Monday, December 08, 2008

Tips for yachts visiting Phuket



Below are contractors and tips I find useful for any yacht visiting Phuket:



PROVISIONING:

Supercheap - a non airconditioned superstore with practically anything you can imagine to need. I did all provisioning from there and ended up with a weekly expense for 10 crew at around 6-7000THB. Go early in the morning (~0715hrs) and you will get fresh vegetables and fish before they run out.

They also have a huge department for medicines, so any yacht looking into replenishing their medical chest, that is the place to go to. They accept credit cards.

Location: Drive along the main road towards Phuket town, pass the Patong junction, over the hill towards Phuket town, keep an eye on the right side and u-turn after u seen the sign "Super cheap", there's a gas station just before.

Central: the department store here is excellent for finding western products (ham, salami, cheese etc.)

Location: Turn towards Patong and drive to the next crossing, you will see Tesco Lotus, continue past it and U turn once you see "Central".

Master Butcher Shop, providing 1st class meat products with associated pricing, a must when you are getting stuff for the Guests.

Location: 16/14-16 Moo 3 Chaofa Nai Road, Vichit, Muang Phuket 83000

Tel: +66 76 282 039, +66 76 264 043, Fax: +66 76 263 935

Mobile: +66 81 737 6931, +66 89 648 1256

http://phuketindex.com/phuket-travel/service/butcher-shop.htm

In Tesco Lotus there is an excellent wine shop with great selection. Wine shops can also be sighted on the way to Ao Chalong or towards Ao Surin.

Phuket map

METAL WORKS:

P-S.T.L. Mr. Chatchai or "Peak"

Location: 64/47 Moo 7 Rassada Distrcit, Muang, Phuket 83000

Mobile: 08 9592 5071

I have used this guy for several steel works, plain steel and stainless. He did e.g. a swimming ladder to my tender boat and renewed plenty of piping in the engine room. Very amiable chap and honestly says whether he can take on the job or not. English speakers probably needs an interpreter as K. Chatchai is not too proficient in english. Very competitive pricing of services compared to the guys in Boat Lagoon.

AGENTS:

Asia Pacific Superyacht Services - the evolvement of SEAL to APS, run by Gordon Fernandes. Expensive.
http://www.seal-superyachts-asia.com/ for contacting any of the APS agencies.

South East Asia Liveaboards Superyachts (SEAL) is the oldest agency in Phuket
http://www.seal-superyachts.com for contacts.

International Super Yacht Services (ISYS) represented by Gareth Twist in Phuket as "Yachtsolutions".
www.yachtsolutions.net

Din (known as Dodgy Din), sometimes employed to do ship clearances. Works very cheap but can end up being more expensive when doing "dodgy" deeds.
+66840531418

MARINAS:

Yacht Haven Marina, run by Nick Wyatt and Zara Tremlett, a lovely couple that goes the extra mile to secure a berth for you. Big marina in N part of Phuket, very quiet and safe with all the trimmings that goes with a marina. Downside is that if you have depp draught then you need to wait for high tide to get in and out from the marina.

http://www.yacht-haven-phuket.com/ for contacts.

Ao Por Grand Marina

Opened this year near Ao Por pier and not tried and tested for the NE monsoon. Built on a spot that is exposed to the monsoon and also has very strong currents. Could be a bad place to moor during extreme situation (wind combined with spring tides and perhaps rain squalls). No restrictions for coming and going depthwise. More expensive than Yacht Haven but I'm sure prices can be negotiated.

http://www.aopograndmarina.com/

Berama Bay:

Being built on the Island opposite Ao Por Grand Marina. Not opened yet but marina will be very sheltered and have no restrictions tidewise. Whole project gone bankrupt and waiting to see if it ever will be developed.

Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina

Two marinas at the end of a dredged ditch going through a mangrove forest. Very swanky places, good for low draught smaller yachts.

http://www.royalphuketmarina.com

Electronics and electrics:

Electrical Marine Co Ltd, run by Damian Barrett. Very good service and gets things fixed. Price accordingly.

http://www.electrical-marine.com/ for contacts.


Maretron, run by Arto Holappa, a rambling Finn that is more interested in the sale than after sales satisfaction.

http://www.navasia.net for contacts.


SHIPCHANDLERS:

OH service & Marine Hardware run by Sarit Dechakul a.k.a. "Oh"

Location: Ban Kho Aen village adjacent to Yacht Haven marina.

Small shop that provides all small things needed to maintain a yacht, same prices as in Boat Lagoon.

Opposite Boat Lagoon entrance is a big Surapol Shipchandler, has all stuff one can imagine, but as this is the area for yachts and supplies, pricing is accordingly.

In Phuket Town there are also Shipchandlers, a bit hard to find but the one who seeks shall find. Sorry, for the vague directions.

PERSONNEL:

Agencies mentioned above, some of them provide crew in case needed. Otherwise sometimes dayworkers can be inquired from marina offices or they might approach the yacht for any work available.

I could write volumes more about what to find in Phuket, I would recommend many of the guides available, e.g. http://www.andamanseapilot.com and Phuket Gazette as well as Phuket Calendar, they are full of advice and contacts.






Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Piracy - the scourge of the high seas

There has lately been a lot of coverage about piracy in modern days and I'd like to comment on it. Piracy to most laymen brings in mind Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirate's of the Caribbean movies or to the older generations James Cagney from his famous pirate movies decades ago.

Well, piracy has never been extinct and hundreds of incidents happens annually around the globe, the worst areas being the Straits of Malacca and the West African coast. I myself have been spending years in the waters of Straits of Malacca and reading piracy reports days on end from the Piracy center in Kuala Lumpur.

My opinion is that pirates are a bunch of cowards. They look for the moment of surprise in dark, they prey on small vessel with small crews that can fetch them a good ransom or where the cargo can be sold or ship as well. Here in Asia it has been speculated that the operation is controlled by a mafia that spans the South China Sea, a good example is the case of Petro Ranger that was hijacked by Indonesian pirates in 1998 with $2.3mil fuel cargo onboard. See Petro Ranger or google up some more. I myself read the book that was written by the Captain after the incident was over.

I also noticed the many reports involved small slow moving tugboats, coasters but never any yachts. In fact I can't recall any piracy incidents on passenger ships or yachts except the one last summer in the Med where m/y Tiara was raided for cash and valuables and this one as well must have been pre-meditated as you don't just head out, choose the closest yacht and go raid it (inside job?).

Another factor for increased piracy is the economy, in Malacca Straits the piracy hit an all time high when the financial crisis was wreaking havoc in SE Asia in the late nineties and now we see the same occurrence at the Somalian coast.

What do you do if pirates come onboard? First of all the Owner does not pay you to be a hero, so you don't have to man the guns with swashbuckling antics like in the movies. Most plans and manuals advise to give passive resistance, i.e. not willingly give everything that is not asked for, just do the necessary to keep the pirates happy. In passenger ships it is advised that all passengers and crew proceed to their respective cabins and lock the doors (more difficult to control when people are dispersed). The Officers in charge should attempt to send a security breach alarm so the office will know that something is amiss (before the pirates smash the communication equipment).

Somebody might ask, how about fire arms? Well, ask yourself are you willing to kill another fellow man for the salary you are getting? Furthermore, weapons onboard involves a lot of red tape in various countries.

Then many people are asking, how do we prevent piracy attacks? The best prevention is not to go through the affected areas at all but then shipping would stop quite effectively and that is not a solution. As said before one should strive to take out the favored elements that the pirates prefer:
- Moment of surprise;
- Darkness.

Me and me matey, Jack Sparrow, arrrrr....

This means maintain a vigilant lookout, visible patrols on deck at all times with walkie talkies and plan your passage of high risk areas in day time. In addition you can rig your fire hoses to spray a continuous "shield" at the aft. If the Owner's are happy for the extra expense the ship can employ security personnel with sonic guns to disable pirates.

Also plan your passage well off the coast or piracy prone waters if possible. Do note that underwriters today might have issued a clause that that passing closer than 200' (or more) of the Somalian waters might render the policy void or may require additional fees.

As an additional security measure there are Companies that provide armed escort in pirate prone areas as well as armed guards onboard. Some Companies have also installed sonic "weapons" to deter pirates but have no info on how effective they are.

One might also ask about robberies in port which are also rated as piracy attacks but it is like in every port there are thieves and if one is not vigilant they will come onboard and take what they want, sailors has throughout time been too trusting and gullible in foreign ports.

As a closing I might say that the piracy threat is there but can be avoided with the right measures of vigilance and slight paranoia, but otherwise it is overrated for yachts and passenger ships and should not be mentioned as a reason for not sailing.


Monday, November 24, 2008

Appendix problems

My Darling, Jira, has a history of intermittent heartburn and indigestion and last wednesday she started complaining about stomach pain and I thought "Ohhh, here we go again". Jira is particular that she can't drink any stomach tonics nor chew any medicines for stomach, so it's difficult to suggest treatments. It is also not easy to get stomach friendly foods here in Thailand as many dishes are stir fried and has loads of chillies....

Anyways, she was getting bad and thursday morning she was a bit better but after breakfast she got worse. She called a Doctor that recommended to take Ponstan painkillers. Ok, we got some of those and the pain was relieved a bit. For those who don't know, Ponstan is a painkiller that is somewhere in the middle of aspirin and morphine, lol. Ponstan's took her through thursday.

I consulted the Shipcaptain's Medical Guide and there was all the ailments that one could suspect. I was reading abt peritonitis, appendicitis, severe indigestion etc. There was even a chart showing where the pain is and a probable diagnosis, none of them fit Jira's pain description.

Friday morning she woke up feeling better but after breakfast Jira was saying her belly hurts more and I had a look. The whole belly looked a bit swollen, but she said the pain was on the left side only. At noon I said it is better to go and see a Doctor as she was not getting any better so she called a friend to pick her up. She left for the Phuket International Hospital and after a few hours she called back and said she had been diagnosed with appendicitis.

Not surprising as I can recall the Teacher from my medical classes that appendicitis can have quite different symptoms than the "school book" example: "the pain starts at the bellybutton and moves down to the right of the abdomen". E.g. my ex-wife Tiina-Maria told me that when she got appendicitis she was having dinner at a restaurant and woke up a day later in hospital with a stitched hole in the side. She had just fainted and was taken by ambulance to hospital where they discovered her appendicitis, operated her and she woke up after anesthesia.

To get back to the story, Jira called me after an hour again and told that she has been admitted to the Phuket Mission Hospital and asked if I could come and see her. Unfortunately my work held me up late and arrived at the hospital when she was already under the knife. Her friend Ying was holding her personal belongings and we waited for abt an hour when Jira was wheeled out of ICU to the hospital room at abt 7 pm. She was totally "out" from the anesthesia and was gradually waking up and nodding off. At 9pm her mother and brother came from Trang to see her, it was not much interaction as she was still groggy from anesthesia. At abt 10pm the relatives left back for home and at shortly after she was waking up and complaining of pain and I called the nurse that shot her up with a painkiller with same strength as Morphine.

After abt six hours she was given another shot. My nights sleep was very sporadic as nurses came and went checking bloodpressure, temperature, trip and whatnot, then Jira had a call of nature, I got up and stumbled to the toilet for the bedpan and after all was done did cleanup with a moist cloth. At 5.30am saturday lights came on and a new day started, Jira was saying she is getting hunger pangs as she has nothing in her belly. Nurses warned that she can't drink anything, only nutrition was by trip, her abdomen was still swollen.

During the day Jira received several bottles of liquid penicillin. In the morning at 9.30 am the Doctor cam on his rounds and checked Jira, he said the appendix had already burst when he had operated and that she was very brave to have been able to suffer for 3 days before seeing a Doctor. I agree. However he was not letting her out yet as there was still a risk of inflammation in the abdominal cavity. In the afternoon her son Ki came from Surat Thani to see how his mother is faring and in the afternoon some of my Indian crew went to wish her well and brought a lovely flower basket. The day went and evening came and Doctor gave permission to drink water. What a relief after all those hours with an itching, dry throat and no way to cough as the abs were cut open.

At home with all the "get well" flowers

Come Sunday and Jira could already take shower by herself, the abdominal swelling had gone down and in the afternoon the Doctor let me take Jira home. The whole bill came to 41.000THB (~1000 USD). She got a whole bagful of meds to eat and a follow up check after a week. In the afternoon my Filipino stewardesses visited and brought more flowers for Jira. Today Jira is well on the road of recovery and I am so happy for that.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Yacht crews working

Every man got his duty

Previously I posted a blog about Ships Organisation structure, in this blog I am giving some impressions of how small crews works.

As said earlier, the smaller the crew gets the lesser the ranks are in each department but the job still remains the same (!). Realizing that on the modern yachts the technology is getting more and more advanced the Engineers has on many yachts been reduced to only one person onboard, Officers has been reduced to 1/2 persons and Deckhands maybe 2/3, whereas in the Interior where service is required, they make the bulk of the crew.

When taking the earlier stated fact in consideration, that the work still remains the same the Captain is forced to make different solutions to make the ship "tick". These solutions are many times influenced by the budget he has at his disposal. The cheapest one of course is to eradicate the departmental borders and utilize whole crew wherever needed, each one to her abilities, this is a very special feature in yachting and is a must for anyone wanting to work in this industry. There is no place for "this is not my job" mentality. The crew functions like a big family.

E.g. Major wash down is required after a trans Oceanic voyage, the Owner has decided to arrive the next day so jobs has been scheduled so the interior is cleaned and setup as much as possible before arrival and everybody participates in the wash down of decks and superstructures. After that supplies are being delivered, whole crew helps to carry the lot onboard and assists the Chef and Chief Stew to store it away in nooks and crannies. Everybody works like donkeys in order for the Yacht to look Spick & Span for the Owner when he arrives. Then again if the crew is larger and the Owner is more considerate, he will crew time to prepare and arrives 3-4 days after arrival. Crew works as per their job descriptions and gets a good nights sleep.

The other solution the Captain might do is to use Contractors or Technicians to resolve problems onboard. It also many times depends on the ability of the Chief Engineer of what he can do and the time available. Sometimes it is simply not possible to do without expert help. This applies many times to electronics. Also many machinery may be under guarantee service contracts.

For Deck department the Contractors that are many times used is for major paint jobs, teak deck renewal, bottom cleaning etc. This also depends on how skilled the Chief Officer is in terms of maintenance. A good paint job can be ruined easily with the use of wrong chemicals as well as a teak deck too. The maintenance intervals also depends on what materials are used and what Contractors. As the old saying goes "cheap is not necessarily the best" and once you go cheap you do expensive after, then you got both - cheap and good.

In the Interior they require also loads of items, especially when Guests are prepared for, special food items, beverages, flower arrangements, carpet cleanings etc. Here also Contractors, Suppliers and Shipchandlers are needed. The whole interior is to be detailed, usually as per a set standard by the Owner or Managing Company or the Ch. Stew herself. Here the deck and engine boys can provide little help but they are essential in fixing small items that maybe discovered in the last minute.

The most important person in the crew is the Chef, not only for the Guests but also the crew. If the food is crap nobody will be happy and people will start looking for other yacht opportunities. The whole provisioning part of the boat is very important and it affects the overall spirit onboard.

As conclusion of above you can see that one part is useless without the other. Everybody is necessary onboard, there are no superfluous persons.





Thursday, November 13, 2008

Ship command structure

Ships have a militaristic organization structure going in "chain of command" principle. In Cargo ships and big Cruise ships this organization is quite rigidly followed due to conservatism and on the latter due to the size of crews.

Example of organisation flowchart

Again on Yachts the organization structure is the same but the borders between departments have been blurred due to the size of crew, same can be said of small merchant coasters. The smaller the crew the more teamwork is required to make the boat go, therefore sometimes a Deckhand could be washing dishes and Stewardesses could be doing lookout duty, on big ships this would be unheard of. Also the cohesiveness of a smaller crew is greater than a big crew, i.e. the Chief Stewardess could ask the Deckies to wash the deck instead of the Chief Officer (shame on him).

But, back to the organization structure I think everybody knows that on top is the Captain, as the saying goes "Captain onboard and God in Heaven". Even legally it is not possible to have anybody else to be responsible for the ship than the Captain, this is clearly stated in every governments maritime laws. Therefore it is the Captain who goes and explains what went wrong in court and sometimes also takes the flak for it.

Well, then to continue, below the Captain is usually 3 characters, namely the Staff Captain (Chief Officer), Chief Engineer and Hotel Manager (Chief Stewardess). Sometimes there might be also a Radio Officer but he is mostly relegated to history nowadays due to advanced technologyz. These 3 persons represents the department head for the:

1. Deck department;

2. Engine department;

3. Hotel (Interior) department.

In big Cruise ships there may be additionally a Security Dept and Surveillance Dept but I won't delve into these any further.

The Deck Department is lead by the Chief Officer and he has usually below him at least a 1st Officer (if not then we're talking abt a very small boat) and the bigger the vessel gets the more Officer's he has, the responsibilities being separated to Safety, Maintenance, Security and Navigation. Below the Officer's there is usually a Boatswain (Bosun) sometimes followed by a Carpenter, then, Able Seamen, Ordinary Seamen and Apprentice's. The difference from Apprentice to Boatswain is mostly years of experience onboard as well as necessary courses to be taken for the qualification.

The Engine Department is lead by the Chief Engineer and has usually below him a 1st Engineer who is then followed by other Engineer's depending on the Machinery onboard. Below the Engineer's there is traditionally a Donkeyman, Fitter's, Motormen, Oilers and Wipers. Same applies here too as in Deck department, for higher rank depends years of experience and education level.

The Hotel Department is lead by the Hotel Manager and depending on the size of ship loads of people below and I won't even attempt to explain it here. On yachts the Chief Steward has a row of Stewardesses, a Chef and sometimes a Sous Chef (2nd Cook) as well as a Laundryman.

In the olden days the radio telegraph or "sparky" formed his own department but has now been replaced by electronic boxes.

As for how the crews work onboard and different working situations I will elaborate more on that in my next blog :)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Loy Krathong festival

On 12th Nov was the full moon of twelfth lunar month and Thailand celebrated Loy Krathong, it is a festival coming from the Hindu “Deepavali” Festival of lights. Thais believe it is the time to apologize to the water deity the past years transgressions in form of any pollution (showering, cooking, toilet use, etc.) as thanks for giving life to crops and orchards.

Candle floats in front of Laguna

Me and my darling Jira had a float together made of a piece of banana tree trunk which was elaborately decorated with flowers an leaves. To top it off we cut our nails and a piece of hair and placed it on the float together with a few 1 baht coins in order for the water deity to give good life for us the following year.
Initially we drove off to Phuket town as we had some errands there but the whole town was blocked by long processions by school students dressed up in traditional Thai garb. Eventually it started raining as we got our business done so we decided to head for Laguna near Surin beach.

By the time we arrived Laguna the rain had stopped and we joined the long queue of cars snaking down to the (artificial?) lagoon at Laguna. We found a stretch of vacant pavement and parked our truck there and joined the throng towards the water.

The beach was littered by stalls selling all kind of foods, Krathongs, soft drinks etc. People were here also in hundreds. The beach had Greek candles stuck in the ground at intervals so people could light the candles on the Krathong and send it away on the water.

We lighted our Krathong and joss sticks from the candle and while holding onto the float together we gae a prayer to the deity and floated the Krathong on the water and pushed it gently off to join dozens of other Krathongs already floating off into the distance. At least it floated straight and did not capsize like somebody elses float did.

A very short “operation” eventually and when it as done we headed back to our truck and drove off, heading back to our house.

My Indian crew headed off to Patong Beach and as per them it was the same as in Laguna.





Captain's blog Oct - Nov

End of last month and this has gone cooped up in port. The rain season seems to give up late this year as it has been raining cats and dogs every other day it seems. As of writing this the weather is sunny but dark clouds are swirling on the horizon.

Anyways, since our return from Langkawi to Yacht Haven Phuket we started doing some serious maintenance (jobs never cease on a boat) and I hired Carpenter's, Day worker's and Welder's.

Carpentry is done on outer decks exchanging rotten wood on structures, we found a new Contractor in Boat Lagoon trying to do a name for themselves.

As I have only one Deckie I got one familiar Day worker to work with him - 2-part cleaning, sanding, teak oiling and varnishing is the order of the day for them.

Finally, our trusted welder K. Chatchai came onboard to install a new bucket strainer to our A/C plant.

All jobs are almost finished and paid off and now we're waiting for orders if we get to go and pick up guests in Andaman Islands or not. The weather being like this I don't look forward to it, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do (Clint Eastwood).

For social events we have been quite outgoing I think, on the Sun 2nd I took all crew out for visiting the Ton Sai waterfall (In Thalang going S, turn left at the crossing, continue until end of road). The waterfall had very little water cascading down which I considered odd thinking of the amounts of rain we had gotten here, I hate to think when it really cascades of how much rain that would require... The waterfall is said to have 9 floors so me and Rajaram, my Deckie, left other crew to enjoy the waterfall, clambered up the slopes and started following the stream. In the beginning the going was tough with fallen trees and dense brush covering up the trail but eventually we found a real trail and followed signs for abt 45mins and thought better to turn back. We followed another trail back and almost missed the end of the waterfall but we did some shortcuts and emerged at the parking lot. After this we all gathered in the pick-up truck and drove off to Nai Yang beach to have a late Sunday lunch at the beach. We were joined by Jessica who just landed and was back from her vacation in Philippines. The lunch was very delicious Thai seafood fare and once all had been satisfied we packed up and went back to the ship.

Lunch @ Naiyang beach

As we have been so long without guests I decided that I'll invite some friends onboard for an Indian dinner and let the girls do some serving and get some action. Eventually I managed to get together a team of 8 persons, our agent Gordon, Toby, Nong, Captain Alistair and Michael Bosch + wife Bo. On friday 7th we all, including me and C/E Vivek, gathered for sundowners around our bar, after that we went to the dining saloon.

As starters we were treated with a "soup-shot", very delicious. For main course we had paratas with 3 kind of curries and rice to those who wanted. As dessert was rice pudding Indian style. Sundowners, dinner and dessert was all watered with Company products, namely Kingfisher beer, Carano Ferrari wines and Whyte & Mackay whisky. Next monday I received "thank you" emails so apparently all went home happy and did not suffer from Delhi-belly. I must also mention that our Cook Richard was after the dinner called out from his lair and received a round of applause for the dinner he had prepared for us.



Sunday, October 19, 2008

Captain's Blog - Langkawi - Singapore - Langkawi - Phuket

As in previous blog it ended when we arrived to the drydock in Langkawi, which lasted 14th Aug to 18th Sept and was a very tiring affair for the whole crew.

Kalizma got a fresh coat of paint on the bottom, new zinc anodes, overhauled overboard valves, some new shell plating, additional echosounder and a muffler on the centre engine. Now when we’re idling one can barely hear the engines any more, I need to look at the rpm meters to verify I have propulsion. It is so silent.

Well, for crew matters we received a new Stewardess from the Niladri household, Ms. Martula Walling, her profile is posted in the crew section. Richard came back full of energy after his long odyssey into the Indian bureaucracy and Jessica went for a well deserved vacation.

Finally on the 18th we we’re on the way to Singapore and major washing up took place to remove all the drydock dust and dirt. We arrived 1deg15’ marina on the 20th Sept and was met by ships agent Angie Ng. After clearance was done it was time to coordinate all efforts for Bosses visit. Flowers had to be ordered, carpets cleaned, food ordered, dayworkers arranged etc., we had 5 days on us.

Finally the weekend arrived and the F1 qualifications took place, on Saturday the time races and finally on Sunday the actual F1 race. The race was in fact very exciting with Force India team briefly at 3rd place but unfortunately was dropped down due to safety car was brought out. Then Sutil crashed his car avoiding another car and Fisichella finished 2nd to last, I suspect due to filling fuel too much.

When the weekend was over it was time again to pack everything away and feast on leftovers.

Next two weeks was spent repairing our radars that suddenly gave up on our arrival Singapore. During this time we had a Beer Festival at Fort Canning, delicious Pepper crabs up in People’s Park, Teochew dinner in Mong Hin restaurant, Mediterranean cuisine at Esmirada on Orchard, Kilkenny’s beer in Muddy Murphy’s and of course shopping at Funan, Sim Lim Square and Orchard Towers.

Eventually we left on 14th Oct for Langkawi and arrived there on the 16th, weather was excellent.

In Langkawi we picked up some chemicals and re-fuelled, our agent John took great care of us once again.

Vivek & Juergen Zimmerer

Crew went for a jungle canopy excursion. The operation was run by a German, Mr. Juergen Zimmerer, who had been on the Island for 16yrs. We started with easy rope walking and principles of abseiling as well as we “trollied” over a short expanse on a wire until we got to the highlight of the trek: A wire ~100m long suspended up to a rainforest tree 60m tall. The ride up there was adrenaline inducing and when all was up in the tree we got to abseil down to the ground 30m. The whole trek gave a very good insight of what mountain climbing is about.

In the evening agent John treated undersigned for dinner at Teo’s where we had squid, steamed snapper and wild boar washed down with Tiger.

On the 17th we bid Langkawi goodbye and headed for Thailand, in the afternoon we did a dive at the Butang’s at Hin Takon Chet, hopping in straight from the swimming ladder. We found 2 big shell’s that we ate for dinner the same evening. For the night we anchored at Phi Phi Island and next morning at 9am we continued towards Yacht haven where we arrived at 3pm.

Next day Monday was full with activities meeting old acquaintances, getting technicians onboard to sort out some electronic problems still pending, hiring storage space and making up shopping lists for provisions and interior stores. As of writing this we have settled in Phuket again for the next 3mths or more waiting for the Boss or guests…



Saturday, October 11, 2008

Singapore Beer Festival

On last Sunday I went with a colleague Captain out to the Singapore beer festival held at Fort Canning, one of the oldest areas in Singapore. The park was covered in a huge air conditioned tent and of course there was beer, lots of beer and more beer. From all over the world and in all shapes and colours of bottles and taps. I met with Captain Nick on his boat before heading off to Fort Canning and we had some refreshments before, beer naturally. Eventually we arrived Fort Canning at 3pm and people was starting to pour in. We got our tickets and entered the tents and started drinking beer, lots of it. I can't really say anything about the beers as I'm just a consumer, I like beer almost all sorts. I'm not a too keen friend of stouts though, too heavy stuff for my palate. But wheat beers, lagers, ales, amber ales - all goes down the windpipe. Anyway, I had my share of beer and about 9 pm I headed back home with a slight list. All in all it was a nice event, but unfortunately my mobile was pinched there. I was such a bastard that I did a police report on it so next time somebody switches it on the men in blue can jump the user. If I'm here next year I will definitely join it again. What happened next day I'm not gonna tell you.

Cheers,
Jari


Below is an article that I found of the event:

SINGAPORE: Singapore now has its very own Oktoberfest, and the inaugural Singapore Beer Festival is being held at Fort Canning Park.

Beer enthusiasts can get to taste nearly 300 beers, including a hundred which are appearing in Asia for the very first time.

The Asia Beer Awards was held on Thursday at the festival, and the award for Asia’s top tipple — picked by a panel of international judges — went to Brewerkz’s Steam Beer.

Adding to the merriment were comedy acts as well as local and international bands.

"Putting on a beer festival, that's just like throwing a big party" or so people keep telling my friend Tom. Yeah, much like to make great beer you just gotta boil some grain, beer festivals are that easy. Well, not really. But there is a grain of truth in that thought - to be able to put on a good beer festival you have to know how to throw a good party - and in that sense the Singapore Beer Festival (SBF) has got it right. The three guys most responsible for this upcoming event (Irvin, Matt and his brother Tom) have a good party sense. They know the essentials; Good entertainment (music, dancing, a guy to crack a few jokes), nice food and most importantly a whole lotta interesting things to quench the thirst. The beer line-up for SBF promises to pique the interest of even the most discerning beer connoisseurs. Matt and Irvin went all over the world to procure the beers for this event. There will be over 300 beer from over 50 countries across six continents (what, no more beers from Antarctica ?) . It's a pretty amazing list, especially for their first year out.

So - the bottom line; even if they make a few minor mistakes and forget a few of the small, small beer fest details (note: next year order more portable toilets, don't hire the biker gang for back stage security, and #@*! sake - ban the Durian beer!) they will definitely have the key elements covered.

Go see for yourself October 2 through 5 at Fort Canning Park. Over 300 beers from around the world, packed with great entertainment from a cast of international and local artists, (live music, DJs and stand-up comedians some more) and plenty of good Makan.



Saturday, September 27, 2008

Certificates required for working on yachts

When you contemplate working on a yacht or in general get involved in shipping you will hear the word certificate being mentioned in every connection. It is today's money making racket and standardization of shipping that has brought it about. Also manufacturers wants to ensure that the product they are selling is certified to a certain standard. You can't even have a piece of uncertified steel onboard or plywood for that matter, same goes for the crew...

Sample of certficate

For starters you do not need any certificates to get employed on a yacht less than 300GT (or private), but many Owner's or Captain's insist on somekind of training. E.g. RYA Yachtmaster, STCW Basic safety etc. That is just to up the standard of crew and also for them to have an idea what the job is about. The other party that may require certification is the insurance - certified crew, lower premiums.

Below is what it takes to get on a commercial yacht that is >300GT and carries 12 guests.

Stewardess:

- STCW Basic safety training (all modules);

- Crowd management course (depends on size);

- ENG1 medical examination (or equivalent from your country);

- Yellow fever vaccination (if on worldwide itinerary);

- Valid passport;

- Seamans book (can be applied later).

Deckhand:

As stewardess and in addition:

- STCW Watchkeeping certificate for deck ratings (commercial yachts);

- Proficiency in handling lifeboats;

- Fast rescue boat course (if applicable);

Consider these courses as well:

- PADI open water diving course or Dive Master course;

- Jetski (PWC) course or better PWC instructor course;

- Water sports course + tender handling course.

Engine rating:

As stewardess and in addition:

- STCW watchkeeping course for engine ratings.

- Can also consider the additional courses as for deckhand.

The courses for stewardess takes a few weeks to get done but the watchkeeping course might take up to 1 yr depending on the country and school offering the course. It also takes a bit of commitment to spend the time and money.

E.g. Basic safety courses were cheaper in Sweden than on the Riviera, so it is worth shopping around.



Update 2021:

- All ranks are required to have proficiency in designated security duties (don't be fooled by the security awareness course that is more suited for cruise ship staff that don't have a specific security duty);

- Stewardesses are these days required to have the health and hygiene course level 2;

- Ship cooks are required to have a cook certificate and/ or (depending on flag & class) health and hygiene level 3.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Captain's Blog - Langkawi Drydocking

As told before we arrived at the Wavemaster floating pontoon on the 14th Aug for our drydocking. Once alongside our agent, Nick Coombes, set immigration procedures in motion. I met with the yard Operations Manager Barry Eades and later in the afternoon we had an opening meeting for our scope of works which had been tentatively agreed upon in advance. We also meet our Project Manager, Mr. Irwan.

Kalizma on the travelift

The scheduled haul up date was set to 18th Aug and there already we met with the 1st setback. Yard was waiting for new lifting straps which arrived on the 20th. When waiting for the straps to arrive yard made preparation works in the ER to dismantle our overboard valves as well as project managers surveyed areas of work. Our agent matters are now handled by John Orr.

On the travelift

On the 20th at 1330hrs we cast off and left the pontoon and made a swing towards the lifting piers where the mobile crane was waiting. Because of our masts and hull structure the yard requested me to back in Kalizma. Luckily the wind was not too strong so I managed a little too well backing her up on the windside, the windage did not set her off at all and our tiny bowthruster was steering well. Once entering between the lifting piers and gliding over the lifting straps, one strap got caught between the hull and wing propeller.

On the hard

No damage was done but it took the yard 1h to move the crane and pull out the strap. Several hours was spent setting the straps in their correct places and it was not made easier of our wing shafts and stabilizer fins, but eventually all was set and the straps tightened, the crane engine was howling and its tires were getting flatter and flatter as it was taking the weight of Kalizma. When almost all hull was out of water, then Kalizma was moved close to the pier and all crew was evacuated onto land. Then again the crane engine started it’s growling and wires and straps were put to the test as Kalizma was hoisted level with the dock.

On the hard, 2 pic collage

Unfortunately our sb bilge keel was buckled by the strap as the protective block was rotten and crumbled under the weight. Once over the dock the crane started slowly moving Kalizma to it’s hard stand. The crane gauges showed Kalizma’s weight at 310 tonnes. She was well drydocked by 2030hrs and we all (except the night watch) could leave for our rented apartment for dinner. Yard personnel started hull scraping and rigging hull stanchions. The hull was covered in thousands of barnacles and oysters, Kalizma was full of life even on the outside.

Drydocking video


Next morning 21st at the yard again the yard removed the lifting straps and continued hull cleaning. Overboard valves were being dismantled and fabrication people took measurements for installing the centre engine silencer. At the same time I had arranged ultrasound [US] measurement team to come and measure hull thicknesses as per class requirements.

Paint works

Later in the afternoon we met with the Class inspector from Rina, Mr. David Htwe, and the 5yr class inspection was under way. Fuel and water tanks were inspected, hull on the inside and outside by the US team, overboard valves, paint specs and other certifications were checked. The bad nes was that our collision bulkhead had corroded under the allowed level and had to be renewed so shipyard was alerted to alter the priorities. The hunt for certified plate started and frantic re-calculations of timetables to complete works on time.

On the 22nd the class surveyor continued the survey and eventually only having the machinery inspection left which can only be done when the ship as afloat, the surveyor left for another assignment with the promise that “I’ll be back”. We had our note books cluttered with remarks and started working on them as well as monitoring the shipyard. Anchor’s were lowered and chains ranged out on the ground for calibration. Paint locker was emptied in way of the collision bulkhead. The US team finished their survey and left for Singapore to issue their final report.

On the hard

On 23rd and 24th yard did little work as they are off during weekends and not too keen on overtime. Some propeller polishing and ob valve works took place.

25th was Monday again and the week was kicked off and yard started removing zinc anodes as well as shipside polishing. The anodes look like they had been welded on last week although our certificate states that they are 99,9% pure Zn, samples are collected for analysis. Later in the afternoon hotworks started and shipside was cut at the collision bulkhead and also in ER the silencer bracket fitting started. Overboard valves were removed to workshop for overhaul and service. On port wing propeller we discovered a small rope tightly wound around the shaft and when removing it a slight leak started. Yard is working late and we are standby in addition to fire guards.

26th Shipyard continuing works as on 25th, propeller guards and sea chest strainers are being cleaned. We are checking for availability of port propeller packing gland. Hotworks continue and dismantling of machinery aft of collision bulkhead starts.

27th – 29th Works progressed as per schedule.

30th – 31st Bottom was painted with antifouling.

SEPTEMBER
1st – 2nd Start of Ramadan. 1st 3 yard workers turned up but did barely anything.

2nd nobody worked.

3rd Big meeting with yard representative due to very slow progress and I voiced my dissatisfaction of how things are managed. I sent Chief Engineer to Kuah town to buy materials for work shop people so they could overhaul our valves. C/E confirmed they did not even possess the rudimentary materials for a workshop and they handed a list with 20 items that they would require to proceed (bolts & nuts, lapping paste etc).

I asked Operations Manager why we have to do their procurement and he summoned the Project Manager that tried to say WE had asked for the list and then we went on to see Purchasing Manager, he had the workshop PR in his unprocessed pile for abt 2 weeks already and said that these items are not available on the Island.

Stern view

By this time I said to hold on and I whipped out my mobile and called C/E Vivek and asked how many of the items had he managed to collect? Reply was “all items except the aluminium sheet”. “Thank you very much, you just got caught lying in my face” I told the yard people and walked off.

4th Work was carried out between 8am to 5pm only.

5th Work has progressed very slowly due to Ramadan, no OT was done. In PM collision bulkhead was tag welded into position and BT motor lifted back onboard.

6th Weekend again, yard workers showed up late.

7th onwards, works are progressing at snails pace, I could write same entry for every day but it is sad reading. Yard was every morning promising this and that would be finished and more of a rule than an exception that promises are always broken.

11th Plate in bow welded in place and x-ray team and RINA surveyor brought on site. Team shot 3 x-rays (40cm length each), all seams failed due to bubbles and slag in weld seam. RINA surveyor gave orders to grind down the shot seams and do another x-ray.

13th Bow plate welding seams now re-welded and re-x-rayed, all passed. Phew, what a relief as time is running out…

16th Finally we were coming to the stage to talk about downslip and the yard has the guts to come and ask me for signatures on the basis of “no cash, no splash”. I had a meeting offering my protest of all the delays and no-shows and finally we came up with a 7.5% discount settling the yard invoice at 200.000RM.

17th Eventually they delayed again as the bottom sensor installation was leaking and had to be repaired and this morning it was still leaking so our only option was to weld the hole back shut. Finally we were lifted up over the water and ship was lowered and hoisted and a number of valves had to be dismantled and taken back to workshop for tweaking.

At the same time the RINA surveyor was onboard to inspect the valves and get the last bit of paperwork done. Unfortunately he could not wait for us to be completely waterborne and he had to leave for another assignment. The surveyor handed me the new Class cert and hollered “Call me in Singapore” when he was spirited away on the jetski. While we were hanging there we took the opportunity to load all beverages for the Owner onboard when they moved the ship back to the pier again.

18th In the morning at 0430hrs we were finally waterborne and all valves water tight. We moved along side pontoons and some cleaning jobs took place by the yard. At 1400hrs we started engines and left the yard unceremoniously for Singapore, there was only our agent John to cast off the ropes.

It was the 1st and last time I ever drydocked in that yard. The facility is great but the labor is mediocre with their issues of skills, getting people to come to work and actually do some work etc. In the future I could come with my own team there and do the whole thing by myself but then again you will lose on food and lodging as well as you need to negotiate the fee for external workers (the yard terms states 15% additional fee).

Now it is a standard term here onboard if we get a slow delivery or lazy contractor we say “He probably used to work at Wavemaster in Langkawi…”



Saturday, August 16, 2008

Captains blog - voyage Phuket- Ko Rawi - Langkawi

We departed Phuket on 12th of Aug for Langkawi. Weather was again fine, only when we got out of cover Ko Yao Yai did we get swell in from the Indian Ocean. We steamed on for the whole day and anchored for the night S of Ko Rawi (Butang group). Next morning we awoke to marvelous surroundings of high Islands covered in lush green and specked with white sandy beaches.

M/y Kalizma in front of Ko Rawi


Ko Rawi

Morning 13th Aug was sunny and spent making a dive around Ko Palai and another on the bay at Western tip of Ko Rawi, we saw a great deal of sea life (puffers) as well as loads of giant clams. The coral here is very nice and unspoiled, also absence of tourists is notable, it might be otherwise during high season of course. At Ko Rawi the coastal cliffs goes straight down to several metres and divers are rocked by wave surge.

Beach had a lot of hermit crabs

Afternoon was partly overcast and spent setting up for a beach barbecue on Ko Rawi and some snorkeling. The coral heads S of Ko Rawi were numerous and colorful. The beach on Ko Rawi had many hermit crabs that were running about everywhere. I took to exploring the Island and found a natural fresh water stream that I followed up to its source, the jungle elsewhere looked impenetrable, consisting of thorny brush and ancient trees.

BBQ

BBQ

The fresh water itself out of the mountain was very cool and refreshing and I took several dips in the streams naturally carved out hollows. Once back at the BBQ it was getting dark and we fired up the grill and enjoyed the sunset accompanied with dinner. When darkness set in petrol lanterns were lit and we sat around joking and telling stories while enjoying some more grilled food. At abt 9pm we packed all gear in the tender and got back onboard for an early night as we needed to haul up anchor in time for us to arrive Langkawi HW.

Seagypsies

14th morning 6am anchor was heaved up and course set for Langkawi. On the way we passed a big congregation of sea gypsies. The weather was overcast and dead calm. We arrived Langkawi at 11am and made fast sb to floating pontoon at Wavemaster shipyard. We had arrived to the purpose of our voyage – 5year class renewal survey and routine maintenance.



Friday, August 01, 2008

Captain's blog - end July 2008

This month Kalizma did not move from her berth, we stayed put for ongoing maintenance works. We have upgraded the deck lighting, installed a diving ladder and UV covers onto the tenderboats. All decks got a fresh coat of varnish as well as rust was chipped off on exposed metal parts and repainted, teak oil was applied to all railings. In the Engine Room various piping works related to the aircon was renewed and modified for the better.

M/y Calisto in Yacht Haven (sistership of Cousteau's Calypso)

Crew events:
Jyothi rejoined the ship on the 23rd with renewed vigour. Richard has not yet returned from his prolonged vacation and the new deckhand is still pending. Vivek left for a short sojourn in India to escort his family home.

Last weekend in Phuket (little did we know)

Saturday undersigned was invited to a BBQ evening and watch rugby at the Agents, Gordon Fernandes’ pad. Kingfisher sponsored 2 cases of beers to the cause. The game turned out very exciting as New Zealand took the lead in the beginning after being on the loss but, finally in the end, lost to Australia.

BBQ @ Gordon's pad

On Sunday morning we set off with the volunteers (some crew selected to spend time on their own) for a picnic in Phangnga which consisted of Tom Yam Kung soup, Phad Krapaow Moo and Nam Phrik Num with Khai Tom washed down with Kingfisher beer for those who wanted. We also visited a local handicrafts and snacks stall where crew bought rattan souvenirs, handmade hammocks and a Thai flute for Raja Ram.

Bungy crane

After this we drove on to Phuket Jungle bungy jump venue where Captain and Saini proved their courageousness by jumping 50 m down tied to a rubber string. What an exhilarating experience!



Next we went to Phuket Go Kart circuit where those who did not dare to jump could race to get their adrenaline levels up. After 10 minutes of go-karting on hyped up mini racing cars it was time to return towards Yacht Haven.

Refreshments @ Surin beach

We took the scenic route via Patong - Kamala and Surin beaches enjoying the scenery of the west coast of Phuket Island. At Surin beach we stopped and strolled on the beach admiring the big breakers rolling in from the Indian Ocean and a few brave youngsters body surfing the waves. Refreshments was enjoyed at a beach bar after which we headed back for Kalizma, by this time it was dinner time for those who still had energy for it.

Jyoti's birthday


On 5th August was Jyothi’s birthday. We celebrated it with all crew at Mama’s & Papa’s seafood restaurant. The sumptuous dinner was topped off with a Minnie Mouse vanilla cake and a 24k handpainted teacup was presented to Jyothi as she is an avid tea drinker. Happy birthday Jyothi, we all hope you enjoyed it!

Nai Yang beach

On the 12th of August we will head out for Langkawi and do the long planned drydocking, until then, ta-ta.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Captain's blog - beginning July 2008

M/y Kalizma at Ko Phi Phi

The month of June came and went without any particular happenings, routine maintenance was carried out, weekends some of the crew went hashing (running). Hash house harriers are a tradition invented by English expats in Malaysia and has spread all over the world. I also discovered the world small as I met my old Electrician from Ukraine that worked together with me 5 years ago on another ship.

Me and Volodymyr

As far as crew changes concerned Sunil Sharma returned from vacation to charge his batteries, Jyothi Thomas left for her well earned vacation. Deckhand Jaynard Payumo resigned in order to pursuit his career marketing Crocs on a sailing boat. Good luck for him! Jaynard’s replacement is still open.

Phuket HHH circle

Finally, on 3rd July Kalizma left for Ko Phi Phi to run our equipment. We left at noon during overcast skies and generally miserable weather. We arrived PP at abt 6pm and anchored in the bay S of the Island.

Morning of 4th July brought forth a promise of a wonderful day and we loaded our divegear in the tender and left around 9am for Ko Bida Noi, a beautiful setting for a dive. We arrived at the E of the Island and made fast to a mooring buoy and started to gear up while 6 other boats from PP came along and dumped their divers in as well. By the time undersigned and Saini went down the cacophony of the boats around us was deafening. The reef itself was not that spectacular, many dead clam shells were seen. A lot of fish was present and we had 0.5-1kt current to swim against. Once our air was exhausted it was the turn for Vivek and Jessica to get some instructions from Saini followed by a shallow dive. Once all done we set out for Hin Bida, an underwater reef between Ko Bida Noi and Ko Ma. During the transfer we enjoyed a refreshing watermelon to wash out the taste of salt. Once at Hin Bida, we found yet again an anchor buoy where we made fast and geared up. We started at 30m and swam against the current circling S of the reef and eventually came up the shallowest point that was abt 4m, the reef is actually limestone formation covered by corals, quite nice dive. We managed to see a huge lobster, a moray eel and a leopard shark in addition to the normal reef fish. By this time it was time to head back to Kalizma for lunch.

Ko Bida Nai

At the time we arrived we saw many speedboats at shore hanging around a few trees, after having a closer look we discovered the trees were full of monkeys that were being fed by tourists. Afternoon went putting gear back into condition and for the evening all crew (except standby engineer) went ashore for dinner at Phi Phi Banyan Villa restaurant where the food was good but service was slow considering the amount of customer’s. We had a delicious seafood dinner with grilled fish, grilled squid, deep fried prawns, Chinese fried vegetables, fried rice and mixed seafood Tom Yam soup, once we had finished all we rolled onboard.

Dinner @ Ko Phi Phi

Morning on 5th was equally sunny if not more than the 3rd and we set forth only Saini and undersigned this time for the Kingcruiser wreck that grounded on the Anemone reef and sank in 1997. The wreck was marked with two buoys and we went down by the anchor line. The current was abt 1kn, but at places it was less where you could get lee from the superstructure. Wreck was well preserved and covered with barnacles and a multitude of fish at a depth ranging from 19-30m. We saw a huge lionfish, must’ve been abt 40cm long, came swimming with all plumes wide open, apart from that the fishes were ordinary. After returning to the surface we headed for Shark point (Hin Mu Sang), just S of Anemone reef. Here we also had a current to swim against but once we reached the reef there was some spectacular fan corals and a multitude of sea anemones, we also caught two leopard sharks sleeping on the seabed. Once up on the surface it was time to head back to Kalizma.

In front of Ko Phi Phi

On the way we explored the W side cliffs of Ko PP where there are small coves carved by the sea during ages of erosion. We entered the biggest cove that goes a long way inside and at the end has a small bay with a beach and a hut built (for overnight visits?). Very picturesque scenery but unfortunately a lot of floating garbage in the water. Once back on Kalizma it was time to put back the gear and lunch time. In the afternoon the girls went ashore Ko PP for shopping and swimming and Saini and Rajaram took out the jetskis for a spin. Evening went for the boys in Ko PP enjoying the Saturday night beach party.

Ko Phi Phi

On the 6th Kalizma awoke to a sunny, dead calm sea with gently incoming swell, at 0900hrs we hoisted anchor and headed back for Yacht Haven Marina. The transit was uneventful and at 1400hrs we tied up to our usual berth. Rest of July will now go preparing for the drydocking as well as ticking off jobs from our list that can be done before that.



Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Captain's blog - voy Phuket - Langkawi - Phuket

Visa voyage

Departure 29/05/2008 at 0600hrs ship left Yacht Haven Marina in good weather. The sea was calm as can be, only some wind ripples could be seen. Upon leaving the channel and reaching open seas we experienced a gentle swell coming in from the Indian Ocean. However as we progressed on our voyage it became apparent that prevailing wind and current from Malacca Strait were against us. We passed Phi Phi Island on the east about 1000hrs and turned more south for a straight course to Langkawi Island. The wind became somewhat stronger and the swell more pronounced, but still the weather was fine, sunshine at times overcast the next, in the afternoon we even got a few showers. At 1800hrs we were already approaching Langkawi but night was setting and we entered the Kuah channel in darkness, at 2200hrs we dropped anchor in the General purpose anchorage outside the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.

M/y Kalizma @ RLYC

30/05/2008 We woke up to a sunny day and about 0930hrs we heaved up anchor and we shifted alongside to the marina in front of a passing rain shower that made a magnificent rainbow display. In the marina I was met by the ships agent, Mr. John Orr, and we went through the official bureaucracy of clearing the ship. The crew was invited by John for drinks in the yacht club the same evening. At 1730hrs I was in the club meeting local expats, a psychologist, a ret. Hong Kong police inspector, an artist, a ret. business man and so on. The beer was good and cold and we had a few nice pints before I was invited to have dinner at the “small Hat Yai” as they call the local Thai community settlement. I had some lovely Thai food at Doug’s restaurant and after that we went for some more refreshments at the Cakra CafĂ©.

Langkawi archipelago

31/05/2008 After completing daily routines we launched the tender and went exploring the channel between Pulau Tuba and Pulau Dayang Bunting. The sun was shining unobstructed and the vistas were very picturesque with mangroves in front of rippling greenery up the Island slopes. The river between the Island was quite shallow but we had no mishaps, bare limestone cliffs offered a splendid scenery. Once through the channel we explored the Lima Islands nearby and found a big cave where one could hear bats screeching. After seeing what was to be seen we headed back to the marina north of Pulau Tuba. For the evening I had invited the ships agent with a few friends of his onboard to have some Kingfisher beer. We met at 1730hrs and chatted for a few hours while enjoying Kingfisher together with some nibbles served by Chief Stewardess Jyothi. At 2000hrs it was time for dinner again and as a person of habit I went to Doug’s restaurant in little Hat Yai.

M/s Lili Marleen, a local Langkawi based ship

01/06/2008 Was Sunday and the whole crew rested or went sightseeing Kuah town which actually do not offer that much for the tourist, all resorts and venues are mostly found on the west and east coasts.

Pulau Tuba

02/06/2008 We woke up to a rainy morning and at 0930hrs we cast off from the Royal Yacht Marina at 0930hrs. Eventually I experienced some difficulties getting off the pier due to rising tide. Finally ship managed to maneuver free and subsequently anchored at the GP anchorage in order to refuel. When refueling was completed at 1330hrs Kalizma departed Malaysian waters for Phuket accompanied by gentle rain showers. We sailed straight north following the coast and after nightfall at midnight we dropped anchor off Phi Phi Island.

Pulau Tuba


Lime cliff formations

03/06/2008 We woke up to a lovely and dead calm morning, hoisted anchor and steamed for Yacht Haven Marina at 0730hrs in order to arrive at noon high tide. Our approach was uneventful and we tied up in normal fashion. All and all it was an enjoyable trip but it is nice to be back in Phuket again.