While the boys played in 15 metres of water for 45 minutes, following fish, admiring the coral, playing with an eel and finding their lost equipment, Alicia and Liz stayed on the beach. The silk-smooth white sand only appears at low tide and they wanted to make the most of it.
Beach life in paradise–diving Koh Ha Read Post »
…we received an unexpected call from the officer in charge, who invited Jamie to meet the skipper of the barge that rammed us. So he went back with Alica, leaving Liz and Millie-the-cat to guard Esper. After five cups of coffee Wat the translator arrived…
The Accident Part 2 Read Post »
We started to look on the bright side. We were insured. We were floating. The Portabote–swinging from the new davits–had taken most of the impact, acting like a large fender. If we had been hit anywhere other than the stern, Esper could have just started her life as Phi Phi Don’s new wreck dive.
Esper rammed and an American comes to the rescue! Read Post »
When the first murmurings of this year’s SW monsoon came rumbling in, we cancelled our plans to meet friends in town and stayed aboard. Squadrons of clouds hurled lightning across the sky at each other for two days, while we sheltered in the cockpit and collected rainwater in buckets.
Electrical storms and cocktails Read Post »
We came across a number of restaurants and bars, but for once had to pass them by because we needed to shoot as much footage as possible before driving back to Essex. There were marquees packed with everything you never thought you needed in the galley, alongside fantastic bits of gleaming machinery for engines and decks. The atmosphere was buzzy. Exhibitors shiny with anticipation and visitors wide-eyed with the intent to buy.
FTB Extra #07 | FTB’s take on the Southampton Boat Show Read Post »
The archipelago of Ko Rok Nai and Ko Rok Yai is the mother of all those deserted-white-sand-palm-fringed beaches you see in travel brochures and on postcards. The place is a cliché, except that it isn’t. It’s real and golden and joyous and quiet and infused with peace.
Sailing from the Butangs to Ko Rok Read Post »
While we waited for spares to be shipped from various parts of the globe, Jamie and I took time away from boat maintenance to enjoy Malaysia’s most popular tourist destination…
Loving Langkawi: Part 1 Read Post »
American McGee is an inveterate lover of story-telling and all things aquatic. “I spent my childhood watching endless re-runs of Jacques Cousteau and Monty Python, which had an everlasting effect on me,” he told us.
Sailing Interview With ‘Alice’ Games Developer American McGee Read Post »
Are you checking your moles? No, not the hairy ones, I’m talking about the ones that appear on your body and occasionally turn malignant. Like the one the doctor found on my back yesterday.
How to check for skin cancer Read Post »
Many cruisers visit Penang in order to go through the bureaucracy of acquiring a Thai visa. But Georgetown, with its UNESCO-listed heritage, art scene and world renowned street food is so much more than a visa stop-over. Here’s our guide to what to do and see in the island’s capital, and some suggestions of where to stay and eat.
Top 10 things to do in Georgetown, Penang Read Post »
The island of Penang lies south of Langkawi on the north-west coast of mainland Malaysia. Before Kuala Lumpur developed into the international capital it is today, Penang was the economic and cultural hub of Malaysia. But it wasn’t always so.
Chemicals and culture: 48 hours in Georgetown, Penang Read Post »
“I Nazar seven two. Maybe you want diesel? Maybe wash boat?” With a sideways, rolling nod, he proffered a flimsy business card. Maybe, I thought, taking it from him. His anxious expression relaxed, and a brief smile smoothed his shiny face.
FTB People: Nazar 72 Read Post »
If you’re happy to appear in a future video episode, please send us your “Followtheboat!” shout out. It’s easy, just take a short clip of you saying/singing/whispering/shouting/signing “Followtheboat!”. It need only be a few seconds long.
Become a followtheboat video legend! Read Post »
Our latest video installment, complete with new intro and theme-tune, tells you how you can get your hands on some goodies! Read on…
Followtheboat joins Patreon Read Post »
“This isn’t as bad as I expected,” I said to Jamie, as we sat on Esper in the slipway, waiting to be hauled out.
He didn’t bother to reply. We were coming to a rolling boil in the midday heat, and any attempt at conversation or movement was painful. Millie lay on the floor in the saloon with ears twitching. She began to pant and stared up at me through the hatch. “What hell-hole have you brought me to now?” she seemed to be saying.
The Maldives isn’t always paradise, sometimes it can be hell. Read Liz’s account of life in a boatyard at boiling point.
100% cok: how to survive on Thilafushi Island Read Post »
