Year 3 -8 January 2026 -Leaving AOPO Marina -Phuket -Thailand for Galle in Sri Lanka

It was quite a nice day when I woke and I checked the weather. It looked like we may get 20 kts plus of wind in the afternoon. We got up about 7.00am and there were a few things to sort out before we could leave. I decided to make banana pancakes for the crew which seemed to be enjoyed as a good first breakfast.

After breakfast I went off to the office to settle up and left the guys to prepare us to leave. When I returned we were more or less ready and so we did the final checks and then slipped the lines at 09.10am bound for Galle in Sri Lanka about 1150nm. Our route was to go South round Phuket and then head for the Andaman Islands and to go through one of the channels between the Islands. We would then head off to the South of Sri Lanka and round to Galle which is on the Southwest side.

Once out of the marina we put the lines and fenders away and once into the main channel we put up the main and genoa and sailed a course almost due South. Initially there was about 13 kts of wind which was pleasant but then it declined to about 8-10kts and fluctuated a bit.

We did not mind as we were sailing and out on the water again which felt good. We were underway and we were not in a rush. The sun was shining and it was relatively flat and calm. We sailed about 4-5 kts and there were a few boats about mostly those ferrying tourists to various islands.

Rhys and I were on the first watch and we had the daily checks to do so Rhys set about the task with the checklist I gave him. This was a useful exercise and helped him understand more where things are on the boat. We were all enjoying being on the water and at last underway. In my case there had been weeks of getting the boat ready and to ensure the jobs were completed.

We handed over to Mark and Keith at 12.00 noon and I then prepared some lunch which people helped themselves to. We chatted, read and relaxed during the afternoon. Keith and Mark fished but alas we did not catch anything today. We came to the end of Phuket and after going a little further we gybed and headed West really.  There was little wind by then and so we motored for about an hour.

Paul and Peter took over at 4.00pm and Mark then started preparing supper. By this time the wind had returned and we sailed under genoa alone due to the wind angle.

We headed out from the Southwest point of Phuket and to open sea and the wind increased to about 20kts for a period. We were greeted by some dolphins which is always nice and brings a smile to your face. We also noticed a large white structure on the top of Phuket and thought it must be a lighthouse. When we looked through the binoculars we saw that it was a large sitting Buddha.

As we headed further out we could see some fishing boats which were beginning to gather and as it got dark they turned their lights on which were green and very bright and each boat had quite a lot of them. They must be fishing for squid.  We had to watch out for these boats and it seemed the horizon was full of them and you could see the glow of the lights.

We had supper at about 7-7.15pm prepared by Mark which was chicken breast wrapped in bacon with dauphinoise potatoes and carrots. It was very tasty.

After supper luckily the wind direction changed and we were then able to get the main up again. We therefore increased our speed and were also heading in the right direction.

Rhys and I took over for our second watch at 8.00pm and we on until 11.00pm. We were through the fishing boats by now but noticed on the radar some potential thunderstorms which we needed to keep an eye on.   

It was good to be underway again and we settled down for our first night watch. There was no moon but there were a few stars and there was phosphorescence in the water.  All in all a good start I thought.   

 The picture of the day is Stormbird under sail again.

Need/Opportunity Year Three

In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. 

I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town and from Cape Town to the UK. If of any interest do email me.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com