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Day One The forecast looked promising. Out of all the days we could have chosen to leave for the Maldives, Monday 9th March promised the most sailing and the least motoring (less than 2 hours of it to be nearly precise). We even had a fresh breeze to blast us...

Embarkation at Bang Tao I must admit I had reservations. Jake has a history of association with mechanical failures. The last time he came out on a boat with us – a day trip in the Solent many years ago – the engine broke. We didn't dwell on it at the time, because...

But first, the dinghy Being tight-arsed Northerners, we really didn't want to spend money on a new one. Highfield doesn't price their tenders in the same bracket as those in novelty shops (the ones sold alongside floating flamingos, rubber doughnuts, orange armbands,...

A Rest Stop on the way Our Fortaleza friends, the Far Too Lazies, suggested a quick stop en route to Chalong to enjoy light beer, tasty food, and delicious Pina Coladas. We are glad they did. The cocktails at the Kung Fu Bar in Ko Lanta were delicious; served with a...

Escaping Pangkor We were amongst the most junior residents of Pangkor Marina, having been there for only 7 months. The wise ones have been there for years, and many of these long-term resident sages said that leaving couldn't be done. We left anyway. After a few...

Inside the City Walls There aren't many words in this post, but there are plenty of pictures. Chiang Mai offers up surprise treats for the eyeballs almost everywhere you go. And for those preferring not to feel like they are being slowly cooked alive in a sous vide...

Bridge over the River Kwai Continuing our quest to explore how bonkers, dangerous and cruel people can be, we caught the train from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, the location of the bridge over the River Kwai. Interestingly, the name of the river made famous by the...

Large chicken and strange menu choices Probably the best way to get to Phnom Penh is by bus from the centre of Siem Reap. It takes a few hours, but it avoids the hassle of flight and the inevitable long journey from the airport to the city. We arrived at the Giant...

Siem Reap I appreciate it's been a while, but the name of the city must wind up the Thai people. Siem Reap references a victory by the Khmer King Ang Chan I over Siamese forces around 1530. The translation of the name is Siam defeated. I suppose it is hard to change...

The other Pangkor Island We had been ogling at the Island across the water for months, as if it were the jewel in the crown of Perak - an unattainable holiday destination for those of us with ostensibly too much time on our hands, but in reality too many boat jobs to...

Telang Another day of motoring brought us to Telang, where there is a lovely anchorage if you avert your gaze from all the junk accumulating on the shore. The reason for stopping here was to spend time preparing Jamala to enter Pangkor Marina. Maria usually handles...

Chalong to Kuah There's hot and there's so hot that you go past caring. And that was our state of heatiness on the way past Phi Phi Island from Ko Yao Yai, where we anchored the night before. Maria's head was hotter than a welder's nozzle - hence the t-shirt draped...

Chalong We returned to Chalong so that Maria could get plastered - literally - three weeks after Dr Wipoo wrangled her wrist into a temporary splint. Because the weather here is as unpredictable as a day in politics, we thought it best to get into Chalong Bay sooner...

Nai Harn beach To be clear, Nai Harn Beach isn't a party town - it's the sort of place holidaymakers bask on the beach for a fortnight. But our reason for being here wasn't to bake ourselves pink; it was for more practical purposes. We wanted to run the watermaker in...

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...