Krabi Boat Lagoon Haul out

Well its that time again when we need to take SeaWolff out of the water. This year we chose the new Krabi Boat Lagoon Marina as they are offering very good rates. As a new Marina quite far from Phuket (or anything else) they have to give good incentives. Its worked for them as the Hard stand is full of yachts stored for the Summer months.

When we arrived we needed to overnight and they told us to come under the roof. What a wonderful place to be, in the shade. We were able to do all the preparation work in the cool shade. Its very hot here now, no rain for weeks. We just stepped of the boat to go to supper.

Rob helped the guys secure the straps that lift the boat. We stayed on board while they lifted the boat. A first time as we have always been told to get off the boat. A few anxious moments, as the straps tighten to lift the 20 Tons, they make grinding noises. Sounds like the boats breaking! but no all was fine.

So there she is right infront of the office.

 We were all ready to leave, all Rob had to do was disconnect the batteries. (The aircon would then run on Shore power) He did this and then nothing worked. No power anywhere. We needed the air-conditioner to run to dry the humidity or everything will go mouldy. So he reconnected the batteries and still nothing worked??????? There was a short somewhere? After 2 hours of struggling with the problem with help from Andries, an experienced skipper, the Marina electrician and Rob it some how started working again. But now the batteries are still connected, so there is the risk of them draining if the power goes off! (the aircon will run off the batteries, and they wont get enough charge at night from the solar pannels, so will eventually die) We had no choice but to leave it that way. By now were too late to get the ferry back from Krabi, so we called a taxi.

 He was I am sure just a local chap with a car. Every bump we went over the tyres touched the rim arches! No suspension and big tyres. 2 and half hours later we got back to Phuket. He also did not know where he was going and did not understand a word of English. So Robs hand signals came into play. There were a few more Rob had which he would have liked to use but did not.

We leave for Seoul, South Korea tomorrow for our next adventure.

Coconut water

After the Temple visit we drove to a Thai home near by, where she had treated a dog and her puppies. The owner was so pleased he cut a coconut (maprow, in Thai) from his tree for each of us. Then proceeded to chop of the top so that we could drink the juice inside. The liquid is clear and has very little flavour so its very refreshing on a hot day. All this was done with sign language, broken Thai and lots of smiles. The puppies were all healthy and happy.

Temple dogs

Went to a temple (a Wat in Thai) with my friend Tina to see what she is doing there. The Budhist Temples are always havens for animals. many strays are dropped off and gifts of Rabbits, ducks, turtles are given to the monks for good luck. These animals all need to be fed and treated for diseases. Tina has taken on the role of savior to the animals at this Temple. 

 Here a monk is feeding the cats,  about 10 plus 8 kittens.

 Wherever Tina walks there are dogs following her. There must be about 20 here. She tries to get them all sterilized, but its a never ending battle as there is always another dog.

Crazy car

We are back in the Marina so out and about on the busy Phuket roads. I just got a photo of  this car through the dirty windscreen. The back tires are at a huge angle!! It was being driven like a racing car, darting in and out of the traffic.

Dugong

After a week in the Marina we headed down south to Nai Harn bay. On the way we spotted  what looked like a Dolphin but on closer inspection it turned out to be a dead Dugong. Very similar to a Manatee but the tail is a v-shape. They are endangered now and the Thai government has done allot to educate the public about the preservation of Dugongs. Sad to see a dead one.

Mangrove seeds and Crocodile Cave

Forgot to add this post. On Tarutao island (near Langkawi) we took a ride in the dingy to find the 'Crocodile cave'. This is another Thai National Park and a 200 Baht fee is charged per person. This island was used as a political prison in the 1940's as it was remote and full of crocodiles. It is the largest island of the Thai, 51 island, archipelago.

The cave is very pretty and is at the end of a Mango tree lined creek.

 We had to climb up this steep ladder to walk to the cave.

In the creek we saw Mangrove trees with their seeds hanging from the branches. These fall into the water and if its shallow they stick in the mud and grow into another tree. The brown seed on the end opens with new leaves. Nature is amazing.

New batteries

Our AGM Batteries have 'died' They have lasted 4 years and worked very well. In the last month they stopped holding their charge. Which means that during the night we would have to switch the fridges and freezer off, and even then they would not last the night. This means a busser sounds when they are too low to even run a fan.
Rob did some research and has decided to install golf cart batteries (deep cycle) These are manufactured in Thailand.
Here are the new ones waiting to be installed. They will hold 1125 Amps. All's well again.