In at the deep end

Practical: Bluewater cruising

Getting from A to B offshore can be demanding enough, let alone in a boat you are unfamiliar with and in a strange country. Sharon Smallwood explains how she and husband Julian prepared for the task when they took delivery of a new boat in Malaysia.
Finding the boat of our dreams overseas meant that long-term voyaging was to commence in foreign waters. Prior thoughts of starting out in a triumphant sail through the Sydney heads with friends and family waving us off vanished the day a date was set for us to take the helm in SE Asia.
There are a host of practical considerations to bear in mind if you choose - as Julian and I did - to set off from unfamiliar territory in a boat that is new to you, in our case, from Malaysia in our new Peterson 44, Brilliant II.
Here, based on our experience, are a few suggestions for making the transition a smooth one.

Equipping the boat
Knowing what you've got and where it's stowed is a good starting point. One of our first tasks was to go through the boat from stem to stern emptying every drawer and locker, compiling an inventory of exactly what we had on board. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of spare parts on a cruising yacht. The previous owner of our boat obviously felt the same, and we often joke that we have "spares for the spares". On a treasure hunt that also helped us get acquainted with our yacht's interior, discoveries like a set of Perkins injector lines had Julian skipping down the dock.
Brilliant II has an impressive sail wardrobe and the usual electronics and meets all the requirements for offshore safety equipment. However, things do deteriorate on a 28-year-old boat and maintenance is an ongoing concern. Tools, chandlery items and other hardware soon began appearing on a growing shopping list.

Transporting goods
Armed with the knowledge of what we possessed, what we still needed and what we wanted (yes, there is a difference!) we returned to Australia. We knew that most things were available in Malaysia and neighbouring Thailand, some at a reduced price, some radically inflated. As we packed up our house, workshop, cars and cats we were left with seven boxes, three travel bags and two backpacks that were definitely coming with us.
Much of this equipment fell somewhere between the need and want categories. For example, the new set of B&G wind instruments Ð while a joy to use Ð are not vital, and our portable 12V WAECO fridge gives us the advantage of having a freezer on board, but we could survive without it. The cruising guides, pilots and books I would consider essentials, as are our folios of charts, hand-bearing compass and sextant.
In all 135kg of freight was sent ahead of us, leaving just the three travel bags and two backpacks to worry about. Julian
Equipping yourself
You often hear the phrase "Cruising is not camping". While this is true, it's not like living on land either. I left behind multiple outfits and a shoe collection that Imelda Marcos would be proud of. I simply don't need them any more and never miss them Ð besides, it's a good excuse to go shopping whenever we reach a new port.
By contrast, if I had the space to put up all the photographs, paintings and ornaments that once decorated our house, I would. Smaller We don't have china plates on board the Brilliant II, just "imitation" plastic ones. We didn't see the point in shipping the tableware we already own, or buying it again when what we have as a substitute is perfectly adequate for now. What we did do was include particularly good pans among our freight that enhance the pleasure of cooking and provide that sense of the familiar.

Collecting cargo
We timed our shipment to arrive on the same day as us. It was a short taxi ride to Langkawi airport's cargo depot, where we were able to identify our seven boxes strewn indiscriminately across a shed. Regardless of fragile stickers and this-way-up signs everything was in a rather sorry state. It pays to buy the best boxes you can and fill them carefully.
We were not able to collect our goods straight away. Releasing them required enlisting the services of a customs agent. A new Fleming windvane ordered from Australia was couriered to us without this problem. A replacement binnacle compass dome sent by FedEx from the US was stopped in Kuala Lumpur. On arrival in Malaysia's capital the oil contained within the kit was presumed to be a hazardous material. Our package was transferred to an outer suburb for analysis, and it required a letter from the manufacturers to clear the matter up. Wireless internet connection and full phone reception at the newly rebuilt marina in Telaga Harbour Park made essential communications possible at this time.

Provisioning
Starting out from foreign shores means getting to grips with the local fare. If, like us, you enjoy exotic foods infused with fragrant sAuthentic curry pastes and mind-boggling varieties of the humble chilli are to be found everywhere. The Indian influence in Malaysia adds to the diversity of cuisines. Rice could only be bought in quantities that would feed a small army, making it necessary to decant the sacks into several containers, adding bay leaves to prevent weevils.
Victualling for boat-friendly things like cartons of long-life milk and tinned goods is straightforward given the proliferation of Western-style supermarkets and shopping malls. If instant noodles are your thing, you've come to the right place Ð personally I'm not that keen. Imported produce is ubiquitous. I found items recognisable from both England and Australia. Antipodeans will be pleased to encounter beef from New Zealand, and the shelves of McPhee run by expats on Langkawi are full of products you would find in the average Coles or Woolworths. Alcohol is tax-free in Langkawi. Beer is sold in easily stowed cans for as little as $A11 per carton of 24.
It was important to switch to offshore mode straight away when it came to stocking up on toiletries and personal items. The concept of beauty is a little different in SE Asia, with moisturising creams tyIn keeping with the Lin Pardey time-plus-a-half rule of thumb for provisioning, I calculated how many "special" items we were likely to need and shopped for them in advance in Australia. Obviously this applies only to a few things. People everywhere wash and eat and most familiar goods or their equivalent are readily available around the world.

Finding boat bits
Perhaps due to the cost of conveyance, boat "bits" are among the more expensive items to be found in SE Asia, that is unless you know where to look. "Native fishermen don't pay those prices," a Langkawi resident commented to Julian, who was lamenting both the charges and lack of choice at tiny Peninsular Yacht Chandlers.
We started to think outside the square and soon found that an enterprising hardware store owner was taking it upon himself to fill the niche created by a community of cost-conscious cruisers. "Not have", "Not on island", "Not in Langkawi", were all common responses to some of our more difficult requests, but it usually transpired that if we persevered we would eventually find what we had set out to look for.

Bonding with the boat
A significant amount of labour had been spent bringing Brilliant II up to scratch, and it was time to get away from the dock and do some sailing. Happy cruising is largely about building a successful partnership between boat and crew. A 130-mile run north to Phuket for a haul-out and antifoul seemed like just the ticket to begin understanding how our yacht performs.
"Which way does she kick?" asked a fellow cruiser who had come to help cast off our lines. "You tell me," Julian answered, as he nervously steered us away from the pen in reverse. "This is the first time we've done it." As we reached towards our target exhilaration replaced apprehension, and we became increasingly comfortable with handling our boat.

Completing formalities
 Since our destination lay in a different country we were also to have our first taste of clearing Immigration, Customs and Quarantine. I was appointed ship's purser to deal with the red tape of international voyaging.
At Ao Chalong, the port of Phuket, new legislation had just been introduced, seemingly for the sole purpose of creating more jobs and paperwork. Each arrival is now required to fly a bright orange immigration flag that is big enough to be hanked-on and flown as a storm jib. Its size enables the officers to discern from a glance through their window without the aid of binoculars whether everyone in the bay has checked in.
We went down in their book as the number-one recipients of this new honour, even though we explained that our boat was on the hardstand elsewhere. Phuket's Immigration Department was actually in the process of receiving a makeover. When we went back a week later to check out, the staid brown military uniforms had been replaced with brightly coloured Hawaiian-style shirts. Whatever next!

Getting outside labour
In Phuket we thought to save time by bringing in a bit of outside help. Jobs like painting the hull are labour-intensive and there was a lot more to do besides this. We met up with our surveyor, Jimmy Watt, who Ð knowing most people in the boating business Ð we thought could advise us where to go.
"Who is best qualified to replace the cutlass bearing?" Julian asked. "You are," Jimmy announced cheerfully. Similarly, I was declared the "man" for the job when it came to cutting in our waterline. However, we were able to take advantage of the excellent woodworking skills and cheap teak that Thailand is renowned for. Jimmy introduced us to Nhoon, a local carpenter who replaced a missing door and boxed in cables for us, all meticulously finished using mostly hand tools.

Keeping it fun
Preparing a yacht for extended cruising requires serious effort no matter where you are. Add the rigours of travel and distance, and it could seem like an endless round of cleaning, stowing and ploughing through lists that never seem to get any shorter, but doing so in a holiday destination has plenty of plus factors.
Every excursion no matter how mundane is a new adventure, meeting interesting characters along the way. Having magnificent cruising grounds on our doorstep was an undoubted bonus. It doesn't get much better than learning to fine-tune your yacht in the waters of spectacular locations like world-famous Phang-Nga Bay.
In comparison to meandering slowly away from home, setting out on an extensive voyage from a port that's already miles away could be seen as jumping in at the deep end. It's certainly a challenge but the hard work pays regular dividends. Looking back on our somewhat radical move to Brilliant II, I wouldn't change a thing.

AUTHORS.

At the time of writing Sharon and Julian were cruising in Australia and enjoying the diversity their home country's islands and coast have to offer.