Boat Launch, Blog Launch
Several weeks ago, as we prepared for our long-awaited meeting with a fully-realised Pure Joy, the idea of this first blog post started to germinate in my brain.
Cue the rose-tinted glasses and sappy music. I was going to write about boarding her for the first time – about the excitement we all felt and how truly meaningful it was to watch David’s lifelong dream come into focus right before our very eyes. I was going to write about the glint in his eye. And about how we embraced on the bow and shared a moment where we said quietly to each other – ‘We’re actually doing this?!’ I was going to write subsequent blog posts about how we, within a week, got the boat set up enough to head out to explore surrounding islands for a couple of weeks and all the magical moments that ensued.
Suffice it to say, that’s not exactly how it happened.
Our first boarding of Pure Joy was indeed exciting – but also clouded with a bit of stress around SO MANY bags to be lugged on to her in the oppressively humid heat of midday in Pattaya. David and I did have a bit of a quiet moment on the bow, but we were sticky and hot and distracted by a million things we wanted to look at and understand. Elliot was comically disappointed that the nets on the bow weren’t as bouncy as he’d imagined. ‘They’ll do,’ he comically shrugged as sweat dripped down his brow.
As for what has followed since then – we’ve spent the majority of the last two weeks in the marina and around Pattaya (not a highly recommended destination, in case you are wondering). Our time here has been primarily filled with:
- Shopping (the bits and bobs a boat requires has no end, plus we are essentially setting up a small living space for up to 6 people on the sea)
- Learning about the boat
- Doing our best to keep Elliot entertained (frequent trips to the pool, many ice creams and some special trips to a nearby water park and an aquarium)
- A lot of waiting on fixes/installations/etc. There are a million ‘little bits’ you might think would be all sorted from the get-go but are actually customised jobs to be done after getting on the boat. I’ll share just a FEW examples for the uninitiated: installing a swim ladder, a passarelle (gangplank), a forgotten set of blinds, a canvas enclosure for the cockpit, the life raft, as well as snagging all the little bits that aren’t working quite the way they should – the door to our boat doesn’t yet shut properly, for instance. Each of these items require the skills of different tradespeople and they are apparently in very high demand…hence all the waiting.
- Navigating new relationships, roles and responsibilities with our crew. Despite best efforts from all parties, we ultimately decided to part ways. This was tough, and a myriad of emotions came with this experience, but we trust it has all played out exactly as it was supposed to. And bonus - we’ve learned a LOT on this front!
So, it’s been a different experience to what we might have pictured. But if we are learning anything, it’s that ‘expect the unexpected’ will be the prevailing theme of this whole adventure. Sometimes those moments will feel hard. And other instances will spark so much JOY. Looking back on this period, just a few of those for us have been:
We have been sailing on our boat!!!! Our first trip was the day after we arrived in Pattaya. This was essentially a 4-hour test ride with Seawind, and I don’t think we have words to describe the feeling of seeing that main sail go up for the first time. AWE feels about right. What a privilege.
On our second trip, we got a tiny taste of the kind of adventures and explorations that inspired the whole of idea of Pure Joy in the first place. We went out for a 3-night jaunt to a couple of nearby islands.
Koh Phai was our first overnight anchorage. We got to take Happy (tender to Pure Joy) to shore, met a local fisherman, Elliot had fun collecting shells on the beach and getting curious about basically everything. David and I looked back at the anchored boat and finally had that, ‘Are we really doing this?!’ moment. 💜
Koh Sichang was next and what a hidden gem.
Night One: Phil from Seawind had recommended a little restaurant on this island, but when we pulled up into a commercial shipping area, we weren’t sure it was a good idea. We anchored anyway, dingy-ed into shore and made our way to Pan & David’s restaurant and the recco did not disappoint. Delightful is the word. In every way. Bonus: it was a (warm) drizzly evening, and the GINORMOUS centipedes (millipedes?) were out in force. This was so much fun for Elliot…for all of us, really!
Day One: We dingy-ed back to the island, but this time to a little beach closer to the centre of town. A friendly chap on the pier helped us tie off and then offered us a tour of the island on his chopper/motorbike/tuk-tuk vehicle. Having no real idea of what we were going to do, we took him up on the offer immediately. What we found on our day out with him was a ‘true’ Thailand island. Our driver/tour guide, Neng, explained that they don’t get many western tourists there, mostly Thai. There’s no nightlife – I think we saw one sleepy bar – so it wouldn’t be a hot spot for young backpackers. The temples are diverse beautiful and interesting. We loved the views down onto the colourful village and harbour. We capped off the tour with a ridiculously tasty seafood meal at the restaurant Neng and his wife operate and finally a visit to a cute little community-run aquarium.
Night Two: We had dinner and an early night on the boat before heading back to the marina early the next morning. (So that we could wait all day for a tradesperson that never showed up for their 9am appointment with us. Ahem. 🤷♀️😂)
We fell in love with the Thai. I’ve been to Thailand a few times before, and I know I’ve taken note of their general friendliness on those trips. But this time I suppose we had time to slow down and appreciate it. Also, they seem to love Elliot, which is so much fun to watch. They joke around with him – in Thai but somehow it works (!) – and generally show him a lot of affection and attention, which he loves back.
Elliot has wowed and inspired us daily in his ability to entertain himself and appreciate the little things. ‘Best day ever,’ after a trip to the pool. ‘This is my lucky day, I think,’ while watching a movie together on the boat. And a moment I’ll never forget: the two of us reading our books together in bed on the boat, freshly showered after a long, hot day. I looked over and saw him nodding off, struggling to keep his eyes focused on Charlotte’s Web. I asked how he was doing and he said: ‘Tired. And really happy.’
Us too, buddy.
***
Stay tuned. We leave Thailand at the end of the month. And then, after a two-week hiatus (because we’re off to London to celebrate our 10th Anniversary with the best group of friends and family anyone could wish for!) we’ll be reuniting with Pure Joy in Singapore and sailing the Anambas Islands. (Or at least that’s the plan! See…we’re learning!) See the rest of the plan here.
Also, follow @sailingpurejoy on Instagram if you haven’t already. That’s where you’ll catch news of blog posts as they go live. Or, just check in here from time to time to see what’s new!