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.