Delayed in Malaysia ( March 2012)

After 11 mths out of the water with Eric doing maintenance and improvements onboard we thought we would have some mths of cruising without the ongoing jobs and costs that go with it. We had visions of reading on deck, swimming, kayaking  and exploring new places in Thailand. BUT our engine driven refridgeration hadn't been run for near a year and decided it wasn't going to function and  the tachometer also went on strike. We decided that wouldn't stop us going to Penang ( a days sail Sth) to get our visa's for Indonesia. Little did we know that we needed our CAIT which is a permit for our boat to enter Indonesia first before our visa's could be issued. Our CAIT was in process but would take up to 21 days. So we enjoyed the festivities of Chinese New Year and the Hindu Thaipusam festival ,we had dental checks ,Cathy purchased new glasses and visited an Osteopath for back problems, all costing 1/3 of what we'd pay in Australia or NZ and feeling very happy with the service.
We were going to get our refridgeration serviced in Penang but the technician was delayed due to sickness so we sailed back to Langkawi Island and organised the technician there to service it. BUT on entering the Royal Langkawi marina our gearbox failed. Not a good thing to happen when one is surrounded by multi thousands or millions of dollars worth of boats!! Luckily the tide was slack and the wind was a light breeze. We managed to fend off with boat hooks and glide 20m into the nearest berth with the help of 2 men who took our lines. Phew!!

After a check of the simple reasons the gears could fail the diagnosis was made by Eric. A likely broken drive plate... That meant the gearbox had to be removed which also meant the motor had to be lifted!!
Yachts generally have very little room to manoevre around the engine and it was impossible to take the gearbox off without lifting the motor out.
That mean't buying a  block and tackle (winch) and some heavy timber.

Cathy "on autopilot" stepped onto what she expected to be the stairs and fell a metre before collecting a bolt on the side of the engine with her shin and ending thigh deep between the engine and the bulkhead. Not a pretty sight!
After Eric's great first aid of iced water compresses and pressure to stop the flow of bleeding, Cathy got over the initial shock and pain and was able to put in 5 sutures, under anaesthetic of course!

The marina gets wash from the ferries coming in and out of the port so we had to have fenders ready as the motor swung off the chain of the winch..

Eric's diagnosis was confirmed  after a phone call to James at Moon engines in Auckland, NZ where we bought the gearbox, the part was ordered. BUT this common Borg Warner drive plate which is normally on the shelf was out of stock and arriving in a shipment in a few days..

The back of the engine

drive plate

Rather than sit in the marina where it is hot and breezeless we decided to move out and anchor in the harbour...You may ask how we did this without an engine. This is where our trusted dinghy and 3.3hp motor played its part.. With the dinghy tied alongside and a nudge from fellow cruisers with their inflatable dinghy to get out of our berth and marina we hoisted the sails and chose an anchorage away from the ferries and fishing boats.

This is how many 90ft ferries you can hang off one mooring. We kept well clear of these as in a blow they drag with lots of shouting and yelling!

During this time of waiting Eric researched the logistics of getting a part in Malaysia but it had to be drilled and lathed and the gearbox had to go ashore..Not easy at 92kg to get in and out of the dinghy and to the workshop! For the next week Eric made some modifications in the engine bay, cleaned and painted and checked accesory parts. We lived with the stairs out and the motor semi hanging and resting on a plank of timber therefore having to climb over the engine to get out into the cockpit
We kept busy over the next week preparing for our passage to Sth Africa.. Pouring over charts and computer generated wind and weather programs, swapping information with fellow cruisers and reading reports of others who made the passage last year.
Cathy made numerous trips back and forwards on a motorbike to the duty free warehouse and grocer restocking and provisioning

With 3 slabs of beer up front, 2 on the seat behind and a back pack full of bottles she was looking like a local.. A slab of 24 cans costs 26MYR ($8.50AUD) and 1L of Johnny Walker red label 40MYR (13AUD)
We have been sun drying tomatoes and marinating beef which is also dried in the sun to make beef jerky. There are no flies out at anchor, infact very few anywhere except the open market.
The containers are full of homemade muesli and the stores are overflowing. Eric says we need to get away from the shops before the boat sinks!!
This activity is necessary for several reasons. It is nice on long passages to have food ready made incase of bad weather and difficult conditions in the galley. It will take around 2 wks to get to Chagos where we will spend 2 wks at the atolls. There are no shops so our fresh fruit and veges will be dwindling, followed by a wk to 10 days to get to Rodrigues island. Reprovisining is cheaper in Asia than where we are headed
We ferried diesel by motorbike, then dinghied to the boat as it is cheaper at the pump than on the water. Diesel is subsidised in Malaysia, paying 1.8MYR/L (58cAUD)

The next job was the refridgeration. A seal had to be replaced in the compressor and regassed with  refridgerant.

 We hope a couple more days to ensure the system is working well, will see us setting off to Thailand

Thaipusam festivities (February 2012)

We were most fortunate to experience the festivities of Thaipusam. Thaipusam is an annual Hindu festival , observed on the day of the full moon during the Tamil month of Thai, celebrated in honour of Lord Murugan...
We headed to Little India in Georgetown, at 0430hrs to watch a chariot emerge from it's temple house garage, ( kovil veedu) on Penang St.

We observed the  blessings bestowed on it and the transportation of the golden statue of the deity Lord Murugan, from it's place across the street, to be enthroned inside it.

People smashed 250,000 coconuts onto the road , preceeding the 117 yr old silver chariot bearing the golden deity, which was followed by a procession of devotees.

 As the chariot crawled through the streets pulled by 2 Brahmin bulls, people offered gifts of flowers, fruits, joss sticks and money to the deity praying for health and success.

The Hindus believe that the coconut is the purest form of offering that one can render unto God. The outer fibres represent the jealousy, greed, lust , selfishness and other vices of man, which one must break up and remove to penetrate and reach the white inner purity and therefore taste the sweet untouched nectar of spiritual purity and bliss

Once the chariot had passed, the cleanup was swift with men sweeping the broken coconuts into heaps and 2 very efficient bobcats lifting the remains into trucks to be taken away.

The chariot continued through the day to it's destination some kms away to the Nattukotai Chettier temple on Waterfall Rd.
The next day we had another early start to catch the 0530hr Thaipusam bus to take us to Waterfall road

 Fellow cruisers from SV Aevntyr, Labarque, Anima and MV Yarrawa 11
We watched in awe as men had spears pierced through their cheeks, tongues, earlobes and scalps.

 Some had hooks inserted through the skin on their backs to connect them to ropes to enable them to pull a chariot. Others had peircings to carry minute milk pots ( paal kudam).

Women and men carried milkpots on their heads to pay homage to Lord Murugan

 or highly decorated Kavadi ( A cross structure) balanced on the shoulders or a framework on the torso

It was a test of endurance as they walked barefoot or with nails in their shoes as they carried their gifts to the Temple on the hill called Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani.
Along the way there were many small temples, food stalls and musical entertainment.
The  procession left at 1830hrs last night and arrived back at 0600hrs to Penang road where Lord Muruga was housed and  the chariot stored until this time next year.
We were there to see the end of the festivities

Penang Chinese New Year festivities. The year of the Dragon (January 2012)

We have had numerous festivities here in Geogetown for the Chinese New Year which started several days before the 23rd of January. Friends off SV Labarque, Elizabeth and Patrick, have been in Penang for previous New Year celebrations and wrote encouragingly of the events. We have not been disappointed and Elizabeth has been a great source of information and director of social outings.
New Years eve was in the grounds of City Hall which was beautifully lit. There were demonstrations of physical and musical talent followed by fireworks

 Chingay (pole)  juggling from head to head was pretty spectacular

and Pole Lion dancing was nail biting as the dancers nimbly leapt from different heights

There are 2 men inside each suit and the acrobatics performed were astounding

Dragon dancing

Waiting for the bus to go to the Govt chief minister open house festival with fellow cruisers Elizabeth and Patrick (SV Labarque) and Nick and Jan (MV Yawarra 11. The bus and Ferry terminal are just next to the Tanjung city marina and offers a cheap and excellent service.

The event was held at the Penang International sports arena ( Pisa) at Relau...Food was provided and it was very well organised. Our group made it in the local newspaper

Dragon salad

Chief minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew were present to greet and hand out 9,120 mandarins!

Queens Bay Mall shopping centre was the venue for mask changing and dragon dancing

The mask changing was spectacular. We counted 12 changes at the speed of a blink of the eye. We couldn't  see how it was done and even on slow motion on the camera it was undetectable.

The next day was the Prime minister (Najib Razak) of Malaysia's open house with festivities. Unfortunately the music was too loud so we didn't stay long. This was held at the marina complex.

We decided to leave the huge crowd and go to the peaceful setting of Fort Cornwallis
The fort was built when Capt Francis Light (East India company) first landed on Penang Island in 1786 of Nibong palm then later in brick

An hour and a half on the bus (which cost 2 MYR=65cAUD) took us to the busy market town of Ayer Itam where we watched the 200,000 lanterns and coloured lights lit at dusk at the Kek Lok Si temple.

Overlooking the town

Eric and I climbed to the top of the Pagola and had an amazing view.

 Just as the lights came on my camera battery went down. The following lit photos are from a fellow yachties camera

The bronze Goddess of mercy towered 100ft above us and the intricately carved pillars beyond to hold the roof. At the bottom of the centre of the picture you can just make out Jan and Cathy

We had the priveledge of going to an Indian dance graduation/ initiation (Selangai Poojai) where the dancers were introduced, then after bowing and thanks to parents were taken to their teacher where formal greetings were given. Their teacher placed bell anklets on them before they took their place with their colleagues.

Musicians

Chinese New Year cultural and Heritage day brought an end to the week long festivities with dancing, singing, cultural displays, stilt walking, craft and arts, comedy shows, fashion parades, story telling, acrobatics, opera and orchestra

The colours of the costumes and the choreography of the dancing was most appealing

Gamelan Drummers

We couldn't see all the events on as alot overlapped at the same time at different locations and the crowds were like being in a sardine can. The food was great with many stalls offering numerous traditional foods.

Tonight starts the "Hokkien New Year" festivities. This makes our 3rd New Year this year!!