While working to prepare for a very exciting upcoming project (more news soon), we had to sail all around the island of Langkawi. On one of our sails we noticed a beautiful golf course that ends right at the beach. We couldn’t resist the urge to anchor in front and take the day off to enjoy the beautiful blue skies & fresh cut grass…
Photo by Julien Estiot
Let’s go back in time a few months. May 2013. Phuket. After an overwhelming trip to the Andaman Islands, Iva and I are back in Thailand. We enjoy our first real shower. After cooking three times a day for two months we take a rest, sit down and order our favorite Thai dishes. We don’t forget the juicy burgers and ice-cold beers either. Tourists are everywhere, the beaches aren’t empty anymore, but tourism has its perks. My brother visits again, so do Iva’s parents. It feels nice to be surrounded by family and familiar grounds.
Beers on the Beach
Julien getting a Thai haircut
Photo by Julien Estiot
Afternoon Boat Activities
First bottle of wine in two months!
Photo by Julien Estiot
We enjoy the company of our friends. Jose and Ana, owners of Zarco, who I met in Fiji nine years ago. Dutch Chris, iconic figure of Ao Yon Bay and owner of the Andaman Sea Club, a catamaran charter company. The amazing Maillard family on Tsarapenhoat : Arnaud and Katia left their steady life in Reunion Island to buy a 38 foot catamaran in Phuket. On board they home-school their four children. We sometimes struggle to cook for two. They do it every day for six.
More friends fly in from Kuala Lumpur. Andy and Steph, who are responsible for introducing me to Iva, finally make it onto Dali. Jess and Rich join the party and make it another memorable outing to Patong. What a contrast to the past two months spent in a bubble with Iva on Dali!
Enjoying a swim in fresh water at our friends’ hotel!
Photo by Jessica Lewis
The Andaman trip has been tiring. We raised anchor almost everyday. I need my lazy days back. So we sail up to Phang Nga Bay, and realize that we haven’t explored it thoroughly. We have gone so far to blow our minds with unexpected images, but Thailand is just as beautiful.
The limestone rocks of Phang Nga Bay. The caves. The secret enclosed bodies of water that we discover everyday. The Thai call them “hongs”, which means “rooms”. OK, we’re not exactly at the end of the world anymore. In most places, hordes of kayaking tourists invade the grounds from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon. That’s my lazy time. The rest is our oars caressing the calm waters of the bay with no one in sight.
Before and After the tourists
Can you spot Iva ?
Seashell Beach
Seashell Shower
Sunset on Limestone Cliffs
My good friend Guy visits from Doha. He was one of the first guests on the boat back in 2009, shortly after I purchased it. At the time I didn’t have the confidence I have now as the captain of Dali. I thought this time everything would go smoothly, especially thanks to Guy’s sailing experience. I had to think again…
Phil
We are so excited to finally unveil the teaser for our upcoming documentary, Andaman Dream. Catch a little glimpse of what we will soon share with you of our first open-sea crossing together!
It was not easy to leave this corner of India that had us so eagerly engrossed. Returning from Cinque Island we fought against our visa deadline and tried hastily to squeeze a few more anchorages before returning to Phuket. We wanted to run on more beaches, see locals in sarees dancing on the sand and taste new native flavours. Chidiya-tapu and Port Blair bid us a colorful and warm farewell.
There are a lot of finer moments and small details of our trip to the Andaman Islands that have escaped our writing thus far. We have spoken of the incredibly beautiful, deserted beaches, the locals friendly and exotic and the fish plentiful and multi-colored… Yet as we began to conclude our tour of the islands I couldn’t help but feel that some of the more subtle yet significant discoveries had happened between our couple and within our selves.
As Phil set the sails and adjusted the wind-vane, the sun fell and we prepared for our night shifts. Unlike the first crossing, this time we had the moon to guide us during the early parts of the night. While Phil slept and the engine hummed loudly, I had the crescent moon as my companion and more than once danced on the deck looking at its bright yellow light. I danced, and stretched to stay awake during the hours of my vigil in the vast darkness. I admired the stars until my eyes lost focus and I began to see them move and blend and vibrate in the sky. Perhaps they are not called bewitching hours for nothing for it was during these moments that I found myself most exposed, more susceptible to the fantasies that sprung from the atramental night.
Took advantage of the lack of wind for a quick dip
During our crossing Phil and I would at times hardly see each other as the days passed. It was important that whenever someone was awake, the other was resting and regaining the energy necessary to take the next shift. I had more time to give in to my thoughts, no one to edit them for me and was left to indulge myself in my emotions, which fell and rose with the waves. At times I was exhilarated, in a trance with the music I blared from my headphones to help keep me awake. Other moments I was convinced we were on the verge of being in danger, that a strong gust of wind could at any moment catapult us into a disastrous squall… My heart beating loudly and my senses at once heightened from the nerves but dulled from the lack of sleep. I would stare at the soft orange light of our compass for hours on end, my eyes fixed on a range of three degrees until all else disappeared around me. Then dawn would come and with it an immense feeling of relief, followed by the overwhelming bliss of visits from dolphins and pilot whales.
Dolphins
Pilot Whales
Pilot Whale
Enjoying the few hours a day that I saw Phil, both of us awake and excited, me in awe of his growing, brilliant abilities as Captain. And sometimes sheer frustration, lack of wind and lack of movement for hours on end… Being pushed in the wrong direction by a current we can’t fight in heat we can’t escape. Night again: my eyes fixed on the sails and the compass when something bright flashes and in fear of it being lightning I look up immediately and instead see a meteor blazing across the stars.
Midnight as we see the first bright lights of fishermen appear on the horizon and we know we are closer to Thailand. Twilight as we approach Phuket and the silhouettes of the wooden boats with sleepy fishermen greet us and lure us closer to shore. Dawn breaks over Promthep Cape and lights up the Big Buddha who gives us the official welcome. Yindī t̂xnrạb
Iva
I have been dreaming of sailing my own boat around the seas since I was a teenager.
The open seas. Deserted islands. Self-sufficiency. Choosing where to go, deciding when and with whom. Living close to nature, following its rhythms – the movement of the water, the light that hits the beach – the sudden change in weather, the power of the swell. Finding time for myself, a good book, hours of contemplating the variations of color in the sky. And most importantly, good company.
Well, I dreamed a lot over the years. And then slowly things started taking shape. Years of work that made the possibilities seem more real. The purchase of a boat that physically embodied that dream. Months of hard work on that boat to get it ready to carry me to the place I had hoped for. And finally the encounter with Iva. The perfect partner to give me the last piece of the puzzle : a person to share your hopes with.
And then you dream of the perfect spot. A place that exceeds your dreams with its perfection, its simplicity, and the serenity it rewards you with.
Iva, Dali and I found that spot in North Cinque Island.
As we entered the west bay of the Island it was still early morning, the rising sun still blurring our view of land with its glare and the water with its reflection. We could barely see the reef and anchored in 12meters of water in the middle of the bay. As the sun rose in the sky, its light unveiled a perfect spectacle : a long stretch of sand separating the island in two lush hills outlined by giant trees carried by sinuous trunks. The water was splendid, the bay playing with different shades of blue and green, from the coral heads scattered across it to the perfect pool on white sand lining the beach.
We reached land with our dinghy, walked to the top of the stretch of sand only to fall on the ground, in awe of the other side : another perfect bay, another perfect beach. The same one, really, a long white line of fine sand holding two jewels on each side. We looked at each other and smiled.
We spent five days in North Cinque Island, all too quickly carried away by time. Days of exploring the forest, or lying on the sand. Playing with the water, snorkeling through the reefs. Spear fishing in the rocks, taking our time to elaborate gourmet meals.
On our first sunset, we climbed an old dead tree lying on its side. The island rewarded us with yet another blissful surprise : a herd of deer feeding on the grass, meters away.
After three days in The Perfect Bay we moved to the South side of the island.
There, the passage between North and South Cinque, covered in reef, answered our wildest snorkeling and fishing hopes : a vibrant underwater life. Thousands of small reef fish, huge schools of parrots and surgeons, crayfish, hump head wrasses and parrots, giant groupers and trevallies, sharks, and on the last day, our biggest reward : a manta ray aknowleged us with its gracious swimming style, and glided away.
Fishing Action
Delicious Sweetlips
Iva’s Favourite Coral Reef Fish : The Oriental Sweetlips !
Attaining your dreams is something you have to deal with. Trying to reach a goal brings you forward and helps you deal with the common interrogation of existence. Why am I here ? What should I do ? What will I work towards when I wake up tomorrow morning ? For years, I was aiming towards the idea of a woman, a boat and a perfect place. All these images in my head finally took a clear shape and gave me more than I had ever expected. But what’s next ? What do I do now ? Thankfully I’m not alone anymore to figure that out…
Phil
My birthday this year was spent in a bubble. Made from the froth of the sea, lingering gently on a small strip of beach, shaded by green and red leaves. Far from phone calls and Facebook messages I spent the day basking in the warm embrace of Philippe, Dali and the Andaman Sea.
By this point in our trip our eyes and minds had begun to adjust slightly to our altered and privileged reality. So much so that we did not feel too intimidated to handpick a secluded corner of Chakra Jurum and claim it ours for the night.
Phil anchored the boat with fresh confidence and ease acquired from our recent crossing. Dali had never sat so close to the shore, and looked magnificently smug about ten meters from the reef, perched perfectly on a white sandy bottom surrounded by turquoise and azure.
Laying on the sand and looking at the sky while Phil fished for our dinner, I found it hard to reflect on my twenty six years of life. I felt too far removed to consider it all as a sequence of events or coherent ensemble. I saw Phil and I floating in a bubble, detached from our previous experiences, suspended temporarily in our fragile and pristine paradise. Even when two catamarans entered the channel to remind us of the outside world, our eyes quietly followed the movement of their sails until the intrusion was chased away and we were alone again.
In the early afternoon we made a fire on the beach and prepared for dinner. Our picnic was complete with white wine and a freshly baked cake. We toasted to us, to the boat, to the halfway mark in our journey and to our family and friends who were in our thoughts as night fell and the stars united everything under their guard.
Iva
It was hard to leave Havelock Island. But we were already one week into our trip, and the Indian authorities only deliver a one-month visa for the Andaman Islands. The frustration of not being able to spend more time in paradise slowly started creeping in. We had to plan our trip accordingly. It wasn’t easy to find the balance between our yearning to visit as many islands as we could and the need to spend more than a couple of nights in the places we loved the most. With only three weeks left we made our way to our next stop, Inglis Island.
As perfect as Havelock Island had been, Inglis rewarded us with a striking convex stretch of white sand contrasting with the deep turquoise of the water. And we were alone. The island was ours. The excitement grew as we anchored in ten meters on sand. As soon as we dropped the anchor, we were greeted by a group of mouse deer feeding on the beach. The next surprise came from the sky as a very intense experience: a Coast Guard helicopter circling 30 meters above us! We made contact though the VHF radio, identified ourselves, confirmed we had properly checked in in Port Blair and were bid farewell with a lovely “Have fun…and be safe!”
We spent the next couple of days exploring the island: the beach, the forest and the gorgeous sand cliffs rising above the water. Their different shades of yellow would constantly change with the light and amaze us throughout the day; we were grateful to sit in the shade of its caves, protected enough from the harassing heat to contemplate the waves breaking on the outer reefs.
Land Art
Turtle Skull
Again, it was hard to leave, but we had to stay on schedule. We motored north against a strong breeze and a choppy sea to reach North Button Island.
We both expected a lot from this tiny island as we had read that it was vibrant with sea life. Iva wanted to see manta rays. I was pretty excited about the fishing.
North Button Island from the Water
Iva hunts for photos, while Phil hunts for food! Here, a beautiful but very poisonous Lion Fish
I started spearfishing back in 2003 when I was crewing around the South Pacific on sailboats for eight months. It quickly became an addiction at the time, although I barely caught any fish the first few months. Spearfishing is a difficult sport. You usually have to dive down in at least five meters of water to catch anything. 10 to 20 meters if you want to spear the big ones. The fish can breathe underwater, you can’t. The fish is really fast and reacts instantly to any movement or noise nearby. As free divers we are slow and not very agile underwater, especially if we want to stay long and keep enough air in our lungs to actually catch something. The slightest movement of a fin or the click of the gun releasing the spear will scare the fish away instantly.
Considering fish is our only source of fresh protein on the boat, it’s an exciting challenge.
I had done a bit of spearfishing in Thailand in the past year, but the Thai seas are so overfished that it is very hard to catch anything more than a small parrotfish or snapper. I was finally confronted to a proper fishing ground, as commercial fishing is not allowed in the Andaman Islands.
On the first day I caught a small grouper that was delicious but left us craving for more. On the second day we decided to take the dinghy further past the west point of the island. There was a lot of fish out there, but I wanted to challenge my fishing skills by catching something big, fast and delicious. A big grouper – always hiding in the rocks and very hard to catch – or a jackfish – one of the fastest hunters out there. As I jumped in the water at our second stop, I couldn’t believe my eyes : a school of small tuna was swimming right in front of me ! Tuna are rarely seen that close to the reef in shallow waters. I had caught some in the Pacific trailing a line of the back of the boat in open sea, but never actually seen one underwater. I tried to control the adrenaline pumping through my veins, gave a very smooth stroke of a fin towards the school and aimed at the closest fish with strong determination but little hope. The whole school instantly swam away from me but I shot anyway and rejoiced : I had caught one ! It was the strongest fish I’ve ever had to bring back onto the dinghy. This tuna was fighting hard but I somehow managed to pull it up, throw the spear into the dinghy and quickly finish it’s days of swimming the Andaman Sea.
That catch ended our fishing for the day. A two/three kilo tuna is definitely enough for the two of us ! I cut two beautiful filets out of our little friend that more than filled us up. We first enjoyed an appetizer of sashimi, then had one filet for lunch and one for dinner, accompanied by delicious vegetables, of which our favorite will remain the lovely little Andaman aubergines !
North Button Island also enabled us to do a bit of socializing with two French boats anchored next to us : Sea Lance and Nez Rouge. It felt great sharing stories around coffee in the morning and beers in the afternoon with people who have been sailing for years around the world… But we had to leave, to make it in time to an anchorage we had identified with Iva on the way up as a perfect place to celebrate her 26th birthday… more on that in the next episode !
Phil
Dali and the Mangroves
It was difficult to know where to begin… The Andamans are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal. There are 572 islands strewn vertically over an area of 8,249 square kilometers, which for us meant that we had the luxury of being able to sail only a few hours before finding ourselves at a new destination.
We decided to start our discoveries by visiting some islands north of Port Blair. We sailed just 30 nautical miles from Port Blair and anchored on the South West tip of Havelock Island. Belonging to Ritchie’s Archipelago, Havelock is the largest of this island chain and also one of the few Andaman Islands that are inhabited.
However, we did not see anyone at our first anchorage. The day was spent marveling at the water, framed by lush greenery punctuated with red. We wasted no time in adopting what were to become our island-life rituals. Phil plunged into the turquoise depths spear gun in hand and with the fruits of his hunt we celebrated the first of many fish inspired feasts.
Dinner
As the celebrations continued into the night, we made a bonfire on the soft sand and watched the sun disappear behind a few stray mangrove trees.
The next morning we moved north and anchored in front of the monumental Radha Nagar Beach, also known as “Beach Number 7”. To say the seven miles of sand, deep, flat and white, were impressive is a gross understatement. Looking at the sprawling beach from the boat, I felt dwarfed by its magnificence, in awe of the sheer magnitude of its collective beauty.
Clear Water
The lack of a coral reef allows for a lagoon-like crystal pool that touches the edges of the fine sand in calm waves. From the depths of the beach sprung the massive trunks of trees, accentuated by smaller varieties in all shades of possible greens. There were even small thatched lookout posts, which seemed comically perfect – as if the whole landscape was a man-made set, ready for its close-up.
We spent several days at this beach, both at the beginning and end of our Northern tour. It was by far one of our favourite anchorages.
Dali Awaiting a Squall
Also a popular destination for Indian tourists, it was a spectacle in itself to observe women dressed in beautiful saris play in the waves. Returning one afternoon from a visit to the nearby village, we were also amused to find that an Indian family had made a homey rest stop out of our dinghy!
From the beach we were able to hire a Mahindra jeep and visit the nearby Village No.3, or Govind Nagar Village. The ride inland was beautiful, crossing plantations dotted with brightly painted houses and white cows.
The village was equally charming, being comprised of a small stretch of shops clustered around the fresh market. Walking the short street, we found everything we needed and even made our first international call home! It was good to hear my father’s voice and though we have been separated before by much greater distances, finding an international landline in the village and the static on the other line made me feel like I was phoning home from the ends of the world.
Waking up to its imposing scenery, walking and walking the stretches of sand and buying samosas from a very friendly man under an umbrella. The vegetarian menues were amazing and we found each dish delicious and perfectly seasoned with mild spices.
In short, it was hard to say goodbye to Havelock. The island seemed to have everything we could have hoped to find in our Indian travels. But this was just an introduction, and we were already short of days so we lifted the anchor and continued north…
Iva
Farewell Havelock…
Arriving in Port Blair was exhilarating. Though Phil and I have both lived in Asia for many years, this is my first introduction to India and after months between Thailand and Malaysia, it looks, smells and feels extremely dissimilar. There is something already exotic about arriving somewhere by boat. Even if that place happens to be readily accessible by other means of transport, by evading them you avoid arrival terminals, other tourists, taxi cues. Instead we were greeted by a bustling port and as we entered Chatham channel – all the while communicating with local port authorities with a VHF radio – I had the ridiculous but giddy feeling that we were discovering something new. Granted it was only new to Phil and I, but the excitement mounted.
We anchored finally in the designated area for visiting yachts and for the first time in five days the rocking, rolling, lurching, climbing, falling… stopped. Though it had taken my body some time to become accustomed to it, I had luckily never found the movement uncomfortable during our crossing and it was actually the lack thereof that resulted in an immediate headache. In my mind I pictured my brain, which had been bobbing along happily, hitting the front of my skull as the boat reached a halt.
Although I was itching to explore the first piece of the Andamans we had access to (and also curious to see how my legs would feel on firm land), we could not go to shore until the following morning. We spent the day of our arrival welcoming authorities onto the boat, which sounds anticlimactic but was actually a very comical and colourful experience.
Port Blair at Dusk
The next morning we made the one-kilometer long dinghy ride to the dock and began to visit Port Blair, the largest town and capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India.
As I have not had the chance to visit mainland India, I cannot make any comparative statements but according to Phil the South Andaman Island port is a “very chilled out version” of India. And I can see what he means. There are the beginnings of the chaotic characteristics associated with India; jaywalking cows, loud music blaring from invisible speakers, fishing boats near the roads, the intermittent car horns. But all with a laid back island-life attitude in much less densely populated space.
Driving to the heart of town you feel that you have travelled back in time. That you are on an island somewhere in the 60’s or in some warped Asian version of the Dharma Initiative. We rode a beautiful HM taxi through streets lined with white linens drying in the sun. We arrived at the Harbour Master’s office where we had to present our itinerary for approval and receive our final clearance to visit the nearby islands.
No Traffic Lights in Port Blair
The building, well maintained but clearly out dated had incredible charm as we stepped into offices where windows were wide open, letting the sunlight yellow the stacks and stacks of papers that have not yet been replaced by computer hard drives. Everywhere we visited was clearly over staffed with officials taking time and pleasure in completing their duties in an orderly fashion as well as consulting their colleagues or inviting them in just for fun. Though we had read warnings about the bureaucratic procedures necessary to visit the islands, we were on the contrary surprised by the officials’ friendliness and enjoyed participating and observing their administrative culture.
Phil and our friend the Customs Official
We had lunch and did our grocery shopping in Aberdeen Bazaar, which consists of one main road that starts with a giant golden Ghandi monument and stretches upwards for about four blocks. These four blocks are packed with stores side by side, on top of each other, above street level, below street level and some almost on the street itself. Everything from bakeries to dental surgeons, clothing, supermarkets, electronics, chai tea stands and Internet cafes is packed in the small and bustling downtown area. We bought our fruits and vegetables from the fresh market then continued up the road to Baba Restaurant where eight four-person tables are crammed into the last shop lot on the road and we waited in line to get a seat and some delicious chicken masala, vegetable curry and tomato rice.
One of the many bakeries in Aberdeen Bazaar
Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market
Buying Fruits
Schoolgirls in Uniform and Matching Braids
Blender Repair Shop
Back on the boat, and though thoroughly charmed with Port Blair, its colourful wooden houses perched on hills with wandering goats by the roadside, it is the beaches and the water and the islands that we came to visit so once our administrative procedures were underway, we were happy to leave and further our exploration.
Iva
Después de varios meses lejos del mar, fue linda sensación volver a poner los pies en el agua. Cuando el taxi nos dejó en la playa, ya los dos soltamos un suspiro… Aliviados al ver el velero flotando todavía en su lugar. En los días que siguieron, los primeros de este año ya bien empezado, trabajamos con cuidado buscando complicaciones y problemas que por (mucha, mucha) suerte nunca encontramos.
Una vez que estábamos convencidos que todo seguía en orden pudimos recibir a nuestra primera visita del 2013; mi hermana Ileana y su novio Alejo.
Hacía mucho tiempo que esperaba poder compartir con mi hermana lo que he vivido este ultimo año sobre el barco. Desde que éramos muy chicas, de las dos ella fue siempre la aventurera… Y ya que por el momento esta ha sido mi aventura más grande, quería compartirla con ella.
De nuestros invitados, Ile y Alejo se destacaron por su facilidad de sentirse como en casa arriba de Dali. Fueron los que más tiempo pasaron en el agua y los únicos en atreverse a prepararnos una cena. Con Phil nos admirábamos del entusiasmo infalible de los dos a pesar del calor infernal de la cocinita abordo.
Disfrutamos de poder mostrarles un poco de nuestra vida marina. Visitamos cinco islas en siete días, aprovechando para introducir Alejo a las particularidades de las playas Tailandesas. El también nos sorprendió, victorioso en su primera y muy pública pelea Muay Thai!
Así pasamos una semana soleada, clima perfecto para empezar el año. Sin embargo las vacaciones se suspenden un tiempo, mientras que Ile y Alejo vuelven a sus vidas porteñas y nosotros nos preparamos para la próxima aventura.
Iva
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After these joyful reencounter with the boat and the Thai island hopping life, it was finally time to get ready for our first faraway trip on Dali.
The Andaman Islands. 400 nautical miles (760km) to the North West oh Phuket. Three to Five days at sea with usually fair winds from the North East this time of year. It will be Iva’s first open water crossing, and also my first time to sail the open seas with my own boat. It’s exciting. The Andamans are a part of India, hundreds of gorgeous lush tropical islands with an almost untouched marine life, since commercial fishing is prohibited in the area. Most of its islands are uninhabited and we look forward to the amazing snorkeling, fishing and deserted beaches.
But as usual there was a lot of work before departure. We needed to get the boat ready, a task that always has its fair share of surprises. Change the batteries, Check the rigging, grease the winches, install the wind wane, repair al sorts of small details. Fill up with water and diesel, buy a month’s worth of groceries, replenish the pharmacy, wash the boat inside out, check the engine…it’s a long list.
Laundry Day on Dali
We also had to get ready for the Indian authorities that will board the boat at arrival in Port Blair. Visas, a large pile of paperwork with introduction letters, inventory, itinerary, requests to spend a lovely month cruising the Andaman Islands.
The Beautiful Visa Photo Studio
We also needed to get our communications working. SSB radio, Satellite Phone, VHF to be able to send and receive emails, most importantly receiving weather charts during the crossing. The authorities also require that every boat radio’s in its position everyday while cruising the islands.
It was hard getting everything ready with only three weeks to spare as we wanted to leave early to catch the end of the NE monsoon. We made our way North along the east coast of Phuket to spend our last week of preparation at Yacht Haven Marina, definitely our favorite marina on the island. On the way, since the paperwork finally came through during our visit to France in October, we were finally able to undertake a little ceremony to change the name of the boat. There are many customs to achieve a peaceful transition to a new name. We tacked (crossed the axis of the wind) three times, with a drink of rum for Neptune, the boat and the captain (the first mate was also invited !) after every tack. Dali can now show off its beautiful name on the high seas.
We are finally ready. We should leave in couple of days, after meeting up with our good friends Bernard and Pui on Salulami, anchored off Mai Thon Island ! Next post in more than a month with undoubtedly exciting stories !
Phil
