Hole in the Wall

Rhiann Marie - Round the World
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!