Just Cruizin On Bluemoon

Log 92

Lifted anchor with all on board on the12/12/11… said our farewells to friends and headed back down toPenang, having decided that no matter what, we would be sailing andnot using the motors … and sail we did!

We have had some really windy dayswhich has been awesome for sailing yet the swells pick up in no timeand that makes for a really bumpy ride, yet we are all happy andtrust in Bluemoon.

Managed to sail all the way into Penangand moor up just before the rain hit then spent the next few dayscleaning up, doing washing, last minute maintenance and going to thedentist, while waiting for Tiare to arrive.

Sadly, Moonie passed away after gettinga respiratory infection and so was buried under lovely shrubs here inPenang, with lots of flowers and butterflies flitting by … RIPlittle one x

After doing all we had to do we leftwith Tiare on the 18th and headed back for Langkawi. As Isaid, we decided we were sailing from now on and one of the greatfrustrations we all have is when the fishing boats deploy their netsright in front of us where we have no choice but to change courseimmediately otherwise get hooked up them … as well as the workingboats who trawl with very loooooong lines behind themselves andinstead of changing course ever so slightly, come right across ourbow making us do 360 degree changes almost instantly and always whenwe have got the sails set just right!

The sailing went very well and as theday progressed so did the wind and swells! We were doing a good 7.9knots COG with our very own aquarium attached and managed to catch afish which was not big enough for all of us so we decided to save itfor Tango (Tiare's Portuguese water dog) The swells had very quicklydeveloped into VERY steep and close together and the sailing wasrough! We were slamming down swells and an occasional wave … Tiarehad never sailed in such rough seas ever so were having a great tripwe were sure! LOL … The swells were breaking over the boat andspraying everyone! Four really big ones soaked the boat and all of usin the cockpit … so we all were exhausted and very happy tofinally see the island, though all day we had been trying to head up… edge our way into the wind as we had huge leeway, yet nevermanaged to catch so had no choice but to anchor at 02:45am in thelower South channel in Kuah, which thankfully was wonderfully calm.Tiare is able to point much closer to the wind so dropped anchor anhour later in Kuah through the top channel and were even more pleasedat dropping anchor and being out of those high waters.

The following morning after a goodsleep in and laze around we were all surprised to see a huge squid onthe boat … we could see the place of impact and were sure it waswashed over the boat from the trip earlier … another tasty treatfor Tango … Started the long tack up the channel at 11am and had agreat sail tacking all the way up to the top doing well after only 14tacks at 16:20 pm. Also, we are convinced now more than ever that weare sailing with our very own aquarium attached to the hulls – asour speed should have been way better with such strong winds … upto 40 knots!!!!!!!!!

Had an awesome evening seeing a fullmoon which was half shadowed! Wow! It was quite spectacular!! Enjoyeda wonderful dinner with Tiare which Justine cooked … till two am.

Did some things in Kuah, visited Amandathen headed for Telaga … impressed ourselves by lifting anchor withthe main up!

Another great sail into Telaga where wedropped anchor in the rain, then watched as Tiare dropped anchor inthe pouring rain LOL! Not sure why every single time, even if the sunis shining, that the rain comes the moment we start entering Telaga!

A little later that night, while theanchorage was very quiet and everyone had settled in for the night,we heard a blood curdling scream!

We all jumped up to see where it camefrom …. when we saw Daniel from Tiare coming our way. Tom hadfallen down the companion way and crushed his arm slipping down andhaving the heavy hatch fall on his arm … shame x terrible when youcannot do anything … so we gave Daniel the ice and waited for hiscall which came awhile later saying Tom had calmed down and had avery swollen wrist …

We all lifted anchor around eleven amwaiting first to see how Tom was, then headed for the Butang Islandsin Thailand where we planned to stay for Christmas.

I was not very impressed with myChristmas decorations blowing off the boat!!!

John and I decided to sand the cockpitand the duck so we could paint our non-slip … my Christmas gift andwith it being about a day away I decided to get stuck in and help …Man was that hard work – yet a good job!!!!!

We tied onto a buoy with the help ofTiare who had gotten to the anchorage awhile before us having caughtthe last puff of wind while we bobbed the rest of the way = taking alot longer … and of course having this aquarium attached to us didnot help! LOL

Kids wake boarded well into the evening- not to my liking of course … seen some big splashes which means'big something' s' under the seas … mmmmmm … just a thought ….Spent another great evening having a bring and share curry meal whichwas really delish …. Thanks to Daniel and John who were the mainchefs … John has become quite the chef in the curry department andso is nominated every time now LOL … and I think he knows ittoo!!!! hehe … guess if you got it you got it hey! Lol

Ithas always been fun and so exciting seeing everybody getting readyfor a great occasion - rushing around getting gifts - goodies forbaking, and getting the right decor for the tree... even though we donot have a 'tree' on Bluemoon ... it is still one that is a traditionof all times... yet, how sad that so many have no real idea of what a‘great occasion’ it actually is!! Christmas is not abouttradition, gifts, or decorations. Those are symbolic of theunspeakable gift of God’s love. Christmas is a Glorious realitythat our Precious Lord Jesus ’s birth, not only is ‘History’,but was the ‘Appearance of God Himself, in human form’!! Andthough we get to celebrate His birth every year - it is with a newand fresh excitement of the fact that He is the Saviour of theworld!! It is the end result of His death and the resurrection thatgives such meaning to His birth.. It is through the crib in a mangerin Bethlehem that became the link that bound a lost world to a lovingGod!

Whowould have thought that this Special little baby would one day haveHis feet kissed and washed by the tears of a harlot repenting of herdeeds - That they’d walk this tired earth, dusty and weary, toserve a lost humanity. Who would have thought that His tiny handswould one day be held wide open upon the bars of a cross, piercedwith nails....

Thepurpose of this tiny little baby’s journey to earth, was to come tothis world in the body of a baby, with compassion and grace for thesin-stricken men and women in a lost, pain and ravaged world. He cameto relate and identify with humanity, fallen from grace, and He shallreign forever more as the Glorified King with the redeemed!!!! So letus never forget the true reason for the season - Jesus Christ wasborn for our salvation! And as it was said to me by someone I respectand look up to .... ‘John 3:16 - ‘For God so loved the world thatHe gave His one and only son....’ ‘How sad that the church hasforgotten why God sent His son - Because of compassion, with thegreat love that He loves us with, and with that great love... Hegave... It is now that the Christians should start living out thefirst half of John 3:16 - So that we can be rivers of living waters,that His love may flow from us so that the world

mayknow that He loves us and gave Himself for us... This is thesalvation that He loved us and gave us, He sais that not all who say“Lord, Lord’ , but those that do and live the Word. If we love asHe loves, what a wonderful impact the church will have on a worldlost and crying for salvation....’

Ipray that this Festive Season be one of Truth, Love, Joy and peace aswe celebrate the Birth of our Precious Jesus Christ, our Lord andSaviour!

So a very Merry Christmas to each andevery one of you! Trust you all shared a beautiful day rememberingthe reason for the season!! We had a truly lovely Christmas! Startedwith a delicious breakfast, opened our gifts, then Tiare came overand we all opened gifts again, then ate from a buffet which Justineand I had put together and added to Tiare's dishes, John and Danielbraaing the satays which were a winner … watched the kids wake-board … a truly lovely day and evening spent with truly greatfriends. Sorry we were not able to meet up with Mind the Gap as well…. hopefully we would for new year ...

Spent the next day cleaning off thataquarium which was honestly shockingly larger than we realized! Talkabout added weight!!

Jono made us very proud when he and Samwent to help, along with John and Justine, a charter yacht with fouryoung people aboard who had their anchor wrapped tightly around abommie … it was 13 metres deep and they could not dive it as it wastoo deep so Jono dived it and managed to free it for them who werevery VERY happy for him saving their holiday …

We were buoyed up in a beautiful spotexcept that in the evening the wind and current ripped through andmade for a really rocky and rolly night which was not nice .. so wedecided to head out for Ao Chalong, sailing the whole way again …wind or not lol!

We started with light winds for most ofthe day, then late afternoon had a stunning sail, smooth seas anddoing almost 8 knots COG, then the winds picked up and changed andwere were doing a strong beat hoping the wind would change again…but never did … Tiare were staying another day while Daniel did afew minor repairs and maintenance, though would leave early the nextmorning and catch up. Good thing they did as the weather picked upand again we were slamming and surfing the waves. Swells were hugeand close together again, wind over 40 knots and sailing we were! Itwas an exciting sail and Justine and Jono loved the exhilaratingbeating we were having … were going so fast we had to drop the mainand furl in the genoa!!!! yet still we were up to eight knots and inthis kind of weather it was not such fun … Bouncing around with thewind howling … Could not sleep at all so stayed up even when it wasnot my watch … John had no problem with sleeping so I made tons ofcoffee for us and was surprised at how many squid catches therewere!! They were dotted all over the horizon with huge bright lightswhich looked like little cities everywhere!!!! It was quite niceknowing that even without a moon it did not feel that way with allthose boats, horizon to horizon …

It was a brilliant sight seeing thegalaxy with so many stars and yet again made so many wishes on somany falling stars that I had run out of wishes to wish for LOL …When it is the darkest, the stars shine the brightest and up to dateI have never seen such a display of lights anywhere else except onthe ocean on a very dark night … though that also changed when thesquid boats came out … The bright bursts of light in thephosphorescent behind the boat, in our wake was another blessing …like thousands of little angles holding candles, dancing around wasspectacular!! What a privilege to witness something so magnificent!Again … only when it is darkest do you see such beauty come alive!!It seems to reach in and touch your soul!!!

We had left at 11am and arrived at justpast 11am the next day in Ao Chalong.

(Our co-ordinates … 07 Degrees 49 137N 098 Degrees 21 563 E)

It had been a pretty rough night, soJohn went to sign in while we set about packing away and sorting thefallen stuff … then sat and relaxed with a good cuppa smiling atanother glorious day, knowing that this sailing was truly an awesomeway to travel … way better than even motor sailing …. we werequiet chuffed that we had not used the motors and had saved a goodfew drums of diesel …

Just as were heading out of Ao Chalong,we saw Mc Duck … said our hellos then headed for either Nai Harn orPatong … depended on how busy the places were … We were all hot,tired and not in the mood for squashing in anywhere so gave Nai Harna miss as it seemed very full to us and headed straight for Patongwhere we dropped anchor and were amazed yet again how pretty andcolourful this place is!! Now the funny thing about this place for usis, the closest way to describe it is like Sodom and Gomorrah … yetwhen you look at the locals and not the workers, you get to seeanother side to Patong … Thailand. Europeans lying close to nakedon the beaches with g-strings and being topless is still not what weare used to … though when you look past all these things, the placeis really very pretty … cobblestone walkways, bright and colourful– everywhere … John fixed the 15HP motor and the Port and S/Boardmotors … We were all pleased to see Tiare, Mind the Gap and PlaneSailing arrive! Went by to visit a few friends wishing them for theseason.... Spent awonderful evening with Tiare, Daniel, Hiromi, Sam Tom and Tiaga …and Mind the Gap, James and Lorna watching a spectacular display offireworks … like from Disneyland!!! Amazing!!!! We all went toshore to join in the celebrations which was very festive! Justine,Sam and Jono stayed to dance the night away …. and we have anotherbrand new year ahead!

Onthe 1stof January we all had time to relax and have some quiet time toreflect …

Aswe turn the calendar to the new year, we are faced with newchallenges that lay ahead and hopefully they are embraced with ourenthusiasm and motivation!! Trusting that we do not walk alone!

Thislast year has gone past like a flash! So much has happened in whatfeels like such a short time!!!!!

Aswe look back to the mistakes and mishaps that were made last year,the missed opportunities and the wasted time.... allows for that tobe our inspiration to make this year the best we can by learning fromour yesterday’s.... Let us not go through this year making the samemistakes!! Let us go forward with the reassurance that Christ hasgone before us and let us not take lightly to the fact that we are‘Alive in Him’ and live totally in His freedom that has set usapart from the world and all that is in it!!!

Letour lights shine brightly this year and make an extra effort to bethe vessels that our Mighty Lord intended us to be...! May wecontinue being refreshed and filled up with His Wisdom and Knowledgethat others may hunger for what we have!! Let us be the salt of theearth just as His Mighty Word tells us to!!

Let us grow by taking time to really care and show kindness to oneanother... Let us submit our own ways and desires to the Will ofChrist, for when we are what He wants us to be, then we won’t havedifficulty in knowing what we should do....

Let us face this new year with constant fellowship with Him, for He willlead and direct us in the fulfilment of His plan and as most of usmake self-improving resolutions, let us keep in mind one of the mostimportant... UNITY - in our families, for each other, and for thelost. Let us keep the vision in front of us …. where God IS thecentre in all areas of our lives!

God Bless you and keep you strong in the Power of His Might as we standfirm in His Word and in His Truth!

Thanksto all who have sent mail!

Mayyou continue to keep living life to the fullest!

Till our next blog, John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 92

Lifted anchor with all on board on the12/12/11… said our farewells to friends and headed back down toPenang, having decided that no matter what, we would be sailing andnot using the motors … and sail we did!

We have had some really windy dayswhich has been awesome for sailing yet the swells pick up in no timeand that makes for a really bumpy ride, yet we are all happy andtrust in Bluemoon.

Managed to sail all the way into Penangand moor up just before the rain hit then spent the next few dayscleaning up, doing washing, last minute maintenance and going to thedentist, while waiting for Tiare to arrive.

Sadly, Moonie passed away after gettinga respiratory infection and so was buried under lovely shrubs here inPenang, with lots of flowers and butterflies flitting by … RIPlittle one x

After doing all we had to do we leftwith Tiare on the 18th and headed back for Langkawi. As Isaid, we decided we were sailing from now on and one of the greatfrustrations we all have is when the fishing boats deploy their netsright in front of us where we have no choice but to change courseimmediately otherwise get hooked up them … as well as the workingboats who trawl with very loooooong lines behind themselves andinstead of changing course ever so slightly, come right across ourbow making us do 360 degree changes almost instantly and always whenwe have got the sails set just right!

The sailing went very well and as theday progressed so did the wind and swells! We were doing a good 7.9knots COG with our very own aquarium attached and managed to catch afish which was not big enough for all of us so we decided to save itfor Tango (Tiare's Portuguese water dog) The swells had very quicklydeveloped into VERY steep and close together and the sailing wasrough! We were slamming down swells and an occasional wave … Tiarehad never sailed in such rough seas ever so were having a great tripwe were sure! LOL … The swells were breaking over the boat andspraying everyone! Four really big ones soaked the boat and all of usin the cockpit … so we all were exhausted and very happy tofinally see the island, though all day we had been trying to head up… edge our way into the wind as we had huge leeway, yet nevermanaged to catch so had no choice but to anchor at 02:45am in thelower South channel in Kuah, which thankfully was wonderfully calm.Tiare is able to point much closer to the wind so dropped anchor anhour later in Kuah through the top channel and were even more pleasedat dropping anchor and being out of those high waters.

The following morning after a goodsleep in and laze around we were all surprised to see a huge squid onthe boat … we could see the place of impact and were sure it waswashed over the boat from the trip earlier … another tasty treatfor Tango … Started the long tack up the channel at 11am and had agreat sail tacking all the way up to the top doing well after only 14tacks at 16:20 pm. Also, we are convinced now more than ever that weare sailing with our very own aquarium attached to the hulls – asour speed should have been way better with such strong winds … upto 40 knots!!!!!!!!!

Had an awesome evening seeing a fullmoon which was half shadowed! Wow! It was quite spectacular!! Enjoyeda wonderful dinner with Tiare which Justine cooked … till two am.

Did some things in Kuah, visited Amandathen headed for Telaga … impressed ourselves by lifting anchor withthe main up!

Another great sail into Telaga where wedropped anchor in the rain, then watched as Tiare dropped anchor inthe pouring rain LOL! Not sure why every single time, even if the sunis shining, that the rain comes the moment we start entering Telaga!

A little later that night, while theanchorage was very quiet and everyone had settled in for the night,we heard a blood curdling scream!

We all jumped up to see where it camefrom …. when we saw Daniel from Tiare coming our way. Tom hadfallen down the companion way and crushed his arm slipping down andhaving the heavy hatch fall on his arm … shame x terrible when youcannot do anything … so we gave Daniel the ice and waited for hiscall which came awhile later saying Tom had calmed down and had avery swollen wrist …

We all lifted anchor around eleven amwaiting first to see how Tom was, then headed for the Butang Islandsin Thailand where we planned to stay for Christmas.

I was not very impressed with myChristmas decorations blowing off the boat!!!

John and I decided to sand the cockpitand the duck so we could paint our non-slip … my Christmas gift andwith it being about a day away I decided to get stuck in and help …Man was that hard work – yet a good job!!!!!

We tied onto a buoy with the help ofTiare who had gotten to the anchorage awhile before us having caughtthe last puff of wind while we bobbed the rest of the way = taking alot longer … and of course having this aquarium attached to us didnot help! LOL

Kids wake boarded well into the evening- not to my liking of course … seen some big splashes which means'big something' s' under the seas … mmmmmm … just a thought ….Spent another great evening having a bring and share curry meal whichwas really delish …. Thanks to Daniel and John who were the mainchefs … John has become quite the chef in the curry department andso is nominated every time now LOL … and I think he knows ittoo!!!! hehe … guess if you got it you got it hey! Lol

Ithas always been fun and so exciting seeing everybody getting readyfor a great occasion - rushing around getting gifts - goodies forbaking, and getting the right decor for the tree... even though we donot have a 'tree' on Bluemoon ... it is still one that is a traditionof all times... yet, how sad that so many have no real idea of what a‘great occasion’ it actually is!! Christmas is not abouttradition, gifts, or decorations. Those are symbolic of theunspeakable gift of God’s love. Christmas is a Glorious realitythat our Precious Lord Jesus ’s birth, not only is ‘History’,but was the ‘Appearance of God Himself, in human form’!! Andthough we get to celebrate His birth every year - it is with a newand fresh excitement of the fact that He is the Saviour of theworld!! It is the end result of His death and the resurrection thatgives such meaning to His birth.. It is through the crib in a mangerin Bethlehem that became the link that bound a lost world to a lovingGod!

Whowould have thought that this Special little baby would one day haveHis feet kissed and washed by the tears of a harlot repenting of herdeeds - That they’d walk this tired earth, dusty and weary, toserve a lost humanity. Who would have thought that His tiny handswould one day be held wide open upon the bars of a cross, piercedwith nails....

Thepurpose of this tiny little baby’s journey to earth, was to come tothis world in the body of a baby, with compassion and grace for thesin-stricken men and women in a lost, pain and ravaged world. He cameto relate and identify with humanity, fallen from grace, and He shallreign forever more as the Glorified King with the redeemed!!!! So letus never forget the true reason for the season - Jesus Christ wasborn for our salvation! And as it was said to me by someone I respectand look up to .... ‘John 3:16 - ‘For God so loved the world thatHe gave His one and only son....’ ‘How sad that the church hasforgotten why God sent His son - Because of compassion, with thegreat love that He loves us with, and with that great love... Hegave... It is now that the Christians should start living out thefirst half of John 3:16 - So that we can be rivers of living waters,that His love may flow from us so that the world

mayknow that He loves us and gave Himself for us... This is thesalvation that He loved us and gave us, He sais that not all who say“Lord, Lord’ , but those that do and live the Word. If we love asHe loves, what a wonderful impact the church will have on a worldlost and crying for salvation....’

Ipray that this Festive Season be one of Truth, Love, Joy and peace aswe celebrate the Birth of our Precious Jesus Christ, our Lord andSaviour!

So a very Merry Christmas to each andevery one of you! Trust you all shared a beautiful day rememberingthe reason for the season!! We had a truly lovely Christmas! Startedwith a delicious breakfast, opened our gifts, then Tiare came overand we all opened gifts again, then ate from a buffet which Justineand I had put together and added to Tiare's dishes, John and Danielbraaing the satays which were a winner … watched the kids wake-board … a truly lovely day and evening spent with truly greatfriends. Sorry we were not able to meet up with Mind the Gap as well…. hopefully we would for new year ...

Spent the next day cleaning off thataquarium which was honestly shockingly larger than we realized! Talkabout added weight!!

Jono made us very proud when he and Samwent to help, along with John and Justine, a charter yacht with fouryoung people aboard who had their anchor wrapped tightly around abommie … it was 13 metres deep and they could not dive it as it wastoo deep so Jono dived it and managed to free it for them who werevery VERY happy for him saving their holiday …

We were buoyed up in a beautiful spotexcept that in the evening the wind and current ripped through andmade for a really rocky and rolly night which was not nice .. so wedecided to head out for Ao Chalong, sailing the whole way again …wind or not lol!

We started with light winds for most ofthe day, then late afternoon had a stunning sail, smooth seas anddoing almost 8 knots COG, then the winds picked up and changed andwere were doing a strong beat hoping the wind would change again…but never did … Tiare were staying another day while Daniel did afew minor repairs and maintenance, though would leave early the nextmorning and catch up. Good thing they did as the weather picked upand again we were slamming and surfing the waves. Swells were hugeand close together again, wind over 40 knots and sailing we were! Itwas an exciting sail and Justine and Jono loved the exhilaratingbeating we were having … were going so fast we had to drop the mainand furl in the genoa!!!! yet still we were up to eight knots and inthis kind of weather it was not such fun … Bouncing around with thewind howling … Could not sleep at all so stayed up even when it wasnot my watch … John had no problem with sleeping so I made tons ofcoffee for us and was surprised at how many squid catches therewere!! They were dotted all over the horizon with huge bright lightswhich looked like little cities everywhere!!!! It was quite niceknowing that even without a moon it did not feel that way with allthose boats, horizon to horizon …

It was a brilliant sight seeing thegalaxy with so many stars and yet again made so many wishes on somany falling stars that I had run out of wishes to wish for LOL …When it is the darkest, the stars shine the brightest and up to dateI have never seen such a display of lights anywhere else except onthe ocean on a very dark night … though that also changed when thesquid boats came out … The bright bursts of light in thephosphorescent behind the boat, in our wake was another blessing …like thousands of little angles holding candles, dancing around wasspectacular!! What a privilege to witness something so magnificent!Again … only when it is darkest do you see such beauty come alive!!It seems to reach in and touch your soul!!!

We had left at 11am and arrived at justpast 11am the next day in Ao Chalong.

(Our co-ordinates … 07 Degrees 49 137N 098 Degrees 21 563 E)

It had been a pretty rough night, soJohn went to sign in while we set about packing away and sorting thefallen stuff … then sat and relaxed with a good cuppa smiling atanother glorious day, knowing that this sailing was truly an awesomeway to travel … way better than even motor sailing …. we werequiet chuffed that we had not used the motors and had saved a goodfew drums of diesel …

Just as were heading out of Ao Chalong,we saw Mc Duck … said our hellos then headed for either Nai Harn orPatong … depended on how busy the places were … We were all hot,tired and not in the mood for squashing in anywhere so gave Nai Harna miss as it seemed very full to us and headed straight for Patongwhere we dropped anchor and were amazed yet again how pretty andcolourful this place is!! Now the funny thing about this place for usis, the closest way to describe it is like Sodom and Gomorrah … yetwhen you look at the locals and not the workers, you get to seeanother side to Patong … Thailand. Europeans lying close to nakedon the beaches with g-strings and being topless is still not what weare used to … though when you look past all these things, the placeis really very pretty … cobblestone walkways, bright and colourful– everywhere … John fixed the 15HP motor and the Port and S/Boardmotors … We were all pleased to see Tiare, Mind the Gap and PlaneSailing arrive! Went by to visit a few friends wishing them for theseason.... Spent awonderful evening with Tiare, Daniel, Hiromi, Sam Tom and Tiaga …and Mind the Gap, James and Lorna watching a spectacular display offireworks … like from Disneyland!!! Amazing!!!! We all went toshore to join in the celebrations which was very festive! Justine,Sam and Jono stayed to dance the night away …. and we have anotherbrand new year ahead!

Onthe 1stof January we all had time to relax and have some quiet time toreflect …

Aswe turn the calendar to the new year, we are faced with newchallenges that lay ahead and hopefully they are embraced with ourenthusiasm and motivation!! Trusting that we do not walk alone!

Thislast year has gone past like a flash! So much has happened in whatfeels like such a short time!!!!!

Aswe look back to the mistakes and mishaps that were made last year,the missed opportunities and the wasted time.... allows for that tobe our inspiration to make this year the best we can by learning fromour yesterday’s.... Let us not go through this year making the samemistakes!! Let us go forward with the reassurance that Christ hasgone before us and let us not take lightly to the fact that we are‘Alive in Him’ and live totally in His freedom that has set usapart from the world and all that is in it!!!

Letour lights shine brightly this year and make an extra effort to bethe vessels that our Mighty Lord intended us to be...! May wecontinue being refreshed and filled up with His Wisdom and Knowledgethat others may hunger for what we have!! Let us be the salt of theearth just as His Mighty Word tells us to!!

Let us grow by taking time to really care and show kindness to oneanother... Let us submit our own ways and desires to the Will ofChrist, for when we are what He wants us to be, then we won’t havedifficulty in knowing what we should do....

Let us face this new year with constant fellowship with Him, for He willlead and direct us in the fulfilment of His plan and as most of usmake self-improving resolutions, let us keep in mind one of the mostimportant... UNITY - in our families, for each other, and for thelost. Let us keep the vision in front of us …. where God IS thecentre in all areas of our lives!

God Bless you and keep you strong in the Power of His Might as we standfirm in His Word and in His Truth!

Thanksto all who have sent mail!

Mayyou continue to keep living life to the fullest!

Till our next blog, John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 91

Havingthe rally arriving is always exciting … it adds excitement and akind of buzz goes on where everyone feels alive … quite a nicechange – meeting so many people … watching the rugby was a greatmemory! South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders and I was theonly one making hideous sounds which John tried hard to ignore!!Somehow it brings people together who are by nature, might never be afriend … There is quiet an industry really among yachties - Entrepreneurs, authors, teachers, engineers, electricians,scientists, mavericks, artists, visionaries and much more … yet forall of us living the sailing life allows for you to learn, grow andforge deep friendships with amazing people who will help and supportyou when you need it. There is a silent but known bond between eachone ….

Beingback on Bluemoon already was an incredible feeling of freedom andwith all the work and maintenance taken care of, we had Justine comeback for Jono's 18thwhich was such a wonderful surprise for him!! That was gift one …The following morning after a good breakfast we headed off to the busstop to catch the bus into Singapore right up to the casino so wecould walk the short distance to the gates of the Universal studioswhere we spent an amazing, fun, exciting, exhilarating and veryenjoyable day!! Our legs were really unstable after some of the ridesyet we continued through each and every one of them – even fittingin a Hurricane experience among others which were just as thrillingand breath taking! Not sure about those faces of horror from us onthe photo's on some of the rides though!!!! Very happy none of thebolts loosened and we actually arrived alive … It was truly afantastic time spent by all celebrating our youngest, Jonathan, 18thBirthday … coupled with the fact that this was a very big occasionfor John and I too as we were taking on a different role now with allthree of our kids being young adults now …. I must confess that itwas a proud moment … I firstly am still surprised that all three ofmy beautiful and amazing children came from within me!! Did we coverall the bases of teaching etc … as we all want to give the best toour kids, teach them things that will carry them through life andpray that they actually live life to the fullest and enjoy and learnand achieve for themselves … teaching them wisdom and praying likecrazy that they actually understood all those years of lessons …and yes, I am honoured to say “I am sooooo proud of the youngadults my children have become” xx I am a truly Blessed mother!!

Justineheaded out again, back to Port Klang with the train this time and myheart went with her xx I never knew one could love to such adegree!!!! Yet I am so thrilled for her and so happy for thisexperience in her life x We met some wonderful ex-pats on Mind theGap … James and Lorna and were so sorry to find they had DengueFever!!! Really a nasty experience and I am quite surprised we,Justine and I actually survived it!!!!!

Ifelt like I, yet again, had swallowed hundreds of butterflies as Iwanted to just burst with joy when on the 11thNovember at 09:15 am we pulled in the mooring lines, leaving Dangabay to set out down the Singapore Strait into the Melacca Strait …meandering past all the huge ships … I felt like an excitedkid!!!!!! Bubbling inside with excitement!! It is now official … Iabsolutely LOVE SAILING!!!!! Actually moving on the water v/s beinganchored …. though that too has it's place … We were sailing withPlane sailing, Bob and Deirdre, and Mind the Gap, James and Lorna.Three cats soaking up the sun enjoying the open water and fresh airwhen we had a 'FLY attack!!!!' Passing Coup de Coup fishingvillage!!! Thankfully James had got us a new mosquito bat which wasjust shocking those fly's yet we had a hit each time as there werehundreds of them buzzing around!!! So it was one cabin at a time –then closing the door, hatching up the mosquito nets so no more couldenter, even by the front doors … and so it went keeping us verybusy till we were honestly so exhausted running around swatting andexercising at the same time!! Who thought one could 'perspire' orrather SWEAT with a full on breeze on you!!!!! Yet, the exerciseproved positive as we had killed quite a few hundred of them!!!!

Sunburntyet feeling refreshed, we dropped anchor at Piesang Island 001.27'842 N and 103.16' 144 E. We took the opportunity to clean the propsand clean the boat checking we had gathered each and every dead fly!!The wind blew hard but all was good!! Mind the gap had to stop toclean their props just passed the Singapore bridge so came happily toanchor by 18:30 pm. While sitting out enjoying the breeze, justbefore sunset, John told me to look at the bird hanging off the sideof the boat … but I could not see it … I turned around and sawthe little tiny bird in the water! Jono jumped in to save it and thistiny little thing was over exhausted … it could not even stand it'slegs were so weak …Had a great supper and slept wonderfully!! Upearly the following morning to be sailing by seven am which had afull moon still out in daylight … yet sadly before the sun came upour little blessing passed away xx

Offto Tohor it was .. Lots of fishing nets to get through … a bigsquall on land which thankfully we could bypass … put out the sails… having to tack as the wind was just off the nose so put out another line which we pulled over the coach roof and onto the winch tohelp us sail closer to the wind! Very choppy but good … anchored bythe fishing stakes … Again up early to try and catch the currentbut as usual the current was against us and strong!!!! Got caught upin the excitement of seeing a submarine being lowered into the water… quiet shallow for a sub … then again what do I know aboutunderwater boats LOL … Got some wind so it was fantastic havingthe motors off just sailing! … Really love it!! Arrived at thewater islands and dropped anchor … had a good cuppa thinking aboutthe great day and the great sail:) .. During the following day, whilemind the gap went to Melacca, we noticed the clouds building … Johnfetched Lorna and James and we all had a cuppa hearing how theirexperience went then they headed off to their boat … still theclouds were growing and the sky was getting really REALLY Black!!!!Lightning was lashing everywhere and serious bolts!!!! Coming rightfor us!!!!

Madeus think of the 'Mother of all storms' we thought we went throughcoming into Penang the last time but this was looking 'ominous' andhad all of us lashing everything down and making sure our wet weathergear was ready, torches handy with batteries … and of course a goodcuppa to sip on while we waited silently knowing this WAS the worststorm we have every faced in all our time in these parts of the world…. Each one in their own thoughts … facing the reality of howvulnerable we are … you also realize in seconds how small we areand how powerless … bobbing roughly on the water not being able tosee very much with the incredibly heavy rains and powerful windslashing heavily on everything … we switched off everything we couldthink of hoping that we had pulled up our 60 metres of chain andpraying we did not drag with our double anchor … though we knew wewouldn't there still is that doubt when you are hanging onto a tinypiece of chain facing this giant of a storm!!! It would have been aSumatra if it was coming from the other direction … It was honestlyquite frighting and I just started praying for Plane sailing as theywere dragging and fast – towards the rocks yet all their lightswere out … we tried calling on the VHF but no answer .. John phonedand managed to wake them only to find that we could not, even if wewanted to, help them with the dingy not just because of the lightningflashing so close to us and EVERYWHERE with incredibly loud strikes,or because of the heavy waves crashing about, but because with ourfive on and the wind we would never have been able to go anywhere butthe rocks … so we stood by absolutely helpless and totallyfrightened for them as there was no way they could pass those rockswithout hitting them!!! … we were really praying, each one of usfor a miracle and I swear … those prayers were answered as nextminute they swung around far to our port side and seemed to beholding on …. motoring into the wind when their anchor finally took… Jono and I were standing inside the doorway watching and passingon the info to John who was looking to see if we too were dragging,and we were pulling hard on the chain and stretching out every singlelink to the maximum!!! When we saw Bob walking onto the foredeck inthe lightning storm!!! Brave man!!! … next minute a bolt oflightning struck his mast and same time we saw Bob fly onto thetrampoline!!!!!!!!! It was like us watching a movie …. I startedscreaming!!!! 'Bob is struck' Bob might be dead!!!! It was absolutelyawful!!!! There are no words to describe that moment … thatexperience … Jono could only shout .. Whoa! Whoa! …... totallyspeechless … tears streaming down my face thinking the worst I seeBob jump up and scramble back to the cockpit!!!! “He's alive”“He's alive” was all I could shout …. The following morningwhen we went around to see if everyone was ok we found that Bob andDeirdre too were surprised they never hit the rocks … so we knowwith out a doubt the miracle that took place … Headed for PortDickson, and had a lovely day and a lovely sail … Plane sailingand Mind the Gap sailing with us … so wonderful making friends andcaring about others in the way we do … you feel a connection somuch stronger than when you are on land … is it because of the timeyou spend with someone v/s on land? Or is it the elements we all faceand so know how much we will need each other when the time comes? Icannot put into words to fully describe the unity we feel right atthis moment going through something so profound and seeing how onecould have cheated death … makes your appreciation for life so muchmore real …. and makes me even more convinced that it is onlythrough the Lord Jesus that the outcome was so good x

Somuch time to just think and appreciate everything we have, how wehave grown, how blessed we truly are … I know I am rambling now butI so wish I had the words to fully describe my heart and what I amfeeling …

Jonathanwas going to join a yacht in Port Klang for the Raja Muda … Justinewas already there and phoned to find out how we were all doing andwow … how I miss my baby!! Ok, Big baby xx We moored up along withPlane sailing and Mind the gap in Port Dickson marina which has astunning and beautiful pool so were looking forward to that. Managedto use our washing machine, clean the boat while John went to town.Lorna and I were speaking to some guys by a racing yacht ' AustraliaMaid' moored up just a few boats away from us and so managed to getJono a 'lift' up to Port Klang! He just laughed but spoke with Jedthe skipper and was happy to be leaving that same night after nine toset sail for Klang. Now we only had one child left LOL!! Mind the Gapleft the following day and we stayed to finish a few projects forJessica's 19thin a few days time. The following day we headed for Port Klang …quite different not having Justine and Jono!!! Actually reallydifferent … and the next few weeks I kept putting out 5 plates eachtime I cooked … instead of three … I think I prefer 5!!!

Wedodged a few big ships coming up the ship channel to drop anchor inthe rain in 6.3 m of water … right by the start line for the racethe following day …. 03 degrees 02' 99 N 101 degrees 20'37 E - wewere caught up in the excitement of the race - 'The Selangor RajaMuda and so lifted anchor very early the next morning with Planesailing to see how far we could go before the first yacht came alongkeeping in mind the race only started at 1pm and it was only 6am!! Wesailed really nicely till just before sunset and dropped anchor halfway to Pancor in the shallows 003 38' 550 N 100 56' 886 E where wesaw the first yachts, Jono among them racing past … there was astorm on land with lightning while we sat bobbing up under brilliantcolours of sundown .. watching all the yachts till late into thenight coming past. Listening to channel 72 which was the channel theracers were using. Two more yachts passed, then awhile later sevenmore and so it went till I could not keep my eyes open. We liftedanchor at 7am hoping to see some late comers but none were seen allthe way to Pancor. We dropped anchor right next to the boat Jono wasracing on. He sms'd us to tell us he saw us coming in, so we droppedmini moon and headed for the beach. How awesome seeing Justine andJono and hundreds of other yachties talking strategy, scores etc...it was festive and there was a buzz going on which of course got meall excited that I wanted to join the race too!!! LOL but we were notleaving when they did, we were going into the Pancor marina aroundthe other side of the island to see Tiare and for us to haveJessica's birthday among friends. We went back to Bluemoon where Jonocame over to visit and fill us in of the excitement of the race.These boats could do a stunning speeds!!!! We went over to fetch Boband Deirdre and head for an ice cream on the beach so we could pop inquietly to the prize giving to say good luck and bye to Justine andJono, yet we should have known better … things are never thatsimple with us LOL!!! It was raining … but that did not matter tous … we had our ice cream then headed to the club so we could bediscreet … next thing you know all the gate crashers were hangingaround the entrance and we started chatting with a few of them,including James and so had quite a big group of people who were NOTinvited!!! The Dato who was sitting near the entrance just lifted hishand and next thing a table is brought out for all of us gatecrashers LOL!! Jono and Justine looking to see the 'disruption'!!!Talk about shoving that pride deep into your pocket!!! We met theowner of the yacht Jono was on, and he ordered a beer for ALL ofus!!!! Now it was getting embarrassing!!!! Then we met the skipperand were feeling like we were IN the race!!! Justine was looking veryexhausted so we decided to leave, but before we did, they had anannouncement to make which made me want to die with embarrassment!!!“There is a dingy in distress” “Dingy in distress” - I lookedat John and told him it was ours!!!! James jumped over the wall andheaded for our distressed dingy which was close to going under!!!!Our petrol container was almost about to float right off into thewaves!!!!! We said our good byes and rushed to save our dingy … wehad taken her up onto beach which had a high bank and so when thetide came in all the waves crashing on the shore were crashing intoour mini moon!!!! Thank the Lord the motor still worked so we wereable to take Bob and Deirdre back to their boat while we headed backto Bluemoon to ponder about our embarrassing gate crashing evening!!!LOL

Thenext day all the yachts were getting ready. Sailing out to thestarting boat while we sailed gently to the other side of the island,watching as the yachts headed out for Penang … we headed carefullythrough the tiny channel to the marina which was quite nice. BarbaraAnn was there, having just come back into the water after being antifouled, and to meet us on our dock was Tom … how grown up helooked!!!! Wow!!! Hiromi and Daniel had gone to fetch Sam from theairport so it was an exciting day meeting up with them again x weshared a wonderful meal and caught up on the years adventures …what awesome friends they are and how wonderful it was seeing themall again xx We celebrated Jess's birthday with Tiare which waswonderful though Justine and Jono were missed – Big time!!! Danielhad to do two trips to get us all to the town to the movies … andstill I cannot get over the fact that you cannot find pop corn aseasily as you can back in SA … and the pop corn does not come withsalt – it is honey covered which is nice – but I still preferjust plain salt … the cake was absolutely delicious thanks toTiare!!! Just wish we had got two!!! LOL

Weleft Pancor around lunch time so we could cross the bar on the righttide, said our goodbyes to Tiare till they came our way in a fewweeks and headed for Penang … knowing that, the following dayeveryone from the race were heading for the last stretch of the raceto Langkawi … So we navigated down the channel and instead ofanchoring at a little island at the bottom where a few other yachtswere heading, we decided to go straight to Penang even though wewould get there early hours of the morning … The sky could goeither way … by now rain is part of sailing, it is just thelightning that is a concern, so you can imagine what a shock I gotwhen I noticed writing in the Log book that the barometer had dropped5 in just less than three hours!!!!! John spun Bluemoon around justas soon as I had told him, with a worried look on his face …. welooked at the sky … looked at the anchorage about an hour away …what to do??? yet we decided to continue to Penang … kids wanted usthere so we headed off praying it would not be a huge storm …. itrained – but that was no problem … had lots of coffee to keep usgoing … Jess was sleeping so it was just John and I and what agreat sail it was .. there was a storm going on – on our port sidebut it did not touch us! Thankfully!!! Turned out to be quite a nicerun … dropped anchor at 5:15am just outside Penang, and had thebest hour sleep ever then lifted anchor at 6:15am feeling quite goodstrangely enough … to watch an awesome sunrise and a very VERY hotday!!! Just coming around the island, Mind the Gap sms'd to see if itwas us coming into the shipping lane, to which it was and there withthem was Plane sailing, who were also on their way to Langkawi. Wetried to gain so we could get to the top of the channel but justcould not … ended up we had to go through the bottom of the channelinstead of the top …. adding 6 EXTRA hours!!!!!!! John was sleepingwhile I was at the helm. Jess and I had just furled in as the windhad died completely … also we were trying to avoid the big rockjust starboard of us … Suddenly the wind picked up so much that Icould not resist putting a sail out … we did, and Jess was thrilledas we went up in two ticks to 8 knots and climbing!!!! I had to go tothe heads so asked if she was ok and would keep an eye out … when Ihad opened the door I could hear her screaming!!!!! My word – talkabout stress levels rising within seconds … I was still tying mysarong!!!! The boat was speeding with the sail wanting to jibe and weare heading right for the rock!!!!! I knew with that speed it wouldbe more that tough to furl in on my own while she let out and soasked John rather loudly to help me furl in!! Poor guy nearly hadheart failure with the panic Jess was experiencing … lol!! We putthe sail back out, but tried dodging all the fishing boats coming outearly afternoon … when we headed around the corner at the bottom wehad strong winds and strong current against us!!!! Boy were wereupset that it was right on the nose so could not sail and really wasburning up the diesel!!!!!!!!!!! If we came in through the topentrance we would have been anchored by four thirty, but not us …NO … we anchored in the dark with no moon at9:30pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EXHAUSTED!!!! One hours sleep in twodays … We could not use 'Fred' our autopilot, because of the strongwind and current so John and I taking turns had to hand steer all theway up the channel … with only one motor on, which took a lot ofconcentration not to go off course … as if the wind took the noseit would have been very hard to get her back on course …. Also,with the beating of the boat, something dropped, which alerted me toa noise … I went down to starboard and yelled at John earlier toswitch starboard motor off as oil was seeping out the seal at thebottom … everywhere!!!! We slept VERY well and were refreshed whenwe got up to another glorious day …. Heard Zaid was coming toAmanda's with his wife so we all headed to Amanda and Fahkrees whereZaid arrived with his wife, then Justine arrived with three fellowyachties and we all had coffee which was absolutely wonderful! Like areunion of sorts xx We all headed to the restaurant near the jetty toenjoy a stunning evening especially with all three of my children …Justine was off to get a good start to the day which was the finaleand prize giving to which this time, we were invited … We arrived,and shortly after so did James and Lorna which was wonderful beingone of the first to get food and drinks … Jono was also at ourtable waiting for his team. When he phoned he found them all atBillions provisioning for the King's cup, as they were leaving thefollowing morning early so had to go up to receive the award for histeam!!! And his team who arrived later gave Jono the award to keep!!We danced and had such a wonderful evening while it poured withrain!!! We were sopping wet, yet went looking like drowned rats tomeet Justine's boss!! You know the saying … You never get a secondchance on a first impression … Yea right!!! Yet we had the time ofour lives!!!!! We decided when it was very late and we could not findLorna or James, that it was time to head back to Bluemoon out atanchor, so Justine saw us off as she was ready to head back,sailing. to Port Klang the next day to finish up on all the paperworketc … How time has flown … sitting here writing this blog, makesme excited as Justine is sailing since this morning heading back toLangkawi again .. coming home xx

Wemoored up for a week in the marina to fix a few things that neededattention. We ordered our wind vane and are happy to see the speed ofthe wind again!!

AsI mentioned earlier about using only one motor as the 'oil wasseeping out' .. what had happened was we found the alternator hadcome loose, and a bolt came out, dropped down poking a hole in theoil filter which was the cause for the oil splattering EVERYWHERE inthe engine and cover … and thank goodness it was seen at thatmoment otherwise we could have seized the motor!!!!! We have cleanedand serviced the motor and everything else, making it look brand newagain … now both starboard and port motors run perfectly witheverything tightened and in perfect working order. Serviced bothalternators so we could charge up and did both water makers …though one needs some tool room service which will have to wait …Being back on anchor is wonderful, yet again … the sun is shining,everyone seems content and now we wait for Justine so we can headback to p

Penangbefore returning to Thailand for Christmas and partake in another setof adventures that just come our way …

WithChristmas being just a few days away, and then a New Year - 2012 ...a new era begins and with it comes new hopes and new possibilities.Every year teaches us different lessons in life and with thatlearning we look forward to put our first step into the new year!!!

Oneof my favourite quotes … The best of all gifts around any Christmastree: The presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.~Burton Hillis and another … I sometimes think we expect too muchof Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears ofkindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to takemy Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus Idrift along into the holidays - let them overtake me unexpectedly -waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself: "Why,this is Christmas Day!" ~David Grayson

And, when wecelebrate this very special occasion with our loved ones, thehappiness just doubles.

Wewant to take this opportunity to wish all our wonderful and preciousfriends and family a Stunning Christmas and a fantastic New year2012xx God bless you all and may you live life to the fullest!!! Maythe good times and treasures of the present become the goldenmemories of tomorrow.

Wish you lots of love, joy and happinessfrom all of us xx Merry CHRISTMAS

Love John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan xxxxx

Log 90

My gosh … I cannot believe how thedays seem to blend into each other and realize months have passed by… The feeling we all feel being back on Bluemoon can only bedescribed as if I have swallowed hundreds of butterflies and they arefluttering inside of me … It is wonderful to look out over thewater and see all the pretty lights flickering and dancing aroundwith laughter from the people echoing down to us while they arewalking by, others just sit on the benches, staring down at all theboats … and I can only imagine what they are thinking …

Australia seems to be just a dream now…. Time went by so fast that I still cannot believe we were therefor just over four months! John and I had part time work, together,which was wonderful as we realized that we have spent the last 22years working together (even before we were married) and to beseparated for the whole day, everyday was not quite what we hadenvisioned, yet been there, done that and not for us x We willalways, through the Grace of God, work together … Also, we met someawesome people in Brisbane, and some will always be remembered withwarmth as they touched our lives in a profound way so it is wonderfulto hold those memories close to the heart …

Sadly, we never got to see everyone wehad hoped to – but maybe in the future when we go back we will …

I sometimes wish we had our ownplane!!! The ordeal trying to bring our stuff back to Bluemoon was anightmare!!!!! The kids left a week earlier than us as we still had afew jobs to do, finish with the house and pass keys on etc … soJohn and I spent two nights in different hotels, having a total ball!Lovely moments where we reflected on our blessings and our future ….We must have packed, and repacked, weighing EVERYTHING like 10times!!!! LOL … and still we were overweight by a lot! We had hopedthe kids would take a few things with them but with all their luggageand having to leave a bag behind (THEY ARE SUPER STRICT with weightat the airport!) we knew there was no way, so we paid online ahead oftime for more weight and went through the baggage weighing a loteasier than expected and headed to the plane for the flight back toSingapore.

The heat has a way of sucking the lifeout of you till you get used to it … and believe me it did not takelong for us to miss the 'cold weather' of Brisbane LOL!

The kids had worked hard on Bluemoonand were thrilled to see us! It really was so refreshing being backwith all of us having renewed energy and all being in High Spirits ….

Work started the next day after Johnand I slept for almost the whole day! Then it was back to scrubbingdeck, cleaning stainless … and the very long list that goes withowning a yacht …

We all headed to Singapore where Johnand I were going to Sim Lim Towers which is a very exciting buildingto go into … electronics, L.E.D.S … you name it … so the kidscontinued with the tram towards the harbour to meet up with Austinfor his birthday, then John and I would meet up with them all laterthen come back to Malaysia … It is normally about a two hourprocedure getting back, but this time it was a good few hours as Johnphoned Austin to find out if they all met up safely and he said NO!He went back to his boat after not seeing them at the mall! And sothe excitement started … we caught the tram and had to cross overto get to another station, but the place was honestly jam packed asapparently the tram had a technical fault and would be delayed forhalf an hour, but according to some of the people there – they hadalready been waiting up to 45 minutes!!! So we decided to find a busand off we went … My gosh was I feeling exhausted! We walked hereand there and just everywhere getting to the bus station, yet werepleased to find a very friendly Chinese man who asked us if we wereheading for the bus stop to follow him, he too had been waiting forthe same tram and so we all chatted along the way which made it seemmuch shorter a walk. We got on a double decker, sat right on top andheaded for the mall. It was about a 40 minute bus ride so waswonderful to see another side to Singapore. I just love how clean itis! We got a call just before we got off the bus that Austin's momand dad had spotted Jono and they all managed to meet up and weresitting in a diner for something to eat … we met up with them andhad a fantastic meal too! Strolled around the harbour looking at asolar boat – WOW!!! Incredible! It was the first solar poweredyacht to cross the Atlantic. Then we managed to catch the tram allthe way back to Woodlands then a bus through customs into JohorBahru. From there we headed for another bus to take us back to Danga.We were honestly so pooooped! But everyone has been busy, enjoyingthe tasks we have to do. I have also been prepping and painting thecabins and heads out which is looking really good. Our hatch coverscame back yesterday looking brand new as our saloon windows …. justneed to paint those

The T-Storms that have been rolling inhere everyday has been quite spectacular! LOUD … Lightning thatsends you wishing you were wearing glasses! Hehehe.

Thank good ness for aircon hey!!!! Alsoa week gone now is Justine … she caught a bus to Port Klang 5 ½hours away for a job working with the Regatta. She will only becoming back beginning of December! So it is so much fun chatting onSkype hearing about her exciting day and what she has learned andbeen doing … Cannot wait to see her xxx I realize how close we areand how much time we spend together and boy is it different withouther here x

Everyone is getting excited about mylast baby turning 18!!! YES!!! The time seems to have just evaporatedand here we are … Now those who really know me know how big a dealit is so we are planning a very special, fun day and let me tell youthere are going to be a few surprises!

We are looking at leaving Johor aroundthe 7th November and slowly head up to Lumut to see Tiarethen off to Penang then Langkawi then off to Thailand … So for now,all is very good our side, working hard, loving life and enjoying ournew little pet, Moonie, a terrapin turtle … he has such characterand is now learning to come out and visit when he hears my voice!!!

Please keep those emails coming … Wemiss you all and really hope you will want to come sailing with us!!Still working on our next leg of where we going to sail after that …Pacific side …

Keep living life to the fullest!! LoveJohn Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 89

With great excitement the kids and I said our sad goodbyes to wonderful friends not knowing when we would all meet up again and headed for Singapore.

We were disappointed that the water we bought for the plane was 'discarded' so begged to drink some on the Singapore side before heading into the waiting room to board the flight. We were so excited and could not wait to meet up with John. It had been the longest time we have ever been apart in 22 years!!!!! No kidding! Painful was not the word! It was like a part of me was amputated!! The kids were a truly great inspiration and I love them all to bits!!! Though I must confess that the Lord kept my chin up!  x

I was more than thrilled looking through one of the bookstores at the airport to find the next sequel to my series from Jean Auel's Earth Children 'Clan of the Cave Bear'. I have read all the other books 8 times!! Yes! 8 times as I absolutely love the long in depth story of the ice ages! It always takes me on an adventure to far away places x

We enjoyed the flight watching movies and listening to music preparing ourselves for being 'land based for awhile as already I was thinking of Bluemoon... and wondering truthfully how long I would last!!

So how does one describe the lessons learnt ... or how you have changed and can all of a sudden see life so differently ... like you have gained so much richness and found the secret to really living life to the fullest ... it is not like you get stronger, yet you do. You come to realize how fragile and quick life actually is and how much beauty there really is out there that we would never have noticed with a full and busy life. I found the noise around me from everybody to be a new experience!!!! Yes - it was something new! Being on Bluemoon life is 'peaceful' 'quiet' even though we are a loud family and have some issues x as most of you who know us know! x You become aware in a way you never did before ... like these past four years sailing have been life changing and powerful! And very ADDICTIVE!! I Just LOVE it!

Normal for me is simplicity and gratitude. Less can be more!

I am a Christian and Love the Lord Jesus more than anything, and have been so blessed to see another side to our Precious Lord and the miracles He has revealed to us through His incredible beauty!! There can be no doubt about His Might and Awesomeness!!! What an amazing artist He is!!!!!! Like I said before ... He has really spoiled some places more than others and enjoys some places more than others x 

Going to Australia makes me think of all the 'Stories' people have shared about their experiences ... having been told how 'strict they are with ALL the rules'!! So many 'fears' 'worries etc that could cause anxiety and stress in heap fulls which most times end up being nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real  ... Really, how many demons do we fight that are not even there?? So it is good not to listen and believe everything you hear - We will soon be experiencing it for ourselves ... We have a choice whether we want to focus on the positive or the negative in any situation .... and we choose the positive ... no matter how hard some things in life can be xx

Have I been on Bluemoon too long? Well I will just have to check that we are not in the wrong lane of life if we stop enjoying the journey we are on .... might just mean going back and refocusing... Happiness and Purpose ..... isn't that what we all seek in life? We are not much different from each other .. this noise is a revelation to me!! There is a freedom in stillness ... Being still for periods of time is such an exhilarating, encouraging thing to experience as in that stillness you draw nearer to the Lord and learn more about yourself ... you also get to 'hear' more than you normally would or rather 'I' would! I cannot say that I have stopped talking as much as I used to ... I think I talk even more and what worries me is that I stand accountable much more than those who don't talk as much!! LOL!!!

Okay ... it is okay if you don’t like something ... just not okay pretending you do - you learn to be completely yourself leaving all those inhibitions behind not worrying about what other people think of you because it actually does not matter what they think ... there are some things in life you do not need to prove or explain ...  the friends and loved ones know and are enough ...

Shows you how time to spare can get me going!!!! I am on a role here! LOL

This food is not too bad - just seems to be so much of it!! Though we are not complaining about it lol xx and those 'low calorie' lable does not mean healthy.

Almost time to be landing at Brisbane airport!!!!! Whoop Whoop!

Well - it has been two months now and wow! It has been great!!! The people have been friendly, and the church we are going to is just wonderful! Alive!!

John finished working and is now spending all his time thinking about Bluemoon and where we can go to next. We have been out quite a bit, exploring and it has been great!  We are staying in a little sea side village just 20 minutes drive to Brisbane city!  Jess had a hard time readjusting but seems to be getting into the swing of life and is now walking to the library everyday coming back with 'cooking books to gardening books' so have all been excited to learn how and what grows in this climate. Jono and I have 'HUNDREDS" of chili seedlings to green pepper to tomatoes! We planted the seeds and now enjoy taking our load out each day into the sun and fresh air watching them grown stronger and bigger! Lisa, a friend from the church gave me some sweet potato which I planted after we shared lunch with them and are so thrilled to see how they have just popped up and are growing strong!!!  Wow! Already we have given quite a few away as they just keep popping up!!! What a wonderful feeling of success loving our little plants!! Only thing now is ... we are planning on coming back to Bluemoon around September and do not know what or who to give our 'babies' to!!!! What a pity we will not see them develop into strong plants producing stunning produce! But we will one day when we come back. 

Quiet an experience getting our licenses!!! You have to have your SA license converted so must still do a learners test and a driving test!!! Not quite what I pictured 25 years later doing again!!!! It took me so long to actually get my license that this seems rather radical of them expecting this at my age!! LOL But having been back driving again I am feeling rather happy and not too bothered as when I went with John to get his, he lost his SA drivers and realized a woman was taking him which just freaked his precious mind out and so she came back and told him she would pass him but let him know he had not done very well! He broke all the laws of driving!! We still laugh now when we talk about it!! Though I had better sweeten my words as I may too have to eat them!!!!

The kids are all well and making the most of the cool days which we are all enjoying!

So ... we will be heading back to Bluemoon and will be sailing again though will keep you all up to date with what we are going to do.

Thanks to everyone who writes to us xx It is always wonderful hearing your news and what you have all been up to!! Keep them rolling!!!

God Bless and Keep Living Life to the Fullest!!

John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan xxxxx

Log 88

Well … talk about a change in plan!LOL Not unusual with John or I. We decided with our 20th wedding anniversary coming up that we wanted to do somethingdifferent … now we did think of dressing up like the Singaporeansdo on their wedding pic day, and posing on the beach doing someamazing stances and aerobic movements while they clicked away withthe camera with the sea in the background, but thought of how long itwould take for us to recover with whip lash and our joints out ofplace … so decided on going somewhere.

John wanted to surprise me with a tripaway, but had to tell me his plan as he wanted my choice out ofAustralia, New Zealand, Bali or Borneo … So after deciding togetheron Borneo, we wandered if we should go deep into the mountains or goto a city and, and, and …. so after much delicious time looking atall the pros and cons, we decided we did not want to go to the oceanas such, or an island and wanted to go and see the orang utans!!!

We told the kids they would be spendinga week on their own, then a few days later after all the arrangementswere made, headed out with a taxi to the airport all excited with our'over packed suitcases' which were way over the 7kg each list andwere let through without any issues. Of course our plane was runninglate, though that did not dampen our spirits.

We had a pretty bad storm we wentthrough and so bumped around quite a bit, but had our pilot chatevery now and then to let us know all was okay and that we would infact land without a hitch, so we ordered coffee which we paid for,then an hour and fifty minutes later with the wind on the nose LOLarrived in Kutching, Sarawak where we headed straight for a coffeeshop!

Kutching is the capital of Sarawak,Malaysia's largest state and it is simply wonderful!! This place isso romantic and has such unlikely history... a charming place!! Wewere warmly welcomed and found the people here to be just sofriendly!!

We decided to put our takkies on andreally tour this place!!!! But first get to the hotel in the rain andbook in … We enjoyed our chatty taxi driver giving us the generaltour guide till we got to the Pullman, our 5 star hotel. Now you mustremember, those who know us, that John and I have never yet taken ahoneymoon since we were married!!! We could not take time out fromworking with family and so have travelled all over the world, yetnever been on a honeymoon!! LOL SOOOooooooo..... this was it!! Onour own, feeling like we were in another Country, we decided to pullout all the stops and go for luxury, spoiling ourselves whileenjoying ourselves … and that we did!!!

The rain came down hard, yet we decided to take a stroll around and see the place a little, so off we went,in the rain, walking down the waterfront, watching some locals fish,enjoying a lovely dinner, buying our coffee, sugar and milk, thenheaded back to the hotel late and experienced that 'spoiltness' witha looooonnnnnnngggggggg HOT shower!!! hehehehe We felt like twonaughty kids!! Wasting water!!! Wasting power!! Gosh!! We need totouch land every now and again other than feeling like we come from acave!!! LOL

We woke early, went down to breakfastat puzzles, and ate so much that you could have rolled both John andI out of the chairs and we would not have moved we were so solid!!!Now I see what they mean by eat as much as you want!!! They shouldhave said at your own risk and given us warning!

We walked down to the bike shop andhired a motorbike. Put petrol in then just headed out to wherever theroad took us … wow!! We went back to the waterfront where we took along walk admiring the unique beauty of winding river … Sampan's(river boats) dot the water here and there and all looks so peaceful!We stopped for a good few cuppa's while deciding what we wanted to doand see …

Kutching has an unusual name – theword actually means 'cat' in Malay. You will find quite a few storiesas to how this name came about, but it is unlikely that it hasanything to do with cats!!!! The two more likely explanations arethat it derives from the Chinese word Kochin, meaning'harbour' , or that it is named after the mata kuching or'cat's eye' fruit, a close relative of the lychee that grows widelyhere. Cats statues are everywhere! Very colourful and lovely to see –not that I am a cat person … Now John and I spotted ' The Great Catof Kuching' which is a monumental kitsch statue, which is situated atthe junction of Jln Pdungan and Jln Central and also after years ofbeing the king of kitsch, the Great Cat now has a competitor – LOL- the Cat Statue opposite one of the hotels near the waterfrontcircle!! Anyways, John and I went around and around and AROUND thisjunction three times so I could get a picture without all thetraffic!!! Every time I started clicking, a car or bike would blockmy view … It was just so funny! Anyway, after getting the photo'swe went into Jln Padungan which is lined with Chinese shop houses,mostly built in the 1920's and 30's during the rubber boom. Some arevery elegantly decorated and walking around the backs of thesebuildings reveals some fascinating architectural details! Of coursethe area has some excellent coffee shops!! and restaurants,handicraft shops and some specialist retailers. Colourful andpretty!! Then it was past Jln India which is lined with shops sellingall kinds of goods, though mainly textiles.

Like all towns and cities in Borneo,the focal point of Kuching, and the reason for its existence, is theriver! We decided you cannot come to Kutching and not go meanderslowly up and down the river on a sampan so that was on the agendaalong with a long list of other must do's!! We were having such fun!!Also decided we would not see anything in an air-conditioned hotel –so only came back late to shower and sleep x Ok … museum day,though I can only see so many without becoming museumed out! So,there was the Sarawak Museum, the Islamic Museum which we never wentin …. The Textile Museum was really well done, taking you backright to the beginning of how it all started … showcases offascinating traditional textiles, most notable, of which are the Ibanpua kumbu and the Malay kain songket. There are showcases whichhouses a superb collection of both antique and modern textiles,silverware and jewellery. You can also watch the weavers at work, orlearn the craft yourself, that is if you have a year or two to spare!LOL! Even more textiles and other hand crafts can be found … youcan even sign up for courses to study many different types of craftskills and traditional dance lessons xx Good thing I bought the danceCds heheheh not sure when I will get the chance, but will make sure Icomplete the challenge! Then you have the world's first Cat Museum,which devotes to all things that are feline … now that is for catlovers, which unfortunately I am not xx Yes, I like cats, but wayprefer dogs x So many museums!

John and I had breakfast the nextmorning and thought we would have enough time to get to theOrangutans, cause it was just 12 ks (I think) out of town … what wefailed to include was getting out of town first!!!! So we arrivedlate! Got to see just a few of these incredible, stunning animals. Iwanted to cry!! I told John we would come back again and again tillwe got the full deal when one of the rangers told us to go see alonghouse, etc … etc … and to come back at 3pm!! Well … we werenow so excited yet wondered how we could kill 6 hours!!!!! Let metell you the time flew and we made it back with 15 minutes to spare!!We rode out to Borneo Highlands which was truly stunning! Windingroads, lush jungle around us with the mountains (big hills) in thedistance – around 1000 meters above sea level. Fresh air, open road… it was awesome!!! We stopped along the road for coffee andsomething to eat which was always exciting as you get to speak to somany people who are interested in where you come from and why youthere x We went to an Iban long house where their hospitality is justlegendary! A long house is basically a terraced street of separatedwellings covered by one roof, under the authority of a headman, ortuai rumah. Each family lives in its separated apartment, orbilik, and communalactivities take place outside on the verandah, or ruai.Most longhouses are busy, modernfarming communities, and people wear practical clothes like jeans andT-shirts when they are at work. Traditional costumes and head dressesare usually only worn for special festivals like gawaidayak (the Iban harvestfestival, 1stJune) and a few others. You are normally greeted with a glass of tuakwhich is rice wine and a welcomedance. We were not staying so did not have the normal greeting lol xThey expect you to contribute to the entertainment just like thehosts and you cannot refuse – it would be more than rude! Anydances, folk songs or poems from your own country will make you somelifelong friends no matter how badly you perform. People can stay fora night or up to a week or more. You learn to do things like they do,help out as though you were part of the family.

We meta lovely family at the Sunshine cafe' at one of the homestays, afterdoing the rounds and needing a good cuppa x wow x You realize howsimple life is and how content they actually are and how nice to seethey are not taken by having material things to make them happy! Afew good lessons to be learned from this! You can use the opportunityto stay with the local communities where you can participate in thedaily village activities and excursions to nearby attractions. Thescenery is just picturesque!!! So Beautiful!! We returned and headedback to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabititation Centre which islocated south of Kutching. It is a 1613 acre Nature Reserve whichaccepts animals either orphaned , injured or rescued from captivitythen re introduced back into the wild. It is not a zoo – unlessthey are quarantined. The animals are not kept in cages and are freeto roam about in the lush green forest canopy. Did you knowOrang-utan means 'forest people' in the local language, and the namefits well given the primates superior intelligence and human likepersonalities x Also in 1996 a team of researchers witnessed a groupof these orang-utans who were making sophisticated tools which theywere sharing with each other to extract seeds from the fruit!!.Orang-utans are native only to Borneo and Sumatra with as little as54,000 who live on the island of Borneo. Female orang-utans typicallyproduce only one offspring every seven or eight years, hence thedwindling population x

Seduku - the "grandmother" atthe Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre – (we never saw her)was born in 1971 and has given birth to several offspring. Ritchie -the alpha male in the refuge – who is just incredible!!! He weighsover 300 pounds and was rescued by a journalist. Most of theorang-utans at the centre are named and the rangers can easilyidentify them with just a glance. There are also many pleasantgardens, nature walks, and an arboretum along the main path throughthe wildlife centre. It is really peaceful and makes you feel onewith nature!! Ritchie made a truly grand entrance! Breaking andshaking trees as he headed out! We had to stand real still when hemade his entrance … stopped and just looked at us!!! He was so cuteI wanted to give him a huge hug and a big kiss!!!! Well … that wastill I saw him move again with such power and agility!!!! He takes acoconut and just gives it a little tap and crash! Pieces go flying!!Imagine your skull??? What an awesome experience!!! By early eveningwhen we could not tear our eyes away from these incredible animals,the clouds got heavier and darker!! We decided when the lastorang-utan climbed up to his nest that we would make a dash for itand hopefully miss the huge storm rolling in … wind was swirlingthe leaves and we could see this was going to be quite a big one …we ran for the bike and headed out noting we did not see another bikeon the road …. a little odd of course … well – we got caughtright in the middle of it and were totally drenched!!!!!!! It wasfreezing cold!!! Managed to go under a cover by the petrol stationwhere hundreds of bikes were taking shelter .. . we were the only'wet' ones!!! You could see they wanted to laugh but never did xx Hada wonderful hot shower after getting home still dripping wet –warming up and holding onto the fantastic images of our day.

There are quite a few river cruises,that ferries tourists along the Sarawak River though we opted for a 'real cruise' on a sampan (locally known as a tambang) which is asmall river boat.

It was a glorious day … John lazedout relaxing on the soft mats while I was jumping around trying toget as many pics as I could …. the current is pretty strong yet ourguide knew how to manage easily his motor and paddles. We meanderedleisurely down the long twisting and turning, calm looking river …taking in all the highlights while being mesmerized by the tranquillife of the people who live in thatched roof houses on stilts by theriver … which provides a direct contrast to the modern buildings ofthe international hotels and shopping malls on the opposite side ofthe river. Somehow it felt like we went back in time ….. really agreat and rich experience.

Rafflesia which is the world's largestflower can grow up to one metre in diameter!!!!! When in bloom theflower gives off a nasty smell which attracts flies and otherinsects. It takes about nine months for the Rafflesia to mature, thenflowering for only 4 or 5 days before dying.... Unfortunately wenever got to see it in real life – only pictures and postcards. Ihave put a pic up on my face book for those who want to see.

We ate great food! Had such a lovelytime doing so many things, some I have not even mentioned! Then itwas back to the airport and finely back to Bluemoon to be greetedwith a great warm welcome, great food and lots of prezzies!!!

Then it was hard work getting Bluemoonprepared for being left for a few months … John flew out a week agoto Brisbane for a great job opportunity while the kids and Icompleted the looooooooooong list of preparing Bluemoon x Shadenetting completed, mooring lines completed, eye bolts in and pipe on… lots of blisters on the hands later!!!!! Fenders covered, hatchescovered, props bagged …. and a lot more …. Almost complete andnow we wait anxiously to head off to Brisbane to join John and startour new adventure. We will be heading back to Bluemoon every fewmonths as the flights are really affordable.

All our bags are packed … we ready togo …. will keep you updated when I can x

Please keep the letters rolling!! It isalways so welcoming to hear from you all and share in yourexperiences and going on's in your lives xx

Love always, John Jenny Justine Jessicaand Jonathan

Log 87

There is somethingabout coming back to Langkawi ... such a burst of wonderful memories... it always felt like home to us, though sadly with our friends not here, and us not being able to attend Zaid's wedding where all our friends were ... it did not feel the same!

We spent a night inTelaga after which we anchored out in Kuah a few days, we went to Royal Langkawi marina where we could fill up the water tanks, do some washing and give the boat a good 'ol clean up. Went shopping for some clothes which was very exciting for all of us! Except …. shopping here in Malaysia is really quite an experience!

Everyone seems much smaller than us … OK – IS much smaller than us, so to get something to fit properly … is quite a challenge all on its own!lol! The size is of course another story all on it's own!!! So thegreat thing about stretch jeans is that you can actually fit into them!!! Yet, the sizes you would normally fit into, a 32/34, is not the same here – you could barely fit your ankle into the jeans!!!Here, being an XL or an XXL is quite normal for a western foreigner like us!!!!! Talk about placing any thought of vanity in the right slot – a massive shock to the system! Yet, we were all happy to have found clothes that actually fitted us.

Thanks to a wonderful friend, George, who borrowed us one of his motor bikes, we were ableto explore and get around which was so much better than walking asJustine and I were still getting over Dengue.... Then when we popped into Mac Donald's for John to have an ice cream as it was so HOThere, then got a nice surprise when we bumped into Brent and Sharyn from Micah which was wonderful!! We all had coffee together and managed to catch up which was also really lovely!!!! Talking the same language was also another delight for us!

I guess I am still not used to calling a waiter … not like we do in SA! You make a kissing sound 'Mwaaah' and that is the signal! You kiss the air and the waiter comes! John has been having a whale of a time enjoying this new pass time! It is truly so amusing to him!

Visiting friends we have met along the way is always such a pleasure when meeting up with them again!!! Seeing George again was great – he is such an amazingguy and has become a really good friend whom we are sadly gonna miss! Nan, whom we love to bits and gonna miss too very much, invited us over for supper - which turned out to be quite a nice and delightful surprise for me as I got to be the chef and Nan the instructor, whichI absolutely just loved!!! Justine was taking notes about everythingI was instructed to do, so now we can make our favourite dishes on our own! It was such fun with us three girls, learning, mixed with laughter, blending delicious smells with bright lovely colours …Ooooh … a memory never to forget! And we all just LOVE Thai food!!!!! And everyone enjoyed the Orange chicken, Nans green curry,beef curry and deep fried prawns. We always have such a memorable time together yet it has been tinged with sadness!! x

Sadly, Bob found his pneumonia was also lung cancer which has shocked all of us! Guess sometimes there are just not enough words …..

We left Royal Langkawimarina and headed for Rebak Marina to say goodbye to friends, and for the kids to say there farewells to Austin, Angie and a few others. We had quite a sail which ended up in a full on down pour as we came into moor up – so we were all drenched, yet felt quite refreshed!

Blue skies showed their colour the moment we were all safely moored up. After a strong good cuppa we headed off to sign in for the night, then headed off to visit Willie, then Micah. The kids had a stunning time! We all wentout for dinner which was really wonderful! Sharing a fantastic evening with great people, and seeing Janice and a few other people we know made the trip really worthwhile!

Before the break in sunrise, we loosened our mooring lines and headed out to deeper water, pointing in the direction of our destination.... Penang, which was over 10 hours away was a very long, yet lovely smooth trip. Lots of people on the dock waiting to help moor us up which is always so kind! I guess I was a little anxious going to see the dermatologist,Dr Lin, who has the road he is in, named after him, which I had seen in April last year and thoroughly felt comfortable with, though I had not covered myself up from the sun on that spot on my back as Ishould have, and John moaned at me continuously about it, even getting me to wear a hat! .. and now it was inflamed and not looking very good! So.... felt way better after seeing him and being reassured that there was nothing to worry about, yet he certainly made sure I would cover up and not make the same mistake again by letting me feel the pain when removing it … again. Had an overall check and was glad to be told “ no more worries” !! Justine also had a sensitive spot removed from her back and is thrilled about it. I will definitely make the trip from anywhere in the world to see him again if any of us need to.

Then it was off to the dentist which turned out to be cool beans for all of us! We all still sit with surprise that Jessica does not have a single filling or has never had any work done on her teeth besides having braces!!!! Praise the Lord for that! She is 18 and has strong, good teeth!!!! So maybe.. just maybe she sucked all the calcium right out of me! LOL

Penang is the kind ofplace we could easily live. It is Malaysia’s smallest state and is nicknamed the ‘Pearl of the Orient’. Chinese, Indian, and Malay all blend together here though the island is Malaysia’s only Chinese-dominated state. It is also connected by the Penang bridge to the mainland – third longest bridge in the world.

It has a fascinating fusion of the East and West, and embraces modernity while retaining its traditions and old world charm. Penang is long regarded as the food capital of Malaysia, and rightfully so! There is just so much character in this place and we love to stroll the streets with much lovely British architecture. There is just so much history here and so many astounding places to visit and things to do. We will definitely miss Penang …. Malaysia!

Finished our shopping and last minute provisions then left the marina and headed for the last island which was three hours away so we could spend the night before the long stretch to Pankor. We lifted anchor the following morning while it was still dark and headed for Pankor. What a lovely day … listening to my mp3, keeping watch while reading a good book…. so many fishing boats dropping nets right in our path! So we were managing to dodge the lines and cruise over the nets with our motors off … On route, Justine's cold seemed to worsen and her cough was not sounding good – we needed a doctor and were slightly worried about her temperature. The cold was now reaching her chest …and of course I could easily overdose my family with vitamins and isotonic!! And though we have loads of different antibiotics ... which one to give?

It is so peaceful being at the helm … gives you so much time to think … how wonderful looking back and seeing how many things we have done …places we have seen … facing the unknown and coming away with incredible memories!!! Experiences we have shared … Moments thathave taken our breath away and somehow we are stronger, I believe …even our relationships have been tried and tested … proving to be strong and unwavering … coming face to face with yourself with nowhere to run!! There are just not enough words to describe that feeling of personal success and accomplishment … it all actually feels surreal!

Arrived before sun set and were happy to drop anchor and sleep like a baby! We were contemplating on staying a day or two, as I wanted to take Justine tothe doctor, but John decided we move on and wait till PD, so it wasup early again and another looooooooooooong day, thankfully making the Port Klang shipping channel before the sun set. Jonathan had quite a nerving day having to jump into the water twice to cut plastic packets off the props. The water was brown and really dirty with so many jelly fish!!!!!! I still cannot believe seeing so many,continuously for miles!!! We did rock and roll a little from the wakes of all the ships coming in and out … but was fine x

Yet again, we lifted anchor early the next morning in a slight drizzleand headed for Port Dickson. Arriving late that afternoon it was great to moor up and fill the tanks with water and have a nice hot shower!!!!

This small town used to produce charcoal, but was later developed as a small port by the British during the Strait Settlement period. Port Dickson was also known as Tanjung. In Malay language that means "cape". The town holds four of the oldest shop houses. Because there was also a carbon mine at the first mile of the coast road, Port Dickson was also called "Arang" (charcoal) in the Malay language.

Tin ore was plentiful in Lukut, an area within the Port Dickson district, during the 1820s,and it attracted Chinese immigrant miners. The British considered the area to have great potential as a harbour, and so it is said that it was given it's name because the officer in-charge was named Dickson,and there after the town was named Port Dickson. Others claim that Sir John Frederick Dickson founded Port Dickson and Pulau Arang in 1889 which evolved into a busy trading centre. Railways were constructed to facilitate the growth and development of Port Dickson. Although Port Dickson experienced rapid development, the beautiful beaches are fairly well preserved. Now, Port  Dickson has become not only a beautiful tourist destination, but a large municipality with about 89,000 residents.

Nice to know the history of the places we visit so we can learn more.

Jonathan still had his glands bugging him, after just getting over a course of antibiotics for tonsillitis, and Justine really sounding bad and having a nasty temperature, John took them to the doctor the following day in town while I did washing and put the boat back in shape with Jessica. Justine was put on antibiotics just short of getting bronchitis and Jono was cleared from the tonsillitis and was assured  the glands would go down so we were all pleased to have sorted out the medical side of life. John and Jonathan went to play a game of tennis then went to visit Bob and Margaret on this amazing boat while I was cooking up a storm in the galley and keeping an eye on Justine!

Could not get anysignal for the internet which is now becoming a terrible habit and cheezing us off some what!!! So have been catching up on my sixth season of Greys!! Not sure how far you all in SA are with that series but let me tell you things are really getting exciting!!!!!!

Left early from Port Dickson while it was still dark careful not to hit the reef as the current was off and it was very low tide!! Springs … major highs and major lows … anyways, we managed to slip quietly into the dark morning and have a great egg and bacon breakfast. We got to the water islands with the intention of dropping anchor for a short period having done a good distance so to clean the props then head off to the next little island, but what a laugh!!! I was not actually allowed to get in the water, but had forgotten about my laser treatment on my back and was sitting on the sugar scoop with my fins dangling in the water noticing how incredibly fast the current was!! John and Jono jumped in but could not hold themselves against thecurrent … so they came flying back to the ladder on the sugar scoop only to try again and be propelled back … so they had to climb out which made me very happy to not have jumped in!

We continued on till the sun had set and there was just a touch of colour left to drop anchor at Tanjang Tohor which had lots of fishing stakes all around.The wind was up, and we had dropped double anchor yet again and were secure, so were not too bothered, and were actually too tired to really care! We could have done a few overnighters if we really wanted but thought better of it because of all the fishing nets that can stretch out for miles and with all these fishing stakes, one does not easily see them along with the fishing buoys or flags, and let us not forget about the rubbish in the water which still astounds us! Logs, huge ones, packets, bottles containers etc... and loose rope and cord which so easily gets stuck on the props. Sometimes we are totally baffled by these fishing boats who normally drag nets behind them and work in two's … as they sometimes cut in front of us which is fine except that we cannot pass them because of their lines outback which can be up to 5 miles long!! And the one in front of us was only about 500m, so …. Often you will see the fishing boats full revs ahead trying to cross your bow as they believe they can steal your luck! Some of them don't even slow down when they can see they are going to hit you!!! So you have to be alert when you see them bearing down on you!

We stopped at Pisang island and did manage to jump in and clean the props which worked out perfectly and shortly after John and Jono got on board, the current came in almost seconds afterwards so that it would have been impossible to do, so we were all happy the job had been done and our luck was running strong.Lifted anchor again and headed for our last evening anchored out and sailing together at Koh Muk. With Justine not feeling so good and me fighting off this cold, John made a delicious Pork Roast which we all enjoyed and reminisced about our four year sailing adventure. The realization of it all … being something truly incredible … having something to hold on to … something to savour and to remember …. has truly been a blessing which I will forever be thankful for!

John and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this month, March, and cannot believe how much stronger our unity is … our love, for each other, our children, and for others... we have been on some incredible adventures, have done things that still surprise us.... The travels we have experienced and the changes that have taken place among all of us have changed us for life! Kind of puts your priorities in order and you get to realize what is real and what is not … the true value of life which is ultimately family and the ones you love … there is just so much beauty out there that you just cannot deny that we serve a Mighty God!!!  Rare moments of divine beauty … a butterfly fluttering past you in the middle of the ocean where there is no land … a white feather falling out of the sky with no birds around … also in the middle of the ocean … somethings are just unexplainable, but you know you have been blessed!

Up early for our last stretch to Danga. Lots of ships near Singapore! Cannot even count there are so many! Passing Indonesia, along the Malaysian coast and seeing Singapore still catches my breath! The sun rising and waking the day up is always awesome to see. Up till now I have never seen a bad sunset or sunrise! Each one is unique and really stunning! A beauty that cannot be truly captured on canvas.

Mountain ranges going from clear to misty rolling one onto another is just astounding! John spotted some birthday balloons in the water and so with the boat hook I lifted them up on board and was delighted! Heart shaped pink girlie ones, red and blue ones – all so pretty yet slightly deflated, but pretty non the less.

We were escorted yet again by theSingapore custom boats checking we did not come to their side, and hearing the shooting going on at the shooting range made us more determined not to stray to their side, praying there were no stray bullets coming our way! Coming out the channel and onto the straight heading for Danga, we notice Laurence jumping up and down with both hands waving wildly at us which in turn got all the other people on their boats looking at us and probably wondering who the heck we were, yet still waving at us as though they knew us! We felt like we were celebrities!!!! LOL What a wonderful welcome back!! We moored up with lots of help on the same dock as before and in the same spot which we were very happy about so we still can imagine being on our own little island!!!  How wonderful to be greeted by lovely, goodfriends! The skies decided they had given us such great weather for way to long and had to make up for the shortage of rain we have experienced and so welcomed us with a short but strong storm to welcome us back to this part of the world.

We left Danga on the4th November 2010 and arrived back here on the 4th March 2011.

Our plan is to sort through all our stuff again, clean out and repack our boxes etc. Do some maintenance on Bluemoon including repainting the non slip decks.So have been so busy with John sorting through and cleaning up, that I was so shocked to wake and be hit with flue right now, that it has taken the sails right out from under me!!! Hopefully this won't last long! Justine thankfully is much better, so that helps!

Been reminiscing a lot lately … and just thinking about it now … I so desperately want a good cuppa with a coffee bun from Rotiboy!!!!!!! There’s a popular bakery that started in Malaysia called “Rotiboy". Their signature product is the Rotiboy bun which is a sweet Mexican butter bun baked with a crisp, coffee-flavored topping.Really Delish!!! Rotiboy got so popular that they were able to aggressively expand through out Asia. And we, Jono, Justine and myself are totally HOOKED! Now they have closed the ' Festive Centre' where our bakery was and so cannot get any more!!!! You have to go into town if you want!  SOOooooo … I went on a internet search looking for the recipe and decided to share it with any coffee loving, daring and adventurous cook who will be thrilled with a new found treat!!!

“Rotiboy”Mexican Coffee Bun Recipe(makes about 17buns)

Coffee Topping Ingredients

200 g softened butter

160 g icing sugar

3 lightly beaten eggs

2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp water

a pinch of ground cinnamon

200 g flour

Method

Beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs.Mix in coffee flavouring. Sift flour onto mixture and mix until combined. Refrigerate the mixture.

Sweet BunDough Ingredients

500 g bread flour

20g milk powder

75 g castor sugar

6 g salt

8 g instant yeast

5g bread improver (vital wheat gluten – optional)

1 lightly beaten egg

270 g water

60 g softened butter

Method

1. Mix flour, milkpowder, sugar and salt in mixer on low speed 1 min.

2. Add in yeast, egg and water. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then medium speed for 8 minutes.

3. Add butter and mix for 5 minutes more on medium speed until a soft, smooth and elastic dough forms.

4. Remove dough from mixing bowl and shape into a ball.

5. Divide the dough into 55 gram portions. Roll each portion in to a ball and then cover and set aside for 10 minutes.

6. Flatten a ball of dough and place a 10 gram cube of butter into the centre of the dough.

7. Gather the edges of the dough and pinch to seal with the butter being in the middle. Pat into shape and place on a greased baking tray. Proof the buns for 45 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to200*C (400*F).

(Notice that we’re using the wrappers from sticks of butter to line the baking sheet. Annie learned this tip from Fine Cooking magazine. The butter wrappers are like pre-greased parchment paper!)

9. Scoop the topping mixture into a piping bag and pipe the topping in a spiral pattern onto the buns.

10. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the buns are lightly brown.

Remove from oven to cool, but not too long. They are best eaten warm!! And you can’teat just one!

Now I can continue with my reminiscing …. These few years have truly been awesome! Growing and learning … expanding my views and realizing how narrow minded we actually were while I thought we were quite open minded! LOL

Every area of my life has been challenged .. I have been stretched and forever changed …and am so happy for those changes that have actually set me free! I have grown in areas I never even knew existed LOL x While sailing, we have met and been surrounded by many amazing, and incredible people,some who have lived their dream, some living it, and some who only talk about it ...many who have exceeded their own expectations and a many who have not. I guess the hardest step is taking the first one! But after that…. life is full of many surprises and adventures and people who go out of their way to help you with whatever they can … almost like a surprise … we all worry about the unknowns … yet one would be thoroughly surprised at how easy it actually all is …

This last week, we cannot believe how much it has rained and so have taken to doing small jobs, while the sun shines, then relax and enjoy some time for each other. Visiting friends and having a few silent and peaceful moments … John filled me up with vitamins and other stuff and thankfully I am well and back on track drinking my apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper every day! We went to the carnival here which is kinda like a flea market, yet they have almost every shop in Johor at the carnival which they have once a year and let me tell you guys – it puts the Highland gathering to shame!! It is so huge and so busy that all you see are hordes of people EVERYWHERE!!!!  It was great feeling a touch of the festivities after feeling so heart broken over Japan's catastrophe!

Anyway, please keep the mail rolling and let me know how the buns tasted!!  xx

We are always thrilled to hear from you x

Till the next blog, keep living life to the fullest!

John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 86

So .... after a really wonderful Birthday, we decided to lift anchor and head off to our cute little Flint stone Island, Rang Yai where we would stay for a few days after going to Koh Hi first,  then meet up with Tiara. Sails full, doing 8 knots ...the ocean a deep blue grey wonderfully pushing us forward ...  brought to mind a good reason to celebrate ... it was exactly 4 years that we have lived together ,and breathed on Bluemoon, twenty four hours a day, sharing love, joy, laughter, our children, many incredible experiences, and all our daily trials ... . One could not help reminiscing about how quick our trip has gone... during a journey .. many things occur that usually take a life time to experience! I think it is because of what one is exposed to. This is the world I love! This is a true feeling of being alive, a perfect harmony of life! We were all totally absorbed in our amazing, beautiful, and forever memories, having an appreciation in the value of all the amazing people we have met and grown to love  .... Meeting so many people along the way, who have never even thought of a dream, or many who have dreams, but have not accomplished them, brings to mind something I read about ...  there are those looking to kill time while others who live pre occupied with how to live longer, and the reality is that we still have to live it ... time ...What I have learned is that the greatest enemy to accomplishing your dream is yourself! And the best hope of accomplishing your dream is also yourself! Life funnily enough only gives you life, everything else you have to work for, otherwise you will feel trapped....  so don't waist your time waiting to be given happiness, or love, or unforgettable moments .... or even dreams ... you need to get out there and live and go for it yourself!

What a way to savour your life and have meaning to it!

I know there are many who do not believe fully in the Lord Jesus - yet this trip, the people, my experiences, has re-confirmed that there IS a God, Jesus .... He is more real than everything else and without Him I would never have done the many things I have or grown and soared like I have ... it has all been through Him that I have got to where I am - John, Justine, Jess and Jono too x

I realize that I am addicted to love, to life and to dreams .... The more I seem to love, the more I want! The more dreams I accomplish, the more I want to go for the rest of my dreams!! I am totally hooked on life and living life to the full!! It is such an amazing way of knowing I am actually living ....

For all those reading this that can relate to what I am writing ... Re-evaluate your life ... where you are right now, what you are doing and the reason you are doing it .... do you make time for the simplistic and most wonderful things such as friends and family ... all the money you make - do you get to have time to enjoy it with your family? I read once that there are statistics for everything except how many people are truly happy ... In love or living their dreams ....

It does not matter how long we live ... only how we live.

Looking back and thinking of all the countries we have sailed to makes me feel Sooo excited! Thinking of having lived all this brings back so many incredible, wonderful memories .... especially all the unbelievable lessons that we have learned and carry inside of each one of us ... having fallen in love to many times with so many beautiful places ... I always think God spent more time on some places than others ....

I have searched for simplicity, tranquillity and peace ... and have found it to be a way of life I will continue to strive for!!! Also another thing I remember somewhere, is that there are no illnesses ... just ill people. Gets you to thinking ...

We dropped anchor at Koh Hi which was a lovely, quiet and peaceful little bay. Jono went to a tiny little beach at low tide and climbed this huge jaggered mountain!

Started feeling not so good ...  then Justine had a temperature which worried me ... so through out the night I washed her down and kept an eye on her, myself feeling not so good and could not sleep very well. The following morning her temp was up again, and I too was feeling even worse, yet trying to ignore it and hoping it would go away! We lifted anchor, sailed in calm water to drop anchor at Rang Yai. We needed to get our charger working so decided to lift anchor and head for the entrance of Boat lagoon where we dropped anchor, John and I then headed with the dingy to Boat Lagoon where we moored up then went to town to drop off our charger to be checked out. Quite fun going on a plane again!!! Feeling nauseous, back ache, headache.... Got a few things we needed then headed back to Bluemoon where we lifted anchor and re anchored  at Rang Yai just as the sun was setting.  We had spent three days at Rang Yai, where I had almost no energy. Started vomiting and thinking I had a tummy bug.... Both Justine and I had a temperature.  Tiare arrived and spent the night at Rang Yai then we both lifted anchor and headed for Koh Phanak.

By then we both had a High fever, 40°C, bad headache, red painful and sensitive eyes, Chills, my lymph nodes were up, we both had deep muscle and joint pains, felt ultra sensitive to touch, loss of appetite, nausea and I was vomiting. Our blood pressure was low and we both had extreme fatigue! Had extreme lower back pain too - It was terrible! I felt all my skin had been peeled off of me and I was in agony lying on my bones! I had earlier been helping and ' treating' Justine, then I just could not ... My precious husband and Jono decided to head back to land and help as with both of us being so sick, they needed help close by. Tiare decided to stay the night as it was already late in the afternoon by now which meant we would drop anchor in the dark. Justine and I had slept most of the way - John was gunning the motors! Had quite a time dodging the very shallow sand bank which we are sure we touched. John did some research after the clinic was not very helpful to our condition, and could not help us, but did buy lots of isotonic which we were told to take and started taking regularly by John's insistence, though we were both too weak to have even tried to argue. Tiare came in early the next day x John crushed some paw paw leaves found on shore, and gave us the juice, ( a few times during this period) which increases your while cell count which is supposed to help with dengue fever. It was really awful being hit like this and feeling so sick. Anyways, it was up and down for several days, till we were certain we were not going to die LOL! Though we were very week for along time, we were slowly getting stronger and better.

Jono filled the water tanks, got some veg then lifted anchor along with Tiare and headed for Koh Hong.

Just had rain so it was quite refreshing! After a good sail we dropped anchor at  Koh Hong which means, Room Island and is part of a group of islands one hour north of Krabi. Koh Hong has only one beach - Pelay Beach - and it is extremely beautiful! Fine white sand, coral and lots of varieties of tropical fish.

Ko Hong is another island with a big lagoon and caves and the boats arrive here en-masse and weighed down to provide the Hong experience for the multitudes. This area is part of a national park and is quite stunning. The islands are very pretty with caves, overhangs, limestone stalactites hanging down to near the water, all quite spectacular really! Pelay Beach is framed by limestone rock formations which give it an enclosed feel. Coupled with the fact that there are seldom many people here at night as there are no hotels or stay ins, Koh Hong kinda feels like a ‘desert island’ which is so cool! Its name comes from an eroded group of caves in the middle of the island which harbours a large lake with a small passage to the sea. When the tide is high, long tail boats are able to enter the ‘room’ and tourists swim in and around in crystal clear water with a depth of around one metre. It is beautiful!! I just love it!

Koh Hong is also one of many collection points for the nests that provide the ingredients for bird’s nest soup! Can you believe it!! Anyway, you can witness the fascinating sight of young men shimmying up bamboo poles to great heights to collect these nests, genuinely risking life and limbs in pursuit of their income! Apparently death and injuries do happen! For us this little island is really ' getting away from it all'  and I just love, LOVE sailing in these parts!

We had a lovely time paddling around and exploring and taking lots of pics .... funny how we have stopped being tourists that only see things from the outside... instead we have actually lived each place, taking it all in and it being just awesome!!

Lifted anchor and headed for the floating village. We were escorted in by a tour dow and declined the tour so politely he headed off to escort Tiare in.  It is an entirely Muslim community floating in the water, even the mosque, and shops were built on the wooden structures that hold the paths and houses more than one meter upon water level. This village is perched along the huge rocks of Phan Nga Bay and flourished with the popular fishing industry of the area. Through time, the village has changed and been exposed to the tourist industry. You will see quite a few tourists looking at the many little shops which are hugely overpriced! Also many, including ourselves and Tiare have enjoyed a lovely meal in the restaurant. It definitely is a different way of life.

A day later we lifted anchor and headed for Koh Roi. it is absolutely fantastic - seemingly it's a rock climbers heaven, as the mountains around here are massive and some were busy mountain climbing so Jono and Sam saw it as a challenge!

In Phanaga bay most of the islands, Ko Hong, Ko Panak, Ko Roi and Ko Phanang, have a lagoon and caves and the boats arrive here also en-masses and weighed down to provide an experience for the multitudes of tourists. This area is part of a national park and is quite stunning. At Ko Roi we saw a few boats anchored out, and one was South African whom we knew so we went to say hi on our way to shore. Feeling really sick we still managed to do some exploring. This Hong was spectacular! There were lots of mangroves inside and it had the appearance and sounds for a set for Jurassic Park! The amount of bats and birds gave one quite an eerie feel - especially seeing a totem pole tied up in a mountain groove with rope.Tango was brought to shore and loved the freedom of running around and exploring too!! We went back to Bluemoon to relax and take some isotonic while the boys headed for the mountain, and climbed it jumping off the rock into the water!!! It was so high - 10m I think...  that the guys had to straighten their feet so they didn't break anything! Unfortunately Jono pulled a tendon and has been taking it very easy so it can mend.

Went to another Hong then off to Krabi which has such a stunning scenery! I love sailing here as it is so astounding ... and the beauty of colour surrounded by a stunning coloured sea with elegant limestone mountains all around.

It is amazing actually that at most of the popular places you can barely see the beach for all the people, boats, piers, shops and deck chairs .. now Ao Nang beach, Krabi, is a vibrant tourist centre.

It has the relaxed atmosphere of a small town, with the beauty of beach resorts all around, and the friendliness that sets Thailand apart from Patong side. The town itself is small; a 30-minute stroll takes you from one end to the other. Given that floating buildings are impractical and sheer cliffs don't readily lend themselves to development, this paradise won't be paved over anytime soon!

Ao Nang is actually 20 minutes from Krabi Town. John and I went ashore and took a long stroll around the little town enjoying the fresh breeze and being off the boat for awhile. Also go a few things from the chemist to help with the dengue fever, including more isotonic! Coming back to mini moon we were shocked to see the tide had really gone out and mini moon was half way up on dry sand! I was instructed  by John to stand by while he pulled her back to the water and so started and received some help by passerby's eyeing me out as if to say why are you not helping... but with a temp and still feeling very sore and weak I was not going to even try and explain...

There are so many small, intimate islands nearby that you could pick a direction and give your water-borne taxi 30 minutes... A watery world of adventure waits, as you cannot get to those islands by car - only boat We actually went to Riley bay first then to Ao Nang, Krabi x We dropped anchor at Riley with a setting sun on the horizon - which was stunning, after doing a recki to check out the bays and decide which was more sheltered from the strong gusts, and so radioed Tiare then dropped anchor.

Riley is part of the mainland, but is only accessible by boat, because of the high cliffs behind it. There are 4 beaches on the peninsula: Tonsai Bay; Railay West (Sunset Beach); Phra Nang Bay; and East Railay (Sunrise Beach ) Some spell it Riley and some Railay. The resort was built in 2007, and is surrounded by limestone cliffs and accessible only by boat. The golden sands of Riley Beach, the crystal-clear waters of the Andaman Sea, the sheer cliffs and the tropical jungle covered hills of Krabi surround the individual villas, which are set amidst coconut groves and exotic gardens will be imprinted in my memory forever! Absolutely breathtaking!!!

Railay presents a tranquil and extraordinary world... within such a small peninsula, it is stunning to see such gorgeous white sand beaches, soaring limestone cliffs, viewpoints, caves and a lagoon hidden inside the cliffs, shaped and fed by the changing tides.... There are only footpaths ... no buses, no cars, just long-tail boats. Although it's actually connected to the mainland, the spectacular place is effectively cut off from the rest of Krabi by limestone headlands and steep jungle valleys, except by sea. This place is honestly the very picture of tropical paradise!!!

That night we had a delish Japanese curry Hiromi made! We bought these same  Japanese curries which Hiromi and Daniel suggested and could not read the instructions, yet after tasting her curry before, and with help from Tiare, we have learned to read and change the recipe as needed and Love it!!! So were thrilled with a great curry.

The following day, after being in Ao Nang, it was time to say goodbye to this beautiful place that managed to refresh my spirit and soul, and head back to Yacht Haven so we could go to Ao Chalong to sign out.  Sam got the good news that he was accepted into Uni so everyone was so excited for him - just sad that Hiromi and Daniel will watch their first born leave the nest and soar like an eagle ... our time too is on countdown ... and we have two babies gonna leave ....so our time is also coming ...

We had an awesome sail down to Yacht haven, then had to furl in all the sails and motor down the channel to drop anchor with low winds. We hired a car and headed the following day to sign out. Picked up our charger that was not even looked at!! Went to Tesco and shopped till we dropped LOL!! Bought lots of pork to fill the deep freeze as in Langkawi you don't get any x Had a really nice day then headed back and gave the car keys to Daniel so they could go to Tesco too to do some shopping before Daniel and Sam flew back to NZ for Sam to go to Uni x Then it was another great day!! Sam's 17th birthday!! We had a really fun time! We made a ' book ' for Sam to take with him to uni xx also got a video from them of our trip! Whoop whoop!

Looking at all our children, including Tiare's - it is wonderful to see that they are not a result of marriage, but the fruit of it x  I am a blessed woman!

Sadly,  the following morning, 6th Feb, after topping up the water tanks, we said our goodbyes to five wonderful friends, whom we had sailed together with since the 4th November x They have impacted our lives in ways we will forever be grateful!!

I cried all the way lifting anchor and sailing down the channel ... I hate goodbyes!! Yet that is the saddest thing about sailing and meeting wonderful people - each one must go their own way after a time and that is always the hardest part!

We headed to Phru Nai where we dropped anchor right next to a nudist boat! LOL EVERYONE, eight people we counted were all nude - canoeing, swimming and relaxing ... so we also just relaxed and chilled for the night, then it was up early, lifted anchor, let out the sails and sailed out of the anchorage all the way to Koh Lanta which consists of 52 islands including the largest, Koh Lanta Yai. It's located approximately 70 kilometres from Krabi town and is not at all as pretty as Krabi, but it is still lovely and peaceful! We dropped the dingy and headed off to drop anchor just off shore with mini moon and all of us dived into the crystal clear water where we swam, and thoroughly enjoyed splashing around! It was absolutely wonderful!!!

We lifted anchor at the crack of dawn and headed for the last island in Thailand, which of course we never stopped at as we were having such an awesome sail!! So we just continued knowing the sun would set by the time we dropped anchor in Telaga, Malaysia. We did a ninety miler where we sailed right through! It was absolutely awesome! Just extremely hot! We entered Malaysian waters just as the sun peeped over the horizon, then managed to drop anchor as was thought, when it was dark. All slept very well! Woke to a glorious backdrop ... a totally picturesque setting! Dark greenery on a huge cliff with the cable car dotting the tip of the mountain. Then after a lazy morning we lifted anchor and headed for Kuah, which is a rustic little town.

It is also the point of entry to Langkawi Island which is also a duty-free shopping town. Somehow this place, which feels like home to us has an old-fashioned charm to it.

Kuah, the main town, is located on the southeastern side of Pulau Langkawi and is the take off point to the neighbouring islands by ferry.

The name "Kuah" is a Malay word meaning "gravy" and involves an old legend of two battling giants who overturned a gigantic pot of curry at the spot where the town now stands.

While at anchor, we get to see the square with real bright and colourful, pretty lights at night, which is dominated by a huge statue of a brown eagle which is always so breathtaking to see!! The reasoning behind the brown eagle stems from one of many theories about the island's name. 'Lang' means eagle in Malay (although the modern word is actually helang) and 'kawi' means reddish brown -- or the brownish limestone that makes up the island according to some.

After setting down after anchor we decided to set out to town to find something yummy to eat! x

Till our next log, keep living life to the fullest!

Love always, John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 85

Finally …. Thailand

As most of you know … sadly this is our last trip sailing with our Teens for a while. We are going to Australia on another adventure for the kids to study/varsity for awhile, and for them to spread their wings and live with their feet on the ground ...so as a family, this trip is the last together for awhile...

John and I will come back and sail, but want to settle the basics and make it easier for all of us going our own roads for awhile … so we decided to soak up every moment and every memory …. and it is amazing how the days can pass so quick and just blend into each other like they do ….

We, Tiare and Bluemoon finally lifted anchor and managed to leave Telaga, Malaysia on the 13th December, and head for Ko Taratoa, Thailand which was about a three hours sail. A huge black cloud gathered and threatened us yet again,though headed on over the mountain to drop on Telaga … our tankswere fill so we were quite pleased to still be dry. … the wind inyour face – choppy swells ... but who cared – we were sailing!!We dropped anchor at 16:50 yet had to log it at 15:50 because of thetime difference!

Headed the following morning to KoBulan which we had not been to before … and what a great day itwas. The kids enjoyed swimming and enjoying the kayak war which waspushing each other off the overturned kayaks, then standing tall asthe winner till they were taken out with a new winner standing tall …way too many jelly fish for my liking! Thousands, with noexaggeration!

While watching them all having such funand me having a really good laugh … It makes it so much more realthe wonderful and amazing moments like this which I can see runthrough my mind of the memories … of all the laughter and funtimes we have all had … now … my babies are all beautiful youngadults .. getting ready to leave home!!! It has just gone SOOooo veryquick!!! I guess my heart is heavy yet happy too … still a littlemore time ….

Koh Phetra was our next destination sowe all had another great day dancing a new step with Jusitne, makingwater and enjoying being on the water sailing again … just alovely and perfect day.

Had to re-anchor as we were almost ontop of Tiare LOL!! Looks like we are really enjoying their company!LOL Though it has truly been wonderful sailing together. They havebecome such lovely friends!

Stunning seeing a dolphin with lots ofsea gypsies dotting all around us. Anchored with just the CQR whichheld so nicely! Then to everyone's surprise, being totally thrilledto bits, we caught not one, but two reasonably big fish!!! And at thesame time!!! Wow! Had three bungies out including the rod! Wowwee!!!What an awesome feeling and also confirmation that there arestill some fish in these parts of the world!! So when we had anchoredin Koh Muk which had some Hong's and looked really great after twoyears, Daniel and Heromi came over and we discussed our catch of theday. To our absolute delight they were going to make the rice andcook one fish as they wanted and we our way then share! It wasawesome! Such a wonderful treat! We had the afternoon before wecooked supper to meet Rainbow Gypsey, a SA s/v. Strange and wonderfulhearing our accent again! Really funny actually as the familiaritymakes you feel quite connected! Also swam through the Hong which waslovely and refreshing along with the dozens of other tourists comingon long tails, dive boats etc! Had a stunning evening with Tiareeating such delish fish!!! It was quite nice waking up early, headingfor Koh Lanta. Stunning watching the day wake up with a good cuppaclearly noticing the Thailand Mountains with their mystical touch!Then everyone had a great time swimming and the kids body boarding.Thoroughly had a brilliant time sailing with no motors too Koh MiThon – Mia bay was jam packed again and we decided to not stop by.All went snorkelling and John and I took the duck around the cornerto where all the tourist boats were anchored while everyonesnorkelled. It was truly magnificent!!! John had to eventually dragme out the water otherwise I could easily have floated all eveningtoo LOL The coral is pretty dead with just a few patches of livecoral, yet the array of fish!!! Wow! The schools of them wereswimming inbetween me and past me. One little fishie seemed to turnaround and google at me then swim off infront of me, then turn aroundand come and google again! Such a touch of magic being soooo close tonature like that! After a good nights rest, we headed for Ao Chalongso we could sign in. We had been warned that there was an increasein dingy theft, so had her tied up along with many others on the longpier. We signed in, headed off to the the shops for a few provisionsand a walk about when Jono decided to head on back to the dingybefore us and bring her to the beach so we could pack our shoppingpackets easier. John was busy finding out about some stuff he neededfrom the dive shop, to which the girls and I headed back to thebeach. Jono had just arrived looking rather ruffled! He thenproceeded rather calmly to tell us that when he arrived he saw a longtail towing our dingy away!!!!!! So Jono then shouted at the driverwho turned around, noticing another duck coming to tie up …. theguy realized he would not be able to get away with stealing our duck,so promptly turned around then kicked the duck towards Jono thenheaded off. Jono told the other couple arriving about the guy whotried to steal our duck!! I went back up the steps to the securityright there and told them about the situation and alerted them thatit was the locals with the long tails – Hopefully they would dosomething to prevent others actually being stolen! John arrived back,so we were all so very grateful to Jono for saving the day and to theLord for protecting our duck while we headed back to Bluemoon. Westayed the night keeping an eye on the duck LOL Tiare and Bluemoondecided on some of the time sailing that we leave when we wake up …which could be sometimes 9 or 9:30 LOL So we left lunchtime for NaiHaan and were surprised to see that the beaches were packed tocapacity!! Full! Full! FULL!!! John and I went over to Tiare whilethe kids headed for the beach. Every now again we were checking themout with the binoc's when we spotted someone on our duck!!!!!! Nextthing we see Justine swimming out at a speed to the duck which theyhad anchored just off shore and realized it was the life saver tryingto save the duck and the people swimming because of the change incurrent which was now ripping through. She came back to the boat,John dropped her off and we would fetch them when they signalled,which we did a few hours later. It was quite delightful watchingeveryone having such a nice time. People of all races and sizelaughing and having fun.... We lifted anchor the next day beforeten and headed around the corner to Patong. Now the last time we camehere, we felt so harrassed and bothered that we honestly left withsuch a bitter taste in our mouths, so were hoping we did not have thesame experience. Also, up till this point, we found the water inThailand in general to be so much cleaner! The people we had met onthis trip so far was honestly such a turn around so were very happywith the experience so far. We all went into Patong after droppinganchor just to look around and do some shopping before Christmas.This year we decided to make home made gifts which we thoughtappropriate that the kids could take with them and use for many yearsto come, which took quite abit of work on our part. Anyway, what adifference! Justine, Jono and Sam decided they were going out thatnight, which was going to be (my kid's first Disco event ever!) LOL Sadly Jess could not go with because of the lights – the strobeswhich would affect her, so she stayed and watched a movie and wasquite happy with that as she is not quite the dancing type. Wedropped the kids off at the jetty with strict instructions on whattime (2am) to meet back at the jetty. Well! They all thoroughly had abrilliant time!!!! Went with all their free tickets for the freedrinks and danced their little feet finished! Justine makes us laughso much as she really loves to dance and knows how to have a reallygood time without drinking to get happy. Jono gets pushed to danceand have fun because Justine knows how and when he needs to getrocking LOL though he is not as dance active as Justine unless he ison the floor with her!! The following morning, with two tired teenswe headed off to Nai Yang where we spent Christmas for a few days.Great day!

Jono and Sam met two lovely ladies whowere on holiday from Singapore – ex pats from Ireland. So thatnight they all went out with Justine to play pool, but ended upcoming home past two from meeting a few other people and having afabulous time. Swimming in the middle of the night – all of themplaying different games. Wonderful that they all had a good time andJohn and I laughing for at least an hour afterwards from theirexperience. After all the fun John decided to spoil me by taking usboth down the street full of masseurs … mmmm … my choice – soOrchid massage parlour we arrive in and ask for a full body massage,the both of us … well! What an experience!!! Who would havethought!!! After washing our feet we have to almost strip! Not quitewhat crossed my mind when I decided on the FULL side of it! Anyway,all seems to be going well, John is on the bed right next to me witha Thai lady, a very flexible and strong woman let me tell you isdoing his massage and I have a katoy! (she man) who is being rathergentle with me. John is making these incredible sounds which startleme so I turn my head to see if he is still okay and here is thiswoman on top of his back with her feet hooked on the wall bending himdown so his spine clicks into place!!! My golly the sight wasabsolutely frightening! LOL I was worried she was going to breakit!!!! And so it went right through out his massage! Relax, calm,peaceful, enjoyment – NONE seemed to be working for me!!! I too washaving my bones crunched and my neck and head almost ripped from theskull!!! I too was a little worried that she or he put something intomy baby toe!! It felt like acupuncture! I tried to wobble my foot tocheck and feel as the position I was laying blocked my vision andwhen I asked, she he could not speak English, so I left it – but Ihad an incredible head ache and felt nauseous which was odd!!! Inever had time to actually discuss it because I got a call from thekids that a big storm had rolled in and we needed to meet them on thebeach to get back to the boat, so we left without me asking.

Sadly we lifted anchor the next daywhile Jono and Sam said their goodbyes to Aiylee and Emily, thenheaded for Ban Bang Yai which was a real pretty quite little bay.Then we were off to the Surin's. Beat, Beat beat all the way! Thoughwe sailed or rather beat all the way there without motors!! John hadto fix the alternator as it was giving us a problem so we could notcharge up, but not for long …. he had it all good to go again x

Tiare had a friend from NZ fly in andhave a holiday with them, so they too beat, along with us all the wayto the Surin's. Dropped anchor in a B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l spot – KoSurin Tai. Spent a few days here including celebrating the new year2011!

We all had a wonderful time snorkellingand swimming. Sadly the coral was in most parts really dead andothers quite alive with some really lovely coloured fish. We hadboth, Tiare and Bluemoon, taken our ducks around the islands checkingfor some good snorkelling spots, then we would get into the waterwhile holding the painter and swim, pulling her along. At one point,John and Jess were in the boat, while Jono and Just were near Tiare,and I was snorkelling and pulling them along till I honestly got thefright of my life!!!! I came face to face with a lion fish!!!!Ribbons and all!! I dived right out the water onto the dingy yellingto them with my snorkel still in my mouth!!! They had no clue as towhat was happening – looking over the side they were expecting ashark fin!!!! LOL Anyways, after I stopped hyper ventilating andcalming down I was able to tell them how awesome it look close up!!!! But with them being so dangerous if they strike you, being sofar away from any help, it was a big shock to my system! Now lookingback, I am thrilled with the experience!!!

We all had a great time playingbalderdash old years eve! What fun we had!! After playing cranium afew days back with Tiare, which was also such fun, we have decidedthis is the best way to have some really good belly laughs!!!Especially after a drink or two! Daniel turned out to be the biggestbull$%#^*# hehehehehe We all sang along to Sam, Tom and Jono playingon the guitars on a very dark night with a stunning galaxy as ourbackdrop!!! Then after celebrating the new year, we were blessed tohave a competition of fantastic firework displays from the policeboat and another two diving boats!!!

There were no other boats besides us!!!It was stunning!!! For at least a half hour we watched thesebeautiful and different huge displays of fireworks!! I know we allgave thanks to the Lord for blessing us more than we ever feltpossible – what a great memory burned so strongly in my mind … Icannot put into words how much I adore the Lord Jesus! He hashonestly taken me on an amazing journey where I have changed andgrown in ways I never realized could be possible either! To Him Igive all the Glory and Praise!!!!!!! The only new years resolution Imade which is a difference for me cause I don't usually make them, isto have real fun this year! To make the most of every opportunitylife has to offer! To live for the moment and capture it all! X

After lifting anchor and going one baydown, around the corner where the snorkelling was way better, we metanother couple who came with their driver to Tiare, where we had beenvisiting with them and their friend Veronica. Tim and Merike who owna 80 footer swan, live in Hong Kong, New York and the UK. Whatinteresting people!!! They offered us a drink on their yacht and sowe all got into our ducks just before dark and headed out a very longtwo miles in the dark to their yacht! Wow! How happy I was we do notown that boat – even being such a beaut as she is! The amount ofwork would never allow me to have any fun!! LOL She was a stunner!!They have a cook, Julia whom we met in Langkawi with her husband whowas ferrying them around in the duck. Then they have a skipper whoslept most of the time we were there and a deck hand, Thomas whomJono got on well with because he just completed this years Raja Mudawhich Jono went on last year. All in all we all had a really stunningtime, especially Heromi as Tim's wife is also Japanese so it wasgreat watching them enjoying the pleasure x

Early the next morning we lifted anchorbefore the sun rose heading for the Similian islands which turned outto be absolutely awesome!!! It was true paradise!! Crystal CLEARwater!

We tied up to a buoy put on oursnorkelling gear and dived in! Wow!! Wow!! WoW!!! Fish every where!So much colour!! Eels, fully grown and huge slinking away under livecoral!!! Awesome! The best we have ever seen since the Maldives! EvenSeychelles does not come close! We spent a good few hours thoroughlyenjoying every minute!!!!!! Another huge diving boat anchored rightnext to us and so we climbed out the water as if that boat justtouched ours we would be going no-where as the hole would be huge!!Luckily they posted on of their staff to fend off so we could relax alittle.

John went over to chat to the main guyand ask if Jono could go on a dive as that was one of his Christmasgifts we gave him for Thailand. What a success and winner! We paidthe guy, and off Jono went with the duck and the divers out the bayto another stunning area. He saw so many things and could not stoptalking about how awesome it was! We are so glad that he enjoysdiving and so far has got his padi's and is going up the ranks.

Tiare left the following morning backto Nai Haan as Veronica needed to catch her plane, while we decidedto stay and soak up the privilege of this five star holiday while wecould. I would definitely come back to the Similians! You all shouldtry if you can someday to holiday in Thailand and get a boat to takeyou out here! You will not regret it!

Headed back to Nai Yang feeling in aweand so blessed!! Then to top it off a whale shark!!!! What ablessing! I was trying to tell Jono who was outside with me but hemissed it!!!! John then got to see it later on which was awesome!! Sofeeling totally content and blessed we sailed off enjoying the sail.Went through a squall which took us all the way almost, to Nai Yang,where we passed Tiare anchored and surprised to see us after eight pm– also, we knew he arrived in the dark as he was anchored right inthe middle of the channel! LOL!! Was sad to say our farewell toVeronica as we thoroughly enjoyed her company!

Headed out a few days later and reanchored at Patong with Tiare, which turned out to be such great funfor us adults as we all had a good few drinks on our boat, then gotdropped off by the kids on the jetty and we hit the night life! Wetoo went around Patong going from bar to bar drinking our free drinksand dancing like we have never danced before!!! We were all reallytaken back by the night life … Really taken back!!!!! Not sure ifone could possibly call this Sodom and Gomorrah... talk about an eyeopener!! Go-Go girls, or rather pole dancers in open bars was quite asight. Different actually. Some dressed really colourful and somenot.... they also have pool bars where the girls swim and play ballwhile you can watch above you through the glass roof from theunderneath bar … festive! A lot of Katoys dressed as woman whichwas shocking as these woman were huge! Tall! So they looked reallyodd! Anyway, we landed up at Banana and enjoyed the night jiving tillwe could not dance a second later! Around 2/3 am we headed for adrink at Mac Donalds, and then had a banana fritter from an open vendor. Could not get hold of Justine, so Sam came to fetch us andwas not sure about the lot of us LOL I think we made up for all thetimes of not going out and having some real fun!!!

Daniel had to fly to Bangkok so couldnot come with us to Racha Yai for my birthday. So headed down to NaiHaan for the night then on my birthday headed down to this lovelylittle island. Looked really just like the Similan! Crystal clearwater, and so pretty!!!!! Wow! I must admit that I felt really goodturning 44! Like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders … I wastotally spoilt and had such an awesome day with John and the kids,losing badly at cards to John! We always play for something, like afoot massage or coffee etc, and I lost terribly so I told John hewould not get a single reward on this day, so we snorkelled to thebeach and found surprisingly the coral was dead! Not many fish …but still the place was really pretty … So many boats coming inwith motors idling so the tourists can jump off and have a swim. Wewere all anchored like Sardines!! Really cool! Will post pictures onmy facebook so if any of you have not added me yet then feel free. Ihave not had time to sort out the photos yet … and also to finishthis blog … so more to come!

Log 84

Almost time to set sail with Tiare!!!

The excitement is like a drug in ourveins!!!! Danga Bay was full to capacity especially now that theother mooring fingers have been finished for the rally coming in fromIndonesia. Once a year they have a whole lot of boats leavingAustralia and New Zealand who all meet at different anchorages alongthe way into Malaysia then end of May somewhere in June they have onegoing back to Australia and surrounds.

Danieland Hiromi from Tiare have three sons, Sam, Tom and John or ratherTiger, and how wonderful for the kids to have some company!!

So they are more than thrilled and just so happy!!!

So after a great ' Pasta evening' with TY Amor, John and I ended up staying awake all night, closing hatches at 3am cause of the rain, and Jess having atemperature of 39! It is not nice anyone having a temp, but with Jesswe all go on high alert! Yet we serve a Mighty and faithful Father so were more than happy to have had a ' calm' night with Jess x

We all managed to have a great cuppa after finishing the stowing awayand cleaning of the deck … Bebert and Laurence from TY Amor released our mooring lines and off we glided over the water …  What an incredible adrenaline rush we all had when we realized we had no control of the helming!!! It hit us with the realization that theprops were not working like they should!!! So we managed to manoeuvre past all the docks till we hit open area so that Jono could jump into the water with Justine to clean the barnacles off the prop! We felt abit bad having Tiare float around waiting for us .. then it was off down the channel into Melakka Straits and such an awesome feeling!!

Clouds are building … now we have to weave our way through over a hundred ships!!! Mega shipping lane here!

Pretty cool seeing Singapore on one side, Malaysia on the other and Indonesia in front of us!!! There is no wind so have furled the sail away and am enjoying seeing all these houses on stilts some 500metres from land and amongst some of the ships!

It is so awesome, refreshing and just plain amazing being back on the wateragain – Mp3 on, calm, light metallic coloured water – Life isjust so good!

Wecame through a very shallow channel with the markers to kukup(coo-coop) and wow! What a cute and very busy little floating village– everything, houses etc. are on stilts – fishing boats buzzing at great speeds here and there, waving there welcome – dogs barking– a few Chinese temples and a smell of fish permeates the cockpit …and the saloon and with that some uninvited guests! Flies!!

The mooring space was quite small and so with Tiare and us both there would have been more than a squeeze, so we decided on anchoring back out by the drop off and so dropped anchor just at sunset which was lovely – made a light supper while the kids from Tiare came over to play some board games, though never got the chance as Jono and Sam were in the water cleaning the props as we could feel a shudder and stiffness while helming so were very pleased when they came back onboard just after dark with the thumbs up!!

Jono's underwater torch was put to the test and turned out to be a life saver for light!!

John and I slept in the cockpit while Jono and Justine slept on the trampolines – it was so calm with such a lovely breeze … clouds growing all the time!! 3am we all came in as the rain came down –by 9am a huge squall was passing by – Lightning .. thunder … so we all decided to wait it out before lifting anchor and moving onto Pisang Island which was only 15 miles away.

After a great cuppa – all snug in the saloon we decided to lift anchor,though it was still raining, the thunder and lightning had eased off and so another slow motor sail with the current against us, then some action! A fishing boat came speeding, and yelling towards us –shouting and waving flags at us to 'go around' so I checked with the binocs as it was hard to see anything with the glare and there were still 3 flags and buoys lined out which we had not seen so it made the day slightly longer.

Jess's temperature had also settled on 37.5 so we all relaxed a little more.We dropped anchor and were happy that the rain had cleared up! We had drinks then the fun began! The kids were jumping off the coach roof with the spinnaker halyard, swinging off then jumping into the water! What a rush!

We had Sam, Tom, Tiger and our three swinging from the halyard, having such a lot of fun! We, the adults, were having a nicetime too relaxing!! Jono and Sam headed to the beach with the kayak to find some coconuts. I had taken the opportunity to do some baking while sailing – preparing for Jono's 17th on the 6th November, the following day.

Jess and I made pasta for dinner which was shared and enjoyed by all. Then it was time to hit the sack! But of course it was not going to be an easy Night!!! A huge swell had come in and we were rocking and rolling like we were on a mono hull!! I even rolled off the cockpit chair where I was trying to sleep! Then we were slamming which was clear we were facing into the current instead of the wind and were beam on!!

So... a brand new day! My wonderful son's birthday arrives and we all hardly slept!!! Jono was the only one who had a good night's sleep!! While having a great cuppa we decided to lift anchor and head for the other side of theisland as the swells were more than 2m but very choppy and roly!! And we wanted to drink our coffee normally instead of trying the sea erobic movements!!! Tiare was right on when we lifted and both of us headed for the other side – down one swell then up another!! Richards bay was the talk all the way, because of it being just a little too familiar, till we dropped in calmer waters. Then it was time for Jono to open his gifts – Tiare arrived and we all had a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. All had a nice time thenJono and Sam kayaked to the island again while we put up a fewballoons and some décor – though I am sure you know already Jonodoesn't worry about that stuff - the décor was for us girls!! LOLThough he was pleased to see the effort we had put into it. Jono andSam walked up to the lighthouse meeting the lighthouse keeper who helped them get a lot of coconuts off the trees with his bamboo hook– they spent the rest of the afternoon making the coconut fermenting mix. Later we all had a braai and Justine and Tom hadworked on the birthday cake decorations and so we all had a reallygreat day! The wind was up again though this time were were rockingand rolling in the right direction!!! A little Sumatra!! Everyone got back to Tiare okay, stowed everything down then tried to get some much needed sleep. Up early and the clouds are building again …Confirmed with Tiare and up came the anchor and off we headed for the water islands – the current against us – wind and swells right onthe nose making for a challenging trip – an all dayer!! We changed our angle trying to catch the current closer to shore and are now ona really great point of sail!! Jono at the helm, Justine sewing a costume she is making, Jess sleeping and me keeping an eye catching up on the log – Mp3s are really fantastic!! Sun out though very windy, bumpy though great!

Really great and we all love it!!

Water splashing up keeping the adrenaline running just watching those clouds growing bigger and bigger and at quite a speed!!! We hoped we would out run the humongous storm and I mean humongous!! We have a typhoon on the other side of Asia and a low pressure coming down fromThailand and so are getting all the side effects from it! 35 knots smack us and seems to suck us into this big black whirl of clouds …wet gear on, ready for action we change course again heading towards a stop over for the night – if the weather allows – so we alert Tiare that we will rather do an overnighter if the storm doesn't abate – Lightning flashing crudely around us, with the thunder making Bluemoon shudder!!!!! The ocean had picked up to some breaking waves! It felt like we were back in SA waters on a bad day!! Tiare which is a stunning wharram, 60 footer, custom made was poundingthose waves!!!!! Thank the Lord no one on Bluemoon gets sea sick otherwise it would have really been nasty!!

We decided to go easy of the lighthouse coming up, about 35 miles short of the water islands.We were drenched! Cold! And really slamming! Gosh what a day!! We went in to anchor close to shore by some fishing stakes and werereally happy to find 2 mono hulls and another cat tucked away protected slightly by the tip of the land – though not so lucky as the current yet again was SOOOOO strong that we were pounding and slamming in the waves at anchor!!! John turned the rudders which definitely made a difference and so all slept reasonably well.

It was quite nice not being in an anchorage packed liked sardines in this weather. No signal so have not had phone, or internet to check the weather status....

We gladly lifted anchor at 7am and were witness to a glorious day ahead... wind still up, righton the nose … would not have imagined it to be different!! LOL Our wind vane is playing up so have confused our lazy minds as to which direction the wind is coming from!! Pretty much North easterlies,North westerlies or westerlies which we do not like!! They can whip up an ocean real quick!! And we have been having more westerlies than we want!!

We decided to tack outtowards the shipping lane so that we could sail and not pound the whipped up meter and half choppy swells right on the nose – wasting diesel with both motors revved up going only 2.3 knots!!!!! All were thrilled to have switched off the motors! Speed up to 6.6 knots sailing - though sailing away from our intended anchorage!!!!!! Our change in angle was great as no more pounding!! Wow! It was awesome being at the helm while everyone was busy doing something else! Oooooooh!!!!!! This is the moments I love!! Our small boat sailing in this vast ocean! Somehow it quenches this spiritual hunger of body and soul for fulfilment! A feeling of total freedom surrounds me and it is awesome being one with the wind!! Music blaring in the distance of Enja makes me feel so alive! I was just totally absorbed and just could not get enough! It was time to change tack and notably the seas were rough! It was back to the pounding waves heading for the lee ofthe water islands! A very looooooooooooong 35 miler with rough choppy seas with the swells right on the nose!! Whow! We dropped anchor and were very pleased to find quite a few yachts already anchored. This is also so much more calmer and quieter which is such a nice relief to the pounding!

This island is a 'sacred' island they say as an Islamic 'saint' was buried here and so you haveevery hour, ferries coming in with loads of people wanting to visitthe grave tomb site. John heads off with Daniel from Tiare to shore while Justine and Jono decide to head to Tiare. We have had anothertwo mono's anchor right next to us! A little too close for comfort ….also we have huge great rocks on our stern …. now I do not know how these kind of things in my life happen to turn out the way they do …but our anchor alarm goes off and it is so loud the guy from the onemono jumps up searching for the sound … as it is really LOUD!! The guy on the other boat next to us jumps up and starts walking up anddown looking at our boat trying to see if the noise is coming fromour boat …. I do not turn the sound down! I walk out into thecockpit and call for Jono, waving him to come back – also while thinking it is strange the anchor alarm has gone off as when wechecked the anchor we were in solid … but the noise just put meoff! I know we are not dragging, yet we are the only boat swingingaround and facing all directions while the other boats are steady –facing the same way so it kinda looks as though we are wanderingoff!! The problem running through my mind now is, not the other boatsas such, but how close it looks to the huge protruding boulders!!!!!I check with the binocs and see John and Daniel walking into a house– so … Jono is now continuing to Tiare and is now right by TinSoldier, the boat next to us. Jono shouts back to me ' What's up?' as they are almost by Tiare. Now I am trying to be discreet here andthe wind is really blowing, the alarm really loud unnerving a fewyachties, so I yell back above the wind, or rather I tried to whisperback “ The anchor alarm has gone off!!!!' LOL!!!This guy next to usis flicking his arms around dramatically and next thing his wife isat the helm – he is hanging over the stanchion lines trying tofigure out what he should do – so I put on both motors as we have alot of chain out already and thought to just pull up the line andcheck we are in … or even just re anchor. Justine and Jono backaboard. So I am now sterning right towards their boat – well wehave never seen anyone rev motors as high or as fast as these guyswhile dragging anchor – instead of lifting anchor to move away! Itwas actually so funny! The boat on the other side of us were alsoready to lift anchor! Jono turned the alarm down after we confirmedwe were in and pulled up tight. Loooooooooooooooong story short –John had set the parameter short as it is a new open source programwe are using and he never thought to check it or to let me know so wereally had a great laugh and John was very pleased we had managed tohave the boat move and not be too close in bad weather. Kids wentashore and scouted around, had fun playing soccer on the beach – anice end to the day.

We awoke to the rising sunpushing over the horizon – Taking a deep refreshing breath and agood sip of coffee we were in anticipation of another fresh andglorious untouched day! The kids headed off to land to explore theisland while all on board Tiare headed by ferry to Melacca – justacross the bay. After a quick tidy up John and I settled down to aquiet time of reading – later John had the new water maker up andrunning. We are down to the jerry cans now of water!! But no worries– with two water makers we have no worries x It is just sowonderful being at anchor! Enjoyed a wonderful evening with Tiarethen settled down for a calm, great nights rest.

Fresh as a daisy, Ifinished my book. Kids are all off again to explore the other side ofthe island while John downloads the program for Daniel. Soft swellslick at the boats, wind is awesome right now – all calm. Tomorrowwe set sail for Port Dickson where we can fill up the diesel andwater tanks. Hopefully the wind stays NE so we can really sail!

After chatting to Tiare,we all settled down with a good cuppa while a huge squall withflashing fork lightning blew over. No way did we want to lift in that– just way to stressful for the holiday feeling!! An hour later welifted anchor and headed for Port Dickson. A tunnel of clouds weregrowing really quick and we realized we were in for a hang of a timewith this huge growing nasty squall Boy! What excitement when thesquall whipped the seas up to pounding the boat! Lightning reallyclose! And LOTS of it! It was really amazing and so bright!! Hugeflashes struck at two anchored container ships either side ofus!!!!!! Then the buildings had their turn! Crazy flashing strikesaround, random.... all of were feeling edgy at the power of thosebolts!!! Thank the Lord it missed us!! His Mighty hand of protectionalways over us x We radioed in for Tiare and us and were told P.Dickson was full because of the rally – no space … the pounding,rough seas, rain and wind really exhausts you … so we decided totake shelter in a very shallow bay, 5 miles before Port Dickson.

A low pressure in Thailand was the cause for this really bad weather.We dropped anchor in 2.1m of flat bayed water. Wow! What a change!Totally calm. Just looking to the point of the bay the water waspounding on the shore! Some breaking waves!

The horizon looked like aheart machine so we were very happy to have found this little gem ofan anchorage. Funny thing too, other mono's I guess found there wasno space either in PD, also happened to come and anchor around wherewe were – just a little further out. We found out from the kids whowent ashore that we were the first yachts to ever anchor in this bay!The resort owners were thrilled to see all us yachts anchored outthat they gave the kids free filtered drinking water for all ourjerry cans! They let them play in the games room, swim and enjoyedtheir company! Daniel checked out passage weather and let us know wehad another day of bad weather before it cleared up, so we settled into stay for another day … my eyes were actually feeling very sensitive from all the lightning we had through out the night!!

John managed to Google thearea we were in, and found a petrol station we could go to, tocollect diesel. So they headed for shore with the diesel cans fromBluemoon and Tiare, caught a taxi and filled up! The diesel was alsoway cheaper!!! The kids did a few runs for water – swam again atthe resort and were treated like Kings and Queens!!

Today is the 13thand we overslept! A calm day, mackerel clouds scattered all over thesky – but it was calm and hot for now. Guess we can expect the no wind to increase! The current is neither for nor against us. Layingon the coach roof next to the boom, I can see clearly all round –we are in-between the shipping lane and land – so no stressing.Justine is making a roast and baking - so I am a very relaxed and lazy sailor right now! So far a great day of calm compared to therough sea's we have had. These westerlies are not nice! Well – theday would not be complete if all went well or even just normal for us– something had to happen to break that calm and peace we had formost of the day!! Coming into anchor up Port Klang channel, theshipping channel, which we were in... we had a really colossalcontainer ship coming out, so we slowed down slightly while worryingthat Tiare was in the middle of the channel with oncoming ships sowere not paying full attention!! Funny how your visual perception canbe so deceiving! Next thing we are looking at how incredibly small weare in comparison to this humongous ship which we are not passingport to port that we never even considered his wake!!!!!! Well twohuge waves! As big as us … Breaking waves coming straight for us sowe turn into them while trying to stand on all the open hatches!!!And hang on for dear life! We managed to peak onto the first wavewhile worrying about Jono hanging onto the bucket upfront with thesecond anchor in it!!! We fall fast off the crest of the 1stwave like on a roller-coaster ride, nose dive right into the troughwhere we were totally immersed in sea water while the stern of Bluemoon came right out the water at the most unusual degree!! Thenthe next wave hit us just as we were coming out from the first!! Thepounding was shocking!!! We realized how powerful a force those waves were!!

Darn if only I had a camera!!!!! Everything was totally drenched!! We turn around and see that Tiare was not going to missout on this one wake though it would not be as intense! Like a littletoy boat you play with in the bath? This time I had the camera andwere taking a video of this big boat pounding in and out those swells…. now we know why you need space between you and a huge ship likethat when passing by, though I must add that we had to go up theshipping lane to get to our anchorage, and this ship was going slow …thank the Lord for that! And so our luck made for lots of chitterchatter over coffee once we had anchored just as the sun said goodnight. Spent a very rolly night with all the ships entering andleaving the channel sending their wakes to the only anchorage wherethree of us cats were.

Lifted anchor at the crackof dawn, 6:30am where it is still dark this side of the world.Standing upfront on the bow I was totally absorbed in all the richmemories running through my mind... slowly making our way up thechannel.... veering to port to stay clear of the many other fishingboats, cargo ships and tugs making their way down the channel .... towatch the 1st ray of sun pushing over the horizonpromising another unopened and expectant day ... living with eachother so many years, 24 hours a day, sharing love, trials,tribulations, happiness and pretty much every emotion possible thento be standing and facing this moment right now makes me feel like Ihave truly lived life … truly loved, truly given all I have and Ican only say that I have been so blessed!!! What a truly blessed lifeI have! If only each one of you were able to experience these amazingmoments where life seems to just stand still and fill you up withsomething that cannot be put into words....

We managed to put up themain and the Genoa and get to really sail!! Again!! NE/NW … currentagainst us … but who cares – we are sailing!!!!

Today was also the 1stday that John never took a nap!! hehehe instead the kids and himplayed crazy eights for most of the time. After having a lovely roastwhich Justine made the day before for lunch, we decided to make agreen curry and invited Tiare to join us, though we did ask them forpotatoes other wise we would have had a very poor and sad tastingchicken curry!

Another great day.Anchored close to shore then shared a great curry with Tiare makingthe best rice we have tasted in a very long time!! Our rice isbasmati so this was such a nice change! A lovely salad to go with itand we had a feast! It rained and lightning displays were had in theclouds a ways away from us. Really pretty actually. Up early againfor another long day to Pankor then one last long day to Penang. Jessat the helm and over eighty fishing boats!!!!!! Yes over eighty!!!!Looks like we are surrounded!! One seemed to aim just for us, withtwo long nets out the back. With all our sails up doing a nice speedwe noticed him edge towards us till we were so close we would havegot our props entangled in his long lines … this guy must have beensleeping!!!!!

So we have to furl in, drop the main and change course!Very disappointing!! Not for long our spirits are back up as Pankoris in sight. Still 20 miles to go, around 4 hours with strong currentstill against us! Ten two twelve already! 25 miles already done andanother 20 to go...

We spent two days inPankor – such a cute lovely quaint little village. We stopped hereon the way down to Johor though never went ashore and were now veryglad we did! We sent the kids to shore to do a rekkie for us, to findout about shops, fruit and veg shop, banking, cafe's etc... thenafter a lovely refreshing shower we went ashore, caught a pink taxihi-ace to town to go to the bank, then came back to enjoy a lovelymeal at the Sandy Beach Hotel. I ordered a dish without pineapple asmy last experience still felt like yesterday!! Well, well, well …my first mouthful of rice had a piece of pineapple which I waschewing!!!

Unfortunately I suffered terribly from just such a smallpiece of it!

The following day we went into town and did someprovisioning. Wow! Fruit, veg, chicken, watermelon and a few othernice goodies! Jono and Sam hired a bike and went exploring the wholeisland. They found a dojo studio and enjoyed playing a few games ofping pong with the locals.

The kids swam in the pool and all had areally nice time. We spent most of the morning cleaning bluemoon'shulls! No wonder we had such a dragging time!! lol The props werefull of barnacles which really was slowing us down!! Then we all wentto Tiare to clean her hulls though hers were really clean!! On bothnights we had a lot of rain, though the second night was reallyincredible with the lightning displays. It is something you have to see to believe!

One boat was struck bylightning and headed back to Johor -n Scary stuff!

We lifted anchor at6:30/7:00am which was still dark, sad to be leaving our wonderfullittle island we had got to know so much better in these last twodays...around 30 miles to the mud flats... almost near Penang, 2pmwas our ETOA and I started doing my hair treatments on the family.John, Justine, Jess, Jono and myself … hair treatment, a good washthen conditioner and a good head massage … then it was a trim andthose clouds were really following us and getting heavier andheavier, I was sure of it!!

We waited for Tiare to head towards us asthey had 1.9m where they were and we had 2.6m. These mud flats arequite a challenge and so shallow!! As it just had to be, we all had awonderful time with Tiare sharing a pot luck - ' the calm before thestorm' then just as Tiare left, and got aboard , it was an instantchange.

Wind was up and howling – Lightning all around us and westarted rocking really badly!! Being is such shallow waters did nothelp at all, it was actually why it made it worse. Those shallowlittle waves and cross swells peaking like Mt Kili smacking us fromall angles! So it was an all nighter for John and I … you could notsleep even if you wanted to!

Lifted anchor really earlyto an overcast sky … more weather on the way …

On the horizon just as it got light, mist nestled in the mountains which was a breathtaking view. There on the other side was a dark stretch of cloud on the ocean side which grew, and grew and grew! Honestly! It was quite amazing to see it grow in size and though we were able to sail quite nicely with this approaching monster of a squall, almost like the mother of all storms, we had never seen such a huge black scary looking squall like this ever, almost in the shape of a horseshoe... and I am talking about black!!!! Lightning started and so weprepared for a real biggie. Keeping out just a small storm sail, weput our wet weather gear on … we were all anxious as the sky was truly black from horizon to horizon enclosing around on us … the wind was fierce! Hours seemed like minutes!! All prepared, and ready, we watched with nervous anticipation, drinking a hot cuppa …waiting … watching how all those fishing boats disappeared fromsight, even Tiare, gone … swallowed by that blackness …

The storm was all around us, raging and racing on to catch us then it wouldwiden even more … feeling like it was night, it was so dark, wewere on a dead run, plowing into those tossed up swells, sails in,passing at a speed other fishing boats tied up two or three together,waving a brave cold hand.... who were shortly drenched in heavy rain… then swallowed up by that dark shadow following closely behind us… lightning flashing everywhere … Then the storm raced up to us,then quickly went by on either side of us giving us the gentlestsprinkle of rain... but not once touching us … like we were theonly boat untouched .. then the storm and darkness was in front ofus, racing to land … giving us the gentlest of winds too wish usfair well … what an incredible, inspiring and touching experience ever!!!! We were all speechless and sharing a quiet moment, being thankful to the Lord when we headed into Queensbay and droppedanchor. We were so excited to see the sun shining so brightly withnot a cloud to be seen!!! The most incredible blue! Just an awesomeexperience and a really touching day …. We all went to shore,pulled the dingies up onto the rocks then headed straight across theroad into the mall. What a huge mall!!!!

You guys would think Pavilion small in comparison!! We all went for a late lunch which isalways such a treat. Then it was our final shopping for Jess's 18th,still two days and so much to do! As most of you know, birthdays area very big deal in our house! More for me than for the family lol,and for ones 18th, you get 18 gifts … so I decided awhile back to make some personal gifts myself for Jess. I put together a book ' sensual beauty book' which is about 44 pages withlots of fun diy face pac recipes, bath salts, bubble bath recipesetc... wisdom pieces, proverbs to live by, notes for writing and lotsof fun ideas.... beauty recipes .. that took quite a while to do, butwhich I thoroughly enjoyed doing! Then we printed 144 colour photocollages from birth to 18 years which goes into a pretty handmaderose paper photo album. A CD of her life .. actually a slide show ofplaces she has been, clothing styles she wore, hair styles, growthcharts etc.... also it has a menu for every year! Now that I loveddoing! As it took me back, way back to so many fun memories, andsome great amazing moments... memories of our roller-coaster path oflife till this point. Then quite disappointingly, another project Idid twice and it took forever!!! I never listened to John's adviseLOL I cut out or rather John cut out of plywood, the advice John gaveme was not to use that wood, a map of Malaysia which I sanded downthen was going to engrave the states etc. and engrave a back gammonboard .. it would have been stunning if it was not plywood!!!! So John helped me size the project, which was a map with a back gammonboard that I made on my 3D program and it looks great. Now to collectour polycarb for it to be cushioned in between … but will not makeit in time for her birthday as it is the weekend and the place is closed, so Christmas gifts it will be. Also made one for Justine and Jono but the map being Thailand as that is where we will be. We wantto be in the Suran Islands for Christmas, but not sure if the timingwill work for us … we will see....

By evening there was one cloud!!

We were all too exhausted to get up and catch water so sleptvery well and awoke to another lovely day, the 20thNovember. John phoned to book our moorings for the following day atTunjung marina and were told to come in the same day and we were toleave on the morning of the 22nd! Jessica's Birthday! Boyhave things just not been working out the way we planned … so wecontacted Tiare then lifted anchor to head for the Penang Bridge thenoff to the marina. You have to sail very close to the bridge as it isso shallow... just a few feet there were fishermen walking around upto there calf's!!!!! We had to sail, or rather motor about 1.5 milesto the bridge entrance then once under the bridge it was off toTanjung. The current is out of sync with the tide .. so … it wasfun going into moor. Tiare, right on our heels came in just as we hadmoored up and so we all went to help moor her up. Shame! We all stillhave a good giggle just thinking about it …. Here is Tiare comingin at quite a speed … we see Sam is at the stern with a stern line,shouting to Daniel, his dad.... who cannot hear him... Tango, their Portuguese water dog is barking so loudly that it drowns out Sam'scalls to Daniel. The marina staff is trying to tell Daniel to watchout as the tide has caught him and carrying him past the mooring dock…. Daniel cannot hear them either as Tango is really going wildwith his barking … and we all look on feeling the panic! Sam isactually squashed and trapped in the corner by the tiller arm!! Then Daniel shouts for everyone to quiet down so he can hear … then he hears what the staff member had to say but he had missed the mooringby then.... He is about to spin Tiare when Sam yells along with us onthe deck and he is released from that grip. They all run around to change fenders etc. to the Port side in time to moor up after his360 degree turn. Once they were safely moored on, I started with the washing and cleaning. By 6:30pm I was finally finished and totally poooooped!!! After a good shower with hot water we all went out to a grand delish Indian meal. Very difficult trying to sleep with all these mosquitoes!! I took off all the mosquito hatch covers!!! Then abig storm … closed in with all those hungry mozzies!!! Early the next morning we were all up – a drizzle settled in – and we allheaded off on foot, with Tiare leading the way to the famous 'DimSin' for breakfast, a place you must go if you are in Penang!!! Whatan exciting, buzzing little Chinese restaurant! Full, with peoplehanging around waiting their turn for a seat … busy!! We get atable for 10! There are a few woman walking around with trolleys fullof amazing food! Totally different to anything we have tasted before!

You can choose any dish you want, and everyone has a taste of it too,then you can take another dish of the same as they come past on theirround filling the warm trolley up again and so it goes enjoying allthese different dishes. By the time you have tried the hundredth dish, you are so full you can pop!! Then it was off to Komtar –last minute shopping then back to the boat – exhausted!!!! We allslept early ready for leaving the marina and Jess's birthday the nextday.

What a day it was …Jessica's 18th Birthday! Boy has time flown by so fast! Istill cannot believe it how super quick time has gone … my babygirl a beautiful young woman!! It does bring tears to my eyes … we have made it this far without loosing our sanity LOL

Up early, John cooked hisfamous, delish omelettes with sausage and toast … with a good cuppa. Tea for Jess as she does not drink coffee at all. Daniel,Hiromi, Sam, Tom and Tiger joined us. Jess opened her 1st gift which was a cup with printed photos of all her birthdays on the boat so far. Now we could make her tea LOL. Then after breakfast, we were going to leave the marina and head for Queensbay, but Jess wanted to open the rest of her gifts so she opened her other 15 with two unopened ones …. after all the excitement, we topped up the tanks and headed back to Queensbay with Tiare. During our trip to Queensbay, I gave Jess a makeover and did her make-up. We then headed for shore where we treated Jess to two hours having a full French pedicure and manicure which she absolutely loved. Then it was off to Nando's, her choice for dinner, with Tiare and the finale – her birthday cake … the best cheesecake ever at Secret Recipe. With such a full and lovely day, we headed back to Bluemoon quite late.The day also went so fast!!

Jess headed out to themall quite early on her own the following day with John dropping heroff at the rocks, then Justine and Jono followed all going rollerblading with Sam. John and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon titivatingwith our plants, reading, chatting, finishing the water maker andjust chilling.... listening to music followed up by watching two movies … the kids headed back by 10pm and all had another nightsgood sleep with the rain pouring down making a sound that just allowed you to drift off into a very deep sleep – just wonderful!

Woke to the delicioussmells of banana muffins and coffee!! Justine baking again which isalways so nice as she is really good at baking and can whip up some amazing things!!

Then it was time for our family meeting … resolving unfinished issues and allows us all to clear the air and also helps bond us each together. Allows us to refocus and begin fresh....

More coffee on the way then John and I will head into the mall to do some meat provisioning.A lovely hot and breezy day! We had a cuppa with Tiara then did some shopping where we had to call the kids to help carry back to the boat… so many pkts!!! We managed to load mini moon and fit ourselves in too! Tiare too were filled with the five of them and their pkts. Wemanaged to unpack while Jess cooked a curry. Tiare came over for someice-cream then the storm hit! The sea whipped up in seconds! Sosuddenly! Lightning and thunder with lots of rain thrashing down!

Youcould hardly see land which really was close by! Our chain hadstretched full with 50 metres out and 10 from the Bruce – as we double anchor – then we looked really close to shore!!!! Tiare headed back when the rain eased off and we all enjoyed a good sleep knowing we would not drag and it being a touch cooler.

We decided to lift anchor and moor closer to the marina so we could catch a ferry

into Butterworth to fetch our polycarb sheets we had ordered. Also we had to go to the chemical guy just up the road – also had to getour visa's – two month visa's for Thailand, yet when we took a chance after seeing many of the Raja Muda race yachts leaving the marina, we phoned in to find out if they had place for us and surprise!

We went straight into a mooring, Tiara too and it wasreally great! John and Daniel headed off different ways to do the things they wanted, and to collect spares, and me not feeling too good, decided to stay home and read a book. The kids went to the aircon room to do school and so I spent some quiet time relaxing and reading 'stolen' by Lesley Pearce. John then headed to the chemical man …. wow!  So nice to have a lovely breeze … some peace and quiet.

John and Daniel headed outwith the taxi to the embassy the following morning while I started onthe washing … with everything being wet all the time and you alwaysseem to be in the rain yourself, there tends to be a lot of washing to do!

Anyways, Hero was not feeling very good, a bug we think, but she got the call from Daniel (John phoned me) that we had to go tothe embassy and sign!! We caught the same taxi the men did and went with Suzie who was quite a colourful character. She kept telling uscshe drives like a man, then would swerve around the corner at like120kph! This way then that, speedy all the way... lol. We got there,signed the papers and 4 minutes later we got our visa's and were finished – then it was another taxi back. John and I headed to Butterworth which was quite an experience!

We walked straight ontothe ferry going in and it left seconds later, then coming back thesame thing … we finally managed to lend money from the taxi man aswe could not find an ATM near by!! This guy was really nice. We foundan ATM – paid him back and paid him full fare instead of thediscounted one he told us as we never expected to travel so far!! Itwas a win win for all. I finished the washing and got the boatprepared to leave in the morning. Hero still not feeling well x Thatafternoon Lou and Anne, some Americans came and asked John at thegate if they could sail up to Langkawi with us... as they missedbeing on their boat and had been away for 7 months, their boat on thehard for 10 months … John came back to see if I was ok with itwhich I was … quite excited actually then they came onto the boatto meet us and find out the times and 6am it was – for them to beon Bluemoon as we were heading out at 6:30 because we would get somecurrent with us for a change, though only for a short while. So theyarrived bright and early while Justine and I were closing hatches and Jess making coffee, Jono checking motors.... then we were ready to let the mooring lines loose …. what a lovely day it turned out to be! Lou was very happy to be sailing! And so were we!! No motors, no blowers … just the sound of water slicing between the hulls … glorious!!!  Now this is what we are talking about!!!!!!

We put the bungee out, thefishing rod and waited expectantly (LOL) all day!! We have nevercaught a fish in these waters …. so ….our theory is ' never giveup hope!' … We rode on a roller coaster of emotions as a few timeswe had a bite, got all overjoyed then the biter was off … we keptpulling the line so it made that whizzzzzzzzzzzzing sound which gotus all excited … then we all laughed! Tiare was also sailing sonicely – and going at such a speed!

They have such pretty sails.Being an Islander 55 wharram they have two masts. Head sail and mainsail and then a fully battened Muezzin. It was nice chatting to Lou and Anne. The kids played cards with her and all seemed to be goingvery well. Just as we were coming into Langkawi the rod whizzed intoaction! Everyone screaming with excitement ' A Mackerel ' !!! WOW!! We were all so stunned at catching a fish in Langkawi! And a decentsized one too! We came into Kuah , dropped anchor and saw the heavyrain clouds … so while it poured down, we all had a great cuppa anda nice chat – sad that the day had gone so quick. John and Jonowent to drop Lou and Anne off at shore with all there luggage –there was a pang of sadness saying goodbye …. Zaid had also let usknow Amanda was in hospital for 4 days already from breaking out in aterrible rash on her hands from eating shell fish! Her hands werebadly swollen, broken open and raw. Even though we had not gone onthe net to alert her we were on our way to surprise them, we wereglad now we could at least surprise Fahkrees, which we did and it wasso nice seeing him!! Wow!! We said our farewells to Lou and Anne whohad stopped for a bite to eat at Amanda's …..We sadly never sawZaid who was helping his folks to move so just missed each other.Thankfully we also got to see Amanda when we heard she had got out ofthe hospital! Tiare went with us to say hello x Gosh it was good tosee them again!! And very happy Amanda is out of the hospital now! Back on the boat, we saw George on the Hobbi! So shouted to him and he too was quite surprised to see us .. it is nice being back!!

The days seem to berolling into each other, and boy have we been busy! John off to townordering spares and goods needed for when we take Bluemoon onto thebeach at Telaga for an anti foul. I have managed to read another book' Trust me' from Lesley Pearce which really touched me! All aboutthe children' s immigration to Australia! Sadly Bob from Vertical time had spent time in Penang Hospital! If only we had known we could have gone to visit! He had pneumonia after returning from his fishing trip in Alaska. Yet it was wonderful to see Nan, Bob's wife when wewent to the marina to top up the tanks and get some more supplies.With us having packed and stowed away much of our stuff ready to headfor NZ – now with the changes with Australia coming in, we decidedto do our last trip to Thailand sailing with Tiare and so had to workout and come up with an easier way to use our main water maker sothat is why all the spares and goodies needed. Also we got the deck paint so we can re-paint the anti-slip. So we have spent the last few days sorting, and fixing and checking out all the spares we need etc.Jono left Kuah at 7am sharp with the kayak to head for Telaga. At 8amJohn noticed he never took water with him!! So John and I jumped intothe duck, started up the 15, radioed Jono to get his coordinates thenheaded off to his position. It has taken a few days sorting the 15and the 5 motor's out... a blockage here and so it goes, now they areall good and it is great to be plaining again! Gave Jono his waterthen headed back to the boat, had coffee and some breakfast then wedecided to leave the duck down in case we had to fetch Jono at anygiven time .. the weather was building and I was a little worried ifit got worse... we left with Plain Sailing and Tiara. Awesome to pullout the sails and glide over the water. Stunning this sailing!

Everyone was sailing to Telaga. Jono radioed or phoned us to keep usposted of his position and conditions … boy was it hard workpaddling against the current! 16 miles! We found Jono near theentrance when he radioed in to tell us the paddle had snapped so hewas now handicapped.. 6hrs 25 minutes it took Jono to get intoTelaga where we had just dropped anchor.

We beached Bluemoon at thehigh tide then started to clean her hulls – Tiare beached right next to us which was quite nice having company. Though they too had to do some work on their boat. Plain Sailing beached on the other island too and Henry helped them tie up onto the trees.

Now the funny thing was we dropped our stern anchor while coming to touch the beach but we just never got there!!!! John was revving the motor now thinking we had beached but we were way out from where we should have come to a stop – we notice the back anchor has us fas!! LOL So we let the lead out then add to the line … we used the wrong line!!!!! Man were we laughing at how ridiculous we make life for ourselves sometimes! Anyways, we got to clean the hulls which were still very impressive! We had used the Jotun 90 which they use for the ski boats because of the knots they do, and were supposed to use the Jotun 60 which is for slower moving speeds, but chose to use the 90 and it is now two years later that we are beaching her to do a touch up. Though it is not really the hulls that need the job, it is the props!! Johnbought some bitchumin for the props which we were told was really theway to go and decided to try it as the anti foul we have used isreally a load of junk!!! They were covered in barnacles, but thehulls only had a few and some fluff.... Jotun 90 really isimpressive, yet I painted both hulls with the international paint wehad, and decided to use that rather that keep it stored... so wecleaned the hulls, then lightly sanded them, washed them off withfresh water, put our tape on and off I went covering the hulls with astunning blue! John worked on the props … Boy was it hard work!!

My back feels like it is breaking! I think it is unfit as I was angled in odd ways to get that paint on... anyways, we finished the task,managed to have a braai which was really awesome – boerewors! onthe beach while we were waiting for the tide to now come in, nine forty five and we were winching the back anchor up... dropped anchor, showered and hit the sack totally exhausted!!!

Tiare stayed onanother night as did Bob and Deirdre.

The following morning early, John had headed out to Plain sailing to help them … I could barely move!!!!!!!!! LOL Yet after a great cuppa John made me, we both went over to Plain sailing, with Jono and Justine, and again I painted the hulls while John did the under body. Hard work it is!

Shame, we felt sorry for Bob and Deirdre trying to work the tides –but it was great all of us working together. They managed to give it a second coat the following day. Going to check on Tiare and Plain sailing was kinda fun!! So the few days with everyone being out –raining – was quite exciting when you saw they were finished... the weather has really been horrible!!! Have had such a time trying to do things in the rain which halts and puts a spoke in the wheels on the many projects which needs dry weather!! Ultimate dream took our spot once we were off and they really had some strong wind to deal with,along with Tiare! Anyways, we hired a car as did Tiare and headed for Langkawi to the pharmacy – lunch with Daniel and Hiromi at thePier... then off for some spares, boy were we running around for the last things we needed. Then to PL Soon for my 10kg's popcorn! Ended up stocking up on more than we had planned, but happy anyway for thegoods for Christmas.

Signed out and ready to go… two days ago!!!!!!!! The weather has been really challenging! We have been running around in strong winds trying to let more chain out– take the wet washing in which never seems to be able to dry!!

Another cat here with some cheeky people dragged maybe 6 times!! They even dragged into Plain sailings bridle! This weather has been hectic! Shockingly I managed to drop our phone into the ocean!!!!!!  I got it out and John took it to our cell guy hoping to be able to getall our contacts off .. but that will only be in January that we can collect it – our visa's for Malaysia has expired so please drop me some mail with your telephone numbers guys so I can SMS you... as I won't go on the net again for sometime … or at least I don't think I will.

We got some good news about Australia, so this might be the last trip we do for awhile, though I will keep you all posted x

We all want to wish each and every one of you who reads this blog an Awesome Christmas x May you be blessed this season knowing you are thought of warmly by us x Remember the reason for the season x

Keep safe x Drop us a message x  Love to all of you x

John Jenny Justine Jessicaand Jonathan

Log 83

Sitting here with my foot up, a great cup of coffee watching a huge storm roll in with loud long rumbling thunder.. watching three brides on the beach rush off to safety ... brings the reality of how truly wonderful this lifestyle is ...

The fan humming in the background ... a lazy hot and humid day... Kids doing school while Jess finishes her washing and everyone seems content with what they are doing... a few slaps of wavelets on the scoops of the boat brings a tinge of sweet memories back to mind ....

Ok ... that kind of peacefulness was short lived ... someone is drilling!! ..... so all is now loud and noisy right now LOL! ... well not so shortlived - it stopped!!

Went through all our photos now that I am bound to sit all day and night till this pulled or torn calf muslce heals ... so have been having such a good laugh at all our funny pics!! Those are still the best ones for me! x

Being on the boat for all this time, low sandles are the thing to wear when going on land - no question! But as most of you know, with us preparing to head for land for quite awhile longer than a month, I have been buying high heel sandals, which I normaly wore on land, which I must admit, I really miss! Anyway, I wore these hi heels to the restuarant for Rons daughters birthday party ... Well, what a reaction from everyone really liking the shoes!! hehehe Jack got his wife Jackie who does not usually wear high heels at all to put them on and do the penguin walk which was really funny!! She looked like a model on the cat walk!!!! They really did look stunning on her!!

The photos are mainly of the shoes!!!! whahahhah

Anyways, we all danced and really had alot of fun! Getting a 25% discount for being a yachtie is always a bonus when going out to eat in Danga bay!! So being

at ' Lazio" which is a real nice restuarant, we all ate like kings!! A real treat if you will know!

Being a yachtie seems to have quite a few perks of meeting people rather quicker than one does on land - and you get all kinds of characters!! Actually we have been very blessed to have met some amazing and wonderful people that just touch a part of your soul that emprints it's happy memory for life! After the party John and I headed on back to TY Armor where some more dancing was to be had! We are truly blessed knowing such awesome people!

John got me onto Google maps which is astounding!!!!! You get to see a place as if you are truly there!!!! Looking at our old house, and friends places, I have been having a ball!!! Wow!! You should try it if you have not yet tried!!!

Birds!! The birds can now be heard!! What a lovely sound when you have not heard it for a while! Also, saw a dog!! You do not get dogs in Malaysia, or very few whom the Chinese own, but not the Malays - so to see a dog or hear the bark of one is quite an inspiration! Ron has a dog onboard so we get the pleasure of enjoying her company when she runs along the walkons!! Also when he pops in for a chat, KC jumps on board and gets the attention from all of us!

Cannot believe we had Justines 19th Birthday already! This is her 4th Birthday out of SA! Her 16th one was at Russian Bay, Madagascar, 17th was at sea on

route to Indonesia ( had an Indian Themed party for her when we arrived in Langkawi) 18th was in KL - Genting Highlands and now her 19th was in Johor Bahru! It actually stuns me that we are aging! I know I look the age just don't  feel it!  Must be all this sun

Justine went with 14 of the yachtie kids to Festive mall, to the archade to play basket ball  then came back for a braai with a few of the yachties which was really fun even though her birthday was the next day. We had a tub filled with water and apples in it, as I have always seen this on the movies and found it to be fun, so we decided to try it and everyone had to join in - catch an apple in your mouth without using your hands!!!!! NOT easy I tell you! Jackie set a rule in motion that we were not allowed to bite or catch the apple by the stalk so it became way funnier!! Unfortunately Ron had a problem which was made worse by sticking his head in the water!! Now it is like he is sea sick all the time! His signals are giving off wrong instructions  

Hot is not quite the word I am looking for to describe this heat! Like you cannot take a breath of fresh air! It is thick in your throat and feels like you have just

taken a shower and not dried off yet!! You shower three maybe four times a day just to cool off!!

The rain poured down and the thunder was amazing ... thankfully the lightening was not close this time It has taken the sting out of the heat so feel much more content now. Looks like more rain on the way ...

Ended up having such a stunning evening where all the yachties were invited to the convention centre for free food and great live local bands playing x It was for the end of Hari Raya and so had the tables set up so beautifully and the food!! Huge prawns , lots of local dishes which were really tasty, fruit, desserts, you name it! Honestly,  we felt like royalty!! We were told to dress up and not come yachtie fied so managed to dress accordingly and as the one yachtie woman said, she was sure they were more surprised at how good we all looked considering!!

Plans. plans. plans ...... so much of that going on, but will let you all know at the appropriate time ... Jono and Jess have their 17th and 18th Birthdays coming up and Christmas is almost here ..... so have a few surprises in store ....

Hope to hear from you guys!!!! Email  keeps us close to you and home, so please don't be lazy!! Some of you I have not heard from in months now .... so .... will be checking my guestbook or inbox to see how many of you actually are reading my blogs ... xx

Time to have another great cup, listen to the birds and watch the calm seas

God Bless you all and don't forget you have one life to live so live it to the fullest!!

Love John, Jenny, Justine, Jessica and Jonathan xxx

Log 82

Life has a way of  moving along with or without you ... it is September already! Gosh! Just cannot keep up! LOL

Funny thing is time is the one thing, once lost, that you can never get back so we must use it wisely! Though not sure if that is exactly what we are doing ... just easier to say than do LOL

Life in Johor has become easier since knowing which bus to catch and to where we want to go ... also for me, how to pronouce the words correctly as NO ONE was able to

understand my accent! What a problem trying to say a word I thought was right yet no one understood it or knew what the hang I was saying ... the frustration for all of us !!!

Thank goodness for Justine, who has learned to speak Malay, and is studying Indonesian which is a kindof  ' slang ' of Malay, so she has been able to ask in the language what we need to know and so do not get lost now or go to places that sound like the word I asked for!!!! No kidding!!!!

After much deliberation, John and I headed off to buy plasic containers in which to pack our stuff... we needed to sort things out inside the boat and were having a

problem with everything in the forepeaks and so we managed to pack all our stuff, sort out the things we needed to and then to spring clean in the process! Packing our 27 boxes was really quite exciting for all of us, looking at the stuff we had packed away and forgotten then being reminded was like receiving the gift all over again!  Taking down seriel numbers, logging the hundreds of shells I have collected over these last few years... the wood carved musical instruments.... still not sure how that will in the end turn out , as I stopped logging and just threw it all into a few of those boxes... also Jono's Tanzania wood map, chest board .... but we then had the movers arrive and take the boxes away into storage! So looks like we might have to redo the boxes professionaly when the time comes! The labels John put on the boxes were changed by him to all the boxes stating souveniers!!!! So which one is the shells and the wood stuff??? Still alot of work I must add!!! Now the hulls are rocking to go sailing again!!! heheheh

Though we had collected quite alot of things over these last few years, we never had quite the amount we thought we had so were quite pleased with ourselves!

We have been quite busy with maintenace jobs, flew the spinnaker to dry her so she can be packed ... really made us want to go sailing again!!! Filled the diesel up which has taken a while as you can only order your diesel on a Tuesday and Thursday ,and are only allowed two drums each so have done a few weeks of this... but all is full and ready if we need - though it also helps to keep your tanks clean if you are not going to be sailing for while ... so rather full than empty!

Have been having a field day touching up with the paint in the galley! Now it looks like I have this great new hairstyle with white ends!!!! LOL - John has no idea how I manage to get more paint in my hair than on the walls!!!

Bluemoon has had a total cleansing and so is a happy chappy I am sure!

Justine has been going to keyboard/organ lessons which she is loving!! We brought my keyboard with us so we could all play while on our trip, which we have been happily doing, and so Justine has picked up my style of playing by ear, yet we tried to get her lessons while still at home but with no luck, she has managed to tinker along quite nicely! Now with just two lessons she can read the music and so is playing the most stunning songs!! Cannot stop her playing now!!

Jono, also is busy playing guitar and composing his own tunes which is always so nice to listen to, and to make up words to, which can be really fun!! Considering he is pretty much self taught ... John showed him the chords and told him to practice and so Jono took it from there ... so it is always great having the music flow!!!

Having such bad internet has helped both John and I to compensate our time from researching to series watching! The movies this side of the world is ridiculously

cheap!!! So we have watched the full series of Heroes, Ghost whisperers, Medium, Supernatural and True Blood ... now we are Waiting for the next series to come out!!

Also, all the latest movies out we get to watch while it is showing in the movies!! This place is just too much actually with regards to copy rights!! I go onto You tube every now and then to listen to a song and it tells me I cannot even hear it because of the Malaysian Copy rights!!!! My comp picks up I am in Malay!!!!!!

Funny how a small thing can make your blood pressure rise in less that two ticks! Well try talking to the banks call centre back home and you will fully understand!!! My credit card expired and I have been trying for over three months to get one sent up to me! Somehow I wonder if it was delayed because I tend to open my mouth ... always at the the most inappropriate times! Anyways, after contimplating anger management classes .... I have finely received my new credit card!! So the blood pressure is down and Johnand I are very happy! hehehe

John and I left Bluemoon at 4pm, caught a taxi to the Malaysian Customs building, stamped out of Malaysia, then caught a bus to Singapore Immagration building, stamped in, caught another bus to Queen street in Singapore, then caught the MRT to the other side of Singapore, caught the skytrain to Terminal 1 to meet Johns dad at 6pm which we just made by five minutes .. really takes along time signing in!!!  Anyways we are all very excited having John's dad visiting! The kids are like little flies around him!!! I think he will need a long holiday after he has finished his visit

here!!! Also, we have taken for granted, and gotten used to the rocking and rolling when the swells come in - someone who is not used to that feels it and can be

unsteady with their footing ... so it has been weird looking back and remembering how we used to be...guess you expect everyone to find it quite normal! 

Though I must admit he has gotten his footing quite fast! Just the heat is a little more difficult getting used to!! The humidity actually!!

Looking at the time that Brian would be with us, sadly was enough time to sail to the Tiomans or any other island worth sailing to! So we opted to stay here and make the most of it.

Now as most of you know, we were heading off to New Zealand ... had many looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong discussions and chats... planned this and planned that and so it went ... found a varsity that Justine was interested in, and, and, and ..... now surprisingly we got a letter from Australia informing us that we have a

case officer and that we are almost finished with the process which we started two years ago!!! Man! Everytime we plan something, it changes! When we head off in a

direction we think is the way, it changes!! So .... we are finishing with the process and will see what we need to do next ... Hopefully by January, then we will know

which way to go and what to do for now ... mmmmmm.... Christmas in Australia..... LOL Will keep you all posted as to what we are going to do when we know!!! Though sailing is definitily on the agenda for John and I once the kids are studying and settled in x Looking forward to just the two of us continuing sailing!

Being Ramadan and Hari Raya, there have been quite a few functions going on ... last night they had a chinese evening of auction!!! What excitement for us!! And funny! They hadset up lots of tables and chairs along with two big screens which showed the speaker and the goods they were auctioning and the shouting!!! The Chinese can speak really fast!!! Which at times sounded really funny!! Also really quite different to an auction we know!

The huge constuction plans for the Marina and bay has been going very well!! The construction has been coming together really nicely! The flyover bridge is finished

and all the highways are in full work mode to finish! They have been reclaiming land so the water current is changing with the tides!! Quite remarkable looking at this process going on and feeling apart of it!!

Decided to head for City Square to treat Johns dad to a foot massage, and ended up having the six of us pay for a who hour each ! Well ... what you must understand about a real Thai massage is that they are quite physical! Bone crunching manipulators! LOL You get your feet and legs massaged then your neck and head then comes the crumpling of bones!! I think we all felt like contortionists!!! Had ginseng tea afterwards, while pulling up the much needed strength to stand up and walk out!!! Not that bad I suppose, but still quite an experience!

Have done alot of walking, eating local foods and trying out different styles of food! Played games, laughted hard, shared and just enjoyed the company of Brian x

Then the time came and the kids were up at 3 am, John and I at 4 am , had a good cuppa and headed off to the taxi at 4 30 am then to Kotaraya to catch a international bus to Singapore ... he dropped us at the customs at each place, where we had to sign in, then took us all the way to the airport but shame, the timing seemed alittle close and got the nerves going, but we made it and still had time for a great breakfast at a grand price!! Singapore has the same prices as Malaysia, but 1 Ringet is not the same value as 1 Singapore dollar!!!!  We then said our goodbyes and watched Brian head for the next step of his holiday to Australia, to visit Rita his youngest daughter.

We caught the skyway back to town, shopped around at a huge mall - Mostafa - then headed back exhausted to Danga bay going through the long process of getting through customs, which actually was quite quick!

Funny how the place seems to be missing someone when that person leaves ... but life must go on and so we have been cleaning, filling out paperwork, getting ready for our next leg of our journey through life ....

We are hoping to slow down now that our plans are at a T juncion ....  though we know without a doubt that our Precious Lord will open the doors that need opening and close the doors that need closing, so it is all in His hands ....

Thanks to everyone who has kept that mail rolling!! We Love and Miss you all!

Keep living life to the fullest and remember we think of you all!

Love always John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan

LOG 81

Wow! So much has been going on our side of the world! Two months now that we have been in Johor and Boy has the time flown!! We have been busy changing all our inside plugs and lights ... LEDS are fantastic!!! What excitement to make your own designs etc! Now with all the plugs and wiring in order, we can sleep so much easier LOL

Been to Singapore a few times which is really fantastic as we know the drill now, and boy does that make your life so much easier! Just having a problem with our bus tickets in Johor as we must show them to the bus conductor, but for some reason, the conductor has to re-issue ours, everytime!! Not quite sure what the story is with all that, but we just smile

Sitting here just after midnight, the 1st August listening to the party bands, makes me smile because they play the exact same songs EVERY night!! But we love it!! They have voices that do not make you go crazy so that helps! We also can sing along as we know the words already! hehehe   Seeing as we cannot play our own music as you would not hear it against theirs anyway

Early in July TYAMOR, Bebert and Laurence had their two daughters fly over and also to be here for their brother Francios's birthday which was really wonderful!!! He was totally surprised and speechless, and very happy!!! We all joined in having a big braai for him to celebrate which was so nice!!

Amelie and Claire and the whole brood, went on the rides they have here after we all celebrated Amelies pass from Uni, and everyone had a ball!

TY Armor headed off to Melacca for the weekend, while we ended up in the hospital for the weekend with Jess. All of us were really shaken but are more than happy that things have settled down and all is well and back on track xx Makes you realize just how short life can be and to really look at the blessings in your life and the positive things in life .. We serve a Mighty God who really does leave only one pair of footprints in the sand when we are faced with trials...

The following week with our nerves all frazzled we all, Bebert, Laurence, Amelie, Claire, Francios, John, Justine, Jess, Jono and myself, took a mini bus, compliments of Danga Bay to Larken, the Bus terminal, where we caught a bus to Mersing. Two hours flew by so quick as we slept most of the way LOL Then it was off to lunch at the Ferry Terminal which was wonderful!! There was quite a few hours delay because of the tides!! The ferry had to wait for the tide to come in so off we headed to all the Tioman Islands, dropping off passengers at different docks, then it was back to the same dock we had just left to pick up a couple who had the wrong place. Two hours later we arrived in Juara. We saw Plane Sailing anchored out but could not get hold of them as we did not have our phone!!! We all jumped into 4x4's and headed for the Duty Free shop where we bought refreshments, etc. What an awesome drive!!! The hills were so steep we were shocked we never back flipped down the hill!!! The views were stunning and the greenery just breathtaking!! You have to take a four by four to get to the other side of the mountain, as no car or bike will make the trip!!

It was truly such an awesome sight and we were so blessed just to experience that mountain trip! What beauty!!!! So soul quenching!!

We booked into our cabins surrounded by lush green trees and shrubbery! AIR CON!!! We unpacked while having a great cuppa!!! We made sure we stocked up well on that!!

Well ... we ate at the restaurant everyday while there as you have no kitchen in the cabins, so cannot cook, (Only a kettle!) and the prices are so reasonable and the food  just delish!!! We played ball on the beach, Flew kite, took walks, and had some amazing moments just chilling and enjoying ourselves x We did not even notice the TV till we left!!!!!!! So that was great!! We swam in crystal clear water which was such a blessing and a change to the usual murky water.  We had fish braais, and tried out all the dishes we could.

Jono went diving with the dive team, and it just had to be... a really huge storm!! Big thunder and lightning!! OOOoohhhh!!! I felt so sorry for Jono being in the water, which he was though his account was quite amazing actually! He did not know it was a storm till he saw the blue light in the water!!! He arrived back soaked and very happy with himself! I cannot say I was so calm and happy till I saw him!! LOL We all played board games while waiting for Jono which was really fun!! Everyone was playing something different and what a great memory!!

After four incredible days, we sadly packed up and headed back to the ferry..... where we all sat outside most of the trip back soaking up the breathtaking views ... the array of colours in the water and the fish you could clearly see when stopping at the different islands picking up people!!!

The trip seemed to go so fast and we were back on our baby Bluemoon!

The storms that we have been having here has been totally hair raising!!! The lightning like I said before is nothing we have ever experienced ever!!! I actually have lost my breath from fright!!  But that is the season here now.... 

We all celebrated Beberts birthday with John making a biltong maker and me making the booklet with instruction, not that he needs it as he knows how to make biltong better than most!!! But we decided to make ourselves one and are we addicted! It is so fun and really is biltong!!!!! LOL  So you now know what we are up to!!! hehe

Just a few days ago, I was awoken by this " Squawking" which sounded like a bird... but when I listened I heard "HELP" so I darted out of bed not even thinking of dressing properly and flew out the boat onto the dock, the kids were up early, 5:00am, and had their earphones on so shot outside to see what was up.... what we saw was a person in the water, in the middle of the beach and the boats, screaming for help while swallowing lots of water, drowning more like it - So I scream back, we on our way, hang on!! Of course the whole marina is up by now, and while we were trying to get the duck off the front of our boat, another boat beat us to it, thankfully for she would not have lasted that long!!!  Long story short, there were a few issues with her story and clearly she was afraid of going home with her friends. She was a tiny Vietnamese young lady that was lucky to walk away alive!! Though now that I think of it, no one jumped into the water! Maybe it was the snakes that none of us jumped in??? 

Sadly we said our good byes to Amelie and Claire, playing one last trick on Claire before she left   Toothpaste in the handshake hehehehe She is so good at getting you!! We just had to come up with something good, ...

We got the cherry on top of the cake when we got a call from the Embassy to collect all our passports!! 7 months later!!! John decided that for the very 1st time we would leave our three darlings on the boat overnight while we made the trip to KL to collect them... What a bright spark!! We were like little kids!!! Thoroughly had a ball and enjoyed every minute of our trip there and back with our precious cargo!!

Well, Jono has headed off to Singapore for the evening along with all the skater guys who will do an all night skating. He really loves this lifestyle and the freedom of going out without him or us always being so worried... Good 'ol SA needs this kind of freedom!!

Past 1 am and the party still goes on! Remember that the Malays don't drink, but they sure know how to have a good time!! 7 wedding today, so am not surprised!!

We are looking at our next leg of our journey and have a two month window ... so will keep you posted!!

Keep those emails rolling!! We love to hear from all of you! And to our new members WELCOME!!

Continue enjoying life and living it to the fullest!!

Remember it is a choice!!

Love from John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 80

Wow! Cannot believe how time has flown by since my last update!Were supposed to set sail on the 22nd, but with the weather throwingout huge sqalls we decided to stay another day and just chill, swimand relax. This place truly is what we call a luxurious safe haven!LOL

We left Port Dickson before 8am to face a lovely, slightlyovercast, misty day... and what a great day of motor sailing it was! The winds were very light but with the sail and the motor on wegained an extra 2 knots. We were all surprised to see the sky lookingas if it was heavily polluted... and were not sure if it wasjust a storm brewing... yet that did not stop Justine from baking herwinner "Banana Cake"  which we all thoroughlyenjoyed!!

We anchored 8 miles off of Melacca at the water islands. It wasquite fun for us seeing Melacca from a different view, spotting theBig eye, and, and, and....

Just past the crack of dawn we headed out into a very hot andhumid day... all enjoying the sail, with alittle more wind... thoughvery calm... surprised to see how flat and uninteresting the coastalline actually was!

A little excitement for the day when a tug boat pulling ahumongous barge started to hoot at us signalling he was turning toport and we were just a little in front of him...  so wereunsure of what he wanted...

We tried waving but did not want to change course due to it beingtoo shallow around then the Captain called us up on channel 16 to which he greeted all of us - they were checking us out with thebinoculars .... then had a long chat about where we were from, wherewe were going and so forth... really quite nice...

He turned to Port and we stayed on course along with Plain Sailingbehind us.  We anchored at Pulau Pisang (Banana Island) at fourthirty after sailing a 75 miler skirting the area for a good spot asthere were lots of rocks around!! Ate an early supper, showered thenhad an early night. We were all exhausted!! And really suntanned!

It was anchors away early the next morning, heading for Danga Bay,Johor Bahru... our destination... We had not seen any boats from therally so were expecting to see them all when we arrived..

After a few hours sailing we headed into the shipping lane whichleft our mouths wide open!! We had never seen so many ships at onetime!! Wow!!  01 deg 16. 07 N  103 deg 33.47 E on Googlemight give you an idea... We were headed for the bridge which has aheight of 25M so of course we were all trying to work out if we wouldmake it LOL! We are around 19M so would easily get through, thoughyou still wonder.... hehehe There is one boat which we know of, amono, that can only go through at low tide or WILL get stuck!!Theirmast makes it by a hairs breathe and they have to be dead centre ofthe bridge!

We also sailed by Indonesia (at a distance of course) but alsoreally quite close!!! We dodged a few huge ships going into port....feeling very VERY small next to some of them hehehe

We were using the video camera trying to capture the memory as Ihad dropped our second camera and the on button was broken, the watercamera's battery was dead so.... video it was.... we had Malaysia onone side and Singapore on the other... the two countries are RIGHTNEXT to each other!! Suprisingly close! About 200 meters plus orminus.... We went under the bridge easily which was quite an excitingthing and especially because of the current that was rippingthrough!!!! 

We had Plain Sailing right behind us with us constantly checkingthe depth sounder ... Plain sailing did not have a depth sounder...and some parts were really shallow and the alarm would go off... yetthe incredible and funny thing was two Singapore customs guys inspeed boats would speed up to certain part then stop in the middle ofthe channel showing us which side to stay on!!

If we deviated onto the Singapore side they would come speeding atus to warn us LOL!! Then the fun begain while I was at the helm! Thecurrent was really ripping through and I was on course having a greatcuppa, next minute I hear the star board motor drop revs and just dieon us! So I switched her off then tried to get back on course whichbelieve me was truly quite a mission!!! When John and Jono flew downto the starboard side to check out the problem, they both saw thatour alternator belt had popped off!! So immediately started to sortthe problem out … Talk about great timing!!

If you could have seen our chart route.... you would genuinely seethe track zigzagged all the way up the channel! It was truly toughkeeping her on course!! John and Jono were sweating their buts offtrying to get the star board motor going while I was doing my best toplay dodgem cars!!!! And that is not even a joke!! Those Singaporeofficials must have thought I was teasing them coming close to theirside heheheh They kept a close eye on us!! Keeping in mind that theyhave an electric fence going all the way up the channel on theirside, with lookouts at every few metres from the other.... so even ifyou wanted to sneak in I think it would be impossible!!!

That alarm went off consistently... which was quite stressful withjust one motor and such a strong current and the chart seemed to lookout to me!!!!  I am convinced it is out in this area!!! I am notsure what those customs people thought when I headed toward Singaporethen back to Malaysia just to keep her on course a good few hundredtimes!!  Never mind other traffic coming and going!! LOL

Justine was my co-pilot  and was doing a great job giving meco-ordinates and markings which helped us up the channel... John,with the help of Jono managed to get the starboard motor workingwhich was such a relief and make the helming way easier almostinstantly the motor was back in use!!!!  Everyone relaxed whileJess made another great cuppa to calm the nerves LOL

As we suspected, a lot of yachts from the rally were all anchoredout or moored up at Danga Bay! Which was rather exciting having sucha full marina.

With a warm welcome we had Ron and two other guys help to moor uson to the dock which went very smoothly and were so thrilled aboutmooring up with the wind howling and getting stronger...  so attwo thirty on the 25th of May we moored up safely in Danga Bay...with a picturesque view of land behind us giving us the feeling thatwe were anchored out ... and where they party all night, every nighttill 2am... we are just loving it!!

The following day I caught a cab with Laurence and Babs to PelangiPlaza to do some shopping and I laughed all the way there recognisingthe many roads we took!!! It was the same roads we got so horriblylost on when on our road trip just a few weeks earlier to Johor!! 

You can imagine my surprise seeing many South African products!!!Mrs Balls, Bovril!! Tennis biscuits and just so much more - at areally huge price!! I could not believe it when I saw red meatpackaged the way I remember!!! Boy was I in my element!!  Nevermind the price... I bought surprises for the whole family and blewthe budget big time, but with such a happy family at the surprises,we adjusted the budget somewhat LOL

A week later, the girls and I headed back to Pelangi Plaza andwaved a taxi down... only problem was he could not understand myaccent and so did not know where we wanted to go!!! After fiveminutes having him run through every shopping mall there was in Johorwe got the name of the mall we wanted to go in his language! And Iwas on the clock for those five minutes!!!!  

John and I decided to go to Singapore agin to pick up some of ourspares that we had ordered and were sure had arrived and so were upearly, caught a bus to city square, then a bus to customs, anotherbus to Singapore customs, then another to the MRT in Singapore,bought our tickets for the MRT to the area we were going... WoW! Thehospitals here are really big, clean and so organised!!! Then it wasoff to Little India, and around, then Little China and a few otherplaces walking quite far to find the shops we needed to go ....Thanks to Bebert for showing us the ropes into Singapore when we wereon our road trip, which has made the process of going to Singaporeand getting around just so much easier!!! We arrived home after ninepm happy with our day.

Also had a really wonderful day going to lunch with wonderfulpeople for Laurence's birthday! Laughed so much and definitely had alittle too much red wine! Had a T-Bone steak for the first time intwo years??? Wow!! Made sure I enjoyed every mouthful!! Laurencequietly told me they don't eat the bone!!!! hehehehe well.... weheaded back to the marina after the five of us shopped the centreout!  Then it was straight off to the braai/barbaque where thewhole marina had been invited... We all brought salads and our owndrinks - Bebert bought chicken for every one.... John had smoked awhole chicken which was absolutely wonderful!! He got a smoker fromBebert as Laurence does not like smoked food so John was a VERY HAPPYman!!! And every night John wants to smoke everything we eat!!!hehehehe

We have been here now for four weeks and boy has one day blendedinto the next so quickly!!

Have finely done our lights!!! LEDS which are brilliant and suchpower savers!! With all the rain and storms we have been having doesnot help our power!! We have not had a galley light for a few weeksnow, so again, we are like little kids having lights for the firsttime!!!! Such a normal thing you would think, till you didn't have itfor awhile... You see, what happened was, we bought plugs inMalaysia, that looked the same as ours - only difference was thereconnectors were shorter than ours and so caused the casing to meltand burn the plugs!! Also the on off swith button... So ... till wefigured out the problem, we had gone through all the plugs having tochange them all!!! The actual switch melted from the heat.... so...all the plugs have been changed, wiring done correctly and lights onagain!! 

Every day, regardless of the weather, you have up to five brideshaving their pictures taken on our little beach behind us!!! Theycome from Singapore to get married in Malaysia because it is so muchcheaper!! And wow... some of the brides are truly stunning!!!!!

Have caught the bus to do some shopping at a few places now andare enjoying Johor though we miss our friends in Langkawi!!!!!

Kids are working hard with their extra credits, and getting aroundthemselves with the bus...

Jono has made quite a few friends while skating, one guy is fromthe Marina, (USA) also sailing and so went to Singapore on his own ashe registered with the other skaters for the GO SKATING competitionin Singapore!

It is really quite funny actually, but you will see all over theplace in Singapore, NO skating signs everywhere!! And the localswould change the N to a G so it read go skating.... then Vans one ofthe advitisers set up a go skating day every year for the skaters sothey arrange a few buses for all the registered skaters and get takento skate shop to skate shop, skate park to skate park doingcompetitions and just skating... they also get a gift package as wellas a whole PIZZA for lunch. He loved the experience so much!!! Metso many other people and also many foreigners who come from all overthe world for the GO skate day! He arrived home after 11pm very tiredand very sore! hehehe

John went with Bebert to a few electrical shops to get the rest ofthe goods we need, so am excited for him to get back...

In the meanwhile we are still waiting for our passports toarrive... then will plan our next leg of our journey and who knowswhere that could take us... LOL

We think about you all often and hope to hear from you all soon x

P/S: Will be sorting out my photos real soon, so will be takingoff alot of them to put on new ones, and that can take me quite awhile!! Also busy capturing our video tapes as we speak from overfive to six years ago!!! So....

Remember... you have one life to live... so live it to the fullestand always count your blessings x

Love John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 79

We arrived back from our road trip andwere happy to have had the opportunity to explore Malaysia, such abeautiful country!

We assessed our future plans and knew,sadly, our time had come to move on down South... we provisioned, didthe maintenance and services needed … while waiting for our sailto arrive from Melacca, and some school paces - then came the evensader occasion.... we went to say farewell to our wonderful friendsAmanda, Fakhrees and Azul.... of course the tears flowed!!! Langkawiwould never have been so special if it had not been for Zaid andthem... so with heavy hearts we left after dark, and while walkingto get the last of our provisions, we saw Zaid's parents across theroad, they stopped to say farewell to us which was so nice and sospecial for us all. Really amazing people!!

We left early the following morning andheaded for Penang which we have come to thoroughly love! John wentwith the bike to sign in and out... We saw Ilya there and met anotherboat with the most amazing people! Daniel and his wife Hiro, andtheir three sons, one, Sam, who is 16 and Jono's age which wasstunning! They all had a great time, just such a pity it was such ashort time!!! Sam, we have later found out is a genuine musician!! Hehas songs on you-tube which is truly brilliant!! Love the style andlyrics of his music!! Really talented! Yet we hope to see them allagain soon on their way down south too. We provisioned the lastgoodies we needed, then the kids headed for a checkup at the dentistthen it was shopping for the nice things!! Just a few hehehe

We headed off the next morning earlyand headed for Pancor which was a really long day at the helm... veryhot! Dodged a few nets and rubbish floating on the currents which wasyet again shocking to see rope the thickness of your arms along withnets, medical bottles, cups, shoes and a lot of other things...plastic is a big problem too as it can wrap around the props! Soinstead of the relaxed trip, we were all eyes open scanning for therubbish so as to zig zag through it... some huge tree trunks that canbreak your gelcoat off if not hole it!! Still... exciting and a greatsail! Also always awesome being on the ocean again.

After a long hot day we were happy tosee Pancor and headed in on a high tide to finaly drop anchor next toPlain sailing. We enjoyed relaxing the next day, cooling off from theprevious day. We saw the weather looking rather overcast and werethrilled it was not as hot, yet we knew a storm was brewing justlooking at the clouds and the horizon... our next stop was supposedto be out in the open ocean... which was impossible!! The “ calm” seas turned nasty within an hour! The wind was up and we were allhobyhorsing through the swells which were getting bigger!! Bob andDedre' never saw the water like that in this area before! We were upone swell then down the next, coming up we had to check to see wherePlain sailing was. Jono and I were upfront in our roadwork outfitsLOL! It is for heavy weather, with aluminous tape all over it andbright orange, so you can spot anyone of us in the pitch dark! Wewere enjoying the roughness and rain, till the booming thunderstarted along with the fork lightening!! Now that is scary! Alightening bolt infront of us, then around the side and so it went...standing on deck with the lightening makes you yet again realize howfragile and small you actually are!! We were all going “WOW” didyou see that! As if any of us could miss that thick bolt into thewater!! From around 10 that morning we were roughing it... drenchedactually and I had to go and change into something warm then put onmy wet road gear again to keep watch. Our hand were wrinkled, eyesblood red from the hard pellots hitting into them even with a peakon! It was black... dark and stormy the whole day! At times we couldnot see infront of us so put the radar on as their were quite a fewships and lots of fishing boats! We kept on past the anchorage wewere supposed to stop at as the swells were really pretty rough toanchor in! Nav lights were on the whole day... we actually thought itwas a sumatra on the way, as the winds were up to 35 knots .. wefound an anchorage north of Klang near a river mouth, and headed fortheir checking the depth sounder permanently.. we could not see landor anything actually, as it was so dark and misty all around us,though it was slightly calmer, so we dropped anchor though felt wewere still sailing.... with all the slamming and rocking androlling... It was SOOOOO nice having a hot shower, a good cuppa anda bite to eat then straight to bed! Exhausted!!

We woke to a lovely day, still overcastbut nice and calm and land!! Also had a good few fishing boatsmotoring close past the boat to get a look at all of us as we were intheir fishing spot! They had been dropping nets and buoys right nextto us!!! We all lifted anchor then headed past all the staringfishermen right next to us!!!

It took us part of the day to zigzagthrough the harbour and the very many container ships anchoredwaiting to offload their cargo. It was really nice as the layout madeus think of the stretch coming from the bluff down the main channelto the marina, except with a lot more ships anchored in the middle!! Pretty with all the green around … then by late afternoon we werefollowing Bob on Plain sailing into Port Dickson... only problem washe had the wrong waypoint and we turned hard to starboad as he wasskirting a reef which he realized thankfully soon enough as he hadthe wrong spot he was heading to! Close call there!! Jono up the mastdirecting us out the reef spots!! Then it was into Port Dicksonmarina which had a small mouth to go in by but ever so calm!! What apretty marina! Bob and Deidre were infront of us, and we wereanchoring on the outer wall behind them – but we heard Dedre'yelling at Bob! Saw some action then found that the fenders had alllifted up by the jetty as they were too high still! They scraped theside of their boat while a couple climbed off their boat, the one wewere next too and told them to stop shouting and yelling like that!!Dedre' told them to either help or shut up!! We then arrived andmoored on with Bob and Dedre helping to tie us on... shortly aftermooring up we went up to the pool which was truly stunning!!! Reallyfive star and climbed in... amazing!! Lovely and so cooling!!! Theguys signed in while the kids and us swam – unwinding. We all had agreat evening …. sleeping very well! Then it was a full day ofwashing the boat, cleaning … doing the clothes washing andmaintenance.... exhausting actually with the heat, then a shower anda long walk to the bus stop to head into town. It was really nicestopping and trying fruit we have never seen before!!! Lovely fruit!!We went wild!! lol Then it was off to the Chinese man to buy “sliced chicken” which actually was bacon as in these parts theyare not supposed to sell any form of pork, but we again went wild andbought LOTS of bacon and other goodies, then it was off to thesupermaket which is really big with everything, and again we boughtway more things than we intended, but with John's Birthday the nextday we allowed it as we do not really snack or eat junk food often...then the rain came down in buckets!!! Lightening and thunder...Lovely!! We decided to catch a taxi back to the club as it is abouttwo ringets per person for the taxi... so Jono went with Bob andDedre' while John, the girls and I went with the other taxi. Again weslept well!! We awoke to a wonderful day! John's birthday! Justinemade pancakes with honey which we all enjoyed then a great few cuppacoffees! We all walked a few ks to a chinese resturant which Bob andDedre thought would be nice... it was fantastic actually!! We allshared and enjoyed each others meals which was soooooo fulling!!!Then a long walk back in the very hot sun heheheh aloooooooooooooooooooong swim in the pool, then some coffee and cakewhich really did not fit after such a filling meal!! A really lovelyday!

Tomorrow morning, the 22ndwe will head off to Melacca which we heard via the rally that justpassed there, that the swells were so bad in the marina that everyonewas helping everyone to keep their boats safe!

Will keep you posted of our whereaboutswhen the chance allows.

Please drop some mail when you get thechance justcruizinrsa@yahoo.comand let us know how you all are x to those who have sent – Thanks!!

We love hearing from you all x

Love always, John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan xxxxx

Log 78

Plans don't always work out the way you expect them to and sometimes they work out even better just by going with the flow which we experienced trying to give Zaid a surprise party... Amanda, Fakhkrees, Muiz and us Bluemooners decided to surprise Zaid as we have not seen him in a couple of months with him now being in Sabah, and with him coming to visit and it being his birthday – we decided Jono would go skateboarding with him while we set up the balloons and sorted out the food which did not work out as Zaid's family had organised something for him during the day so later on he phoned Amanda to say he was coming to visit them to which Amanda told him we were leaving and were coming for coffee later that evening and to come then!

We rushed to get everything sorted out and set up... while we were busy Zaid phoned Justine to confirm we were leaving first thing in the morning and she confirmed which was not the truth as we had planned to stay a week longer while Zaid was here to spend time with him as the kids had worked an extra week of school so they could take off during this time... He wanted to see them before they left, but Justine said they were preparing the boat so could not see him!! AAAaaaahh!! I felt terrible us joking with him like that!! I know that feeling only too well.... yet we knew it would be worthwhile – so the kids hid behind the counter – camera's ready (which was on the WRONG! Settings!!) anyhow, Zaid arrived with a very disturbed look on his face!! Not a happy man.... We greeted him and wished him then the kids jumped up at the perfect time with us all shouting Surprise!! What a great evening we had! It was really wonderful and even better with Zaid knowing we were only leaving in a weeks time..

We ate and celebrated a special time with Zaid then they all played Uno while John and I headed back to the boat ..... (Thanks Amanda and Fakhrees!!!)

We prepared the boat, packed and were all excited to head off on our road trip... which I must add was not planned!! Yea the road trip travelling around Malaysia was discussed – places looked at that we wanted to visit and see...and dropping our sail off at Quantum in Melacca was, but no hotels were booked … and so we left Langkawi at 7:30 am which is just a short walk to the jetty from the marina.

Justine and Jono carried the sail down while waiting for the rest of us to catch up and boy were they sweating!! That main sail starts getting really heavy after only 100 meters!!!!

Zaid met us at the ferry terminal to see us off and as usual the tears flowed way to quick... thank goodness for glasses!! I just hate goodbyes...even now just writing this brings a lump to my throat!

We all dozed on the ferry to Kuala Kedah which is about an hour and a half..Justine was the only one of us who could understand the movie!! It was in Malay and she was laughing and enjoying it.. When we arrived it was a stop for coffee which we desperately needed as we were not even sure we would get a car!!

Then two taxis later to Alor Setar where we did manage to hire a car...so took what they had or we would have had to wait till after 4pm to get a “nice” car.. we filled up with petrol and hit the road to Kuala Lumpur... which was six hours away... and you can only do 110 ks .

Good music blaring – air con on … we were in high spirits... with the basic of maps for each place that I packed for around Malaysia.. which I thought would do the job!!! (More about that later on) We were enjoying the scenery, the newness, the change... and the AIR CON!!!! They have coconut palms the whole way to Kuala Lumpur which is incredible actually!

They are oil palm plantations and I tell you...are EVERYWHERE in Malaysia. They are quick growing trees that need little maintenance in very hot weather and we were told Malaysia accounts for around 51 % of world palm oil production and 62% of world exports and I am not sure of which year that was.. yet it is really pretty to see!

Toll's!!! We could not believe how many Toll Plaza's there were!!! You pay cash for the short runs then you get a card if heading on the highway till you get to your destination where you give your card back and pay a whopping amount... Though the roads are pretty good and I guess you can count the potholes on one hand... the roads were very busy!!

These tolled roads have many rest areas, restaurants, prayer rooms for the Muslims and souvenir shops which are really great and used well by fellow road travellers! We crossed the state of Kedah into Perak which we felt was much cooler! Till we opened the windows! This stretch was really beautiful winding down through the Limestone Hill side where you could see caves... The hills stand out when you see the Chinese temples which is called tong/s or Hindu temples, many of which are built into the caves! This state is stunningly beautiful!! We were hit with very strong rain and so had slowed down considerably... also mixed with this beauty is the virgin jungle which is honestly breathtaking... really an amazing experience!!! We stopped only a few times to look around – stretch our legs and to grab something tasty to eat and drink. Malaysians drive on the left side of the road... and safety seems to be a minor concern for Malay drivers and was quite an experience all on it's own!! It is not unusual to see people chatting on their cell phones while driving with one hand on the wheel and a small child in their lap!!!! Vehicles will frequently turn or change lanes without indicating, and it’s common to be overtaken on the inside which is quite a surprise for us!

Lane changing in traffic jams is a frequent occurrence, and let me tell you... the other drivers won’t let you in to a merging lane either so you have your hand out the window waving at the car behind to open up a gap or you just close your eyes and drive as agressively as they do... and it works!! Also the one thing I cannot stand! They drive bumper to bumper at speeds that really can kill – there always seems to be a race on and it is not because we have not driven for a while that we say this! Then you get the motorcyclists who seem to be everywhere all the time!!!

You are always checking both sides of your car before turning or changing lanes. They often ride AGAINST the traffic or the wrong way on a one-way street which makes things very challenging!!! So the rest of the trip into KL was quite an experience...

John would warn me which seemed like every few seconds that a bike was going to be passing!! We arrived in KL while it was still light and was so excited to have arrived alive!! I was the navigator and was turning the map in the direction we would go... John could not understand this but it really made it easier for me!! Think of coming into JHB for the very first time and you will get the picture!! To cut a VERY LOOOOOOOOOOOG story short – Yes we got lost a hundred times and so it went turn after turn... We landed back on the highway a few times then realzied the map was out of date!!!!

Driving in KL is certainly not for the fainthearted!!! These drivers are just so unpredictable! If it’s not motorbikes zooming every which way around you, it’s other motorists making multi-lane changes without indicating, or overtaking on the inside which makes it very difficult to concentrate on navigating your way around the idiosyncratic road system... Ok.. besides being out of date this map was inaccurate and there were many twists and turns which made it extremely hard to double back if you realise you’ve made a wrong turn. Then the one ways!!

Getting lost we realized is part of KL life for the newcomer yet we were sure we would eventually find the place we were looking for!!

Thank goodness petrol is cheap here!! It is subsidised by the government … so a litre is about RM1.90 … and that helped with the many extra miles we used getting lost!! LOL Now please let me not forget the jay walking pedestrians which can be a great hazard to us drivers!! Especially in the city centre!!

We managed to find a parking, which is really not that easy I tell you, right opposite the hotel! And by now it was past 9pm!! Yet were all thrilled to find a place so we could freshen up!!

We bought the 3 in one nescafe coffee with our cups we brought and just had to use hot water (a lot of the places have kettles and hairdryers in the rooms) We walked to the Bukit Bintng Plaza, which is one of KL's oldest shopping centres. We walked around just looking... enjoying the aircon!!

Looked at the huge display of computers which John had been doing a lot of research on as our two laptops had fallen while sailing a few times and were now giving some problems... (not enough problems to warrant a new computer) Landed up at Low Yat Plaza and enjoyed buying a few things... on our way out we stopped on the side walk at a little Chinese restaurant and had sweet and sour pork which was really lovely!

Have not had meat for quite a while!! (Dare not even think about red meat... braaing... just do not tease ourselves that way lol)

It rained with spectacular lightening!! Wish I could capture those moments on the camera!! Headed back to our Hotel where we slept well!! We were up quite late – had breakfast – packed and headed for the car with maps spread out heading for the high commission..... what an amazing place KL is!! Talk about discovering a place while being lost!!! lol!! We were driving like everyone else!! Cutting past four lanes to take the wrong turn heheh Landed up at the convension centre which was close to the HC... according to the map!!

Well we had to drive maybe four levels underground! Then came the walking... block after block! Man was this tiring!!

Eventually I found the place to John's relief!! But now we remembered the photos we had to take!!! So it was off to the Berjaya Times Square which is Malaysia's largest shopping mall, sprawled over 3, 450, 000 square feet and you are truly spoilt for choice!!! It has everything!!

So after much walking and many floors up and down we had the pics taken – John thought it best if Justine and I stayed at the mall while they went to the HC as I was furious that things had gone so wrong and would easily say what I thought!! After a great cuppa.. John phoned as I had to come in and sign....so off we went.

When we arrived we had other people to help. The passports for Jono and Jess along with their Id books had been rejeted!!! Apparently the fingerprints had been the problem – no kidding considering we had to do them ourselves!!!

Now a lady from SA whom was from Blowm and was working here for the last two years did the new fingerprints and of course I was asking a lot of questions as to maybe we should do another set just incase these never turned out right and, and, and... she understood why I was so upset and assured us these would pass – also I wanted to know if we would be put at the back of the que again as timing was a problem for us and so she phoned the lady in SA to let her know she was sending the new info and made sure we would be taken care of as soon as the paperwork arrived – and we had to come back in two days for the tempory passports as the two kids were illegal now!! (Though the passports expired only beginning of May – one must have 3 months left in your passport to be legal in Malysia) everyone feeling much happier and reassured headed for the coffee shop before our long zig zag guessing game to find where the convension centre was!!

We found it!! Managed to land up by the malls and so parked the car down a side walk and strolled to the huge computer mall where we had a great cuppa!! The weather had turned and wow!! What a storm! Maybe the sound effects were because of being inbetween all these incredible high rises... and the lightening!!

We have never seen such incredible displays that we anywhere else! After much investigation and lots more walking, we assessed which and what we needed then bought two new computers!!! With all the accessories!!!

Now we were exhausted!!! The storm had abated and off we went looking for the car! Night time changes the view you had during the day!!! LOL You know – what you must understand if you don't know us is.... John needs a navigator! Hehe We would go to work for 12 years straight to the same place and I would have to tell John to take the turn off as many, many times we would be so consumed with what we were discussing that we would land up in town!!!!!! The story of our lives lol!!

We found the highway and headed for Melaka! The drive was great – except for the stressful moments with the speeds these cars were doing while creeping up the bumper of the next car while it was pouring with rain! You really have to see it to believe it!!!! We stopped at one of the rest spots and headed for the KFC for supper. Then continued into Melaka where we found the Orchid hotel for the night... when we went to park at the back which we were instructed to do we could not believe their parking system!!!!!

Like out of the movies!! It is a park and pack system worked off chains and winches etc!! They lifted a parked car then moved it up a level and over other parked cars so we could get in!! Hairy canaries I tell you!! Yet again – aircon!! I cannot tell you how hot it really is – all I know is you are always wet! Even after a shower!!

So the aircon is such a treat for us though all the hotels and motels have aircon which we are all delighted about!! After a great breakfast we were once again intrigued by their parking system!! Headed out for some sightseeing …..

Melaka is really a beautiful place full of historic landmarks which were really great seeing! The eye on Malaysia is a huge wheel like you get at the fun fares.. just really much Bigger! You kinda see it everywhere you go! Driving down a nice street we arrived thankfully at the centre of Melaka where Christ Church and a lot of other historical places were! Wow! So much history in this cute town!!!

We parked the car and walked around.... We found the Stadthuys (1650) which was the official residence of the Dutch Governor which now houses the Historic Museum and Ethnography Museum which has many traditional bridal costumes and relics on display. Close by we strolled to Christ Church which was built in 1753 which also is another great example of the Dutch architecture. What a buzz with so many people snapping pics, laughing, shuffling around this place and the music!

Full ball from these richa boys! Really fancy up to date music each blaring a different song riding their well decorated cycle carriage.

While standing outside the church we saw a bride arrive and she really looked alittle lost! She was not as happy as one would expect a bride to be – but she did look lovely in her traditional wedding outfit! During the peak of the Malacca Sultanate, the Sultan was gifted the Princess Hang Li Poh by the China Emperor. Her entourage settle in Bukit China which we know as Chinese Hill. Bukit China is believed to be the largest Chinese cemetery outside China, with many tombs dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Hang Li Poh's followers built a well in 1459 that is said to have never dried up.

The well has been turned into a wishing well and may believe those who toss coins into the well will return again to Malacca. The Maritime Museum is constructed after 'Flora De La Mar', the Portuguese ship that sank off the Coast of Malacca on its way to Portugal.

With its hull laden with invaluable treasures seized from Malacca, the ship was doomed from existence had it not for the efforts to Malacca's heritage.

At the museum, visitor can get a closer look at Malacca from the famed Malay Sultanate of the 14th century to the Portuguese era, the Dutch era and the British era. There are exhibits of foreign ships that had once called at the port of Malacca during the height of its maritime hegemony.” You must take your shoes off going inside and boy is it big! Really fun investigating this huge ship! Memorial hall (1912), the landmark where the nation's first prime minister announce proclamation of independence from the British empire.

It has been preserved with archive pictures of the country's struggle to attain independence. Portuguese Square has a mild affinity to Portugal and known to be 'Mini Lisbon' in Malacca. Located within the Portuguese Settlement, the square is the culmination of Portuguese culture in its full splendour and colours. One will also find authentic Portuguese restaurants at the square.

Sam Po Kong Temple was constructed in dedication to Admiral Cheng Ho. The temple was named after a fish that miraculously saved the admiral's ship from sinking after it had been hit by a storm enroute to Malacca from China. The fish mysteriously placed itself against a damaged hull preventing the ship from taking on water.

Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple is one of the first Hindu temple built in the country at the turn of the century. It was built on the plot given by the Dutch. St. Francis Xavier's Church was built in 1849 by a frenchman, Reverend Farve.

The Gothic towered church is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, well-remembered for his missionary work spreading Catholicism to South East Asia in the 16th century. St. John's Fort was rebuilt by the Dutch during the third quarter of the 18 th century, the fort was once a private Portuguese chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

The fort has an interesting feature in that its gun embrasures face inland as during that time, attacks on Malacca came mainly from the land instead of from the sea. You will see the pics on my facebook page as I have had a lot of problems loading pics on my site.

St. Peter's Church was built in 1710 by the Portuguese descendants and comprising an architectural mix of the Oriental and Occidental. Also close by is St Paul hill which is behind the A'Famosa Fortress which was built encircling the Melaka hill which is now known as the St Paul Hill to guard the Malacca river and the coast line from enemies. Ok – now it was time to have a change from this history lesson!!

Jonker Walk it was... Or Jonker street or Jonker way... whatever... it is a narrow street in Melaka's Chinatown area, home to the oldest buildings in the city, some dating back to the 17th century!

Its historical value is enhanced by its status as Melaka's foremost marketplace for antiques. Many antique shops line Jonker Street, selling items dating back to as far as the Portuguese occupation. Time for lunch!

Then the water wheel which was lovely to see, built beside the Malacca river. On our way back to the hotel we went to the Arab city which has it's own bridge and what a sad surprise!

So many buildings gone to ruins – so many unfinished buildings … went to the lighthouse then back to town where we found our hotel. We freshened up with a shower then walked to the city where they have a really huge complex which had the best fish and chips ever with salad!!

We got so horribly lost in this mall as it is not set out like our malls!! Shops and food is the Malaysian life! Went back to the hotel and had a really good sleep! The following day we again got so horribly lost looking for the zoo! Yet found ourselves thoroughly enjoying all the mistakes we had taken!

Found the zoo eventually where we got totally lost yet again as it is so big and enjoyed the show they had and all the animals. A lot of “ Afrika” animals were there so felt a taste of home... glad to be in Melaka though heheheh Found our way home – relaxed for a short while then freshend up and went for supper where we all had a traditional dish of nazi goreng spicy which was fantastic!

We found a paintball competition going on so walked on closer to see who was shooting who and bam! I got shot on the neck!!! There were on closer inspection a good few holes through the fence and found these pellets all over the lawn where lots of people were lazing watching the competition.

We went back to the Charicture guy whom we had seen the night before and decided to have our characters drawn. Had a lot of fun with Mr Ado who is brilliant in his cartoon drawings. We checked out the movies and found the dvd selling which was the same movie showing at the movie house so we bought the dvd and headed back to our hotel where we watched the movie with lots of good cuppas.

Got up early the next morning and headed for Quantum to drop our sail off to have the UV strip restiched. We found the place rather easily and enjoyed taking a tour especially the kids of how sails are made – a great field trip for them! We then hit the road back to KL to collect our tempory passports. We had a great trip back and found the High Commission much easier this time and so parked in their parking lot with smiles all round! The TP were not ready yet so we headed back to the Mall to have some coffee and were pleasantly surprised when the phone rang... they were ready... thanks to John letting them know the inconvenience they were putting us in!

We collected the TP and were thrilled to be on the road again this time heading straight for Johor. On the way we stopped to change a wheel and balance the wheels and oh boy could be now drive faster without the wobble!!

We had a pretty good trip down though the lights were really bright and the traffic always moving fast... we stopped for supper and had a delish Malay meal.

Hit the road again and arrived in Johor City Centre but yet again these blasted spagetti junctions get us every time as the words are written in Malay and to find them fast on a map is just the funniest thing!

So we were headed for Woodlands then back again and so it went with us screaming with laughter all the way... as we were on one highway out of town then on another coming back into town then around town and again back and so this went!! The local men refused to speak to us ladies when we did stop to ask for directions... seems they are more stauch in these parts... anyhow we managed eventually to find Danga Bay where we decided to stop and just check if TY Amor were docked and awake... after a little walk around the docks we found them and as we passed by their boat quietly we heard Laurence saying goodevening to us though she could not see us in the dark and I answered back and boy did she almost swallow and choke on whatever she had in her mouth!

It was wonderful and such a great surprise! Bebert and Francois were sleeping as by now it was very late! We did not stay long as we still had to find a hotel and so off we went excited to find a spot to shower and sleep and boy did we find a house in a hotel!! We took a family room for the night instead of two rooms as they had none left and this place was the size of a house!! Three bedrooms two bathrooms, one onsuite – a kitchenette with stove kettle etc... really luxurious which really was nice for the night but such a waste as it was so late .. anyhow enjoyed a hot shower then cold shower, lots of coffee while we all sat in the lounge chatting about our trip so far and all the things we had seen and experienced.

It was really great finding the things that was highlights for each of us...

All well rested we signed out and booked a hotel room closer to the Marina which was really cute! We had the earth room which had a huge earth printed on one wall while the kids had the tropical room with the palm tree and a sunset on the water. Your own kettle and again complementary coffe and tea.

We went back to TY Armor where we all caught up on the last year and enjoyed a good snack over coffee. We then all caught a bus to one of their big malls where we were surprised to see some unusual goodies. We bought a few things then headed down to the coffee shop where we spent catching up and enjoying the hussle and bussle of the busy work people while the kids strolled through the mall. The rain came down hard while we all enjoyed the refreshing change ….

We were pleased to see Laurence and Bebert looking a lot better than when they had their accident in beginning of March... The photos clearly show that they are both very lucky to be alive!!

They had been out and were returning home on the motorbike. Bebert and Laurence were behind Ron who had lifted Francois their son. Being a Friday night it was rather busy and next thing a car swerved infront of them just missing the front tyre to which they slowed down to maybe 30 ks... Next thing another bike came past them and pulled at Laurence's bag which was around her neck and shoulder hanging now between her and Bebert – that shook the bike then the guy pulled a second time – this time he pulled even harder and realized they were going to fall so sped off when the bike lost control and they fell with the bike over the tarmac!

Laurence still had her bag! Long story short – Bebert had a bad head injury and had broken his collarbone – though they thought he was dead! He was unconcious and thank goodness Laurence clicked open his helmet as it was choking him! Laurence broke her wrist which later they had to operate and put pins in as the bones were crushed!

Besides all the scrapes and bruises and cuts, they seem to be healing well xx

Apprently a young pregnant woman died the same way – someone trying to steal her bag but she hung on so they kicked her bike with their foot which caused her to have an accident where she died with her unborn baby... really terrible!!

We all caught a bus back to the marina which was yet again quite exciting as the storm was really lashing down with deep rolling thunder and spectacular lightening!! Eveyone seemed so used to it with their umbrellas handy...

We arrived and said farewell till later when we would meet up with them again for supper and hopefully the storm would abate... we headed to the hotel where we could hardly see in front of us!!! Freshened up then headed back to the marina... It was really raining hard and we were standing under the rooftop of the restaurant we would later eat at when we saw Evan and his brother!

His dad Gene we had seen in the mall and had caught the same bus back with! I think we were all surprised at seeing each other ….

Francois came up with raincoats and off we ran to their boat where we had drinks and caught up some more... lots of laughter and enjoyment sharing this wonderful time with wonderful friends.

Later we went for dinner which was great! Nothing better than good food! Tried the fish and chips which to our surprise was scrumptious! We have not had fresh fish like this is a long time!!! We try to stick with the 3 F's.... Fish Fowl and Fibre but have been lacking the Fish big time!! (Seeing as we do not get much red meat... - though it is available if you really want)

We headed home at midnight all happy – slept well – were up very early – headed back to the marina where Bebert met up with us to help us get into Singapore... Laurence had a doctors appointment so could not come and Francois was at school (my how he has grown! Love him to bits!!) I have so many kids it is shocking! LOL!! JL, Cody, Claire and Francois!! hehehehe Then of course my three wonderful, adorable babies!!!!

We walked across the road to catch the bus to the other big mall which was closed so we had to walk around the VERY LONG BIG Block!!!! hehehe Arrived at another humungus building to where customs and immigration are. You have to walk maybe a mile through this really big and beautiful building! Up an escalator, walk a distance then another escalator, another long walk and so on.... wasted space really – though stunning! Went through the officials where we were stamped out of Malaysia and headed off to where hundreds of people were!!! All lined up at different ailes to catch various buses...

Now the funny thing is the conductor knew Bebert and so shouted at him – greeting him.... really funny!! This guy thought he was in the army!! Yelling commands and orders to everyone to hurry up onto the different busses hehehe … we caught the 101 bus into Singapore customs and immigration... a nice drive I must say! Or rather because of us all being so excited – everything looked good LOL!!

We had to keep our bus tickets to write the no of the bus on our official papers ( there and back!) We took the drive over the expressway into Singapore which was quite an experience with hundreds of people and they do this everyday most of them!!! We went through Singapore with the new passports signing in without any hick-ups!! Wheeew!!! Caught another bus – 101 into Singapore.

The ride in was better than a breathe of fresh air! EVERYTHING was so tidy and neat! Verges, streets etc... pretty flowers and greenery blocking your site from anything “ messy” Was really nice to see an almost perfect place on the surface!

We stopped off near little India which was really colourful! What I think I love the most is the pungent aroma of the many kinds of spices and the flowers! Street stalls and colourful sari stalls are always an attraction to draw me in! We then went for a snack to eat which was such a treat!

We bought pies! But nothing like we have tasted in over three years!!!! Even making our own doesn't taste this good so a lot more practice is needed and a change of recipes! Then it was off to Sim Lin Square which is spread over six floors which sells lots of electrical things.... lights, connections, cameras, phones, computers and, and, and... then off to Orchid Road which has streetscapes of new malls.... so if you like to Shop then Orchard Road it is!

We got a few small things, had a great cuppa then went to the next mall just to browse around... but could not spend the whole day in a mall!! lol – Bebert had other things to do so walked with us to the MRT which is a brilliant hassle free, cheap means of getting around. We had a little problem trying to get our cards and had a good laugh as we knew we would not miss the train! There were always more coming within minutes of each other. MRT is a Mass Rapid Transit and boy is that the truth!! You get to stand most of the way heheh The trains really are punctual and clean! We eventually became fundi's with this system! There are so many attractions here! Not enough for a day or two that is for sure!

You have the Escape theme park, Xtreme swing or bungy jumping... Bird park, discovery centre, the singapore flyer, the zoo, Night safari, Science centre, snow town and just so much more!! They also have a wave house which would have been fantastic to have gone for being so hot … then maybe the flying trapeze would have cooled me off too hehehe so we decided to skip the megazip adventure park and head for the waterfront... went to find a place to eat and while in one of the malls, they were shooting a movie! You had different people putting their hand up for certain people to walk past at what moment just like in the movies lol

You cannot smoke just anywhere outside... you have allocated areas – the place is super clean and the building are well maintained! Everyone seems to be into fashion and are dressed well! It is definitely Chinese dominent. Everything is rather expensive... the same amount as in Malaysia, just with Singapore dollars!

Had a light meal with a great cuppa – got a few good shots of the amazing scenery! Then caught the MRT to woodlands with the underground service – we wrote out our customs paperwork and put our bus no on... the one joke that was made by someone we were chatting to about the zoo was that Malaka animals did not get much to eat while Singapore animals all have aircon!!

Caught the bus to customs, signed out Singapore then caught a bus back to Johor to sign in then walked out through this huge shopping mall where we stopped to buy our 3 in 1 coffee then headed for a cup of coffee and an icecream in the mall then caught the bus back to Dangu Bay where we visited TY Armor - Met Jill and Brian (whom we had met previously in Panang ) sitting on the walk-on having drinks with fellow yachties.

We said our farewells to our wonderful friends over a cuppa then we went for supper at the club again – chatted with Laurence, said our final goodbyes then went back to the hotel... Next morning early we packed our bags, signed out the hotel and headed for the east coast... ready for our 7th state which was Pahang.

Not sure if any of you know ….. Langkawi's state is know as “Intriguing Legends and Nature's wonders” Perlis and Kedah state is “ Malaysia's Rice Bowl” Penang state “Old world Charm and Beach Reatreat” Perak state is known as “Histiric Towns and Resort” Kelantan is known as “The Cradle of Malay Culture” Pahang is known as “The Gift of Nature” Melaka is “ Malaysia's Historical City” Terengganu is the “Gem of the East Coast” Johor is “ Beaches, Golf and Fruit Farms” Negeri Sembilan is “Magnificent Minangkabau Architecture” Sabah “Nature's Wonderland” Sarawak “A Paradise of Eco-Adventure”

We drove pretty much the whole day as our time was running out and we had a long way to still go... Palm trees lined the expressways and highways for miles. Malaysia is just such a fascinating place! Also surprising was the East coast is reasonably developed! Still... this side of the world is clearly rural and comparatively poor.

Not forgetting the most culturally conservative part of Malaysia.. They are more staunch and you will rarely see a woman without her headcover or headscarf. The top of East Coast implement and enforce fairly strict Islamic law (Syariah) with their own courts and they still impose full Muslim hudud punishments. Guess that explains the unfriendliness somewhat.. Lots of little small towns...

This side of the world you see the South China Sea which was quite exciting for us actually. We stopped for lunch where we saw one other foreign couple for the rest of our trip and they were surprised to see us! The South China Sea was rough and dirty and just so not what we are used to! Must be because it was so shallow.... and of course the weather was turning...Closer up to Terrungun the towns are quite big and the distances between the towns closing up. Little cities actually! Decorated trees and lots of pretty lights! The places come alive after 8pm! Or when it is dark. Also cannot believe how busy these places are!! The drivers here are honestly shocking!!! They are chances and dare devils! They overtake on blind rises, around corners and are like lunatics!! Bumper to bumper at speeds past 120!!!

You must NOT leave a space between you and the next car or someone will squeeze in when a car is coming!!! Quite nerve wrecking actually!! We pushed on to Terengganu and decided to find a place to stay for the night... grab some food but what a shock! We felt so unwelcome! So uncomfortable.. also got lost a few times. Found an ATM eventually then stopped to get a meal.

While we were parked and waiting for the food, we were all sitting and standing by the car observing that this was clearly a lower class part of town... Unsavories watching us... Really dirty actually with rubbish all over the place... when next moment a bike was almost on our boot!!!!!My heart stopped!!! That thud sound...

I think he popped the clutch, where something dropped on the floor which turned out to be a big pin... he wiggled around abit then just drove off when he was back on the ground! John tried speaking to the other guy who had just been dropped off by this bike guy and boy was he rude!!! He was smsing and just glared at John... we told him to just leave it as there was no damage just tyre marks... fetched our food then headed off to find a place to stay... what another shock... there were no clean hotel rooms!!!!

No matter the price of the room it was filthy!!!

John said rather we sleep in the car as we were all exausted now... but decided to try one more place which was not the best of places buy way cleaner that all the others we had seen.. a Chinese hotel which was decorated so pretty! We spent the night where we slept well – had our coffee - and left very early the next morning trying not to spend anymore time in those rooms that were desperately needed!!

We headed to Kota Bharu and the Tai border then cut through the mountain in Keritin then spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the mountain. What an absolutely awesome scenic drive!!!!

High in the mountains with the most incredible colour of fauna and greenery!! Beautiful and honestly spectacular!! Sadly the drivers do not learn their lessons!!! Within a 3 hours of driving there were two accidents and one car landed sideways in a trench by the bottom of the mountain... all along the barriers you could see how buckled and bent they were... cars yet again overtaking on this bendy winding road at speeds that kill! What is it with these drivers!!

The one accident was with a car and a motorbike up the mountain ridge and the biker was seriously injured! The other a taxi had just rolled into the mountain!! Really!! Quite like a dream actually – even almost unreal!!

There was forestry everywhere – Mountains peaking out highter that the next. Greenery like we have not seen in a long time! Though Malaysia is green!!! Winding roads just so pretty where you don't know what is around the next corner or what is up the next hill – felt like we were in a roller coaster! The speed limit was 70 on this road, but no-one payed attention to that – not even the truck drivers! There were many large trucks with large logs on them... made sure we were not behind them for long lol!! We had the radio on and the station was playing song after song with music just for us … music that just complemented the stunning scenery! Bridges with breathtaking views... This is the state of Perak....

Such a nice change from the days before looking at village after village! Like we were in a different life zone heheh Another bend, the afternoon sun behind the mountain... the aircon on full as it is a dry hot heat in these parts …. Really worth the trip!! We stopped a few times at the designated stop spots and let me tell you... the presence of the Lord was there with us for sure!!!

With the forestry all around and the mist on the far side of the mountain with the sun shining through slightly, heading down towards Penang.... will be a memory etched in each one of our minds for a long time to come … We are blessed!!!

It was so nice to be back on familiar ground heading towards Penang!!! Though it was quite different being in a car this time instead of sailing in and walking where you wanted to go...

Seems like our natural timing is to always come and go at peak hour traffic lol!!!!! The traffic is also not what we are used to... much more traffic at hideous speeds!! There are over 500 000 people living on this little island and I was convinced they were all on the road at the same time!!! LOL

We decided to take the bridge over into Penang which is the 3rd longest bridge in the world. While going over the bridge which was spectacular we noticed a car with two people standing next to an ambulance while they were all looking over the bridge to see something... and a motorbike with a helmet on the handles parked alone... apparently there are a few suicides on this bridge so hopefully it was nothing like that!! We managed to meander our way to the Waldorph hotel which was right opposite the Red Garden...

We freshened up then went for our favourite... Breyani which is always a winner for us! This time the kids too ordered not to miss out and they were not sorry!! As usual our singers had started their karoake singing and the buzz was growing... always brings back such awesome memories for us!!!!

We retired to bed quite late and were pretty exhausted from the full days travel and the traffic so looked forward to having a deep sleep! Up early and were ready to head for Alor Setar... being day no 10 we were rather looking forward to being back on Bluemoon by that evening...

So back over the bridge we went .. hot as usual yet again thankful for the faulty aircon!! I think we had overworked it LOL Padi fields all around ... lovely, people working … amazing views of the mountain in the background and the lovely flowers around the verges and some open fields... Green houses, Red.. Orange... Chinese buildings... Pit stops along the way.. Toll roads...

... took me down memory lane once again to the time John and I had sold everything we owned – resigned from our jobs, bought a high Combi (an old ice-cream Combie) rigged it out with wall to wall carpeting, cupboards, bed, stove, and fridge then just hit the road... travelled a few months over most of South Africa!

We arrived in Kuala Kedar.. had the car picked up then went to have a great cuppa coffee while waiting for the ferry to come... now the way they make coffee here is interesting... when you just ask for a cup of coffee they will bring you there Malaysian coffee which is rather bitter and very strong!! Your spoon will stand straight up!

They also give you their traditional cold coffee which comes with Lots of ice!

Or you can have milo ice which in really refreshing but rather watered down with all that ice lol! So one must ask for Nescafe' panas (hot) which comes with sweetner inplace of milk and sugar which is our condensed milk and is really great!!!

Though not everyone does Nescafe!!

While sitting in the terminal waiting for the ferry – we noticed two prisioners who were surrounded by four police officials sitting with them. When the ferry arrived, the cops each handcuffed a prisoner to themselves and the other police officials walked close by... one was dressed in green and one in white.. no-one seemed to even notice...

We all snoozed and were quite surprised the trip had gone so fast!

Everyone was very pleased to have arrived “home” being far richer from an amazing experience!

Now the planning and preparing for our departure for Johor/Singapore within the next few weeks.

Will keep you all posted when there is more news...

Till then .. Live life to the fullest!!!

Love John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan

Log 77

Wow has time been passing by at such a rapid speed!! We pulled in the mooring lines just before sunrise and headed out in rather bumpy seas back to Langkawi x The wind was up and we were expecting some weather... We all sat with a great cuppa reflecting on the experiece once again which had revived and refreshed us all x We laughed, and joked and enjoyed the wind whisking through our hair and hot bodies... ... made us feel like those movies you watch where the wind is swirling up dirt as you pass a petrol station with two elderly men sitting on chairs in the very hot sun - laxidazically ....

I was playing dodge with the fishing vessels which spurt out some incredible wakes!!! Then it was surfing them hoping not to shake everything off the shelves lol

We got back to our Langkawi marina berth around 4/5 and moored up D dock which we were all thrilled about!!!

These past two weeks have been very busy - collecting the kids school work - sorting out business - long distance which has been very successful, and filing out lots of paperwork which has been incredibly frustrating!! Scanning and printing and so it has gone.... Once this is sorted out, we will be focussing on heading off on a road trip to Melaka to have the sail sewn as no one seems to have a machine strong enough... Our UV strip tore off during the regatta and so we have taken it down and have decided to go to the agents in Melaka - then of course I got all excited and thought we could just pop here and just pop there and the kids also wanted to pop here and so we decided to just do the whole of Malaysia!!! LOL

So we will catch a ferry to the mainland then hire a car and head off down south - Melaka is the oldest historical site in Malaysia so we will stop along the way and explore - pop over to Singapore if we are close enough then head on up the east coast and cross over at the top back to Kuah.... With the trouble in Bangkok for the second time now, everyone being advised NOT to travel there... we have had to compromise and so hopefully we will be able to make that trip when we get back......  but as you all know.... plans are always changing!!! Feels like we are going on holiday LOL!!!!

With the season changing now, we have had rain and strong gusts of wind..... on and off so are looking forward to a change in season xxx

I had quite an experience with this dentistry in Penang and must say that if you need your teeth done - thouroughly!! then this is the place to come! They were brilliant!

In my case - because of the filling breaking off in the roots - on both teeth which they could not do micro surgery on.. and with two abscesses which were not responding well to the third lot of antibiotics.... I had a pretty rough time...Yea - PAIN is not my closest friend I tell you and slowly we have been getting further and further away from each other which has been just perfect for me.... so I am getting back to my normal self again - Thank goodness xx

John and I used the motorbike to ride around the island for our 19th anniversary which was just brilliant!! We explored the mountains again and stopped for coffee along the way... guess you learn to appreciate the small things in life like the 2 degrees less heat up the mountain LOL!! Made John feel like 19 again flying around the corners!!! We enjoyed each others company and are blessed to still be the best of friends, no matter what life has thrown at us, we have come out winners for ourselves x Our kids think we are mad at times xx yet we can only laugh... later we all watched a great movie and just chilled after such an exhausting day having fun!

It is always such a wonderful blessing having friends over - or going over to them... Bob, Nan and George from our sister boat - Vertical time... invited us over for a feast of Thai food which was truely delish!! Learned a few things too which we have been trying out three evenings in a row!! lol Those chili's ... WOW!!! We are addicted!!

They have left for home, Alaska...and we are not sure when we will see them again with our own plans and directions in the next few coming months... yet we had a great and wonderful evening with them and are richer for knowing them - We are truely blessed! We have also met so many different and wonderful people - always growing and always learning.... even via e-mail we have been blessed to hear from people we have never met yet!!

Sitting on Bluemoon while everyone is having lunch... three fans blowing! Sun hot.... water calm... Storm clouds growing .... I feel so blessed to have such awesome friends in my life... a family that is just the greatest gift ever!!! So Thank You to everyone who reads our logs and follows our adventure xx We appreciate you and thank you for your mail and comments!! xx

God Bless and as always, will post when I have some news xx

Live Life to the Fullest!! You only got one life!!

John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 76

Sitting here, watching a seagull swooping down into the water, trying to catch our repala makes me smile at such persistence!

It is very hot and humid, which makes us all feel really mellow , with such an amazing mist all around the horizon showing just a peek of a shaded mountain... above the mist is the only thing that reminds us that we are not doing a crossing....yet all are so content and feel so fulfilled being out on the ocean.... this IS the way to be living!!

Fresh air, total freedom, inner healing and such deep fulfillment that there are never enough words to fully describe...my John babes always reminds me that EVERY TIME we go sailing I seem to keep repeating this... and yes! I do!!! I just cannot help myself because it is as if I experience this all for the very 1st time, every time! How I wish each and every one of you could also experience this!! Let us know if you want to come sailing with us and revive your spirits xx just email and let us know....

While motor sailing we saw a huge, long bamboo stick with something really big underneath so switched off the motors and drifted while casting in - what absolute fun!! Being sunburnt or close to it in such a short time meant we had to put the girls on the helm while taking a break from school and they are playing back gammom while John is helping Jono with his science ... how blessed our kids are having John teach and guide them with math, science and English. He really is brilliant and so we have some bright sparks aboard!!

Have had some yogurt, fruit, coffee, juice, more coffee, salad sammies, more coffee lol

Sailing makes you really hungry!!! Oh and some droe wors!!! Wow!! we have don and Jeanne from Katrine who wrote for the sailing mag for over five years which we kept up to date with on their sailing adventure and they have started a business making droe wors, pies and boeries!! Without the pork of course xxx Yet it is still absolutely delish!! Such a treat after not having for so long!! You get to appreciate ALL the things you so took for granted!!

Justine is just a  laugh at the moment as she cannot believe why she has no tan left! It has completely gone and she is now really scary "white" ... we even started talking in a different accent to make her feel more comfortable! LOL!! We found the mystery reason... it is because in most of the creams, soaps, etc, they have an extra ingredient which is 'whitening'  which really does work!! Now she is trying to tan a bit and keeps checking if there is a change lol!!

As the code goes in sailing "Never sail on a Friday"  yet for us, we ALWAYS seem to sail off on a Friday as it is today and it is also the first day in two weeks that I feel no pain x Those antibiotics and all the other pill popping I have done seems to be doing the job, so now hopefully tomorrow we can discuss procedures and, and, and....so feeling rather anxious and excited at the same time xx

Life is too short to be  wasting on meaning less and trivial things that seem to take root in our lives and get all our attention or rather just demand it...

No fish!!! Not even a tease!!! But all excitement grows .... sticking out of the mist is the high rises of Penang - a place we so enjoyed!!! Started making or family project there... our dingy. There is just something wonderful about this place that we have not yet discovered....

While I was at the helm, coming through the long marked channel, I hear on the radio two people talking... in Malay about one boat coming down the channel and is it ok??? They gave the ok which I found very strange as there was a helicopter flying around checking us out  along with four boats in a group... one was a big speed boat and the other three from the police and customs... It looked really suspicious... so by now we are all cruising slowing past wondering what was going on - with those binocs working full time!!!  The minute we got the ok the speed boat put full guns and got a head start with a huge chase on the go!!!!! The helicopter was coming in low to try and steer the boat off as it was clear he was heading for international waters, but the customs guys cut him off and he was forced to change direction... heading directly towards us!! Now you cannot go out the buoys as it is way to shallow so now we gunned our motors ahead, then they changed course again!! The speed boat pulling a jig and heading out again and the police on their tails!!!! They even tried to knock the speed boat!!! We were planning on joining the chase and helping out... counting all the flares we had.... then the speed boat was on our tail - My gosh!!! What action and excitement!!!! John put throttle and again the boat was cut off with black smoke following him while heading out to sea again.... the helicopter coming in really low and so the chase continued!!!! We were taking pics from the water camera which cannot get clarity from that distance so the frustration not knowing what we should do, but were reminded in a hurry that we had timed our entrance due to the current that rips through the marina so with the boats being really far out now we decided to go into the marina.... The binocs were glued to our faces not wanting to miss a thing!!! lol!! So when the excitement died down somewhat with the helicopter doing low sweeps on the speed boats and they were quite far off we headed for the marina.... had help mooring on from a few of the yachties and were rather relieved to be moored up with the sun almost setting.... Our last jetty finger from our last stay had broken off during bad weather so were happy to be where we were xxx

Not too long after us mooring up and putting the side flaps down with the kettle ready to be poured... the customs guys moored up right opposite us!!!! Of course we had to ask what happened and were the perpetrators caught... were the smuggling etc to which the customs guys laughed and said they were shooting a movie!!!! Wahahahahah!!!! Thank goodness we never let our flares off being helpful Samaritans like we are!! We all had a very relieved smile on our faces xx

I went off to the dentist to sort out the problem I had which was very painful yet was sorted - the following day I could hardly talk!!! I had another abscess come up which made my face swell three times it's size on one side!! So I was put back on antibiotics and so it has gone.... I am happy to say that now it is almost sorted - yet naughty girl that I am... I ate a poppadom while out at an Indian restaurant we went to and shoved a piece in my sore mouth... then managed to rip the stitches out!!! At least it saved the dentist the trouble when he looked for the stitches... lol!! Jono, Justine, John and I are all almost done with the dentist, then comes the dermatologist.... mmmmmm.... have not had much time to do much as it has all been such a blur for me these past few weeks so hopefully I will be back on track in a twinkle and can get back and feel back to normal....

We have been planning to go to Bangkok in the next few weeks when the kids have finished with their targets so are all looking forward to it.

Went and bought new cushion inners for the cockpit which got John and I walking the town again lol!! It is just stunning!! You have a Chinese section, and Indian section and Malay section all in the space of 10 streets (more of course) So one minute you listening to Indian music and feel like you are back in India, then in another breadth you are in China and so it goes xx We just love it!!!! So we have been getting small things sorted out. It has been great catching the bus to the dentist as one leaves every 10 minutes and they are right on the other side of the island which lets you get to see more of the place!! The architecture in this place is simply stunning!! Feels like mini New York with all the hi rises here!! Really a  busting, friendly, busy and lively place!!! Which John and I love!

Anyway, hope you are all well and keeping strong! Drop us a line and keep us posted x

Miss you all xx

John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x

Log 75

Hello to you all from Langkawi!Hoping that your year is going well and all is working out for youall.... so far it has been a great start to the year and already weneed a holiday LOL

We just got back from Hat Yaiwhich was quite a place! We decided to go to Hat Yai which many peoplehave spoken about which is in Southern Thailand, to experience theplace, renew our visa's and do some dental work ....

TheWednesday morning, early, Justine flew down the stairs into the galleytripping over herself and spraining her foot real bad.... shame!

Wechecked it out and no break - just a bad sprain so were hoping shewould be able to limp on it before Sunday as that was our day forleaving for Hat Yai... unfortunately she could not even put her footdown it was so painful, so we organized a pair of crutches to sort outthe problem... little did we know how big a problem the crutches wouldbe!!!!

We were up before the sun rose, cleaned and sortedBluemoon for our little trip away, got our back-packs ready and headedfor the jetty just a short way from the marina... Justine on thecrutches for the 1st time... first they seemed a little high, and shewas not using them as crutches but as an extra leg and was hopping onher other leg!!!! She was dripping wet by the time we arrived at thejetty point to go through customs and immigration .... and she hadroasted her skin under her arm right off! She was bleeding, bruised andswelling! I wanted to just give her a piggy back which I can assure youwould have been very dangerous for the both of us!!! hehehe Yet we feltso sorry for her!! She really looked like she was pulled through thebushes backwards and her foot was swollen really bad.... she stumbled afew times on the crutches which brought many laughs from us and manydisgusted stares from the onlookers!!! Clearly they did not understandour sense of humour!! And we all thought we should have got a pair ofcrutches for all of us!!! Boy did we feel bad about that! Yet wemanaged to get her down the gang plate with everyone trying to help,onto the ferry. Then she was given the best seat on the ferry!!! Andeveryone was sent to different seats, soI of course I sat right next toher while John, Jess and Jono went downstairs to their seats, yetthankfully John was able to join us as the one seat next to me wasavailable ... then on comes the t.v  with the most violent movie evershowing!!! I was ooohing and aahing in absolute shock at the airing ofan unrestricted movie!!!! There were lots of kids aboard and wereSOOOOOO happy to reach Satun in Thailand when the ferry stopped... mystomach felt so weak... John even felt a little shaky!!

Wegot off the ferry with everyone trying to help Justine, yet Justine waswhisked away with a sharp hand signal and a Thai command that we staywhere we are!!!!!! OH BOY!!!! The kindness and compassion they showedto Justine was really touching!! They shoo'd every one away from herand put her first in the long que! Speaking so kindly in broken Englishto her! Then got her to sit down and wait for us... who were right atthe back of the que!!! All went well and lots of laughter was had whiletaking all our photos for the immigration and customs people.

Now came the bargaining again as to how much, to get to Hat Yai from Satun!! Our introduction was no surprise as to the barrage of taxi drivers which you find all over in Asia.

Satun is the last province of the Western Andaman Coastline before reachingthe Malaysian Border. It is at the tip of Thailand’s Southern Regionwhich has the area adjoining Trang and Songkhla with the north and theeast of the high plateau having Sankharakhiri Mountain Range as theboundary between Thailand and Malaysia.

Satun is asmallish town which services the boating industry.... they have a drydock where you can take your boat out to work on....  a rather dustyand dirty place....

Hat Yai, is in effect the south'smajor city, its commercial, shopping and 'entertainment' center.Located in Songkhla province,  Hat Yai is also the region'scommunication hub and is well served by road, rail and air access. Bestknown as a fun city! Bull fighting is also a big thing here!! It is atraditional southern entertainment in which two beasts lock horns in atrial of strength. We have watched a few of these animals lock hornsand is not a gory or blood thirsting sport at all!

Shopping is another big attraction - as well as a large varietyof wonderfully presented  preserved Thai fruits, dried seafood andother culinary delicacies.The variety of fruit is astounding! And really beautiful!

Being somewhat of a cultural crossroads, Hat Yai affords ampleopportunity for dining on a variety of cuisine. In additions to spicyThai cooking and seafood for which the South is famed, Chinese andMuslim specialties are to be enjoyed at a number of excellentrestaurants. We ate a few times at the Chinese Washington Restaurantwhich was quite an experience in itself which was also a karaoke bar!Hat Yai has an excellent nightlife in the form of its numerousnightclubs.

On September 16, 2006 a series of bomb attackskilled four people andinjured over 70. Although no-one claimed responsibility for theattacks, local separatists are suspected. Thankfully there is so muchsecurity and police everywhere which made us feel alot safer! It seems prominent Chinese... 

For anyone interested, the co-ordinates are : 7.017°N 100.467°E

With a population of 157,359 (2008) in the core city and about 800,000in the Greater Hat Yai. Hat Yai is the biggest city of SongkhlaProvince and the largest metropolitan area in Southern Thailand, and isthus often mistaken as being the capital of the province. HoweverSongkhlais the capital and the center of administration and culturewhile HatYai is the business center. The two cities are considered astwin cities due to the close connection, accordingly, Hat Yai andSongkhlaform the Greater Hatyai-Songkhla Metropolitan Area.

Thename "Hat Yai" is a short version of "Ma Hat Yai", meaning big Ma Hat(Thai: มะหาด) tree, a relative of jackfruits in genus Artocarpus.

Wikipedia is a brilliant reference for finding information about Hat Yai or any place you want....

HatYai has a busy feel that is quite captivating with such a wide choiceof restaurants. However,the preponderance of massage parlors anddubious karaoke places lends the city a certain seedy feel. Because ofits proximity to Malaysia,many Malaysian men make the trip over forThailand's liberal 'entertainment' laws!.

You can feel a bit claustrophobic in the city, especially at rush-hour traffic!!!!

Do not put your elbows out the side!!!! lol

Weeventually managed to catch a tuk tuk to the taxi circle, then caught amini van to Hat Yai which was about a two hour drive... which put mostof the people to sleep! We had met in the tuk tuk these European girlsthat were part of a big group doing a years trip around the world!!Veryinteresting to hear their stories and places they have been!

We arrived at the fountains in Hat Yai, went straight toseven eleven for a good cuppa coffee with hazelnut! Caught another tuktuk to Kings Hotel which was rather old fashioned in a way... yet veryfriendly and ever so helpful in carrying our back packs up to our room!

We hired two rooms, where the kids got the three beds roomwith air con, a fridge and TV with satellite! We were down the hall andaround the bend which was really quiet! lol

We enjoyed the coffee they had an so drank lots of cups!

Nowthe funny thing, shortly after arriving, we all took a shower tofreshen up, yet with our air con set on 15 I think, it was freezing!!!Loved that feeling of being cold as we have not felt that feeling foryears now!!!!!! So we never changed it! I then jumped into the showerand had a really hot shower which was a mistake actually as when I cameinto the room, from the hot shower, my arm muscle on the inside of myelbow went into an unbelievable cramp!!!! It was terrible! I have notexperienced such pain with my veins sticking out and a feeling likesomething running up my arm, so John getting very worried help me dresswithin one minute flat, had me dragged out the room and off in a tuktuk to the Bangkok Hat Yai Hospital thinking it could be a blood clot!We were so surprised at the efficiency and was seen to not even fiveminutes from arriving! The doctor was quite sure it was not a clotwhich made John relax for the first time since the start of thecramp... I was given strong anti inflammatory's  and a aerosol ofanesthetic! It was incredible stuff!! The muscles spasmodic manneralmost pulled itself off the bone!!!!!

Yet no worries....all is good and my arm is healing well x Also used it on Jusines footwhich was quite nice to see when the pain eased!

The place itself was really quite bigwith lots of amazing sites! The third largest reclining Buddha image ofthe world reposes at WatHat Yai Nai on Phetkhasem Road near Ou-Tapao Bridge. The statue, namedPhra Buddha hatmongkhol, is 35 meters long, 15 meters high and 10meters wide. This is considered one of the most revered statues in theregion. What a sight!! Incredible! It is just so huge and has aninteresting face, giving different expressions depending on the angleyou look from! Also the most amazing thing from out the city is a huge20 or so meter Buddha, standing hundreds of meters above the parkthere.

Manylocals make their way up by motorbike but it's an energetic andrewarding hour long climb up. The views over Hat Yai and thesurrounding hills are magical - and across to the sea in thedistance.There are many attractive hills around the city, although,aside from the 'Buddha', we didn't make it up the hill.

John spoke to our tuk tuk guy who seemed to own us while we werethere lol and asked for a twenty minute tour ride for Justine mainly tosee the place as she did not go out of the room except to eat as herarm was raw and really sore, so off we went, landing up in places wenever expected to go and seeing things we never expected to see! It waslike a three hour tour and so all had a wonderful time and were veryimpressed with the little money he asked for to which John doubled!

Wegot lost a few times, ran out of fright at chasing dogs which areeverywhere!!! You cannot believe how many dogs run freely and fightcontinuously in these places!!!! They have about twenty hairdressingshops all in one road next to each other... really quite amazing tosee! The woman seem to have a certain respect for men that they don;thave for woman.... yet we all had a wonderful time, enjoyed our stayand the things we learned!

We decided to finely pack our back packs and head for home, Bluemoon x

Wewere picked up outside our hotel by our very own tuk tuk driver lol whotook us to the taxi van terminal outside of town, then crowded into amini van and headed for Satun, and finely the port to catch our ferryback to Langkawi.

We received a very kind hand of help forJustine yet again and were welcomed back into Langkawi by the amazingMalaysians we have come to know.....

We were so happy to behome just as the sun set, had a great few cuppa's, chatted, had chinesenoodles which we have come to love! The kids headed for bed while Johnand I watched a great movie before heading for bed....

Todaywas filled with such wonderful visitors coming in to say hello and findout how everything went! So wonderful to know such amazing people inour lives!! We are truly blessed!!!

Justine'sfoot is healing! She can now put it down and put a little pressure sois thrilled about not using the crutches as the sores under her armseems more painful than the foot now!! Yet she will get through thisand be much more careful where here foot goes lol  Jono seems to havecracked his finger so it is in a splint now... whew!!!!

Wehope to hear from all of you! Just a note even letting us know you areall well and healthy! We think of you all often and love to hear wordfrom you ALL x

God Bless, and keep on living life to the fullest

John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x x x

Log 74

Where to start... where tostart...there has been so many things going on in our lives since thestart of this new year... Great things that is...

The8th Royal Langkawi Regatta was quite a race!! LOL We all registered,and had to have our sails measured - which proved to be a real test ofcharacter for me especially as we rated the highest handicap out of ourseries! That meant we had to win outright to actually win! Now let meput you in the picture here.... we took off the washing machine, thegenerator, sewing machine and LOTS of books and magazines as well asswoping the anchors.... so we came out the water a touch, but we neveremptied the boat which would have been a nightmare with all the stuffwe have on board!! Two years school work for each kid, and, and, and.... our boat was H-E-A-V-Y!! (So our handicap WAS our handicap) Weshould rightfully have been placed in the Premier Cruising series andNOT in the RACING series.... which really tested each ones metal as wehad to work our butts off hehehehe (which was really fun andfrustrating in the same breath!) The one boat which is made of carbonfiber and weighs almost as much as me I am sure wins EVERY regatta andrace as they can point much better than we can even dream of and are solight!! Vertical time who were really fantastic have a Knysna, oursister, which was fabulous!! We resolved to just have fun, give ourbest and not break the boat!!! John helmed, Justine and I worked thehead-sail sheets while Jono and I handled the spinnaker while Justineworked the sock.... Jess was our beverage and food organizer who helpedpull in the sheets when the winds were strong - so we all worked verywell as a team!

Every day was two races, then we had the around the Islandrace, then another two races and our last race was only one for thelast day.... so the very first race was in Bass Harbour with NO wind!!It was so light that we surprisingly even drifted over the startline!!! We had a good laugh and worked every muscle winching thesheets, trimming and hauling out the spinnaker!! We came second in thefirst race, then by a change in Neptune the winds picked up a touch andso we were half way in a tack back to the start line when the sirenwent off for the start of our SECOND race!!! My gosh - trying tobinocular the flags to see when ours went up, then the siren for thestart of a minute then four minutes then GO was a little confusing forall of us, yet we got through the start a little late, waving to thestart boat and all on it to have a rather exciting race... we camesecond for the second race.....

Our neighbor, Richard Blair the journalist, was reportingthis years regatta by writing a newsletter for each day of the tworaces, and to our surprise we read this caption of the newsletter forthe day that really made us laugh..... "....others maneuvered then thefive sports boats and it was a stronger start for the Multihulls exceptthat Bluemoon was caught doodling far to the west of the line and tooka long time to get into the race..." We were really thrilled with ourabilities, yet realized that cruising and racing are NOT the samething!! There is just sooooooooooooo much more to racing! So Johnhopped onto the internet and started to read up about the sails andpointing and, and, and.... we had been flying our monster spinnakercommakazi style which worked wonderfully for us, but we had used it thecorrect way like a big front sail on either tack and were surprised athow easy it went except she only flies in over 6 knots! So I washanging off the bow trying to keep her out the water so we did not rideover her!

Yet all in all it went well and we were ratherpleased finishing off second... Vertical time came 1st and we wereready to take on the hobi-cat instructor here as VT had Gorge who is ahobi-cat instructor and was good! We realized how little we knew!! Sowe had to learn as we went....

The opening dinner and partywas very nice! They had traditional fire dancers, and traditionaldancers which we joined and danced along with them... the food wasdelish and receiving our trophy's were a proud moment!!! John went upfor the first race then Justine for the second....

Thefollowing morning we were up at the crack of dawn ready to take on theworld lol! We had firm winds with faster runs and loads more fun andexcitement!!!! We had a rectangular course with a windward-leewardrepeat..... now the newsletter for that race caption went.... "... thecats pussy-footed across in a ragtag line ..." while he continued towrite about two yachts hitting into each other... no damage thoughthank goodness!! We were racing over white caps and beating our assesoff!!! On our second race we were rounding the buoy with intensiveconcentration as the gate seemed to small to go through when we heardsomeone 'singing' on the VHF racing channel 'Blue moon.... I saw you standing alone!!! "whahahahaha!! we were so taken back with our intense concentration thatwe could not reply lol and when we came through the gate we had missedthe moment!!! The wind was up to 30 and we were doing just over 11knots over the water... we had the spinnaker out and had to bring herin just as we passed the buoy and there the line had gone under thekeel over the prop and while holding onto the line which was useless inthose winds... pulled me down with a thump where I twisted the lowerpart of my back.... John had to cut the guy line off the spinnaker sothat Jono and I could pull here through.... we were battling with thewaves splashing over the bows drenching us and making our footingextremely slippery if we stood on the spinnaker while pulling her in...whew!! It was there that I just passed out! Must have been the heat andbeing covered in the spinnaker, but there was Jono screaming at me!!!!!John left the helm and all of us crew were checking me out while wewent off course!!!  Yet we gave it our all and entered the finish line3rd! Not bad going considering.... yet I was okay and needed alot ofbeverages to cool me down!!!

We had 28 boats/yachts racing in different series... 215participants....so we had a few moments of very close situations wherewe had to bear off almost continuously for about three minutes... wecould easily have held hands with the crew on that boat that slicedinto our starboard bow! The waves and swells were up so it was actuallyquite a nail biting few minutes, yet lost some precious time fightingnot to touch each other!!! Hair raising moments I tell you!! We had barely come in from the race when we tacked and were back intothe second race for the day!! Boy were we ready to keep going!! hehe

Here is a caption from the newsletter for the fourthrace...."Bluemoon led the Multis with Da Vinci starting tactfullylate." Tactfully late?lol!!! Not quite... we just were in the rightplace unknowingly at the right moment!! lol  Our radio went funny asone of the officials were sitting on their radio which buzzed of allthe goings on on their boat LOL!!! So we missed the news about theMultis coming around for the next race... Vertical Time alerted us asthe starting!! So we made it!!! hehehe

The 20 mile Around the Island race was the most excitingyet frustrating of all!! We were allowed to clock the start timeanywhere between 8am and 09:15am....so we were up before dawn or thesunrise and headed out for the start line just as the light startedcoming in... we were the first yacht heading for the start line whichwas off the south coast  of Pulau Tuba. We radioed in to the start boatto check if that was the starting position as they had not yet put thebuoy down to form the starting gate!!! The wind was really pumping andwe were rearing to go having the current in our favour, yet the delaywas a trial on it's own!!! Tacking and jibing by the start line tilleverything was ready to go... Jono and I were hanging off the bow to doa starboard spinnaker tack when just as we were about to let her loose,John was yelling above the whistling wind to abort!!!! They were tryingto move a fishing boat right in our path - lifting their nets!!!!! Sothe frustration levels and yelling on Bluemoon was a great stressreliever!! Tensions were rising when we saw all our competitors sailingto the start line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had lost almost half an hour!!!We clocked in at 08:29:15 and let the spinnaker loose which was such athrilling moment in 17 knots of wind!!!! We all had our nerves runninghigh in such high winds with such a huge spinnaker (170 square meters)when we had to tack her all the way downwind. We had a good run goingout to sea while other yachts stuck close to the coast. We went throughthe first gate at the southern tip of Pulau Dayang Bunting doing verywell - Vertical time on our heels!!! They passed us on the second gateand we stuck close to her wake ....Unfortunately gate 2 was in a coveon Pulau Singha Besar which fed our frustration as there was NO wind!!!We all bobbed around angling for the puffs of wind - da Vinci followingus... and both of us trying to out maneuver each other for the wind....Vertical Time fell back and it seemed we had the leeway out, but thatproved to be just a puff which Da Vinci caught and were on theirway.... then Vertical time... and a few others then finely us.... wetacked all the way up the channel... 14 tacks!!!!!!!! Beatingupwind!!!! My gosh were we all sunburned, windswept, crashing into thewaves!! One yacht had de-masted and were tying the mast on with theirmotors rearing to get to shore.... a young female crew on Koull babywas taken ashore for medical treatment as she got caught in the sheetsand ended up with a sprained arm... another crew jumped for the dock tomoor on but missed the dock hitting and maybe breaking a rib or twothen hitting his head and falling back into the water unconscious!! (Hedid break a rib but is back on the road to recovery) We made our timecoming through a group of little Optimists - the last tack whilecrossing the buoy and the finishing line.... 3rd! 6 HOURSlater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What a day! Stomped toes, blisters, burnt hand andlegs and feet - wind swept - EXHAUSTED!!!!! We moored up with somedifficulty with the wind still blowing... slept dead to the world whenwe finely went to sleep!! Not even a bomb would have roused any ofus!!!!

Then it was up early -totally disorganized....having a strong cuppa while sailing out to the start line...  the windwas yet again pumping and the winds were up!!! What an exciting day!!!!We were up to 9.4 knots and had already reefed in the main! We wereflying!! We came about on a very fast jibe and the lazy line fouled onthe mast winch... what an ordeal to sort it out!!! We were allscreaming as we saw the pink flag go up and siren go off!!! We allthought it was the start so coming in last, just behind Da Vinci, werealized the boats had passed the line before the time so we slackedthe Genoa, and bumped just behind the line!!!! The others had to do a360 around the buoy for default while we thundered through at thecorrect start time!!!! What a feeling!!! 1st!!! Vertical time on ourheels!!!  When we tried to sea wing the sail, the main was stuck andwould not release completely open!!!! The sheet had pulled through therunner and would have torn right off from the broken wheel so we had toput a preventer which lost us alot of time using the priest to hammerher out!!!! Boy what a defeating moment!!!!! Yet we raced on under theconditions and again it happened so we decided after the radar bowlcame crashing down that we had to take it easy, so we reefed in andkept at a steady pace beating da Vinci for a good run! Vertical timepointed higher and so missed doing a few tacks which gained them bigtime!! We were cheering them on just as we eased passed da vinciwithout us colliding!!!! Boy was it close!!!!! John and I were hangingonto the Genoa almost off the boat with our curtain out the back just10 seconds after Da Vinci who used a tiny spinnaker.... the wind wasway up in the 30's so could not consider it..... We came yet againthird while the other boats cruised through the finish line afterus.....

We had an awesome finishing cocktail dinner andparty! The kids danced the night away while everyone was throwing eachother into the pool!! John and I danced, ate, and enjoyed chatting withall our competitors... the camaraderie was incredible and the feelingof doing something totally unknown to us, succeeding and coming thirdwas a great moment for all on Bluemoon!!! We all went up for our trophyand photograph dressed in our Bluemoon shirts!! It was now over....what an achievement for us!!

We partied till midnight where we celebrated the 16th - my 43rd Birthday!

I was awoken to coffee and a gourmet cake and my gift!!!!

Aftera shower and getting ready we headed for the Cinema complex where thekids were up to something while John and I went for coffee... my firstsip and my cup slipped and spilled all over me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Musthave been the swollen raw fingers!!!! hehehehe

i was thentreated at a stunning spa, a facial, and reflexology - back, face, legsand feet!! It was just stunning!! With sore muscles and raw body partsit was such a treat!!

We then went to the movies andwatched Jackie Chans latest movie... then it was off to Amanda's togive her, her gift as it was also her birthday!!!! We bought the taxidriver a coffee too while we had coffee with Amanda and Fakhrees, towish her. Then it was back to the club for a wonderful dinner atCharlies.... we ended it with coffee and a longing for bed!!!!!

Wokeup with a touch of a cold this morning!! But fighting it with 1000 VitC!! Then Ben popped over in-between getting our stuff back ontobluemoon!! Gosh, packing again all the books and, and, and... what aday! Then Gina and her parents arrived - and had a great visit.... thekids getting ready for the start of school tomorrow while I catch up onthe log and stat planning our next adventure in a few weeks which Iwill share with you all later!

Till more news, keep on living life to the fullest!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love always, John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan x