After a break from cruising of nearly 30 years, we are sailing to the Indonesian Islands on our yacht Bali Hai
Stormy weather
We were on a mission to get to Thailand to pick up our daughter who was flying in from India for a short holiday. Koh Rok Nok
It was now 2 June and she was flying in the next day so even though the weather didn’t look the best we had no choice but to leave Koh Rok Nok for Ao Chalong that day.
Calm seas and sunshine at Koh Rok Nok
It all started off quite well. A sunny day and a brisk breeze. However, by 9.30 we were in the midst of our first downpour with winds on the nose and rough seas. It wasn’t too bad and the rain blew over after a while.
Threatening skiesThe skies looked threatening though with massive black storm clouds circling round our boat.
A short break in the weatherAs well as contending with choppy seas and the threat of another storm, we were quite anxious about all the hazards we were encountering in the water. Huge logs floating just under the surface like torpedoes just waiting to impale our boat; fridge sized marker buoys for crab/lobster pots with who knows what ropes lurking ready to become entangled with the prop. We had to be vigilant the whole time.
Hazards like this marker buoy are difficult to spot in bad weatherA second storm broke and we soldiered on- uncomfortable, soggy but OK.
Another short respite from the rainThen around 2.30 pm the mother of all storms erupted and we were falling off massive waves in nil visibility with Jonathan hand steering as the autopilot could not cope with the large seas.
And the bow goes up, up, up And then the bow goes u down, down, down
It was the worst storm that we had ever encountered in Bali Hai so we weren’t sorry when the chart plotter indicated that we were almost at journey’s end. We still couldn’t see very much except for white water, pelting rain and black clouds.
A bit of white waterIt was a great relief to put down the anchor that evening – just in time for a well earned sundowner. Finally we had reached Thailand!
In 2015, after a break from cruising of almost 30 years, my husband and I sailed off into the sunset - this time to the wonderful Islands of Indonesia and beyond. Three years passed and we swapped sails for wheels driving through Scandinavia and Europe in a motor home. Now we are on the brink of another adventure - buying a Lagoon 420 Catamaran in Athens. This is our story.
View all posts by Salty tales from Bali Hai
5 thoughts on “Stormy weather”
It is one of the most vivid and picturesque descriptions with prosaic details and modern writing technique. I was mesmerised reading it .
It is one of the most vivid and picturesque descriptions with prosaic details and modern writing technique. I was mesmerised reading it .
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Hi Richa Thank you very much for the lovely compliments. This sort of response encourages me to keep writing!
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Wow. What a journey. Glad you made it through safely
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Thanks Lesley. Just about to do the trip again but waiting for the stormy weather to pass!
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Thanks Lesley. It’s so great to get your feedback! If you’re ever back in Malaysia or come to Thailand we should meet up! Come for sail!
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