116. Time to Leave
I’m back in the south. South of the equator that is. Only barely though. I’m actually pretty much on the equator with both the Southern Cross and the Plough/Big Dipper perfectly visible at night. Low down on opposite horizons. Meteorologists call the area around the equator the Intertropical Convergence Zone, sailors call it the Doldrums.… Continue reading 116. Time to Leave
115. Another Podcast
Three years ago I was interviewed for a podcast called Liveaboard Sailing. This podcast is run by a Finnish lady called Annika Rautiola and has something like 25,000 downloads every month. I was in Panamá at the time, preparing for my Pacific Ocean passage. We discussed solo sailing in general, how I got there and… Continue reading 115. Another Podcast
114. Crossing Oceans
I love crossing oceans. Heading towards new adventures on another continent. Long passages give me a feeling of purpose and commitment. I’m on my way somewhere and there is no turning back. You generally pick a departure date that you think will offer the best conditions for the direction that you are going. Not so… Continue reading 114. Crossing Oceans
113. To New Friends and Old
Suddenly it was my turn so I took a quick sip from the Singha beer infront of me, stood up and said something like: ’Hello. I’m Tomas from Sweden. I’m a solo sailor and I’ve lived on my boat Saoirse for the past five years. Most of my cruising buddies have bottled out and decided… Continue reading 113. To New Friends and Old
112. Here Comes The Sun
The transition period between the southwest and the northeast monsoon seasons has just passed here in Malaysia. This is a time when you can expect a lot of rain. And we have certainly had a lot of that. Not as bad as in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka where I understand they are counting fatalities… Continue reading 112. Here Comes The Sun
111. Biases
I went to the dentist today. Just for some preventive maintenance. To make sure that I’m ready for a year or so in some very remote places in the Indian Ocean. Toothache is apparently the leading medical complication encountered by long distance sailors. In the old days it was often caused by scurvy but I’m… Continue reading 111. Biases
110. Crossroads
I’m in Langkawi. In north Malaysia, just south of the border with Thailand. I’m primarily here to get some boat work done. Nothing major, just some regular maintenance and TLC. The main reason for picking Langkawi is that it’s supposedly a duty free island and I’ve ordered a bunch of stuff that is on its… Continue reading 110. Crossroads
109. Red Tape
I’m on my way to Langkawi from Pangkor. Before leaving Pangkor I had to get my papers photocopied, stamped and filed for the Nth time. At the Immigration, Customs and the Harbour Master offices. It’s in that order when leaving, back to front when arriving. I know this by now as Malaysia has you checking… Continue reading 109. Red Tape
108. Shipping Lanes
I have sailed through the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Panama Canal. All busy shipping routes. But nothing compares to this place. The Malacca Strait. A 500 nautical mile stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, connecting South China Sea with the Indian Ocean. Or more importantly,… Continue reading 108. Shipping Lanes
107. Bali
We, Picasso and Saoirse, almost skipped going to Bali. Primarily because we expected it to be a tourist trap. But where we went, on the north coast, it didn’t feel at all crowded. And we found that most of the visitors were either Indonesian tourists or first world immigrants (or expats as they called themselves).… Continue reading 107. Bali
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Saoirse 