The motor yacht "Nyami Nyami", named after a Rhodesian river god,  was purchased in March and re-named "Knot Yet II".  The abbot of a nearby Buddhist monastery officiated at a ceremony to bless the boat and the name change (see photos).

During the next month we took a few trips around the Phuket area, getting used to the boat and beginning to learn about the many systems on board.  I also ordered a watermaker and some other parts, which were shipped to Langkawi, Malaysia, a duty-free port.

On May 4 we departed for Langkawi, taking four easy days for the journey.  Many beautiful islands with protected anchorages lie between Phuket and Langkawi, making the trip delightful.  After spending a week in Langkawi we returned to Phuket, this time in three days.

The installation of the watermaker and other parts should have taken no more than three weeks.  But as is usual in boating, construction and many other pursuits, it took five weeks.  When all was completed, we departed Phuket on June 29, bound for Singapore.  Because of the number of fish traps, fishing nets and unlit fishing boats we elected to travel only during daylight.  Again, we stopped at many beautiful island anchorages.  A highlight was joining friends at an anchorage called "The Hole in the Wall" on the northeastern shore of Langkawi.  It's so named because of the narrow entrance to the mouth of a river, but is stunningly peaceful once inside.  Flat water, soaring eagles and chattering monkeys were the principal attractions.  Although it felt remote, the main town could be reached with a 15-minute dinghy ride and a 20-minute taxi ride.

After a few days we went to Rebak Marina Resort on the other side of Langkawi. Rebak is a nice marina and several friends were there, which encouraged a longer stay.  We finally left on July 17 for Penang Island.  Buddy and Ruth of Annapurna joined us for this trip and we had a nice couple of days shopping and eating in Georgetown.  They returned to Langkawi on the ferry and we departed for Lumut, Port Klang and Port Dickson.  Admiral Marina in Port Dickson is another very nice place, although its location is a bit remote.  While there we took a bus to Kuala Lumpur, where we enjoyed sightseeing and shopping in Malaysia's very modern capital.

We departed Port Dickson on August 1 and reached Singapore on August 3.  We're staying at Raffles Marina, which may be the nicest marina in Southeast Asia.  It's certainly the most expensive!  Using combination of courtesy bus and MRT (the very efficient rapid transit system) permits one to be in downtown Singapore in about 45 minutes.  However, one doesn't need to travel that far for shopping, as a major shopping center is located next to the first MRT station at which the courtesy bus stops.  The more upscale of the two supermarkets has many American products; it's just great to find Bernstein's Italian Dressing, Skippy Peanut Butter and Oreo Cookies!

3 October update begins here

Lingga Cruise

We stayed in Singapore through the end of August, at which time we joined a cruise to the Equator which was sponsored by MTU, manufacturer of marine diesel engines and organized by Raffles Marina, the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club and Nongsa Point Marina.  Over twenty boats participated, all of which were faster than Knot Yet II.  The trip to Lingga took us about 13 hours, through an area of beautiful, sparsely-populated islands.  

We spent the first day doing boat tasks and taking dinghy tours of the island and its reefs.  Delicious Indonesian food was served at the  beach BBQ that night, which was followed by an awards ceremony.  

The land tour of Lingga departed late due to some logistical problems.  Twelve people were in the group, a sharp and welcome contrast to the 50 people who had gone the day before!  Based on the prior day’s experience, our hosts elected not to do the waterfall hike.  (The prior night three people had advised me not to take that hike).  After lunch we did wade across a river and walked for about an hour, visiting the ruins of the Sultan’s palace.  Built in the late 1700’s, it was quite elaborate and occupied a large area.  The “guest house” contained 44 rooms. whose foundations could be seen (see photo)!

Thinking we were going to have to return the way we came, including another wet time, we were most happy to reach a road and find our vehicles waiting for us.   We then proceeded to the home of the guide, where we were served fresh coconut (milk and meat) and bananas.  The home contained many antique bowls and other artifacts that Damien had discovered in his work among the ruins. 

Before returning to the boat we spent some time in the village.  A dozen men sitting on their motorbikes turned out to be “taxis”.  The shops were well-stocked and the prices quite low. 

That even, we went to Penuba, the local capital on the other side of Selayar.  Apparently the entire population of the town had turned out to welcome us.  An Indonesian in the party remarked that the music and dance that was performed on our arrival was quite special, and usually reserved for dignitaries.  As we proceeded from the jetty down the main street the whole mass of people moved with us.  Visitors are rare and white-skinned visitors even rarer.  The children were especially curious and crowded around all the time.   After an hour of walking around we were invited to go to a stage area in the center of town.  As the oldest member of our group, I was asked by the organizers to present a gift that the sponsors had purchased.  After some speeches I made the presentation.  One more speech and the music began. 

About twenty young women clad in blue jeans and red blouses formed two lines facing each other and began to dance.  After a few songs one of our group joined in.  Soon a dozen men, including Rut, were dancing.  This went on for about an hour.  Everyone enjoyed the evening, despite a slower and rather wet ride back to our boats.

On reflection, this was a really impressive event for us, and apparently our visit to their village was very special for them.  We really enjoyed it.

The return trip the next day again took 13 hours; arriving at Nongsa Point Marina in the dark with a blinding light shining from the fuel dock was rather challenging.  All in all, the cruise was great fun.

After a couple more days at Nongsa Point, we departed for Sebana Cove, a marina and resort located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, northeast of Singapore.  It's located a few miles up a river so is a very calm place.  We met several cruising boats there, some of whom have stayed for a few years!  

My friend Dean from California arrived while we were in Sebana Cove.  After a tour to the local village and almost a full day in nearby Johor Bahru, which is quite a large city, we departed for Nongsa Point.  After two days there, we returned to Raffles Marina, Singapore, where we spent the next week sightseeing, shopping and eating.

24 October update begins here

We departed Singapore on October 4, doing an overnight passage to Port Dickson, Malaysia.  This is the beginning of the Malacca Straits which is a very busy shipping lane.  North of Port Dickson the number of fishing boats, floats and nets increases dramatically, so we elected to travel only during daylight hours.  We spent 4 days in Port Dickson, during which time we purchased two bicycles.  We have room for them on the boat and they have proven quite useful for both exercise and transport while we're in marinas.

After four more days of travel we arrived at Langkawi Island, Malaysia.  The topography changes as one reaches Langkawi, with the first of the tall limestone islands which are so prevalent on into Thailand.  Langkawi also is a duty-free port so we purchased enough beer and spirits to last for a few months.  We spent five days on Langkawi, mostly at Rebak Marina, where we were reunited with many cruising friends.  Most will be continuing on across the Indian Ocean and up the Red Sea next year, so we'll have lots of company.

Four  more days found us in Phuket Boat Lagoon, where the boat will stay until January.  She'll be hauled out of the water on 30 October, with lots of work already organized.  On 31 October we will fly to Vientiane, Laos, for a couple days of touring, then will travel by bus to the northeastern Thailand home of my crew.  I depart Bangkok on 6 November for London, then North Carolina and finally home on 12 November.

I returned to Thailand in the second week of December and got  the boat back in the water.  With our new crew, Andrew, and Rut's youngest brother, Jot, we cruised around Phangh Nha Bay near Phuket between Christmas and New Year's.  We then begain to prepare for our big journey in January.  Our plan is to depart Phuket in January and cross the Indian Ocean, transit the Red Sea and enter the Mediterranean Sea, with Turkey as the probable destination.