Message in a Bottle
June 2008
A Captain, A Birthday and a Wild Ride
Now that More Magic is in safe harbor at Boat Lagoon Phuket the story must be told of her Maiden Voyage under her new name. This adventure is not for the weak or the faint hearted, so prepare yourself for the rough ride, there’s lotsa water coming your way!
Sunday 22nd June 2008
The time has come to leave the fair shores of Langkawi. The Handsome Captain Ganghook has made a vow he will have his heroin The Buxom Wench on the tropical paradise island of Phuket for her birthday. Is this vow in haste?
“But we have no ships papers!” The Wench cries. A forging she shall go. Begged, borrowed and scanned papers are expertly photo shopped (don’t you just love modern technology). Sleepless nights haunt the Wench – A fear for Thai prison invades her breathless dreams. The day has arrived. A sailing they must go.
More Magic is named; a mythical naked dance around the mast is performed by Captain & crew. The ship must leave the shores
Then miraculously the Bonified ships papers are emailed from Australia.
All is well, and all is ready with only 5 days to go before the Wench’s Birthday.
“Hoist the main sail, throw the lines, Phuket or bust!!!!!!!” Is Ganghook’s cry.
A slight breeze and a five nautical mile sedate sail to Talaga Harbor where customs & officials await.
More Magic rounds the heads and prepares to drop the anchor. OH NO the slight breeze has built 25knotts and gusting, the Genoa furler is jammed, the sheets are flogging, the Wench at the helm, dodging moored vessels, the wind howls, the Captain Yells from the bow amongst the tangle of sheets & sails. The Radar reflector fly’s of the mast and plops into the water.
The halyard is dropped, the sail falls to the deck, the anchor is lowered, phew! As More Magic swings and jerks this way and that. Not Happy Jan!
A radio call to the marina office is made and a temporary berth is granted. The crew looking very smart in their newly embroidered official uniforms completes the formalities, and then prepares to throw the lines once again, in the pouring rain. Maybe there is a sign out there!!!
The rain slows, the breeze has calmed and the seas are slight. Oh we are sailing,(reminds me of a song) this is the life. 7.30pm sees More Magic is anchored of the picturesque island of Koh Tarutao, the first of 52 national park islands in Thailand, just 30 nm north of Talaga. With a good nights sleep and joy in there hearts to be finally out on the majestic waters of Thailand, hot coffee and croissants on deck, MM slides effortlessly through the calmness. Bang! Shudder! jolt ! coffee tossed, Wench thrown and slammed against the combing Hard Aground, who put that whopping great reef there? More Magic is wedge tight in the reef. She has lurched over the reef with the keel in one hole and the rudder stuck in another, the Wench recovers and looks over the side, 6 inches of water can be seen and the most spectacular reef structure since the Great Barrier Reef. With a suspected falling tide, a PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN. Call is made, to a nearby vessel at anchor. This vessel is anchored a mere 100mts away, it is 8am, no response; the Wench mans the blow horn 3 short bursts, still no response, 3 long blows, still no response. The ever capable captain fly’s into action, The Wench offers to swim to the other vessel but no she is needed onboard. The dingy is lowered, a tow line is attached the captain is preparing to tow MM to deep water, a quick survey of the situation, no water taken down below, the Wench is gripped with fear of her beloved galleon becoming one of the many wrecks found along the coastline. The wench returns, up on deck she moves the rudder, then the reef disappears, she informs the captain who is on the starboard side, the captain suspects the wench has lost the plot. He takes a look on the port side, Tis true, the reef has submerged, the tide is coming in, MM is afloat. Blessings are made, the dingy is re stowed and a fresh brew of coffee is called for. All this excitement before 9am. And still the anchored vessel has not stirred. “Just another skid mark on life’s underpants”. (A quote from the wise one.).
Hopes are high for a good days fishing, but alas the weather has other plans. A condition of fishing is,( No fishing to windward), and a windward we are going. The seas are rising, the skies are black and the rain is falling, (maybe should have stayed in bed this day). For 42 miles the wet soggy crew beat their way through the torrential rain, being blown this way and that. The winds come from all directions, 25knotts, then 50knts, back to 10 knot’s. What to do. The weary crew finally set the anchor off the small island of Ko Phetra in 6 mts of water, amongst 20 or more trawlers seeking respite from the savage winds. The large cliff wall is a huge concern to the crew of More Magic, as bullets are being forced down from the cliff, smashing the anchored vessels. The Captain is anxious the rope which holds the anchor will not last the night. More Magic is yanking and pulling, the rope is wrapped around the keel, this is not good. The crew are tired and fearful for their safety, an escape from this situation is not an option. The captain is pacing the deck untangling the rope for many hours during the long wet night. The winds do not ease; as the horse shoe life ring is ripped from the stern by the savage bullets as they continue to pound the decks. Daylight comes and the crew prepares to up anchor and turn back to Langkawi, and safety. But NO! there is a wind shift and the safest route is to press on, so on the exhausted crew travel. The sun shines the breeze blows a gentle 15 knots and More Magic and crew begin to relax into the rhythm of the sea. Lunch is served all is well, then the tell tale dark clouds race across the sky, reef the main sail! Reef the Genoa! don the wet weather gear, there’s a bad blow coming. For the next 15 miles the sea and the sky meet, a wall of white is all that can be seen. The bow of More Magic is lost in the white, the wind howls all about, and the crew seeks refuge yet again. Koh Kradan is the closes island on the charts, the course is altered, another large fleet of trawlers are on moorings and at anchor sheltering from the storm, there is little room for More Magic to swing on her anchor. A large trawler moves of its mooring bouy to make room for the new comer. A quick survey of the mooring shows that the rope is to short, the captain has to go for a swim in the dangerous conditions to secure a longer line to the mooring to make fast More Magic. Ohh he’s such a hero. The wench is besotted with her Man of the sea.
Meanwhile the Wench mans the helm and expertly steers her beloved MM onto the mooring. Securely moored, the crew enjoy a hot shower and a steaming bowl of hearty soup. They sleep fitfully, ever on alert; the Wench is well past the sleepless nights and dreams of the security of being a Marina Baby. The crew are up early, ready to take what ever the day has on offer for there last leg of the journey to Phuket. “Just get me there!!!!” demands the irate Wench. And the rest of the journey is history, As they say in all good story books.
For these are the mysterious waters where pirate movies are made and Bond loves to play!!!! (James that is- Shaken not stired)))))).
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