16th February - Nai Harn Bay to Ao Chalong (Phuket) - birthdays

Sunday 16^th February

Sunset with Big Buddha on the right

And yes we did drag ourselves away from Nai Harn Bay…

We are now anchored in a sheltered little part to the east of Ao Chalong, which is frighteningly busy, heaving with large and small boats, coming and going. 

We fortunately went past Micromegas, and found Chantal on board, more than happy to direct us to a safe and secure anchorage, with promises of dinner together in the evening.  We had been planning to go much further, up to Yacht Haven marina, but it was very rough, with 30 knots of wind on the nose – not comfortable or pleasant at all!

 The battery system is working well; Pete is delighted.  But now…the depth charger has given up he ghost and he is spending hours studying the Raymarine manual, looking for clues.  There is always something, on a boat…And aha – as we speak, a sigh of relief, not of despair – the depth sounder is working again, thanks to Captain Pete and the Raymarine Manual!

It took a lot of DEEP concentration!

Our Valentines Day dinner was shared with a large group, at the Phuket Yacht Club.  (Settlement, Persian Sands, Obsession, Kokomo II.)  We had a very long table and it wasn’t possible to talk up and down the length, so there was a whole gang up the other end with whom I didn’t really exchange a word, but never mind; I am sure they enjoyed their delicious seafood buffet regardless!

Cheryl and Sue

Opposite me were two guests on Obsession, who were going home the next day after two weeks sailing around Phuket.  Cheryl and Sue had both been Family Day Carers, for twenty years, in Brisbane.  They now have different jobs - one in a child care centre, one in respite care – but they remember their Family Day Care days very fondly.  They sighed a bit as they told me about al of the changes – carers are now called educators, which they think is just a bit of a wank.  And in their day the rules were much less stringent.  Sue, for example, took seven of her day care children away camping every year, on her own, for a whole week, in Bundaberg!  The oldest children were in their teens, and they all helped with the little ones.  Not surprisingly, she still has very close ties with all of these children.  Both Cheryl and Sue get invited to weddings of children they have cared for; I think this is just wonderful.

Penny and Peter Neville (SV Persian Sands)

And what else can go wrong, on a boat??  Peter and Penny were sitting near us.  We had met them in Boat Lagoon marina, on their lovely catamaran, Persian Sands.  They are still furious about an incident in September last year, in the marina.  At 4am they woke to a loud crash-bang-wallop.  One of the big dive boats had broken its mooring and was smacking into them.  It caused a lot of damage, knocking their boat out of whack, and wrecking some of the stainless steel railings.  The dive boat skedaddled… Pete and Penny took photos, and sent a series of emails, and insurance claims, all of which were ignored and disregarded.  When they caught up with the Russian owner of the boat, he said there is now a different skipper, and that they have no proof that it was this particular boat.  Delightful!!  In fact their photos aren’t really proof; all you can see, in the dark, is a big blue boat, skedaddling…

Nai Harn beach from the Phuket Yacht Club

And what went wrong at the dinner?  Well we were suppose to have 14 at our table but there were only 13… One of the three Sues at the table was a bit freaked by this.  She said her grandmother would not have 13 at her table.  Somebody would be made to go and sit elsewhere, if this number happened to occur.  She thought that 13 at the table would mean imminent death for one of the diners.  Well…nobody died at our table but…one of the two gentle musicians, crooning away at their Elvis/Frank Sinatra repertoire, suddenly collapsed and fell off the stage… Consternation all around… But Our Penny was an ambulance officer; she was there, administering first aid, before the shock had reverberated around the dining room.  We don’t know yet if the singer is OK but I think Sue will continue to be superstitious about 13 at a table!

An auspicious day, in my family.  Two special birthdays – my one and only son, Michael,* and my very first granddaughter, Eva.**

Michael with Zoe, Leo, Rose, Eva

* Michael is celebrating his 33^rd birthday very happily, back in Townsville, after eight months away, deployed in deepest darkest…Unspecified Warzone.  He will be back in Tasmania soon, to be Uncle Extraordinaire to his eight nieces and nephews, to whom he is a slightly terrifying source of FUN, wrestling, chasings, and fabulous presents.  For example, he sent each family, from Deepest Darkest Unspecified Warzone, a Go-Pro, for no reason, just because he could…(In case you don’t know, a Go-Pro is a very desirable little sports camera, impervious to speed, water, mud.)  We are very happy that he is back in Australia, although he assures me he is more than ready for another overseas mission…

Michael at work

** Eva is six today, a full-time schoolgirl.  The best way to describe her is to say that she is full of love; she has SO much love to give, it overflows from her. In her first few years she was a powerful little thing, charging around her universe, climbing, exploring, leaping.  She is much more sedate now, if still very fit and agile, and has become a much more serious, reflective sort of person.  But…when she is with her cousin Jemima, four weeks, younger, it is PARTY PARTY PARTY, LET’S GO DO THE CONGA!!

I am so lucky to have both of these birthdaypeople in my family…