Steve aloft then towards Khao Lak, and fish number 3.

Saturday – or, fish number 3 day.

Before departing the anchorage off Khao Lak, Steve went aloft as I had noticed another of those pesky grub screws in the forestay, trying to escape again.
Written note to self, to get some Profurl loctite- no more mental notes- they obviously get forgotten on the flight home.

half way 

As he was going aloft to reseat the recalcitrant little varmint, Steve checked out all the rigging on the mast on his ascent as well and then double checked every grubby on the way down the forestay. I'm very glad he likes heights! I  will do it , but not if there is a keener volunteer.
These photos show him on the ascent , then the jib was unfurled as he made the descent, and reseated that damn 'grubby'

18m up 

When I had reseated one of them in Port Dickson before Lynne and I set forth it had been before the jib had been unstowed and re bent on the forestay. The huge disadvantage of having no jib rigged is there is nothing to balance ones toes against, a choice one has when the jib is in place. It  can be deployed , sheeted in and gives something to push off ,with body or toes as required. Best done needless to say with no wind! When I had done it, the best I could do was wrap my legs around the empty forestay which in turns means one tends to sit behind the forestay , due to the angle of the forestay between the top of the mast and the deck, (who ever said all that geometry wouldn't be useful, although I did forget to calculate the angle of my repose whilst I was hanging about up there), instead of in front of it- where the grub screws are located.

Inspection and reseating complete , we set off northwards again towards Khoa Prah Thong (Golden Buddha Island).  As the wind filled in we again got a good sail in , beating our way north in long lazy tacks.

I showed Jo how to deploy the trolling line, on the off chance that a marauding fish might want to hitch a ride and I decided the time was right for a wee snooze.
Back on deck a couple of  hours later, I glanced at the line and the first of the hitches on the rubber  bungi had “slipped”. A quick touch on the line and it was all hands to battle stations, we had one!

We hadn't discussed the battle plan , if we managed to hook one so, slowing down ,obtaining the gaff etc all needed to be done. Chris commenting on my lame attempt at hauling it in, against 6kts of boat speed, was in fact not repeated I noticed, after I gave him the opportunity to do so!

Mackerel number two  and fish number 3 , had in fact been with is for some time. It was drowned!
It was suitably despatched into two meals of cutlets and the main body will be baked for a fish feast on Christmas Day.
Hopefully the fact that we had been towing astern of us for a couple of hours a perfectly scrumptious mackerel, will help allay Jo's apparent problem with sharks. As Steve and I both commented , there obviously aren't any, or all we would have had would be the head. For someone who dives , including night dives, I have been surprised to learn how uncomfortable she feels with swimming in depths with no clear line of sight to the bottom.

We anchored for the night in 10m- a long way of the coast, as dusk fell. That was far enough for the day. Didn't make the inside of Golden Buddha Island which is supposed to be very beautiful and peaceful.