Sitting on the dock of the bay, waiting for Luigi
Fleck
Wed 23 Mar 2011 11:36
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Date 23nd March, 2011
Recent position 6:29.6N 97:18.25E
Current Location Kuah Town, Langkawi,
Malaysia.
Summary: Not a great deal to show for three and a
half weeks effort!.
The Details: There has been a change of plan as a
result of an early end to the NE monsoon in the Northern Indian Ocean. This was
the air stream that I had been banking on to carry Fleck across the Bay of
Bengal to Galle in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately it stopped a month early, and the
wind is now swinging round to the opposite direction. So, no way out to the
immediate west. Plan B is to retrace my steps through Peninsular Malaysia, to
Singapore, and then a new southern route through Western Indonesia to Jakarta.
>From there head out into the Southern Indian Ocean, through the Sunda Strait, by
which time the SE monsoon should have started. Head then straight accross
to Mauritius: a long way, but sort of straightforward, once the monsoon starts.
For this to make sense you need to know that the winds north and south
of the equator behave differently. On the equator the weather is
rather variable (the Doldrums). I am north of the equator now, and the
winds are swinging west. By going south I should find a favourable easterly
wind.
Things started well enough, and Fleck was in
quite good shape on the Hardstand at Rebak Marina: nice and dry and well aired,
so not much mildew to clear up. No infestations inside the boat, but two small
wasp nests in the rigging: soon despatched! A couple of days to clean up,
a couple of days antifouling, and a week to sort out the reefing for the
staysail. Plus attractive jobs like replacing the stern gland packing.
This is what stops water getting into the boat through the hole that
accomodates the propellor shaft, so it is an essential piece of kit. Most boats
have a lid in the cockpit so that things like that can be got at easily. Fleck
was designed for safety on the high seas, where the risk of such a lid
breaking loose in a storm and allowing the boat to become swamped was deemed
unaccaptable. Good enough, but when you are lying under the
cockpit, prostate over the engine, with all its sharp projections, and
working by torchlight at arms length to do the necessary work, you realise the true meaning of design compromise. And at the
end, my new packing, having flown all the way out from England with me, was
3mm too short. So, more compromise, and I grafted in 3mm of the old stuff.
Not in the text books, but safe enough, I hope. Anyway, dry so far.
So, safely launched and I found my
way back to Kuah Town, the main centre on the Island of Langkawi, to
provision for the Indian Ocean. First morning I woke with a familair throbing
toothache: been there before: I emailed my dentist in Bromsgrove for advice, and
set off downtown looking for more immediate assistance. The local health clinic
didn't look too inviting, and there seemed to be an antenatal clinic in
progress, but a nurse grasped my problem and pointed me in the direction of
Dr Chew: dental practitioner: office under big tree down there! You queue up for
Dr Chew, its exactly like the NHS appointments system, except that there are no
appointments. I resolved to beat the locals with an early attack the following
morning. Armed with Xrays on my computer from Bromsgrove, I was downtown at
daybreak, and was rewarded by the cleaning lady who put an ancient plastic chair
out on the pavement whilst she meticulously brushed first the entrance way, and
then the pavement itself. The very charming Dr Chew arrived an hour later, but
seemed to understand exactly what was up, and sorted everything in about half a
minute. I was still spluttering over the bloody mouthwash when the bill arrived
together with industrial strength antibiotics. Pleased to report that things are
settled for now, but of course: for how long?
I met Peter (NZ) and Cathy (Ireland), the crew of
'Leto': a elegant solid steel cruiser, a gaff rigged ketch.. Good morning
they said, We hear that you too plan to sail to Sri Lanka? 'Great' says I,
thinking: company for the trip. 'Not so great' says Cathy. 'Would you have
noticed that the winds have gone now?' Well, like skiing trips, I'm a great one
for burying my head in the sand over issues that are beyond my control, so the
weather I was leaving until last. Downloaded grib files were soon
spilling out of my dear old computer, to reveal - absolutely nothing! So we
waited a few days (and it gave me time to get a permit from the FCO to visit the
Chagos Archipelago in mid ocean) until finally I got so itchy that I just set
off to see what the sea was like. The answer: calm. After 200 miles I gave
up and returned home. By which time the slatting sails had contrived to break my
boom vang: an important but not vital part of the rig. It was one of the final
straws that persuaded my that a month or more becalmed in the Bay of Bengal
would drive me physically nowhere, and mentally over the edge. Once I had turned
round I felt better at once, so it must have been the right thing to do, even
though its been several years since I had to abort a voyage in this way. It took
much longer than expected to get back, because the current was against me, and
occasionally even a light wind against me as well. The plan had been that we
would 'buddy sail'; keep in close contact 'on passage'. In the event, and
wisely, Leto elected to stay in Port whilst your intrepid explorer set off
to sample the weather. It was a great comfort to be able to discuss things with
them back at base, and we shall perhaps meet up from time to time, as plan B
unfolds. I have spent hours on the internet trying to get things started.
Priority number one is to obtain a new cruising permit for Indonesia, as these
can take several weeks to sort out. An agent is required to oil everyones
palms, and lots of American Dollars. Several enquiries have gone out in the last
24 hrs, but no responses so far. Whilst this is going on I have been trying
to get the boom vang repaired: Luigi is the local rigger, but doesn't seem very
keen on helping, and hasn't got much stock. Back on Rebak Island my mate Noel,
the shipwright who helped with my reefing, has all the bits I need, so I'm
off accrosss the Island tomorrow, by taxi and resort ferry, to his little
workshop. The phrase 'Ill phone you back' seems to have just the same meaning
all over the world.
Talking of which no sooner do I turn my back
than we seem to be up the US's backside bombing the Middle East again. Dear Dr
Fox apparently dropped the hymn sheet to boot. So, now we are in there, exactly
how do we get out, and just how is World opinion going to judge things? Out here
quite a mixed bag (although the Press are very preoccupied by a sex scandal
involving the leader of the opposition. Now something like that back home would
give the cherubic Red Ed a bit of street cred, eh?). But on Lybia, people are
just struck by the similarities with Iraq, and they fear the worst, and of
course civilian casualties are going to be a very telling part of the propaganda
game. With this and the Japanese eathquake, we, Fleck and I, should not
really be having the time to worry about Birmingham City, but we are worrying, a
lot. All the Malaysian papers have a page a day devoted to the EPL, even when no
matches are being played. Usually it's a story about MU or Chelsea, but recently
even West Brom and Wolves have been getting a mention, but Birmingham? No:
sinking without trace!
Friday, I hope to be off down towards Penang.
Sadly the Sumatra season is very fast approaching, so a gauntlet of squalls
and electrical storms is to be run, especially as we get nearer to Singapore. We
are in the dry season but it has rained every day, often heavily. This is no
problem, as it cools things just a fraction, last night I could lie on my bunk,
starkers of course, and didn't need to put the fan on: first time for three
weeks!
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