News Release from SY Aspen regarding pirates

We met Steve and Maria from SY Aspen in the Caribbean. We left on our “intended” circumnavigation a couple of years before them. They caught up with us here in Thailand, but our busy schedules stopped us from getting together. We did email each other, and we told them that we were pleasantly “stalled” here in Thailand and we wished them a safe and successful circumnavigation.

After hearing the news of recent pirate attacks, we emailed them again to see if they were safe. Attached is their response that shocked both Darrel and I to the core. We were very relieved to hear that Aspen and other yachts are taking these extreme safety measures, but we are deeply saddened that it has come to this.

THEIR EMAIL:

Loretta and Darrel,

Hi!  It is nice to hear from you.  Yes, it has been a difficult journey since we left Thailand. We are glad you are staying there! Below is the press release we sent out yesterday. Keep safe!

Steve and Maria, SY Aspen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 12th 2011.

The 2009/2011 Blue Water Rally has effectively come to an end in Salalah, 17 months after the fleet left Gibraltar to sail around the world. The original rally plans concluded in Crete at the end of April, however the remaining skippers have decided to ship their yachts directly to Marmaris, Turkey.

This decision was taken when four American rallyers were fatally shot by pirates after their sailing yacht Quest was captured on passage from Mumbai to Oman and the subsequent capture of sailing Yacht ING with a Danish family onboard.

These incidents and other recent acts of piracy in the area have made proceeding in any direction from Salalah too high-risk for the vast majority of participants. Strong recommendations from The UK Maritime Trade Organisation and The Maritime Liaison Office were decisive factors. 

An action team was quickly set up by the skippers and crews to handle the planning and negotiations necessary to extricate the 20 yachts currently berthed in Salalah.  A maritime transport company has now been contracted to ship the yachts. Over the coming weeks, crews are keeping themselves occupied with preparatory boat work and exploring some of what the Dhofar province of Oman has to offer.

_________________________________________________________ 

CanKata hopes that all goes well with Aspen’s new plans and that all the rally members are soon able to enjoy peaceful sailing and ease of mind.

The Andaman Islands

On February 4, 2011, we left Thailand heading for the Andaman Islands. You probably haven’t heard of the Andamans unless,

1.       you live in S.E. Asia,

2.     you sail in S.E. Asia, or

3.     you are a backpacker looking for a place hardly anyone goes to.

We heard about the Andamans from friends who have sailed in this area. They all, without exception, recommend that we make the trip.

GENERAL INFORMATION: The Andaman Islands (a territory of India) are located between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. There are three principal islands and a cluster of small islands, all hilly and heavily forested. Port Blair is the territory's capital. Timber, coconut, hemp, tea, coffee, and rubber are the principal products of the Andaman Islands. Most of the inhabitants are Indian; Negritos, the islands' aborigines, now number only in the hundreds. Some of the Negritos are a little unfriendly, and we were not allowed to visit some of their islands.

HISTORY: The British established a penal colony at Port Blair in 1789. The penal settlement was discontinued after seven years, but in 1858 it was re-established to imprison Indian “freedom fighters”. The islands were occupied by Japanese forces from 1942 until the end of World War II in 1945, when the British regained control of the territory. The islands became a union territory of India when India gained independence from British rule in 1947.  The remains of some settlements, especially at Ross Island, were fascinating to see – most of the brick buildings almost entirely covered with the roots of strangling fig trees.

We arrived in Port Blair on February 7 at noon, and then had to check in with Customs, Immigration, Coast Guard, the Harbour Master and the Forestry Department.  We had to pick up the two Customs officials and then the three Immigration officials with our dinghy, but the Coast Guard arrived the next morning in their own big boat (we had plenty of fenders awaiting them!), and four officials came aboard.

Once we answered piles of questions and handed over scads of forms and then completed scads more, we were allowed to go ashore to visit the Harbour Master and the Forestry Department. There are a couple of islands that require special permission in order to go ashore, and we filled out the required forms and waited nearly two days to get the written permission. But when we saw the fee – over $45 per day – we decided that there were enough other islands to visit, so didn’t pay the fee and didn’t get the permission.

So while we were in Port Blair for four days, it actually only took 24 hours to get the clearance we required. For three of the four days, we were able to go ashore and tour, shop, eat and get lots of great photos. Port Blair is India without the extreme smog, hustle, smell and poverty of the mainland, so we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there, and got some great photographs.

Darrel and Tim (Rubicon Star) searching for the perfect banana.

The “out” islands are spectacular.  Unbelievable as it may sound, there are still islands of breath-taking beauty that are untouched, uninhabited and swarming with reef fish, even if the reef itself is bleached and dying in the warmed-up seas. Highlights

·        catching lobster

·        spotting a manta ray

·        swimming along HUGE and colourful parrot fish

·        watching the full moon rise

·        and then days later watching the crescent moon and Venus rise at almost exactly the same time

Ross Island



Havelock #7 Beach



Fishermen at sunset

The Cinque Islands



Rutland Island, South Bay Beach

CanKata at Rutland Island in the Andaman Islands

The People of the Andaman Islands

We were thrilled to get permission from so many beautiful people to take photographs. Following is a small sample of our collection.

Waiting for a ferry.

Climbing for coconuts.

Out for a stroll ... with a penguin?

School children at Long Island, Andamans.

Just arrived by ferry after a long day at work. Still smiling.

The Coast Guard on CanKata.

I don't think they knew what I meant when I said "Say cheese".

A teeny-weeny lady selling fruit.

Beautiful mother and daughter.

Wow.

The Andaman Islands: Go Back! Go Back!

Havelock Beach #7 was one of our favourite anchorages in the Andaman Islands. We stayed there for four days. Highlights:

·        had Indian lunch and spicy ginger chai (tea) ashore on three of those days

·        caught a taxi to the small village on one of the days (did internet and shopped at the market)

·        bought a coconut from a teeny-weeny ancient lady
       (I say this with much respect and with the hope that someday I will deserve that description)

·        saw elephants on the beach

·        did lots of snorkelling

On day three, we were alarmed to get more information about an incident that happened on day two. While Darrel was hunting for grouper on day two, I snorkelled closer to shore to get a better look at the coral (which this year is unfortunately bleached and colorless). I heard a whistle and stuck my head up. A man wearing military garb and carrying a rifle was waving me away from the beach. “Go back! Go back!” he commanded. I obeyed and joined Darrel in his hunt for a grouper (no luck), wondering if I had encroached upon a private beach.

Then, the next day, came the alarming news. The man with the whistle and gun was warning me away from a beach where there had been a crocodile attack! Rumour has it that there have been 24 attacks in 25 years, or maybe it was 10, or maybe it is all an exaggeration. Whatever the truth, I didn’t return to the beach. Maybe there is no crocodile, but there was certainly a man with a gun.

... and wondering if it's wise to swim with crocodiles.

The Andaman Islands: BBQ Ribs

Our friend Jim loves to fish but doesn’t eat fish. Lucky for us. We had nearly ten meals in the Andamans complements of Fisherman Jim, including grunt and barracuda. When Darrel cleaned the barracuda, he took the remains to Jim to be used in his crab pot. Mate, said Jim, you’ve got to take the rib back and toss it on the barbie. Bloody good, mate.

He handed Darrel the barracuda’s backbone and all the spiny bones and meat attached to it. We covered it in salt and pepper and threw it on the barbie (Q), cooked it for a few minutes, and then enjoyed one of the best fish feasts we’ve ever had. There was a lot of tender, juicy meat on the “rib”.

Those Aussies know how to enjoy their fish, even when they don’t like eating it.

Cheryl showing us Odyssey 9's big catch.

Not the barracuda, but nearly as yummie. Another gift from Jim.

The Andaman Islands: NOT CanKata

We get some great photographs of our buddy boats. And it seems that more often than not, our buddy boats are catamarans.  And it seems that more and more, other boats in our selected anchorages are catamarans. Therefore, to avoid any confusion, the following photos come with the footnote, “NOT CanKata”.



Murungaru



Odyssey 9

Odyssey 9 and Ultimate Dream

Rubicon Star - a converted Tasmanian fishing boat. Not a catamaran.