An Expanding Skill Set

I've always considered myself a fairly technical person. I know how to program a VCR, change the spool on a weedwhacker, and tune up my bicycle. However, I never considered myself a mechanic of any sort. I went to Jiffy Lube for my oil changes and Walmart to swap batteries.

Living on a boat requires a certain broader know-how. Our starter seized up in Vanuatu and fixing it required a day spent with various mechanics and machinists. Luckily, we had easy access to knowledgeable resources (and a vehicle). Special thanks to our friends at Trans Atlantic Diesels in Virginia who guided us through the repair process via e-mail.

While coming into Galle, we ran into another problem. As we approached the narrow entrance to the harbor, with 20 feet separating us from a wall of jagged rocks, our transmission failed. We used momentum, wind, and quick thinking to successfully moor off the proper dock (as well as giving the Navy officers onboard a frightening shock).

This repair is proving to be more complicated than our starter repair. We've determined that the splines on the female portion of our drive/damper plate have been stripped. Fixing it is requiring a much broader skill set, including:

1) Mechanic (of course guided once more by our good friends at Trans Atlantic Diesels).

2) Contortionist - the space around our engine is very small, and we wouldn't be able to work on the engine if we hadn't lost weight on our last crossing.

3) Translator - many people here speak English. Some do not, specifically a mechanic we've employed to help us. So far I think we've been able to communicate the fact that we live on a sailboat.

4) Negotiator - there are many locals seeking to provide services to the few yachts in the harbor. The unfortunate assumption made by all is that since we're Americans, we're millionaires. I wish it were the case, but it is in fact not true. We spend a lot of time telling people 'No, we don't want to go buy gems at the jewelry store.'

5) Writer - every step of the repair process has resulted in a flurry of e-mails to Trans Atlantic Diesels. We appreciate all their help, even going out of their way to help us on Christmas Day.

If any of you at home have wise bits of wisdom on how to work around our current snafu, send them along to crew@eyeotw.org. All will be appreciated!

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Demand Driven Environmental Preservation

Traveling through the Straits of Malacca from Malaysia to Thailand, there is a gradual, yet distinctive change in water clarity and the number of tourists. From Pangkor to Phuket, the water has changed from muddy brown with shades of grey, to shimmering emerald blue with thirty foot visibility. Similarly, we've witnessed the change from struggling tourist resorts to bustling and booming islands full of bungalows and European travelers. It would be easy to assume that water clarity and tourism were positively correlated, if not causal.

In many recreational demand studies in the US, this relationship has been shown to hold. Researchers use a tool called a 'secchi disk.' This is a simple flat disk on a string with alternating black and white quadrants - water clarity is quantified by the depth at which the disk is no longer visible. Low and behold, with all else held constant, clearer lakes get more visitors.

In a part of the world where incomes are low and tourists are a valuable source of revenue, it is empowering to see the positive impact that tourism can have on the environment. In touristy areas there is markedly less trash floating in the water, new construction projects utilize stormwater retention ponds, and open greenspace is set aside for recreation or animal habitat. There are fewer fishing boats as well, possibly due to higher incomes available in the tourist industry, thus lowering fishing effort and increasing the stock of fish (re-read our 'Econ Week' post on the Gordon Fisheries model).

Tourism's positive impact on the environment has been visible in many places on our journey:

- Snorkeling in the South Pacific has led to extensive reef preservation programs.

- Scuba diving with sharks in Fiji has made these ecologically important animals more valuable in the water than as sharkfin soup.

- Orangutan tours in Borneo have led to massive tracts of land being set aside as wildlife preserves, in turn protecting many other types of fauna and flora.

Tourism, and eco-tourism in particular, need to be embraced as effective tools for environmental preservation in the third world. However, they are only an effective 'first step.' Any biologist will tell you that water clarity can be a misleading metric for ecosystem health, and tourist-driven environmental preservation will naturally place a higher value for 'charismatic mega-fauna' such as sharks, orangutans, and crocodiles, ignoring the feebler bugs and mosses of the world.

However, in eastern Indonesia, where magnificent volcanic landscapes and beautiful beaches were marred by a layer of garbage, a couple sunburned tourists wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

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People Make the Place

Back in Indonesia, we noticed a slight knocking sound coming from the rudder whenerver we rolled in swell. After diving on it, we found out that a rudder bracket had worn itself loose and required a haulout and new bushing. This wasn't an urgent problem, but it was something we would need to fix before our next bluewater crossing. I began looking at haulout options and considered facilities in Bali, Java, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

This wasn't complicated work, but we would need a machine shop nearby (and price was an obvious factor). The yards in Bali and Java didn't have sufficient facilities, yards in Singapore and Thailand were far too expensive, and some of the Malaysian yards had disreputable operators. I did hear about a new marina near Pangkor called 'Marina Island.' They had the ability to haul us out of the water, but were new so I was uncertain of their capabilities.

Our experience there, however, was more than positive. James, the marina manager (pictured on the right, above), went out of his way at every possibly moment to make sure that everything was going smoothly. On his trips in and out of town, he routinely purchased little gifts for all the sailors at the marina (either local fruit or local pastries such as the ethnic Chinese 'Grandfather's Bread' pictured above). Not only was James always reachable by phone, his staff would stop by several times a day and check to see if there was anything we needed.

The account manager, Loi, took us into town several times to swing by an ATM, and since leaving, he's twittered us many tips on places to go and see in Penang. One of the property managers, Ali, was exceptionally friendly and went out of his way to help sailors, even though his job was unrelated to the operations of the marina.

There was a local British ex-pat retiree named Roger who kept a boat at the marina. He was a loquacious, friendly, and genuine person who made it his job to chat with all the sailors that came in and out of the marina. He gave us rides to town, filled us in on the 'down-low' of the area, and entertained us with his quips.

James set me up with the manager of a local machine shop (they call them 'foundries' in Malaysia) who did a very professional job on our rudder bushing, and even custom fit a new propeller for us for an excellent price. In the end, the work we had done on the boat could have conceivably been done at anywhere, but James, Loi, Ali, and all the staff at Marina Island were what made our visit there such a positive experience.

We were ready to untie our lines and leave once all our work was done, but we elected to stay another two days and spend Thanksgiving with our new friends. On the surface, it was just another marina, but at it's core, it was the people there that made it so much more.

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