Alive and Kicking in Kota Kinabalu

Tweed is in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and the crew are still alive and kicking - not a lot to report apart from what happens when you are in a marina - boat jobs get done: the new batteries have been installed, new battery monitor installed, engine has new glow plugs, bolts on the engine have been re-torqued, stainless steel polished, sewing jobs finished, varnishing, etc., etc., ... do you really want to know?? In between we have been seeing some of the town, checking out some of the eating houses, having health checks, participating in alternate Tuesday twilight Optimist sailing (not much fun when there is no wind!), shopping, of course, having fun at a local wedding celebration, and the list goes on - makes one wonder how we get by when there is no marina.

Drifting towards the finish line!

Last night the Sutera Harbour Club and Marina hosted a Candles by Candlelight with local school choirs and rock band - the rock band predominated. Money raised will go to the Pusat Kebajikan Good Shepherds to fund the children, 6-12 years, from a small village to live in a hostel during the school week close to their school rather than have to walk two hours each way every day.

Sizzling Batteries and Bubbling Mud

Visa expiry time was fast approaching - it was almost 90 days since arriving back in Malaysia from Laos in late July. Not a problem: we would sail down to Brunei, check in there and then check out and sail back to Kota Kinabalu via Labuan. It would be less than 100 nautical miles and we would break the leg by stopping off at Pulau Tiga. However, by the time we were near Tiga, we discovered that an electrical problem was actually a battery problem. Two of our six 6-volt batteries were overheating and in fact one was sizzling!! We decided to press on and go straight to Labuan despite our expired visas. We arrived in Labuan just on sunset on Friday night and tied up at the new and breaking down marina off the Waterfront Hotel. The marina is a disgrace to Malaysian know-how or not-know-how. A lot of money has been spent on a well-built perimeter wall but the entrance allows too much swell inside and the floating docks are breaking up making up for a very nerve-wracking stay.

This 'island' dock at the entrance to the marina seems to serve no purpose and is already broken

The next day, Saturday, we decided the easiest option for renewing our visas was to catch the one-hour fast ferry to Brunei, about 20 nautical miles away. That was easy and we were soon in Brunei and through immigration and off to the ticket counter to get a return ticket to Labuan. It was a Saturday afternoon, Halloween, and apparently there was to be a beach party on Labuan to celebrate (Brunei is strictly Muslim and no alcohol at all is sold, while Labuan is a duty free territory and has lots of alcohol for sale). Would we get a ticket? We came with virtually nothing for an overnight stay but after a stressful hour we were finally given the nod and a ticket to board. In the end everyone was given a ticket but not all were lucky enough to have a seat!! At least it was not too overcrowded and it was only an hour.

That was sorted, the batteries were sorted - we would have some sent up from Kuching and pick them up in KK in a couple of weeks. We left following a very windy night and a very high tide with the floating docks flapping on the surge. Never so glad to leave a 'marina'. We sailed 38 nautical miles to Pulau Tiga where we dropped the anchor in lovely clear water in a small, wide bay. Absolute bliss!! Next morning we put the dinghy in and went ashore to seek out one of the mud volcanoes that Tiga is renowned for. It was a short walk through the jungle and we arrived at the mud hole. The sign said it was four feet deep so Jon decided to brave it and had a bath in the mud. Pam had to hold the camera and as there were monkeys nearby it was not safe to put anything on the ground!!

Going To Extremes!

The weekend of the 24 and 25 October saw the annual Tamu Besar, or open-air market, at Kota Belud about 80km north of Kota Kinabalu. We hired a car with Chris and Daun and off we went but decided to take in the Tip of Borneo on the way - or should that be out of the way? Whatever, we arrived at Kudat in time for lunch but not a lot to see or report about Kudat. We continued on to the Tip, the most northern point on the island of Borneo, where the wind was fairly blowing and the waves were crashing on the rocks below, before backtracking to Kota Belud and the Tamu Besar. Before long it was raining heavily and by the time we arrived it was dark! All the accommodation was taken, and it would seem, we were lost. No sign of any festival taking place so we strolled through the evening market, had something to eat and drove back to the marina and bed.

Next day we tried again and set off at 7.00 for Kota Belud once more. This time we asked questions and were directed over the hill to the open-air market. It was actually a lot like any other market but we bought a few bits and pieces to commemorate our visit to Kota Belud and walked back into town. We noticed quite a few of the local ponies tethered around the padang and discovered that there would be demonstration by the 'cowboys of the east' at 1.30. With some nice shade to sit in, we watched as the ponies were dressed in their colourful clothes and their riders donned their traditional costumes in preparation for a demonstration of the riding skills of the Bajau horsemen.

Delayed by the arrival of the Sabah Chief Minister the event finally got underway and the horsemen did their stuff - chiefly riding in formation in lines, circles and more lines. It was very colourful, although not really exciting but worth the time and effort with plenty of photo oppotunities.

Day three of our hire car experience took us over the Crocker Range and into the Tambunan Rafflesia Reserve named for the world's largest flower. We didn't really hold out any hope of seeing one but upon arrival at the NP centre we were excited to find that there was indeed one in flower, about an hour's walk away. We weren't so excited about the RM50 ranger fee to be escorted along a well marked track. We were even more excited when we arrived as there were actually two in flower - one had opened since the day before. This particular flower, Rafflesia pricei, only reaches a size of about 30cm circumference and was about half the size of one we saw in 2007 in Sarawak. However, it was great to see and good to know that the National Parks of Malaysia are doing what they can to preserve such unique flora. The Rafflesia is actually a parasite with no leaves, stem or roots, and grows within a jungle vine. Buds, which look like brown cabbages, take 9 months to burst into flower and then last about 4-6 days before dying. Flowers are either male or female and are pollinated by flies which they attract by a rotten meat smell once they start to die.




Coming back through the Crocker Range we stopped off at a greenhouse, curious to find out what was growing in it. We had seen quite a few of them and suspected they were growing shiitake mushrooms. Sure enough, they were and after having a bit of a look around we came away with a nice bagful of fresh mushrooms!!

A Quick Passage from Sarawak to Sabah via Labuan

Our Sarawak adventures were fast coming to a close and it was time to prepare for the upcoming Borneo International Yacht Challenge 2009. This event usually starts in Labuan and finishes in Miri but this year it started in Miri with a 100 nm passage race to Labuan followed by a passage race to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and finished with two day races off KK. It fitted with our time frame so we duly entered and received RM1000 (about A$330) for doing so, plus free marina berth, hotel accommodation and several dinners. A good time to meet other cruising yachties and have some fun. Tweed is not a racing boat but somehow we ended up in Division A with six other boats of differing capabilities and handicaps.

We managed to arrive in Labuan just under the 26-hour time limit - the organisers forgot about the south setting current and that perhaps there would not be much wind. We came fourth in our division so no prizes there!! We entered the 'marina' outside the Waterfront Hotel in Labuan. This marina has been constructed since we were there in 2007 and is already breaking up. The original marina, which was breaking up in 2007, is nested inside the new one and although repairs have been undertaken it is breaking up again!! Such a pity that they can't get it right but we don't know who is to blame for this poor construction.

Tweed enjoys a short-lived sail with the 'Flasher' at the start of the Labuan to KK passage race

Half a day in Labuan and a quick trip for duty free before dinner out and then off the next morning on the 68 nm passage race to Kota Kinabalu. Conditions were fairly light to start with but along the way the wind picked up slightly so we were able to sail most of the way resulting in less penalty points and were awarded third place for this leg. Most boats arrived after dark and would have a lay day the next day except for the IYC boats. The lay day was most welcome as we and others had found the pace quite hectic and were pooped!

Two day races were held on Thursday - one in the morning and one in the afternoon - off Kota Kinabalu. The conditions were good with about 15 knots of breeze but we still couldn't fight our way past the two leading boats in our Division so took out third again. We were pleased with that. It had been a great few days but now we could look forward to relaxing a bit.

The 4095m peak of Mt Kinabalu, 88km from KK seen from the waters off the sailing club

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More Adventures in Sarawak

We left the relative calm of the Rajang and Lassa River deltas and did an overnight passage to Miri with the swell on the South China Sea giving us another exciting entry into the marina. With no time to waste we flew on a Twin Otter to Bario in the Kelabit Highlands close to the border with Kalimantan and the headwaters of the Baram River, staying in longhouses, bathing in the Baram River, walking in the jungle, playing host to leeches, and being made extremely welcome by the local people. Our 'guide', Reddish, was fantastic, taking us to places we would probably not have seen without him.

The longhouse at Pa Dalih

The walk in the jungle was theoretically done to see some birds - well, we heard several and saw three hornbills fly over the treetops. On the return walk, a 'shortcut', we clambered and climbed for about two hours behind Joseph who with his large parang slashed a new trail, now the Pamela Trail, up a steep ridge to the top, now Chris Peak, down the steep ridge, through some heavy undergrowth, across a creek over a fallen tree, now Jon Bridge, and finally (much to my surprise) back to our starting point. Lunch was enjoyed by the cool waters of the creek - leftover fried rice from breakfast eaten off a Kelabit plate. A large leaf is wrapped around the rice which when unfolded forms a plate. Great idea - no washing up and it is biodegradable!!

Trailblazer Joseph ahead of us in the jungle

Back at the ranch (Tweed), we made arrangements to visit the Niah Caves the next day (our time in Miri was running out). Six of us set off by mini van to travel the 100+ km to walk a comfortable 4.5 km over a new boardwalk into the Great Cave, through the totally dark Moon Cave and on to the Painted Cave. The Great Cave is home to thousands of swiflets and bats - the swiftlets produce birds nests which are collected from high up on the cave ceiling by local collectors using bamboo poles and hardwood ladders in what is considered a very dangerous occupation. The bats on the other hand produce guano which is collected in bags and sold as fertiliser.

We arrived at the Painted Cave about lunch time. We saw the strip of red hematite paintings depicting human figures, animals and death ships, and then the burial site with a human skeleton and several death ships or boat-shaped coffins. The site was discovered about 1957 and one skull has been estimated to be 40,000 years old. We sat and ate our picnic lunch in the quiet of the cave before once more returning along the boardwalk and home.

Longhouse Visit

Along with our cruising friends, Chris and Daun, we decided to pick a side stream to motor into and anchor off an Iban longhouse. Iban are one of the native peoples of Sarawak and make up about 30% of the population. Not all live in longhouses but a lot still do. We had heard that most longhouses are very welcoming so on the 22 September we anchored off a likely group of longhouses and it was not long before a boat arrived to check us all out!! The upshot of this was we all went ashore bearing gifts for the the headman and to request permission to anchor off. We were well received but only stayed a short time to meet some of the families. Each longhouse is usually constructed with a long verandah with doors leading into a long communal room with more doors or biliks leading off into individual residences. This one had 18 biliks which meant 18 families under the one roof. It was interesting to learn that quite a few of the residents worked away from the longhouse, some in the oil and gas industry, others were away studying, some were 'empty nesters' where their children had left the longhouse to work in other areas permanently. Each family has their own paddy fields to work and they also grow a lot of their own vegetables.

Chatting with longhouse people in the communal long room

We returned again later in the afternoon when work in the paddies had finished and were again made welcome and did lots of talking and although the headman did not speak English others did. We were then invited into the longhouse next door which went a bit better as the headman and his wife could both speak English. Two days later we were all in the paddy field either helping or watching the 'nursery' paddy being planted. Germinated seed rice (called paddy) is mixed with mud and then thrown onto the nursery paddy field where it will grow for about three weeks before being planted out in the big paddy field. The nursery was in an irrigated garden area with circular raised beds containing an orange tree surrounded by various vegetables and herbs. There was not a lot of mechanisation used with even the irrigation ditches being dug by hand and the only operation which used machinery was the husking of the grain. We received a bag of freshly husked fragrant rice (beras), still warm from the machine, to take with us.

This large coolie hat was more effective than the umbrella!

We had a very memorable few days in this river community with invitations to return again next year to join in the Gawai (rice festival) celebrations in June.

Farewell to our friends at the longhouse!

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Sibu

The leg from Bintangor to Sibu was another interesting trip. We had a thunderstorm come through bringing quite a bit of rain but it eventually cleared to drizzle and then stopped. We passed the usual longhouses and kampongs with the occasional timber yard again and then ships at anchor at Tanjong Lebaan. We passed them, continuing on and before reaching Sibu we noticed a few 'bird houses' - purpose-built to attract and house the swiflets which produce the famous birds nests. We arrived in Sibu about 4:30 p.m. and anchored across from the town just upstream from some ships at anchor and not far from the route the fast ferries take up and down to Kapit! It would seem that they like to pass close by so they can get a good look at us.

We were two nights in Sibu and spent some time ashore in the town looking around the shops and markets. Sibu is the trading centre 60km up the Rajang from the South China Sea where ships and barges are loaded with goods and materials from the hinterland to be transported elsewhere in Sarawak or exported. There are not many 'tourist' attractions but along with the fresh markets we visited the 100-year old Tua Pek Kong Temple and the relatively new 7- storey Kuan Yin Pagoda. It was a busy town and also holiday time as the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan had finished and they were now celebrating Hari Raya Aidal Fitri which would continue with a month of open house.

We left Sibu the next morning, 21 September, after a quick trip to the markets and back. We made our way downstream with the help of a fast running tide and anchored off a longhouse. Unfortunately, there was an exposed mudbank off their flimsy jetty so no amount of their waving us in would help us get there! We had a fairly uncomfortable night when at the peak of the tide flow we seemed to be caught in a lot of turbulence. Tweed was doing 360s around the anchor chain - we left as soon as we could the next morning, looking for a suitable side stream to turn into for our next anchorage.

Sarikei to Bintangor

Navigating the Rajang River is a bit of a waiting game - waiting for the tide to be going in the same direction that we want to go. We had plenty of time to wait so we took a trip in the dinghy across to the town and went to the morning markets. The Sarikei market must be the cleanest market in SE Asia we have seen so far. The fruit and vegetables were also pretty good so we bought a few things to top up our stores before visiting the pork market. Here, there were pigs' heads, pigs legs and feet, and strips of pork of almost unidentifiable cut. We bought a strip which was apparently shoulder, after being encouraged to buy a foreleg which we declined - if only because it would take longer to cook and one of the things we consider when cooking is length of cooking time and the gas it will use.

One of the many fast ferries

The outgoing tide was now slackening so we decided it was time to leave. It was a relatively short leg to Bitangor so we were in no hurry. The scenery was similar to yesterday, with palm- and mangrove-lined banks, interspersed with longhouses and timber yards. River traffic saw the long, skinny fast ferries, tugs and barges laden with logs or coal, and the smaller local boats, all with waving people hanging off them.


Kids waving from a longhouse

Local on the river

The Disappearing Rainforests

When we left our anchorage this morning, amid local fishermen in their little fishing boats which they controlled from the front of their vessel using some sort of rope rigged up to control both the engine and the steering, we rounded the bend into the reach up to Tanjung Manis.

Within a short time the usual vegetation of mangroves and nipah palms disappeared to be replaced by timber yards, timber mills and woodchip mills.



Barges and lighters were being loaded with timber and dressed timber and ships anchored in the river were being loaded from the lighters.

As we passed Tanjung Manis the amount of timber lining the shores decreased but as we progressed upstream there were still plenty of yards with timber piled up ready for removal. In some parts timber was lying along the banks where it seemed it had been chained and rafted down from further upstream to end up waiting for transport somewhere else. We knew the rainforests were being cleared but it was incredible to see the amount of timber being moved in just this short stretch of river.

The Mighty Rajang

The lifeblood of Sarawak, adventure tales abound of this mighty river flowing from the heart of Borneo. Thoughts come to mind of longhouses, headhunters, white rajahs, adventurers, etc. etc. and also of diminishing rainforests, displaced indigenous peoples, smoke-filled atmosphere, and ever-increasing oil palm plantations.

The flat landscape entering the Rajang River

We entered the river just after 3:00 p.m. with plenty of time to find an anchoring spot 5-10 nautical miles up the river. The fishermen were already out in their fishing boats, crossing the river and setting their nets, the landscape was low and the river edged with mangroves. Fish farms came into view along with fishing villages. The sky was overcast but the weather calm. This was our first venture into this great river system and with a couple of weeks to spare we hoped to have an adventure of our own.

A Walk in The Rain

After a bit of a bumpy night the waters calmed down and we went ashore on Pulau Lakei for a walk in the jungle. Ashore a slowly-crumbling national parks sub-station showed no signs of life and the jetty had a large section missing from it. We climbed the wooden steps up the side of the steep-sided island to a boardwalk at the top, passed a mausoleum to an Arab who lived on the island some 300 years ago, and continued along some concrete imitation wood stepping blocks.

By this time we were in more scrubby vegetation, looking for pitcher plants. Two years ago in July we had seen many different varieties but being a bit later in the season we saw mostly dead and dried 'pitchers'. However, they had not all finished and we spotted one perhaps about 200cm tall and a rusty brown colour, pictured, plus some smaller, slender green ones. As we reached the second lookout a thunderstorm which had been rumbling away during the morning reached us and showered us with some rain. Not a lot in it but it continued to drizzle and drip for another couple of hours. In the meantime we made our way down another set of steps to a pool which according to the signage had some indecipherable Arabic script on the rock in the pool. The previously mentioned Arab had come here to bathe in the waters which are said to be curing. We dabbled our hands in the waters so we will wait and see what happens. We did not spot any of the Proboscis monkeys which are said to inhabit the island but later in the afternoon we did see one large male in the trees from aboard our boat.

We Don't Like Mondays

We left Santubong yesterday morning after a big effort to get the anchor up. First we had to scrub the chain as it came up to clean off all the barnacles which had taken up residence in the couple of weeks we had been there. During this process the hose on the deck wash came away inside the anchor locker so Jon had to lie on the v-berth with his head in the anchor locker to fix that having a head sauna in the process. Then the chain wouldn't come any further!! Not knowing what the problem was Jon managed to haul the chain in manually using a lever on the windlass until out of the murk came a long piece of timber with heavy ropes tied to it - was it part of a wrecked fish farm which now sat forlornly on the mud bank at low tide? One of the lengths of rope extended back to the shore so was probably from an anchor point further out. Jon jumped in the dinghy and cut the rope and then let the piece of timber fall away from the anchor chain. Back to the windlass. More anchor chain was winched in and then it stopped again. More hand winching and finally the anchor appeared with another piece of heavy rope hooked on it. Another jaunt in the dinghy to cut this rope free and finally we were able to get moving.

We left the river on the last of the incoming tide and went in the direction of Bako National Park where we would anchor at Pulau Lakei. There was a bit of wind so we motor-sailed for a bit and then the engine started to overheat! Thankfully, the wind had picked up a bit more so we set the headsail and the mainsail and continued under sail while Jon investigated the problem - more than likely in the water cooling system. Sure enough the filter basket in the salt water inlet was not looking too clean. That was cleaned and then the impeller in the water pump was checked. Four blades were missing from the impeller so a new one was fitted. The engine was turned on and the heating problem was solved. Jon would wait until we were at anchor before retrieving the missing impeller blades from the oil cooler heat exchanger.

The wind continued to propel us along quite nicely and then along the way we noticed that our wind vane had become a haven for a swiflet. It was sleeping peacefully with barely a foothold and stayed there for more than hour before finally taking wing. We made our anchorage on the SW side of Pulau Lakei in water much cleaner than in the river so Jon dived on the prop to clean all the barnacles off that. It seemed a comfortable enough anchorage as we were in the lee of the island but during the night the wind came further from the north and blew straight into the anchorage so a fairly uncomfortable night after what was a bit of an exhausting day but at least we were safe. All's well that ends well.

It's A Long Way To The Top

Just for a challenge, Jon (almost 66), Chris (63) and Leo (58) decided to climb Mt Santubong.

810 metres doesn't sound much if you say it fast but the last part of the climb is very steep and has ropes and ladders in place to assist the climbers. They set off from the anchorage at 6:30 a.m. and walked about 2 km along the road to the track turnoff.

A call was received about 10:00 to say they had reached the top, which was what they had anticipated, so pretty good going. They arrived back hot and thirsty about 1:00 p.m.

20 metres to go, and still smiling!

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Cat City

Kuching, the capital of the state of Sarawak, is also known as the city of cats. Kuching is the Malay word for cat although there is also speculation that it could be from the Chinese 'gu chin' which means harbour, or even 'mata kuching', the name of a fruit meaning cat's eye. Whatever the origin, it is a lovely city dotted with with cat statues and sculptures, and even a cat museum. It has a cultural mix of native Iban, Malay, Chinese and Indian, making for a very colourful and interesting city.

Local handicrafts abound and there are plenty of antique and souvenir shops to browse. There is also a good choice of food from Chinese, Indian and local Kuching styles to enjoy. Then there is the historic architecture to be seen from that built during the time of the Brooke sultanate to Chinese shophouses most of which have been or are undergoing renovation.

One of the many cat statues

Close by the city on the other side of the river is the istana (sultan's palace) and Fort Margherita. The fort is a small white-painted complex built by Charles Brooke in 1879 to protect against pirates and worth catching a local ferry boat across to have a look. Standing behind the fort is the new State Legislative Assembly (DUN), locally dubbed the 'lemon squeezer'.

Fort Margherita with the 'Lemon Squeezer'

It is about 30km by road from the anchorage at Santubong, so we hired a car to drive in on Tuesday and to stay the night. We were celebrating Chris's birthday on Tuesday and our 40th wedding anniversary which would fall on the following Sunday. After a day spent doing check-in formalities and haunting some of the antique shops along Main Bazaar, we hired a local boatman to take us up the river and back again while we enjoyed a nice bottle of red wine before heading off for dinner at a local restaurant. It was a lovely evening, made cool and clear by a thunderstorm that had come through the city a little earlier.

Into the sunset

Wednesday morning was spent doing a bit more browsing before the more mundane task of grocery shopping before driving back to Santubong. We would be back though as there is still so much more to see in Kuching.

To see more pictures of Kuching click here.

The Big Smoke

Our arrival into the Santubong River was heralded by the smoke-laden atmosphere which became evident at least 50NM out as we approached the NW cape of Borneo, Tanjung Datu. Not only could we smell it in the air but we had to turn off our running lights on the bow as they were reflecting too much light off the smoke particles making visibility difficult in the almost total darkness. The half moon was hidden behind cloud but a thunderstorm over the land was flashing away giving some relief to the black night. We arrived at the approaches to the river at about 8.30 and finally caught sight of Mount Santubong, almost hidden by low cloud and covered in smoke haze. The smoke is from fires out of control in the Indonesian state of Kalimantan on southern Borneo. It has been reported that a severe El Nino has created extremely dry conditions on the entire island.

We entered the estuary, crossed the bar and dropped the anchor in the calm waters of the river. As the tide commenced its runout we dropped into bed and slept until early afternoon. Today we are totally refreshed from our 3-day passage from Tioman Island and decided to take a walk through the local village of Santubong. It is now Ramadan and most of the locals are fasting during the day and several villagers had food stalls set up for the Muslims to buy their food to break their fast - in Santubong this would be about 6.45. They encouraged us to buy some of the sweets and also to eat as they wanted to know what we thought of it. They weren't too worried that we could eat but they couldn't. The sweets were delicious and the fish cooking on the barbecue looked very inviting but we didn't try it - we would wait for dinner.

Day Four

Had a pretty good run yesterday, sailing the whole day again, which makes a nice change. Conditions varied with a comfortable southerly getting us along at more than 6 knots interspersed with rain and wind squalls at 20-25 knots. One particular passing squall decided to come from the SSE which made our intended track unattainable so we changed tack and went west and south of a group of shoals rather than north and east. This worked out well and the first part of the night we were honking along at 7+ knots with a favourable current. Once we came inside the NW cape on Borneo, Tanjung Datu, the breeze started to drop and we have been going flat out with sails and engine to try and make the Santubong River entrance just before the 9:04 high tide.

At 0600 our position was 01deg 54.970N, 109deg 32.928E, wind was about 5 knots from the south and our speed was 5.8 knots. We should arrive in the anchorage at Santubong about 0930. Distance travelled will be 398 nautical miles in 72 hours.

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Day Three

Continued to have good wind all day with about 12-18 knots from the SSE giving us good speed. Once we came past Pulau Bawah the current was not so strong against us. Towards the end of the day we started seeing shipping traffic along a NE-SW track. Our AIS has made identifying the speed and direction of the ships much easier than just relying on radar and guesswork. From about 0400 the wind has been southerly at about 20 knots so have made good time despite a double reef in the main and reefed headsail.

At 0700 our position was 02deg 24.990N, 107deg 55.032E, wind is 15-28 knots from the south and our speed is 5.8 knots. We are sailing under double-reefed main and staysail. The reef will come out shortly.

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Day Two

After yesterday's slow start, we are moving along nicely this morning. We had a busy time with crossing the shipping lanes up until about midnight when almost every ship going north or south crossed our track within less than two miles of us. We were able to sail from just after midnight and the wind increased to 10-15 knots from the SE. A line of thunderstorms slowly drew closer behind us with some fantastic flashes but it never quite caught us before giving up. At 0720 our position is 02deg 32.977N, 105deg 45.474E, wind is 12-15 knots and our speed is 6.2 knots.

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Day One

It has been a slow day after a slow start. We were finally wedged out of our berth when one of the catamarans left about 9:00. There was a nice wind blowing but by the time we cleared the island the wind had already started to drop plus it was from the stern so not much pushing happening. We tried sailing until about 12:00 when we turned on the engine and have been motoring ever since. The sloppy seas have calmed down and we have a swell from the south making the boat roll a bit, otherwise all is well. Position at 1800: 02deg 48.180N, 104deg 40.405E. Distance so far: 36NM.

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Will We Ever Get Out of Here?

The day of departure arrives and the little marina is absolutely jam-packed. We are sandwiched in with two charter catamarans rafted up behind us with two large ferries rafted the other side of them!! Maybe they will all wake up soon and leave. Tweed's grey hull can just be glimpsed behind the left hand catamaran.

D-Day Minus 1

Tomorrow we depart Tioman Island off the east coast of Malaysia for Santubong in Sarawak. Below is a chart of our proposed route across the South China Sea, passing close by the Indonesian islands of the Anambas. The passage is about 400 NM and should take 3 days, possibly 4. Three days will put us outside the Santubong River to await the high tide in the morning when we will be able to enter the muddy waters to anchor off the small village of Santubong.

Arrival Tioman Island

Tuesday morning and similar conditions to Monday with a couple of hours of sailing as we approached the Pahang River. We anchored just north of the river where a lot of earthworks, dredging and building of a seawall is going on. Several tugs with barges were anchored off and the work continued until about 10:00 p.m. It seems another engineered river entrance is underway, creating another safe harbour for boats.

Just as we were about to drop our anchor, a swiftlet flew into the cockpit, landed on a cushion and promptly closed its eyes. We were only about half a mile offshore but maybe it had come from further out and was just too exhausted to continue. We moved it to a more protective environment and about three hours later it flew off and headed for shore. We have had birds join us before on occasion but usually further out. We once had a tern roost on our pulput on the bow and stay there all night. It didn't fly away until the sun was well and truly up.

Wednesday was our last leg to Tioman and the day we had the most wind. It was frustrating day, however, as it was just a bit tight on for our heavy boat to make the most of it. Along the way we noticed what at first we thought were just some black flags marking some fishing floats and bobbing about in the small waves. Then, they appeared to be moving. As they passed about three metres alongside us we realised it was a school of sailfish busily feeding on smaller fish!! Then we noticed there were at least six groups scattered in the vicinity all with a flock of terns circling and diving for the scraps. This was a first as we had never seen this occurrence before.

We are now in the marina at Tioman Island for a few days to replenish the ships stores and prepare for heading across the South China Sea to Sarawak. The island is duty free so we are able to top up our wine and beer. The other big draw to Tioman was to catch up with David and Kris from Taipan who have recently returned from five months in Australia where we helped celebrate their wedding in April.

Weather Fair, Sailing So-So

Two days of fair weather with not much wind has meant a lot of motoring, especially as the current has been running against us. However, we have had peaceful nights in good anchorages. Saturday night at Pulau Kapas, anchored over sand in 5 metres where we were able to have a swim and then last night at Pulau Tenggol anchored again over sand but this time in 20 metres. A calm night only to be awakened by thunder and lightning - more like an alarm really as it was very short-lived and was gone before we got the anchor up. Now we are anchored in the river at Kemerman, 04 deg. 14.510N, 103 deg. 26.742 E. The entrance was nothing like the chart and a breakwater has been installed near the entrance which was quite safe to enter with the tide still having 1 metre to fall.

The Kemerman entrance from the anchorage

There has been a stream of fishing boats coming in and now going out. Several have beached themselves on the shore near us to load up with bags of sand - not sure of the purpose - before also leaving for the night's fishing. Hope they do better than we did today.

All In All, A Good Day

We departed the marina at Terengganu yesterday about 11:00 on the high tide. We had beautiful wind from the southeast and had a good sail all of the way to Pulau Redang, 32 NM to the north. What's more we caught our first fish in a while and it was a lovely Narrow-barred mackerel - plenty for four to share for dinner on Tweed. A line of big clouds along the coastline looked threatening for a while but even they decided to leave us alone. Fresh fish on the barbecue accompanied by a delightful Thai salad a la Daun was a fitting finish to a great day.

Postcard from Terengganu

Whoa! We have been back in Terangganu since 30th July. We have now checked
out with Customs and Harbour Master and will leave tomorrow for Tioman
Island. We should arrive there in about 6 days time. Apologies about lack
of blog updates but will try and get something readable up soon!!

In the meantime here are some links to pictures from our travels:

Chiang Rai to Mae Salong

The Golden Triangle

Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang to Vientiane

Vientiane

Postcard from Chiang Rai

We are having a great time in northern Thailand. Train from Bangkok to Chiang Rai was a hoot!! Older train than we thought and the toilets left a lot to be desired but we survived and managed to get some sleep along the way. We travelled overnight and the journey took about 13 hours. See our Bangkok pictures here.


Found a reasonable guest house where we have stayed for five nights and since then have been doing the sights - visiting the wats (temples), tramping around markets, up the hill to see the big one up there (wat) and then the zoo to see the baby panda. Saw the dad but mum and bub were only viewable on web cam!!

Click here to see our Chiang Mai pictures

Click here to see our Chiang Mai Zoo pictures.

Also hired bikes to ride out to the Tribal Musuem which had good displays on the various hill tribes living further north. Dodging the heavy traffic was a bit hairy but all part of the fun.


Yesterday we went to the Elephant Nature Park where a Thai woman has spent the last 15 years developing a conservation park to save ex working elephants and now has about 30-odd elephants there. They don't have elephant rides or put them on show but you get to feed them and wash them in the river. It was a great day and a real eye opener about the treatment of the working animals. There were three young ones there - 2 and half months, 1 month and a few days old so that was fabulous to see.

Jokia, the old, blind female

Click here to see more of our elephant pictures


Today we are getting a bus to Chiang Rai further north and close to the Golden Triangle and will spend a few days there before leaving on a 2-day boat trip down the Mekong River. Will spend one night in a village called Pak Beng along the way before arriving at Luang Prabang in Laos.

Splash Down In Terengganu

With one day left before we leave for northern Thailand, we were able to watch the launch of a 1,500 tonne rig tender today. We have watched the progress over the last 8 weeks since our first stay in the marina here at Terengganu and were surprised to learn a couple of weeks ago that it was due for launch on the 9 July. Last minute efforts of the boat builders to finish welding and painting, working two shifts a day, all went to plan. The tender still has to undergo final fit out and commissioning here in the river over the next two months before taking up its contract work in the Middle East.

The boat yard is right next to the marina and yesterday all boats moored on the finger closest to the yard were moved onto the other finger as no one really knew how big a wave it would generate as it hit the water or even if it would enter the water and remain on course. It was a matter of wait and see, creating a bit of excitement for the few yachties here in the marina.

Specially prepared rails were waxed and greased for the vessel to slide down - with no strings attached!

All went well though and
the Borcas Tasneem 6 slid
perfectly into the water...

... floating the right way up.

Meanwhile, one of the large Water monitors which frequent the marina was captured entering the water today as well. These large lizards seem to be quite shy and it is difficult to get too close to take a good picture. However, today I managed to sneak up on this big one ...










... before he saw me over the edge of the boardwalk...












... entered the water...













...and swam off.