Fwd: Life at Pangkor

----- Original Message -----
To: "2XS - Peter & Marguerite" <pjheadlam@hotmail.com>
Subject: Life at Pangkor
Date: 31 Mar 2014 02:17:23 -0000
From: zmq5985

Well, we feel another blog coming on!
We've been patiently waiting for a new battery regulator and are still waiting but we are sure that it will arrive this week. In the meantime we have been enjoying life as far as is possible with the smog and heat. Fortunately the smog has abated a little with the small amount of rain we've had but it is affecting Jean as she is prone to a number of allergies and no doubt the smoke contains a number of nasties which should not be breathed. Still, there's not much we can do about it - we just have to hope we can leave soon. Once we get clear of the northern end of Sumatra (about Penang's latitude) things should improve. It is bizarre though. When coming up the coast you are looking at a spot where you know there is an island for instance - because the chartplotter and paper charts say so. But it's not until you are as close as half a mile that you can discern anything at all. And when a fishing trawler or flags marking nets are sighted, it's at such close range that their intentions need to be established, as far as that's possible, and some fairly quick evasive measures need to be taken. Still, that's all part of life's rich pattern as they say.
Some days we've hired an old dunga of a car (100 ringitts - NZD36 - for 24 hours) and done some reprovisioning. All the supermarkets - Billion, Tesco, Giant and Aon - are at least 10 kms from here and taxis are 60 ringitts return so the added convenience of a car is well worth it. Buses - forget it. Last Friday we had the car and were so fed up with the heat that we decided to treat ourselves to a night in a hotel with AIRCON!!! We had also previously met Jimmy, an Indian who owns among many other things a nightclub in Lumut. He also owns the local chandlery which is where we originally met him. He is a real character - a mop of very curly hair and an engaging smile! He also plays the drums and is a big fan of 60's music like us. So we booked a room at the Galaxy Hotel in Lumut for 70 ringitts. Then we had dinner at Jook's which is one of 2 good restaurants. The bill there including all drinks was just under 150 ringitts (NZD54). While there we talked to Steve who we had met before and who is a Brit ex-pat and a co-owner of Jook's. He has lived in Malaysia for nigh on 20 years and has a delightful 11 year old daughter (Natasha) together with his estranged Moslem ex-wife. Natasha is bright as a button and very articulate without being in any way precocious. We had the feeling she will go far!
Then we made our way on foot - only 200 metres or so - to Jimmy's nightclub - the Bamboo Grove! Jimmy was there and very pleased to see us as there were very few others. Still, Friday is the Moslem equivalent of our Sunday so probably that was why. Anyway, we had a good time with Jean and one of the bar workers dancing most energetically to all the old numbers - including some heavy metal which leaves yours truly cold!! Had a few games of pool with Jimmy and couldn't hear a thing as the band was so loud. Then 2 Heineckens and 2 Guinnesses later we wended our merry way back to the Galaxy where we sank into an exhausted airconditioned (!)slumber.
We have met Peter and Toni off a British catamaran - "Tigger". They live in Gibraltar and have very many sea miles under their belt. They have had a car on a monthly basis and have been kind enough to take us on supermarket excursions and on occasions to restaurants in Lumut - the aforementioned Jook's and also the Capri. As they have the Gibraltar connection, we lent them our Peter Ustinov CD "The Grand Prix of Gibraltar". It is a very clever spoof of motor racing from the early 1900's to the 60's with Girling Foss (Moss), Wolfgang von Gripps (von Trip) and Jose Julio Fandango (Fangio) very well and humourously portrayed by Ustinov who mimics the accents and characters perfectly.
It was also sad to say auf wiedersehen to Manuela and Georg who fly to Germany today. They have hauled their boat, "Sternchen", out here and will be away for 6-7 months. We will keep in touch and hopefully will see them up north somewhere again when they return.
Jean has been attempting to remove the green stains on our awning which appeared while the boat was at Danga Bay. She has had mixed success and the awning will need extensive Napisan soaking when we get to the boatyard in Thailand.
The enforced stay here at Pangkor has been useful in 2 other ways too. First we have changed our insurance policy as the old one was trying to charge us extra for going to Thailand when the passage through Indonesia, thanks to sail Indonesia, was far more hazardous. Sail Indonesia was an experience we would never wish to repeat and they are directly responsible for our determination in future to avoid all yacht rallies like the plague. There was certainly no logic on that basis for charging extra for Thailand!
Secondly we have researched Thai boatyards a bit more and have also had the opportunity to talk to other cruisers who have been around here for longer than we have. The upshot of all that is that we intend to haul out at Boat Lagoon, Krabi which is a newly established yard with a marina. The one we had been looking at is a bit too commercial and the thought of possibly being next to a big steel trawler with steel grinding going on did not fill us with joy. Costs in Thailand are very reasonable with typical labour rates being 1200 baht/man/day. This is the equivalent of NZD5.36 per hour for an 8 hour day. Some trades are a bit dearer but overall it's way cheaper than OZ, where we last hauled out - or NZ for that matter. And Thailand has had at least 20 years experience with yachts with the quality of work generally very good. Especially timber work such as teak decks. And the teak isn't expensive either. However, all that said, one does need to be on-site to keep an eye on things and the yard has reasonable cost accommodation which we will use for storage as well - so we'll certainly be on-site. We don't want to be living on the boat while she is being sanded and repainted. The old girl will be her usual pristine self once again!!
Well, that's it for now- we'll let you know again when our travels resume.
Cheers and lotsaluv from us......
Jim and Jean
s.v. Tiare Taporo III
Pangkor Is. Marina
Lumut.
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
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