Confronting Cambodia. November 2006

After just returning from a wonderful, awsome sail across the Indian Ocean and back, it was now time for an adventure of a different kind. Having already visited 8 countries in 9 months, we were off to Cambodia; a much awaited destination to visit amazing temples, including the infamous Angkor Wat.

Added to the adventure was the travel with the Blue Bananas (Sam and Bill) who had been on the hard for some time at Boat Lagoon and needed to do another visa run. Our original plan to meet in Phnom Penh went a little awry as Bill read the flight number as the departure time. Missing their flight, they chose to go strait to Siem Reap instead. They redeemed themselves by finding us a superb hotel in Siem Reap, the Somadevi, which was offering amazingly cheap rates as it was new. In fact, it was not officially opened. We were practice guests for the staff and they were still putting on the finishing touches to the inside of the hotel.

Cambodia’s 13% economic growth rate, (November 2006) was being fueled by the garment and tourist industries. The rapid changes were evident in the amount of WIFI spots springing up in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. In addition to this, in order to facilitate foreign spending at grass roots level, the ATM’s in Siem Reap spat out USDs! Siem Reap represented something of a building site as there were many hotels springing up everywhere in order to cater for the increasing Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese tourists. It was not the western tourists that had money to burn!

For a developing economy, they do some things exceptionally well. The way they move tourists around is second to none. Even with the poor road conditions, they are fast and efficient in moving people by bus or air. Similar to the Indian Ocean countries, the Japanese investment in this country has been significant. Could it be to buy carbon credits? Cambodia’s lack of industry should mean clean air, however, the pollution from its northern neighbours in the NE monsoon results in a hazy sky on most days. The amount of motor bikes is also a likely contributor.

One of the most stunning views for us was from our flight path which took us just to the east of the Mekong Delta and over the many miles of floodplain (which of course was flooded). It had been skillfully developed with a matrix of channels, padi farms, and roads with a ribbon development of villages. It appeard that village access was mainly by water, something you would expect.

In November, the Tonle Sap Lake/River is at its peak and we were fortunate to see part of the Water Festival which marks the reversing of the lake/river so that it empties via the Mekong. In Siem Reap, we watched some of the boat races before the lure of our comfortable air conditioned rooms won us over. Sam and Bill’s hotel room overlooked the river in the distance enabling us to watch the fireworks on a few consecutive nights. Lucky for us we were not in Phnom Penh as there were 24000 participants in the boat races there. We also later found out that the police had foiled a coup attempt. The city was jam packed with people, many camping out in any available space.

Our return to Phnom Penh from Siem Reap by bus just happened to coincide with all of these people trying to return home. Our bus left us about 8km outside the city – it was dark, dusty and hot. The bus had broken down earlier and we had not eaten since breakfast. We had to negotiate a tuk tuk back to our hotel, through this great mass of humanity. We were not in a bargaining position! For the grand price of USD 15, shared with two English girls, we set forth to join the throng. The two lane bridge (built by the Japanese) could be seen in the distance – the vista between us and it was no more that tail lights and car lights as far as the eye could see. We were wheel to wheel with every vehicle imaginable! Many people were walking. Even the local people were amazed, with some on the back of motor bikes filming the event on their digital cameras. Nothing like exhaust fumes to fill the lungs!

The odd traffic light can be found at major intersections, but appear to only act as a guide. From the western perspective of having a very ordered road system, these large intersections in Phnom Penh appear at first, to be nothing short of chaos as tuk tuks, motorbikes, trucks, cars and carts that weave in and out like Maypole dancing. However there is order and drivers are patient. As a pedestrian, crossing the road is simply a matter of stepping out into the traffic and walking in a determined manner on a direct path! He (or she) who hesitates is lost!! The traffic just goes in front or behind you. No dramas! Our first experience of this was our ride in from the airport on the back of a motor bike. I noticed that there were a lot of LHD vehicles and it took a while to realise that of course we were driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the road! Peter did not notice this until it was pointed out! The powers of observation! We are on top of things! Another oddity for us was the beautifully paved footpaths which were of course used as a car park for vehicles and motorbikes. The road was for traffic – vehicular and pedestrian!

Our stay in Phnom Penh was primarily to visit the Killing Fields and Tuol Seng (Genocide) Museums. The road out to the former was so badly pot holed that even in a tuk tuk; it was almost impassable at 3mph. There were large grave 'pits' where thousands of skulls had been dug up, some of which were on display. There was also an area where the mass graves had been left untouched. How do people move on from such atrocities? We have purchased two books which give an account of life under the Pol Pot Regime; 'At First they Killed my Father' and 'The Gate', both being very worthwhile reads. We purchased them from a man in Siem Reap who was selling books from a cart to pay for the education of his children. A beautiful, gentle man who understood that the education of his children was the most important thing to him in his life. Although a chilling reminder of the past, it was a feeble attempt for us to somehow digest the horrors that the people of this country have faced. Behind the Killing Fields lies Tonle Sap River; very tranquil and beautiful at its peak.

The Russian and Central Markets in Phnom Penh were worth a visit as there are many bargains to be had, including much of what is available in Thailand. Clothes are cheap which reflects their largest growing industry. We decided that a visit to the Royal Palace was a must see (every city has one!). It was very beautiful compared with its surroundings and an exquisite example of Khmer architecture, even though it was built as late as 1866. The palace still functions as the official residence of King Norodom Sihanouk. The Buddhas there are very famous and valuable, one being made from Baccarat Crystal and the other made of pure gold and studded with over 10000 diamonds. Well worth the visit.

Many of the restaurants are situated along the river front which provides an interesting vista and a place to sit and watch life wander by. There was a smallish old ship making its way very slowly up the river against something of a 5 knot current. The river was on its way out! Some of the restaurants have a ‘movie’ room where they show short films which provide an overview of Pol Pot’s Regime and the land mines.

Although we would have preferred to have traveled to Siem Reap one way by boat along the lake, the exorbitant price led us to the bus. An air-conditioned coach (Japanese), The Mekong Express, which was comfortable save for the lack of leg room! An uneventful, but interesting 6 hour trip along a road, offering a small window into village life. A road which is often flooded, as it is surrounded by water.

Arrival in Siem Reap was something to behold. In a dusty ramshackle part of town, many touts surrounded the bus each holding a placard, displaying costs of rides to different guest houses/hotels at the cheaper end of the market. One guy had eyeballed us and kept us in his sights. The police were there with a large bamboo stick hitting the legs of the touts to keep them at bay! A little overwhelming to say the least!

Our driver had reasonable English and organized for his not so enterprising brother to be our driver for the duration of our stay. The drivers all had to be registered and wear a special shirt. However, our driver appeared to have had his taken off him by the police for some misdemeanor, which we never quite understood. Sam and Bill were fortunate enough to hook up with a wonderful tuk tuk driver who spoke excellent English. He was a member of Child Safe Cambodia which was an organization supporting the freedom of children.

The Somadevi Hotel, our sanctuary, was close to town so we could wander around at our peril. Sam and Bill had stumbled across another haven in an otherwise dusty world called the Blue Pumpkin; an air-conditioned WIFI café with an all white décor. We would get lost in a white out! The long couches with a short table in between couples became the favoured position. We would all sit in a line with our PDA’s looking very busy, with the exception of Peter, who took to reading. Sam and Bill visited the Boom Boom Room to top up their iPods. These music rooms are also in Phnom Penh and offer any album for USD 1.50.

The plethora of restaurants was a welcomed variation from our rather bland choices in Langkawi. Luckily for Peter, a legacy of French occupation meant an abundance of donuts and pastries that needed to be devoured at any opportunity! We never did find an excellent Indian meal, however, the Mexican food was enjoyable and Peter finally got to experience a ‘Chummy Changa’. Sam asked for some of the ‘hot’ salsa, with the waitress returning with the salsa – temperature hot! Difficulties in communication just reinforce to the Cambodians, the oddity of these western people. One thing we did enjoy was the amazing cleanliness of public toilets wherever we went. Cruising changes the things we value the most!

The majestic Angkor Wat was awesome. Encircled by an expansive moat, (all moats were said to be guarded by large crocodiles) one could just sit and wonder of its building (which purportedly took 30 years). There were many carvings of Apsara Dancers and other carvings leading to an illusion of life in early Cambodia (which was part of the kingdom of Siam at one stage). The central pyramid could only be accessed via very steep steps that were too narrow to put even half your foot on. These steps are high and close together. Whilst Bill raced up with Sam and Peter close behind, half way up I chickened out and gingerly made my way back down, which provided brief entertainment for some of the locals. It later became apparent why these men stand at the bottom of the steps. A very large, overweight European woman in a short skirt was climbing, slowly, up the steps with the assistance of a local guide who was quietly encouraging her. It looked as though she had a G-String on. Not a good look! On top of the pyramid, Peter came across one woman who was hysterical, having an anxiety attack, as at some stage she had to climb down. One of the other sides of the Pyramid had a hand rail which would have made the accent and descent easier.

The Base Reliefs were in fact, incredible. Each one told a story. The carvings were still very clear albeit missing the original colours. We found it more effective if we had a vague idea of what we were looking at, then going back and reading more about it. An early morning visit would have been worthwhile and something which Sam and I thought about. A sunset view would have been a waste of time, as late one evening, a great mass of humanity descended upon Angkor as we were leaving. We were sitting on the moat wall waiting for Bill, who was not difficult to spot amongst a sea of Asian tourists!

We purchased a 3 day temple ticket for the grand price of USD 40. Although we were ‘templed’ out by the end, it was well worth it. Wandering through the expansive grounds of Angkor Thom (some 10 sq km in extent), The Bayon, and The Baphuon and along the Elephant Walk was peaceful, with the majesty and tranquility of it all somewhat overwhelming. Purportedly to have had over a million inhabitants within its city walls, (larger than any European city at the time) we could not even begin to imagine what life would have been like. The Bayon was indeed extraordinary as it had 172 gargantuan faces (and no, we did not count them all!) of either Jayavarman or Buddha. The additional journey out to Banteay Srei (Citadel of Women) was worth the effort, even if for the journey through the jungle/villages on its own. It was on this journey that Bill and Sam made a brief stop for the first t-shirt purchase. Bill took the plunge, inadvertently paying 2.50. He had been negotiating a price, having money in his hand. As their tuk tuk was on its way, the enterprising child had promptly exchanged money for the t-shirt without Bill realizing what was happening! This opened the floodgates for a buying spree! The t-shirts are made of light material and good to wear in the tropics. We are now sporting t-shirts from the land mine museum, Le Papier Tiger Restaurant as well as the usual tourist’s shirts displaying various temples.

Whilst most of the temples faced east, Angkor was the only west facing temple built. The great ocean navigators were lost on land without a compass nearby and on one occasion, when asked where east was, hands went in every direction! Our delicate minds were in information overload as we were also trying to digest not only the history of the temples we were looking at, but the history of the county – who had done what to whom.

We were fortunate enough to miss crowds of people on the majority of our visits, actually being able to take photos without them being adorned by tourists. On one occasion though, having to wait for some time for people clear our photo opportunity, Peter and Bill finally joined in with a tour group (at the group's invitation) so we could take their photo! The group leader now has a photo of his group with two tall white boys!



Peter’s favourite temple was Preah Khan with its intricate carvings. In the centre stood a stupa – the same which adorns the sides of Borobodour Temple in Jakarta. Like Ta Prohm, it too had large roots of the towering kapok trees invading its stones. Some of the temples have been left untouched, being slowly devoured by the jungle – an arboreous ruination. Others like Angkor have been restored, largely by the French. We had heard that at one stage the Indian Government had offered their expertise in assisting to clean the age old dirt and grime from Ankor Wat. Unfortunately the solution they used (a type of acid?) has lead to the very extensive black markings that can now be cleaned. We guessed that no-one though of trialling an area first.





These awesome temples were a result of Khmer Kings between the 9th and 13th centuries that needed to utilize their vast wealth! Ironic that these temples are now the marvel of the western world, whose inhabitants come to part with their wealth, by looking at the same.

Enduring the very rough road to the landmine museum in Siem Reap was indeedworth the visit. Not on the popular tourist route, (which is soon to be rectified) the museum has a collection of landmines and bombs, one of which has in big red letters ‘USA’ plastered down its side, as a not so gentle reminder of the past. A Cambodian man, who is a land mine diffuser by profession, has established an orphanage for landmine victims, as well as an organized charity which locates and diffuses mines. Peter and Bill spoke to a boy who lost his arm and we were privileged to have been able to read the many stories of children who had lost limbs and were forced from their families, due to an inability for such children to be cared for. Life at the orphanage has provided an opportunity for these children to gain an education and hence a future. We were amazed at the tenacity and resilience of these children and naïve about the extent of landmines in the world today and countries that still make and supply them. There are so many ‘causes’ in the world to take up, but this would have to be one of the most important.

Along with t-shits, the children sold copy books for a few dollars; travel guides in addition to an excellent choice of autobiographical accounts, providing an insight into the history of Cambodia and its people. We now know where all the trees have disappeared to! This is another significant ‘industry’ for the people. In the purchasing of these books and satisfying ourselves of obtaining a good bargain, we have not only contributed to the incomes of associated families, but also to the destruction of an environment! So much for sustainable development! Wood is still the major fuel for the villages which is indicative of their general living standards.

Taking a break from the temple tours, we decided on a short (expensive!) tour of Tonle Sap Lake. There are communities of floating villages that must move when the lake empties. There was a floating school, basketball court, engine workshop and many houses with the most amazing electronics inside! Children paddle around in these small circular tubs, which bring to mind the nursery rhyme, ‘Rub a Dub Dub, 3 Men in a Tub’.

The numerous times we were surrounded by children, it took a while for us to realise that the children were more interested in ‘scaring’ the tourists than getting the ‘dollar’ they were asking for. Peter tried (to no avail) to get the children to change their pronunciation of ‘dollar’ (funny that Sam and Bill,, being American thought their pronunciation was accurate!), which left the children utterly confused. When our bus broke down on the way back to Siem Reap, the young children of a small village were quick to play with Peter, who gave them ‘whizzies’ and the like. The children loved our attention and wanted us to pick them up and hold them. The only girl there wanted lots of hugs from me. Happy to oblige, I found it sad that she did not know how to be hugged, staying stiff as a board in my arms. Their laughter was infectious and the giving of our time a valuable asset.

So there ends a most enjoyable, if not confronting, but very worthwhile journey, not only for the brief discovery of another country and culture, but also the sharing of it with wonderful friends. Our face muscles, exercised from much laughter, were all the better for the experience.

Seychelles to Phuket, via the Maldives - on passage. August 2006

Which is more important. The journey or the destination? A buddhist would say the journey.

In our saloon we have a sticker which says 'Are you having fun yet?' Sometimes we actually have to read it!!

There are three traits which characterize the Indian Ocean in the SW monsoon. Cross swells, squalls and electrical storms. We were happy to experience all but the latter.

Another of Peter’s analogies: ‘An offshore passage is like cosmetic dentistry – you know you want the big smile but is it worth the pain?’ Like yacht racing, the pain is very short lived, but the beauty of the ocean remains in your mind forever. I am happy to report that Peter is enjoying passages more as he experiences them! (I am not sure he would agree with this in fear of being dragged into more!!!)


Of course, such a reflection of an ocean passage has a dampening effect of reality. The 36 hours of almost continuous squalls (albeit not very strong) between Seychelles and Male are soon forgotten. It is not a problem of being wet for all of that time, (after all hot and wet is not that bad) but rather the demanding sailing of such rapid changes in wind strength. We must admit that we did take the easy way out at times and just motor sailed with the headsail. After the last 2700 miles, we are now more experienced in guessing the strength of the squalls by their colour and looking at the density of the green blobs on the radar! As Teddy would say; ‘there’s another black bastard coming at you’!

We cleaned the bottom of the boat and the prop 3 days before we left Mahe. One of those three days included a 25nm sail to Petit Cour on Praslin Island where we stopped to have a final rest and watch the World Cup finals. During this short time, the growth on the hull and prop was so significant, that we were losing ½ knot of speed when motoring. So in the middle of the Indian Ocean in 4000m of water, we hove to for Peter to go over the side and clean the prop. The colour of the water was magnificent and characteristically, Indian Ocean Blue!

Statistically the SE trades blow harder around the Seychelles. This certainly held true this season as we sailed fast up to within 10 miles of the equator before we carelessly lost the wind! We crossed the equator around 64 degrees E, then headed on a more easterly course, having to motor 80 hours between Seychelles and Male, trying to get north from the equator. The pain was exacerbated by the current (up to 1 knot at times) we had against us. VPP2 (computer program which has all the information from the pilot charts and will estimate a course for you maximizing wind and minimizing current) was excellent in plotting us a course to Male.

We stayed around 3 degrees 30 min N for most of the time as further north, although there was more wind, the squalls were stronger. We have had a debate with other yachties as to which is preferable – motoring or 40 knot continuous squalls. Hmm, tough decision! We waited for 10 days in Male for wind, which was well worth it. We were a little longer in reality as we were hiding in an atoll for 4 days before we checked in!

Between Male and Phuket, we sailed all the way until we got to the Nicobar Islands which is the entrance to the Malaccan Straits. 85% of the time we had winds from 12 – 20 knots off our starboard quarter. Perfect sailing conditions which allowed us to sail 160 to 170 miles per day for the first half of the passage. There was only 2 days of 30 knots of breeze! It apears that this is considered a very strong breeze in SE Asia! I guess the Kiwis, other Southern Ocean dwellers and the Fremantle sailors are the only ones that would consider this an 'average' wind???? If we didn't go sailing in Fremantle in 30knots, we would seldom get out of the pen!! Apart from the short lived squalls, that is the strongest breeze we have had since leaving Fremantle!!

We maintained a latitude of 4 degrees 30 min N, a little over 100 miles south of Sri Lanka, only making our way north on a gentle NE course after passing the SE corner of Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka have an enormous impact on the weather conditions for hundreds of miles. The grib files we downloaded via sailmail were accurate for a 24 hour period and as most of the trough lines (and squalls) were north of 5N, we planned our course successfully to miss most of these.

The shipping lane between Aceh and the Nicobars is close to one hundred miles wide. A few ships head SW, but the majority are heading west towards India. There are no defined lanes and at times we had ships heading at us from both directions. We crossed the first shipping lane easily, and managed very well with the major one. Of course, we had squalls to deal with when the density of the ships increased, so although we had the ships on radar coming at us, we could not see them until they were less than ½ mile away!

Our adrenal glands worked overtime. We did cheat a bit though as for most of the time we were 1 mile behind Bill on Time Out who has a computer program which reads ship information via the VHF (AIS) which gives us their course, distance and speed. Two ships actually changed course for us! Unfortunately Time Out was heading east to Langkawi and we were off on a more northerly course to Phuket. We missed having that information on the last day when it got really busy!! We had a few tense moments in squalls with visibility reduced to under 2 miles. We had one slab sided car carrier coming at us at 25 knots. We had it on radar but only saw her steaming out of the gloom, 1 mile away. Around midnight, just when we though it was safe, we gybed to take a ship down our starboard side. It kept coming back onto our bow. We finally worked out it was turning, which was odd as we were very close to the Nicobar islands. When we could see its lights we kept heading for its stern light. It ended up being a massive tanker and we passed it less than 1 mile on our port side.

We had debated the merits of crossing in The Great Channel or Sombrero Channel further north. The yachts that went further north at the same time took a bit of a hammering with quite bad weather/swell and had trouble with fishing boats. We did not encounter either.

From the Nicobars, we motored the last 220 miles to Phuket in mostly clear skies and definitely no squalls!

During both passages, most of the time we enjoyed magnificent sailing conditions with starry nights and clear days. We established a routine of midday movies, just going on deck every 20 minutes for a quick scan. There was the odd day that the only ‘movie’ screen we watched was the green blobs coming at us on the radar screen! We only saw one vessel on passage (well, unbeknown to us, we had gone past a tuna fishing boat 2 miles off our beam which took Bill by surprise when it popped up in front of him) until we got to the shipping lanes at the entrance to the Malaccan Straits.

Both passages took 10 days, even though Male to Phuket was 400 miles further. We had heard of the possibility of difficult sea conditions in the locations where there are rapid changes in elevation of the sea bed. It is difficult to comprehend how the surface of the ocean can be affected by what happens 1000m to 4000m below! Of course, all that was said was true! We had seas rising from 1/2m to 2m-3m where the sea floor jumped from 4000m to 1000m and several tidal overfalls and whirlpools between Nicobar and Phuket. An amazingly calm sea suddenly erupting into breaking waves that sounded worse than what they actually were. It makes you jump when you are otherwise having a very quiet night watch!


Other yachts that left Seychelles a month later than us have experienced reasonably rough weather. In other years, yachts returning to Phuket have got an absolute hammering. Apparently when the monsoons are weak, the ITCZ is not very active, which translates into a decrease in intensity and frequency of squalls and electrical storms. The NE monsoon last season was very weak – the high pressure systems over China were not strong. Sometimes it pays to be lucky!


A cruising friend had organized us a pen at Boat Lagoon Marina, which is a bit of a cesspool to tie up in, but an excellent location for getting work done. Luckily for us we had turned off the shallow depth alarm in the Seychelles (took Gorbar and us a while to work it out!) as we came up the channel to Boat Lagoon with a 1.9m tide which was not enough water for us! We went aground (for the first time EVER!) and anchored (we could see the fluke!) in less than a meter of water – in case we drifted (?) onto the pylon nearby. After entertaining the tourist boats, whose speed and wake bounced us into deeper water (where we had 0.2m under our keel) we were soon on our way with the sounder showing 00 (which meant we had about 400mm underneath us) for most of the two miles into the marina. It was a relief to be tied up, not having to think of dragging or keeping a look out for ships! Some red wine and a deep comatose sleep. Bliss!

Maldives Update August 2006

Maldives Update. August 2006

Even though an anchorage fee for cruising outside of Male Atoll (approx $350 USD per island) has been re-introduced by the Ministry of Tourism, following problems with finding a huge drug haul earlier this year, cruising the Maldives is still possible. The anchorage fee ONLY APPLIES TO YACHTS CHECKING INTO MALE.

So to avoid this, you can check in at either Gan in the south or Uligamu or Kulhudhuffushi in the North, ask for a cruising permit for the atolls and just give Male a miss.

Abdullah, the Amsco Agent has given us the following information as an alternative to Male if you wish to cruise any of the atolls. Further information can be obtained from him. Abdullah is an educated, discreet man. It would be prudent to email him to find out about the current circumstances.

Email: amsco@dhivehinet.net.mv

We were told that Kulhudhuffushi is a new harbour in the north that is protected with a new breakwater and yachts can come alongside the pier for water and fuel. It is also possible to check in here and obtain a cruising permit for some of the atolls north. Locals or safari boat captains are a source of good information re anchorages.

Kulhudhuffushi: is approximately 06.35N 073 02E.

On our return to Male in August 2006, we opted to wait outside the Commercial Harbour to check in. All our paper work had been completed by AMSCO and apart from waiting for two hours, check in was relatively painless, although the added expense of 50 USD for the hire of the boat the officials came out in was not welcomed.

We had little wind, which made looking out for traffic easy. Even in a strong wind, it is protected water.

Entry Fee to Paradise

Day 9 of an 11 day Indian Ocean passage. Peter’s reflection.

It is blowing 40 knots, rain feels horizontal, visibility is about 200 metres and we are in one of the busiest shipping channels in THE WORLD; Malaccan Straits between Ache and Nicobar Islands. Cheryl is telling me the radar is showing another ship coming at us; 12 miles off our bow, approximate speed 25 knots. Fast evasive action needed; at this speed, in this visibility, if we can see him it is too late. He passes less than a mile to starboard. He is a massive, slab sided container ship.

This leads one to muse about the entry fee to paradise. Since our departure this year, we have sailed 6450 miles visiting the Andaman Islands, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Chagos, Seychelles and are now headed back to Thailand. These places have all been an amazing experience, from swimming with the elephant in Havelock #7 beach, Andaman; the beauty of Sri Lanka; the isolated anchorages and luxury resorts of the Maldives; the archetypal deserted islands of Chagos and to the fun and smiles of the Seychelles. We search for superlatives to describe the treasures we have experienced.

Meanwhile another 17 ships have passed in the gloom and another has passed us close by.

Stolen Kiss has performed admirably and we have paid the entrance fee to paradise. Was it worth it? You bet, but maybe we should get a discount.

Sensual, Sensational Seychelles Experience.

Just a slight deviation from course.
We arrived in Chagos with every intention of heading back to Phuket at the appointed time, but departed heading west to Seychelles. I had to be happy with that!! That’s cruising, where plans are made in the sand at low tide. Our plan was to leave in company with Time Out (as usual) on June 1st and of course we did! We had good winds, SE 10 – 15 knots. The last two days before departure also saw good winds, so with the benefit of hindsight, it could be said that we missed the weather window by two days having to motor, against current, the last 180 miles into Mahe. It could also be said that our timing, as always, was perfect.


The passage to Seychelles took us 7 days 18 hours, a total of 1017 miles, arriving in the outer harbour at 0230 hours. We had excellent following winds, the usual Indian Ocean cross swells, many squalls that were more wet than windy, (although maximum gust was 37 knots sustained for an hour or so) and saw more marine life/birds in an ocean than we had ever seen. The ocean was boiling with fish, with many pods of dolphins (more than 60 in a pod) coming to visit Stolen Kiss and wish her a safe journey. Time Out pulled away after day 3 and sat 30 miles ahead without a drop of rain!!

Other yachts that followed had a less successful sail in terms of less wind or too much wind and more squalls. So it just goes to show, yet again, it is better to be born more lucky than rich! Although we kept the wind on our port quarter for most of the passage, eventually we had to make our way north which meant we had to be square running unless we wanted to increase the miles with gybe angles! Our downwind preferred sail configuration in winds over 10 - 15 knots apparent, is to drop the mainsail and go wing wing with two headsails. This gives us the option of using the end of the boom as another ‘pole’ if need be. It slows us down to about 6 knots but effectively, if a severe squall hits us, we can then furl the larger headsail and just run with the smaller one.


Our Cetrek autopilot had an intermittent compass error fault and has a habit, on occasion to turn itself off. Having no main removes any possibility of an involuntary gybe in the middle of the night! Both Stolen Kiss (and us) are quite comfortable and relaxed in this mode.

After completing (he says enduring) one of his early morning watches, Peter had two pearls of wisdom he wanted to share. Firstly was ‘One day you are the rooster and the next you are the feather duster, but that is yacht racing’ (as we thought we could keep Time Out “in the bag” the whole way across) and the second was ‘An ocean passage is like politics. A week is a bloody long time!’ I am pleased to report that some 2000 miles later, Peter is almost enjoying the passage making! So with a deviation from course by approximately 2100 miles, the question is ‘was it worth it?’ Absolutely!


The Seychelles consist of both granite islands and coral atolls strewn across the Indian Ocean, with a varied history from Arab traders in the 7th Century to the Portuguese, Spanish, French and of course British influence/occupancy. Stories of piracy, hideouts and treasure abound. Socially, Seychelles today is a funky place with a French/Creole flavour. The people are a mix of East African, Arabs, Indians, West Indians and Chinese. Rastafarians are numerous and as you walk around you hear music, often loud, with a Bob Marley influence. The people are happy, always smiling and friendly. There is no racial tension and an overall simple acceptance of people, regardless of colour, race or religion. The much laid back culture was relaxing and enjoyable. What an absolute privilege to experience such a culture.


The Seychelles have got it right with regards to tourism as many resorts are unobtrusive, being engulfed by their immediate surroundings. The lack of high rise hotels has maintained the feeling of isolation and a sense of the unique natural environment. The dense, varied rainforest which covers the main islands are in stark contrast with casuarinas that cover the extensive land reclamation areas.


Mahe itself is very dramatic with a huge mountain chain separating the east and west coasts. Of course, from a yachtie’s point of view, this ensures you being pummeled by wind bullets at anchor! There were two surprises for us – the cool temperature of the water and the air, and the amount of rain! After all, it was the SE monsoon and the dry season. The wind we expected, as it blows 15 – 25 knots consistently in this area, but we were told the rain was unseasonable! At least it was not cold! Warm and wet is far more acceptable than cold and wet.

Our first anchorage was in Victoria Harbour, the inner harbour, which was shared with many yachts, mostly whom we had met in Chagos. It was a tight fit with stories of poor holding and boats dragging. However, for Time Out and Stolen Kiss it was anchor down with a good hold first time! We sat and watched yachts having to anchor and re-anchor.


The yacht club in the harbour offered a good meeting place for yachties and a safe tie up for our dinghies. We had dreamt about our first meal ashore as it had been almost 3 months since we had had any fresh food! Peter and Bill had large (enormous) pots of beer and we all indulged in salads and french fries and later, ice cream. Having such full tummies, it was no more than a short stagger back aboard and a good sleep.
We had just over a week to enjoy as much as Mahe as we could before our respective guests arrived; Di and Gordon coming to visit us for 10 days and Elena, to join Bill.


We spent the time exploring the eclectic mix of shops. Some were modern, but most were small ‘sheds’ that sold an odd array of goods. We found some great Australian Wine in a shop that sold baby apparel! The supermarkets were stocked one day and empty the next! During the first week, there was much excitement as a new two story supermarket was to open with many new goods – a western supermarket. The crowds were amazing as people queued for hours on end. We waited for a week before we even tried to go in. We were not disappointed!

In Chagos we had coffee with ‘Ad Astra’ who had just arrived from Seychelles. They provided us with a wealth of information, as only yachties can. One vital piece of advice was the Indian haberdashery with mattresses outside in Benezet Lane that was the black market money changer where we able to get double the exchange rate! One has to be very discreet doing this as it is very illegal. You had to first ask quietly to see the manager, and then after he got to know you, it was a simple twitch of the eyebrow and slipping of the USD into his palm, without anyone else watching. In mid exchange one day an armed man in uniform appeared which gave both the gentleman and I a bit of a surprise. We were quick to mask the transaction. Bill and Peter very bravely stood guard outside the shop – or was it that they got lost in the bakery?


The days passed quickly whilst we were waiting for our guests. There was the World Cup Soccer in the evenings (we watched the finals in the pool bar of a resort with locals, which added to the entertainment), checking out the local yachting facilities like Charlie's haulout/boat yard and the exploration of Mahe by bus and a hire car.


The narrow winding roads up, down and around mountains added to the adrenaline rush one got from experiencing the competence of the bus drivers as they hurled the bus around the corners. Were we ‘holding on?’ Of course! We were almost up the proverbial one day as we had a near miss with the septic waste truck on a corner, going down a hill. We scraped by with literally 2cm to spare! Thank goodness it was them and not us on the verge of the cliff! So we felt quite at home on the bus, having similar experiences in Malaysia and Sri Lanka and felt that there was no competition from theme park rides!

After a few days of observing so many women and children, we began to ask the locals about the appearance of a gender imbalance. As it turns out, the men, over the history of the islands, could leave on fishing boats and the like, but the women could not. A gender imbalance has, over time, resulted in the Seychelleoise having a more liberated sexual lifestyle. Most children are illegitimate and it is very much part of being a woman to have children at a young age. There is no social stigma attached to single mothers and a positive social welfare system helps to support the families, even though it is contributing to the bankruptcy of the fragile economy. We are not sure of paternal rights and what happens with regards to this.

For us, this was a source of amusement as Peter was quickly singled out by women for his good genes! One woman had Peter bailed up against the wall! I missed this but according to Bill, she took Peter by surprise and he did not know what to do! Bill stepped in and told her Peter was a deaf mute and he would do any translating!!! A Rastafarian who hung out at one of the resorts must have had some luck in picking up western woman as he tried to chat me up and offered me a good time. His name was Antoine! Peter and Bill looked at me in surprise that I had asked his name! Having had no offers in 10 days, Bill felt a little left out. We told him not to worry and that if he stuck with us, we would find him a woman! We were true to our word as Elena arrived that night!

As soon as Di and Gordon hit the tarmac, we had them running! There was a day tour of Mahe before setting off across the seas for La Digue, some 25 miles away. Of course that was not our intended first anchorage, but with 25 knots of breeze and a two meter swell running, we thought that we may find a quieter anchorage on the horizon! The course put us on a beam reach and we felt more like a submarine, having the most water over our decks than we have had since leaving Fremantle!


The upside was the energy we saved with Di once again ‘araldited’ to the helm! As the world changes when you only draw 1.2m, Stolen Kiss was able to moor (Mediterranean style) in the small harbour of La Digue. It was well protected and quiet, (and the only option compared to the very rolly anchorage outside the harbour) even though we had several charter yachts come in and miraculously squeeze into the diminishing space. La Digue has only recently been allowed to have a small number of service vehicles operating on the island.

Although we could have opted for the ox and cart mode, our choice of transport around this beautiful, serene island was by bicycle and by the end of the day we had legs like jelly after cycling on almost every track, up and down the hills! We found the picture postcard sights and a small isolated house built into granite boulders over looking the ocean! Getting the materials to the site (especially all the makings of the cement) must have been an enormous task. We had Gorbar to enlighten us on the geological aspects of what we were seeing. Remnants of old coral reefs, now well above the waterline, edged around the gargantuan granite boulders.


On our return to Stolen Kiss, several yachts had come into the very small space between us and the harbour wall. Whilst we were having our afternoon tipple of Gin and tonic, the charter fleet kept on coming! We were amazed at their adeptness of anchoring and reversing into our ever diminishing space. We were not overly concerned as each catamaran had a local skipper who drove the yachts so expertly. They had done this before!

Di and Gordon had woken up the next morning to go and get a photograph of the horse and cart transport that is still used on the island. Sadly, such efforts were wasted as Di’s camera was stolen after it being left behind at the bus stop. Strangely to us, a lady on the bus saw us get on, leaving a small bag behind!!!! She failed to alert us to this at the time!

Our next anchorage was on Praslin Island, the second largest island in the Seychelles. Given the swell and SE winds, we found a small bay on the north east, Anse Petit Cour. Although this was a marine park, we were only charged 5USD for one night, when we were there for several over our entire visit. As the cost of a mooring (charter yachts use this anchorage) was the same as anchoring, we decided to give the anchor a rest! Our beach landings were calm (a treasured feature of the anchorages we experienced!) and as the resort allowed us to use their facilities, Di and I thought it would be a suitable Pina Colada venue! Well, the idea was there and the purse willing, but sadly the pool bar was out of pineapple juice! We settled for Bailey’s on ice!


Our main aim was to visit Valley De Mai and nearby Curieuse Island where the giant tortoises stroll around. The tortoises here have been brought from Aldabra, (approx 600 miles south west of Mahe), their natural habitat in this part of the world. The main tourist attractions did not disappoint us. Valley De Mai, (our visit kindly sponsored by BeBe) home of the famous coconut, not just any coconut, but the largest coconut in the world and one that is said to represent the female buttocks! What is more fascinating is the very large phallic male seed. (Eat your heart out boys!) We strolled through the dense forest for a few hours marveling at such wonders! Our official photographer, Gorbar, was very meticulous in recording our time here. He undoubtedly had the best photos!

Apparently the ‘most beautiful beach in ‘THE WORLD’ was Lazio, just around the corner. Of course a discussion of what constitutes such a beach entertained us for a short while. Lazio was indeed picturesque, with over hanging palm trees, a white sandy beach and granite boulders. It was also a little rolly with a 1m surf break on the beach! Well, we thought we would see how the landing would be and decided that a small sand patch in the middle of the granite headland might offer a good spot to land and have a track to the beach. Hmm! Leaving Gorbar in charge of the good ship Stolen Kiss, Peter, Di and I went for a reckie. Peter jumped out of the dinghy at the appropriate time, but before Di and I managed a leg over the side, a swell rose behind us and we surfed, in the dinghy, up the beach! Well, we were still up the right way!

Not having had enough fun, we then thought that the beach might be ‘do able’! We had notes on possible landing spots (the beach conditions were the norm here), so Captain Peter chose one and we sat behind the breakers waiting for an appropriate moment. We managed to get the beach but had to drag the dinghy up someone’s path to their house as it was high tide! Needless to say we managed to find a break in the swell and made a successful rapid exit off the beach. As we are cruising for the long haul, Peter and I decided that we would like to keep our outboard for a little longer rather than run the risk of it ending up in the surf. So next day it was up anchor and over to the west coast of Mahe.


Celebration! We caught a small bonito which turned into a Thai red curry! Bay Ternay was our overnight stop, which although was reasonably flat (as in not rolling), had us skating from side to side due to the bullets coming through the gap in the mountains. The landscape was stunning as we were surrounded by huge granite cliffs, almost vertical.


Anse a La Mouche, a smallish bay further to the south offered us good shelter from the SE winds and as the south of Mahe is less mountainous, both the wind gusts and rainfall were significantly less. As Time Out had been there for a few days, we had a little inside information! So as we could access Victoria by bus (even though it took us a few long walks to get the right one), the beach was flat and calm (offering a long walk at low tide!), there was a good restaurant (where we could get water for laundry) and mini marts to boot, this became our ‘hang out’ for over a week.


We had many beautiful walks from there and explored art galleries, beaches and restaurants. Di and Gordon got to see a different side of tourism! As we waited for a bus one day in the rain, Peter was crouched under his blue black poncho, looking something like a giant tortoise might fancy! It is also here that we took Di and Gordon ashore at 0400 hours to catch a cab to the airport. Unbeknown to us, they waited for an hour for their taxi! Being the nice people that we are, we went back to bed!


June was certainly the month for holidays in Seychelles. Peter and I made an effort to go into Victoria for Independence Day celebrations. We were sardines on the bus, but the spectacle more than compensated for this. Just to add to the excitement, it was raining! For a small nation, the resulting floats on display were amazing. There were over 70 floats, each representing some aspect of Seychelles Culture. They were colourful, imaginative and diverse, which I guess reflects the population. The streets were crammed with joyous and proud people.

Time was moving on and we decided that we could go back to Beau Vallon (NW bay) where it is a short bus ride into town. From here we could do our final provisioning, clean the bottom of the boat and check out. We anchored in the south corner of the bay – being close to the Meridian Resort we found a Wi Fi signal and had free (slow) internet. A reef in front of us made the beach landing easier and a bus stop nearby offered us a closer walk with all our provisions.



One of the yachts we met in Chagos came around to visit for a while. They had not ventured outside of Victoria Harbour, having been there for a month. They had a lucky escape when they were caught unawares at the beach when a wave overturned their dinghy. An upturned dinghy with a 15 hp engine still running and dealing with the surf is not a situation you want to be in! Alls well that ends! Jerry spent a few hours driving around the bay to dry the out the outboard. He briefly visited us to tell us of the tale; hanging onto the side of the boat, not wanting to stop the engine. Wanting to assist with his recovery, we plied him with strait rum before he went on his way. Poor Jer could still be seen at sunset, tooling around the bay!

One of the resorts in Beau Vallon has a resident astronomer and a huge telescope! Time Out organized a great night where we had a technical talk about the heavens (the man was very interesting but a little boring) then a look at some stars before the heavens clouded over! We managed to see the moon through the telescope – all the craters were very visible. It was a truly remarkable sight and a worthwhile adventure.

As one thing leads to another, the astronomer gave us the number of the duty forecaster at the airport with whom we made contact. He was very helpful in providing accurate information regarding the location of active cells and wind between Seychelles and Maldives.

After the formalities were completed, Time out and Stolen Kiss sailed over to Anse Petit Cour for our last few days. We met up with Zorana and Mr Curly, whom we met at Chagos. It just so happened that the World Cup Soccer Finals were on and the resort that occupies our small bay was televising the game (France V Italia) with alcohol at local prices! What a bargain! Peter, Bill and I enjoyed the game with the locals. Viva Italia! We finally caught the bus to the restaurant at Lazio that had been recommended. After waiting for a bus for an hour in the rain, few surprises were in stall for us. We caught the bus to Zimbabwe (so we made it to Africa after all!) which did not go all the way into Lazio! We sat on the edge of a drain waiting for Elena and Bill; Peter talking to Sam on the phone whilst making observations of the building going on behind us. With Bill and Elena, we very bravely puffed and panted (some more than others) up and over the hill! Nice view! We opted for taxi back! As for lunch – it was ok.

I have serious issues about going backwards, but as the wise (old??) men say: (apologies to Peter and Bill!) think of it as a new adventure! We now turn and have the setting sun on our backs as we return to Phuket; a 2700 mile sail!