Phuket to Langkawi

Departed Ao Chalong Thursday 15 September. 6.30am. Good winds to start with up to 20knots with the boat slicing through the water at just over 6 knots – good sailing. The winds lasted until midday, then didn’t.

We arrived at Ko Rok Nok at 18.15 – 55 mile motor sail. I watched a spectacular sunset as I picked up a mooring. I gave the mooring  a good tug with the engine to see if it would hold. The water is crystal clear on these islands as there is no cultivation and very little habitation.

Moored off Ko Rawi. Ko Adang in the background

The following day it was a long motor sail, 45 miles, to the Butangs (Adang, Rawi, Butang and Lipe). The Volvo behaved well. I anchored toward the western end of the Butang group of islands to get protection from the wind and waves. I decided not to take mooring as the location was too close to the channel where there was a strong current. I did some snorkelling in the clear water and cleaned some of the barnacles off the bottom of the boat. It was good to actually see the bottom of the boat to clean it as opposed to bumping into things in murky water around Phuket and Langkawi.

I headed to the eastern end of Ko Rawi to get water. I picked up a mooring. I snorkelled the reef and was impressed with the coral and fish life. The season has not started in the Butangs yet so there were very few people about other than the local Cow Ley (Sea Gypsies) . After spending not a very pleasant night with the mooring bumping into the hull and rolling around in the current and swell I decided to head to Ko Tarutao. The weather was overcast and foreboding. The winds picked up 20 knots and we had a great sail on a beam reach to Tarutao doing 5 to 6 knots.

Thai fishing boats off Ko Tarutao

There were several fishing boats in the area where I anchored. Toward sunset more fishing boats arrived. I could only assume that this was a safe anchorage and the fishing boats sort shelter. I spent tow nights at Tarutoa doing chores, baking bread, reading etc.

I arrived back in Langkawi, Telaga on Wednesday September 22 just on the equinox.

Phuket to Langkawi

I Cleared Customs and Immigration at Ao Chalong, Phuket Monday January 26, then at 6.30am the following day headed for Ko Lanta a trip of some 40 nautical miles. There was a good 15 to 25 knot east north east wind for most of the trip, which meant I was able to give the motor a well earned rest. It also meant if was beating to windward, something I had not done for awhile. The seas were not that deep, less than 50 metres, which made for short, sharp and choppy waves with the more than odd green wave with white spume crashing down the deck. This was a good test for the deck leaks – I’m pleased to say that the worst deck leak, near the anchor locker, is now fixed. After making several tacks I finally arrived at the south end of Ko Lanta at 21.00. Going into an unknown anchorage at night is not recommended and is something I try to avoid wherever possible. Thank goodness for the Standard Horizon CP500 GPS Chartplotter. I could see the anchor lights of several other yachts in the small bay. The anchorage was not the best as a swell came around the southern tip of the island making for an uncomfortable night.

The next day I departed Ko Lanta and heading for Ko Muk/Mook as I thought it was worth a second look. This was an easy sail of 15 nautical miles. I found a secluded, very sheltered bay to the west of the Ko Muk and rested up there. I had planned in visiting a deep cave that you have to swim to get to. However, one look at the queue of life jacket clad tourists in the boats around the cave entrance quickly convinced my otherwise.

At just after 6.00 on Saturday morning January 29 I hauled the anchor and headed south east to ward Ko Tarutao some 40 nautical miles away. Initially there was very little wind and I motored sailed trying to maintain 4 knots to make for a good passage. I was none to keen on finding anchorages in the dark again. At around mid day when I was near Ko Phetra the wind picked up and was blowing 15 to 20 knots from the north east. I was able to give the motor a rest again and sail doing 4.5 to 5 knots of speed. The island formations in this area are amazing with huge tree topped granite structures rising vertically out of the water like colossal pillars several hundred feet high. The wind steadily increased with gusts up to 30 knots Sadiqi was making 6 knots through the water on occasion.
The short sharp swell hindering her at times. Smithy (Windpilot) was doing an exemplary job of steering the boat in trying conditions. I sailed passed Ko Bulon Le where I had stopped before.

At 16.30 I dropped the anchor in a sheltered Ao Pante Malaka on the north western end of Tarutao island. It had been one of the best sailing days I’d had for ages as there was a decent breeze. There was only one other yacht in the bay. Franz, who I met before on Lankawi, came by with his two young sons to say good day on their way to the beach.

Phuket to Langkawi

Sunday October 17 – Chalong Bay - I hauled the anchor and headed south east toward Langkawi Malaysia. I had checked out with Immigration, Customs and Harbour Master on the Friday. This was again relatively painless costing 400B (about AU$15.00) and took only half an hour. I had planned on leaving on the Saturday. However, a few drinks and a meal with a couple of the lads from the Sand Bar left me with a sore head, so I took my time getting the boat ready for the sail south.

I had spoken to Brent, a great source of local knowledge, thinking that I would island hop on the way south. Brent advised sailing straight to Langkawi given the time of year and it still being the South West Monsoon.
South west monsoon - Summer – Hot with fluky winds predominantly from the south west
North east monsoon – Winter – Light and variable winds predominantly from the north east.

The distance from Phuket to Langkawi is aproximately 115 miles – another 24 plus hour non stop trip with some decent wind. After a month at anchor in Chalong Bay it was so good to be out sailing again in 10 to 15 knots from the west, with Smithy (Windpilot) on the tiller and full sails up. The seas were a little lumpy as the water depth is only 50 to 100 meters deep and the swell was from the west.

At 15.00 I decided on a change in plan and headed for Ko Rok Nok and Ko Rok Nai small islands some 40 miles south of Phuket. I referred to the Indian Ocean Cruising Guide by Rod Heikell to get info on anchoring around these islands - a very good cruising guide, by the way. I planned to over night there. I anchored in 12 metres of water between the two islands and noticed the tidal current. My back and arms gave twinge at the impending hauling in of the anchor in 12 metres of water with all chain rode! That’s another story and yes I was told so.

The following day I hauled up the anchor and continued south. The winds dropped around latitude 6 degrees with sails slatting. I attempted to fly the MPS but was unable to in the lumpy seas in decreasing wind. Nothing for it other than to fire up the motor and head to the Butang Islands and Ko Lipe.

I anchored, again in 12 metres of water, on the south side of the small Ko Lipe and had a rough night rolling in the swell. I hauled anchor the following day and moved to the northern side of the island, hoping also to find a shallower anchorage. Things that go bump in the night! I had anchored reasonably near a mooring buoy in 6 metres of water in the channel between the small island of Ko Lipe and the larger island of Ko Adang. There was a reasonable tidal current running. During the night the fisherman’s anchor must have tripped with the change of tide and Sadiqi drifted back and bumped onto the mooring buoy. The mooring buoy bumping against the hull does not make for a good nights sleep, this, of course, happened at 3am! I had thought about taking the easy option picking up the mooring lines. Fortunately, I reset the anchor a good distance from the buoy, when I awoke at a more reasonable hour there was a fairly large wooden vessel on the mooring unloading its cargo onto hoards of longtail boats.

I rowed ashore to Ko Lipe, had a brief walk around part of the island, noticed it was starting to gear up for the oncoming tourist season. I think I’d prefer the less inhabited islands in the Butang group when the tourist season (Nov to Feb) was in full swing.

I departed Ko Lipe and headed for Langkawi island. There were squadrons of fishing boats trawling the waters between the Butang islands and Langkawi. Sadiqi managed to escape without becoming ensnared with the fishing fleet. Best to avoid sailing between a pair of trawling boats as I think they were trawling a net between them. I changed the time zone on entering Malaysian waters to UTC +8.

Thursday October 21 I dropped the anchor in Telaga harbour Langkawi island, Malaysia.
Nelson and Claude on “Black Swan”, whom I had met in Sabang Indonesia, came over for a chat. It was great to have someone in the know about what, how and where things are in Langkawi. The check in with Immigration and Customs was absolutely painless at Telaga harbour. However, being a Friday in a Moslem country, the harbour master was not open until Sunday. Nelson took me for a ride on the hire motorbike to Kuah the major town on Langkawi and I checked in with the harbour master there.