Today is February 2nd and we glide on waves at an acceptable speed of 4kts. The boat is listing somewhat and we thoroughly treasure the luxury of traveling with only the sound of Njord kissing Lady Ann's cheeks.
Ups! We took a deep dive on starboard now and I heard an unwelcome sound from the galley - obviously did not leave things in order there before I sat down to write. Upon inspection I found that my trustworthy mug had this time not withstood the unexpected assault and now all the tea that I had left there to cool was anywhere but in my fallen favourite mug. It took me considerable time to get the galley back in order ..........

It is now February 6th and we are motoring away from Ko Muk. Last time I sat here writing I left the computer unattended (unwisely) and found it in a "bad place" upon return from a spick and span galley. Yes, as amenable it is to use the wind when traveling on a sailboat, it is not always a comfortable journey he,he!

On February 1st we set anchor with Ko Roi after an interesting sightseeing tour along with Narid from Ko Phanak (08.10.477 - 098.29.285). There are wonderful places on that route but to many tourists around, especially this time of year.

On Ko Roi (08.11.589 - 098.36.586) is a wonderful Honk which one can actually visit on foot during low tide which is rather unusual. All other Honk we have visited we have had too either row or swim in order to get there. It is definitely a worthwhile adventure to go through the sometimes considerably dark tunnels in the high cliffs and then be awarded by a beautiful garden like surroundings that are enclosed with high cliffs.

We only stopped the one night with Ko Roi this time. On February 2nd we awoke to a promising wind - heh! see above. We used that force of nature to move us Ko Dam Hok (07.57.951 - 098.48.482) which we had never visited before. We know that now is high season, but we were still utterly surprised to see how many LongTails (special Thai type of boats, you may have seen photo's on our web side) were there and we hardly saw the sand on the beaches through the crowd of people.
We waited till dusk and most of the tourists had gone, when we went ashore where Anneke and Dirk happily found a shoe, a purple and new looking shoe. They were immediately engrossed in finding his brother who they eventually found floating a short distance from shore.
Delighted they brought the purple pair aboard Lady Ann and steadfastly refused to take the shoes back. Hence now, Kári is the prod owner of spare FlipFlops convenient to walk on the boiling hot deck.

On February 3rd we hardly required Mr. Perkins at all for the 36 miles to Ko Lanta, where I contentedly jogged on the beach while Kári and Narid's crew explored the town looking for a good restaurant. Early that evening the weather changed and we started receiving heavy gusts that came over the mountain and hit the anchorage. In such weather we rarely sleep fast, it is well worth keeping an eye on other boats in the anchorage even if your boat stays put.
A catamaran came in the twilight and set anchor fairly close right in front of us and as soon as their anchor hit bottom the whole crew went ashore. It did not take many blows for the Cat to start moving and by midnight when the crew came back the Cat was way behind us - luckily it managed to get there without hitting anything.
Kári had waited their return and when he saw that they were going to re anchor right in front of us again, Kári growled and insisted they go somewhere else. The wind was still strong in the morning and we were on our way before the morning coffee was brewed.

We stayed two night with Ko Muk (07.21.504 - 099.17.501) which is one of our favourite places here. At Ko Muk is a famous Honk which we have visited both rowing and swimming. It is a beautiful place and quite an adventure to visit, because you can actually get lost on the way he,he! This time we did notice that there seem to be not as many bats on the cliff walls and ceiling as were there the first time we went through in 2008.
We said goodbye to Narid's crew yesterday and maybe we will reach Tarutao today? It is noon now and there is absolutely no wind, the sun is shining and it is so hot that we are covered in surface moisture (he,he! sweat) when we do nothing but sit down. It is strange to hear on BBC about the unusually cold spell Europe is experiencing now and when we hear from Iceland people talk about more ice and snow everywhere than old people recall.