Langkawi to Phuket

We return to Bass Harbor for fresh provisions and to check out of Malaysia. On Friday June 9 we leave Langkawi and sail 30 miles to Koh Tarutao, one of Thailand's southern most islands. We anchor off an old concrete pier on the east side of the island.

During the late afternoon and evening small fishing boats start coming into the bay to anchor. Most make a stop at the pier for drinking water and a fresh water shower (with most of their clothes left on.) The continuously running stream of water is apparently piped out to the end of the pier from an underground spring or a waterfall. Many of the fishing boats raft together in small groups and the fishermen, some with families, cook dinner and socialize well into the evening. All of them leave in the morning. We surmise that these people must be sea gypsies whose boats are their homes for at least part of the year. Hmmm, that term could well describe many of us cruisers who are out here travelling about in our sailboat homes. I think I might like to write "sea gypsy" down on the next form I encounter that asks for my occupation.

We row to the pier and go ashore to do some hiking. This densely forested island was used to house political prisoners from 1938 to 1946 but is now part of a large marine park. Some nice trails have been developed complete with informational signboards which tell about the life and death (often of malaria) of the prisoners. Some replicas of the prison structures have also been built. We see nobody except for a few park employees working on the grounds.

In the afternoon we motor two and a half hours to the Bulan Channel, a beautiful small anchorage in between two islands. We stay two nights with only a few longtail fishing boats coming and going. One fisherman pulled in a long line with large shells attached about every two feet. We watched for some time but have not yet figured out what they were trying to catch.

At low tide macaque monkeys appear on the nearby beach to catch crabs. The younger monkeys scamper about and play. The smallest cling to their mothers, hanging upside down. Richard spends a few hours repairing our Pur 80 watermaker. Not that we have needed it. We regularly fill our water tanks by catching rainwater.

At Koh Lanta Yai we again anchor off a handy pier on the east side of the island. A longtail boat comes by and a woman with blonde hair calls out to us. "Are you really from Portland, Oregon? I'm Susanna from Santa Cruz, California." Turns out she is a watercolor artist who came to Koh Lanta Yai four years ago for a visit and ended up marrying a local man. She and her husband take tourists out snorkelling and diving. We go ashore and have dinner at the "Beautiful Restaurant" where the owner proudly shows off his seven month old son.

Phi Phi Don, one of Thailand's most popular tourist destinations, is our next overnight stop. Our arrival at 3pm coincides with the arrival of the local fishing fleet-big 60 footers. Fortunately they raft together in a long line and there is plenty of room for us to anchor. It is plain to see why there was so much destruction and loss of life here when the tsunami hit on Dec. 26, 2004. The hotels, shops and beaches are in a low area in the middle of the island between the mountains. The tsunami swept right through. Being here gave me an eerie feeling because just a couple of weeks ago Jeff on Mirage told us his story of being at Phi Phi Don on Dec. 26th. Richard likened it to someone telling a war story.

In the morning we head for Phuket Island where we will check into Thailand. We anchor at Ao Chalong, an enormous bay at the southeast end of Phuket.