Restarting our Circumnavigation

By Darrel

When we were in the planning stages of our cruising journey we did a lot of reading about cruisers who were already doing or having completed such a journey. A common problem amongst cruising couples is to decide “when and where to next”. Cruisers have a lot of options open to them and sometimes have a difficult time deciding which option to choose.

When Loretta and I were working, two of our strong attributes were organizational skills and having a futuristic vision enabling us to plan ahead. So we really did not think that this common problem amongst other cruisers would repeat itself with us.

When we first left Canada in 2004 and up to the point when we arrived in Thailand, neither Loretta or I had a problem knowing when and where we were to head to next. Our circumnavigation was falling into place as we had originally planned. We were hoping to be back into the Caribbean by 2011 allowing us about five years to complete our circumnavigation. But when we arrived in South East Asia a number of things happened. Firstly instead of stopping here for two months we decided to stay put for ONE year allowing us to do some land travel to places such as Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. However having visited some of those countries raised our desire to visit others such as China, Laos, Japan, Hong Kong, etc.  In addition to increasing the list of places we wanted to visit we also fell in love with the Thai people, their culture, buying fresh fruit and veggies from the local markets, and yes their scrumptious food. So instead of staying here one year we have now been here almost four.  We were enjoying life here so much in fact that we considered selling CanKata and making this our home.

However, once we realized that it was too early for us to return to the life of the landlubbers, and did not actually mean to SELL CanKata but instead to SAIL CanKata, we started to think about our future options.

Having halted the sell of CanKata we are now like a bornagaincruiser.  Every so often one of us would slip out a word or phrase with the idea of moving on (together that is) but it never made it to the discussion level. These subtle hints continued for some time until one evening a fellow cruiser who is heading off to round the Cape of Good Hope this coming January asked us “why don’t you guys come with us?”  It was this invitation that finally got Loretta and I to the point where we discussed the desire to continue heading west. We knew that to continue heading west, we would have to take a completely different route than originally planned due to the f#&%ing sea terrorists from Somalia. Instead we would have to sail around the bottom of Africa and across the South Atlantic to Brazil in lieu of the Red Sea and Mediterranean route.

We were both quite receptive to this idea and decided that we should give it serious consideration. Reasons to continue with the circumnavigation included: seeing new places which we have not yet reached, e.g., Maldives, Chagos, Mauritius, Africa, Brazil, and New Guiney; seeing places that we deferred or missed previously, e.g., Sea of Cortez, Galapagos, American Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon’s, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippians; revisiting some of the wonderful places we stopped at previously, e.g., San Blas Islands, and the French Marquesas; utilizing CanKata for what she was designed and equipped for; seeing some of our old friends in the Caribbean, e.g. Cat Tails and our friends from Orient Bay; and hopefully having our son Dylan and daughter-in-law Laura, and our two favourite grandchildren – Tehja and Taylor come to visit us while we are in nearby waters.

Loretta and I also agree that Thailand is where we want to end up when we do get “more mature” so this is where we intend to continue to.

So there you have it, Loretta and I are still well organized and good at planning – well until our next change of plans that is. Okay maybe we are just as wacky as all the other cruisers whom we have met since embarking on this wonderful chaotic lifestyle – perhaps it is contagious so look out. 

Memories from the first part of our circumnavigation:

Going through locks in the Erie Canal

Catching fish in the Atlantic

The Atlantic: where we didn't need solar screens on our windows.

The British Virgin Islands, back when monohulls were the majority.

Still one of our "top 5" beaches.

The Caribbean's Isle Fourchue is very rugged.
Will we anchor here again?

Will we meet up with the kids again in St. Martin?

With new routes being planned, we might not revisit Los Testigos
(north of Venezuela).

We plan to visit the San Blas islands again (east side of Panama).

The Las Perlas islands (west side of Panama)
 are also on our "revisit" list.

Going through the South Pacific again will be a treat.

CanKata in Bora Bora the first time.
And now, we hope, not the last time.

We plan to go full circle, and come back to Thailand.

Our unit at the Dewa Phuket will be waiting for us.

February 2012 - Ko Phayam and Ko Chang

Ko Phayam was highly recommended to us by a number of other yachties. A few months ago, when we thought we had sold CanKata, one regret that Darrel had was that we hadn’t sailed to Ko Phayam.  So when we took CanKata off the market, we immediately started planning a visit. We headed there on February 3 with two other yachts - Aqua Dreams and Ultimate Dream - to fulfil our "dream".

Lonely Planet describes Ko Phayam as “a friendly, demure little island which supports about 500 inhabitants, mostly Thai and Burmese, with a smattering of expats and a few dozen ethnic chao leh (sea gypsies) thrown into the mix. Locals support themselves prawn-fishing, farming cashews and working the rubber plantations”.  Concrete pathways, suitable for motorcycles, criss-cross the island.

We had two big disappointments: water visibility wasn’t great, and it wasn’t easy to get a massage. Another minor problem was that Long Beach, where we first anchored, is very shallow and that meant a lot of dinghy-dragging when the tide was low. And the sand was fairly muddy.

But there were many positives:  The eateries were affordable with fresh, tasty Thai food. The scenery was very pretty.  The island was very quiet and peaceful. You wouldn’t call Ko Phayam “over-developed”. It has a number of small resorts, but nothing over a storey high. It is certainly a nice haven for a cruiser who has spent too much time in a marina or at Patong (a very touristic beach town).

We prefer Nai Yang, with its clearer water, easier dinghy landing, and scads of services not available on Ko Phayam. But if we ever feel the need to “get away”, Ko Phayam is a destination to consider.

Ko Chang:

We knew no-one who had been to Ko Chang, which is a few miles north of Ko Phayam, but had heard that it might be a nice spot to visit. We gave it a shot, and found it even more pleasing than Ko Phayam. The water is less desirable, but as a quiet get-away, it gets top marks. It is much less developed, but there are a few great eateries and a couple of fabulous massage places. There are beach huts for rent, scattered here and there, but no large resorts. For $5, you can catch a ferry to the mainland centre of Ranong to get any supplies you need. We had everything we needed on CanKata, so stuck to swimming, eating, strolling, and getting massages. Ahhh.

A very nice anchorage on the way to Ko Phayam.

Julie, Steve and Darrel with
CanKata, Aqua Dreams and Ultimate Dream in background
on Long Beach at Ko Phayam

One of the many beautiful sunsets we enjoyed.


 

One of the concrete paths/roads.


 

The paths invariably took us to a beach.
(Julie, Steve and Darrel).



A temple on a pier.



Selecting an item from a menu was always pleasurable.

Dinghy landing was easier on the north beach of Ko Phayam
(Richard and Susannah of Ultimate Dream)

CanKata awaiting our return from Mr. Gao's restaurant.

A scenic beach at Ko Chang.

Ta Dang Bay restaurant -
what will we eat today?

Steve, Darrel & Julie hauling the dinghy -
one of the activities that keep us fit
(or maybe wears us out).

Enjoying Julie's homemade banana bread,
along with mangoes and eggs from the island.

Susannah rowing Richard back to Ultimate Dream.

A beautiful beach along the way ... just us!

Thinking we should probably take this journey again.

Shay & Louis Visit CanKata

January 17-26: the days we got to visit Shay and Louis (they actually arrived very late on January 16 and left in the wee morning hours of January 27).

We had a wonderful time getting to know our niece and her hubby. When we were living in Canada, we were separated by many miles and didn’t see each other much at all. So it was good to have them just to ourselves for ten days.

Here’s what we did together:

-         ate Thai food regularly, and sometimes pizza (and hamburgers once)

-         biked around Nai Yang

-         went to two Quiz Nights at the Dewa and discovered how little we knew

-         snorkelled

-         went to the local market (where the fish smells upset the baby-to-be)

-         sailed on the west coast of Phuket

-         watched the sun set and marvelled at the beauty of the night sky

-         visited our Thai friends and cruisers from around the world

-         had an exquisite brunch at the Indigo Pearl

-         toured Phuket and visited the Big Buddha

-         went to the Aphrodite cabaret

-         chatted and laughed and reminisced

-         planned Marleen & Larry’s Thailand itinerary

Here’s what Shay and Louis wrote in our Guest Log:

“(S:) Thank you both for making our trip to Thailand an experience we won’t forget. You have shown us much more than what we had expected coming here. It was a long trip, but we both agree it was worth it! We can’t thank you guys enough for all the organized events you planned for us to see Thailand.

My favourite part of the trip was snorkelling for my first time. It will be something I will do on more trips to come. And of course spending time with my uncle and auntie. It was nice to get to know you both more than what I remember as a little girl.

(L:) My favourite part of coming to Thailand was learning how to sail and taking CanKata by the helm. Thank you for helping us arrange our tours to see the sites of Thailand.

(S:) We really appreciate you letting us use your new condo to stay in during our holidays!

Love always, Shay and Louis”

And now some photos …

On CanKata in Nai Yang Bay at sunset.

Playing "Farkle" on CanKata.

Walking along Nai Yang Beach.

On the way to do some "plane spotting".

In Nai Yang Park ... uncle in the background.

Louis at the helm ... uncle in the background.

Shay in the cockpit ... uncle in the background.

At our unit at the Dewa in Nai Yang

Tidying lines on CanKata.

Bow-riding on CanKata.

Kayaking in the caves at Phang Nga Bay.

Getting ready for the dinghy ride to CanKata ... uncle in the background.

We had our last supper at this restaurant.
Thanks for the treat, guys.
Wishing you all the best.
L&D
xx

HIgh Season in Thailand

There are a number of names for it:

-         dry season

-         hot season

-         North East monsoons

-         peak season

-         high season.

Whatever we call it, it is certainly our Favourite Season. This is the time of year, generally from early November to late April, when the rain falls less, the sun shines more, the winds change direction from SW to NE (allowing us to cruise the west coast of Phuket), and the tourists arrive (meaning that it will cost more to rent a motorcycle or book a hotel room).

So now here we are with CanKata, on the west coast of Phuket, in our favourite bay of Nai Yang, enjoying fabulous restaurants, clean waters, friendly locals, pristine beaches, and amazing sunsets. In Nai Yang, there is also a market three times a week, a couple of pharmacies “just in case”, a post office, a mini hospital and shops galore. As you may recall, our condo is also here at the Dewa Resort (off limits to us in the peak season while it is in the rental pool). We brought our bicycles with us, and enjoy the lazy, tree-shaded lanes that take us into the back country.

We have some plans to sail a little further north this High Season … nearly to Burma. Before that, we will enjoy a ten-day visit from our niece Shaylynn and her husband Louis. It promises to be a good season. Oh what a life.



CanKata in Nai Yang Bay.



We have a safe place to store our bikes.

This is Mo from one of our favourite restaurants "Octopus".

Street dogs are quiet during the day,
but we hear them partying in the night.

We sometimes stop at this spot in the park for fruit shakes.

The locals love to picnic in Nai Yang park.

Bicycling through the park is cool and safe.

There are some pretty cottages for rent in the area.

The airport hospital.

The airport post office.

Saturday market. Also on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Flowers for sale.

Checking for money ... but we don't need much.

Lots of veggies and meat available.

Then home to rest.
Or maybe party with Bach & Byte.