Singapore to Terenagganu "pursuit of happiness"

Redang island

June 28^th 2013   Redang Island

What a beautiful day, the sun is shining the water is absolutely clear, and the beach is the colour of a bleached white shirt. Redang island some 25 miles north of Terengganu on Malaysia’s east coast.

BBQ on the beach

The north bay is “U”shapedwith hills about 400 feet high mountains covered in thick green foliage. At the top of the bay is a white sandy beach and a five star resort with a second white beach not far away. The bottom is sand but there are patches of coral dotted here and there. This is home to a colony of turtles.

The Turtles have hard shells that seem to be as hard as some Australian Politicians.

Yesterday the Prime Minister of Australia was dumped as party leader and replaced  by Kevin Rudd

a former Prime Minister who was also stabbed in the back 3 years ago by the previous prime minster  Ms Julia Gillard.

It is a sad state of affairs when the politicians are addicted to personal  aggrandizement  and their position on the totem pole of power  while they neglect  the interests and well being of the people who they supposedly stood to serve.

Well rather than waste the short life that I have left by fighting for power and status, I have chosen the life of a Dolphin who uses his brain power to play rather than squabble.

While “the pursuit of happiness “is enshrined in the American constitution I am not sure if many people really know what makes them happy. In reading the news papers from around the world one gets a view that everything is bad and getting worse. Corruption, Greed,  Murders, embezzlement, pedophilia and betrayal  seem to always be in the head lines along with pollution and dwindling natural resources.

From my daily reading I do not get any inspiration about the pursuit of happiness. May be the newspapers are not the place to look for inspiration.

Changi Sailing club

We left Singapore on Thursday May 16^th 2013 continuing our pursuit of Happiness.

At Changi Sailing club the manager faxed our crew list to Changi Customs , we left the

mooring and motored down the east coast of Singapore Island. Clearing customs from the east coast requires a VHF radio call to customs and the customs boat comes out to meet you at Angler Bank which is a shallow bank just off the shipping channel.

Extending the boundaries of Singapore

 

WE had made the call and were waiting at Angler bank, the wind was brisk and the sea was choppy.

We were idling just to keep from drifting with the tide but the boat was pitching and rolling.

I looked astern and saw that the rubber dingy had broken away from one of the davits. It was bouncing around being held by one stainless steel  ring, the other had snapped as the yacht lurched this way and that.

What to do? If I tried to lower myself into the dinghy the chance of me hitting my head on the stern as it rose and fell with the waves  was high. Instead I took a rope over the davit to the remaining stainless steel ring and pulled it tight so that it took the weight of the dingy so I could unclip the shackle.

Success, I lowered the dinghy into the water and secured the line to a cleat and the dinghy floated peacefully astern. The bung however was not it. Would the dinghy fill with water or not?  I did not know

I will just have to see what happens as it was too rough to lower myself in to the dinghy to put the bung back in. While I was pondering this the customs boat arrived.

TH customs boat is a grey enclosed motor launch 40 feet long manned by two boat crew and two customs  officers. In the choppy sea The skipper maneuvered  his boat within inches of out yacht and the customs officers held out a net on the end of a broomstick. We place our passports and ships papers in the net and the customs boat reversed out of the way. The customs officers retreated to the cabin to attend to the paper work. A few minutes later the customs boat returned and the officers handed  back the documents in the net.

On this occasion the Customs  officer asked if I could sign two copies of  a clearance document  and pass the original back to him. In a rush to complete the process in ever increasing rolling seas I signed both copies and passed one back to him.  The customs boat backed off again. He yelled that I gave him the copy rather than the original so we had to endure another close encounter while I took the copy and placed the original in the net hoping that it would not be blown away.

Success, thumbs up and we both motored off in different directions.

We were heading just across Singapore straits to the naval base on the southern tip of Malaysia with the dinghy following behind.

Finding the passage into the river where the naval base is complicated by the fact that Singapore who owns several neighboring island is hell bent on increasing their size by dumping tons of sand brought by barges and then building rock wall to keep the sand from  being taken away by the tide.

With all the activity of barges and tugs coming and going ,floats in the water marking shallow areas  we found the entrance and had a pleasant sail in calm waters up the river past the Naval base.

Replacing the stainless steel ring

When we anchored,   I climbed into the dinghy and was surprised to find no water ! As the dinghy was being towed the bung hole in the stern acted as a venturi sucking any water out of the dinghy.

While peacefully at anchor I set about effecting repairs to attachment  point of the dinghy to the davits.

In my many boxes of spare parts and bits and pieces I found a steel ring that would do the job. While fitting the ring I noticed that a stainless steel wire holding the ring was frayed .I found  piece of rope and made the necessary repairs.

May be problem solving is somewhere on the path in the pursuit of happiness.

The next morning just before sunrise we raised the anchor and went down the river with the outgoing tide. As the sun rose we motored   to the South east t tip of Malaysia  past  60 boats an anchor waiting for their next cargo  . The weather was mild with a light easterly breeze.

Leaving the Naval Base

 

 

 

By late afternoon we had arrived at Sibu island and  anchored in a sea of jellyfish. These creatures had a head about the size of an orange and long flowing, stinging tendrils two meters long.

Jelly fish

I did not feel like swimming so I sat in the cockpit sipping a  gin and tonic.

The next morning we set off for Tioman island 30 miles to the north east. Tioman is a high densely forested island with isolated sandy beaches each with its own resort. The ferries come and go with tourists who love to dive in the clear waters of the island. Apart from the dirt track that connects  the eastern beach with the western one there is only 1.5 km of road around the township , main ferry wharf and the airstrip. The Fokker Friendships land on a strip a little larger than an aircraft carrier that is hemmed in by the sea on one side and 1,000 meter hills on the other.

Tioman islans

 

Tioman is so laid back that we had to wake the immigration officer, who was asleep under his desk,

to process our passports. Both he and the customs officer in the office next door were friendly and efficient. They knew how to do their jobs and  were able to have a stress free nap from time to time.

Restaurants on the beach

It was hot in Tioman, the high mountains  blocked the south easterly breeze as I trudged along the roadway to the house of a lady who  took washing in.

While I was waiting for her I sat on a chair in front of a fan in the shop next door that sold duty free alcohol. I bought a bottle of water and sat contentedly while the owner scaled and cleaned some small fish  for his lunch. The laundry lady arrived and weighed the washing. 4 kilos. “It will be ready tomorrow “ she said and I wandered off back to the dinghy  and motored back to the boat.

We stayed a few days, swimming and reading and going ashore to  restaurant that served  Chili fish.

That is ; white fillets of fish cooked with chili, vegetables and oyster sauce  on a bed of rice. This restaurant had been taken over by Malays and unfortunately they did not serve beer but a large lime juice with ice was just as nice.

airport control tower  adjacent to the marina

 

 

We spent several days swimming and relaxing picked up the washing and bought some beer. I asked the shop owner if he could deliver the beer to the marina. Sure he clapped his hands and someone came running backed out the motor bike and sidecar, loaded the beer and I jumped on the back of the motor bike. We went hurtling down the road while I tried to hang on as there was only one foot rest.

Down at the marina Annick had arrived with a case of red wine and some bottles of Whisky. WE loaded up the dinghy and headed to the boat.

Once the shopping was stored we had a swim and then went back to our favourite restaurant on the beach.

Early the next day we set off for the port of Kuantan about a day’s sail. Kuantan is a busy shipping port and we had decided to anchor on a sandy shoal a few miles off shore. WE anchored in the late afternoon as a huge cloud bank approached. We had just managed to have a shower on deck when the rain bucketed down.

In the cockpit with the plastic side curtains down it was quite cozy, eating chicken in black pepper sauce

washed down with some of our newly purchased Californian red wine.

The next day we were off just before dawn in very pleasant weather, passing the many ships at anchor waiting to enter the port. It was an easy run up the coast motor sailing in a light easterly breeze.

After the Malaysian elections
the flags are recycled

WE passed Kappas island just after lunch and then entered Terengganu harbour a few hours later.

 

Kappas island

So now for a month’s rest and recreation .I am looking forward to the “home made café” and the stuffed crabs.

homemade cafe

I will tell you more about Terengganu, Redang Island and the Perenthian’s in my next post.

 

Port Dickson to Singapore

There may be 50 shades of grey as well as 50 shades of black on this first day of may.

I awoke early before the black had turned to grey. There were jobs to do. Hank the staysail on,remove the mainsail cover,check the oil level in the gearbox and the oil in the auto pilot with the aid of a torch,then the preparations for leaving . The navigation program refused to work,a blank page is not very helpful. After sme fiddlingthe map appeared and we were ready to leave.

May be it was not a good time as Ilooked out to the south west the rain clouds were moving towards us,

Joshua may have been able to stop the sun during the battle of Jericho  but there was nothing  that I could do to stop the storm from coming. The wind comes first causing small ripples on the water,it keeps increasing until it is howling at 35 knots, wind waves begin to form and then the pitter pat of rain drops . within seconds there is a deluge of rain, vertical and first and then it becomes horizontal as the wind lashes the rain into a frenzy.

Our course  was south east through a narrow channel of 20 metres depth flanked either side by shallow banks of 4 to 6 meters depth. The rain obliterated the coastline as we were buffeted by wind

I kept peering down into the cabin to look at the computer screen to see the red icon of the boat to make sure we were still in the white channel.  The wind was blowing us to the shore as we made adjustments to the course out to sea.  The tide had not yet peaked and our speed was dropping t below three knots. I could at times just make out the  headland as the light o the hill managed to blink in the grayness of the morning. The scene was akin to the second movement of the William Tell overtute where the hero was being tossed about in a boat during a storm .

Annick was down below riveted between the bunk and the dinette as the rain was drenching me in the cockpit. Driving rain, screaming wind, poor visibility and the prospect of being flung on to the rocks puts concepts of life and death into perspective.

For me in a crisis like this a calmness comes over me like a protective blanket. I focus on the moment, Concentrating on steering, looking out for danger, trying to read the wind and the waves, thinking this will all be over in a while,  sunshine an calm seas will prevail.

The radar screen shows the clutter of rain 1.5 miles all around but I can see a clear path ahead, just hang on and things will be fine. And so it was several hours later.

 The rain stopped, the seas calmed a little  a gentle breeze was blowing from the south east as we passed  a dozen or so ships at anchor and two barges being towed north as I thought about Louis Armstrong  the late and great jazz trumpeter. Did you know that he smoked pot? Just for medicinal purposes. He had calling card printed. A picture of him sitting on the toilet with the caption

“LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND”

And so we did arriving at Pulau Besar in the water islands just south of Malacca.

Just south of the town f Malacca lie the water islands ,half a dozen  small rocky outcrops covered in jungle. Pulau  Besar the larger island with  a huge resort that has never had a guest, was where we anchored in about 6 meters of water over a seabed of mud.

WE had our pre dinner drinks grilled fish with potato, aubergene  and onion and went to bed early

So that we could leave at 3.30 am the next day for the banana islands 70 miles away.

 

It was 3.00 am when we raised the anchor and motored over still water  towards our objective. We were seven miles inside the shipping route of Malacca straits and could see a dozen or so ships headingNorth.

In the dark we could see flashes of lightening to the south west. At this time of the year the rain bearing clouds travel north east. Before the sun came up the wind began freshening from the south west so we rolled out the jib and our speed increased a few knots.

The morning  was quite pleasant as we watched the huge clouds with black bottoms pass by as we read a bunch of British yachting magazines. Sitting in the cockpit in just  pair of shorts looking at armchair sailors in the latest fashion wet weather gear was strange. They looked like spacemen to us as here in the tropics the climate is such that you only need a pair of shorts. If it rains then a very light waterproof jacket is enough.

We reached the Banana islands well before dusk and found an anchorage in 7.5 meters of water on the north side of the islands. Two other yachts arrived before dark as more clouds rolled in.

Next morning a 6.30 am as day was breaking we set off for johore baru  40 odd miles away. We passed a few coal barges  and could see ships in the distance heading north along  the rescribed shipping rout of Mlacca straits. WE were well inshore and could see the lowlying coast five miles to the east.

AS we neared southern Malaysia  and Johore strait and the western tip of Singapore,many ships were at anchor and many more were moving. On VHF radio we could hear ships calling each other,reportig their positions and directions. Singapore Port control was also calling ships aking for their draft and next ports of call. On the hour and half hour there was a securite warning of the position of a crane anchored and warning ships to keep  clear and slow their speed to 12 knots.

Vigilence is necessary  both for noting where the ships are and the black clouds were moving. The sky ahead was completely black and we could just see the grey shapes of ships in out path. If the rain came

Visibility would be down to 50  feet ,so we have to know at all times where we are and where all the other ships are. As luck would have it the clouds moved to the north east across Malaysia and we just experienced a sprinkling of rain. Me made our way past the navigational beacons and kept out of the way of ships until we were safely in Johore straits and there were only anchored ships along the way.

We were able to sail under Tuas bridge and call up Puteri harbour marina. The northern coast of Singapore is fenced by a 10 meter barbed wire sructure . Thre are signs indicating that people entering Singapore illegally would be shot on sight. Also every 500 meteres there are black Singapore patrol boats  patrolling the coast line.

We entered Puteri  harbour, a new marina/housing development and there were two assistance to help us tie up, they even coiled our ropes(Cheesing) on the deck.

Puteri  Harbour has been carved out of the mangroves with a resort shops restaurants and apartments s encapsulating the marina. Not all complete as yet but five star quality. The only problems is that it is hot, dam hot and the marina is males from anywhere, The staff at the marina are very friendly, professional and helpful. On our second day there was Sunday May 5^th, election day in Malaysia. WE wanted to go to the shopping centre in the morning. No taxi. Of course I understood, the Barisan ruling party as part of their vote buying offered a new set of tyres to every taxi in Malaysia. Well they had to vote to complete their part of the bargain so taxis were off the road in the morning by government decree. However  with a bit of negotiating at the front office “Can you help me ? I need to go to the shopping centre today. Do you know any smart Malaysians who would like to earn some money and drive us to the shopping centre.”  The girl behind the desk asked “how many people” , I answered “two”

She said wait a minute. And then we were travelling in her car to the shopping centre. When we arrived she asked” when would you like to be picked up” about 3.00pm MR50 ringit changed hands and we began shopping. AON shopping centre was like all other shopping  centre around the  world. Air conditioned, a food court, designer labels  and a super market.

We filled our bags with frozen meats, although we had to go to a small room off the supermarket to buy pork.

As we were carrying our bags down the walkway a guy from another boat asked us over for drinks.

We stowed to groceries and meat and returned to have drink with John. He told us his story.

71 years old ,his wife had recently divorced him. He was a farmer in Yorkshire who sold the farm pocketed $ 5,000,000 and set off around the world in a 44fit Moody. After his divorce and bad property investments made by his “dick head son”  (his words) John is virtually penniless.  He has some property

But the loan to the bank is nearly as much as the property is worth. He was beside himself about what to do.” Why after 51 years did she decide to leave, I still do not know what the problem was I am in a mess I have never cooked in my life and it is difficult to learn at my age.”

After a few beers it became clear, he had been unfaithful some years ago she  had not let him forget it.

Annick did not like the Indian food at the restaurant and she went to be while

John and I discussed hoe he could get out of the mess he was in.

Next morning  we departed Puteri harbor for Raffles marina  just an hour’s motoring  down

Johore  straits under the Tuas bridge and we were there.

It was hot and muggy as the boat staff took our lines and connected the electric power.

At the marina office the customs and immigration guy stamped our papers was that was that.

Annick went to the pool and I had a sleep for an hour. The pool was cool and a pleasant relief from the heat.

I joined Annick at the pool but not long after I arrived the black clouds came closer and then the rain.

Down in the cabin it was still hot as the rain pelted down. What to do in the rain.

A game of scrabble and a gin and tonic was in order.

The following day we took the MRT (train) into Singapore city to the port Authority to complete the check in procedure. Now it is mandatory for all yachts to have AIS  which is a  navigational  radar  aid

Which shows all  ships in the area,both those that are anchored and those that are moving. Our AIS is  reeive only but the port Authority said it wa ok. In addtion for yachts crusing in Singapore waters it is now compulsory to have a cruising permit. To gain the permit the applicant has to answer 20 questions about  shipping rules and procedures in Singapore. With the thousands of ships coming and going in Singapore this seems to be a resonable regulation.

Waiting for a taxi out side a bank buliding I could not help to notice how beautiful and well dressed the women are.Singapore has to be one of the most sophisticated cities in the world.

The Singaporeans are remarkably well behaved as is the city, well planned. Trees, bicycle tracks, parks and well maintained apartment blocks with nothing out of order.

 The order,cleanliness and functioning of the city is quite amazing but it comes at a price! ; excessive regulations.

The island of Singapore is connected to Malaysia by a causeway that is very close to the water and impossible to sail a boat under.To get to the east coast of Singapore by boat requires a day trip of about 50 miles through hundreds of ships,some anchored and some moving in and out  of a half a dozen of docks scattered around the island.

We are heading for Changi sailing club on the north east corner of Singapore. Changi is a leafy green area   of government owned guest houses and the sailing club has a small white sand beach ,an excellent restaurant and a swimming pool. We arrived at 5.pm in the middle of a rain storm,radioed the club on VHF and a small boat came out in the driving rain to direct us to  a mooring buoy.

Wow

look what just came past !
From Singapore  we head north along the east coast of Malaysia.

 

 

Sailing Malaysia 2013

The Trip April 13^th 2013

After resting up in the cocoon of Rebak marina for three months we departed on the sail to Singapore.

Having sat for so long in such a paradise, with air-conditioning and the swimming pool we were mentally out of condition for the open sea. Yes, we made all the preparations but you get apprehensive about beginning a new voyage. You worry about the equipment, the weather and the stamina that might be required in rough weather. The season was changing, the birds knew first, chirping away to their mates and nest building, the flowers on the trees turned to seed pods. Seeds were dropped to the ground in preparation for the first rains.

WE paid our bill, returned the air conditioner, said goodbye to our friends and slipped the mooring lines.
The first day was a 12 mile trip to Kuah and the Royal langkawi yachts club for a few days.

Our first obstacle was a gleaming white cruise ship. We were on a collision course. I tried to out run it but soon realized that this was a hopeless task and so we throttled back and let her pass.

At the Royal Langkawi marina we took on fuel and then moved to a berth at E19. A couple of friends were on hand to take our lines. We invited them on board for a beer but found that we had run out. We settled for cold water while we continue to sweat in the heat of the day.

Our mission was to stock up with booze, two new batteries and some spare filters for the boat.

As we are planning to be away for 6 months and Langkawi is a duty free port, be bought up big.

8 slabs of beer, a dozen bottles of whisky,8 cartons of red wine and two of white(just for cooking)Some rum, pastis and gin.Unloading the booty on to the large marina trolley we could hardly push the trolley. Two marina staff came to our assistance for the 500meter journey along the pontoons. It was hot sweaty work for MR20.To our amazement we managed to stow everything although I noticed when things were packed way that Jalan Jalan had a slight list to port.

That evening we ate at the restaurant and slipped in bed. It was so hot that sleep was impossible. We poured buckets of water over our body to cool down. That helped for about an hour, so we were up again to shower again and somehow drifted off to sleep.

The next morning I awoke and looked out and up through the porthole and masts and rigging of boats

 

Dancing away in the swell created by the passing ferries. In m y half awake state it was like being inside a piano while someone was playing Rachmaninoff.
16^th April

The day of departure from Kuah   was day of waiting. Annick went to customs and harbour master to clear out to Danga bay while I waited for the refrigerator mechanic. He arrived at just after noon. A crack in one of the gas lines was soldered, the system was vacuumed and then refilled with gas and the mechanic found a loose electrical connection which he cut and replaced.

By 1.30 we had cleared out and were motoring over a glassy sea to a small island called pulau payer.

I was listening intently to every sound the engine made, looking at the temperature and oil pressure gauges fearing something might be wrong. A few days earlier we had heard a story from another yacht about his cutlass bearing being torn apart from the vibration of the engine so I was a bit paranoid, Opening the engine compartment, looking for any water coming in through the shaft seal and noting the vibration of the shaft and trying to remember if that was normal or not. Everything was fine. Just a mild case of paranoia on my part.

The afternoon was hot. The sea was like glass as we motored to the island of Paya just 15 miles to the south. Within a few hours with a 15knot North West wind blowing we rolled out the jib and were doing 7 knots over the water. Pulau Payer is a small island less than a mile long with several white beaches nestling under 200 feet of lush tropical mountain side. The island is populated with day trippers travelling from Penang to Langkawi.

We took one of the orange mooring buoys and went for a swim before dinner. Apart from several fishing boat preparing for their evening trawl there was a Malaysian Navy boat patrolling the coast line.

 

Recently there have been troubles in Myanmar between the Buddhists and Muslims with up to 3,000 Muslim fishermen fleeing the country, looking for another place to live in the “perceived” Muslim friendly countries of Malaysia and Indonesia. In reality Malaysia and Indonesia do not want these refugees to land in their countries and so the Navy is doing what it can to repel these foreigners.

Let’s hope the Navy intercepts the foreign fishing boats before we do.

It was a perfect evening, with calm seas and a gentle breeze from the north until the tide changed.

At 3.30 am we awoke to a banging on the hull. Scampering up on deck with a torch we looked around in the dark and could not see anything at first. Then we found the problem. The boat had drifted back onto the one meter diameter buoy. We tried to reposition the boat to no avail; it kept banging up against the buoy. What to do Have a cup of coffee and think about it.

The decision was made. We cast off the line to the buoy and motored in the dark to Penang Island 50 miles to the south. There were about five fishing boats trawling the sea that we could see clearly on the Radar screen and none of them were directly in our path.

By first light we could see clutches of bamboo poles of the fish aggregators that are common in the area.

Bamboo poles lashed together are buried in the sand in depths of 27 meters of water and stand 15 meters above the sea. These poles get covered with algae and then attract fish. The fishermen anchor nearby and using fishing rods try to them.

We arrived at the entrance of the main shipping channel that runs between the island of Penang and the mainland of Malaysia by lunch time and worked our way passing ships unloading at Butterworth on the left and the bustling city of Georgetown on the right.

 

The sky was hazy with rain clouds hovering over Penang hill as we passed under the two long bridges   connecting Penang to the mainland.We anchored just north of the lighthouse off Rimau Island which is just a stone’s throw from the southern tip of Penang Island.

WE could see a group of monkeys walking along the water’s edge and climbing over to rocks looking for small crabs.

After a late lunch and several cold beers we slept for a few hours. Just before dusk I inspected the engine. I regularly check the glass bowl of the fuel filter to see if there is any dirt or water in the system. Everything was fine, except the bilge pump was not working. There was a bad connection in one of the wires. I hauled the pump out of the one meter deep bilge, found the problem and replaced one of the connecters with a new one.

Again about 3.30 in the morning we were woken by strong winds and a rain squall. The anchor was slowly dragging in the soft mud by the force of the wind and the current which was from the same direction as the wind.

Rather than re anchor we decided to leave for Pangkor Island 60 miles to the south.

There is a well marked channel leading 15 miles south west through shallow patches both to the left   and right. The wind was screaming at 30 knots on across our beam and the heavy rain was obliterating the flashing green channel marker as we inched our way south west of Rimau and down the channel.The seas were whipped up into one meter waves as we rocked and rolled with rain running off our waterproof jackets.

As daylight was emerging I could see the waves clearly and unfurled the jib. The jib steadied the roll and gave us a few more knots of speed.

As the day unfolded, the seas calmed and we were making 5.5knots towards Pangkor Island.

In the late afternoon the wind began building again from the north west at 25knots. Pangkor island was insight.

We anchored on the south east corner of Pangkor Laut as the fishing boats were getting ready for their evening work. The wind died down and the sun went down. Over evening drink it was decided that we stay a few days in Lumut. After a good night’s sleep we awoke, had coffee and raised the anchor. It was a short trip around Pangkor island and then following the channel markers past Naval base and the up the river to the Royal international yacht Club. The club has a grand three story white building and a 50 meter swimming pool. The club has seen better days but the people are friendly. There is a small marina of two pontoon fingers with a half a dozen boats tied up. It was here we met Yamilla and Nadi old friend from Rebak. They had decided to stay in Lumut for six months at the marina and after a month became quite knowledgeable about the town, the bus system and the supermarkets.

Lumut is a Navy and shipbuilding town with 90% of the Malaysian navy stationed here. Commerce in this small town of three or four streets in dominated by Indian and Chinese shop keepers and there is a busy tourist industry ferrying holiday makers out the resorts on Pangkor island and Pangkor Laut which was Pavarotti’s favorite retreat.

Just after we had anchored a huge ship arrived and anchored in the middle of the channel. Once ashore and bathing in the pool the club  yacht manager told us that it might be  good idea to reposition a little closer to the shore as barges unloading sand from the newly arrived ship would be passing close to theYacht club. We noticed a lot of activity and soon found out that over the next three days there would be Malaysian national championships for Optimists, lasers and 420 and 4.7 yachts.

Annick was excited with the activity especially as the yachts passed close to us on their practice runs.

We re anchored  and settled down for the evening.

Over the next few days we were impressed with the organization of the regatta of more than 100 boats. We had to suffer a thin film of sand on our decks from the ship unloading sand into barges which was washed down each morning.

We stayed for the prize giving and the following day we departed the river for an anchorage on the southern tip of Pangkor island ready for a departure to Port Klang early next morning.

We swam off the boat in the clear water and planned our course to Port Klang 85 miles to the South.

As there were about 8 ships anchored and several barges being towed and a few island several miles away we had to be careful in planning the course.

At 11.30 in the evening not being able to sleep we set off in the dark for the first mark a green flashing light about 8 miles away, all the ships were firmly anchored and there were no barges in sight. There was a gentle easterly wind as we motor sailed through the night. A strong coffee about three hours into the voyage kept me awake and alert. BY early morning we came across some fishing boats that were well clear of us but a day broke the trawlers were crossing our path and we had to make sure that we were not caught up in their nets.

As the Day wore on the black rain clouds appeared, we could see lightening and hear the thunder claps.Looking at the Radar we could see rain three miles ahead but drifting past us. I think we will miss it: and we did.

By noon we picked up the leading light for the 30mile channel past Palua Ketam and Palau Klang into the shipping port. The channel has sand flats with 2 meter depth either side of the channel so vigilance is required to keep on track. Luckily the tide was with us as we galloped along at 7 knots. The sky was becoming dark and the wind was freshening. We approached the inner port with several ships and a yacht coming out and a few drops of rain falling. We passed the power station and a ship unloading coaland 6 ships at anchor. Sailing passed the northern wharf there were several ships unloading and extensions to the southern wharf were in progress with cranes sinking concrete piles and buoys marking the danger points.  We rounded the end of the wharf construction, past a cardinal mark and up the small river and anchored off a Chinese village. The rain was falling gently and the tide had turned carrying out the garbage.

We had green peas and grilled chicken for dinner and went to bed ready for an early morning start.

 

At 6.30 am we were underway, with the help of the outgoing tide we motored down the 10 mile channel Passed the southern container terminal. There were several ships coming up the channel and we kept to the right hand side of the channel as they passed.

 

At the fairway beacon the southerly outgoing tide begins to meet a cross current coming from the east. While there is some turbulence, the the cross current took us west outside the channel into shallow water. At first I though that there was a problem with the chart plotter but soon realized that it was the current. Back on course our speed dropped from 6.9 knots back to 3.7 knots as we fought the current. There were about 20 ships and anchor and five heading to Port klang. In the distance we could just makeout ships travelling north through Malacca straits. The sky was turning black with flashed of lightening but the system was moving north a few miles to the west of us.

The day  passed slowly and by mid afternoon the current had changed in our favour as the speed climbed back above 6 knots. We radioed Admiral marina at Port Dickson of our ETA of 5.15 and entered the marks on the chart leading to the marina. By 5.15 we were tied up in the marina and ready for a swim and a rest.

Admiral cove marina, flanked by a multistory hotel and two blocks of high rise apartments is a very pleasant marina. There were thirty boats tied up and room for 70 more. We planned to stay for a week.

During the week is very quiet but come the weekend the hotel is full with seminars and holiday makers from Kuala lumpur just a 90 minute drive away. On week end the pool is full of exuberant children splashing and playing in the pool.

 

The Royal Port Dickson yacht club a few miles away is a treat to eat at. The clubhouse with a pool and tennis courts is something that the British Raj left behind when Malaysia became independent  in 1957.

 

Now it seems to be dominated  Anglophiles, mainly Indians with a smattering of expatriates and older Malays.

We shared a table with an Indian couple of our age. He was an insurance salesman and she was retired.

They have an apartment on the beach and they come to port Dickson to escape the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur. Our discussions focused on the upcoming  National elections. The ruling party has been in power for 57 years and during that time the country has prospered and the spoils of the prosperity seemed to have been shared largely amongst  the friends of the rulers. The minority groups of Indians and Chinese as well as the majority of Malays feel that they are not getting a fair deal . They are looking for change but not radical change.

The issues of stable government and the pursuit  of economic and social justice are weighing on the minds of the 12 million voters.

In talking to an Indian taxi driver, who along with every other taxi driver,  will get a new set of tyres paid for by the government and delivered 10 days after polling day ,he wants the current government to win. From his perspective the devil he knows and the one that he has learned to live with and for him is a better choice  than living under a new and inexperienced regime.

In talking to a range of people who  take an interest in politics and who care about their country, the best outcome seems to be one where the government is returned but with a decreased majority. If the opposition parties achieve 40% of the vote then the government will have to get their support  in making legislative change. So for the Malaysian people if this outcome occurs they will have stability and some social change and may be a more equitable distribution of wealth. We will see what happens on May 5^th 2013.

National pride is something that every government wants to instill in the minds of the electorate.

On our boat Annick has hoisted  a huge Brittany Flag, demonstrating not national but  pride in the region of Brittany in France. The flag seems to attract interest from the French who see it.

The other evening we had a visit from a woman named Claude who is from Brittany but is Married to a Malaysian and spends her time between France and Malaysia. Claude and her husband Tommy  invited us to dinner at the Royal Port Dickson Yacht club.

We had a wonderful meal  and interesting conversation with Claude, tommy and their friends.

In the course of the conversation Tommy asked if we knew the manager of the Telaga marina in Langkawi. I did not, so he told me the story about this guy. He was the first Malaysian to circumnavigate the world on a yacht. He was an instrument the government used in developing national pride. He became the role model for young Malaysians, a person challenging the unknown, enduring hardships of the sea and so on. Tommy being a pilot in the Malaysian air force flew a replacement mast to the stricken yachtsman somewhere off Cape Horn.

On his return from this epic voyage , this man the first Malaysian to circum navigate the world became a  persona non grata. How was that you ask? Well in crossing the pacific the lone yachtsman encountered a very violent storm  that scared the hell out of him. During the tempest he found God ,

Not Allah but the father of Jesus Christ. He became a Christian!  So much for national pride.