Posts
Here are a brief history and specifications of our 12 Gauntlet yacht "Tiare Taporo III". These were prepared as part of the marketing plan to pass her on to new caretakers.
Sunday, 9 August 2015
Friday, 7 August 2015
Finally back in Thailand, although not the way we would have wished........
Hi to all,
Hope this finds you all well. Our stay on the hard at Rebak Marina continued to be more and more frustrating. We had been promised by an Aussie mechanic that he would refit our shaft and propellor when he came back from Europe but he just casually said in passing (when we finally saw him) that he was too busy and that was that. He dropped us right in it and that, combined with the generally unhelpful attitude in the marina and the lackadaisical attitude in general, meant that we were driven to desperate measures. In part this was caused by being told that the coming end of Ramadan meant that the travel lift was going to be out of action again for 8 days. SHIT!!!!! This marina (and Malaysia in general) is the pits. And, although we had shade cloth around the boat, she was beginning to suffer from sitting out of the water in the baking heat.
The Wall St. Journal no less has published an expose accusing the Malaysian PM of corruption on a grand scale. No less than 700 million USD is alleged to have been transferred to his personal accounts by way of a "donation" from a Middle East source. The source is not disclosed and nor is it clear just who the donation was intended for. If it was the PM's own party, that party was not advised of the "donation". Murkier and murkier. The PM is also the Finance Minister and Chairman of 1MDB which is a Malaysian government owned sovereign wealth now 42 billion Ringgits in debt - that's 11 billion USD. Interestingly he has not directly denied the allegations. Instead he has said he "has done nothing wrong" and that legal action would be taken against the WSJ. The Deputy PM has been critical of the PM and has now been sacked along with 4 other cabinet ministers as well as the Attorney-General who was heading the investigation set up as a result of the WSJ's allegations. In addition a leading newspaper has been shut down and a number of journalists arrested under the Sedition Act. It certainly smacks of cover up on a grand scale.
However, we digress. We urgently contacted Des Kearns at Krabi again to see whether he could be instrumental in getting someone from Prithak Shipyard and Services (PSS) at Satun in Thailand to come over and do the job for us. He rang Jia whose family owns PSS, and the upshot was that Jia and his engineer/mechanic came over on the Satun/Langkawi ferry the afternoon before we had to launch. We picked them up from the ferry terminal in Kuah and drove them out to the Rebak ferry. There was some potential difficulty in getting them onto the ferry with us but we insisted that they were friends who had come to stay and so the nonsense ended. What we were doing probably contravened all the rules in the book with Thais working in Malaysia and getting people from outside the marina to do the work. However, we didn't care and certainly gave no advance notice of their arrival. They just arrived and got on with the job. By the time the Malays realised anything might have been amiss they were long gone. Great to score a point in our long running saga of extreme frustration. Jia is a very personable and likeable guy who gained a degree at university in Beijing and he speaks excellent English. He is married to a woman from Mauritius who he met while in Beijing and her native language is French. Jia and his mechanic stayed on board with us that night, having in the meantime worked until dark to complete most of the job.
The next morning we completed the job, although Jia said that the condition of the shaft wasn't good as it had worn considerably since we were at Krabi. However, we were driven totally by the overwhelming necessity to get back in the water, although made the decision to go to Satun for permanent repairs as it is much closer than Krabi and we had reservations about going too far with the shaft the way it was. The engine was aligned again once we were in the water and then Jia and his engineer left to go back to Satun. Considering the time spent travelling and the work done, their charges were very, very reasonable. They only asked for 3000 Baht, but we added another 1000 to cover the travelling. Thus a total of 4000 Baht (NZD174) which was absolutely wonderful of them. By comparison the Malays charge like wounded bulls - so thank goodness we were finally in a position to leave.
Another example of the general unhelpfulness we encountered at Rebak concerned a French boat moored next to us. The aforementioned Aussie mechanic removed their windlass which was giving problems and said they needed a new electric motor for it. He then left without telling them where or how to go about doing that. Absolutely typical of the attitude. So we contacted Jia at PSS Satun on their behalf and he kindly organised a replacement from the Lofrans agent in Phuket. It was sent down to Satun and then they went over on the ferry to Satun, collected it and came back and fitted it themselves. The fact that Jia's wife speaks French was also a great help all around. Once again typical of the comparison in attitude between Satun and Langkawi. Jim enjoyed practising his French whenever we talked to Olivier and Francoise. They very kindly gave us a bottle of French wine for our help. We certainly didn't expect anything like that.
We wanted to go to Telaga Marina which is only 5 miles north of Rebak as it has the great advantage of being on the Langkawi mainland. And they have the only fuel dock on Langkawi at present. However, it is notoriously difficult to actually book a berth. They are quite full but it seems that you need to be on the spot when something comes up! So, we finally left Rebak very thankfully and motored uneventfully to Telaga over a windless sea. We had an idea that a boat was leaving that day and so we tied up at the fuel dock. After we had taken on the Diesel (not quite 200 litres) we went up to the office and lo and behold were allocated a berth. So, there we were for just a few days before leaving for Thailand. However, another problem. The boat on the other side of our finger apparently had a cockroach infestation and also rats!! Totally irresponsible of the owner and also the marina to allow a situation like that to perpetuate. But again typical of Malaysia and Langkawi in particular. So, we insisted on moving, but not before Jean had been on board and left cockroach bait in their cockpit! We heard later that the boat had been sinking with water over the cabin floorboards. They put us on a catamaran berth which fortunately was free so all was well. We then spent the time provisioning the boat (including some bottles of duty free Scotch) ahead of our planned trip to Satun. It is also possible to clear Customs, Immigration and the Harbourmaster at Telaga so that was convenient. These offices were contained in a palatial building right adjacent to the marina and each had one or two people doing largely nothing in large palatial offices. But all very pleasant! Then the weather turned to custard so we decided to delay our departure - having already cleared out of the country! We would have told them but didn't want to cause further unnecessary bureaucratic paperwork, so we didn't. In the event it was only 4 or 5 days after clearing before we left. Not like when we left Thailand when it took us 20 odd days between clearing out of Phuket and leaving Krabi earlier this year!! We'll be getting a bit of a reputation if we're not careful.
We left Telaga on Sunday Aug. 2nd. and motorsailed the 16 miles to the Hole in the Wall on the north coast of Langkawi. A very spectacular anchorage largely invisible from seaward until you are exactly outside the entrance which is only 4 boat widths wide at best. Threaded our way in between sheer limestone cliffs and up the river which has reasonable depth to where there was a group of yachts moored. Some unattended and in poor condition. We intended to leave the next day for Satun (another 16 miles slightly east of north), but there was thunder and lightning all night and heavy rain continuing into the morning. In order to catch the tide at Satun we would have needed to be underway by 9 Malaysia time (which is 1 hour ahead of Thailand) and so made the decision to delay 24 hours. During the day we were subjected to constant irresponsible and downright dangerous "buzzing" by high speed tourist powerboats which passed very closely at speeds well in excess of 20 knots. No 5 knot rule here!
However, on Tuesday morning at least the rain had stopped and the wind was less, although still on the nose. So, we decided to go. Jia had given us very detailed approach instructions via many waypoints which we had plotted on our chartplotter. We had to go around the northern end of a large sandbank as we left Langlawi and then set our course for the approaches to the river where PSS is located. As we approached the Thai coast it got shallower and shallower until we decided it would be prudent to anchor (in only 8' of water - we draw over 6!) and wait for the tide to come up further. We were a bit early in any event. Over the next hour the tide gained another 2' and so we gingerly carried on. There were some very shallow spots which in a couple of cases had us going astern in a hurry but we scraped over without hitting anything and avoiding groups of sticks in the water. Some were exactly in our way which was awkward as the lower reaches were very wide with nothing to fix our position by but the chartplotter and Jia's waypoints. At least the tide was coming in which was reassuring if we had gone aground. Jean was down below calling bearings to the next waypoint while Jim was on the helm anxiously watching the depth sounder! It got deeper as we went upstream and the river narrower which actually made navigation easier. Mangroves on either bank. This area did have crocodiles but they're long gone. However, it did have the feeling of the great grey green greasy Limpopo River of Rudyard Kipling fame. After about half a mile we rounded the last bend and there was the Prithak Shipyard with lots of fishing trawlers either tied up or already up in the yard. These large wooden vessels are upwards of 80 tons and have a greatly exaggerated sheer. Fascinating to see them out of the water. There will be some photos coming soon - promise!! Soon we were waved into the slipway itself and moored there in the middle with 4 lines to await the cradle which soon trundled down the slip and underneath us. At least Jean didn't repeat her swimming experience in the slipway at Norsand in Whangarei when she fell in throwing a mooring line!! If she had at least the water would have been somewhat warmer. Then a diver went down to position us correctly on the trolley and we were effortlessly hauled out. Some anxiety because they appeared to be going to leave us in a bow down attitude just like the trawlers, but we had to live on the boat! So at last we managed to get them to jack up the front of the trolley so that things seemed normal - or at least as normal as things ever are! Some people might say that the yard was messy but it is a commercial yard and everything is functional and there for a purpose. And the friendliness and helpfulness more than makes up for a bit of boatyard detritus! We hired the yard's car 2 days ago and drove into Satun which impressed us as a prosperous, clean and organised town. We made our number with Thai Immigration and then went to Big C to satisfy our supermarket needs. We also had two delicious Thai meals at On's restaurant before driving down to the ferry terminal to clear Customs and Harbourmaster. So refreshing to be here with reasonably ordered cleanliness in a very pleasant town. And the food.......all such a welcome change from Langkawi.
It is now Friday the 7th. and work is underway making our new shaft together with the usual list of small jobs that need doing. Nothing is too much trouble and all the necessary facilities (engineering machine shop, etc.) are here on-site.
This is the wet season (SW Monsoon) in this part of the world and, although you get some fine days, there is often rain. Sometimes it comes in fierce squalls known as Sumatras. Usually they are short lived but can last for 30 minutes or longer. This morning we recorded 26 knots of wind here in the boatyard. And the rain was torrential. Thank goodness we recaulked our deck seams while in Australia! So, we're not looking forward much to our upcoming passage to Krabi with this capricious weather.
Finally, before finishing this long blog, we must sadly advise two things.
We made the decision a few months ago to place our beloved 12 ton Gauntlet ("Tiare Taporo III") on the market as we are both 68 going rapidly towards 69 and, although our health is still reasonable, Jean had her hips and eyes "done" just recently and both of us have sore knees from time to time. And Jim has Diabetes type 2, albeit in a very mild form. So, we think it's time to give up yacht cruising as we are getting less and less agile. You certainly notice it when climbing ladders in boatyards! You can see the listing on www.yachtbroker-charters.com Look for the "monos" page and scroll down until you come to "12 ton Gauntlet". There you can read and see all about us. If and when she does sell, we will then have to find somewhere to live but it's unlikely to be NZ as we still want to have different experiences before we shuffle off this mortal coil and anyway there are cheaper and equally as pleasant places to live as NZ.
We were very saddened to learn this week that Angela, who was sister to Tracie who is partner to Jean's son Perry, passed away from cancer at the age of 45. It was terrible news and is always particularly so when it is someone so young. Perry, Tracie, Carter and Nash had flown back to NZ from Miami and Tracie was able to be with Angela when she passed away. RIP Angela. Our thoughts are with her family.
Well, that is it from us for now from the PSS Boatyard. It is pouring with rain but the forecast for the next few days is a bit more encouraging.
More news in due course............
Lotsaluv from us,
Jim and Jean
Satun
Thailand.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Hope this finds you all well. Our stay on the hard at Rebak Marina continued to be more and more frustrating. We had been promised by an Aussie mechanic that he would refit our shaft and propellor when he came back from Europe but he just casually said in passing (when we finally saw him) that he was too busy and that was that. He dropped us right in it and that, combined with the generally unhelpful attitude in the marina and the lackadaisical attitude in general, meant that we were driven to desperate measures. In part this was caused by being told that the coming end of Ramadan meant that the travel lift was going to be out of action again for 8 days. SHIT!!!!! This marina (and Malaysia in general) is the pits. And, although we had shade cloth around the boat, she was beginning to suffer from sitting out of the water in the baking heat.
The Wall St. Journal no less has published an expose accusing the Malaysian PM of corruption on a grand scale. No less than 700 million USD is alleged to have been transferred to his personal accounts by way of a "donation" from a Middle East source. The source is not disclosed and nor is it clear just who the donation was intended for. If it was the PM's own party, that party was not advised of the "donation". Murkier and murkier. The PM is also the Finance Minister and Chairman of 1MDB which is a Malaysian government owned sovereign wealth now 42 billion Ringgits in debt - that's 11 billion USD. Interestingly he has not directly denied the allegations. Instead he has said he "has done nothing wrong" and that legal action would be taken against the WSJ. The Deputy PM has been critical of the PM and has now been sacked along with 4 other cabinet ministers as well as the Attorney-General who was heading the investigation set up as a result of the WSJ's allegations. In addition a leading newspaper has been shut down and a number of journalists arrested under the Sedition Act. It certainly smacks of cover up on a grand scale.
However, we digress. We urgently contacted Des Kearns at Krabi again to see whether he could be instrumental in getting someone from Prithak Shipyard and Services (PSS) at Satun in Thailand to come over and do the job for us. He rang Jia whose family owns PSS, and the upshot was that Jia and his engineer/mechanic came over on the Satun/Langkawi ferry the afternoon before we had to launch. We picked them up from the ferry terminal in Kuah and drove them out to the Rebak ferry. There was some potential difficulty in getting them onto the ferry with us but we insisted that they were friends who had come to stay and so the nonsense ended. What we were doing probably contravened all the rules in the book with Thais working in Malaysia and getting people from outside the marina to do the work. However, we didn't care and certainly gave no advance notice of their arrival. They just arrived and got on with the job. By the time the Malays realised anything might have been amiss they were long gone. Great to score a point in our long running saga of extreme frustration. Jia is a very personable and likeable guy who gained a degree at university in Beijing and he speaks excellent English. He is married to a woman from Mauritius who he met while in Beijing and her native language is French. Jia and his mechanic stayed on board with us that night, having in the meantime worked until dark to complete most of the job.
The next morning we completed the job, although Jia said that the condition of the shaft wasn't good as it had worn considerably since we were at Krabi. However, we were driven totally by the overwhelming necessity to get back in the water, although made the decision to go to Satun for permanent repairs as it is much closer than Krabi and we had reservations about going too far with the shaft the way it was. The engine was aligned again once we were in the water and then Jia and his engineer left to go back to Satun. Considering the time spent travelling and the work done, their charges were very, very reasonable. They only asked for 3000 Baht, but we added another 1000 to cover the travelling. Thus a total of 4000 Baht (NZD174) which was absolutely wonderful of them. By comparison the Malays charge like wounded bulls - so thank goodness we were finally in a position to leave.
Another example of the general unhelpfulness we encountered at Rebak concerned a French boat moored next to us. The aforementioned Aussie mechanic removed their windlass which was giving problems and said they needed a new electric motor for it. He then left without telling them where or how to go about doing that. Absolutely typical of the attitude. So we contacted Jia at PSS Satun on their behalf and he kindly organised a replacement from the Lofrans agent in Phuket. It was sent down to Satun and then they went over on the ferry to Satun, collected it and came back and fitted it themselves. The fact that Jia's wife speaks French was also a great help all around. Once again typical of the comparison in attitude between Satun and Langkawi. Jim enjoyed practising his French whenever we talked to Olivier and Francoise. They very kindly gave us a bottle of French wine for our help. We certainly didn't expect anything like that.
We wanted to go to Telaga Marina which is only 5 miles north of Rebak as it has the great advantage of being on the Langkawi mainland. And they have the only fuel dock on Langkawi at present. However, it is notoriously difficult to actually book a berth. They are quite full but it seems that you need to be on the spot when something comes up! So, we finally left Rebak very thankfully and motored uneventfully to Telaga over a windless sea. We had an idea that a boat was leaving that day and so we tied up at the fuel dock. After we had taken on the Diesel (not quite 200 litres) we went up to the office and lo and behold were allocated a berth. So, there we were for just a few days before leaving for Thailand. However, another problem. The boat on the other side of our finger apparently had a cockroach infestation and also rats!! Totally irresponsible of the owner and also the marina to allow a situation like that to perpetuate. But again typical of Malaysia and Langkawi in particular. So, we insisted on moving, but not before Jean had been on board and left cockroach bait in their cockpit! We heard later that the boat had been sinking with water over the cabin floorboards. They put us on a catamaran berth which fortunately was free so all was well. We then spent the time provisioning the boat (including some bottles of duty free Scotch) ahead of our planned trip to Satun. It is also possible to clear Customs, Immigration and the Harbourmaster at Telaga so that was convenient. These offices were contained in a palatial building right adjacent to the marina and each had one or two people doing largely nothing in large palatial offices. But all very pleasant! Then the weather turned to custard so we decided to delay our departure - having already cleared out of the country! We would have told them but didn't want to cause further unnecessary bureaucratic paperwork, so we didn't. In the event it was only 4 or 5 days after clearing before we left. Not like when we left Thailand when it took us 20 odd days between clearing out of Phuket and leaving Krabi earlier this year!! We'll be getting a bit of a reputation if we're not careful.
We left Telaga on Sunday Aug. 2nd. and motorsailed the 16 miles to the Hole in the Wall on the north coast of Langkawi. A very spectacular anchorage largely invisible from seaward until you are exactly outside the entrance which is only 4 boat widths wide at best. Threaded our way in between sheer limestone cliffs and up the river which has reasonable depth to where there was a group of yachts moored. Some unattended and in poor condition. We intended to leave the next day for Satun (another 16 miles slightly east of north), but there was thunder and lightning all night and heavy rain continuing into the morning. In order to catch the tide at Satun we would have needed to be underway by 9 Malaysia time (which is 1 hour ahead of Thailand) and so made the decision to delay 24 hours. During the day we were subjected to constant irresponsible and downright dangerous "buzzing" by high speed tourist powerboats which passed very closely at speeds well in excess of 20 knots. No 5 knot rule here!
However, on Tuesday morning at least the rain had stopped and the wind was less, although still on the nose. So, we decided to go. Jia had given us very detailed approach instructions via many waypoints which we had plotted on our chartplotter. We had to go around the northern end of a large sandbank as we left Langlawi and then set our course for the approaches to the river where PSS is located. As we approached the Thai coast it got shallower and shallower until we decided it would be prudent to anchor (in only 8' of water - we draw over 6!) and wait for the tide to come up further. We were a bit early in any event. Over the next hour the tide gained another 2' and so we gingerly carried on. There were some very shallow spots which in a couple of cases had us going astern in a hurry but we scraped over without hitting anything and avoiding groups of sticks in the water. Some were exactly in our way which was awkward as the lower reaches were very wide with nothing to fix our position by but the chartplotter and Jia's waypoints. At least the tide was coming in which was reassuring if we had gone aground. Jean was down below calling bearings to the next waypoint while Jim was on the helm anxiously watching the depth sounder! It got deeper as we went upstream and the river narrower which actually made navigation easier. Mangroves on either bank. This area did have crocodiles but they're long gone. However, it did have the feeling of the great grey green greasy Limpopo River of Rudyard Kipling fame. After about half a mile we rounded the last bend and there was the Prithak Shipyard with lots of fishing trawlers either tied up or already up in the yard. These large wooden vessels are upwards of 80 tons and have a greatly exaggerated sheer. Fascinating to see them out of the water. There will be some photos coming soon - promise!! Soon we were waved into the slipway itself and moored there in the middle with 4 lines to await the cradle which soon trundled down the slip and underneath us. At least Jean didn't repeat her swimming experience in the slipway at Norsand in Whangarei when she fell in throwing a mooring line!! If she had at least the water would have been somewhat warmer. Then a diver went down to position us correctly on the trolley and we were effortlessly hauled out. Some anxiety because they appeared to be going to leave us in a bow down attitude just like the trawlers, but we had to live on the boat! So at last we managed to get them to jack up the front of the trolley so that things seemed normal - or at least as normal as things ever are! Some people might say that the yard was messy but it is a commercial yard and everything is functional and there for a purpose. And the friendliness and helpfulness more than makes up for a bit of boatyard detritus! We hired the yard's car 2 days ago and drove into Satun which impressed us as a prosperous, clean and organised town. We made our number with Thai Immigration and then went to Big C to satisfy our supermarket needs. We also had two delicious Thai meals at On's restaurant before driving down to the ferry terminal to clear Customs and Harbourmaster. So refreshing to be here with reasonably ordered cleanliness in a very pleasant town. And the food.......all such a welcome change from Langkawi.
It is now Friday the 7th. and work is underway making our new shaft together with the usual list of small jobs that need doing. Nothing is too much trouble and all the necessary facilities (engineering machine shop, etc.) are here on-site.
This is the wet season (SW Monsoon) in this part of the world and, although you get some fine days, there is often rain. Sometimes it comes in fierce squalls known as Sumatras. Usually they are short lived but can last for 30 minutes or longer. This morning we recorded 26 knots of wind here in the boatyard. And the rain was torrential. Thank goodness we recaulked our deck seams while in Australia! So, we're not looking forward much to our upcoming passage to Krabi with this capricious weather.
Finally, before finishing this long blog, we must sadly advise two things.
We made the decision a few months ago to place our beloved 12 ton Gauntlet ("Tiare Taporo III") on the market as we are both 68 going rapidly towards 69 and, although our health is still reasonable, Jean had her hips and eyes "done" just recently and both of us have sore knees from time to time. And Jim has Diabetes type 2, albeit in a very mild form. So, we think it's time to give up yacht cruising as we are getting less and less agile. You certainly notice it when climbing ladders in boatyards! You can see the listing on www.yachtbroker-charters.com Look for the "monos" page and scroll down until you come to "12 ton Gauntlet". There you can read and see all about us. If and when she does sell, we will then have to find somewhere to live but it's unlikely to be NZ as we still want to have different experiences before we shuffle off this mortal coil and anyway there are cheaper and equally as pleasant places to live as NZ.
We were very saddened to learn this week that Angela, who was sister to Tracie who is partner to Jean's son Perry, passed away from cancer at the age of 45. It was terrible news and is always particularly so when it is someone so young. Perry, Tracie, Carter and Nash had flown back to NZ from Miami and Tracie was able to be with Angela when she passed away. RIP Angela. Our thoughts are with her family.
Well, that is it from us for now from the PSS Boatyard. It is pouring with rain but the forecast for the next few days is a bit more encouraging.
More news in due course............
Lotsaluv from us,
Jim and Jean
Satun
Thailand.
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Friday, 31 July 2015
Friday, 3 July 2015
End of visits overseas and back at Langkawi
Hi to all,
Jim continued his round of visits to family and friends in Auckland. Visited his old school, St. Kentigern College at Pakuranga, which evoked many memories from long ago - 1963 in fact. Made sure that when Jean was in Glasgow she visited Kentigern's tomb in the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral! A very pleasant dinner at Graham and Carol Pearce's home and a nostalgic visit to Alastair Whitelaw (now in his 80's) who was Jim's history teacher at St. Kentigern's. John Mains (Jim's cousin) and Garry in their exquisite antique furniture showroom, Rosemary Morton (Jim's cousin) and of course Jim's brother Alec and Linda - his wife.
Then there was Amanda (Jim's eldest daughter) who works as a midwife at the Botany Birthing Unit - so good to see where she works and is so happy. Had 2 happy days with Amanda hearing all about her work which she absolutely loves. She now has a "company car"! Her colleagues at the Birthing Unit said that "they absolutely love Amanda". So good to hear those things. Two visits with Heather (Jean's sister) both of which were very pleasant. She is living in a residential community in a quiet corner of Albany on the North Shore. Lovely friendly people. Good to see her improving and starting to get back into her life. A trip to Waiuku to see Tracie's parents who have moved out there to be with their ailing daughter and the next day had coffee with Mary and Alan - Jim's former sister and brother in law. Great to see them again after all these years and catch up all the news.
The camper van concept worked very well giving mobility and a place to lay the weary head. Living at Rozanne's place out on the Te Atatu Peninsula meant a fair trek from the city and the NW motorway is undergoing massive works which probably won't be finished for another 18 months. And all to make it easier for people to zoom round in cars - and camper vans!! The way Auckland is growing with all this Asian immigration, by the time it is finished it will be as congested as ever. Still, Auckland doesn't have that on its own.
There was another trip to Whangarei for a final doctor's visit and collect prescriptions. NZ is definitely getting way less user friendly. Jim was told that as we had been out of the country for more than 120 days, we had "dropped off the system" and therefore doctor's visits and prescriptions would cost far more. $90 per visit for a 15 minute appointment where there is barely enough time to discuss any ailments - just enough time to type the prescriptions out on the computer. We will be seeking appropriate medical treatment in other countries from now on. By contrast, when Jean was in Glasgow she became quite ill just before she was due to leave and had to postpone her flights. She went to the doctor and everything was FREE including prescriptions. She has a British passport but they didn't want to see it. She's fine now. NZ is exceptionally expensive and housing in Auckland is going through the stratosphere. All due to unfettered, rampant and speculative buying by Asians. No problem if they are bona fide permanent residents or citizens but that is not a requirement to buy property in NZ, and it absolutely should be. We've said it before, NZ is not the country we remembered and holds virtually no attraction for us to ever come back and live. Maybe that's not quite fair; most of that feeling comes from Auckland but there's no getting away from the fact that NZ is becoming ever more expensive to live in.
Anyway, did a final round of people in Whangarei to say goodbye before finally leaving and back to soulless Auckland! Got a speeding ticket in Helensville on a quiet Sunday evening - no traffic and doing 72 kph in a 50 kph area - and slowing down. Just came past the sign on the outskirts of town and there were all these blue and red flashing lights! Bugger! $170. Still haven't paid it and probably won't - another reason not to come back for a while!!
Then back at Rozanne's and each morning taking young Harry to kindergarten again, not to mention doing loads of dishes - Jim's speciality!!. Callum is full of energy and life too and zooms around the house at 90 mph!
However, on Jim's 2nd. to last night in Auckland there was an explosive and unprovoked temper tantrum from Rozanne's partner wherein unbelievably she ordered Jim off the property! She is a volatile person to be sure but absolutely no excuse for that sort of extreme behaviour. It came from left field out of the blue. There had been a minor disagreement over a gentle chastisement that Jim delivered to young Harry but that was certainly no reason for her extraordinary outburst. No explanation has ever been forthcoming - much less any sort of apology. Nothing had changed in the morning so there wasn't even a chance to say goodbye to Harry and Callum - they were dragged off to kindergarten and creche by 0730 and that was that. There has been no communication since, although Jim has tried several times. Unbelievable and quite distressing. Don't know when we'll ever see them again.
So, he spent his last night in NZ at his brother's place with Alec and Linda and didn't have to sleep in the van! Very good of them and it certainly eased the pain of what was still very raw. The flight out on the 21st. wasn't until almost midnight so had all day to pack and then we went out for lunch in Ponsonby which was pleasant. Delivered the trusty van back to the depot near the airport and then had to cool the heels until departure. Could have knocked Jim down with a feather when who should appear in the departure area but Vijay Malhotra with whom Jim had travelled to India back in 2005. It was great to see him - he was off to Delhi again - and there was a chance to catch up on mutual news. Then it was onto Air NZ and a very turbulent ride out of Auckland - even at 27,000 feet. Dinner was delayed about an hour as it was deemed too dangerous to serve so it wasn't a great flight. And the food wasn't worth having even when it did arrive. Good to get to Singapore and then about 3 hours to catch Air Asia to Langkawi - but that flight was then delayed another 3 hours! So very tired when finally arrived back at the boat and slept an exhausted sleep. Picked up another bug on the plane and again had to endure a few days of coughing and snorting, but some long sleeps and hot toddys with duty free Langkawi Scotch certainly helped!! And the boat was fine having been looked after by Rachel (a Kiwi) who along with her husband runs a boat maintenance business here at Rebak.
Jean was delayed by her illness just before leaving Scotland and so didn't arrive back on the boat for another 4 days. She had had a great time in Miami with Perry, Tracie, Carter (alias Peapod!) and Nash. It was a very treasured few weeks. Being there for the birth of Nash, which she missed with Carter as we were sailing across the Java sea at that time, was a treasured time. Jean's time with Carter was very special, and hard to leave. Lovely to be with Tracie and Perry through this hectic time. Just loved it. Oh and Nanny Rosa the childrens' Mexican nanny, all she can say is how lucky the boys are to have her. Special Rosa. Jean travelled around Miami on buses and also went down to Key West with Tracie, Nash, Carter and Nana Rosa. Thank you Tracie. This was a 4 hour drive from Miami. They visited Earnest Hemingway's house while there. At one stage she took a Greyhound bus to Melbourne north of Miami to see a friend (Ruby) from NZ days some 30 years ago. She is a very keen tennis player and their club is called the Kiwi Tennis Club!! She said the bus was disgraceful; nothing worked properly, and the driver was rude. Greyhound is an iconic American brand and one certainly does not expect that sort of disappointment. It seems that much of American infrastructure is decrepit and of course now there is no money due to excessive government, state and local government debt. Another example of that was the flight to Heathrow on American Airlines. She had to fly from Miami to Raleigh-Durham (2 hrs) to catch the flight to Heathrow. There was an old 747 for the Heathrow flight. Two and a half hours later after sitting on the tarmac all that time they announced that due to mechanical problems the flight was cancelled and so everyone and all their baggage had to be off loaded. Probably just as well given the age and general condition of the plane! All the passengers were taken back into the terminal and then it was a matter of standing in line for 4 hours until 2 in the morning to get alternative travel arrangements. During that whole time, there was no food or drink offered and it was just as well that Jean had already eaten a substantial dinner and had the ubiquitous water bottle with her as usual!!
The ladies working for American Airlines were very patient through all this chaos. Finally she left for her baggage collection about 3 am, which was another enlightening encounter. Jean arrived to her bag torn down one side, with clothes hanging out. So, at this point in time Jean sat on the floor and laughed. She could ave been crying!! The security man then helped to tape the bag for her to transit to the hotel, arriving at 4 am. Then it was email time to let Jiveen know that she, would be arriving 1 day late in Glasgow. Also to let Perry know that Jean had been re scheduled for London. Had a shower, tried to rest to leave on a shuttle at 8am to go and sort out bag problems with American Airlines. Got nothing sorted with American Airlines about the bag, just taped it up so she could get through to Glasgow. Left on Delta Airlines at 12.30pm for New York (La Guardia) one and a half hours. Great flight, but knocked my drink of Ginger Ale all over my trousers. Fun Fun. The only pants I had to change into were my exercise tights in my back pack. So Jean arrived on her first visit to New York in her tights, a long tight leotard top down above her knees and a T shirt. Then to get a taxi to JFK which gave Jean a small tour of New York through the back streets at American Airlines' expense. Met a great girl from Romania who was living in London with her husband, daughter of 7yrs and her parents who she brought out from Romania. They look after their parents and they run a tech company between New York and London. We had a few laughs waiting to board the plane, as American Airlines had this crazy system of loading. Totally disorganised. Jean was going to ring Carter, to show them how it is done. Great flight to London, grabbed 4 seats and slept. Then it was Glasgow with British Airways, to be met by Jiveen. An exciting moment. It was so great to see Jiveen. Went to Jenny's parents straight from the airport for dinner, also to meet up with Jenny and Theo. A great afternoon, and dinner. Thank you Fiona and Rod. Next day rest, then off to Scotland to Loch Ness and Fort William where Jean's Dad was born and raised until he was 15 years old. We spent a delightful 3 days up on the the play grounds of my Dad's. Went and visited my Grand Dad's and Grandmother's graves, also my Auntie Bessie's grave stone. This was very relevant to me as I spent 3 weeks with Aunty Bessie in 1992 three months before she died. It was a memorable time. Jiveen, Jenny, Theo and I had a great time. Stayed at a Back Packers for a night in Fort Augustus, and a B and B. Jean was amazed how Theo knew the difference between a Back Packers and a B and B. His table manners were exquisite. Theo is a wee man of wisdom. It was a wonderful journey. Thanks Jiveen, Jenny and Theo, - oh and now the bump. Back to Glasgow after our three great days. I bought a new bag for my luggage on our return. A really good quality bag - thanks Jiveen. Was to fly out on the Friday, but fell sick in the night before I left. So had to cancel flights and get spoilt with Jenny's vegetable soups and Jiveen's juices. Also had a visit to the Doctor as Jean had to have Doctors' certificates for the airlines. Interesting that it was all free. Left on Monday feeling very emotional, but very happy for an amazing few days.
Now back at Rebak and what a frustrating time to be sure. The Malays generally have no idea of being helpful; even when struggling to get heavy bags on and off the ferry they just stand and look at you until you say "would you mind giving me a hand". There is a surly woman in the marina office who, when asked to do some simple photocopying, said that it's cheaper in Matsirat! She didn't give a damn whether we saved any money or not; she couldn't be bothered getting off her fat ass. The fact that getting to Matsirat involved a ferry ride and then a 50 Ringgit car hire was neither here nor there to her. Needless to say she did move when she saw Jim's expression.
We needed to haul out to get to the bottom of the transmission noise we had been experiencing. We were then told that the travel lift would be out of action for a week due to regular maintenance - we thought there's a new word for Malaysia! However, due to the inherent inertia around here one week turned into 3 before we were finally hauled out. We have never seen such bad fouling of the hull and propellor after only 12 months and it's all due to the fact that they discharge raw sewerage directly into the marina thus creating a nutrient rich environment for the biggest concentration of oysters, muscles and barnacles we have ever seen. The boat was like a pin cushion of barnacles but she is all cleaned up now and has her 1st coat of new antifouling. However, we will not be coming back in here in future in spite of the pool and other amenities. Then we were forced to deal with engineering cowboys because the regular people are all away. We've been lied to and an attempt to extort money from us was made recently. We have sacked those crooks and now hopefully will have the services of someone a little more reliable. However, that person is unavailable until next week so we can only hope that the job will be done then. It has all been an exercise in extreme frustration not helped by the language problem. Rebak is absolutely the worst marina we have ever been in and we will not be returning. Right now it's Ramadan and getting anyone to do any work is like drawing teeth!
At the moment we have taken the shaft and some bearing material to a machine shop so that the bearing can be machined down to fit the shaft and bearing housing - fingers crossed that they do it right. Shaft and bearing now back and yes they do appear to have done a tolerable job - they're Chinese, not Malays.
There are headlines on the local MSN website saying Malaysia is going to the dogs and a former prime Minister (Dr. Mahatir) is publicly calling the current PM a crook. Even though they are in the same party. There's a so-called sovereign wealth fund which is actually billions of ringitts (2.5 to one NZD at present) in debt - how does that happen? Corruption in a word. Police are breaking up public meetings called to denounce the government and ridiculous demands are being made as regards Muslim dress - particularly for women, and non Muslims as well. A man was barred from entering the lost luggage area at Kuala Lumpur International Airport because his knee length shorts were considered unacceptable. He had to go and find some long trousers! Malaysia is no longer the friendly place it appeared to be back in 2010 when we first came here. The PM was recently quoted as saying that it wasn't just enough to be a good Muslim; if you criticised the government and caused disunity and dissension you wouldn't get to heaven!!!
On the plus side we've discovered a very good coffee shop not far from the ferry at Cenang where the food is good and not too expensive. Right next to a Starbucks which is grossly overpriced and just awful. The other day we went by car up to Telaga Marina and came across some people we know - the boating world is like that. Tim from "Camissa" (a South African boat we knew very well in NZ) was there and we had a hilarious conversation about the frustrations of putting up with the local laziness and inertia - if you didn't laugh you'd cry.
Now the problem is getting some qualified person to put our propellor shaft back in and re-align the engine. We currently have only two possibilities - there's an Aussie engineer who works on the island but he's in Europe at present. We understand he's back next week but we'll believe that when we see it. Then there is the possibility that Des of Popeye Marine in Krabi might be able to get an engineer from a shipyard in Satun (southern Thailand) to come over here and do the job. So, one way or another we will get the old girl back together and back in the water, but we have never felt so frustrated with dealing with people who are just not interested and who are lazy and lackadaisical. It's like trying to nail jelly to the wall.
More to come you may have no doubt!
Lotsaluv from us
Jim and Jean
----------
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Jim continued his round of visits to family and friends in Auckland. Visited his old school, St. Kentigern College at Pakuranga, which evoked many memories from long ago - 1963 in fact. Made sure that when Jean was in Glasgow she visited Kentigern's tomb in the crypt of Glasgow Cathedral! A very pleasant dinner at Graham and Carol Pearce's home and a nostalgic visit to Alastair Whitelaw (now in his 80's) who was Jim's history teacher at St. Kentigern's. John Mains (Jim's cousin) and Garry in their exquisite antique furniture showroom, Rosemary Morton (Jim's cousin) and of course Jim's brother Alec and Linda - his wife.
Then there was Amanda (Jim's eldest daughter) who works as a midwife at the Botany Birthing Unit - so good to see where she works and is so happy. Had 2 happy days with Amanda hearing all about her work which she absolutely loves. She now has a "company car"! Her colleagues at the Birthing Unit said that "they absolutely love Amanda". So good to hear those things. Two visits with Heather (Jean's sister) both of which were very pleasant. She is living in a residential community in a quiet corner of Albany on the North Shore. Lovely friendly people. Good to see her improving and starting to get back into her life. A trip to Waiuku to see Tracie's parents who have moved out there to be with their ailing daughter and the next day had coffee with Mary and Alan - Jim's former sister and brother in law. Great to see them again after all these years and catch up all the news.
The camper van concept worked very well giving mobility and a place to lay the weary head. Living at Rozanne's place out on the Te Atatu Peninsula meant a fair trek from the city and the NW motorway is undergoing massive works which probably won't be finished for another 18 months. And all to make it easier for people to zoom round in cars - and camper vans!! The way Auckland is growing with all this Asian immigration, by the time it is finished it will be as congested as ever. Still, Auckland doesn't have that on its own.
There was another trip to Whangarei for a final doctor's visit and collect prescriptions. NZ is definitely getting way less user friendly. Jim was told that as we had been out of the country for more than 120 days, we had "dropped off the system" and therefore doctor's visits and prescriptions would cost far more. $90 per visit for a 15 minute appointment where there is barely enough time to discuss any ailments - just enough time to type the prescriptions out on the computer. We will be seeking appropriate medical treatment in other countries from now on. By contrast, when Jean was in Glasgow she became quite ill just before she was due to leave and had to postpone her flights. She went to the doctor and everything was FREE including prescriptions. She has a British passport but they didn't want to see it. She's fine now. NZ is exceptionally expensive and housing in Auckland is going through the stratosphere. All due to unfettered, rampant and speculative buying by Asians. No problem if they are bona fide permanent residents or citizens but that is not a requirement to buy property in NZ, and it absolutely should be. We've said it before, NZ is not the country we remembered and holds virtually no attraction for us to ever come back and live. Maybe that's not quite fair; most of that feeling comes from Auckland but there's no getting away from the fact that NZ is becoming ever more expensive to live in.
Anyway, did a final round of people in Whangarei to say goodbye before finally leaving and back to soulless Auckland! Got a speeding ticket in Helensville on a quiet Sunday evening - no traffic and doing 72 kph in a 50 kph area - and slowing down. Just came past the sign on the outskirts of town and there were all these blue and red flashing lights! Bugger! $170. Still haven't paid it and probably won't - another reason not to come back for a while!!
Then back at Rozanne's and each morning taking young Harry to kindergarten again, not to mention doing loads of dishes - Jim's speciality!!. Callum is full of energy and life too and zooms around the house at 90 mph!
However, on Jim's 2nd. to last night in Auckland there was an explosive and unprovoked temper tantrum from Rozanne's partner wherein unbelievably she ordered Jim off the property! She is a volatile person to be sure but absolutely no excuse for that sort of extreme behaviour. It came from left field out of the blue. There had been a minor disagreement over a gentle chastisement that Jim delivered to young Harry but that was certainly no reason for her extraordinary outburst. No explanation has ever been forthcoming - much less any sort of apology. Nothing had changed in the morning so there wasn't even a chance to say goodbye to Harry and Callum - they were dragged off to kindergarten and creche by 0730 and that was that. There has been no communication since, although Jim has tried several times. Unbelievable and quite distressing. Don't know when we'll ever see them again.
So, he spent his last night in NZ at his brother's place with Alec and Linda and didn't have to sleep in the van! Very good of them and it certainly eased the pain of what was still very raw. The flight out on the 21st. wasn't until almost midnight so had all day to pack and then we went out for lunch in Ponsonby which was pleasant. Delivered the trusty van back to the depot near the airport and then had to cool the heels until departure. Could have knocked Jim down with a feather when who should appear in the departure area but Vijay Malhotra with whom Jim had travelled to India back in 2005. It was great to see him - he was off to Delhi again - and there was a chance to catch up on mutual news. Then it was onto Air NZ and a very turbulent ride out of Auckland - even at 27,000 feet. Dinner was delayed about an hour as it was deemed too dangerous to serve so it wasn't a great flight. And the food wasn't worth having even when it did arrive. Good to get to Singapore and then about 3 hours to catch Air Asia to Langkawi - but that flight was then delayed another 3 hours! So very tired when finally arrived back at the boat and slept an exhausted sleep. Picked up another bug on the plane and again had to endure a few days of coughing and snorting, but some long sleeps and hot toddys with duty free Langkawi Scotch certainly helped!! And the boat was fine having been looked after by Rachel (a Kiwi) who along with her husband runs a boat maintenance business here at Rebak.
Jean was delayed by her illness just before leaving Scotland and so didn't arrive back on the boat for another 4 days. She had had a great time in Miami with Perry, Tracie, Carter (alias Peapod!) and Nash. It was a very treasured few weeks. Being there for the birth of Nash, which she missed with Carter as we were sailing across the Java sea at that time, was a treasured time. Jean's time with Carter was very special, and hard to leave. Lovely to be with Tracie and Perry through this hectic time. Just loved it. Oh and Nanny Rosa the childrens' Mexican nanny, all she can say is how lucky the boys are to have her. Special Rosa. Jean travelled around Miami on buses and also went down to Key West with Tracie, Nash, Carter and Nana Rosa. Thank you Tracie. This was a 4 hour drive from Miami. They visited Earnest Hemingway's house while there. At one stage she took a Greyhound bus to Melbourne north of Miami to see a friend (Ruby) from NZ days some 30 years ago. She is a very keen tennis player and their club is called the Kiwi Tennis Club!! She said the bus was disgraceful; nothing worked properly, and the driver was rude. Greyhound is an iconic American brand and one certainly does not expect that sort of disappointment. It seems that much of American infrastructure is decrepit and of course now there is no money due to excessive government, state and local government debt. Another example of that was the flight to Heathrow on American Airlines. She had to fly from Miami to Raleigh-Durham (2 hrs) to catch the flight to Heathrow. There was an old 747 for the Heathrow flight. Two and a half hours later after sitting on the tarmac all that time they announced that due to mechanical problems the flight was cancelled and so everyone and all their baggage had to be off loaded. Probably just as well given the age and general condition of the plane! All the passengers were taken back into the terminal and then it was a matter of standing in line for 4 hours until 2 in the morning to get alternative travel arrangements. During that whole time, there was no food or drink offered and it was just as well that Jean had already eaten a substantial dinner and had the ubiquitous water bottle with her as usual!!
The ladies working for American Airlines were very patient through all this chaos. Finally she left for her baggage collection about 3 am, which was another enlightening encounter. Jean arrived to her bag torn down one side, with clothes hanging out. So, at this point in time Jean sat on the floor and laughed. She could ave been crying!! The security man then helped to tape the bag for her to transit to the hotel, arriving at 4 am. Then it was email time to let Jiveen know that she, would be arriving 1 day late in Glasgow. Also to let Perry know that Jean had been re scheduled for London. Had a shower, tried to rest to leave on a shuttle at 8am to go and sort out bag problems with American Airlines. Got nothing sorted with American Airlines about the bag, just taped it up so she could get through to Glasgow. Left on Delta Airlines at 12.30pm for New York (La Guardia) one and a half hours. Great flight, but knocked my drink of Ginger Ale all over my trousers. Fun Fun. The only pants I had to change into were my exercise tights in my back pack. So Jean arrived on her first visit to New York in her tights, a long tight leotard top down above her knees and a T shirt. Then to get a taxi to JFK which gave Jean a small tour of New York through the back streets at American Airlines' expense. Met a great girl from Romania who was living in London with her husband, daughter of 7yrs and her parents who she brought out from Romania. They look after their parents and they run a tech company between New York and London. We had a few laughs waiting to board the plane, as American Airlines had this crazy system of loading. Totally disorganised. Jean was going to ring Carter, to show them how it is done. Great flight to London, grabbed 4 seats and slept. Then it was Glasgow with British Airways, to be met by Jiveen. An exciting moment. It was so great to see Jiveen. Went to Jenny's parents straight from the airport for dinner, also to meet up with Jenny and Theo. A great afternoon, and dinner. Thank you Fiona and Rod. Next day rest, then off to Scotland to Loch Ness and Fort William where Jean's Dad was born and raised until he was 15 years old. We spent a delightful 3 days up on the the play grounds of my Dad's. Went and visited my Grand Dad's and Grandmother's graves, also my Auntie Bessie's grave stone. This was very relevant to me as I spent 3 weeks with Aunty Bessie in 1992 three months before she died. It was a memorable time. Jiveen, Jenny, Theo and I had a great time. Stayed at a Back Packers for a night in Fort Augustus, and a B and B. Jean was amazed how Theo knew the difference between a Back Packers and a B and B. His table manners were exquisite. Theo is a wee man of wisdom. It was a wonderful journey. Thanks Jiveen, Jenny and Theo, - oh and now the bump. Back to Glasgow after our three great days. I bought a new bag for my luggage on our return. A really good quality bag - thanks Jiveen. Was to fly out on the Friday, but fell sick in the night before I left. So had to cancel flights and get spoilt with Jenny's vegetable soups and Jiveen's juices. Also had a visit to the Doctor as Jean had to have Doctors' certificates for the airlines. Interesting that it was all free. Left on Monday feeling very emotional, but very happy for an amazing few days.
Now back at Rebak and what a frustrating time to be sure. The Malays generally have no idea of being helpful; even when struggling to get heavy bags on and off the ferry they just stand and look at you until you say "would you mind giving me a hand". There is a surly woman in the marina office who, when asked to do some simple photocopying, said that it's cheaper in Matsirat! She didn't give a damn whether we saved any money or not; she couldn't be bothered getting off her fat ass. The fact that getting to Matsirat involved a ferry ride and then a 50 Ringgit car hire was neither here nor there to her. Needless to say she did move when she saw Jim's expression.
We needed to haul out to get to the bottom of the transmission noise we had been experiencing. We were then told that the travel lift would be out of action for a week due to regular maintenance - we thought there's a new word for Malaysia! However, due to the inherent inertia around here one week turned into 3 before we were finally hauled out. We have never seen such bad fouling of the hull and propellor after only 12 months and it's all due to the fact that they discharge raw sewerage directly into the marina thus creating a nutrient rich environment for the biggest concentration of oysters, muscles and barnacles we have ever seen. The boat was like a pin cushion of barnacles but she is all cleaned up now and has her 1st coat of new antifouling. However, we will not be coming back in here in future in spite of the pool and other amenities. Then we were forced to deal with engineering cowboys because the regular people are all away. We've been lied to and an attempt to extort money from us was made recently. We have sacked those crooks and now hopefully will have the services of someone a little more reliable. However, that person is unavailable until next week so we can only hope that the job will be done then. It has all been an exercise in extreme frustration not helped by the language problem. Rebak is absolutely the worst marina we have ever been in and we will not be returning. Right now it's Ramadan and getting anyone to do any work is like drawing teeth!
At the moment we have taken the shaft and some bearing material to a machine shop so that the bearing can be machined down to fit the shaft and bearing housing - fingers crossed that they do it right. Shaft and bearing now back and yes they do appear to have done a tolerable job - they're Chinese, not Malays.
There are headlines on the local MSN website saying Malaysia is going to the dogs and a former prime Minister (Dr. Mahatir) is publicly calling the current PM a crook. Even though they are in the same party. There's a so-called sovereign wealth fund which is actually billions of ringitts (2.5 to one NZD at present) in debt - how does that happen? Corruption in a word. Police are breaking up public meetings called to denounce the government and ridiculous demands are being made as regards Muslim dress - particularly for women, and non Muslims as well. A man was barred from entering the lost luggage area at Kuala Lumpur International Airport because his knee length shorts were considered unacceptable. He had to go and find some long trousers! Malaysia is no longer the friendly place it appeared to be back in 2010 when we first came here. The PM was recently quoted as saying that it wasn't just enough to be a good Muslim; if you criticised the government and caused disunity and dissension you wouldn't get to heaven!!!
On the plus side we've discovered a very good coffee shop not far from the ferry at Cenang where the food is good and not too expensive. Right next to a Starbucks which is grossly overpriced and just awful. The other day we went by car up to Telaga Marina and came across some people we know - the boating world is like that. Tim from "Camissa" (a South African boat we knew very well in NZ) was there and we had a hilarious conversation about the frustrations of putting up with the local laziness and inertia - if you didn't laugh you'd cry.
Now the problem is getting some qualified person to put our propellor shaft back in and re-align the engine. We currently have only two possibilities - there's an Aussie engineer who works on the island but he's in Europe at present. We understand he's back next week but we'll believe that when we see it. Then there is the possibility that Des of Popeye Marine in Krabi might be able to get an engineer from a shipyard in Satun (southern Thailand) to come over here and do the job. So, one way or another we will get the old girl back together and back in the water, but we have never felt so frustrated with dealing with people who are just not interested and who are lazy and lackadaisical. It's like trying to nail jelly to the wall.
More to come you may have no doubt!
Lotsaluv from us
Jim and Jean
----------
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for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Saturday, 2 May 2015
NZ & American sojourns
Hi to all,
It is now almost exactly half way through Jim's visit downunder and more than that for Jean in Florida. Jean has been having a great time with her grandchildren and has also been visiting an old friend in Melbourne - a 3 hour drive north of Miami.
Jim sadly finished his visit to Christchurch and Charlotte, Jon, Lucia and Elsie. It was wonderful to see them all and live with them - however briefly. But since he left on 15/04 there has been some sad news. Charlotte's brother in law, Nick Wright who has been terminally ill for some time, passed away in his early forties from an inoperable brain tumour. We cannot imagine what it would be like to lose one of your own children at such an early age and our sympathies are with Max and Jane (Nick's parents) and all the extended family.
Upon arriving in Auckland, Jim acquired the VW Transporter campervan that had been booked and he drove to Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty via the Karangahake Gorge and Waihi and Katikati. A very pretty drive and the country looked magnificent with green farmland and many Kiwifruit orchards behind high shelter belts. Economically though things aren't so good with succeeding reductions in dairy payouts to farmers and rampant increases in real estate prices in Auckland due to unfettered buying by (mostly Asian) foreigners. They can buy land in NZ without any formal citizenship or residency status, whereas there is no way that we can go to China or anywhere else in Asia for that matter and freely buy land. NZ is lying down with its feet in the air and playing dead flies - and not really playing either. It's a disgraceful scenario aided and abetted by the present National government and will come to be regretted for years in the future. It may already be too late to reverse the trend of foreign (mainly Chinese)takeover. NZ is not the NZ we all once knew.
In Tauranga Jim stayed with Dennis and Rosie Bouverie at Mt. Maunganui. Dennis was one of 3 young owners of Tiare (formerly "Reflections of Wellington") when they launched her back in 1978 in Wellington - after a 31 year build by the first owner who passed away before she was launched!! Dennis has now purchased a French built Hood 38 and he and Jim sailed out to Mayor Is. The forecast was quite benign and so the voyage started out in some optimism. However, it blew up from the SE which is the coldest wind and it affected Jim and his thin SE Asian blood! They had to move in the late afternoon to seek alternative shelter which was rolly although sheltered from the SE. But getting in there in the pitch dark on chartplotter only was character building and completely different from sailing in the tropics. However, there was a bottle of Laphroaig which took a hammering once the anchor was down and dug in. All in all a great few days and it was good to have been sailing with Dennis again after he sailed with Jim from Bundaberg to the Whitsundays in Queensland in 2012.
Then back in Auckland with a raging cold and feeling totally miserable for a couple of days. Stayed at Rozanne's (Jim's middle daughter) who is a school teacher at St. Cuthberts College - a private girls school in Epsom. Rozanne and Chris (her partner) have 2 delightful young boys - Harry aged 4 (going on 50!) and Callum (18 months). They both work fulltime as teachers and so the house has to be run like a military logistical operation or it just wouldn't function. The boys go to Kindergarten and Creche and usually leave before 0730. The other day Poppa Jim took young Harry to Kindergarten on foot as it is only a block away. Poppa Jim made the mistake of failing to "stop look and listen" as they crossed the road and was roundly told off by young Harry. The educational facilities are first class and very impressive - as they are in Christchurch too for Lucia and Elsie. Managed to buy a new laptop but haven't even turned it on yet. Next job is to hopefully transfer everything from the old one which is 5 years old and making some funny noises to the new whizzbang computer.
Then it was up north to Whangarei. It must have been the slowest trip ever from Auckland to Whangarei (normally a 2 and a half hour drive) because it took 3 days with stops to stay with Jean's relatives - brother Keith and nephew Darryn and Jolene in Wellsford (Keith still shears sheep at the age of 71), Jenny Hastie and Clive inland from Waipu and Roy and Jane Vaughn who live on a tidal estuary at Mangawhai. Roy is a former master mariner and something of a maritime historian and has a wealth of knowledge of shipping in the old days and particularly on the NZ coast. Then on the way north once again to Whangarei. Going past Laings Beach in the early morning there was a huge sea coming in and one wouldn't want to be swimming! While in Whangarei stayed in the camper at Sara and Hamish's. Great to see all of them after quite a long time. Visited Noel and Litara on their gorgeous 53' timber built yawl "Sina" and also went to the Norsand Boatyard to renew acquaintance with all there. At one stage sat on a plank about 12' up in the air beside Noel as he was puttying the seams of a British wooden boat undergoing an extensive refit. Brought back a lot of memories of doing the same with Tiare back in 2008/9. As we were sitting there Jean rang from Florida and Noel spoke to her. He was relieved that she didn't tell him to "F...off" this time!! Had a great meal on "Sina" with corned beef which is Litara's signature dish. Delicious. Also met Richard to go over our financial affairs and had a very pleasant meal with them and 2 women friends from Auckland.
Went to the doctor and learnt that Jim's sugar levels had spiked up so some remedial action is necessary. Not to very dangerous levels but enough to be concerning. Unfortunately our regular doctor is not available due to serious illness at the moment. He has cancer of the nose which spread to his upper jaw (apparently caused by the HPV virus) which is fortunately very rare. Hopefully it is now clear but he faces months of remedial surgery.
Finally it was time to get back to Auckland again. On the way stayed with another of Jean's relatives, Elizabeth and her husband, Colin just north of Waipu Cove. Once again great to catch up and everyone has been so kind and hospitable.
Back at Rozanne's and they've all got nasty colds - probably the one Jim brought which may have originated on the plane(s) from Langkawi. Such are the wonders of modern air travel. Now time to catch up in Auckland with relatives, do some errands for the boat and then back to Whangarei later in the week for a final visit and another doctor's appointment!
More to come as always.......
Lotsaluv
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It is now almost exactly half way through Jim's visit downunder and more than that for Jean in Florida. Jean has been having a great time with her grandchildren and has also been visiting an old friend in Melbourne - a 3 hour drive north of Miami.
Jim sadly finished his visit to Christchurch and Charlotte, Jon, Lucia and Elsie. It was wonderful to see them all and live with them - however briefly. But since he left on 15/04 there has been some sad news. Charlotte's brother in law, Nick Wright who has been terminally ill for some time, passed away in his early forties from an inoperable brain tumour. We cannot imagine what it would be like to lose one of your own children at such an early age and our sympathies are with Max and Jane (Nick's parents) and all the extended family.
Upon arriving in Auckland, Jim acquired the VW Transporter campervan that had been booked and he drove to Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty via the Karangahake Gorge and Waihi and Katikati. A very pretty drive and the country looked magnificent with green farmland and many Kiwifruit orchards behind high shelter belts. Economically though things aren't so good with succeeding reductions in dairy payouts to farmers and rampant increases in real estate prices in Auckland due to unfettered buying by (mostly Asian) foreigners. They can buy land in NZ without any formal citizenship or residency status, whereas there is no way that we can go to China or anywhere else in Asia for that matter and freely buy land. NZ is lying down with its feet in the air and playing dead flies - and not really playing either. It's a disgraceful scenario aided and abetted by the present National government and will come to be regretted for years in the future. It may already be too late to reverse the trend of foreign (mainly Chinese)takeover. NZ is not the NZ we all once knew.
In Tauranga Jim stayed with Dennis and Rosie Bouverie at Mt. Maunganui. Dennis was one of 3 young owners of Tiare (formerly "Reflections of Wellington") when they launched her back in 1978 in Wellington - after a 31 year build by the first owner who passed away before she was launched!! Dennis has now purchased a French built Hood 38 and he and Jim sailed out to Mayor Is. The forecast was quite benign and so the voyage started out in some optimism. However, it blew up from the SE which is the coldest wind and it affected Jim and his thin SE Asian blood! They had to move in the late afternoon to seek alternative shelter which was rolly although sheltered from the SE. But getting in there in the pitch dark on chartplotter only was character building and completely different from sailing in the tropics. However, there was a bottle of Laphroaig which took a hammering once the anchor was down and dug in. All in all a great few days and it was good to have been sailing with Dennis again after he sailed with Jim from Bundaberg to the Whitsundays in Queensland in 2012.
Then back in Auckland with a raging cold and feeling totally miserable for a couple of days. Stayed at Rozanne's (Jim's middle daughter) who is a school teacher at St. Cuthberts College - a private girls school in Epsom. Rozanne and Chris (her partner) have 2 delightful young boys - Harry aged 4 (going on 50!) and Callum (18 months). They both work fulltime as teachers and so the house has to be run like a military logistical operation or it just wouldn't function. The boys go to Kindergarten and Creche and usually leave before 0730. The other day Poppa Jim took young Harry to Kindergarten on foot as it is only a block away. Poppa Jim made the mistake of failing to "stop look and listen" as they crossed the road and was roundly told off by young Harry. The educational facilities are first class and very impressive - as they are in Christchurch too for Lucia and Elsie. Managed to buy a new laptop but haven't even turned it on yet. Next job is to hopefully transfer everything from the old one which is 5 years old and making some funny noises to the new whizzbang computer.
Then it was up north to Whangarei. It must have been the slowest trip ever from Auckland to Whangarei (normally a 2 and a half hour drive) because it took 3 days with stops to stay with Jean's relatives - brother Keith and nephew Darryn and Jolene in Wellsford (Keith still shears sheep at the age of 71), Jenny Hastie and Clive inland from Waipu and Roy and Jane Vaughn who live on a tidal estuary at Mangawhai. Roy is a former master mariner and something of a maritime historian and has a wealth of knowledge of shipping in the old days and particularly on the NZ coast. Then on the way north once again to Whangarei. Going past Laings Beach in the early morning there was a huge sea coming in and one wouldn't want to be swimming! While in Whangarei stayed in the camper at Sara and Hamish's. Great to see all of them after quite a long time. Visited Noel and Litara on their gorgeous 53' timber built yawl "Sina" and also went to the Norsand Boatyard to renew acquaintance with all there. At one stage sat on a plank about 12' up in the air beside Noel as he was puttying the seams of a British wooden boat undergoing an extensive refit. Brought back a lot of memories of doing the same with Tiare back in 2008/9. As we were sitting there Jean rang from Florida and Noel spoke to her. He was relieved that she didn't tell him to "F...off" this time!! Had a great meal on "Sina" with corned beef which is Litara's signature dish. Delicious. Also met Richard to go over our financial affairs and had a very pleasant meal with them and 2 women friends from Auckland.
Went to the doctor and learnt that Jim's sugar levels had spiked up so some remedial action is necessary. Not to very dangerous levels but enough to be concerning. Unfortunately our regular doctor is not available due to serious illness at the moment. He has cancer of the nose which spread to his upper jaw (apparently caused by the HPV virus) which is fortunately very rare. Hopefully it is now clear but he faces months of remedial surgery.
Finally it was time to get back to Auckland again. On the way stayed with another of Jean's relatives, Elizabeth and her husband, Colin just north of Waipu Cove. Once again great to catch up and everyone has been so kind and hospitable.
Back at Rozanne's and they've all got nasty colds - probably the one Jim brought which may have originated on the plane(s) from Langkawi. Such are the wonders of modern air travel. Now time to catch up in Auckland with relatives, do some errands for the boat and then back to Whangarei later in the week for a final visit and another doctor's appointment!
More to come as always.......
Lotsaluv
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Thursday, 9 April 2015
Fwd: Southern peregrinations
----- Original Message -----
To: "Jean" <jean.tallentire@gmail.com>
Subject: Southern peregrinations
Date: 09 Apr 2015 10:41:05 -0000
From: zmq5985
Hi to all,
Jim has now arrived in Christchurch after an uneventful trip from Langkawi via Singapore.
Left the boat on the 1530 ferry from Rebak on the 5th. and then went to a very pleasant guesthouse called the Langkawi de villa at Matsirat which is only 3 minutes drive to the airport. Arrived at the airport early next morning courtesy of the owner of Langkawi de villa as the Air Asia flight was at 0855. I had been told that the check in counters opened at 0700 but it was around 0720 before there was any sign of life. Malays are definitely NOT early starters.
Arrived at Changi about an hour later having flown down the length of the Malacca Straits. Looking out the window reminded Jim of the passage we had done on the Tiare northwards about this time last year. Many ships plying north and south were evident.
Changi was its usual efficient self. I had decided I wouldn't leave the airport in spite of having 9 hours to wait, and instead changed my Malaysian Ringgits into Singapore dollars and proceeded to spend just about all of it on a couple of meals, a beer and later a glass of wine. I'm sure that Singapore is now more expensive than Auckland! Although a newspaper article in the Straits Times indicated that real estate prices were moribund and even falling - in stark contrast from the situation in Auckland. Maybe a sign of things to come in Auckland too. I checked in with Singapore Airlines early and went through Immigration before lunch. The Christchurch flight was still 7 hours away.
However, the time went by very quickly, particularly when it was interspersed by a couple of hours spent on a recliner couch in the "snooze zone" - just right for a grey headed old whatsit to have a nananap.
We took off on time at 2045 and soon we were winging our way through space at 38000 feet with not a damn thing down there but air! I remember watching the chart of our progress on the screen and seeing that we covered the distance between Bangka and Belitung in 10 minutes. My recollection is that the same distance took us a day and a half on Tiare!
Fortunately the flight was only 50% full (or half empty - depending on one's degree of negativity versus positivity!) and so I had 3 seats to myself and was able to stretch out and sleep, albeit fitfully in between seat belt alarms due to anticipated turbulence over Australia which never eventuated.
We had a great view of the Southern Alps as we approached NZ over the West Coast in the early hours and could clearly see Mt. Cook and surrounding areas. Landed at Christchurch at 0910 and had a seamless ride through Customs to be met by Jon, Charlotte's husband. Charlotte had been delivering Elsie to their Montessori Preschool and turned up 10 or so minutes later. Wonderful to see them all. Jon went back to his work at the airport organising spare parts for aircraft and Charlotte, Lucia (on school holidays) and I went to an organic food store with wonderful fresh veges and fruit and a cafe where I had a Scotch Egg. The food is so fresh and attractive compared with the Malaysian 2nd rate offerings we have endured by comparison. And the weather was extremely balmy in the low 20'sC. I had been expecting the usual raw Christchurch temperatures and so was pleasantly surprised. It made the transition from the tropics somewhat easier, but I mustn't get lulled into a false sense of security because it's getting colder as we speak!!
Since then I've been getting over jetlag (4 hour time difference) and lack of sleep generally. Yesterday we went sailing on Max's yacht "Chieftan" on Lyttelton Harbour. Had a great day and visited some caves just south of the harbour entrance. Not much wind but we managed to sail and even goosewinged her as we sailed back. Max is Jon's father and my co father in law. I have never been sailing on Lyttelton Harbour before so that was another first to chalk up. A trifle cooler than Thailand/Malaysia and even a little overcast but even so I managed to get sunburnt - the ozone hole is not dead yet.
Today we went to the Court Theatre to see a childrens' presentation of "Alice in Wonderland". Lewis Carroll would not have approved but it was very interactive with the children and they were all enraptured and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Then to a shopping mall at Riccarton where I obtained a NZ cellphone no. (021 8499225) and home to organise my flights to Auckland via Tauranga. It is unbelievable that the total flight package was in excess of NZD400 and so I looked for an alternative. In the end it was obvious that the best thing to do was to extend my stay in Christchurch 3 more days until the 15th. and then fly direct to Auckland. Then I can collect the campervan (booked for that date) and drive to Tauranga. Then back to Auckland on the 18th. or 19th. from where I can travel north and do all the things necessary in Auckland and Whangarei.
Had a Skype phone call from Jean in Miami and all is well. She is having a well earned rest and bonding with Carter who apparently at 17 months is already a whizzkid with the smartphone!!
Beautiful roast Canterbury lamb for dinner tonight (leaves the Aussie equivalent for dead) and now to bed for another jetlag catchup.
More to come........
Lotsaluv from Jim
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
----- End of Original Message -----
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To: "Jean" <jean.tallentire@gmail.com>
Subject: Southern peregrinations
Date: 09 Apr 2015 10:41:05 -0000
From: zmq5985
Hi to all,
Jim has now arrived in Christchurch after an uneventful trip from Langkawi via Singapore.
Left the boat on the 1530 ferry from Rebak on the 5th. and then went to a very pleasant guesthouse called the Langkawi de villa at Matsirat which is only 3 minutes drive to the airport. Arrived at the airport early next morning courtesy of the owner of Langkawi de villa as the Air Asia flight was at 0855. I had been told that the check in counters opened at 0700 but it was around 0720 before there was any sign of life. Malays are definitely NOT early starters.
Arrived at Changi about an hour later having flown down the length of the Malacca Straits. Looking out the window reminded Jim of the passage we had done on the Tiare northwards about this time last year. Many ships plying north and south were evident.
Changi was its usual efficient self. I had decided I wouldn't leave the airport in spite of having 9 hours to wait, and instead changed my Malaysian Ringgits into Singapore dollars and proceeded to spend just about all of it on a couple of meals, a beer and later a glass of wine. I'm sure that Singapore is now more expensive than Auckland! Although a newspaper article in the Straits Times indicated that real estate prices were moribund and even falling - in stark contrast from the situation in Auckland. Maybe a sign of things to come in Auckland too. I checked in with Singapore Airlines early and went through Immigration before lunch. The Christchurch flight was still 7 hours away.
However, the time went by very quickly, particularly when it was interspersed by a couple of hours spent on a recliner couch in the "snooze zone" - just right for a grey headed old whatsit to have a nananap.
We took off on time at 2045 and soon we were winging our way through space at 38000 feet with not a damn thing down there but air! I remember watching the chart of our progress on the screen and seeing that we covered the distance between Bangka and Belitung in 10 minutes. My recollection is that the same distance took us a day and a half on Tiare!
Fortunately the flight was only 50% full (or half empty - depending on one's degree of negativity versus positivity!) and so I had 3 seats to myself and was able to stretch out and sleep, albeit fitfully in between seat belt alarms due to anticipated turbulence over Australia which never eventuated.
We had a great view of the Southern Alps as we approached NZ over the West Coast in the early hours and could clearly see Mt. Cook and surrounding areas. Landed at Christchurch at 0910 and had a seamless ride through Customs to be met by Jon, Charlotte's husband. Charlotte had been delivering Elsie to their Montessori Preschool and turned up 10 or so minutes later. Wonderful to see them all. Jon went back to his work at the airport organising spare parts for aircraft and Charlotte, Lucia (on school holidays) and I went to an organic food store with wonderful fresh veges and fruit and a cafe where I had a Scotch Egg. The food is so fresh and attractive compared with the Malaysian 2nd rate offerings we have endured by comparison. And the weather was extremely balmy in the low 20'sC. I had been expecting the usual raw Christchurch temperatures and so was pleasantly surprised. It made the transition from the tropics somewhat easier, but I mustn't get lulled into a false sense of security because it's getting colder as we speak!!
Since then I've been getting over jetlag (4 hour time difference) and lack of sleep generally. Yesterday we went sailing on Max's yacht "Chieftan" on Lyttelton Harbour. Had a great day and visited some caves just south of the harbour entrance. Not much wind but we managed to sail and even goosewinged her as we sailed back. Max is Jon's father and my co father in law. I have never been sailing on Lyttelton Harbour before so that was another first to chalk up. A trifle cooler than Thailand/Malaysia and even a little overcast but even so I managed to get sunburnt - the ozone hole is not dead yet.
Today we went to the Court Theatre to see a childrens' presentation of "Alice in Wonderland". Lewis Carroll would not have approved but it was very interactive with the children and they were all enraptured and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Then to a shopping mall at Riccarton where I obtained a NZ cellphone no. (021 8499225) and home to organise my flights to Auckland via Tauranga. It is unbelievable that the total flight package was in excess of NZD400 and so I looked for an alternative. In the end it was obvious that the best thing to do was to extend my stay in Christchurch 3 more days until the 15th. and then fly direct to Auckland. Then I can collect the campervan (booked for that date) and drive to Tauranga. Then back to Auckland on the 18th. or 19th. from where I can travel north and do all the things necessary in Auckland and Whangarei.
Had a Skype phone call from Jean in Miami and all is well. She is having a well earned rest and bonding with Carter who apparently at 17 months is already a whizzkid with the smartphone!!
Beautiful roast Canterbury lamb for dinner tonight (leaves the Aussie equivalent for dead) and now to bed for another jetlag catchup.
More to come........
Lotsaluv from Jim
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
----- End of Original Message -----
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Friday, 3 April 2015
Fwd: Grandchildren and related matters
----- Original Message -----
To: "2XS - Peter & Marguerite" <margueriteharmsen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Grandchildren and related matters
Date: 04 Apr 2015 05:33:30 -0000
From: zmq5985
Hi to all,
Well, by now Jean has been in Miami, Florida for about a week and already Peapod # 2 has been born - about 2 weeks earlier than expected. Another grandson by the name of Nash Perry Lanaway - Perry being the name of Jean's son. Of course great excitement and it's just as well Granny Jean is there in time to organise the household and look after young Carter James!! Jean is now a double granny! And having had the cataracts in both eyes removed in Penang just recently, she'll be able to see too!!
Jim is still on the boat at Rebak just off Langkawi and is leaving tomorrow to stay (05/04)in a guest house near the airport as there is an early morning flight to Singapore. Then it's cooling of the heels until 1945 when the flight direct to Christchurch leaves. Still, there'll be time to have lunch and a shower and Changi Airport isn't a bad place to be. It will be great to see Charlotte and her family (Jon, Lucia and Elsie), not to mention Amanda and Rozanne and Rozanne's family in Auckland.
Meantime Jim has been honing his skills in the washerwoman department! Something he has never been accustomed to but sometimes needs must. All being done by hand because like a lot of things in this place, the washing machines are temperamental and unreliable and it's a half kilometre walk to get there. And the heat has to be experienced to be believed. Our little portable 9000 BTU airconditioner only just keeps the temperature inside the boat under 30C. So far he's washed all his clothes several times and the bed sheet plus several towels. Not bad for a novice. Lots to do when leaving a boat for any length of time - closing seacocks, putting fresh water and vinegar through the head (toilet), and lifting the squabs on the bed to try to ensure that they don't get mildewed. We have Rachel who is a Kiwi and runs Seaspray Marine with her Scottish husband Robert looking after the old girl in our absence.
We're still getting the noise ahead and astern from the transmission somewhere but we are fairly sure now that is caused by a build up of minute marine growth on the shaft bushes where they pass through the cutlass bearings. We'll sort out just what to do about that when we have returned. Hopefully it can be fixed in the water. The marine growth in this marina is something to behold and is probably caused by the discharge of at least some of the raw sewerage from the resort directly into the marina. This is so typical of the total disregard for the environment seen so often in Asia. We well remember the grey/black sea breaking on the shore at Pondicherry in India. It's depressing but you get inured to it after a time.
Well, that's it for now. Still things to do to secure the old girl's wellbeing before abandoning her tomorrow afternoon.
Next blog from Kiwiland!!
Lotsaluv from us...... Jim and Jean
s.v. Tiare Taporo III
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
----- End of Original Message -----
----------
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To: "2XS - Peter & Marguerite" <margueriteharmsen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Grandchildren and related matters
Date: 04 Apr 2015 05:33:30 -0000
From: zmq5985
Hi to all,
Well, by now Jean has been in Miami, Florida for about a week and already Peapod # 2 has been born - about 2 weeks earlier than expected. Another grandson by the name of Nash Perry Lanaway - Perry being the name of Jean's son. Of course great excitement and it's just as well Granny Jean is there in time to organise the household and look after young Carter James!! Jean is now a double granny! And having had the cataracts in both eyes removed in Penang just recently, she'll be able to see too!!
Jim is still on the boat at Rebak just off Langkawi and is leaving tomorrow to stay (05/04)in a guest house near the airport as there is an early morning flight to Singapore. Then it's cooling of the heels until 1945 when the flight direct to Christchurch leaves. Still, there'll be time to have lunch and a shower and Changi Airport isn't a bad place to be. It will be great to see Charlotte and her family (Jon, Lucia and Elsie), not to mention Amanda and Rozanne and Rozanne's family in Auckland.
Meantime Jim has been honing his skills in the washerwoman department! Something he has never been accustomed to but sometimes needs must. All being done by hand because like a lot of things in this place, the washing machines are temperamental and unreliable and it's a half kilometre walk to get there. And the heat has to be experienced to be believed. Our little portable 9000 BTU airconditioner only just keeps the temperature inside the boat under 30C. So far he's washed all his clothes several times and the bed sheet plus several towels. Not bad for a novice. Lots to do when leaving a boat for any length of time - closing seacocks, putting fresh water and vinegar through the head (toilet), and lifting the squabs on the bed to try to ensure that they don't get mildewed. We have Rachel who is a Kiwi and runs Seaspray Marine with her Scottish husband Robert looking after the old girl in our absence.
We're still getting the noise ahead and astern from the transmission somewhere but we are fairly sure now that is caused by a build up of minute marine growth on the shaft bushes where they pass through the cutlass bearings. We'll sort out just what to do about that when we have returned. Hopefully it can be fixed in the water. The marine growth in this marina is something to behold and is probably caused by the discharge of at least some of the raw sewerage from the resort directly into the marina. This is so typical of the total disregard for the environment seen so often in Asia. We well remember the grey/black sea breaking on the shore at Pondicherry in India. It's depressing but you get inured to it after a time.
Well, that's it for now. Still things to do to secure the old girl's wellbeing before abandoning her tomorrow afternoon.
Next blog from Kiwiland!!
Lotsaluv from us...... Jim and Jean
s.v. Tiare Taporo III
www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com
----- End of Original Message -----
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