17th February - Yacht Haven marina (Phuket)

Monday 17^th February

We have come across Malachi, skippered by a cheery bloke from Queensland (I think…) who is sailing with his four girls.  He came past us in Nai Harn Bay and said, “Aha!  I think you are my little sister!”  Malachi is a much bigger Lizard catamaran (Peter Kerr design.)  They were anchored near us in Ao Chalong, so I took a photo of this splendid big solid boat – 51’ as compared to 2XS, 46’.

Big Sister Malachi

We have arrived at Yacht Haven Marina and are anchored on the doorstep, so to speak.  There might be a berth for us tomorrow.  On the way in we debated which way to go – the depth sounder, oh dear, has stopped working, again.  And as a cautionary note, right on our path, was…a sinking yacht.  Not encouraging!

 When the tide went out a sandbank was revealed...not so scary after all...

It was quite rough on the way up the coast.

 But we are anchored, safe and sound.  It is not a wonderful place for swimming – murky, fast-running water – but I leapt in as soon as we had stopped – SO hot!  Poor Pete isn’t well.  He had a violent night, one way and the other (I won’t go into detail – possibly he ate a bad oyster or two on Valentine’s Day) and slept on the couch nearly all the way here.  He really only woke up in time to gaze upon the sinking yacht, with some slight amount of alarm.

Three birthdays today:

My friend of many years, Heather McKenny

Pete’s friend since birth, Cam Morrisby

 Michaels best friend since Grade 7, Nic Barnes

Nic and Alisha

And...we have a new baby in our circle, born a few days ago (Valentines Day??)  A glorious baby girl, as yet unnamed - sister to Evie and Xavier, daughter to Abi and Gaetano, granddaughter to grandmother extraordinaire Pauline: