Sea Child is currently tied up at Pangkor Marina, at the outside finger of the small marina. Shuttle ferries come and go, taking passengers across the way to Pangkor Island, the resort island due west of here. The marina facility is decent, the staff pleasant, and the local Thai and Pizza restaurants delightful. Of course, iced beers at the end of a brutally hot day are wonderful. The heat here remains a challenge, with high humidity and high heat index, working in the sun to put Sea Child back together is frustratingly hot. Covering our bodies with sun shirts that immediately drench from sweat is the daily attire, until well after sunset. Things finally cool off around here by midnight or so, and a cold shower allows our bodies to cool just enough to sleep for a few hours. We have reprovisioned Sea Child, but the idea of cooking in this heat is unbearable. Hopefully, once we are able to head north this weekend, things will get more comfortable on board. I tried to talk Eric into an ac unit for Sea Child, to no avail. We compromised on a new box fan, with helps to move the air around just enough for comfort.

Sea Child had a 6 month dry dock, where she was totally repainted. Top sides, cockpit, name graphics, anti foul, even the dinghy received new paint. The painter here, Jimmy, did a fantastic job! He personally applied every coat of paint, adding a few areas himself that were not part of the job. As we sit in the cockpit at the end of the day enjoying a sundowner or two, we are amazed at how beautiful Sea Child looks. Jimmy did a fantastic job and we can highly recommend his painting here at Pangkor Marina. Sea Child also had new rigging to replace the old roller Furler. Chris Morgan is a rigger/repair friend of Eric's who was able to import a new system from Florida well cheaper than West Marines' price. New metal parts were made and new scuppers were fashioned out of fiberglass. All in all, Sea Child is like a brand new boat, in the 6 years we have owned her, we have never seen her look this fresh!

Our plan is to sail north to Penang this weekend, then on to Langkawi where we will find a mooring for Sea Child when we return to the states. For now, however, its wonderful to explore the surrounding area of Pangkor, busy with new construction and a giant coal sorting facility nearby. We have seen the heaviest rains since Panama, the downpours so heavy you'd think Sea Child would come out of the rains sparkling clean. However, the filmy residue left on the boat is evidence of the industry in the Pangkor area, yet still fascinating to see the local culture in their busy lives. The people are kind and helpful and willing to do just about anything for us. Its been a pleasant experience so far.