Tag Archives: Sri Lanka

14/3. In the morning we sailed in to Trincomale. On the way in we met Peter and Donna, in the USA trimaran Kokomo, coming in from anchor a long the coast. They have had a terrible night there so we felt lucky having arrived in the morning. After getting contact with port control we could sail in to the cay and also Kimi called us and was there at the cay to take the line. We could stay alongside Commander 7. Kokomo moored at the cay. Nice to see Kimi again. They had been out on a 4 days road trip and we got a lot of advise from Kimi. After clearence that took half a day we sailed out in the bay and anchored were they wanted us to be.

In the afternoon we sailed in with the dingy and went to town for ATM, sim card and bred at Anna’s bakery. We had a very nice evening the Dutch Cafe with Trevor and Kimi.

15/3. Trincomale north town.

16/3 Today we visit Hindu temple out on a peninsula in Trincomale. We took a tuk tuk to the park with a lot of deer and waked up towards the temple. We had to leave our shoos and walk bare footed at the temple area. It was very hot! We saw a women worshiper taking a coco nut with her inside the temple and took oil on and lighten it up. After prier she went out and crashed the nut with a lot of power. Others gave away a miniature baby bed to strengthen fertility. Our friend Yoosuf could explain and we were lucky he was there to take us back to the harbor.

17/3 Work on board the whole day. Nice dinner with nice people from Slow Flight, Starry Horizon and Kokomo.

18/3 Work on board. Washing clothes, write to medical and boat insurance, pictures to website and post to website Indonesia.

19/3 Trincomale shopping uptown. We walked to the supermarket and got a tuk tuk back to the cay. Kristoffer help Lars with getting a program were you can, by yourself, put your position of the boat in Marine Traffic. I write to website. Very nice sun-downer on Kokomo.

20/3 Lars and Peter went in and talked with the guide, Baithulla Yoosuf, about making a four days road-trip for four people. Washing clothes and write to website. Trevor and Kimi came by to see about looking after Alexandra when we are away. Thank you so much.

See road trip Sri Lanka 21-24/3.

25/3 Very tired, photo download, photo to FB, website. Lars made hakkebøf with løg and potatoes. (Ground beef, onion and potatoes).

26/3 Sms from Bonnie said they are soon in Galle so change of plans. Lars borrowed 5 jerrycans from Peter and tanked diesel 3 times 100L with the help of tuk tuk driver 3×300 LKR=34DKK. I went to town and Anna’s bake house after bred, lovely buns and sand-cake.

27/3 contact with Bonnie on SSB. They are in Galle. Lars download a new open CPN with a new version of trip adviser. Lars went in with 5 jerrycans for last load of diesel. Made budget Sri Lanka. We met tuk tuk driver with to big IKEA bags with laundry and were driven to a professional laundry on the other side of town. Also stop at the Cargills supermarket in town for provisioning.

28/3 Test the new tea from Damro BOP Black Grainy Tea-Large, pure Ceylon tea. Not bad. 29 ºC in the salon in the morning and no wind. We write and work with pictures for the web side Indonesia. At 16 hour we get in and tuk tuk (400KLR) to laundry (2000KLR). When we got out on the anchorage we so to Mexican sailing-boats arriving.

29/3 Tuk Tuk with Yoosuf to the Vegetable and fruit market. Very good! 870LKR, 33DKK.

30/3 We put a lot on the web side. Nice dinner at the Dutch cafe with Peter and Donna.

31/3 Clean up under the floorboard. Lars make visa application to the agent “Asad” in the Maldives. Web writing and pictures, communications with Kimi in the Maldives. To Trincomale North for ATM, Anna’s Bake house and Liquor store for lion beer 2X24 6000LKR 227DKK.

01/4 Last shopping in supermarket, bakery, liqueur shop mm. Checking out at 16 hour at the harbor and after that we were not allowed to visit land anymore.

02/4 up 06:30. Hoist dingy on davider and sail to the north-est island in the Maldives, Uligan.

In the afternoon we sailed in with the dingy and went to town for ATM, sim card and bred at Anna’s bakery. We had a very nie evening the Dutch Cafe with Trevor and Kimi.

15/3. Trincomale north town.

17/3 Work on board the whole day. Nice dinner with nice people from Slow Flight, Starry Horizon and Kokomo.

18/3 Work on board. Washing clothes, write to medical and boat insurance, pictures to website and post to website Indonesia.

See road trip Sri Lanka 21-24/3.

25/3 Very tired, photo download, photo to FB, website. Lars made hakkebøf with løg and potatoes. (Ground beef, onion and potatoes).

29/3 Tuk Tuk with Yoosuf to the Vegetable and fruit market. Very good! 870LKR, 33DKK.

30/3 We put a lot on the web side. Nice dinner at the Dutch cafe with Peter and Donna.

01/4 Last shopping in supermarket, bakery, liqueur shop mm. Checking out at 16 hour at the harbor and after that we were not allowed to visit land anymore.

02/4 up 06:30. Hoist dingy on davider and sail to the north-est island in the Maldives, Uligan.

Road trip Sri Lanka with Baithulla Yoosuf 21-24/3 2019

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Day 1 First stop is Polonnaruva the capital of Sri Lanka from the 11^th to the 13^th century. Hinduism was the prevailing religion then. Before we moved around Lars could take picture of a wedding couple. Walled inner and outer city surrounded by monasteries and temples. Beautiful ruins of the kings castle, the parliament, man made lake called sea of Paramanraa a Pond with Lotus and rock cut temple with Buddha sculpture. It was a huge area so we got picked up by Yoosuf and driven to many sights. Rankoth Vehera a gold pinnacle stupa, was very impressive. Stupa is a mound-like hemispherical structure containing relics that is used as a place for meditation.

Woodcarving was interesting to see. They used teak, rosewood, ebony, cinnamon tree etc. So much too choose of!

After a nice lunch we were driven by a range rover to a national park for elephants, water buffalo, pi-cock and monkeys. We got very close to the elephants and they did not care. They just continued to eat grass. Often we saw them having baby elephants between there legs. We saw them all, finally, go into the water and it looked nice.

When stopped at a store that sold material in silk and cotton I bought a white blouse in light cotton. Also ordered a dress to be made in raw silk and delivered to the BAB the next day.

We had a nice dinner at the BAB situated in a nice surrounding. The mother was the chef and the daughter Asha arranged with the rest. There were air conditioner on our room but there were several national power cut during the evening. Asha came with candle light to us on the room

Day 2 Sigiriya (Lion Rock 200 meter high). Dates back from over 7000 years as a rock shelter mountain monastery with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Sangha Buddhist monastic order. The garden city and the palace was built by Kashyapa 477-495 AD. After his death it was a monastery complex until 14^th century. Yoosuf arranged with a guide for us and it was good. A lot of steps up to the garden on the top but first we passed threw the dams with water and gardens. They had a god system of irrigation. Then we had to start climbing for the top. We had a stop to see the beautiful fresco still there. Also pas threw the gate of the lion without the head. Nice to be on the top. I could stand on the highest spot rock. Getting down we met many school children. Cobra cliff was passed were the snake charmer made his show, not for free.

Lunch at a local food place was not super. The good thing was the fresh prepared fruit juices, ice-cream and buffalo yogurt with syrup.

Next stop was historical Dambulla with the ancient monastery. So we had to continue climbing and now very high steps up to the Buddhist cave temple. We had to leave our clip-clappers and learned from before we had socks with us for not getting burned on the hot ground. It was a beautiful temple with a lot of very old Buddha statues, wall painting, a temple for preying, chamber of Sacred Tooth relic and a workshop for repairing Buddhas. Getting down we chose the wrong way so we had to call Yoosuf to fetch us. He took us to the big Buddha so we could take some picture.

Back at the BAB we learned that the chef was not home so we had to get out and get some take away food and beer. We learned how they make kottu with roti bread, egg and vegetable. Also learned that if you choose chicken and they use chicken bone they cut the chicken with the bone and put it in the dish!

Also my dress was delivered by the tailor and his helper and I was happy.

Day 3 Old Ayurveda Village. Spice and Herbal garden; Herbs and Traditional Medicines. Tour in the garden were we saw vanilla plant and a lot of other plants and trees. Afterwords we got nice massage, that we paid for, preformed by male students. We bought some of their products like 4 month detox cure and spice tea.

Stop in Kandi for excellent lunch at an international restaurant with air-condition.

After some hours, in the comfortable air-conditioned van climbing up the mountain, we reached the tea plantation, Damro Tea. Yoosuf was quick to arrange a guided tour for us. Afterwords we bought tea. The van took us a little bit higher up to Maggie’s BAB. Here we had colder climate so Lars and I took a walk around the neighborhood. We had a great dinner and priced the cook. The beds were very bad, especially our friends but we slept well anyway. Lars managed to turn on the heater. It was quit unusual thing to do.

Day 4 Breakfast and off we go down the mountain, with a pit-stop at a little beautiful Hindu temple. We saw worshiper lighten up oil lamps and prayed. Passing threw Kandi again we stopped for a coffee brake and wow what a treat I got at a that café. Lunch buffet in Dambulla were local food was a little too spicy with chili. It was served in beautiful terracotta pots. Peter got rot-is as a special treat even if they did not have a la cart. Yoosuf remembered to stop at a shop for buying buffalo yogurt in terracotta vials. Before we were dropped at the harbor Yoosuf took us home to meet his family and a cup of tea.

Sailing to Sri Lanka From Chalong bay Phuket Thailand 7/3-14/3-2019

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Time used 7 days 06:30h, Distant 1030.2 NM, avg distant per day 114.5 best distance per day 210.7 NM, SOG in kts 5.4 kts avg, 8.5 kts max, TWA 101.9 avg, TWS in kts 7.85 avg, 20.7 max.

07/3 Day one. Anchor up at 7 a clock. We hoisted main and jib after getting free of Thailand. Blue sky and hot with a nice breeze. We sail upwind 7 knots. Dinner fried chicken breast with rise coal-slow and mango chutney. Eager to use the last internet for many days.

08/3 Day 2. Wind 6.6, speed 5.1. At 08:00 Lars talked with Tommy on SSB. I cleaned gas stove thoroughly. Left shoulder and arm hurt a lot (because of cleaning the hull a short time!?). Lars give massage. Dinner trout (tender steamed), potatoes, carrots, honey/muster and cowl-slow. Lars send text message, on the sat phone, to the boys like he will every day now.

09/3 Day 3. Wake up call at 04:35 in Sombrero Chanel Nicobar islands. It is still dark and stars. Sun rise at 7 Thailand time. Still hurting a lot. Dinner fish sticks potatoes coal-slow and cucumber.

10/3 Day 4. Cargo ship from south is getting closer on Maria’s watch and pass on Lars’s. 02:40 Maria get of watch after getting a sandwich with Swedish Allerum cheese and Lars goat cheese. Called Tommy on SSB at 8 a clock and hear him perfectly. Lars on the helm if auto pilot goes out. We run generator and water-maker for an hour. Lars finish his book and I continue with The silent American, Graham Green. At 17 hour tapas: black olive, goat feta, artichoke hart, duck pate and salty crackers. Dinner duck breast and mie goreng. SMS to the boys. Energy fail 12 volt so hand steer and start the generator on my watch with help from Lars. Trawler pass by. Generator run 23-24 hour.

11/3 Day 5. Lars have measured on the 12 volt batteries and they are okay. I got power drop on my watch and had to start the generator. TWD 043 E downwind 5.4 knots wind 7.6 knots. At 03 run generator on Lars watch. 04 start motor and drop the main and role in the jib. Now 12 volt battery get charged, 13.2. We sail 6.3 for motor alone and 4-5 knots of wind. Talked to Tommy at 8 a clock. Nice lunch with ham and salami. Time for cleaning up kitchen drawers. Sat sail again and after a while stop the motor. We sailed 6.7 knots. A fishing boat comes very close to Alexandra and Lars start the motor. They want to sell fish and coconuts out on the ocean. We had to speed up and get away from them. Tapas like yesterday and Thai fish sticks and mash potatoes for dinner. Sundown when we sail 5.2 wind 8.3 from NE 035, temp 30.6 in the salon.

12/3 Day 6. Tough night watch looking for fishing ship. One 20 NM south of us. Slept like a hard from 5 to 8 in the morning when I then talked to Tommy. They still wait for a good weather window to the Maldives. We could speed up and get in tomorrow evening. Instead we slow down and get in

the 14^th in the morning. Another fishing boat get close to us today. They shouted to us asking for cigarettes. Lars sat local Sri Lanka time on navigation PC. After tapas served with coca cola motor gets turned of and we sail 6 knots. We passes the place with a lot of AIS but no boats.

13/3 Day 7. Woke up Lars when a fishing boat got close to us and when I accidentally closed the autopilot. Also when we needed to tack I had to wake Lars up. Difficult to here Tommy on the SSB. Still hurting right shoulder and hand. We tack back and fourth and a cargo ship pass bay on the way north. Then we are happy having many dolphins along side Alexandra. The wind disappear and we start the motor. Tapas. For dinner Lars made “Hakkebøff med løg” (ground beef and tender fried yellow onion) and potatoes.