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Broken in Khelong Bay After almost 8 years of accident-free sailing deposited in the bank of good fortune, we were due for a fall, but this was a big one. We weren't even sailing. Parked up at anchor near Chana Beach, Maria stepped outside to take a photograph of our...

Wind Dodging The wind was forecast to be all over the place after our visit to James Bond Island. So we ended up shuttling between Ko Phanak to shelter from the north-easterly winds and an anchorage near Ao Po Grand Marina to shelter from the westerlies (nice lunch in...

Ko Phanak In beautiful contrast to the clattering racket of Phuket Yacht Haven, we parked for the evening at Ko Phanak and took the dinghy over to the 'bat cave' further up on the west side of the island. Ko Hong The next morning, we sailed (and when I refer to...

Rebak to Phuket Clearing out at Kuha was as smooth as one of Clooney's Nescafe ads. After spending 20 minutes visiting the various officials at the Kuha ferry terminal, we were granted clearance and came away with the paperwork that allowed us to set sail for...

Johor It's impossible to get to Pinetree Marina in Johor without almost circumnavigating Singapore to get there because, in 1919, someone decided to build a causeway between Singapore and Malaysia, with no way through it. And that causeway has a secondary effect,...

Singapore What better way to reminisce about your old stomping ground than starting at the beginning - Orchard Towers - the place where, for some, the magic (and sometimes STDs) happened. Not so much anymore, though. The authorities have put the non-fluffy cuffs on...

Empty Countryside and Busy Roads It isn't all congestion and pollution. Between the cities is countryside like this, photographed through the train window somewhere between Jaipur and Delhi. The reason we travelled back to Delhi by train is that it's the easiest way...

Pearl Palace Heritage Hotel The train ride was disappointing to the point of being miserable. It was too short a journey for a sleeper car, and the bed was less comfortable than a sleeping bag on a peat bog. Lesson learned - don't book a first-class sleeper coach on a...

India's Train System I suspect the modern-day equivalent of the Bletchley Park team would struggle to crack the Indian railway booking system. It required judicious use of a VPN service, tedious trials of booking apps and an awkward customer service interaction to get...

Batam to Singapore Crossing the shipping lanes from Batam to Singapore isn't for the faint of heart or anyone with a heart condition, especially if, like us, your AIS receiver is set to pick up all the ships in the area, whether stopped or not. VTIS (Vessel Traffic...

Home Alone While Maria was in the UK catching pneumonia, I spent most of the three weeks not lying by the pool, catching up on reading, or sleeping, as I had told Maria I would be. Instead, I decided to take care of servicing Jamala, starting with the winches. A job I...

Belitung There wasn't much sailing from Kumai to Belitung, but Belitung is a great place to refuel if you're willing to pay a premium. The diesel is kept inside a small browser, from which it is filtered into jerry cans, delivered to your boat, and put in your tank by...

Kumai River Cruise The sail to the mouth of the Kumai River was lovely. We managed to put the ballooner up for the first time in a long time to take advantage of the downwind sailing conditions. From there, however, it's a bit of a slog upriver to get to Kumai, and...

Lovina Beach While most of the rally boats headed to Benoa in the south of Bali, we headed north to Lovina Beach - where the Sail 2 Indonesia rally stopped in previous years. In contrast to seeking the wild party life to be found down south, particularly in the likes...

Gili Air The World Arc boats were gathering in Lombok for their onward journey towards South Africa. So. with limited room in the anchorages and no mooring balls free at Medana Bay marina, we decided to head over to one of the islands opposite Lombok, Gili Air. It is...

Badas Badas was a disappointment. We stopped here for one night, anchored amongst the commercial traffic while savouring the fumes belching out of one of the ships at the dock. And there wasn't a t-shirt shop (or any other shop for that matter) in sight. The next...

Rolly Road to Rakiet We believe Moyo Island is very beautiful, but because the anchorage was packed with rally boats anchored in deep water on a lee shore, we decided to give it a miss and carry on around the corner to a more peaceful place where we anchored in 15...

Bima Either they have cleaned their act up, or the comments we have heard regarding Bima's cleanliness are a bit harsh. The photograph below, taken from the back of the boat, illustrates three things: the water shows no obvious signs of sewage, the fishermen work hard...