Swaggie's wanderings
| Vessel Name: | Sir Swagman |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Seeker 42 |
| Hailing Port: | Pittwater, Sydney |
10 October 2013 | Na Jomtien, Thailand
Last Leg
The early start was moved to a late in the day one, calculating arrival times etc seemed to make this sensible. The weighing anchor again was problematic, taking some time to get fully raised and stowed with jamming in the hawse pipe the issue. The chain was twisted and jumping off the gypsy causing [...]
07 October 2013 | Koh Samui
Island Time
Koh Samui is a bigger island than I expected, not that I am sure what I expected, just that the expectation was smaller as far as islands go. We had anchored at the first spot that afforded some shelter and a chance for rest, but it meant that we would be on the ‘wrong’ side of the island for the [...]
06 October 2013 | Koh Samui
Gulf Wars
Now I know there were two Bushes that had done this before us, but they had the benefit of doing it from a nice comfortable, stable office. In one case having nothing more taxing to decide than how many is a Brazilian and whether a nucular device was called for, or in fact would work, if pronounced and [...]
03 October 2013 | Redang to Samui
Paradise Left and Lost
Raising the anchor proved to be a problem, we had been in such calm water that it had not thrown itself 'flat' in the well, so piled up and jammed in about every place possible on the way back in. Rob and I provided an immense amount of amusement to the fishermen as we tried to correct this. Eventually [...]
02 October 2013 | Redang
Handy Andys
The genset started leaking water into the boat, tracked down to an end plate on the heat exchanger that had cracked. We jury-rigged another plate out of some spare stainless I had lying around and used a new gasket that was in the spares kit. It worked, so the drinks could be kept cold again! It seemed [...]
01 October 2013 | Redang
Illegal Eagles
Now, I realise those keen enough to follow these ramblings closely (and perhaps you need to get out more, if that is truly the case) would note that we had checked out of More Lazier and were now going to stop at another part of the country, technically not permitted, in fact legally not permitted. Given [...]
Burkah’s Backyard
Some of the cacophonous noise that erupts from loudspeakers many times a day (carrying with an enviable lack of any acoustic attenuation across the water to where I am moored) is a little crazy. I am thinking it may have started when one guy had a louder voice than the others and so a small amp was purchased to equalise things. It has now reached the level where it rivals a Hendrix concert in wattage from the half dozen or so mosques all within earshot. These guys sound in real pain at times, perhaps from the medical attention they may be getting? “I can’t rule it out”. Everyone just wanders about ignoring it from what I can see, so I am not sure what purpose it fills, unless it is a ‘Muezzin’s got talent’ audition?
As the caterwauling starts at slightly different times, I keep having images of maybe one or more of these guys sitting back sucking on a cold one, watching the footy when he hears his neighbour start up. “Hell, is that the time?” And he rushes off trailing cigarette ash and empty cans in his haste to get to the mike.
It is not the most dulcet way of being woken at 5:30am (or whatever time it is when the sound wall begins). However, here I am again up at 5:30 having listened to it for half an hour. It is somewhat different today as I needed to be up early. I am heading off on a jungle trip upriver to look at Orang Utans and am a bit of a luddite when it comes to programming my alarm clock on the phone or some other device. So I guess today, or this morning at least, Allah Akbar!
