The Captains Notes

The World is Closing Down Around Us... What do we do??? Ep 187

7/13/2020

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are up early with the sunrise and head out under sail, close reaching the final 15 nautical miles to Langkawi, Malaysia. Countries were beginning to drastically implement new laws and regulations and us sailors are the most vulnerable. We are hoping to reach a safe harbour before Malaysia shuts the border and we are not exiled at sea. This were changing daily but everything was very new back then and were hopeful that this would not be for long. We continued on with our plans to prepare to leave to Indonesia and we rushed around collecting packages and preparing Nandji for the Indian Ocean. The ladies provision the boat ready for 6 months of sailing and we are waiting on our visas for Indo to be ready and then we are off!

1 Comment

Unfinished Business with a Reef... Returning to where it all went wrong!... Ep 186

7/6/2020

1 Comment

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we have cleared out of Thailand and hoisted Unicorn fart and set off sailing down to Langkawi, Malaysia. We planned to head here for a quick visit to provision for the coming months and the Indian Ocean crossing as Langkawi is a tax free island and much cheaper than Thailand. Between Krabi where we left from and Langkawi our destination, we need to travel past the islands where we nearly lost Nandji. That horrific bight where a mooring we were on broke and Nandji ended up on the reef. We are only fresh out of the boatyard after completing extensive repairs and why not face our fears straight away and return to where it all went wrong. We have got unfinished business with a reef and it is time to settle the score and move onto the next chapter! We now have a new challenge, the Covid crisis to deal with!!

1 Comment

From Boatyard to Bikini, the Journey Begins!! | Sailing Thailand to Langkawi, Ep 185

6/30/2020

1 Comment

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we clear out of Thailand and begin our journey of the Indian Ocean crossing. Before we depart the area and head west, we first go south to the island of Langkawi, Malaysia where we planned to provision for the coming months of sailing. The world was on edge at this stage as the pandemic really started and countries were confused. Borders were still open so we headed to Langkawi and prepare for what would lie ahead. After clearing out of Thailand you have 48 hours to depart, as it was late in the afternoon, we thought we would rest for the night and have our last meal cooked by someone else. We spend our last Thailand Baht and then the next morning we are sailing! With the perfect weather for sailing, we head out to sea under motor. We hoist full sail and with a gentle breeze on our back, set up to fly Unicorn Fart, our A-symetrical spinnaker. This is only the second time flying the sail but it is such a great sail to play with and it is so much fun to use! We are en-route back to the scene of where our mischief occurred, as we have unfinished business with a reef!

1 Comment

From SHIPWRECK to SHIP SAVE!! Splash Day, WOOH! | Ep 184

6/23/2020

0 Comments

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we launch Nandji back into the drink. After being on the hard stand for a month working our butts off, it is hard to believe this day finally came. When we first rolled into the yard with holes and basically no rudder, we knew we had a mammoth task in front of us! After a slow start due to a little bureaucracy, we had only 3 weeks left on our visa to complete the repairs on time and we managed to launch Nandji a day earlier! Completing majority of the repairs our selves, it is a rewarding feeling to get our home back in the ocean and ready to sail once again.

0 Comments

NO MORE HOLES! But, will our Boat Float??? Ep 183

6/16/2020

1 Comment

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we are getting close to finalising the repairs to Nandji after the reef scenario... The broken timbers have been removed and then re-planked by a local Thai contractor. To cover the timbers on the outside and to fill the seams the guys used an epoxy filler which I ground right back ready for fibreglassing. I had already back filled the seams on the inside with an epoxy wood glue and then fibreglassed over the lot including the structural ribs. The outside is now ready for more fibreglassing and we tackle the biggest glass jobs we have ever attempted. Nandji is nearly ready to go back in the water and the repairs are coming to an end, the only question now is... Will our boat float???

1 Comment

Building our own Rudder... Part two | Ep 182

6/12/2020

1 Comment

In the this episode of Sailing Nandji, it is time to finish off the rudder build. I had been busy gluing and screwing the plywood together to form the foundations of the rudder. With a solid platform to begin with, it is time for sanding and shaping and then fibreglassing the blade. I really enjoyed shaping the rudder blade as it quickly took shape and once glassed will be a solid new rudder. I take you through the design of the glassing complete and how I went about the lay up of the fibreglass construction. I tell you, rolling on those last nits of anti foul with the new rudder blade attached is a very rewarding feeling!

1 Comment

Caulking our wooden Sailboat, the Old School way... Ep 181

6/10/2020

0 Comments

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, being back in the boatyard this early was not what we had planned for 2020, but in hindsight, I guess now noone had planned for the current world situation... With the repairs to Nandji now in full swing, the destruction is over and the construction has begun. After sanding back the hull to bare fibreglass and then exposing the damaged timbers, I removed all the broken wood and employed a local Thai contractor to complete the re planking of the hull. As I had my hands full building the new rudder for Nandji, I relied on the carpentry skills of the contractors. Thailand is known for great woodworkers so I was confident they would do the job to a high standard. After re planking the the hull with a local hard wood, they continued to begin the caulking of the seams with an old fashion wood building technique using cotton thread. Traditionally, when the boat is launched back in the water, the cotton expands and fills the seams to prevent any water coming in. I was surprised to see this happening on Nandji as I figured it would all be epoxy glued. Not to be! If it worked for all those years, I am sure it will continue to work now! This is a little different though as in the old school days there was no epoxy filler layered on the top and then fibreglassed over again! It is a great feeling to have Nandji steadily becoming one again and she is not far off splash day!

0 Comments

Saving $25K by Building our own Rudder | Part one... Ep 180

6/1/2020

0 Comments

In this episode of Sailing Nandji, being back in the boatyard this early was not what we had planned for 2020, but in hindsight, I guess now noone had planned for the current world situation... When we ended up n the reef back in Febuary, it was the worst experience of our lives. We were so close to losing everything, but luckily some how we managed to save our home and got her back to the boat yard. There is nothing like therapy with a grinder to rectify the situation and after days on end of grinding we now have 2 massive holes in the side of Nandji. Bonita convinced me that it best to get the professionals to do the re-planking of the hull and I agree. This means I can move onto the next project of building the rudder. I have never built a sailboat rudder before but felt confident my skills were up for the task. I dissected the original rudder to learn of the design and thought I shall copy the construction, with a few adjustments. This is part one of the rudder build as we source the materials to use in Thailand and then begin the construction. We get a new rudder staff made and then begin the epoxy gluing of the structure to shape.

0 Comments

<<Previous

The World is Closing Down Around Us... What do we do??? Ep 187

Unfinished Business with a Reef... Returning to where it all went wrong!... Ep 186

From Boatyard to Bikini, the Journey Begins!! | Sailing Thailand to Langkawi, Ep 185

From SHIPWRECK to SHIP SAVE!! Splash Day, WOOH! | Ep 184

NO MORE HOLES! But, will our Boat Float??? Ep 183

Building our own Rudder... Part two | Ep 182

Caulking our wooden Sailboat, the Old School way... Ep 181

Saving $25K by Building our own Rudder | Part one... Ep 180

Subscribe Now!
Get a special Nandji treat, a video from our days in our bus "FROTH"

Author...
Captain Yosh

Archives

Categories

Subscribe Now!Get a special Nandji treat, a video from our days in our bus "FROTH"

Author... ​Captain Yosh

Archives

Categories

Subscribe Now!
Get a special Nandji treat, a video from our days in our bus "FROTH"

Author...
Captain Yosh