Author name: Jamie Furlong

What do you do when the painters are spraying the top coat in the cockpit? Get off the boat, of course! For the duration of our time hauled out, we are staying on SY Esper. Uncomfortable at the best of times, it can become downright impossible sometimes.

We’re putting a hard dodger on Esper because we need to stay dry and warm during our easterly trip across the Pacific to Alaska and Canada. It will spoil her lines, but comfort wins out over beauty every time on a sailboat!

Krabi Boat Lagoon in Thailand, all shot from a bicycle! It’s a lovely spot to work on the boat… Shot at 60fps in the EM5’s ‘flat’ picture profile with minor adjustments, continual AF, auto white balance using the Zhiyun Crane (Mk2). 

Every April, Thailand celebrates its new year by descending into a watery chaos with a water carnival known as สงกรานต์ (Songkran). From the smallest child to the oldest inhabitant, irrespective of religious or cultural background, everyone takes to the street.

We crossed everything as John began checking for osmosis, and tapped his way round the hull. The engine had all its boxes ticked and our safety equipment was given the thumbs up. So far, so good. But when he reached the shaft, the surveyor found something we weren’t expecting…

We took leisurely day-hops along the coast, and anchored when the sea-state allowed us. All went pretty smoothly until we dropped the hook just before Pangkor in the open water. A local fishing boat released his floats and disappeared back to land, leaving the long line and net to drift straight onto SY Esper!