Thailand

(continued)

 

(translated by Laszlo Kapitany)

 

2009.01.06 (day 836)

 

The most popular technology nowadays to fabricate laminated sails is the Load-path. (The latest technology is UK Ultra).

Dacron sails are by far the most popular among the touring-sailors. Aramid and kevlar sails are used almost exclusively by racers; they’re also called 3D sails. The laminating and sail making is being done on a huge heated (400°F) vacuum table. I shall not bother with the layer details.J

The ABN Amro’s sail was made using this technology for the Sydney-Hobart race (2008), cost 850,000 USD! Future sail making is planned for lighter and stronger designs.

 

Spoke with Zara, the Harbor Manager and told him I was sick. He recommended the “basin cure”J

Went to the marine shops in the village and harbor, most or their silicones were more than a year old. I heard that somebody bought some and it was completely dry. I’d rather not buy any.

Walked about in the Marina, there are some super-yachts here. Johan, (a young Indonesian I met yesterday), is cook in one of the classic ketch super-yachts.

He gave me some cooking tipsJ The ship’s rental is $350,000/week, so only the super-rich can afford it. For example Bill Gates was on board a few years ago with his friends. The guests are rich American actors, sportsmen and businessmen (TV channel owners., etc.)

The Marina is quiet otherwise, most ships departed already, only the charters remain.

 

Trying to get well because this way I can’t do quality work. Drinking lots of liquids, mostly tea.

Muslin loaned me a book about Thailand: SAIL THAILAND (guide).

 

You can sail on two completely different routes in Thailand:

 

1.       Gulf of Thailand (South China Sea). This side is pleasant during the SW monsoon (May through October).

1.1    Samui region: Koh Tao (the best place to dive in the Bay), Ang Thong National Park (wild monkeys and bats, caves and wonderful panorama), Koh Phangan, Koh Samui Islands (more than 4 million coconut palms there!)

1.2    Pattaya region: its advantage is being close to Bangkok, the capital. 3 hours by car.  Here is the Royal Varuna Yacht Club with serious sailing life. Nearby Islands: Koh Larn, Koh Phai, Koh Rin, Koh Samet, Koh Kut, Koh Chang. You can sail up the Chao Phraya River that could also be interesting. (Temple of Dawn).

 

2.    Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean)

2.1    Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar: 800 Islands, mostly untouched, they say this could be the last unexplored Paradise! Most of the Islands are covered with thick jungle, and the underwater world is fabulous, there are many giant, unbroken corals. These islands are uninhabited, visited only by nomad seagoing people whose name is “Salones” or “Mawkun”. They have their own language, they live in wooden ships with their families and pets (dogs and cats). Their diet is basically fish, sea cucumbers, sailing from island to island between Loughborough and Hastings islands. They are the real “Sea Gypsies” that collect fresh water and sometimes capture wild animals. You need a special permit to visit these islands with other limitations. .

2.2    Similans: 60 miles NW of Phuket. Most touring boats visit this diving paradise! ‘Marine National Park’. Island Group consists of nine main islands.

2.3    Phuket’s western half: fine beaches, characteristically many restaurants, hotels and tourists.  

2.4    Islands north of Langkawi: Tarutao, Butang Group, Koh Bulon Group, Koh Phetra, Koh Liang, Koh Lanta.

2.5    Eastern half of Phuket: many islands, good anchorages. Underwater visibility not so good in the north, but better in the southern part.

2.6    Phi Phi islands: they’re said to be among the three most beautiful islands in the world…

2.7    Krabi and the Koh Dam Group.

2.8    Phang Nga Bay, not a very good diving spot but beautiful small islands.

 

Foreign yachts can remain for a maximum of 6 months. Not enough, if you want to see everything…

 

2009.01.07 (day 837)

Asia Yacht Charter: www.asiayachtservices.com

 

Thailand was the hippie's Paradise during the 70’s and 80’s. They had legalized opium dens and any other drug could easily be obtained then. Plus the girls were very friendly (as they still are)! 

Then they started to build large luxury hotels and many things have changed…

Shifted from pier B to pier A, because somebody took my place.

 

Works:

Sealed front window with Siklaflex 291 and using waterproof silicone.

Made some smaller patches with contact cement.

Fiberglass and polyester work on the side and forward, water seeped in a few places.

Rail repairs with epoxy, sealed with Siklaflex 291

 

Natalia, a 33 year old French lady visited after noon, her ship Maryjan SY, an old steel hulled ship, now nicely refurbished. Her friend died in a motorcycle accident 7 months ago, they sailed over from France 2 years ago (Red Sea – Indian Ocean), and since they had no money, they stayed and worked hard to get enough for the next leg of their tour.

Dinner at a local eatery, then Internet at night,

 

2009.01.08 (day 838)

Sailing Events in the vicinity:

Sail Indonesia: www.sailindonesia.com

Boat Asia: www.boat-asia.com

Boat Thai: www.boat-thai.com

Raja Muda Regatta: www.rmir.com

Royal Langkawi Int. Regatta: www.langkawiregatta.com

Kings Cup Regatta: www.kingscup.com

Phang Nga Bay Regatta: www.bayregatta.com

Top of the Gulf Regatta: www.topofthegulfregatta.com

Phuket Raceweek Regatta

Koh Samui Regatta: www.samuiregatta.com

China Sea Race: www.rhkyc.org/hk/chinasearace.htm

17th President Cup: www.manilayachtclub.org/prescup/

 

Feeling better today!

Bought 40 liters of fuel and 40 l water.

 

Works:

Mast stepping, then greased turnbuckles and covered them with protective tubing.

Lunch: soup in the village in a local eatery.

 Afternoon: hooked up the wind generator and changed the solar panel wiring. Unfortunately the wind generator’s electronics got a little wet, I’m hoping it still operates.

Later BNT (Thailand TV) came out for an interview. Zenniseha, the reporter lady was very kind and had many questions.

 

Evening: Dock Party on pier A. Everybody showed up: Zara, Nick, locals, super yachters, touring sailors, ‘Round-the-Worlders, Thai girls, the local shipyard’s manager, etc. It was a goodbye party: a super-yacht catamaran is leaving tomorrow after having spent several months here.

There are many French, some Australians and English. The mood was very pleasant. Finally, I drank some fine wine and got acquainted with many sailors (Jeremy, Valentin, etc.)

 

One of the world’s largest super-yacht is in the Marina, I talked with them too.

 

An engineer from a French super-yacht told me that he only spent two years of his life on land, and couldn’t live or even sleep on land anymore…Sailing is more additive than drugs J

 

Heard the story of Frenchman going around the world twice in a 7m home built catamaran.

After 22:00 most everybody was dancing on the pier. Music came from the super catamaran and there was a case of drinks.

I was still Interneting at midnight, but the party went on until 2 or 3 in the morning.

 

2009.01.09 (day 839)

Music of the father of one of my local acquaintances: http://www.carabao.net

The TV came out again at 7:30 in the morning for more pictures/video. Then said good bye to the sailors and the marina. I could depart only after 9 o’clock.

Koh Phanak was the first island I stopped at. POS (08-11.4N; 098-29.1E). This island is famous for its caves. I swam in, then hitchhiked a tourist kayak, and then everything went faster and easier. The cave’s other exit opens in the inner part of the island. There, some very friendly monkeys gave me a reception. There are monkeys on just about every island here.

 

Afterwards I sailed over to Koh Hong Group (Phang Nga) island  POS (08-13.4N 098-30.1E).

Then visited ‘James Bond’ island, Koh Phing Kant. They filmed “The Man with the Golden Gun” here.

POS (08-16.2N; 098-30.0E).  A beautiful island indeed.

 

Late afternoon arrived in Sea Gypsy village; I think every touring sailor profoundly feels this spirit.

POS (08-20.01N; 098-30.384E).

 

The village was established more than 200 years ago. Presently about 3,000 people live here in dwellings built on stilts. There are 200 – 250 houses, a general school and a mosque.

 

The people are very kind. My dinner cost 20 bahts, noodles with dried fish.

About the mood:

There is a rowing race daily at the general school.

They are fishing from every house, everybody is fishing.

There are no dogs, but many cats.

There is no soil, only some plants in clay pots.

All the houses were built on piles. Because every island is a sheer bluff it would be hard to live on them.

It’s a tourist place, but there are no tourists in the afternoon and evening, so you can sense the local mood better. I tied CARINA to the pier of a tourist restaurant. The manager was very kind, let me stay there free.

 

2009.01.10 (day 840)

Local weather forecast: www.tmd.go.th

Continued on early morning.

At 09:00 anchored at Koh Roi Island. POS (08-11.5N; 098-36.6E). Had breakfast and bathed. Walk on the island.

Then continued on, fast sailing in fresh breeze to Ko Hong Island.

 

Tied to a buoy here early afternoon. POS (08-04.2N ;098-40.8E). Did some diving here (see Gallery), walked on the beach, in the forest and swam in the lagoon.

There was a tsunami here on Dec. 26, 2004 that caused a lot of damage on this island too, many people had to be rescued. A very beautiful island!

 

Continued in the afternoon.

Broad winded sailing to Krabi. POS (08-01.3N; 098-47.0E). Here tied to a buoy at 17:00 next to Pelican SY (a 1965 sloop, 35 feet), got acquainted with its captain, Joe. He sailed here solo from the USA.

A Japanese solo sailor (29’ boat) took me ashore in his dinghy. Dinner on the beach!

At night I got acquainted with a Swedish traveler and a few locals on the beach. Krabi is a teeming town, there are many tourists and a lot of noise, as small as Patong.

 

2009.01.11 (day 841)

The ‘black’ chartering decreased during the past few years due to stricter controls. True, I have seen a

‘black’ chartering sailboat here.

 

Crew/Passenger: the touring sailboats used to search here for crews for the Indian Ocean passage. The best time period to start looking for crew around here is from the end of December.

The sailboats start out in January with destinations: Sri Lanka, Maldive Islands, India. You can find ships up to the Suez Canal. For example Ian (a Canadian acquaintance of mine) is looking for crew until the Mediterranean Sea.

The expenses and work are usually divided.

 

Continued on at 07:00. Sailed by Krabi, took photos of its small islands and sheer granite walls. Then sailed on toward the next island group:

Pranang, Pode, Tup, Chiken, where I did some diving and walked on the beach. POS (07-57.5N; 098-48.5E) Their original names: Ko Dam Hok, Ko Dam Kwan.

Continued from here at 09:00.

Ate rambutan fruit (local) for lunch, which I got from the reporter lady on departure.

Arrived at Phiphi island at 13:30 and tied to a buoy. POS (07-43.9N; 098-46.2E)

Walked up to the local viewing area and visited a few beaches and bays.

Phiphi is one of the most beautiful islands in the world (many think it’s among the TOP3)

The movie ‘The Beach’ was filmed in Maya Bay. Also here: Monkey Bay, Lohsamah Bay, Pileh Bay, Viking Cave etc. Generally visited by most of the tourists.

 

Tried a local fruit: Lok kem (I can always find new fruits)

2009.01.12 (day 842)

Additional female Round-the-World sailors to supplement my logs of the past months:

First: Krystyna Choynova-Liskiewiczowá, obtained her experience in northern waters, sailed as captain over the North Atlantic waters…Her ship’s name: Mazurka (LOA=9.51m, B=2.7m, D=1.54m, sail surface 35 m², motor 11 kW). Route: Las Palmas (the Polish seagoing ship Brodnica brought her boat here) – Panama – Marquises – Sydney – Durban – Las Palmas.

Crossed her Round-the-World path 1978 March 20 and arrived in Las Palmas on the 21st.

Total distance: 31,166nm. The book of her journey: First Around the Earth (Gdansk, 1979).

 

Second: New Zealander Naomi James, with her Express Crusader sailboat and with two years of sailing experience in North Atlantic waters. (The boat was loaned to her by Chay Blyth, who used the same boat for a previous nonstop Round-the-Earth voyage). Naomi also planned a nonstop voyage but it didn’t turn out that way: her self-steering broke down before Capetown, she had to stop for repairs. Her rigging got damaged near Tasmania and had to stop for a second time…Route: England – Cape of Good Hope – Australia – Cape Horn – here capsized but survived … crossed her Round the Earth path on 1978 April 28 and arrived ‘home’ in Dartmouth.

 

Third: Brigitte Oudry 1977-1978 in her sailboat Gea (LOA=10.4m)

 

My tiller broke before start in the morning. Replaced with the spare but it has to be repaired!

07:30: departure. Sailed back to Ao Chalong. Arrived at 2 p.m. already. Had ¾ winds and full sails moving fairly fast.

Afternoon and evening: Internet. An Indonesian sailor took me back to CARINA at night.

 

2009.01.13 (day 843) 

Zeitgeist: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3176819700539858901&h1=hu

Today’s works:

Varnished the new tiller three times.                     

Glued the old tiller with polyester and glass wool

Cleaning the ship’s bottom, two hours in the water.

Packing.

 

Then hitchhiked to shore as usual.

Went to the Harbormaster’s Office to check out at the Immigration and Customs. I thought it was free, so I had no cash left. Had to pay 300 bahts to the Harbormaster and Customs, so took some cash out of a nearby ATM.

Then shopped at the nearby small Tesco for 1,700 bahts.

 

Bryan came over in the evening (an Irish solo sailor) from the neighboring 32foot steel ship. Had some beers in CARINA then in his ship. He sailed around Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia in a small,

23 foot ship. Makes his living repairing yachts.

 

Afterwards went ashore near the Yacht Club, landing about 20 feet from his Russian friend’s house (entrance to his yard.) Fantastic view from the balcony. The house is located at the exact center of the bay shore, so the front of the house is facing the bay entrance.

Today is New Year by the orthodox calendar, so the Russians were celebrating.

 

Here too I met a few interesting people, like the 21 year-old dress designer woman. She had her hair cut off bald and went to meditate in the convent for 10 days.

This is a favorite place for Russian millionaires. There is also a Russian Sailing Club.

The Russians don’t drink vodka here (they say here it’s harmful), but they consume wine, beer and marijuana. By Russian custom, if they open a bottle, it must be finished!J

A few weeks ago a Russian yacht caught fire and burned out completely. They woke up at the last minute and ran out of the ship in T-shirts only. Lost everything…

 

I found the Thailand regattas interesting. One of the Russian catamaran’s speed is 22 knots. That’s about average today but still too much for me J.

Went back to my ship after 23:00, must rest up well for tomorrow’s departure!

 

Thailand - Sri Lanka, 1100nm (12 days)

  

Typical winds in January and February: NE monsoon, so now it’s 51% NE, 40% E, two calm days per month (according to the statistics). Wind speeds average 20 knots.

 

Currents: This section 0.6 – 0.7 knots westerly, helping my way.

Route Plan: Southern part of Great Nicobar (06-20N; 093-51E), then Matara (05-52.5N; 080-35.7E),

Galle (06-00N; 080-13.3E), anchorage POS (06-01.2N; 080-13.9E).

 

Must hire an Agent on arrival, expensive, 200 USD.: 

Windsor Yacht Services:

6 Closenburg Road, Magalle, Galle, VHF channel 69, windsorreef@wow.lk

A local entrepreneur, Santosh Windsor, runs this yacht service company from his home near Galle Harbour. His office can also be used for overseas telephone calls, mailing address and to book excursions into the interior. He can arrange most repairs, supply courtesy flags, fill LPG bottles and arrange for essential spares to be ordered from abroad and air freighted by courier. More complex engine or electrical repairs may have to be made in Colombo. Can also find a reliable person to watch unattended boats. Mixed reports from cruisers.

 

The other Agent: (GAC): Nuwan can be contacted on VHF Ch 71 or by mobile phone (+94777718007).

We sent him an SMS, and he phoned us almost immediately at 07:30 hrs. Or you can contact him by e-mail, srilanka@gacworld.com

 

2009.01.14 (day 844)

My reading nowadays: Lin & Larry Pardey: Seraffyn’s Mediterranean Adventure (1974-76), in the 60s, 70s and 80s… years Canadians Lin & Larry Pardey rounded the globe several times, wrote several books and many newspaper articles about the subject. They were the first famous yacht persons in North America, they showed what this life form was like for many.

 

1008 mB, 35°, Bf.4-5 E, late p.m. Bf.3

07:30 departing with engine. 08:00 shut down the motor.

Distance from WP1: 283nm.

Good, easterly wind, course 260, making 4-5 knots. Steering continuously.

Lunch: coffee, sausage, bread, tomatoes.

The large ship- and fishing boat traffic lessened once I left the islands behind.

Butterflying in sometimes following winds. Many flying fish again, they’re following.

Dinner: sausage, cucumber, bread.

20:50 LT POS (07-29N; 097-38E). Radio 14.290 MHz, Karesz HA5CAR also heard Rudi well.

23LT reefed main sail, steady Bf.5.

03LT Jib down, strengthening to Bf.6

2009.01.15 (day 845) 

Today is my Mother’s Birthday. God Bless you Mom!

 

Luck factor: Like in everything, luck also has a part in sailing. Legends keep circulating in the beach bars about very unlucky boats, unexpected accidents and deaths.

It exists, but you can’t calculate it in, nor can you influence it.

1010 mB, 35°, Bf.3-4-5 E, weakening to Bf.3 by afternoon.

Breakfast: coffee, vitamin C, fruit.

Steering, butterflying. A fishing boat passed near me in the morning, number of ships in vicinity continues to decrease.

Lunch: sausage, bread, cucumber, tomato.

P.m.: two large ships came close. Don’t understand, these are no shipping lanes.

 

20:50 POS (06-52N; 096-24E) Radio 14.290 MHz busy -> 14.285 MHz: Karesz, HA5CAR, Rudi, HA5HS. Alas they couldn’t copy my position.

81nm during the past 24 hrs.

Evening: an occasional fishing boat, getting up hourly to check.

02:06LT Rain, steering for a few hours.

Problem: top light intermittent, contact fault somewhere.

 

2009.01.16 (day 846)

Origin of the word kangaroo:

Captain Cook asked the natives what it was. They answered “kangaroo”, which, in their language means “don’t understand what you’re talking about”.

 

1011 mB, 30°, Bf.4-5 E.

Large vessel passed me this morning.

Breakfast: Vitamin C, pineapple, ginseng (feeling a little poorly today)

Steering in butterfly, seas growing, wind strengthening.

Problem: both cockpit drains are clogged, not draining. Cleaned them out.

The Nicobar Islands (India) and Sumatra Island (Indonesia) separate the Andaman Sea from the Indian Ocean. The Great Channel - where I’d like to pass through - is situated between the two island groups.

Some yachts, mainly surfers, stop here. I’m not planning to.

The gas stove is inoperative. The bottle is probably empty. (Will swap it when calmer). I don’t know why, changed bottle a few weeks ago, could be leaking.

Lunch: canned fish and bread.

Still sleepy after brief rest.

 

Occasionally experiencing strong whirlpools in this area since my departure. Confused seas over 100-200 meter areas, among them short waves that spill into the cabin. Probably caused by the current.

Visibility in this area is but a few miles.

 

Afternoon: a large ship was heading directly toward me.

She altered course only after my second call on VHF 16.   

20:50 POS (06-39N; 094-56E). Radio 14.290 MHz. Nobody heard me. I briefly heard Rudi very weakly.

88nm during past 24 hours.

 

2009.01.17 (day 847)

Story:

A solo sailor in the Caribbean became exhausted in a storm after not having slept for 4 days. Then the wind calmed down, but he was so tired, he couldn’t hold his sextant steady in his shaking hands, couldn’t compute and saw multiple suns…Then he spotted a fishing boat and moved closer. The fisherman didn’t answer when he asked for a position, but he spotted an island in the distance and sailed into its harbor.

Nobody paid attention to him in the harbor, so he dropped anchor in 80 feet of water. No officials came to check on him. He accidentally hit his head and lost consciousness, then fell asleep.

He woke up 12 hours later. There was no island, harbor or fishing boat, but he was at anchor in 80 ft of water. The whole thing was hallucination! So, total exhaustion is very dangerous.

Lack of food, comfort, sleep could cause total exhaustion. When one is tired, wet and exhausted, full of negative thoughts, a warm meal can really help to compensate.

 

1014 mB, 30°, bf.3-4 NNE, 3-4 knots on cse 240

Breakfast: vitamin C, ginger, apple, garlic, jam on bread.

Battery voltage: 12.83V (for me this is good, my batteries are old).

The solar panel is charging well, wind generator is not hooked up.

 

I’m in the Great Channel, traffic is heavy. Must keep sharp lookout. I’m located in the northern part where traffic is lighter, most large ships sail more to the south.

14:00LT; reached WP1. Distance to WP2: 794 miles.

 

Poor visibility and many large ships in the vicinity. This is why I wanted to transit during daytime.

Lunch: cockle shells, bread, tomato, cucumber.

 

P.m.: raining for hours, visibility is even worse. An Indonesian NAVY plane buzzed me several times quite low, but didn’t call me on the VHF. Also an Indonesian NAVY ship passed nearby, checking on shipping.

Wind strengthening.

 

20:50 POS (06-20N; 093-39E) radio 14.290 MHz: frequency noisy.

First, an American station called that Hungarian amateurs are waiting on 14285 kHz. My radio shut down while shifting to the other frequency and couldn’t get it going again. Measured 12.67V at the input plug, that’s not the problem.

 

HF radio problem: can’t turn it on.

At night: Bf.4-5 and heavy ship traffic.    

 

2009.01.18 (day 848)

My book for today: Castaway, by Lucy Irvine. A classic tale of survival on an uninhabited Cora Seal island.

Spent a year on Turin Island in the company of Gerald Kingsland between 1981-82. Writes much about ‘escapists’ ‘years out’ feeling.

Webpage: http://www.lucyirvine.com

(Gerald Kingsland wrote the ‘Islander’ about this shared adventure, but I haven’t read it).

 

1012 mB, 30°, cloudy, Bf.4-5 E, full sails

Breakfast: double vitamin C, ginseng, energy pill, jam on bread, cod liver oil, garlic.

Dark clouds came, then brief rain.

Lunch: salad with mayonnaise, bread, sausage.

 

Top light: a cable got corroded, cleaned it, hopefully cured the problem.

P.m.: reading, seas increasing, steady Bf.4-5 E

The jib got torn in one place yesterday, (still using it - small tear), besides there are two tears in the main sail. I should start repairing the sails.

 

Checked the HF radio. Cleaned the connections, sockets and fuses. It still doesn’t turn on.

I don’t know the reason.

Today’s book: At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie.

 

20:50LT POS (06-39N; 090-59E). No radio. HF radio problem.

129 nm made goo in good direction past 24h. New record!

Few hours of rain at dawn. Wind mostly Bf.4-5.

 

2009.01.19 (day 849)

1010 mB, 29°, Bf.4-5-3 NE

Breakfast: ginseng, energy pills, vitamin C, garlic, cod liver oil, papaya

Rained morning and afternoon, heavy seas, wet going.

Lunch: noodles, (without cooking, just soaked in water), peas in mayonnaise sauce

Chart: INT707(4707)

P.m.: halfway to Sri Lanka.

17LT: the jib tear ran across its whole width, lowered it, and raised a smaller but stronger jib.

Not losing much speed in this good breeze, have plenty of time anyway.

Battery voltage: 12.79, solar panel is charging well.

 

20:50LT POS (06-39N; 089-13E). No radio, HF radio problem.

Distance from WP2: 517nm.  106nm made good past 24h.

Peaceful night, cloudy, windy, Bf.5 max. E-NE

 

 

2009.01.20 (day 850)

Basic books for touring sailors in my opinion:

Ocean Passages for the World, British Admiralty

Light List, British Hydrographic Office

Strongly recommended:

The Common Sense of Yacht Design, by Herreshoff

Capt. Nat Herreshoff: The Wizard of Bristol, by L. Francis Herreshoff

Sea Gypsy, Peer Tangvald

Cruising Under Sail, Eric Hiscock

The Ocean Cruising Yacht, Don Street

 

1012 mB, 28°, (this feels cool already), Bf.4-5, NE

Breakfast: ginseng, vitamin C, garlic, cod liver oil, papaya, muesli

I’m basically often doing, what an average man would be doing at home on a Sunday afternoon:

A.m.: Fishing for the first time with the Haldorádó equipment. Bf.3-4, seas 2-3m

Tied down the fishing pole of course.

Lunch: noodles (soaked in water only), soy sauce, canned beef, salad, cucumber, last of the pineapple.

Caught a large flying fish in the morning with the new rod, and later a smaller tuna. Thank you Haldorádó!

Glued the jib in the cabin (2 new patches) with some difficulty in the small space.

Later saw some ships, got closer to the shipping lanes. Turned northward a little again. (06-23N->06-30N)

Dinner: fish a la Marquises, raw, marinated in coconut- and lemon juice 1-1.5 hours.

Wind shifted toward the north, so I’m “wind-ing up”.

Battery: 12.81V

20:50LT POS (06-26N; 087-32E) WP2 is 416nm distant. 101nm made good past 24h.

No radio: HF Radio problem.

The starboard turnbuckle came loose, (security ring fell out) but luckily I happened to be ‘on watch’.

Bf.3-4, ½ winded run - quickly lowered the sail not to overload the unsecured mast. Then found spares in the toolbox. (A simple piece of wire would’ve done as well. A good wire has many uses in a ship).

I don’t know why it fell out, so also secured it with a piece of wire.

2009.01.21 (day 851)

Sail repair tape: There’s some in CARINA but I don’t use it much, because it’s old and got soaked. Even if it were good I’d still choose patching.

 

1012 mB, 28°, Bf.3-4-5 N-NE

Breakfast: muesli with kiwi and apple, plus syrup, bread with preserves, garlic.

Syrup: I discover something new every month, this is now in fashion.

A.m.: patching the jib in the cabin, then lowered the main sail for 2-3 hours and put three patches on it,  (one of them large). Then reading and resting.

Lunch: mushroom salad, (tomato, cucumber, salad, onions, garlic), noodles.

P.m.: getting warmer, 35° again. Winds weakening to Bf.3.

Dinner: the flying fish I found in the cockpit at dawn, raw with lemon and soy sauce (the gas burner doesn’t work), noodles, mushroom salad leftovers.

Dolphins swimming nearby, playing with CARINA for 10-20 minutes.

They like to swim and surf on the waves, sometimes in unison, or in groups, then back and forth, but all together in harmony.

Sometimes they come close and I can see they’re smiling, caressing each other with their flippers, sometimes nod facing each other. I’d rather not continue J

 

23LT POS (06-28N; 085-38E), 304nm to WP2, 112nm made good past 24h.

No radio, Doesn’t turn on. HF radio problem.

Peaceful night, wind varied between Bf.3-4-5.

2009.01.22 (day 853)

My book of the day: Sailing free, Around the World with a blue water Australian, by Laurence Le Guay.

1970-72 rounding the Earth in a 12.8m steel sailboat (Eclipse)

Route: Barrier Reef – Indian Ocean – Capetown  - Rio de Janeiro – Caribbean – Panama – Pacific Ocean.

‘Rat race’ and ‘drop out’: he was probably the first to write about escaping from our civilization. Tour-sailing

life is entirely different from one offered by civilization, and that is the  basic theme of the book.

 

1012->1008 mB, 29-32°, Bf.3-4 N, 270°, 3-4 knots (sometimes slower).

Breakfast: vitamin C, apple, kiwi, muesli, syrup.

Unable to turn on the HF radio, I don’t know the cause, don’t know where the fault is. Family and friends must by worried by now.

Lunch: Noodles, salad, canned fish, (they are not biting today, perhaps, because of the weak wind and slow going).

 

Shall finish patching the jib in Sri Lanka, there isn’t enough room in the cabin to do it.

Evening: ship’s lights ahead. The shipping lanes are 30nm south of here and shore is 140nm, so they couldn’t be coastal fishing boats.

Ship lights getting closer and closer, then they must have noticed something because they shone their powerful searchlight on me.

Dinner: lunch leftovers.

 

20:50LT POS (06-32N; 084-03E). 211 miles to WP2, 93nm made good last 24h.

No radio, can’t turn it on. HF radio problem.

2009.01.23 (day 853)

(partial quote from Wikipedia/tr.)

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874 – 1922), was an Anglo-Irish explorer who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. His first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Scott’s Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, from which he was sent home early on health grounds. Determined to make amends for this perceived personal failure, he returned to Antarctica in 1907 as leader of the Nimrod Expedition. In January 1909 he and three companions made a southern march which established a record Farthest South latitude at 88°23'S, 97 geographical miles (114 statute miles, 190 km) from the South Pole, by far the closest convergence on either Pole in exploration history up to that time. For this achievement, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII on his return home.

After the race to the South Pole ended in 1912 with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to what he said was the one remaining great object of Antarctic journeying—the crossing of the continent from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, was trapped in pack ice and slowly crushed, before the shore parties could be landed. There followed a sequence of exploits, and an ultimate escape with no lives lost, that would eventually assure Shackleton's heroic status, although this was not immediately evident In 1921 he went back to the Antarctic with the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition, intending to carry out a programme of scientific and survey activities. Before the expedition could begin this work Shackleton died of a heart attack while his ship, Quest, was moored in South Georgia. On his death he was lauded in the press, but was thereafter largely forgotten, while the heroic reputation of his rival Scott was sustained for many decades. At the end of the 20th century Shackleton was "rediscovered", and rapidly became a cult figure, a role model for leadership as one who, in extreme circumstances, kept his team together to accomplish a survival story which polar historian Stephanie Barczewski describes as "incredible" 

 

1012 mB, 28°, Bf.3 NE, 3-4 knots on cse 260

Breakfast: preserves on bread, vitamin C, apple, kiwi

(I like to have at least one sauce in the ship, some interesting taste, which can spice up any meal.)

A.m.: packing on the shelves, too much stuff and not enough space.

Lunch: noodles, salad, canned fish (bo bites)

Reading. Slowed down with Bf.2 NE

 

20:50LT POS (06-23N; 082-48E) 76nm made good past 24h.

No radio, can’t turn it on. HF radio problem.

2009.01.24 (day 854)

Read today:

Handling Small Boat in Heavy Weather by Frank Robb. Good book with one or two interesting stories, ideas, like how to utilize the main sail for storm anchor.

1012 mB, 32°, Bf.3 varying N-NW-N-NE

Breakfast: double vitamin C, apple, kiwi, bread and peanut butter.

 

Large ship nearby outside of shipping lanes! I must keep better watch from now on.

Then a Sri Lanka navy ship went by slowly, but they didn’t call on the VHF.

Called an Australian sailboat on VHF, they passed me close by. They too are heading for Sri Lanka, but had no fresh weather info.

Lunch: Noodles, canned fish, salad.

Tying up will not be simple: complex, strong current at the southern part of Sri Lanka could even reach

6 knots; Inshore Traffic Zone, Traffic separation:

 

Chart: 813, 4706

Galle is 25nm distant from Dondra Head (southernmost point of Sri Lanka).

P.m.: winds weaken, Bf.2 N, 2-3 knots on cse 270

Battery: 12.72V.

Dinner, preserves on bread.

I was basically up all night watching large ship traffic.

 

20:15LT (05-56.8N; 081-20.2E)

22:00LT (05-57.6N; 081-10.6E)

23:15LT (05-57.3N; 081-03.8E)

00:30LT (05-53.1N; 080-54.0E)

02:45LT (05-51.9N; 080-49.2E)

05:50LT (05-49.8N; 080-39.7E), Dondra Head, I’m at Sri Lanka’s southernmost point.

06:00LT started motor. There’s no wind, only a 1-2 knot current pushes me toward the West.

 

2009.01.25 (day 855)

LOVE by NIGHT

FIGHTER by DAY

KILLER by CHOICE

MARINE by MISTAKE

1012 Mb, 28°, Bf.0-1 E

Many fishing boats near the shore in the morning.

Bathing on the bow in the morning with salt water as usual.

 

10:00LT POS (05-55.5N; 080-23.8E) I’m near Weligama.

Breakfast: vitamin C, bread with preserves. Promite with bread, tomato, onion.

Two fishing boats came near to talk. The first one came touching close, gave me a smaller dorado. I didn’t want a large one for one person.

A few younger fishermen came over to CARINA to look around during my breakfast, so they had a taste of that as well.

Lunch: the received dorado with coconut milk and lemon juice, bread.

Dolphins are following me near the shore.

More and more fishing boats as I’m approaching Galle. Waving at each other, but I don’t understand all their moves.

 

13:30LT POS (06-01.77N; 080-13.52E) had to anchor before entering port to wait for the officials to examine the ship and papers.

An Austrian catamaran is anchored next to me, we’ve met and talked in PNG, Port Moresby. 

 

A motor launch came after an hour wait with the officials. They didn’t want to spend much time in CARINA so everything went fast.

15:00LT tied up in the first berth at the main pier. Apparently the harbor is full of yachts (30). True, there were 69 yachts here a few months ago – I can hardly visualize how they could find space.

 

My agent: Windsor Yacht Services. They are the least expensive agency, however a little slow. Finished my paperwork after 7 p.m.

Two familiar yachts arrived after me: Africo and a Danish ship.

There are familiar ships also from Thailand of course.

Went over to the Africo to see Ian in the evening. They made the trip in 8 days compared to my 12. Alas they too had one or two broken gear.

At night went into town to have a warm meal, the last one I had was about 2 weeks ago in Thailand, because my gas stove wasn’t OK.

 

My few days in Sri Lanka

2009.01.26 (day 856)

Link suggestion: http://www.drogmentesbalaton.hu       (drugfreebalaton/tr)

The local people here have a characteristic habit: moving their head. Nodding, as if they indicated a no, then interestingly pointing their heads upward. All ages are doing it, to me it looks very nice.

 

Looking around town: Fortress, Catholic churches, Buddhist temples. Light tower, where I asked ‘Port Control’ where I could find a repairman for my HF radio.

Parks, squares, then a lot of walking about town. I need the exercise after the long sailing! Tasted the local foods, hoppas, unusually shaped roti, riced curry (with dal), roti and vegetables or roti with eggs are their everyday foods. A meal can be had for 50-80 rupees.

Afternoon exchanged my Thai money, then bought silicon spray, marine grease, epoxy glue and refilled the gas bottle. (600 rupees)  

 

Had dinner with the Harbor Policemen (fried fish, rice), and we drank a few arracks as well (local strong alcohol). Thank you!

 

2009.01.27 (day 857)

An interesting and beautiful ship, Hungarian owner: http://sanfrancesco1870.seenowall.com

A.m.: checking compartments, rear cabin cleaning, bilge water bailing, chart organizing and general packing.

Lunch: cafeteria, cheap place with an interesting atmosphere. (tea 15 rupees, 25 in town).

I’m using buses in general. True, they’re loaded and uncomfortable, but only 9 rupees to downtown (that would cost 100 by tuktuk!)

P.m.: went to Unawatuna beach. This is a famous tourist beach.

Not the best for snorkeling, the water was a bit murky today. Went to the nearest Buddhist temple with Dinesh, who told me a lot about Buddhism and of the ‘dance of the devil’.

The dream of the Unawatuna beach boys is to pick up a rich white woman. What is surprising, is that they net a Russian woman almost every time, and they get married too…

Evening: Internet. Dinner at a nearby local eatery Sri Lanka style: hopas, curry and tea.

2009.01.28 (day 858) 

Spices with new taste that are widely used here, so I also bought some in small quantities to diversify my own cooking.

 

Mace –  served with: rice, tea, vegetables

Sinemon – rice, soup, tea, coffee, vegetables.

Works for today:

Sail patching (main and jib)

Remove and disassemble the starter – have to replace the brushes, they’re worn down completely.

 

Evening: Dinner with Mohamed Thahir Mohamed Navas (Katugoda) and his family (Himas, Usman, Fatuma). Invited me two days ago and I gladly accepted. I like traditional Muslim kitchen and people. Thank you!

 

It’s good to meet people, families and cultures, most pleasant during an evening meal.

Why was I invited for dinner? I think it’s because of my beard J

At night I asked the Port police to let me use their electrical connection for my laptop. May have been a little forward, but I told them my problem and they were helpful. What could they do?

I was there until 4 a.m.

 

2009.01.29 (day 859)

There is also bitunat here, and they use it like those in PNG. It’s a kind of light drug, they chew it with a leaf.

I also tried it here, but here they use less and in a dried form.

The great new thing for me was the woodapple (see Gallery)

 

Today’s works:

Checking the outboard engine, changing/cleaning plugs, sail patching, packing.

Dinesh and his friend came over at 6 p.m. in his tuktuk (that I also drove later). We went to his village and I got acquainted with local young people in the village bar, then had dinner at Dinesh and slept there. Dinesh is an English teacher and likes to speak English J

 

2009.01.30 (day 960)

bogART Photo: http://bogartphoto.mlap.hu/?m=1714692

It’s not about sailing but a good page.

Dinesh woke me in the morning, one of his friends came over and we had breakfast together and chatted.

Then we went to his English teacher in the usual tuktuk, chatted and had tea. Later his pupils arrived and talked with them in English. They said also, (as usual), that I speak with a French accent J

Later we looked around in his acquaintance’s store for a long time. Buddies in the street, etc. This is Dinesh’s village, everybody knows everybody.

At noon we went to the nearby Hikkadua beach, where I swam, dove free-lung, and took a few underwater pictures. This is the best place here to snorkel.

 

Afternoon: back to Galle, went to several mechanics and finally at the third one found brushes for the starter that worked after a slight alteration. Expense: 1,300 rupees. Tried to negotiate but I had to pay more because I’m white. (They don’t understand that not all whites are rich).

Evening: went to the Galle Literary Festival. Listened to one speech by author Anne Ranasinghe in Fort Printers (‘An Incredible Journey’).

At night: Internet.

2009.01.31 (day 861)

A beautiful ship: http://www.lcsmarketing.hu/clipper/

Breakfast with Hero at the Navy cafeteria in the Harbor.

A super yacht (catamaran) arrived today with French crew. They’re departing tomorrow toward Malaysia.

I did talk with them but they were pretty busy washing their ship, The main occupation on super yachts: everything has to be spec-n-span all the time!

 

Took the HF radio to town in the morning for repairs, after having spent 30 minutes to obtain a special permit from Customs. (Ports are duty areas).

Then went to the Tourist Bureau but they had no information.

A.m.: Went to see ‘Stick fishing’, Sri Lanka’s famous fishing method. They fish sitting on a stick above the water, 20-30m from the shore in the western and southern part of the country.

Lunch in town, then photocopied the ‘Red Sea Pilot’. (270 pages 600 rupees).

Bo, a Danish sailor (we met in Fiji, Australia), suggested a stop at Uligam, the northern atoll of the Maldives, because there is no (or little) fee.

Lunch at the Navy cafeteria as usual in the harbor.

 

P.m.: Went to visit Oskan, a Turkish solo sailor in his ship. We chatted and tested his VHF radio antenna.

Then had some beers with neighboring Dutch sailors and gave them Guide books for their upcoming seas and islands. They’re heading in the opposite direction.

 

There is a four day Galle Literary Festival, so went to the nearby Closenberg Hotel  in the evening to see/listen to the poems, prose, novellas of the local fellow authors, but also there was traditional dance and music (‘Stories at Sunset’). All that for free!

The photographers took pictures of me instead of the performers, because of the long hair, great beard and white skin J

 

2009.02.01 (day 862)

Traveled to Colombo by train in the morning. I got to the station 20 minutes late, but the train was still there. 270 rupees.

 

Colombo, visiting the city:

Unable to see the fortress and historical quarters because a large section was closed. (The President lives there and there is a state of war in the country), Light House (Clock Tower).

Pettah, bazaar quarter

Fish market. Got acquainted with fishermen and fish sellers.

Kotohena

Slave Island (Galle Face Green was closed completely!)

City Hall, National Museum, Cinnamon Garden, National Historical Museum,

Viharamahadevi Park (many painters selling their pictures here), Buddha statues.

Soldiers and control points everywhere, they’re afraid of the Tamil Tigers and their bombs.

Evening: stayed at the YMCA (Fort Bristol 39, 270 rupees, very simple room, only a bed, dirty and many mosquitoes).

 

2009.02.02 (day 863)

Link: www.kandycity.org

The 05:55 train arrived in Kandy City at 09:15 (270 rupees). 

Control points at every train station, where they check everybody and all packages. They are looking for weapons and bombs. This City is famous for the ‘Buddha Tooth Relic’ and the 16th century Dalada Maligawa (World Heritage Site). Buddha’s upper right #4 tooth is here. It can only be seen at special occasions, generally in 1 silver and 7 golden chests (karandua), that are richly endowed with precious stones.

Kandy was the political center until the British customarily occupied it at the beginning of the 1800s.

The capital of the Highlands, in the center of Kandy is the Buddha Temple (with park and elephants), a Hindu Temple, and the St. Paul Church (1843). Part of the town’s buildings are 19th century British style architecture. Vikrama Rajasinka was the last king, then the British occupied and colonized the whole country (that wasn’t nice). One had to be dressed in slacks or sarong (local ‘skirt’ for men) to enter the church. So I bought a simple white one for 300 rupees, the locals pay 250 for it.

The government introduced the dual price system, tourists pay more, sometimes double, but marked up by at least 25-30%!

Entry fee to the church and museum (one of the themes was the 1998 bombing attack), was 500 rupees, free for locals… Visiting Sri Lanka is not inexpensive because of these inflated tourist prices.

 

Also saw the stuffed Tusker, an elephant which lived 85 years. Died in 1988 and he was one of the most famous temple elephants. He carried the tooth relic for years during ceremonies.

The temple is full of locals, I saw one tourist group only. This is the off season. Many flowers and censers.

 

The many years of war has been very expensive, making the country and its people poor. They’re trying to hide it very successfully with propaganda.

They ‘bought’ the Buddhist leaders, and they are now part of the propaganda. The only way is the Party. Nobody dares to demand peace! And this now for 26 years! If someone wants peace, he could easily be enemy. Even the Tamils are keeping quiet, don’t dare to express their opinions.

The propaganda claims that the war will end in three months, and everybody believes it. In my opinion it will take years and a complete economic collapse. The economic crisis and inflation has already started but I think it will get worse.

 

In other words: PEACE!  

Afterwards walked around Kandy Lake in the center of the city.

Then bused to Pinnawela, where I met a German lady, who came here to meditate for 4 weeks. The country is full of meditation centers, most of which are in Kandy.

Have a good holiday! 

Pinnawela is famous for its elephants. The ticket was expensive, to the Elephant Orphanage, 1,250 rupees, (they’re doubling it every year)! Elephant bathing in the river, then feeding  (eats 250 kg greens, mostly palm leaves), it was fairly interesting. This place was established mainly for older elephants.

Here I got acquainted with Charithi and a few of his pals (Sanka, Samitha), then we had beers on the beach.

Evening: back to Kandy, slept at the YMCA (160 rupees Kotuadale Veediya) cost 400 rupees for a single room. The dorm, that would cost 200 rupees, is always ‘full’ for me, because I’m white. They don’t believe I have no money because generally white tourists are rich.

Dinner at a street eatery. It pays to ask the price before ordering, because they’re charging double price, and many times the simple street food isn’t worth it…

 

2009.02.03 (day 864)

Called the repairman, he promised the HF radio repaired by Thursday. Tomorrow is a National Holiday and not a workday.

Free tea at the lodgings. I’m getting to like the local tea more and more. Yesterday they stole 3 T-shirts from my bag. I bought a shirt, so I can change it, but I usually wash it every evening and it dries by morning.

07:00 busing to Nuwara Eliya (‘Little England’) 82 rupees. The best and most tea plantations are in this area. They cleared the jungle and replaced it with tea plantations. This town is at the highest altitude in Sri Lanka, therefore the coldest. The British imported Indian Tamils here to work the plantations and they stayed. This area is the best for picnics on the island.

A 10 minute stop after 2 hours of run is the norm for buses. The view from the mountain is very beautiful. Breakfast: roti for 10 rupees.

Tea plantations all around the town, and women are picking the tealeaves in many places. The Horton Plains is expensive, so I didn’t go.

Bused to Kandi Ela (lake near Meepilimans) where I got acquainted with local youths (Tamil twenty-odd year olds): Kanna, Komar, Mano, Ravi, Seger). Drank some beers then they took me back to town. 

Thank you!

In town I called Lucky, who took me to meet his family. Dinner and beers with his buddy (Sinhalese).

I slept in the entry hall. Thank you. I saved on lodging (minimum 300-600 rupees!) The house is a very simple wooden structure, he has two small children and the whole family sleeps in one bed. It’s very cold on the mountain in the morning: 7°C! They cook with wood in the kitchen that opens from the bedroom in the back. I slept in the hall.

 

2009.02.04 (day 865)

Breakfast, tea and watching TV at Lucky’s (Thanks!). Today is Independence Day and the TV is broadcasting the holiday program, anthem, folksongs, dances in traditional clothing and the president’s speech.

Military parade style, to show our strength…

At 10:00 bused to Nanu Oya, and from there to Hatton (lunch 80 rupees), then to Adam’s Peak with a transfer at Maskeliya. Checkpoints at every section of the road, then the bus stops and everybody exits (I didn’t have to), checking everybody and all luggage. All that in 10 minutes!

 

Adam’s footprint, according to Muslims and Catholics, Buddha’s footprint (Sri Pada) according to the Buddhists, Siva’s footprint according to Hindus (Siva Adipadham). Took me all afternoon to negotiate the 9 kilometers up and down, got back to town in darkness.

 

Adam’s Peak is at 2,260m and it is cold there. All my stuff is in a paper bag, I have no coat, long pants or pullover, only shorts and T-shirt! In other words I’m cold.

According to the Buddhists, Buddha stayed here in a small cave. The place is full of small caves.

Lodging in Greenhouse, 600 rupees.

Met Hirantha (Sinhalese), who made the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict, and the local business life clear to me.  (They don’t shop in each other’s stores, don’t talk to each other). His boss has 26 stores!

Evening: drinking beer.

 

2009.02.05 (day 866)

Said good bye to my pals (gift of sweets).

Bused to Ratnaputa, the Gem Capital.

 

Many Tamils left the country for political reasons. (Of about 130 ministers three are Tamil!), there is no equality…Generally Canada, USA and Australia are the destinations.

Looked at many stones, also went to the museum 

They have been mining precious stones for 2,000 years (sapphire and ruby), also the semi-precious topaz.

Tea 10 rupees.

Got acquainted with Saratn and other local youths. There was a Sinhalese with serious wound on his foot, he was limping.

He told me his story: 17 years of soldiering. A few years ago they got into a serious gun battle, almost everyone died, he was lucky to survive, but his body is full of shrapnel.

 

2009.02.06 (day 867)

Slept on the floor in Saratn’s house, but it was free and the company was good.

Breakfast: tea and the usual Sri Lankan baked goods.

Started back to Galle in the morning.

 

Bus:

Ratnaput – Panadura (60 rupees)

Panadura – Galle (160 rupees)

The buses here are totally jam-packed, very uncomfortable to stand for hours in the crowd, but it’s also an experience.

The radio technician repaired the radio. He said saltwater got into it and the salt deposits caused the problem.

P.m. and evening: Internet.

2009.02.07 (day 868)

Finally slept in CARINA again.

One bumper got lost while I was gone. Probably its rope got chafed from the constant rubbing.

A.m.:

Washed my dirty T-shirts

Checked rigging and mast

Re-installed the starter motor

 

P.m.: went into town

Radio repairs cost 1000 rupees (8 USD).

Bought some dried fish and dates (4 USD)

Borrowed a few charts from the neighboring ship to photocopy.

The built in motor isn’t working again.

Took out the sparkplugs and salt water poured out. The fuel is OK until the A/C pump, I don’t understand what could be the trouble. Shall enter the water tomorrow to check it from below. I must have an official permit from the Navy to enter the water.

Evening: Internet in town.

 

2009.02.08 (day 869)

Morning:

Laundry, then worked on the engine. Took off and cleaned the carburetor. Started looking for a mechanic because the problem is beyond my capability again.

Photocopying maps (1,000 rupees)

Lunch in town: local pastries and avocado juice.

 

14:30-15:30 entered the water and applied a strong cleaner into the cooling system, because it was plugged up again. One or two soldiers, and someone from the Agency were watching. Applied for and got Navy permit the previous day through the Agency.

(Basically everything here goes very slowly, even stops sometimes, because of the bureaucracy).

Everything needs a paper, yet they don’t look at anything except the numbers on the papersJ

Then took a break and chatted with Dinesh.

Afternoon: two Aussies came over to help with the engine, they gave me tips. Took off the head gasket,  by then it turned dark.

Dinner: the usual rice curry for 70 rupees, this is the cheapest filling meal.

At night: Internet.  

 

Sri Lanka (‘Lanka the Blessed’)

Tropical Island with exotic spices, cold, mystic mountains, old temples and lost cities.

(The Greeks called it Taprobane, the Arabs: Seredib, the Europeans Ceilao, Zeylan, Ceylon, Sri Lanka in Sinhalese).

 

Legendary sailors: Sindbad and Vasco da Gama (that’s what they call me here because of my big beard)J

Population: 21 million (72% Sinhalese and Buddhist, 20% Tamil, 7% Muslim, Malay…

Annialato Veddahs,  as sometimes called, ‘primitive people’ were the original inhabitants in the island.

Only a few are left, they’re pressured to melt in and give up their lifestyle.

(The 2004 tsunami killed 30,000 and one million lost their houses.)

Area: 65,610 km² (270nm long, 140nm wide, 31nm from India. Earlier, there was a natural bridge with India, called Adam’s bridge.

Tropical; Dec – Mar NE, Jun – Oct SW monsoon

 

History:

Many Stone-age objects have been unearthed from as far back as 1,750,000 years

New Stone-age since 5,000 years

Hindu era: Ramayana: Lanka, the demon king Ravana kidnapped Siva, Rama’s wife.

5th century B.C.: Prince Vijay from southern India settled here, the first Indian settlements. This was the Sinhalese origin. The 3rd king of the Vijay dynasty, Pandukhahabhaya established the town of Anuradhapura and the dynasty governed from here for more than 1,000 years.

Buddhism spread in the 2nd century B.C.

Sinhalese language: Originates from northern India, Tamil originated from southern India.

1247, 1258 plundered by the sultan of Malay.

1411: Chen Ho Chinese admiral changed kings and forced tax on the country until 1448.

16th century: Tamil Kingdom in the north (that’s what the Tamil Tigers want to re-instate, 99% Tamils live in that area).

Sinhalese Kingdom – with Kandy as center,  Kotte in the south.

1505: the Portugese arrived and colonized the seashore and Kotte areas

1543-1658 Portugese control.

18th century: Dutch colonization and control (the Dutch East India Company, whose main commerce was spices, was established in 1600).

1791 Great Britain colonizes.

1948 Feb. 4 Gained independence after 400 years. Occupied first by Portugal, then the Dutch and finally, for 150 years, by Great Britain.

Highest point: Pidurutalagala, 2,524m.

Tamil Eelam: (The Tamil Independence Movement): http://www.eellam.com/ you can read about it here.

 

Money exchange: 1000 rupees = 8 USD.

Language:

Sinhalese:

Ayubowan – Hello, how are you? – literally means long life

Bohoma Stutiy – Thank you

Kiiyadha – How much does it cost?

Suba dahavalak – Good Day!

Subaratia – Good evening!

Bas – Bus

Cochiya - Train

Asamu Aleykum – Thank you in Islam language

It sholud be answered as Aleikum Salam

Weriwewa – Cheers, spoken at toasts

Lasanay – Beautiful (woman, country, etc.)

A de rey – I love you

Naa – no

Ou – yes

Kaan – to eat

Bon – to drink

Tata – Dad

 

Saron – the local traditional men’s skirt

1     – eka

2     – deka

3          – tuna

4          – hatara

5          – paha

6          – haya

7          – hata

8          – ata

9          – namaya

10      – dahaya

 

Tamil:

Vanakkam – Welcome

Davayu Seydu – Please

Naandri – Thank you

Aammaa – Yes

Illa - No

1         - onu

2         – rendu

3         - muunu

4         – naalu

5         – anju

6         – aaru

7         – yezu

8         – yetu

9         – ombadu

10     – patu

 

Most touring sailors stop at Galle, the alternative is the port of Colombo.

 

Links:

 

http://www.longpassages.org/galle/htm

http://www.srilankatourism.org/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka

http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/260/country_guide/Indian-Subcontinent/Sri-Lanka.html