits Marine Engineering Sdn. Bhd.: 0125162989. Mr Chan straightened our prop shaft and did various other repairs for us.
Islam at Islam Yacht Services: 0142141913. Islam's team removed most of our old anti foul (a rotten job for them in the heat and humidity, but did a sensational job).
Prestige Marine Services: Contact Jimmy or his wife Audrey +60195741308. We went to Jimmy to buy hard to get epoxy's, buffing pads, incredible polish and waxing products. Jimmy and his wife are extremely knowledgeable. Jimmy and his team amongst other jobs paint hulls, and one day when we have the money, he is our man. The job they do is simply incredible. Their paint jobs look like glass.
Lee Electrical: 0125231927. For every thing electrical!
Koay Brothers Hardware: 056851212. for bits and pieces. 
Finnscrew for our prop. Contact is Pekka: 0195701737. 

2 ringgit shop - (near the 4 ways before you turn left to go to Jimmy's). for cheap brushes, buckets and cloths.

AJ & his Uncle with Bruce outside their family business.

One of Bulat's workers putting on our stainless steel bash plate for the anchor.

Jimmy, his wife Audrey with their boys and Bruce out the front of the their family owned shop: Prestige Marine Services.

Bruce holding our newly serviced propeller. With him is Pekka, a Finnish gentleman who has been the owner/manager for 25 years. We found Pekka most informative, honest in his opinion and we really enjoyed our tour of his propeller manufacturing business plant. 

Bruce & Pekka looking at a newly made propeller ready to be shipped out. 

All the work was not only on her hull. When the heat and humidity just got too much Bruce did loads of work inside. The install of the prop shaft PSS seal etc took some time. He replaced our toilet seat which was broken. He made a new mesh for the sea strainer. He straightened and epoxy'd the bracket for the sea strainer. Improved work on the fridge, including installing a paddle wheel/flow indicator so we could see the water flow (our fridge is water/air cooled). He tided up, improved and removed electrical cables. Installed a new gas detector. Spent days removing, making and installing new anchor winch relays. Put new depth markers on the anchor chain. And spent loads of hours doing little bits and pieces to make life on Matilda even more comfortable and easy for day to day living. 

Bruce reattaching the prop shaft. Working in tight spaces is never easy.

And what was Deb doing while all this work was going on? She became chief cook and bottle washer. Wet the occasional paint brush to apply epoxy. Kept the inside of Matilda clean as possible. Kept general duties on track. Did all the correspondence when needing special materials ordered and picked up. Got to use the sewing machine on various occasions. Master record keeper using excel. Tried but failed to keep the cockpit clean - an impossible task when the boat next door is sanding teak daily. Attempted to keep the clears clear, that didn't happen until Matilda came off the hard stand. Kept water up to the hard worker down on the ground floor.  Did a fair bit of writing. Passed loads of forgotten bits down in the bucket to keep things running smoothly. She was Chief morale booster and entertainment director. And most importantly always made sure the fridge was full of Tiger's for that well earned chilled beer at the end of the day for Bruce.

Bruce enjoying his Tiger Beer. He is dog tired and wasn't to impressed with me taking this photo.

All our running around was made easier in the first couple of weeks by securing a hire car. This time we had a Cube car and it was very reliable. 

Here is a sequence of photos from haul out to splash in....in total 4.5 months on the hard stand. Hull work took 28 days. Bruce went through 3 pairs of work boots (thongs haha) and 5 sets of work clothes which we just threw out once the job was done.

Out of the water.

Islam's boys working hard.

 A bare hull, ready for work.

Mixing the epoxy resign to fill in some gouges made by the removal of the anti foul with the scraper or grinder.

Mixing the epoxy fairing resin for the water line.

Water line being being tied into the hull line.

We had 10 supports in total, we could only release 2 at a time. This is the first coat under 2 supports of the epoxy barrier coat.

First of many coats. This is the epoxy barrier coat going on.

2 coats of epoxy barrier coat.

2 coats of grey epoxy tie coat done!

The final coat of anti fouling.

The happy crew ready to pick up Matilda.

Yard boys getting Matilda ready to be picked up by the Sea Lift.

The boss 'James Khoo' minutes after one of the boys noticed a hydraulic hose had blown out. 

The team inspecting the blown hydraulic hose.

And the polishing begins. 

One very polished hull.

Final coat of the waterline.

Pulling the tape off the water line - a happy man.

Done,,,splash in!

We would like to close the month by saying that as hard as it was, doing the work in the yard at Pangkor Marina is one of the best places to be in SE Asia. With regards to the availability of goods, services and workmen, it is a fantastic location. The owner/manager of Pangkor Marina - James Khoo works very hard at ensuring everyone is safe and well looked after, we were no exception. All the lads who work in the marina moving us about on the Sea Lift couldn't do enough for you and we love their relaxed attitude to life and beautiful smiles. At any time we needed local information, assistance or advise, Ruz and the ladies in the office where wonderful and easy to deal with every single time. Absolutely nothing was too much trouble. 

If your reading this James, Ruz & co -  we really do thank you for everything. 

Ruz, Miss Wong and Akina in side the Pangkor Marina Office.

Bruce with James beside the Sea Lift.

Now, we are off to Penang to get our Thai visa's and enjoy the journey back up to Phuket, Thailand to enjoy and celebrate the purchase of our friends new boat - Basanti.

A very happy man!