We had a great time in Bangkok and Vietnam celebrating Robert's 60th, spending time with Kristy and returned to Malaysia with a new 90 day visa on arrival. A lot of the parts on order had arrived while we were away and so we had great hopes of boat repairs moving ahead quickly and getting out there sailing. As luck would have it, some boat parts turned out to be of inferior quality, most were misleading in advertised specs, incorrect parts were supplied and the usual back and forth and research on Robert's part started all over again. Very time-consuming and frustrating.
Two steps forward and one step back was the daily pattern. Robert spent all his time fixing, upgrading and installing parts. He gritted his teeth, sweated buckets and got on with it. It was very slow progress as not much can be done outside in the intense humid heat from about 09h30 to about 16h30 in temperatures ranging from 32 to 35 C. Robert was the Englishman in "mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun".
One of the major setbacks was that the engine's V-belt pulley wheels had become so rusty that no amount of sanding could make them serviceable, below right, and so we replaced them all with a new and improved system of shiny new blue aluminum wheels and a serpentine belt, expensively imported from USA after a further 3 week wait.
Replacing the anchor chain:
Replacing wiring:
Replacing bilge pumps:Replacing fan belts in a very tight space:
Painting the deck:
When spring tides came along, we beached Pegasos on a nearby beach and scraped and re-painted the hulls with anti-fouling paint. There was roughly a 4 hour usable gap between low and high tide so in three days we got the job done, albeit it not very professionally, it will suffice for another 12 months or so until we get to a proper haul out facility.
On the last day while we were waiting for the tide to lift us up, we noticed a group of people carrying their parrots down to the waters edge and giving the birds a dip in the sea. Makes a change from taking one's dog to the beach for a swim.
In no time a couple of bedraggled polly's were brought to inspect the boat
Feeling I just need an eye patch to complete the picture
We settled into our 5th month of marina life. We had found a decent supermarket and a very good dentist that I needed to visit 3 times. We carried on with our vegetarian meals on board as we still couldn't bring ourselves to buy the revolting looking raw chicken or smelly fish in the shops. Fresh meat was equally off putting. Luckily the fruit and veg are plentiful. Real cheese and butter is often hard to find in these parts and alcohol is mostly beers sold in a separate section of the shop with a supervisor needing to confirm we're not Muslims at check out. We made sure not to run short for our sundowners:
Finally the happy day came when we could take Pegasos out for a test sail in the bay. Such a thrill to hoist the sails again. Everything worked well except the anchor windlass key popped out so that needed a more robust repair again.
Back in the marina Robert received more deliveries of temperature gauges for installation. There were a few more tasks, most important being installing a new membrane in the watermaker.
Finally a visit to the immigration, harbour master and customs for our check out (obligatory at every port in Malaysia) with our bundle of paperwork and dressed in the recommended long pants and closed shoes.
Our last night in the marina and excited to get moving again. Hope the weather is kind to us as we head down towards Singapore in monsoon season.
The big ships on the horizon reminding us of what's in store in the super hectic Malacca Straits.
