Chatty log | Temporary repairs

Temporary repairs in Malé

23 July

Caro: I only had 2 beers last night, but my head feels as though I drank 2 bottles of wine. I guess I'm rundown with tiredness and stress. Chilly, the mechanic who helped fix the engine last time, cannot believe we're back in Gan. He comes to see Jocara and keeps asking where the mast is. He's really concerned. Not much he can do to help, but he gives John a hand organising a local SIM card and arranging fuel for tomorrow morning. Casper and I get some fresh food at the little supermarket to last us until we get to Malé.

24 July

Caro: We have special permission from the Coastguard to tie up alongside the wall for refueling. The fuel truck can get close enough that the fuel hose can reach our filling hole in the deck. We fill the tank as much as we can and all the jerries on deck, in all 1461 liters of diesel. That should be about enough to motor all the way to Langkawi. But what if the engine quits? We've got to have a backup. That's why we need some sort of a mast so we have the option of sailing. After refueling it doesn't take long to clear out, we just need a inter atoll permit, and be on our way. We take a short break at the northern pass to go for a snorkel and give the kids a little time to go fishing. The kids really need some fun time. It's not been easy and they've been very patient and helpful.The reef is quite damaged, a lot of rubble. Still, there are many fish and I spot a moray eel out in the open. A few hours later we're on our way north to Malé.

25 July

Caro: The engine is behaving very well. We have the sail up too, but there isn't really enough wind to get more speed. It helps steady the boat. The weather is still calm and hot. A day of steady noisy mile after mile, cooking and reading. One thing we've noticed is that boobies like to find a perch on Jocara to spend the night. They prefer the top of the mast, but the solar panel will do too. Late afternoon the first booby starts circling the boat and lands on the bow railing. Soon after a second bird lands next to the first one. Star has smelled them and is soon on deck stalking slowly forward. She's fascinated and approaches to right under them. Clearly these birds are too big for her to catch, but I guess it's the sport of the stalk. Just before dark we catch 3 little tunas simultaneously. It's nice to have sushi again. Life is looking up a bit. It is still hard to believe we've lost our mast, but at least I now feel there's a bit of progress.

26 July

Caro: We are passing quite a few atolls on our way north and stop for a few hours at Mulaku atoll to give ourselves a break. Early in the morning we enter the pass and head in a few miles to find a supposedly good dive spot in a tiny marine reserve. The waters inside the lagoon are deep and scattered with easy to see reefs. We find the small reef we were looking for and have to anchor very close downwind of it because it's very steep to. It's so lovely quiet to have the engine off for a while. We don our snorkeling gear and swim over to the reef. We're rather disappointed because there's not a lot of coral and the viz is not good. It's nice to be in the water though and seeing some fish. I manage to get quite a nice shot of a pink anemone with clown fish. But soon we're on our way again. We have a good current with us and are still doing over 5 knots with very low revs. We actually have to slow down a bit otherwise we'll arrive in Malé in the dark!

27 July

Caro: We slowly motor through the night. I'm up for quite a few hours because there are ships and atolls within radar range. Then as it starts getting light John takes over and takes us into South Male atoll for one last quick snorkel in the pass before heading into Male and starting our mad rush to get a temporary mast as quickly as we can. We can already see, 5 miles to the north, a crowd of buildings rising like mushrooms from the sea. That must be Male island. The pass is very disappointing with hardly any coral and not even many fish. Motoring the last few miles to Male we see more and more boats zipping back and forth. We motor passed the airport island to the anchorage and watch one sea plane after the other. This is clearly a busy place. The anchorage is not very picturesque but has plenty of room and we drop the anchor not far from the ferry terminal. It's only early afternoon and still time to try get something done today. We want to go visit the yard where Rick on Sir George is on the hard, to see if they can make a mast for us. Casper stays on board, but Alex comes with us. Getting there means first getting a dhoni (ferry) to Malé island, then across town to another ferry terminal to catch the dhoni to Thilafushi island. Unbelievable how many boats there are; dhonis, fishing boats, freight boats, they're everywhere. Thilafushi is an island they're still reclaiming, they're building it out of rubbish. The yard is new and busy. Rick introduces us to Mr. Shareef, the manager and it seems they'll be able to build a mast for us. Rasheed thinks it will be faster and better to build it out of wood. That's fine with us. We return to Malé on the company boat with the employees at the end of the work day. Alex asks the driver how fast we're going: 35 knots! So fast, it's like flying! Back in Malé we catch a taxi to the other side of the island and pick up some take-away to take back to the boat. It's late already and Casper is eagerly awaiting us, he's hungry.

28 July

Caro: The West Marine package is ready for collection at the airport. That's only 2 miles from our anchorage so John zooms up there with the dinghy and boat papers and returns with a big box. Apart from all the parts we need it also contains a present for the kids: 2 sail knives because John and I feel they really deserve them as crew. They have learned a lot about cruising and did very well after the dismasting. They're really impressed with their knives and start using them right away. John got back just in time. The sky has been darkening the last few hours and working up to a tremendous squall. It suddenly starts gusting more than 30 knots and soon it's pouring. We quickly let out all the anchor chain and hope the anchor will hold. It does. The sea becomes really choppy and Jocara is rolling badly. Stuff inside is falling all over the place and we can hardly move around. It's so miserable there's nothing to do but lying down and waiting for it to get better. This is not just a squall, it goes on for hours. Fortunately, in the early evening the wind slackens and the sea calms down enough so that we can manage to sleep.

29 July

Caro: Today is Friday so it's weekend here. No point in moving the boat to Thilafushi yet. But we hear that many shops do open in the afternoon. The whole family goes to Malé to see what the place is like and to have a look at the hardware shops and supermarkets. Malé is a bustling place and full of little shops, restaurants, mosques. We meet up with Rick and Toy, his partner, and have dinner together at an Italian restaurant. We planned to go to the night market but we're really too exhausted for a late night and opt to head back to Jocara instead.

30 July

Caro: Time to move Jocara to Thilafushi island which is only 7 miles away. We find an anchor spot right in front of the yard. This is defenitely not the sort of scenery that comes to mind when you think of the Maldives. The reclaimed part of the island is full of industry, including enormous gas tanks. The part they're still reclaiming is one huge rubbish pile with burning going on night and day. More hell than paradise. At least with the wind from the southwest we're not directly downwind from filthy smoke. Shareef now tells us that the carpenters said glueing the wood for the mast would take too long and the new plan is to build it from a long pipe. John is concerned that it starts to sound less and less strong but we don't have much choice.

31 July

Caro: Work on the mast has started, but it turns out that it's not so easy to find the wire for rigging. Without it there's no point making a mast. So we've got to get to Malé to find the wire ourselves. We can take the sails in for repairs and adjustments at the same time. Right after lunch when the fast yard ferry boat is ready, I have a terrible stomach ache. I don't dare to leave the boat and John has to go on his own. I rest and read and the sharp pains turn into a knotted feeling. John returns quite late with wire. It's a little thinner than he would have liked but it will have to do. The sails are at a place called Curtain Collection and will be done on Thursday.

1 August

Caro: We've decided to have new covers on the cockpit cushions. It doesn't look like it's more expensive than Singapore here. The current covers are falling apart and now that we won't go to Phuket .... John and I get a ride on the fast boat to Malé. The kids stay on board to do school work. After taking the cushions in we have lunch at a nice place called Seagull. They do great coffees with real icecream. Afterwards we have a quick look around, do a bit of shopping (they have zucchini and celery!) and walk back to the ferry terminal. We get back to Thilafushi yard mid-afternoon and find there's not been much progress on the mast yet and they cannot show us the right size pipe. Shareef tells us they do have it somewhere, we'll see tomorrow.

2 August

Caro: It turns out they do not have the 6 inch pipe and John has no choice but to go for the smaller pipe with reinforcements. But, he's not happy and worried about the strength. On Jocara I've made some nasty discoveries. There's water in the cupboard under the sinks and it has spread to the storage area under the sofa. It's a disgusting job to clean it all out and it's not clear exactly where it's coming from. Prime suspect is the plumbing under the sinks and John is going to replace it when he finds the right plumbing pieces for it. That's not our only water leak problem. The generator salt water pump leak has sprayed out so much water that the carpets in the aft cabin are soaked. Also when I get the vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard in Alex's room I find it sitting in a couple of inches of water. Aargh! Is there no end to all this sh!t. We feel the pressure of time increasing day by day and we're nowhere near ready to leave. Not a good day, we're feeling very depressed.

3 August

Caro: Since we're clearly going to be here a little while longer we might as well have the dodger fixed too. It has a lot of tears and most zips have split because the dodger has shrunk and is too tight. Whenever it rains the cockpit gets soaked now. When we get to Curtain Collection though we are shocked by the price they're charging us for the sails, about 4 times as much as we think is reasonable. We are told we can discuss this in the afternoon and we hold off on the dodger job for the moment. Alex is with us and we have a good lunch in a cool dark restaurant and cheer up a little bit. After lunch we catch a dhoni to the airport to pick up the package Liz has sent us from Singapore which has some air sample replacement parts, some wonderful goodies and lego for both kids. Casper is getting is getting Mindstorms and Alex the Starwars Starfighter. We want them to have something new and nice to do. It's all very boring for them these days. For Casper it's also kind of an early birthday present. The kids didn't know it was coming and Alex cannot believe what he sees when the customs open the box. He's so happy. Back to Malé and Curtain Collection. The price has come down to reasonable, so we give them the dodger to repair. Walking to hardware shops we just have to stop off at Seagull for their iced coffees and an icecream for Alex. It's getting late in the afternoon now and have to catch the 7 o'clock ferry back so we rush to find plumbing pieces, grab a few things in the supermarket and jump into a taxi. It's nearly 8 when we get back and Casper cannot hide his delighted surprise when he sees the big Mindstorms box. Since the sinks cannot be used, we have chips and cookies for dinner.

4 August

Caro: Now that the dodger is away we don't have shade in the cockpit. There's hardly a breath of air and the sun is beating down on the deck. It's very hot. It's 35 degrees inside the boat and we're all sweating and suffering. John does the repairs on the plumbing under the sinks and the cupboards are all drying. Ashore the progress on the mast is slow. Shareef is feeling bad about that and promises to get some outside workers in.

5 August

Caro: Another Friday, but the specially hired workers will be coming today to work more on the mast. They do show up eventually, but they're not clear what to do. Progress is still slow. We were supposed to be out of here, on our way to Langkawi, by now. Why does everything always take longer. This is so frustrating. I feel so helpless, dependent on other people. People who say: "No problem" and then nothing happens. We take the 6 o'clock dhoni to Malé to have dinner there. We walk through the main streets looking around and end up at the same place we had lunch a few days ago. After dinner we go to Seagull because they are the best choice for desert, they make their own icecream and have great coffees. By this time it's getting late and there's just enough time for a quick look at the big night market. It's very crowded with people standing 3-4 persons deep in front of stalls. Moving in this crowd is difficult and sometimes the stream grinds to a complete halt and people start elbowing each other. It's interesting to see, but it reinforces my dislike of crowds. I'd rather be at a deserted anchorage with reef creatures for company. Sigh! We catch the crowded 22:30 dhoni back to Thilafushi.

6 August

Caro: John needs a few more bits and pieces from hardware shops in Malé and we can pick up our sails, cockpit cushions and dodger from the curtain place. Before we can leave Jocara, however, we got a bit of a scare. The aft bilge is full of water! How, why? It takes a while to figure it out, but John is a smart cookie. The little valve in the bilge pump that's supposed to close and stop water coming in had not closed all the way, allowing sea water to come into the boat. Fortunately, the aft bilge is separate from the rest of the boat and just filled up to the water line. Otherwise, I suppose, we would have sunk sometime yesterday! I also found water again under the sofa. Not much, but it's a complete mystery where it's coming from. We're starting to think it must be condensation, but it's not at all a satisfying answer. We manage to catch the 11:00 dhoni and spend a frustrating time in hardware stores who have some bits but not others. Like they'll have the bolt but not the nut that should go with it. It's also extremely hot. Shops close for a while around 13:00 which is a good excuse for having lunch, spicy pizza at the Italian place. Then it's back to the hardware stores and a quick grab at the supermarket. Loaded up we drag ourselves to the curtain place. The cushion with their new blue covers look great. The dodger has not been done the way we asked. They'll have to do that again. We pile the sails, cushions and shopping in a truck taxi and head for the harbour. To make our life easier with all this stuff we've arranged the yard dhoni to ferry us back. It's pretty cool having your private super fast ferry whisking you away. Of course, they have other things to pick up and we actually end up at the airport twice and back to Malé before heading back to Thilafushi. But never mind, I quite enjoy flying over the water at 35 knots. Back on board the new cushions look great in the cockpit.

7 August

Caro: Of course, the mast should have long been installed on the boat by now. That didn't happen. So, this morning they were supposed to start painting it at 7:00. John went ashore at 8:15 and they were just thinking about starting. Poor John, he's developing a nervous tick in his eye. He's working so hard, trying to get us out of here and in Singapore in time. At the end of the day we still haven't got the mast on board. Now, it's planned for 9:00 tomorrow. It goes on and on. We need to get off the boat and relax a little. Therefore we take the 18:00 dhoni into Malé to have a nice dinner ashore. We end up at a place called Thai Wok and it's excellent. We haven't eaten out this well for a long time. Before catching the last dhoni back we do some food shopping. We've brought the cool bag with us to buy some frozen stuff, like chicken, hot dogs and mince. It's part of getting ready for that last long passage.

8 August

Caro: Today really is the day we finally get the temporary mast on board. Not at 9 am, but just as I'm cooking the pasta for lunch. Jocara is in the slip at the yard and a big crane is holding the mast above the deck. With some help from various yard people holding the mast steady, the rope rigging is attached and John screws the base of the mast onto the deck. So far so good. The mast is standing, but now it's a big job to get all the wire rigging done. The mast has steps every few feet all the way to the top to make work easier. Casper likes the job of attaching the various wires to the top of the mast. Alex climbs to the top a few times too. By the end of the day the fore and aft stays with halyards are done. It's looking pretty good.

9 August

Caro: I've got a cold and don't feel very well. John continues work on the rigging and finishes the shrouds by the end of the morning. It's a very hot job and he's looking pretty sunburned and overheated by lunchtime. He's working so hard. Early afternoon he puts up the alterated genoa to discover it's too big. It doesn't fit the forestay. That's a blow. We'll have to make do somehow. Going downwind as we're expecting, maybe it doesn't matter too much. We're lucky we can get 300 liters of diesel from the yard. This saves us a lot of time, otherwise we might even have to use an agent to organise it. It's a bit of work because the diesel is transferred in 20 liter jerry cans. And then ..... we're done with the yard. It's time to get the bill, US$830, a good price seeing all the work they've done for us (even if it took longer than hoped). I'm glad we've managed to keep the cost down, after all it's a throwaway mast, it's our insurance on the way to Langkawi. We still need to go to Malé to get the money for the yard, check out and get more food, but maybe we'll be on our way sometime tomorrow.