Voahangy also dragged her anchor at Sandakan that night, colliding with a French steel yacht, the damage was only minor, it could have been worse, it was fortunate that Keith had a friend on board to help Rosemary re-anchor, as he was in hospital. Charley took a bus to an animal sanctuary, to look at the Orang utangs, but I preferred to keep my eye on Loggerhead. In Malay, Orang utang translates to Tree People. There was no diesel barge or pontoon in Sanderkan so I had to carry 190 litres from a Shell garage. Car fuel is slightly subsidised so I paid 1.7 ringit a litre. The exchange rate is about 5.8 to the pound.

After three days Keith was released from hospital, having made a full recovery, meanwhile we made preparations for sea. We had decided to go straight to Bitung, rather than go to Tarakan. The south westerly wind should have been agreeable as our course was south east. I prepared some new lures to troll during the journey, fresh fish would be welcome.

We left Sandakan after saying our goodbyes and motored out to sea, heading for Indonesia, the wind soon picked up; coming from the direction we wanted to sail towards. The sea state soon became unpleasant and I slowed loggerhead as much as possible to reduce the slamming. The wind increased and a confused sea added to the difficult motion. Charley noticed an unusual noise, when I investigated I noticed that the D2 or inner lower shroud had three wires broken. We reduced sail further to three reefs in the main and a tiny genoa.

We were advised to head south and then east when leaving Sandakan as the islands to the east and south east are the Philippines. Apparently pirates have been known to stop yachts passing through the area. Our progress was so slow I decided to head straight for the eastern tip of Sulawesi, despite the pirate risk. Next afternoon as we neared the Phillipine islands I had a strike on a lure trolled behind the yacht. We tacked and hove to, bringing in the towable generator and the other lure, it was then that my catch began jumping, it was a big marlin. I increased the drag and held on while Charley put the genoa away. After about twenty minutes I was able to bring the magnificent specimen alongside. I grabbed it by the bill and pulled it into the cockpit where we took photographs after I had removed the hook from its mouth. I then let it go and after a few seconds it swam away. Upon studying an identification book I think it was actually a broadbill swordfish.

The wind all but disappeared for the next couple of days so the engine was again the saviour, at least we both managed to get plenty of rest when not on watch. I tried several lures but no fish were tempted.

One afternoon Charley called me on deck, we were surrounded by small fishing boats. We could see a mother ship a few miles away but we had attracted these one man fishing boats to see what they could beg from us. They were all the same, canoe shaped with two out riggers and an internal engine, the men stood while holding a long tiller, they were quite fast and each seemed to fish with a hand line. They asked us for sugar or cigarettes, and as we had only one bag of sugar aboard which Charley was saving for guests’ coffee, we denied we had either. As soon as I had retrieved my lure, which one of them had fouled, we motored away. I suspect they were Pilipino but they could equally have been Indonesian.

We motored continuously for the next couple of days, uneventfully, no wind, no fish, but no night time squalls either. When we were within a hundred miles of Sulawesi we saw the first of many small platforms with huts on them, apparently anchored in thousands of metres. The occupants, for each had one, must fish or tend a net. There would have course been no facilities like refrigeration on them. We could only wonder at the boredom and loneliness the men suffer. Next day we sailed too close to one and one of my lures caught on a line between a platform and a floating cylinder. I quickly cut the line and then turned around to collect the lure from a young man who threw it to us. We threw him a bag of brown sugar as a thank you.

On the fifth afternoon we sighted Sulawesi, the wind at last made an appearance and so we were able to sail for a while. The damaged D2 is to starboard so we were fine on port tack. Just before midnight we began to pass between smaller and smaller islands until we altered to starboard and began the passage inside an island that would lead to Bitung. Without the plotter I would have had to wait for daylight, the channel was very narrow, but at four am we anchored amongst other yachts having motored past several warships. It was too dark to see any detail.

It was only 60 miles to our next destination, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. The wind was dead astern and rather than gybe our way north we motored most of the way, as usual we hoped to arrive in daylight.

We had heard that there was to be a meeting of the participants of Bunaken week in KK on the 1^st of August. We were in good time. It was just getting dark when we arrived, we noticed some masts in a marina; I then spotted Voahangy through my binoculars. For some reason I expected to anchor so a marina came as a pleasant surprise. Initially the marina staff advised us that they were full, then relented offering one night. They explained that a rally was due to arrive with 40 yachts. The same rally that we had been sailing amongst. The name of the marina is Sutera Harbour. I have seen quite a few extraordinary marinas in Malaysia but this one wins first prise for money spent. Within the complex there was a golf course and tennis courts, both floodlit, a hotel, squash courts a snooker room, a theatre, a bowling alley, a gym, and so on. It ran like a five star hotel. The people were extremely friendly and the water was the cleanest I have ever seen in a marina. In fact we managed to stay for four nights, The Malaysian rally ended there and we were again invited to a gala closing dinner. We enjoyed food drink and music and watched traditional dancers in exotic costumes. We could not believe our luck.

The Bunaken week meeting threw up a dilemma; we were advised that we were expected to enter Indonesia via Tarakan, a port on Indonesian Borneo. Upon checking I discovered that this would add 250 miles to our journey, and not reduce the distance to Bitung, site of the festivities, by much. Not only that, the passage to Tarakan would be directly into the wind. We decided to make our way around the top of Borneo to Sarakan, as intended, and then make a decision about our port of entry.

We chose to clear customs on Sunday, having been assured that they were open, and several of us made our way into town. The Marine department, which is what they call the harbour master, and Immigration were on duty but not the Customs. An official was persuaded to attend, by telephone, and grant us our port clearances. We were grateful not to have to return again the next morning.

On Monday morning I paid the marina for our stay and we motored out and then around an island that provided shelter to the city.

The wind was around twenty knots and increased slightly as we sailed north. I could see a large area of strong winds to the north of Borneo on the weather forecast. As we made progress to the north the wind and wave height increased, we reduced sail to main with two reefs and no headsail. It was a bit uncomfortable but bearable.

At 10 pm we rounded the top of the island and altered to starboard, we then sailed into water sheltered by the land and so the unpleasant waves disappeared. There were many rocks and shoals to avoid, so many that unusually the recommended track to follow is drawn onto the chart. The wind then headed us so we motored for a few hours; the batteries needed a charge, even though the towable generator was providing a boost. By breakfast the wind had freed us so we sailed once more, I was unable to buy diesel in Sutera harbour so I needed to sail as much as possible. Charley baked bread and I trolled a few lures, hoping for fresh fish. I got a few takers as we passed small islands and lost a set of lures but there were no landings.

The wind failed us again that afternoon and at teatime the diesel in the tank ran out, there was only 30 miles to go at this stage and my reserve 20 litres in a jerry can saw us into Sandakan.

In fact the last few hours provided the best sailing of the passage, close hauled with a flat sea we achieved seven and a half knots. The river forms a natural harbour; we soon found the yacht club and anchored in the dark amongst several other yachts.

Early next morning Voahangy arrived, my friend Keith went ashore quickly. He needed medical assistance for what turned out to be laryngitis. We took a taxi to the port authority where we met a helpful gentleman who advised us that checking in and out of every port was not necessary. I laughed and told him that I had met a dozen other port officials who didn¡¯t agree with that.

On the way back to Sanderkan we had the taxi driver take us to the former home of Agnes Keith, the American authoress. Charley bought a copy of her first book Land below the wind.

Upon our return to the yacht club I could immediately see that Loggerhead had moved, a couple from another yacht explained that they had boarded her and put out more chain, this was the first time she had dragged with both anchors out.  I attempted to pull in the gear but gave up after I had retrieved the warp and about five metres of chain. I suspected that the delta was fouled. We retired early that night but at midnight wind noise woke me, the tide had turned and the strong wind had freed the tackle, we were dragging at up to two knots. The wind was above gale force and the shore lights were moving from right to left at an alarming pace, we dragged into deeper water, making the holding even more difficult, I motored towards the shallow water dragging the two anchors behind me. Our rib, raised earlier on two halyards turned over in the wind, I managed to retrieve the fuel tank and set it level again. When in fourteen metres of water, I freed the chain and warp that I had earlier taken in, this was enough to hold us and we stopped dragging. Two other yachts also dragged and had to re-anchor in the driving rain. Eventually the wind died down and we relaxed.

 

 

Borneo has some spectacular tropical rainforest and Miri is near one of the more famous national parks, so Charley found us a flight and we went to Gunung Mulu. We were fortunate to be allocated our own room within a dormitory; most of the other guests seemed to be English or Dutch students. We did several guided walks. Mulu has the world’s largest cave as well as plenty of biodiversity, although not many animals. We walked miles, our lack of fitness quickly apparent. The largest cave, Deer cave, is host to three million bats of twelve varieties, one evening we watched them leave to forage for insects.
On one of the night walks we saw a Tarantula, fortunately the guide spotted it before we were too close. Having had our fill of nature, we flew back to Miri and readied the yacht. We motored out just after high water. The wind was directly behind us at about fifteen knots. There were plenty of offshore oil and gas platforms to avoid. It was soon dark although there was a small amount of moon to help with visibility. We left as soon as possible because we wanted to stop at Labuan on the way to Kota Kinabalu, it is a duty free island and cheap beer is better than expensive beer. We declined the opportunity to visit Brunei for several reasons, the main one being time. It would have been nice to add another country to the list but we were advised that cruising yachts were not that welcome. When we departed from Miri the rally yachts had already left, we therefore found it strange that we arrived in Labuan, after a good sail, before most of them. I assume they anchored for the night.
We anchored opposite a ferry terminal near the main town. There were three other yachts already there. The rib ride ashore was a bit wet because of all the local boats travelling too fast. We asked where we could moor the dinghy and were directed towards a small bridge to a pontoon. There were many pontoons. We did the usual rounds, Immigration, Harbour master and then Customs, only this time we cleared in, and out. An internet café was our next destination. An hour later we felt ready for lunch, but as we were close to a view of the anchorage I decided to reassure myself that all was well.
My first look for Loggerhead resulted in failure, I couldn’t see her, I then looked much closer to where we were, she appeared to be moored beside the ferry terminal, upon closer inspection I noticed that she was still anchored. We quickly returned to the rib and motored across. We climbed on board and noticed that a stanchion was broken; someone had kindly put fenders between the boat and the pontoon. I tried to pull up the anchor but it was too heavy so I passed the line to the pontoon and with some help managed to pull it up. It was fouled by a three metre length of rusty water pipe.
I re-stowed it in its correct place and we motored back to the anchorage opposite. We anchored again but with the engine’s help we were able to plough through the soft mud. We therefore decided to back the Delta with the Fortress anchor. Once this was done we were secure. We went ashore again and bought some stores, mostly beer.

We attended to the formalities with Immigration etc and on Monday morning we raised the anchor and motored down river towards the sea, the weather forecast was for little wind but we encountered quite a strong sea breeze preventing us from sailing our preferred route. The planned destination was Kota Kinabalu, but at 430 miles that might have been optimistic. We could see that there were several islands on our route that might provide an anchorage should we need a rest.

The first twenty four hours was pleasant but frustrating, a descent breeze, but as usual on the nose so we motored. On the second afternoon the wind freed us so we sailed. I also took the opportunity to troll a lure behind, I hooked a small tuna but it managed to free itself before I could land it.

We had time to spare and so we both began doing those jobs that never seem to get done; I edited some of the film on my laptop hard drive. I then began polishing some of the bright work. Charley cooked some wonderful vegetable curries and made chapati’s. We sailed past some of the many oil production installations that seem to provide Malaysia with money to burn. I noticed a new marina under construction in Kuching, apparently funded by the government.

On the second evening we received an email via the Iridium from Keith, he advised that he was at Miri and suggested we join him there. We were pleased to learn that there was a marina as we intended to leave the yacht for a few days and go inland to see the Gunung Mulu national park. We would have to fly as there are no roads or railways.

The second night brought thunderstorms although we managed to dodge the rain. The wind headed us again in the morning so the engine went on. Miri was 130 miles from where we received the email so just under a day away. The night began with good wind for sailing but clouds obscured the stars, at two am the wind dropped away so we motored. We changed watches at six and at seven the wind had increased enough for us to sail again. At eight o’clock it rapidly increased to twenty knots, we were running down wind and directly at our new destination. Charley was awake so I asked her to help me reef, looking back I could see a large area of dark cloud with rain below it, coming our way. The wind increased to twenty five knots, Charley furled the genoa while I prepared the main. I went for two reefs, which with hindsight was still too much sail. Before we had finished the wind was thirty five knots and we were sliding down the waves that this produced. I took over the helming from the auto pilot having donned oilies. The rain began. Our course was too deep. With the wind directly astern we risked gibing, so I altered to port. Our speed down the waves was good; at least we would make Miri in daylight. I considered the entrance; this wind was directly into it. This much wind would have to subside before I would take that chance. The strong wind continued for over an hour, then slowly decreasing in strength.

By midday the rain had gone but we still had around twenty knots to push us along nicely.

As we approached Miri I could see masts through my binoculars but the chart mentioned a bar that was difficult to cross. I began calling the marina on the VHF; I tried all the likely channels but received no response, so I gave up. The sea state was not too bad by now so we either had to attempt an entrance or anchor; my plotter advised that it was two hours after high water, the tidal chart also described one tide a day.  The next high water would be twenty two hours later. We motored into what looked like the deepest part and slowly moved ahead. As we altered to port to pass between two walls the depth beneath the keel was 1.2 metres, a bit further in this fell to 0.2 metres, but by then we were in. We saw Rosemary from Voahangy who waved us towards a berth. The sky was still overcast so it was a bit cooler than it might have been, we cracked open a beer and sat in the cockpit.

Thanks to Keith we had again arrived somewhere at the right time, a Malaysian rally of 40 boats was in the marina and a dinner had been provided for the crews, we were invited. We boarded a bus for the very short trip to a huge building made from carved wood and bamboo. At the round tables I sat next to a Malaysian cabinet minister and the owner of the marina, the food was good, and the drink flowed.

The sail across started well and just got better and better, it had been months since I had enjoyed a really good sail. For the first twenty miles there were ships at anchor to avoid, there is a separation zone for traffic to use but some of the ships were anchored inside one of the lanes. The weather forecast was basically southerly wind, around 13 knots for the entire crossing; our course was just north of east. With 400 miles in front of us the scene was perfect. The waves were a little unfriendly to start with; the sea bed was to blame, but the further we went the more settled the sea state became. The first twenty four hour run was 167 miles, not bad for a yacht with two and a half tonnes of stores. Remarkably the second twenty four hour run was also 167 miles, proving it was not a fluke. The third night saw us off the north west tip of Borneo, we then sailed into the lee of the land and had to motor, but only for an hour or so. We arrived at the river entrance that would lead us towards Kuching just as the tide began to ebb. Rather than anchor we chose to see how much progress we could make. The strongest current against that we encountered was 2.4 knots so we continued. Voahangy had emailed me a file with a track of where to go. After a couple of hours we passed a barrage with a lock, I thought it was strange that it was positioned there until we rounded the next bend and discovered that the river had been blocked. The spot recommended by Voahangy turned out to be a good one. We anchored just past a ferry terminal. There was no traffic to worry us and the tidal flow was minimal. We lowered the rib and then the outboard onto it. The manager of the ferry terminal allowed us to moor on the inside of his pontoon and the next morning we discovered that the usual three, harbour master, customs and immigration, were all within walking distance. The staff at the terminal telephoned a taxi for us and we rode the 3 miles into the city. Kuching is not what one would expect in Borneo. It has more of everything, especially charm. There is plenty of history but little in the way of pollution. We visited a Borneo Textile museum and saw many of the early methods and patterns. The rest of the first full day was spent finding out where things were. This is a recurrent theme, every new place means we have to locate the essentials. Clearing in usually comes first followed by shops restaurants or chandlers depending upon what the boat needs. In Kuching I really had to replace the batteries, I had known for some time that they were on the way out but had put it off hoping to find somewhere reasonably priced. When we returned to the yacht mid afternoon we noticed that Loggerhead had dragged her anchor about one hundred metres, without coming near anything, but troubling none the less. We picked up and moved back.  Some days begin with several requirements but achieve little, on the second full day we had plenty of achievement. New batteries were purchased, mail posted, markets and a museum visited, so we dined in the city. When the taxi brought us back to the ferry terminal, inside which our dinghy was moored, the gate appeared locked. Fortunately it was just the chain wrapped around the two gates, rather than a padlock being in place.

There was wind, about 15 knots, but it was on the nose and the current meant beating was not an option, so we did the next best thing, we motored to the edge of the traffic separation zone and then motor sailed on the opposite tack, until we neared the shallows, repeatedly. Just around the headland from PD we went through a fleet of mid sized container ships, apparently laid up. There were 11 of them; they seemed to be all of the same company judging by the funnel colours.

The sailing was poor but the progress was reasonable, after a night of watches, which meant that we both got a little sleep; we could at last see ships at anchor outside Singapore. The further south east we went the better the wind angle became and at last we could stop the engine and enjoy some peace. The tonnage at anchor defied belief, hundreds and hundreds of ships. Eventually, as we threaded our way between them, a thunderstorm and heavy rain reduced visibility to about a hundred metres. We felt close but we still had several miles to go. The wind headed us again and so we motored against the current as usual.

We had to find a route between the small islands, many of them reclaimed from the sea, and the vessels coming and going. We overtook a couple of barges full of sand being towed by tugs. There were plenty of ships to avoid, large and small. Our first view was of multiple oil industry plants, with a little smog hanging in the air just above them, not very encouraging. Gradually the skyscrapers came into view.

To gain inward clearance we had to meet an immigration launch in one of two places, we chose the one near Sisters Island as it was nearest to our destination. I called them on channel 74 when we were four miles away. Our speed over the ground was only two knots so the launch was there before us. I passed the crew member four copies of a crew list with our details entered in the required manner together with our passports. Fortunately Rosemary from Voahangy had given me copies of these forms before we left PD. Passports returned we headed for the One15 Marina, named after its latitude. It was only half a mile north of where we met the launch yet it took us an hour. The Raymarine plotter, when it worked, advised that the tide against us was four and a half knots. Earlier that afternoon the plotter had malfunctioned and kept resetting itself. It was very frustrating.

Fortunately we had Maxsea as a backup on both of our laptops, although we had to transfer our position from a second GPS.

We entered the cutting to the marina at about eight pm that evening, new buildings surrounded area. The staff took our lines and quickly wired a new shore power plug to my lead.  Voahangy had arrived earlier that afternoon, but our friends were ashore. A Gin and Tonic helped celebrate our arrival.

Next day Keith and I went to the port authority to complete entry formalities. There was so much to see and do we did not know where to start. The marina is on Sentosa Island which is privately owned. Our marina fees included the free bus service to the mainland. The view from the bus was rather unreal, the scene reminded me of a Disney film, there were golf courses and gardens, all as perfect as a holiday brochure photograph. The first stop over the bridge was the Vivo shopping centre. Every shop imaginable was there, all air conditioned, floor after floor of retail outlets. That evening we went to a cocktail bar on the 74^th floor of a large building, the swisshotel and had drinks with a view. After that we went to Little India for a curry.

The marina had every facility possible, swimming pools, gym etc, all brand new.

Voahangy departed for Borneo the next day leaving Charley and I to explore by ourselves. An early stop was at the Sim Lim tower, five floors of electronics, I bought a tiny GPS with a USB plug that would go straight into our laptops. This would give us visual positions without the effort of plotting them, I also bought a larger inverter,  at 500 watts, than the one I already had.

The Raymarine plotter problem had to be addressed, I checked on the manufacturer’s web site and found that a later version of the operating software was available, so I bought a card reader and a Compact Flash card and downloaded the files. The Marina wifi worked well inside Loggerhead. With the latest software the problem disappeared.

One afternoon we visited an Asian culture museum, some museums can be a bit boring, but we were still inside this one at closing time, it was very interesting. There is an excellent underground system in the city, and yes, it is true that there is no litter. It can be done.

Another afternoon we went to Fort Siloso on Sentosa island, this it the only remaining coastal defence site from the wartime period, there were many interesting exhibits and a few of the myths about the loss of Singapore during the war were dealt with. I particularly liked the display of characters present during the signing of the surrender documents by the Japanese in 1945. The whole site was worth a visit but I felt that the British were slightly made fun of. 

A final shop for provisions and of course our stay was too short, we have a lot to do before the Bunaken Maritime display starts on Sulawesi on August the 12^th. We booked out at the port authority and motored out of the marina. Immigration is dealt with afloat on departure so we had to return to Sisters Island.

PORT DICKSON

I motored the whole way to PD. They like abbreviations here in Malaysia, occasionally hoisting the main, but it rarely helped. It was a moonless night therefore no visibility at all. Just before midnight I spotted a flashing blue light three or four boat lengths dead ahead. An unlit fisherman was in my way, I altered and avoided him without difficulty,  I saw several other fishing boats, mostly lit, they were all helpful in that they tried to avoid me, rather than make me take avoiding action. When I thought it was safe I grabbed a couple of twenty minute naps. I used a new kitchen timer as an alarm. The regular thunderstorms held off until dawn, as the wind increased I simply dropped the sails and motored.

There is a current in the Mallaca straight and an unusual tidal arrangement. This made the run longer than it should have been. By dusk on the second day I approached PD. I called Voahangy on the VHF and took advice on how to enter the marina in the dark. I reversed in to a slot beside them and quickly joined my friends for a beer.

Next morning I checked in with the harbour master and Keith and I went into town to see the usual officials. The town was about five miles away but there were busses or taxis. Many of the buildings along the coast were empty, it had a strange atmosphere. Malaysia was very industrious, the people seemed to be keen to make progress, I read that there had been racial tension between the Malays and the Chinese in the past, but I saw no sign of it.

Voahangy soon departed, Keith and rosemary were both keen to get to Singapore to finish some dental work. That left me alone for about a week. The marina was very grand, but empty, and boring, there was nothing to do, I did a few jobs on the yacht to pass the time, and cleaned the heads and cockpit.

On the morning of the 1^st of July I took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur, KL, airport. Charley was already there. We took a bus to KL and spent three nights in a nice hotel. We did some sightseeing and generally relaxed. There are many tall buildings, and one of the most famous is the Petronas towers, we queued for tickets to see the view. It was spectacular, although there was a bit of smog. KL is not the healthiest city in the world but we enjoyed it. On the Saturday we took a bus back to PD. We then attempted to clear out, but discovered that the Customs were closed. Monday morning we tried again.

Harbour master, Customs and then Immigration, all very friendly, a taxi back to the marina and we were off.  

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Penang, it was one of the best stops so far, but all good things come to an end, so I prepared to leave. Keith from Voahangy suggested that I might like to join part of the Sail Indonesia Rally At a place called Bunaken on the island of Sulawesi. Admission was free and included a cruising permit called a CAIT. Normally a cait costs 200 us dollars so that in itself was a good reason to join, the organisers also complete the application, an ordeal if ever there was one. The reason it was free was that the Indonesian tourist board had sponsored the event. The period we were going to take part in began on August the 12^th. The island called Sulawesi is east of Borneo.

Before that I had to be near Kuala Lumpur airport as an important person was due to arrive. Charley was to join me on the 1^st of July.

I cleared out with Harbour master, Customs and Immigration. The same forms and the same order at each Malaysian port, the officials were all very nice and helpful. It was no trouble at all.

Early on Friday I let my lines go and motored out of the marina, the visibility was poor only two to three miles, it was either a heat haze or maybe smog, the air smelt of burning, even when five miles offshore.

I soon passed under the bridge that I had ridden a motor bike over; I never did learn its name. A mile or two further south and I could see the site of a new bridge being constructed, they are a very industrious lot these Malaysians. Once clear of Penang the wind picked up from behind and I had a very pleasant sail, I had motored for about sixty hours since the last sail.

Voahangy waited for me in Port Kelang, 160 miles from Georgetown, there is a tide in the Malacca straight but also a current towards the North west, meaning the helpful tide was less powerful than the unhelpful one.  Just after dusk I had to resort to the engine again, there was no moon until four am, and then only a small slice.  In the darkness I came close to many fishing boats, most were lit, not according to the rules, but some only lit up when I approached them. I took a couple of twenty minute naps, awakened by a kitchen timer bought in Langkawi. For most of the night I could detect flashes of light, lightening at a distance I assumed.  As I made progress and as the hours passed the flashes increased in brightness and frequency, I held a line about three miles from the coast but the weather was further offshore, the wind was also offshore and so the sails added a knot to my boat speed.

At about five am, it did not get light until seven, I began to check for squalls with my radar, I found some large rain clouds, but none nearer than fifteen miles. This situation continued until dawn, but as soon as it became light the wind changed direction and the rain and thunder and lightening moved towards the land. I dropped my sails and made ready. It soon began to blow and then rain, the flat sea changed to one with waves; I put on a waterproof jacket and stood in the cockpit with my back to the rain. The most wind was only 26 knots so nothing to get excited about. There were many fishing boats but they were very good and almost always avoided me.

The entry to Kelang was along way from the port itself; an island has created a natural harbour.  I counted 23 ship to shore cranes at the northern container terminal.  I began the approach at lunchtime but it was after five by the time I had found the marina, Voahangy and then Loggerhead moored to a pontoon in the middle of a river opposite the Royal Selangor yacht club. There were no facilities on the pontoon. We had to go ashore by dinghy, the clubhouse was large and quite grand, but the lights did not work in the shower and worse still the beer came to us cool but not cold. In this part of the world everyone worth their salt sells beer ice cold. So rather than dine there we chose to eat on the other side of the river at a Chinese restaurant on wooden stilts above the mud. The tide was ebbing so we checked our dinghies regularly during the meal.

Next morning I took 80 litres of diesel from one of the floating bunker barges, and motored south towards the open sea and Port Dickson, I passed the southern container terminal with another 20 ship to shore cranes.

I was staggered by the litter in the water, every sort of filth imaginable. The wind picked up but on the nose, I tacked within the space inside the shipping channel. I took a photograph of my plotter; my AIS had 73 targets, none of which came near me.

Some New Zealand friends I’d met in Thailand were already in Langkawi, that made the time pass quickly, I explained to the broker that I did not want to sell Loggerhead, amazingly a couple of Scandinavians were about to fly to Malaysia to finalise the purchase, I also explained to the chap looking after Shelley that I was not interested in buying her. The yacht was undoubtedly a bargain but I did not like the idea of spending a long time in Thailand putting right all the things that would surely need attention.

I bought bottled water, food for the trip, and a couple of slabs of beer, that’s the Australian term, at 5 pound a case it was reasonably priced, but because I travelled to the shops on a hired motorbike I didn’t buy more. I regretted that later.

I crept out of the marina at 5.30 one morning and threaded my way through the smaller islands near Kuah. (pronounced kwa), The sun rose at 7 am by which time I was in deeper water and could settle down to completing the 60 mile trip. A following wind did help, and I could see the high rise buildings of Penang by lunchtime. Another yacht headed for the same destination at the same time, it did not come from Kuah though.

I dropped the main and motored into The Church Street pier marina in Georgetown at about 4 pm. I tied up astern of Voahagny, the New Zealanders again, and grabbed three cold beers from my fridge. I was invited aboard the aluminium boat to enjoy the air conditioning. I didn’t bother to check in with anyone as it was soon after office hours. Some other friends of Keith and Rosemary arrived, and then we all went out to dinner, meeting more friends of friends at one of the many open air dining areas. Dozens of stalls offering all sorts of food surround the seating area, the tables are numbered and what ever you order is soon delivered to you at your table. I did ask how the empty plates get back to the originating stall but nobody knew.

Next morning Keith and I walked to the main street, called Chulia, we quickly found an Indian restaurant and had roti’s and a dip of curry sauce for breakfast, I also found a shop with motorbikes for hire so I took one for a week. That evening we drove to the north of the island to celebrate one of the friends birthday, we dined again at a superb Indian restaurant.

Next day Keith and I rode our bikes over the bridge to the mainland, it is 13 kilometres long, and very busy. We took the ferry back; the destination terminal is next to the marina. A one way system makes it hard work to get around the town.

Next day, on my own, I visited an old British fort, and read about the history of the island. Interestingly a Suffolk man founded the settlement, a Francis Light, born in Dallinghoo, near Woodbridge landed at what he named Prince of Wales Island, in 1786. He quickly had a fort built and named it after the governor of India, a James Cornwallis. The settlement was needed for the East India Company to have a refuge between China and India. Francis Light died of malaria but one of his sons, William founded Adelaide in Australia.

The island of Penang is roughly similar in size to Langkawi, but has ten or twenty times the population. The buildings are a mix of 1930’s buildings built in the centre with more modern on the outskirts. There is plenty of industry and occasionally the air is not that good to breath. There is a notable Chinese influence and also an Indian one. Eating out is wonderful, any taste and any budget.

It was the weekend so I waited until Monday to check in with the authorities, Immigration then harbour master, who was a uniformed woman who took a shine to my new cap trying it on, and then Customs. Lots of forms and all a bit pointless, but it keeps people in work.

I hired a motor bike and rode to the boat lagoon, where the yacht was hauled out before I left Phuket. A chandler had windlasses on the shelf but not the right one; the electricians I had communicated with by email had not bothered to check if the windlass offered would fit my yacht. Worse, they stated that it would take two weeks to order one. I was already bored with Thailand, two weeks with nothing to do would not be tolerable. They quoted me 76,000 Baht plus fitting, a simple check on the internet and I found one for 42,000.

I rode backwards and forwards to the boat lagoon over the next few days, I found a chandler with the contacts I wanted, but the employee was too lazy to arrive at a definitive price.

Eventually I persuaded the young man that I was serious about buying one and so he phoned his contact. He quoted a price which did not include the shipping from Italy.

I was tempted to give up but decided to put one on order to see what he could do.

The electronics firm managed to find a price for a galvanic isolator so I gave them the go-ahead. I spent the time cleaning the insides of Loggerhead, Locker by locker, I also searched for a gym with a rowing machine, and eventually I found one, not a Concept2, my preferred equipment, but good enough. Most days I visited the bar Happy Days, one night I took part in a quiz, and was part of the winning team. Our reward was a case of beer which we proceeded to drink. I had a sore head the next morning.

The days passed slowly, I read, and improved my Soduko skills amongst other things. Festina Lente came back from the yard, the engine ran, but starting it was difficult. Howard’s month long visa had expired so he was taking a chance on staying longer, hoping not to be found out.

The days passed slowly, my gym work improved but there was no sign of a windlass arriving. A 28 year old Swede died of a drugs overdose in one of the rooms above Happy Days, I was there when his body was discovered. A few days later the room was “cleansed” by Bhudist monks.

Eventually I was shown an email by the chandler that stated my windlass would ship on the 1^st of June, I expected it to take two weeks to be delivered to Phuket so I cancelled it and spent the deposit on bits and pieces in the chandlers.

I booked out with Customs and immigration and left. Again there was no wind, looking at grib files the wind seems to be absent in the Malacca straights, plenty at either end but none in the middle. It was now well into the South West monsoon, the additional cloud cover kept the temperature down a bit, which was welcome, but thunderstorms and rain at night made sleep difficult at the anchorage. Two nights running I saw winds over 30 knots. A few yachts, and even local dive boats, dragged their anchors, fortunately the bottom is soft and gently sloping so they tended to run aground safely.

There were few fishing boats to see in the trip to Langkawi and the sea was oily in appearance. I broke the trip into two by spending the night at Ko Rok Nok. Next day the wind picked up a little and I managed a decent sail for a few hours. When I had almost arrived I noticed a water spout, a big one, fortunately it was down wind. I crept into the marina at Kuah and after tying up ran to the bar for a glass of Guinness, only to find it closed.