Nifty work sets us free from macrame cradle 

Early morning is not my best time of day. I’m just not very good at it. However, when I have to get up and get going at the crack of dawn I always love it! We left Koh Rok Nok/Koh Rok Noi, in southern Thailand very early in the morning so that we could reach Koh Lipe at a reasonable hour. The sea was smooth as silk with a beautiful pink glow from the rising sun. 

There wasn’t a breath of wind all day so we had to motor all the way to the Adana-Rawi archipelago of which Ko Lipe is a part. 

Motoring along with no wind for our sails

We arrived early in the afternoon and decided to anchor at one of the other islands in the group as we had been to Koh Lipe a number of times. 

As we travelled along the coast of Koh Rawi we marvelled at the fabulous clarity of the water and the beautiful fish swimming near the coral reefs. 

The clarity of the water was fantastic

Lots of fish to be seen in these coral reefs

We had heard that there was a lovely walk that started at the Rangers’ station at Ao Talo Palian so we hopped into the dinghy and went in search of it. 

The Rangers’ station on Koh Rawi

Walking along the beach we met a very playful dog which we thought might lead us to where the trail started but she didn’t seem interested in that idea so we just walked the length of the beach and enjoyed the company of our doggy companion. 

Our doggy friend on Koh Rawi

Many inviting beaches on Koh Rawi

However, set off we did but as if the ocean had heard our complaints, we were stopped in our tracks when we ran over a fishing buoy that had come adrift from its moorings. 

Capt’n Birdseye examining the extent of the macrame cradle

The rope had got itself into a real pickle and wound itself over the bottom of our hull and tangled around the prop. 

An unscheduled swim was necessary to cut away the rope

Fortunately, we had stopped immediately it happened and were able to untangle ourselves free. First Capt’n Birdseye lowered the dinghy and was able to free the prop but then he had to dive underneath Bali Hai to untangle the mess of rope that had managed to configure itself into a kind of macrame cradle. 

Finally we were free!

After some nifty untangling we were finally free and able to resume the final part of our trip to Langkawi, Malaysia. 

Hi-tailing out of trouble