Jan 31 - Enroute

Pos: N07deg20min/ E087deg08min. The down wind run continues. The slatting of the mainsail alternating with the cannon burst of the yankee collapsing as we get pushed around and the autopilot compensates for the 1-2 meter swells is constant. The Indian Ocean current is felt here also and must be compensated for. We have approximately 425 nm to go. All's well aboard.
Sunsets at sea are special...

Jan 30 - Enroute

Pos: N08deg14.98min/ E091deg18.00min. Day 3 - 128 nm. A bit lighter air last night, directly from the stern. We ran with the pole on one side of the boat, then changed it to run wing and wing, then ended up furling the headsail and just running with the main. This morning the breeze freshened, and we once again poled out a partial jib to run wing and wing. Lots of practice with the pole. Pleasant conditions; our present speed is 6.5 kn average; seas are 1 meter. There's about 650 nm to go to our outside waypoint.

Jan 29 - Indian Ocean

Pos: N08deg38min/ E092deg56min. Day 2: 117 nm. We sailed thru one of the wide passes from the Andaman Sea into the Indian Ocean in the late afternoon. We avoided shoals, funny water (overfalls) with breaking water and had a fairly comfortable sail once the engine was shut down. Yesterday's mileage reflected very light winds and the motor going almost 16 hours. We've got the reaching pole out and are running downwind wing and wing. The roll's not too horrible but the slatting of the sails is hard on the ears, and the sails. As it turns out, we hold this same course all the way to Sri Lanka, so basically just have to adjust the sails to the conditions and hang on.
Pic: our instrument panel at night.

Jan 27 - Enroute

Pos: N09deg17.87min/ E097deg26.95min. We raised anchor at 0630 and, thankfully, weren't wrapped around any coral heads. Weather's been E-ENE, up to 25 knots on the aft quarter, so we've made good speed. At about 1500 the fishing reel went off and we landed a nice 4' wahoo. It's always fun when the boat's going 6 knots in one direction and the fish has other ideas. Getting him over the lifelines took two of us coordinating with the gaff; he was heavy....After a few hours of fillet work and deck washdown, we each took a shower and relaxed. We've passed lots of fishing boats and, wouldn't you know, our AIS (Automatic Identification System) isn't working properly (one of the antenna connections needs to be redone). Most of the fishing boats don't have AIS anyway, but it's nice to ID those freighters and tankers, several of which we passed in the night. Otherwise, a few odds and ends needed attention and fixing, but nothing major. Of note is that tonight is our first night watch for quite some time.

Jan 26 - Surin Islands

We've spent a few days here at anchor and dinghied around to various beaches and coral areas. Unfortunately, the coral we saw is mostly bleached but there is a lot of fish life, so we're hopeful the coral will recover. For those following us, charges for the Park at this time are a one time charge of 400 THB per person and additional charges of 100 THB per day for the boat. Mooring balls are available (red for yachts) in a few areas, but the ranger didn't mind that we anchored in deep water off the coral shelf. We've readied the boat for an early departure to Sri Lanka, about an 1100 nm journey. The weather looks good, we're excited to get going, and Sue's baked the oatmeal raisin cookies....
Pic: Tent accommodations for your stay in the park.

Jan 23 - Ko Surin Nua (Surin Islands)

Pos: N09deg25.805min/ E097deg53.03min. We had a wonderful sail over here once the winds freshened and we got away from the dampening effect of the Ko Phyam. Departing at 0800, winds of 20-25 knots from the aft quarter and astern took us rapidly to our destination, and we anchored at 1500. Weather is predicted to moderate over the next few days, and we didn't want to have to motor the entire 35nm here, but hope to be able to snorkel the beautiful coral in this Thai National Park so close to the Myanmar border. Infini is the only boat here (so far!) and it's great to hear the birds and gently swing at anchor watching another beautiful sunset.

Jan 22 - Buffalo Bay (Ko Phyam)

Pos: N09deg45.435min/ E098deg24.192min. This has been a great stop. The island has no cars, but plenty of walking trails. The only vehicles on island are motorbikes, and taxi motorbikes are easily arranged. We anchored a bit far out and were unable to get internet, so had to go ashore to use the free wifi available at any of the resorts which ring the bay. Ditac and AIS wifi and phone service are definitely available at anchor, contrary to some other opinions otherwise. We enjoyed several happy hours at the local bars and restaurants, and had a chance to catch up with many of our Aussie friends we hadn't seen for quite a while. Shopping was easy and extensive, and the fresh fruits and veggies were of very high quality, coming from Ranong on the mainland. Fresh water is free at Mr Gau's, a cruiser hangout, and the purchase of diesel and gasoline is easily arranged. Stuart (sv Imagine) and myself arranged to purchase diesel, and overall cost ended up at about 32 THB per liter. It came off the ferry which had just come in from Ranong, and it was a cultural experience to see a horde of people (young stevedores) unloading the ferry of all the dry goods, fresh food, meats, vegetables, ice, building materials, butane, and diesel the islanders living on Ko Phyam needed for the upcoming time period. We've pulled weather reports and are planning on departure tomorrow for the Surin Islands.
Pic: The NW bay (Buffalo Bay) is great for the NE Monsoon season

Jan 16 - Ban Thap Lamu

Pos: N08deg33.743min/

E098deg13.237min. Last night was horrible. The rolling never stopped, only seemed to crescendo, go down a bit, and attempt to hit a new high note. Uggh. We definitely don't recommend the anchorage at Mai Kaho Beach. We departed early and had a good few hours with the sea breeze, but by 1000 the land breeze asserted itself and the wind became fickle. We ended up motoring during the calms, but had to motor the last few miles to the river entrance of Ban Thap Lamu. The Royal Thai Navy has a jetty here and anchoring is in a mud bottom in a large estuary. Later, we're going in to the small town to explore and have a bite to eat.
The Navy has a presence here.

Jan 15 - Mai Kaho Beach

Pos: N08deg08.983min/ E098deg17.448min. We left Patong at 0800 after a night where the wind was honking and all the boats were rolling around. Our destination isn't too far away, hence the somewhat late (for us) departure. The sun finally poked out and winds were NE about 15-18, with higher gusts. Fantastic sailing! The sails finally got reefed when gusts hit 20-22 knots, the boat handled everything really well, and we had a chance to sail close by the beautiful shoreline heading north. We anchored just north of Phuket International Airport, along a stretch of sandy beach in 30' depth. Fishermen are in the distance, the jets are coming in, and we're hoping for a beautiful sunset, as west is directly behind us.
Pic: Paula on Mr. John got some nice shots of Infini sailing on a starboard tack as we're heading north.

Jan 14 - Patong

Pos: N07deg53.488min/ E098deg17.033min. When we left at 0700, winds remained light and variable and came from most all quadrants. Things didn't settle down until a few hours later when we were abeam of the entrance to Ao Chalong Bay. The motor was shut down and we actually got to do some sailing! This is NE monsoon season, but don't let that fool anyone. Even though winds are usually from the NE, there's a great deal of variability as well as wind strength. Oh, and don't forget the occasional squall. All in all, it makes for great sailing in flat water around most of this area; a wonderful combination. With the wind shifting dead ahead of us, we finally had to motor the last few miles into Patong, where we met up with our cruising buddies Imagine and Mr. John.
Pic: A cruise ship was anchored in the harbor also. We didn't go ashore...we left early the next morning for points north.

Jan 13 - Departure

Pos: N07deg53.305min/E098deg35.442min. We fueled up this morning (35.5 THB/L) and departed on the high tide. Finally, away from the dock! Winds were light and we had to motor sail the 27 miles to Ko Yao Yai, but it was a great feeling leaving the marina, crossing the shallows of the river and getting back "on the road."

Jan 5 - We're back aboard

We had a long journey flying from Tampa to Dallas-Fort Worth to Paris to Kuala Lumpur to Krabi, Thailand and are now back aboard Infini. The boat, fridge and batteries were all in great shape, so now it's a matter of storing everything and tackling a few items that were on our "to do" list. It's hot here, and we hooked up the A/C unit to ensure a comfortable night's sleep here at the marina. Next major item is provisioning, but we've rented a car (1000 baht/day) which will make our multiple runs to the various grocery stores so much easier.