Our Journey

  Cally looking a little Vulnerable...   Brent and I took the 2 boys in the late afternoon, in the duck to go find a smaller wave somewhere else. We cruised around near the shoreline, absorbing our surroundings and exploring with our eyes. The funny thing was that despite the sight of advanced civilisations,we still incredulously spotted a scooter along the shoreline.These people are not as isolated as they appear to be:)- In fact, nothing seems to be what it innitially appears to be! One of my best Pics! We never found another little wave but Brent took us the pretty white  beach that I had been admiring since our arrival! It was sooo picturesque! The water was soft and pale green with powder white sands.However,despite its beauty, we had to walk over the coral devastation from either the 2004 Tsunami or heaven forbid- a more recent drama- It was macarbe and unsettling! Huge slabs of what was once stunning coral mushrooms-now black and dead stark coral corpses-sha...

 Brent impressing us!!    Family pic in Puket-the only photo !   While I am writing, Cally , who is just doing the dinner dishes- suddenly said "hello" to someone? To a local who has just boarded our boat unexpectantly! As Vince says-"We have our first shopper:)-as we have our lights on  to say the shop is open for business:)" Hey maybe he is coming to tell us something uselful:) - like where to get fresh bananas?! (you can see that we have run out of fresh fruit and veggies!) Brent armed with the little Indonesian dictionery-has gone to chat to him!There is always something or someone to surprise us on this Journey-even when we think the day is over:)It is actually 10.45 pm already! Louie has allowed his crew Trav and Vince to have their first beer since our arrival 2 weeks ago:)  simoleu island:)    Just finishing off- Vince caught a thunderous wave on the boogy-board  today and it lashed off of his leg and broke free wa...

Brent, Cally and Cody are dying for a SURF:)! Before we are even anchored, Cody has already got his surfboard out of its cover,he has his rashvest and sunblock on and was nagging to go hunt for surf. Brent and Louie had gone to the island to meet the local chief- and to see if he could get some fruit!   Caden and Cody loving land-simoleu   Well, he did not come back with bananas after meeting the villagers, but in Arabic spoken a little by Louie:), they found out where the best surfing spot was: After a slight speed wobble about where the fins were for the boards ( as the surfboards were packed on Micah in mid June for the big sail from Durban to huket),Brent,Louie,Vince,Cal,Cade,Caden and myself were all putt putting in the direction of cranking surf:)))! Wave Perfection-First Surf in Indo:)))  More Waves waiting to be Surfed:)  Poor Travis had to stay behind to babysit Micah:( ( to make sure that no locals try board the boat) This had already happened to us...

 Banyak Island 1-our Arrival for anchorage    When we arrived this morning,we entered from one side of the bay. It was quite nerve-wracking bringing Micah in as it was almost impossible to see where the rocks are. The depth finder hovered between 14 and 17 metres, but Louie warned Brent that it could be inaccurate. We motored in tipie-toeing our way along, around a fat little island bursting at the seams with plump healthy palm trees. We finally dropped anchor opposite a snow white strip of  beach. The water near the shore was a smokey pastel green with scatterings of turquoise... There were some local huts half hidden in the vegetation under the palms and it appeared as if there was a drizzle of smoke lazily oozing from their midst. One could hear the tinkle of children laughing from the deep shade of a leaning palm on the shore. Around us, smiling gently but getting on with their own business, a few locals glided past us in their primitive dugouts... ...

 Cally happy to be on land again:)  Well, it is evening and we have just finished eating dinner. We cooked for Louie tongight- pumpkin,carrots-all my style-loads of sugar and butter:) and then the hamburger patties Malaysian style with fried tomatoe and onions-plus sago pudding with condensed milk!  Banyak Island -exploring:)   I cannot believe that we are anchored in the bay between 2 islands- a little one and the mainland. It is breathtakingly beautiful here. It is completely dark around us now but earlier,the images  that come to mind are the little white beaches and pale soft green waters with shades of blue in the shallows and deeper blues in the deeper waters. ...And the Palm trees are exquisite!  cade and I in the middle of the Palms!  I am so used to the scraggle of palms in Durban and the cluster of palms at Ushaka:) THIS is surreal-palms in abundance in their natural environment- too many to fit on their little islands- I look at them and wonder w...

There is a very noticeable difference in the swells today... much bigger:( We are in the real ocean now and no longer in the safer waters of the Malacca Straits. We are sailing next to the coast of the island of Simoleu.  Caden finds a butterfly far from land!   Brent has marked an anchorage on the plotter and we are going to try and spend the day here and have some fun!! Travis has already taken the cover off the duck and the weather is fine,fine,fine:) We slept well last night! We all slept in our bedrooms for the first time on this ocean voyage. ( or so I thought) The hatch above our room was open and every time I opened my eyes- I could see a magnificent starry night looking down on us! Brent decided to check on the children in the middle of the night to see that all was good. I was paranoid because a day into our sail from Puket to the island of Pipilee, We woke up to a thud in the night and found Caden lying on the floor of his cabin with a bloo...