Thursday, February 4, 2010

Land Ahoy Matey, Phuket, Thailand Dead Ahead!

We'll be at anchor today in Patong Bay.   It's our first and only port where we'll tender ashore.  There's a beach lining the bay and a small town with, I'm sure, shopping opportunities.  I'm told there's also an "entertainment" street.   Hmmm.   Well I've finally finished reporting on Egypt,   There's Muscat, Dubai and now Cochin, India to tell about-- that should come faster, since there's fewer historical detains that I'll have to make up!    Since Dubai we've sailed the Persian Gulf, through the Strait of Hormuz, into the Gulf of Oman.  Then spent three days across the Arabian Sea, into the Indian Ocean, a very nice day at Cochin, then two days on the Bay of Bengal.   Last night we transited the Sombrero (!) Channel and into the Andaman Sea.   We are now at anchor--I went up on the forward deck and heard it drop.  there are two, each weigh 24 tonnes, but they only dropped the port one.  The tenders have been lowered--six of them, they're part of the lifeboat "fleet", of which there are 22, plus the inflatables  (which the crew would use).   By the way, there's al lady onboard who was on that ship (the Explorer) that sank in the Antarctic two years ago-- she spent 14 hours in an open lifeboat.   I loved talking to her about it.     Going ashore now, we'll see what Phuket has to offer!

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