July 15, 2024
SO CLOSE !!!
We are so close to finally being able to embark the ship and sail away on our maiden voyage. The rudders should be fully replaced and functional by the end of this week, allowing them to flood the drydock in Belfast and float our lovely patiently waiting Ship. Then we just have to pass the various coast guard and agency drills and inspections and we are good to embark and sail away. Right now that date is targeted at July 27th to 30th (update*). Below is a video showing the intricacies of machining these rudder connections.
* Thanks so much to faithful readers - who caught my date mistake above June corrected now to July! (Thanks Joan - love how vested you are in my journey!!)
Today, I braved the heat ( it's a blazing 84) to walk around a little bit and get the feel for life on Tioman Island, Malaysia . The Village of Tekek is where we tender to and this is where the Ferry , the Island's National Secondary School, Health Clinic and Airport (really just a strip) are located. The most notable feature is the Rainbow Bridge over the inlet.
Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)