Snorkel till you drop

Last night we had dinner at the only restaurant in this small cove.  We took the dingy from our sailboat to the wharf, which consisted of two floating docks with a four foot gap between them. It was dark and at first we weren't sure how to cross the space. Elizabeth quickly discovered that there was a rope which joined these two docks, which she pulled to close the gap. So we all leaped over, with Elizabeth keeping the open water at bay like a little strong man. As we walked the remaining way along rickety decking, I imagined we were on an adventure passing obstacles like tests to be overcome.

We slept onboard in the cabins below, one in the bow and one in the stern. I don't think anyone had a really good night's sleep except perhaps for the skipper and crew, who were used to sleeping on a boat. I was told that conditions for sleeping were near ideal for this part of the world, with a fresh breeze blowing and the boat gently rocking through the night. I did find it very peaceful though to be lulled to sleep by the ebb and flow of the boat movement, with the sound of water lapping against the hull.

We started the second day on the boat with a morning of snorkeling and paddle boarding. We then slipped our moorings for our day trip to circumnavigate Koh Tao and return to the same place we started off our day. Our first stop was Shark Island for face time with the sharks, which were supposedly one meter long with black fins and not dangerous. As we snorkled around the small island, we unfortunately did not see any sharks. We did however have some difficulty crossing over one point as we tried to make our way around a rocky outcropping. As the small waves rolled in there was just enough room to float over the rocks to the other side. I should have turned around, but I didn't, and so we did get a few cuts crossing and then returning.  After feeling the sting of cuts in salt water, we returned John and Elizabeth to the boat and then Catheleen and I continued on. The coral life and fish are so varied and interesting it's hard to describe. You just have to see it for yourself. 

We stopped at a few other alcoves and beaches along the way around the island of Koh Tao. Mid-afternoon we stopped at the only town on the island called Mae Haad where the ferry crosses over from Koh Pha Ngan. The main street was bustling with activity as young backpackers made their way around, some looking for accommodations and some waiting for the ferry. It reminded me of Koh Pha Ngan years ago when it was filled with backpackers, Catheleen and I among them. 

We then stopped at one last beach before we made port for the night for more snorkeling. The skipper said we would snorkel till we drop today and we certainly had our fill. Catheleen and Elizabeth saw a large school of parrot fish and I saw a school of small fish which was so large and packed together it looked like a moving black swarm. I swam through schools of small fish today and it was interesting how they would divide up and then meet back together after I was clear of them. 

The skipper was then concerned that a storm was approaching, but after a few minutes it became clear that the storm would miss us. We did experience the remnants of the storm on the way back to our mooring with some gusts and big waves that made for a fun ride. John and Elizabeth rode at the front of the boat, which received the most movement as the boat rose and crashed in the rolling waves. The skipper had to turn around a one point so we were head to wind as a gust and wave approached.  It was quite a ride. 

Sailing to Koh Tao

Last night we had dinner down the street at a family run restaurant. The father and mother had two kids, boy and girl, who were about five and six years old. They both took turns bringing us our menus, drinks and meals under the supervision of the father. They did run around a bit when not employed in a specific task, but they did do a good job and they were cute. We all high fived the boy on our way out, who was by then in his super hero PJs. John had a new curry for dinner called Panang curry. It was red but tasted much like green curry but with some additional Indian spices. The varieties of curry pastes the Thais use in their dishes seem endless - it was worth it trying a new one.

This morning we started a four day sailing trip on a Whitby 42 foot sailing boat, with our German skipper and Thai second mate/skipper in training. We left Koh Samui in the morning, had lunch at Bottle Beach on Koh Phan Ngan, and moored in Koh Tao for the night. 

The wind was strong on the way over and for the first part of our journey to Koh Phan Ngan we were making about seven or eight knots north  in a 15 knot wind. About half way through the five hour journey to Koh Tao, the skipper at first thought we would outrun a storm that was fast approaching from the west. But then it looked doubtful as the wind picked up. The clouds moved along to quickly obscure Koa Tao ahead in a sheet of grey and black. So we battened down the hatches, prepared for a rainy and blustery future, and enjoyed the ride as the wind picked up to 25 knots. I did turn into Elmer the Safety Elephant somewhat when I started asking the skipper some questions. Should we be wearing life-jackets? Up to you. Should we go down below? Up to you. Can you check the weather by marine radio? We don"t have one because there is no service here. Should we tack to avoid the storm? Never done that before. At this point I realized I'm not helping and I should just be quiet and enjoy the ride. The skipper and crew mate switched out the genoa for a storm jib and prepared for the blow. A little later on I was concerned again when the skipper said something like "Come on! Is 25 knots all we're going to get? We're ready for more". I couldn't help but pipe in that we don't need to wish for more weather - we prepared for the worst but we should hope for the best. Again in retrospect I don't think I was helping. Anyway, the storm passed by in front of us and we only caught some strong winds and a few drops of rain.

Upon arrival in a small cove in Koh Tao we all made use of a couple of paddle boards we rented for the trip. The kids took to the boards right away, but Catheleen and I both fell once to twice before we got the hang of it. Elizabeth and I went snorkelling along the cliffs and saw a truly amazing assortment of coral reefs, fish, sea cucumbers, massive anemones and all manner of sea life. We saw pointed fish in the colours of a rainbow, swam through schools of large orange tropical fish, and saw what looked to be jumbo clams embedded into the coral so only their mouth openings were showing. Whenever we approached them they would scrunch up their blue or orange lips into their shells. It reminded me of the time about ten years ago when we scuba dived around coral beds not too far from where we were.