The Trip April 13th 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.
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.
16th April
16th 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 5th 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.
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