October 6th, 2023
I am at Sara Resort in Chumphon where we stopped on our way to Bangkok. We are staying here for two nights before driving back to the capital. The place is secluded in the middle of a small bay. At this time of the year, because of the rain, the water is brownish, Chesapeake color; you would think you are in front of a lake and not the Gulf of Thailand. There are no waves, except for some minor fluctuations in the curvature and color of the surface that stretches to the shore. The water is very shallow and in low tide it leaves behind at least a mile of sand. It is not good place for swimming, but you can walk for a while without seeing another human. The resort itself has good accommodations with nice views of palm trees and the bay. There is a small restaurant that serves excellent Thai food (and some international dishes, including pizza) and has a superb wine menu. There are not many bottles, but each has been selected carefully, Last night I had the pleasure of talking to the owner while testing some of the red wines. He also has a young dog, a female Labrador, who was playing with Woland while we drank.
I haven´t done much work since we arrived. This morning, after breakfast, Natalia, Woland and I went for a long walk at the beach. Since I came back, I have been reading the report of Slocum 43 survey and writing comments for the surveyor. I think the report doesn´t provide yet a complete picture about the state of the boat. There are no structural issues; overall, the boat is in good shape, but important things are missing. For instance, I didn´t find anything about the state of the seacocks and items like sails, tender, and some navigation equipment the surveyor couldn’t find. I have informed the broker and owner about this. I understand these things are stored someplace else in the boat yard, but they should have informed us. Most likely, the surveyor will have to go back to the boat. In any case, I wasn’t expecting that buying a boat while living on the other side of the planet was going to be easy.
Night has come while I was typing, the sky and sea have merged into darkness. I´m sitting at the bar, having just finished my gin and tonic. I might indulge in one more glass. Natalia is doing some work nearby while sipping a glass of Chateau St. Georges from pre-COVID times. Woland is playing with the resident dog, the Labrador puppy. We might watch a movie tonight. Tomorrow we plan to depart around 7am. Next update will come from Bangkok that we understand is flooding under the rain.
Sailing to the Pacific 