Miri Repairs

 

Well, it’s taken a while but finally we are back on the move again. The 240 volt alternator was repaired by a local motor rewinding company and despite it not working when initially re-installed  and having to be returned for a quick zap (12volt energizer) it is now playing the game. Still not sure what caused the untimely burnout but that’s boats for you.

Back in Miri doing a beer run to the local Chinese restaurant

 We decided to buy a spare alternator so if this happens again we can swap over, while having the problem repaired, all sounded good until it arrived from England with a crack in the casing because it was inadequately packaged for international transport. We were given the option of a free replacement but with the added expense of “adequate” packaging (a crate) or $230 compensation, the original transport cost which should have included “adequate” packaging as requested. After a thorough inspection of the damage we decided to take the compo and hope it would work when needed, all the insides appear to be in good working condition.

Sent in a cardboard box with a bit of paper packing. This weighs 30kg!!!

After a poor attempt at fixing the anchor winch motor by a local company we decided to replace it with a new one from an Australian Yacht Winch Company in Sydney, where we had bought the 2 previous winches, at least this one lasted 10 years. The deal was we would return our old one for a $400 trade-in same as previously. What an ordeal this turned out to be, firstly it took 3 weeks to despatch a stock item, then, when disassembled to be greased and installed we discovered that the base plate was defective. The owner was advised immediately and we assumed a replacement would be sent, not to be as he stated to us that he was aware of the defect and believed it to be perfectly OK!! Obviously their export model or else they’re operating a sheltered workshop for the blind.

 

Who in their right mind would say this is NOT a defect.

 After a few choice words and a couple of ”idle” threats he eventually agreed to supply a replacement base plate on the proviso that we return the defective one, but refused to freight it here so thankfully Bernie came to the rescue and saved the day by picking it up and after a thorough inspection despatched it to us. It arrived 4 days later, Australia Post can you believe it, amazing!! Our old winch will be returning with the defective base plate by surface mail and will take up to 3 months to reach Sydney, fingers crossed?? We’ll deal with the outcome later.





The old spacer left shows the result of water penetrating down past the seals in the bore of the base plate, it's bad enough when the bore is not compromised. The manufacturer states that the winch should be dissasembled every 12 months. Yeh right!! Perhaps the spacer should be made of stainless steel or bronze not aluminium, prevention is always better than cure.

The anchor winch was finally installed and WOW what a difference, the motor has been wrapped with Denso tape which is a fibrous tape impregnated with grease, can handle high temperatures and keeps out moisture over a long period without deteriorating.  Let’s hope this will do the trick.

Reliving childhood

If we had the choice of places to break down, Miri was by far the best place, the marina is safe, relatively cheap and the other yachties great, we had fun in the sun while we toiled away. While waiting for the things to arrive and then re-arrive we discarded the motor bike and hired 2 push bikes for RM10 each/ week. Great exercise and a fun way to get around town, thankfully Miri is mostly flat as a tack. Jen learned to ride surprisingly only ever done it once before and after a couple of weeks rode into town to do the shopping.  She also started belly dancing classes with a growing group of woman which became a passion and a real hoot one Friday night when all the girls put on a performance with their teacher.

 

A bird's eye at Belly Dancing class

 Friday night is Miri Marina session night similar to what we used to have back in OZ, which sadly has been lacking over here till now. The women show off their culinary skills while the men drink and get waited on, just great!! Who could ask for more after a long week of haggling with locals, dealing with overseas suppliers, customs officials, freight companies, forwarding agents, and the list goes on it seems forever.  

A typical Friday night on the top deck at Miri Marina

The beer supplies dwindled down and the on again off again drama continued with another trip to the restaurant for accumulated buckets/slabs to supplement supplies. The authorities were cracking down big time even after Ramadan had finished. The outing was well worth the effort as the Chinese food was excellent and worth the trip on its own. Thankfully our rum stocks are plentiful and a good session on margaritas helps while away the time.

The girls live performance

Throughout the repairs we were researching options for a new asymmetrical spinnaker to replace the old one, the new one we wanted included a continuous line furler so rather than being smothered with a sliding sock the new sail would furl and be much more manageable and usable. We also wanted it to get a bit more windward ability in light winds so we decided on a Doyle UPS (utility power sail) with a Profurl furler. A flatter cut, heavier cloth asymmetrical sail and not as big. The Doyle loft in NZ was 25% cheaper than our old sailmaker in OZ who is now affiliated with Doyles and comparable with local Asian lofts but with a much better reputation, they also agreed to meet our time frame and deliver it to Labuan to save import hassles.

Everyone had to get into the action

We finally headed off in loose company with a couple of other yachts and rather than straight to Labuan we decided to day hop along the coast of Brunei, first stop was Kuala Belait a small river community 30nm north of Miri. The next stop was at Jefri’s wall 50nm further NE, one of the Sultan’s brother’s grandiose plans which was never completed, a  great walled enclosure with only a small island inside, but a comfortable overnight stop and good protection from the rain squalls which hit us that night. The next day we arrived at Labuan and anchored close to the decaying marina which is being repaired but looked no different than it did when we were here 5 weeks ago.

 

The belly dance class grew quickly from 3 to many, obviously a great incentive to get away from the men, but just as quickly reduced as many headed off

The following evening we were hit with a 30kt squall with lightning and thunder all around we took turns to anchor watch as we got closer and closer to the marina wall. The next morning we moved over to the other anchorage near the stilt village, the water’s not as clean but a lot more room to swing. The other 2 boats joined us later in the day. That night at 0200 another storm came through and both the other boats dragged anchor, both had ‘Bruce’anchors which don’t penetrate the rubbish which covers the seabed in this harbour, good for mud but not plastic bags. Our trusty CQR bit and held well.

New building under construction on the shores of Kuala Belait, if you look hard you can see the riggers at the top of a scaffold erecting some intricate spire

 We will spend  a another  week here exploring on our rented motor bike, stocking up with cheap beer and waiting for the new sail to arrive then head on up to a few islands and Kota Kinabulu. It’s a slow trip north, but we’re not in a great rush anyway.

Heading out from behind the protection of Jefri's Wall

 Bye for now,

 

Beers and Cheers, with a margarita or 2

J&J