Rhiann Marie - Round the World

Hole in the Wall

Stewart Graham

Thu 27 Jan 2011 10:15

Thursday 26th January 1706 Local 0906 UTC

We are now back in Kuah. I have been a bit mixed up recently about what day/date it is but I now have it on good authority that it is Thursday and it is the 26th of January. We are absolutely certain it is 2011.

We have had more computer gremlins recently and our satellite connection has not been working for the past two days. the consequence of this has been writing blogs and putting the current date (at least my best estimate) and in fact the blog not being sent or registered on the blog until perhaps a day or so later.

Anyway two days ago after I laughed in the face of a burst headsail head we arrived into the stunning hole in the wall anchorage in the East coast of Langkawi. I was absorbing the blows of the growing job list and trying to chillax a little while the unfavourable wind of misfortune blew itself out.

the Hole in Wall is entered through a narrow but deep channel through two limestone pinnacles into what appears to be a river but in fact it is a series of long tidal channels running through mangrove at the foot of a series of steel to limestone outcrops. we anchored inside the entrance in eight metres about 15 metres away from an almost vertical cliff rising straight out of the water for a few hundred feet I am guessing. This is what I thought was the cause of not having satellite reception.

When I stripped down the sat dome it was facinating to watch it canting and twisting and revolving in all three axis at once trying like a man posessed to find a "fix".

Eventually I reset it through the computer program and when I last left it, it promised to come back on again and well behaved when next requested to do so.

I got Trish to haul me up to the top of the mast again to sort out a couple of small problems up there and while I was up I shot some photographs which are attached. While the photography may not be brilliant the scenery was stunning. There were Sea Eagles all around us as well as a large number of Brahminy Kites and they were stunning. I kid you not but in the cliff right beside us two Sea Eagles were mating in a roost up there. Well it may not have been mating but if not it was just casual sex and we pervishly tried to photograph them afterwards when they both appeared to be leaning back smoking fags!

A few small jobs knocked off the list and only two bigger jobs added for the day - about break even I think - we dropped the RIb and headed up the multiple channels to explore and boy were we in for a surprise. The channels were mangrove lined on one side and forrest and rock face on the other side were stunning and went on for many many miles. Twisting turning and gradually closing in on us. We saw Monkeys and many many Kites and Sea Eagles, but regularly eyes were upcast cheg for any long slimy things on the branches above is that may wish to drop in and say hello! None did - I think it's the state of our RIB which has a long jobs list all of its own!

It was great to be exploring again and away from people where we could feel as if we were in virgin territory, though only a few miles from lots of tourist boats that plied the main channel. we also found a cave on one leg of the channels that we could drive the dingy through. It was a great day, and we finished it of with a tad of wine and a fantastic Malaysian Seafood meal in a floating restaurant attached to a fish farm in the channel, with another couple who were on another boat and were from Australia.

Up bright and early today we changed plans and headed back to Kuah town to get some computer bits and knock another couple of jobs off the list. We also had promised to take our friend who invited us to the Indian wedding for a meal out sometime so off we set.

In very shallow water and 15 - 20 knots of wind I worked Rhainn Marie very satisfyingly twenty or so miles from the Hole in the Wall channel right up to our anchor in Kuah harbour. We are on all points of sail and at times we were doing almost ten knots. We were at the bottom of the tide and we had to sail Rhiann Marie round the various islands with deeper channels and round the invisible waypoints created by the shallowest soundings right up to the anchor! At one point we had not much more than a metre under us. Trish lay reading her Kindle blissfully unaware that her backside was almost dragging through the seabed....... But I was a happy boy. Rhiann Marie at her best. No need of complicated sytems, computers or in fact even the Jib. We just worked the boat on the wind up, down, round islands, dodging rocks, though channels and over shoals - EXCELLENT!