Cheetah II

Better late than never for a bit of closure….

With a measly 120 miles between us and the end of our voyage, Cheetah II made a midday departure from Phuket , saying goodbye to Thailand and heading south back to Malaysia.

We left hoping for and easy trip, with a few reservations about the engine holding together for the final leg. The wind was actually blowing so we could sail for a change, but direction meant it was tight reaching the whole way. The weather Gods kept us busy again with 25-30 knots for the final night– a bit of a grind when you’re two up with no autopilot.

A wet and tiring 24 hours and we were back in Rebak Marina, Langkawi, Malaysia. This is to be Cheetah’s home for the next 12 months. Rebak Marina is based on a private island a few miles off the east coast of Langkawi and is also home to a luxury resort. Our minuscule marina berth fee gave us full use of the resort facilities!

The next five days saw Cheetah hauled out, washed, dried, covered with a tent (thanks to the boys at Shrinkforce in NZ for supplying the material), ready for 12 months of neglect while certain financial issues are remedied.

Stage one complete -7 months, Over 6500 miles, 7 countries, 11 crew.

Thanks heaps to all the crew who came and stayed on Cheetah during the journey. Especially Kim, but also Joe, Pete, Charlie, Leggy, Powell, Robbie, Ricko, Cam, and Mark – it would not have been possible without you.

Keep an ear out for the next leg, set to take place approximately March 2013.

Mike

Better late than never…it may be over 6 months behind schedule but here are some  highlights from our time spent cruising New Caledonia. We  left the grey skies of winter in Auckland and after 13 days stuck on a boat we arrived to this….

(watch full screen in HD)

The last time we touched base we had just finished our reconnaissance of the island of Phuket, now it was time to start exploring the stunning limestone islands which make Thailand famous. We pulled back into Ao Chalong to pick up Rico and supplies for Cheetahs important aid mission, after much negotiation we secured the contract to deliver an important cargo of teachers to the infamous island of Ko Phi Phi. What followed was a typical windless day and 5 hours of motoring in the blistering sun, fortunately the island of Phi Phi is packed full of cold Chang ready to quench ones thirst. Phi Phi is one of Thailand hot spots, well-known for its stunning landscape with deep blue clear water lapping at the immense jungle encroached cliffs. The small walking streets are packed with dive shops, trinket venders and of course hundreds of restaurants and bars. The epic beach partying draws thousands of backpackers with a strip of bars opening out onto the beach complete with flaming jump ropes to keeps those with alcohol fueled gymnastic confidence busy.

After a couple of days of soaking up the excitement of Phi Phi we lifted anchor on the west side and took off to Maya bay, made famous by the “the beach”. After fuelling up on Watties baked beans we jumped in the water for a bit of snorkeling which was actually a bit disappointing with most the coral being ravaged by the masses of tourists which come here everyday. Taking the tender ashore we ran amuck across the island like 8-year-old boys before the rain settled in and we headed back around to the east side of Phi Phi for the night.

We thought we were now far enough north to be out of the narly thunderstorm zone but about 10 minutes before heading ashore for dinner we were struck by another nasty squall, winds of 40 plus knots and driving rain made for a couple of hours confined to the not-so-cavenous space of Cheetahs cabin. It wasnt until a few days later we discovered the true extent of the squalls damage, after surviving storms in the pacific ocean and logging over 6000 nautical miles our precious $10 garden sprayer (aka the shower) and one of our only concessions to comfort had been blown overboard in the storm….a great loss to the Cheetah and the crew, needless to say this discovery resulted in an afternoon of mourning and many salty days to come.

After a good 5 days at Phi Phi we managed to finally drag ourselves away and decided to spend the night at Maya bay for some rest and recuperation. This wasn’t to be, 10 minutes after our arrival a boat full of overnight campers pulled into the bay and what transpired was an evening of Thai whiskey and sleeping under the stars. Actually a real cool experience, “cool” being the key word as the crew found out in the early hours, waking up absolutely freezing. The morning brought much-anticipated warmth and less than expected harassment from the park ranger who mistook the Cheetah crew as the culprits of a beach fire. It was time to leave.

Next stop was Raya island which is about 10 miles south of Phuket, the wind had come up again so we were glad to get into a sheltered anchorage although we still had a fair bit of swell wrapping around the point. Raya island is a very different landscape to Phi Phi but stunning none the less. Most of the island is owned by 5 star resorts and keen to indulge in some luxury we inquired about a room, well actually we wanted the 5 story lighthouse suite complete with two infinity pools but at $6000 US a night it was just out of reach. Having been denied our luxury suite we set off on foot to explore the island and after a couple of hours in bare feet on stoney paths and a Cam Craighead inspired farmland detour we were back at the Cheetah.

Next morning we dropped the mooring and set course for Phuket for a crew exchange with Rico hoping off and Mark jumping on. After so much motoring throughout SE Asia we had a great beam reach across to Phuket with 15-20 knots and a bit of swell giving a fast abeit wet ride.

The final installment of Cheetahs Thailand adventure coming soon….

Well our last update had us arriving at the island of Penang in Malaysia. Penang is Malaysia’s oldest british settlement and is linked to the mainland with a 13km bridge. We parked Cheetah in the city marina which was pretty grimy with whole pontoons breaking off in places but it had showers non-the-less and provided a great stepping stone to the explore the city of Georgetown. Georgetown has a rich cultural heritage with thriving Chinatown and Little India districts. The food on offer around town is brilliant and costs next to nothing which kept our flailing budgets and empty stomachs happy. The circuit of the island is 70 km so we thought scooters are the way to go and after a few days exploring the island we had seen the main attractions including the largest buddhist temple in south-east asia – Kek Lok Si , the resort beach of Batu Ferringi and the worlds smallest national park (yep they are proud of that fact). It was now time to move on so we cast of the mooring lines and set off on another overnight sail to Langkawi, 70 nautical miles north.

After a pretty non-eventful overnight sail with a few more intense thunderstorms we arrived at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club marina (RLYC) which was a welcome sight considering the distinct lack of clean showers and general cleanliness amongst the crew. Langkawi is an archipelago of approximately 99 islands (every figure we see is different) and situated 30 km from the mainland. It is home to some of Malaysias most upmarket resorts and is well known for its duty-free status and hence shopping. The islands are actually formed from some of the oldest rock on the planet resulting in stunning topography. The RLYC marina is located in the main town of Kuah and as it turned out there really wasnt much to do around here so we topped up supplies and set off to explore the archipelago, Cheetah style. We meandered our way up the west coast finding some nice protected anchorages along the way and after we managed to pry ourselves away from the popular beachfront bar Babylon we found a great anchorage, if not a bit crowed, at Tegula bay which provides nearly 360 degree protection due to a couple of man-made palm-fringed islands. This anchorage was overlooked by one of the main attractions on Langkawi which is the cable car and skybridge which ascends 600m up a scraggy mountain range on the north coast so it was a must to check this out. Once at the top there are uninterrupted views of the entire island and also the Thailand island of Tarutao.

While Langkawi provided the most impressive landscape we had seen so far in Malaysia the schedule was pressing on and as the water is a bit murky in these parts our desire for snorkeling meant it was time to move on to Thailand. So we cleared customs at RLYC and then made our way up the east coast of Langkawi for our final night in Malaysia, we found a great anchorage at the “hole in the wall” which is accessed via a narrow passage between cliffs and then opens up to provide a serene river anchorage amongst the mangroves.

Now it was time for Thailand, the crown jewel of south-east asia. The custom rules are somewhat relaxed here and apparently allow up to a week to day hop our way to the clearance port of Ao Chalong in Phuket. We set off for an island just across the border but after running some numbers and getting scared of the purgatory nature of our passports it was decided to just do another overnighter and head for Phuket (which is 120nm from Langkawi) so we could clear customs. Besides having to avoid a lot of fishing trawlers it was again an uneventful sail and we made Ao Chalong mid morning. The clearance procedure was a dream, usually it involves running around in the heat to meet customs, immigration, harbourmaster etc whom are all located in different offices around town but here all you need is in one air-conditioned building at the start of the pier, too easy!. Ao Chalong has nothing really going for it and is really just launching pad for all the day tripper boat which head out to the surrounding islands so we got going early afternoon and headed up the west coast where we stopped at Patong. Unsure whether residual Indian ocean swell would make this anchorage untenable we found it to be very calm with the only disturbance coming from sea fleas (jetskis).

Patong is one of the most infamous zones in Thailand well-known for its questionable after dark activities but it’s also a thriving beach front town with resorts, street venders, hawkers, amazing selection of restaurants and well anything else you can imagine. This chaos really wasnt our scene but its one of those places you need to see while in Thailand however one night is enough. After nursing our hangovers we decided a great way to see this stunning coastline is with a car so we hired an awesome and slightly dodgy topless jeep and set off. Of course being men we didn’t have a map so we spent the first couple of hours circling the city in what should have been a 10 minute drive to the next beach but we were feeling way to cool in our jeep to let a little thing like getting lost dent our pride. We found a few great beaches down vague tracks and spent the afternoon lounging in the sun before heading up to the airport to drop Robbie off. After covering 1800 nautical miles and four countries Robbie’s two month citizenship on board Cheetah had come to an end, a massive blow to the overall musical talent of the crew.

The next couple of days were spent meandering back down the coast finding absolutely stunning beaches with great anchorages for Cheetah. A particular favourite was Nai Harn which is home to the Royal Phuket Yacht Club, host of the Kings Cup Regatta. Then it was back to Ao Chalong for some re-provisioning before setting off on the next part of our Thailand adventure, Ko Phi Phi….stay tuned.

Awww lifes just better on Cheetah II through a different Lens! The boys on the Cheetah are stoked to partner with Alue Optics, letting everyone look suave whether they’re getting wrecked by thunderstorms in Malacca strait or living the dream on extreme tender excursions somewhere in Thailand. Thanks to our good friend Casual Case Watson, the Cheetah crew and friends will be styling the best hand made, technology packed sunnies on the market for the rest of the adventure! Make sure you check out www.alueoptics.com to enviously browse the collection!

Cheetah II has continued north on the journey since leaving Bali on the 26^th of September with new crew member Robbie Bell. After a quick stop for the night in a safe but rolly anchorage at the northern tip of Bali Island, we sailed overnight to Raas island. With wind at last, we sailed the 80 miles relatively quickly and arrived mid morning with a 25knot wind on the beam, relishing the comparatively stormy conditions.

Raas Island offered little in the way of activities but was a comfortable stop. While there, we indulged in local seafood – Mantis shrimp bought from a local fishing boat. These creatures look like something out of the latest Alien movie, and unfortunately don’t taste any better either. Apparently they are a delicacy in China, but the unique flavour was less revered aboard Cheetah II. With most of the slimy white flesh was cast overboard!

From here it was onward the next day to Karimun Jawa, with a brief stop at Benoa Island in between. After another slow, motor intensive passage we arrived on the 3^rd of October. Karimum Jawa is a group of islands and marine reserve, 60 miles off the coast a Java. Here we became heroes after another yacht lost its anchor on a reef we spent a few hours free diving and managed to retrieve it from 14m of murky water, earning ourselves some praise and tasty merlot.

A couple of Days a Karimum Jawa to refuel and relax, and we were on the ocean again, headed for Belitung, the final rally stop. Belitung Island has a lot to offer with clean white sandy beaches and lush countryside. Here we were hosted for the final Rally Indonesia events. This included the usual gala dinners, one of which was attended by several cabinet ministers, flown out from Jakarta for the evening. The dinner was good, but involved its share of politics and the heads of government of Belitung used the opportunity to voice their need for more funding from central government.

We left Belitung on the 15^th of October bound for the Northern Hemisphere. Crossing the big red line at 0925 on the morning of the 17^th, we pulled into an anchorage later that day to pay homage to King Neptune. This involved drinking a lot of rum, and not actually paying much homage, but was worthwhile all the same.

With another notch in our offshore yachting stick, we set sail, (or more accurately motor) for Malaysia. Indonesia had been an amazing experience but it was time move on to Malaysia. A relatively easy passage north, involving the usual high stakes game of chicken that sailing through the world’s busiest shipping lane involves, and we made port in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The marina at Danga bay was interesting. Nothing there works, but as we sat in cockpit, cursing the failing WiFi connection, poor water pressure, and non-existent shore facilities, while watching rubbish float by, it was nice to know it was offset by the daily rate to berth there – free! A boat nearby had spent the day dislodging a dead dog that had floated downstream and gotten caught around their rudder, and any complaints to management involved a fairly blunt reminder that if we didn’t like it we were more than welcome to F%ck off!

A bus ride across the bridge a few days later and we were in the heart of Singapore. Great times eating street food in China town, street food in Little India, and drinking slushies from the prolific 7-11s on every corner. Here we watched the rugby final. The most stressful 80 minutes of the sailing trip so far!

Back at Danga Bay we collected a fourth crew member, Cam Craighead. Now that Cheetah II was back to being the four man sardine tin, we set off north again for Lankawi. Navigating in the Melacca straight at night takes night watch to a whole new level. This waterway is one of the busiest in the world, with container ships, oil tankers, tug boats, barges, fishing nets, trawlers, fish traps and rubbish everywhere. We often passed within 50 yards of other boats, both lit and unlit, and there were always dozens of boats within sight. All this combined with frequent lightening and heavy rain squalls makes for lively night watches. More than once we had lightening strikes hit the water within 100m of the yacht.

The final night to Penang involved running into a bundle of seaweed and old fishing line which got tangled around the propeller. Luckily it was flat calm, but with no moon and several fishing boats and tugs bearing down on us it was not the best place to lose power. Luckily with mask and snorkel I was able to dive on the prop to cut the debris free without too much hassle. Great conditions for a midnight snorkel!

The next day we arrived in Penang and have spent the past 48 hours exploring the city. Tonight we set sail again for Lankawi, and will arrive in the morning. From here it’s a short hop to the next country, Thailand!