Miri to Labuan to Miri

It’s not what we planned but such is the life of cruising, that changes are inevitable and despite the frustrations one must simply go with the flow. Easier said than done for an impatient skipper.




The main cave in Niah NP, the hanging rope in the foreground is what they climb to collect the birds nest for soup a Chinese delicacy



After our trip to the Mulu NP we caught up with some friends who had just arrived and we hired a car from Simon our trusty what’s where man in Miri and headed off to the Niah NP 120km south which hosts more limestone caves which were inhabited by humans for thousands of years. These caves are not as popular as Mulu and a guide is not necessary so it’s a leisurely stroll through the dense jungle, approx 12km round trip along a timber board walk, a full days outing. It rained all the way there and our hire car a 70’s model Toyota Crown Diesel was a death trap on wheels, with one saving grace, the AC worked.

Another of the caves at Niah NP

Two days later we hired another car, the best in Simon’s fleet and headed off to Brunei for the day and a chance to renew our 90 day Malaysian visa. Brunei is a Sultanate country run by a benevolent dictator with oodles of oil and trashy western commercialism. The sultans brother Jefri became world famous for his opulent spending when head of the countries finance coffers, with many of his grandiose developments presently decaying under the intense heat and humidity. He has since been banished to Britain with only millions to spend each year instead of the billions he once had.

A round-about in Brunei - tea anyone - tacky ehh??

One of the reasons we headed to Brunei was to purchase some licorice which we have been craving for and had been told was available, we eventually found it but to our surprise was raspberry flavoured?????, even the expats have strange tastes. We also find some Arnott’s Ginger Nut biscuits made the old way, thick and hard. A real favourite, so we spent all our remaining Singapore dollars (same as Brunei dollar) and stocked up.

Boat - like structure attached to the Capital City Mosque

The marina was filling up to the point where Captain Fin was squeezing boats in between others. It was race week!! The 9^th Annual Borneo Regatta, 45 yachts had entered into 4 groups, IOR racing, Class A Cruising, Class B Cruising and Multihull. Many of the cruising boats were part of the Sail Malaysia East Rally which we declined earlier this year as it didn’t match our timeframe. Some of Class A which we were part of were actual racing boats without IOR certificates, so stiff competition.

The first day was spent registering, measuring for handicap, clearance out of Sarawak, race instructions and collecting our free T-shirts.The next day was race 1 around the cans out the front which we did OK despite getting caught on the first marker when we were headed off by another yacht which failed to give way, we had to alter course and sail around behind him while trying to lay the mark, he later apologized at the hotel lobby while carrying the winners trophy. All of the boats in our class had crew fly in for the regatta so despite fudging our handicap we had a self imposed handicap of only the 2 of us. It’s supposed to be fun anyway. It was hard work competing and even though we were the fastest boat in a straight line we missed out on a prize.

Jostling at the start line before race 1

After the race we booked into the hotel which is owned by the marina which is owned by a mega-rich Chinaman in Miri. The room was free as part of the regatta and so was the reception in the pavilion. Local entertainment and free beer just what the doctor ordered after a hard day of sailing.

Entertainment at the reception dinner

Race 2 was an overnight sail to Labuan 110nm north through the Brunei oil fields, it started at 1300hrs and after a great start and leading the fleet for a while we blew out our asymmetrical spinnaker, it took a while to retrieve and reset our sails so we fell behind and drifted along in the light breeze. We hoisted our symmetrical spinnaker on the pole the first time since leaving OZ and picked up speed again and managed to get through the oil fields just on dark so were very pleased with that.



Out in front for a while

Our dramas came to a head when we turned on the generator to run down the freezer and charge batteries. What we thought was a smell from the oil well heads was in fact the 240volt alternator burning down below. NOT GOOD!!! We doused the spinnaker so we could investigate the problem and drifted along again in a building wind which peaked at 18kts. We decided to continue on rather than turn back hoping we could sort the problem in Labuan. The night sailing was good only motoring for a couple of hours when the wind died before changing to come offshore at 90 degrees.



oops!! a spinnaker blowout - the colours didn't match anyway

We arrived in Labuan at 0800hrs without any sleep and anchored with the few boats that arrived before us only to find it was the wrong location so had to up anchor and move. It was here that we discovered the anchor winch had developed the same problem we encountered in Tioman Island, so had to manually wind up the anchor. Problem no 3 had surfaced!!!.

Back in the race again - for a while anyway, much better colours

After a couple of hours sleep I contacted the alternator manufactures and was told the only recommended agent was in Miri, why didn’t that surprise me??. We wanted to continue on to Kota Kinabalu (KK) with the regatta but could not be guaranteed a berth at the very expensive marina and we needed 240 volt power to keep our fully stocked freezer cold, our inverter can handle the loads but not for long periods. The anchorage in KK was reported to be ordinary as well. The marina in Labuan was closed to yachts while being rebuilt and the anchorage was exposed to the east.



All was well again for a while

We cleared in and out of Labuan that day and started contacting people around the world to source a new alternator in the event that the current one was irrepairable. The next morning we contacted the Labuan Marina again but they refused us entry so we decided the best option was to return to Miri.



One of the many hazards encountered enroute to Labuan and back again to Miri at night

The winds were lighter than the previous 2 days and more on the nose so we motor-sailed virtually all the back to Miri this time having to traverse the Brunei oilfields in the dark with no moon. We arrived back at the marina at 0230hrs to the berth we left 2 days earlier having travelled 220nm, getting very little sleep and a heap of problems to solve. AGHH!! the joys of cruising???



These are the Australian Kookabura America's Cup boats, not sure why they are at Miri Marina

A week has past since returning to Miri and a new anchor winch is on its way from OZ, we have sourced a new alternator (spare) in England, it should be sent sometime this coming week and the existing alternator has been repaired???? locally, reinstalled and running as it should. The asymmetrical spinnaker was beyond repair as some of the cloth was in poor condition so we sold it to a much smaller boat for a carton of beer. He is very proud to be the current owner of Dreamweaver’s spinnaker for some strange reason.

The infamous winged keel of the 80's

A new problemo arose in Miri and that was “the boat had run out of BEER” well almost anyway. Customs officers had cracked down on the sale of smuggled beer which we think was a result of Ramadan the Muslim month of fasting, so cheap beer was not available. We didn’t have time to restock in Labuan (duty free island)  thinking we could buy smuggled beer in Miri, so it was dire straits. The only way to get cheapish beer was to go down to a restaurant and buy multiple buckets (a bucket is 4 cans) and take them home. We taught them that 6 buckets equals 1 slab so we now buy them in slabs. Not sure if they really understand what they are doing or if it is legal, but we have a beer supply again.



This yacht was sunk in the marina for months and sold on Ebay to an unsuspecting buyer who when arrived to collect it found it sunk, was told he owed unpaid marina fees, he fled the next day never to be seen again.

Thankfully Miri is a great marina with friendly people and close to town with the aid of a motorbike, we know where everything is and hopefully our deliveries won’t delay us too long so we can continue onward up the coast. We still have several more months before the weather is suitable for us to head across to the Philippines.

Bye for now,

No Beers but plenty of Cheers,

J&J

Miri and Mulu

We left Santubong at the bottom of the tide with plenty of water under the keel and once beyond the barred entrance hoisted the main, unfurled the headsail and shut down the engine, we were sailing, a very pleasant beam reach, till we rounded the first headland where the wind backed to the SE and on the nose at 15kts, it wasn’t far to our next anchorage so we managed to lay a course and close haul to Lakei Island at the tip of Baku National Park north of Kuching. The anchorage was small and well protected despite the close proximity of some nasty looking pointy rocks. We explored the island’s derelict resort and several small beaches and searched for the elusive probiscus monkey without success, we heard a lot of noise but in the thick jungle no sightings. We did however spot a crocodile the previous day in Santubong as it crossed the river behind the boat. 

A sentinal guarding the anchorage at Lakei Island - that's an eagle's nest on top



Next morning was a picture post card dawn, so with a good wind forecast we headed off and sailed in a good 15kt SE for several hours before losing the wind as it veered to the SW and died. We were out of sight of land till late in the day when we reached our intended destination which was at the head of a river network which traverses for more than 100nm up into the interior of Sarawak where the hill tribes live. We decided to do the shorter inland route around Beruit Island about 40nm to the next anchorage, so we wound our way along the twisting Paloh River avoiding the shallows and surprisingly small cargo ships. The scenery was interesting but dulled by the heavy smoke which seems to be all along this coast from peat fires which burn day and night, making visual navigation difficult.

A lovely isolated beach adjacent the derelict resort Lakei Island



The next 2 days we motored from daylight to dusk with no wind and beautiful blue skies, then anchored miles offshore on the 10m line, the coast was bland, not a single fish caught although we did manage to snag a fish trap line, thick smoke and a lack of adequate shade made this section very boring. The only interesting part was on day 2 passing Bintulu Port which services the oil rigs offshore and having to dodge one of the high speed service craft.

No wonder the markers aren't where they're supposed to be

We had 35nm to get to Miri and high tide was at 1100hrs so we up anchored at 0500hrs and set off with a nice 10kt Easterly which soon increased to 15+kts and our arrival time was well ahead of schedule, the wind lasted for about 3 hrs then died again unfortunately, but some sailing was better than none. We entered the marina and found our berth where we met the very jovial marina manager Captain Finn who took our lines and helped us tie up.



Another sentinal, this one at the entrance to Miri Marina



Back in a marina again was very pleasant as the west coast of Borneo is subjected to a small NW ground swell, so unless anchored in a river you’re exposed to a constant roll which is very uncomfortable especially when the wind drops out. The previous 2 nights were bearable but a third was definitely not.

Miri Marina with a couple of restored anchors from a local wreck, must have been a big ship

Miri Marina is 4km from town and after our first day of walking in the heat we found a local yachtie who was willing to rent his motorbike to us for the length of our stay while he returned to OZ for his 28 day work stint skippering a 500t tug on the northwest gas project. When in Miri he spends his time diving on a 19^th century ship wreck which he and his wife discovered several years ago about 100nm west, sunk on the Lucona Shoals. A very interesting couple with an enviable lifestyle albeit very hectic at times. They hope to do a documentary on the story associated with HMS Viscount Melbourne which sunk in 1842 when it struck a reef in a violent squall, some of the crew and passengers made it back to Singapore after several years of hardship battling the tropics and avoiding pirates.



Some local entertainment depicting traditional lifestyle in Sarawak

Miri is another town which services the offshore oil rigs and as a result prices are higher than on the mainland for most things. The Muslim population is not dominant here so pork is available in the local produce “wet” market and the quality is better than OZ as it’s locally butchered and at AU$5 per kilo a real bargain not just a treat, beats chicken chop hands down. We cooked up a pork roast with oodles of crispy crackling and feasted like kings. The freezer will be stocked full of pig when we leave here.



Legacy of offshore oil extraction, no wonder the beaches are empty

The sights of Miri are few and far between so after several days touring on the motorbike we booked a 3 day 2 night trip to the World Heritage listed Mulu National Park which is home to some of the world’s largest and longest limestone caves. It’s only accessible by 30min plane ride or 2 day boat trip as it’s located in the middle of thick rainforest. We stayed at the Royal Mulu Resort as the cheaper accommodation was booked out months in advance, so we treated ourselves to a comfortable stay in a large room with all the trimmings.

Another sentinal at the entrance to Deer Cave

The cave tours required a guide which our package included so along with another Chinese/malay couple from Kuala Lumpur after checking in and a quick lunch the 5 of us set out the first day for a 10km round trek to 2 caves.  The first cave was named Lang Cave after the white man that found it only 40 years ago, the local Penan tribes people had been here long before, extracting guano deposits left from the millions of bats that inhabit the caves during the day and collecting swiflet bird nests from the high ceilings which is a Chinese delicacy, the second, named Deer Cave after the mouse deer that went there to drink the bat urine laced water from the stream that flows through the cave. After the caves we went to an observation deck to witness the stream of bats leaving the cave on dusk but due to increasing rain the bats refused to leave their dry roost so we missed the mass exodus.

Hey is that Grant up there???

The next day the 5 of us headed  upstream in a local river boat to visit a Penan “traditional” village enroute to the next 2 caves, Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. The satellite dishes attached to the dwellings belied the term traditional but the village did contain a Longhouse which was destroyed by fire last year. A longhouse is a multitude of adjoining apartments under a single roof where a whole village lives in a communal environment. Homestays in village longhouses is a high tourist attraction in Borneo apparently but personally not our cuppa tea. The villagers keep dogs contrary to the Muslim people who despise them and these dogs are mangy, smelly, horrible things so spending 1 or more nights in their company would be more like hell than a holiday.  

Our transport up river to the caves with Lou our guide and fellow passengers

Wind Cave had some fascinating formations created by a constant draft flowing through but it was Clearwater Cave which was the best, with a river running through the centre highlighting the extent of time for the cave to evolve into its present form. This cave is 178km long and links to many other caves in the region.  

Entrance to Clearwater Cave looking out

Our final day was spent traversing the rainforest canopy along a 300mm wide suspension walkway 40m in the air. This canopy walk extends for 400m, is the longest suspension viewing platform system in the world being attached intermittently to the largest trees in the area. The design is similar to the suspension bridge we built 17 years ago at our old Tanawha property, ours being 1m wide however and much more stable. The canopy was interesting but along with the rest of the rainforest we viewed, there was a noticeable lack of wildlife. Like the rest of Asia so too has Borneo depleted its stocks of wildlife species. Lucky we went to the Singapore Zoo earlier this year to see them.

One of the giants within the jungle



One of the critters in the canopy

Back on the boat again and still a few things to see and do here in Miri before we head north so will cover all that in the next blog. 

Bye for now.

Beers and Cheers from the Miri Sailing Club with a Kilkenny of all things

Borneo

Well what a great time we had at Tioman Island. It would easily rate as the most social place we have been too so far. Maybe it was just the company we had for the month we were there. Every night was spent partying at Captain Kerk’s and after many beers we would gravitate down to one of the great restaurants for a meal and a couple more beers. Being a duty free island certainly has its advantages.

One of the many social events - on this occasion celebrating Giovani's birthday

We arranged to do some diving with a local dive company that was recommended by a long term Aussie yachtie who arrived last year with the rally and went no further. The dive company took us to the best dive sights with another pommie couple and we did 4 dives, thoroughly enjoyed it, small but plentiful fish life and some excellent soft and hard corals, many we haven’t seen before as they don’t live on the GBR. We were very surprised to see many small coral trout same as back home living and breeding in the marine park so hopefully the numbers will increase here as well.

Reeno and his crew were great to dive with

I did a 30m wreck dive on a local coastal patrol boat that was purposely sunk to create an artificial reef, it’s only 12 months old so hasn’t developed much as yet but as you can see it can provide some amusement. The boat has been opened up enough to swim through the entire length.



Jen dwarfed by a giant gorgonian coral

We did a hike with another couple through the thick jungle over the ridge to the next bay, took about 2hrs and a gallon of sweat which we replenished at a local café. The rainforest was full of huge trees and strangler figs, a small waterfall and some local inhabitants. Our return was less strenuous but more terrifying in the back seat of a taxi which was more like a roller coaster on the steep winding concrete road.



Hiking through the rainforest

After a month it was time to move on otherwise we would have joined Brian as a long timer, and our livers would have shrivelled to nothing.  As it was we both suffered from dehydration after diving in the hot water. We headed off SE around the bottom of the Indonesian islands which are hostile towards yachties and also known to harbour pirates that have reportedly hijacked ships in the past. Well it is the South China Sea after all.



Here's proof that fish sleep - a large cod taking a nap in a clam shell

The trip from Tioman Island to Santubong near Kuching is 350nm and took 3 days, 2 nights. Thankfully after clearing the main NE shipping channel between Singapore and Japan the first night we encountered 2 huge thunderstorms which seemed to stalk us for hours, the first peaked at 36kts and the second 44kts, thankfully they came from the SW so we could ride them forward and we had prepared early by reefing the mainsail. The temperature dropped by about 10 degrees when the rain started and we felt cold for the first time in a long while. The lightning associated with the storms was unbelievable and we were very lucky not to be struck being the only structure around for miles.



Soft corals make the bottom look like a garden

The next day the skies cleared and it was very pleasant right through till we reached Borneo, we had planned our trip across to coincide with the full moon so with the clear sky it certainly made up for the previous night.



A 50mm long nudibrach, wicked colours 

Our first anchorage in Borneo was in a small cove at Tangung Datu, which is on the border with Indonesia’s state Kalimantan. The next was at Pulau Satang a small island where many turtles come to lay eggs, we did see some turtles on our trip across but unfortunately no fish which surprised us.



Reeno posing on top of the wrecks mast

It was only 6nm to Santubong so we left the island to cross the bar at Sungai Santubong to coincide with the incoming tide, just as we approached the final turning point we were forced again to do circles as another whiteout hit us before we could reach the anchorage, this storm was 35kts but only lasted about 30 minutes. We are becoming more accustomed to these violent but rapid thunderstorms and in a way appreciate them as they cool us down which is a pleasure in this incessant heat. Our latitude at present is 1˚ 50’ north, so hot and stormy is the norm.



Hard coral gardens

Santubong is the preferred anchorage rather than going up the Sungai Sarawak to the city of Kuching about 20 miles away. The anchorage is in a quiet river adjacent a private fish farm, the latter provides a small jetty to leave the dinghy, assists with fuel and water supply, they will even arrange to get your laundry washed. We shared the anchorage with one other yacht, a French couple who had arrived from Cambodia a couple of weeks previous, we then shared a ride with them into Kuching so we could clear back into Eastern Malaysia after clearing out of Western Malaysia in Tioman and renew our 90 day visa.

910m high Gunung Santubong from the boat

We hired a motorbike for our weeks stay to give us a bit of freedom rather than trying to rely on a very unreliable bus service or very expensive taxi, it’s a very pleasant ride on some very good roads, much better than expected. It also helped in searching out the diesel servicing centre we needed to find so we could purchase a new priming pump/filter unit for the genset, which had developed an annoying air leak. A small piece of rubber diaphram had disintegrated in the heat rendering the pump inoperable, and allowed air to leak into the fuel line. It appears that everything made of rubber or plastic has a very limited lifespan here.

One of the gaudy government buildings in Kuching

Kuching (malay for cat) is situated on the banks of the Sarawak River and has a lovely waterfront area with good restaurants and souvenir shops with carvings and local made crafts, we spent half a day perusing the area. Santubong is just a local village which comes to life every July with the International Rainforest Festival, a 3 day event which attracts many people from all around the world. It also has an Arnold Palmer designed golf course attached to a rather large resort which appeared empty when we went past.



Spices of all kinds available on the footpath

The wind and storms come in everyday from different directions which makes predictions near impossible so it’s a matter of going with the flow for the time till we get further north. We’ll check out some of the famous river inlets on our way up to Miri in Northern Sarawak and try not to lose our heads in this renowned headhunter territory.

Beers and Cheers,

J&J



Back in the Blue Again

Well here we are back in blue water and diving again at the lovely Tioman Island which is located in the South China Sea, about 35 miles off the East Malaysian coast and thankfully a long way from Danga Bay.

Tioman Island

Danga Bay served its purpose but we stayed way too long (6 weeks), ended up arguing with the manager like just about everyone who goes there, Captain Ron is a rude Aussie from Geralton who goes out of his way to make people dislike him. Danga Bay’s proximity to Singapore is it’s saving grace as it is a very simple process to travel to and from on a daily basis saving the need for overpriced accommodation. Generally for all goods and services Singapore is 3 times the price of Malaysia but still cheaper than OZ especially for boat gear and electronics.

Danga Bay

Singapore or “the bubble” as we call it, is ultra-modern with all the mod cons and a great MRT rail system that along with the connecting bus system can get you to virtually anywhere on the island for a couple of dollars. Just make sure you eat first before going through the turn-style otherwise it’s a $500 fine if caught with food, luckily our chicken rice escaped the authorities if not the concerned locals that looked at us as if we had just committed murder. Aussies – 1, Authoritare – 0

Singapore MRT - we've eaten in restaurants with dirtier floors than this platform

Our first trip to Singapore was to the zoo which we heard was one of the best in the world. Not being fans of zoos we were pleasantly surprised and would recommend a visit to anyone in the area, but wouldn’t make a special trip.

 

Keeping dry at Singapore Zoo is not easy even for the locals

Our second, third, fourth, and final fifth trip was to source various spares, pay deposits and buy boat bits, yes more, it’s never ending. Singapore is the hub of trading in SE Asia so everything is available it’s just a matter of finding it and the internet certainly helps.  We found a Yanmar dealer that supplied us with many spare engine parts (consumables) for much better prices than in OZ so we bought up. Only hassle was that we couldn’t deal direct with Yanmar and had to pay a cash deposit before the dealer would get the stock in from Yanmar who was just down the road. Like all Chinese it’s cash only.

King Cobra aka Singaporean Yanmar dealer

The storms kept rolling in while at Danga at all times of the day and night, on one day we got a rather violent Sumatra that caused havoc with the marina as the wind direction was from the section of bay with the greatest fetch, luckily our finger was well protected behind a wall but the rest of the marina was exposed to the 35kts and 1m waves causing mooring lines to snap and the end of one finger to break away. The storm lasted only 2 hrs and thankfully no boats were damaged. 

A pigmy hippo aka Singaporean business man

We caught up with a few people we hadn’t seen for a while and said our farewells as we probably won’t see them again for a long time, some are heading north to Thailand, others west to South Africa. Our Langkawi beer supplies were getting rather low so it was time for us to leave as well.

King and Queen of Singapore Zoo

It took us nearly 2 days to clean the boat after 6 weeks at Danga, firstly we removed the black garbage bags which we’d tied around the propeller and shaft to prevent barnacle growth, then scrubbed off dirty water stains from the waterline, then cleaned the black streaks off the topsides and deck which were the result of oil in the acid rain, sounds lovely doesn’t it. The oil is caused by a combination of palm oil refining processes, outfall from the oil fired power stations, fuel burnt by ships and fuel dumped by planes. Some boats which have been at the marina for 6 months or more have turned green with the algae growth which seems to flourish in the conditions.

Smog filled skies over Danga Bay

All stocked up and the freezer now running for the first time since returning to Rebak  Marina in February we headed off into an approaching thunder head which decided to turn nasty so we cut the day short and anchored in the Johor Strait near the Tuas bridge, traversing Singapore waters in rain squalls is way too dangerous for a small craft. Next morning was much better weather so we headed out and around the south side of Singapore through the maze of which seemed like a never ending mass of moored and moving ships. Several times we had to speed up and get clear of ships while contending with the rolling wakes of the pilot and patrol boats which pested us like flies. By 1500 we found a quiet anchorage in an inlet and set about fixing the few problems that had developed since leaving Danga. The worst was the anchor winch that seemed too die when we lifted the anchor that morning. We installed a new deck switch which solved 1 problem but not the main problem. The other problems experienced were connected with the tachometer and hour meter which were going haywire for no apparent reason.

Raffles Lighthouse SW Singapore

Up early and cleared the south eastern corner of Malaysia by mid-morning and thankfully all the ships. We had a very surprising experience which thankfully happened well before happy hour when a pod of pink dolphins passed by, yes pink!!, it took a few minutes for the event to fully sink in, we have heard of such a dolphin existing but we didn’t think it lived in Singapore waters. The pink dolphin we are familiar with is the Irriwady dolphin which lives in the Mekong River on the border of Laos and Cambodia, shame we didn’t get a photo.

South East Tioman Island - reminds us of Hinchinbrook

 

 The trip up the east coast was very pleasant as the water become cleaner and to our surprise a good sized queen fish committed suicide on our lure and was hauled in mid-afternoon. Our anchorage for that night was Jason Bay which was the only place that showed any sign of habitation in 40 miles. The anchorage was supposed to be in good holding mud but all we found was rock so decided to stay put and let out more chain, the sky was clear and all was calm. We feasted on the queeny and loved every mouthful then hit the sack. At 0245 the wind picked up and by 0300 it was a full blown Sumatra coming in from the south west at 44kts, we were about a mile offshore and reasonably well protected providing the anchor held??, the rain pelted down and the boat lurched from side to side but thankfully held position, the poor locals out fishing in their tiny boats were making very hard work of it getting back to shelter a consolation to us proving that they couldn’t read the weather either. The conditions continued for about 1.5hrs then eased quickly with just fine showers. It was back to bed for a couple of hours kip before the questionable task of getting the anchor up??

A storms a'brewing enroute to Tioman

Generally if you anchor on rock and hold in a blow your anchor is stuck, thankfully it was calm when it was manually hauled in (anchor winch died again didn’t it) we had caught on some kind of rockwork and as we moved forward we rotated around it in the right direction, it came up without a “snag”. The next anchorage was only 25 miles away and protected from the south west at a small island called Pulau Sibu. Lovely island with several backpacker resorts and sand bottom with clear water. Fish again for tea.

Thick cloud decending on Tioman as we approach the south western tip

Next day the sky was clear so headed off to Tioman Island about 35 mile to the north, arrived at the south western tip as a storm front approached and within 15 minutes enveloped the entire island and the winds increased to 30kts from the south west. The rain was so thick we were in a white out and had to do circles for nearly 2 hours before we could see again, we phoned a friend who we knew was in the small marina and they quickly arranged for a berth to be made vacant by a local fishing boat. The marina was a welcome relief as the seas were confused and the only anchorage in the bay was on a lee shore, which shoaled up from 20m to fringing reef. Needless to say the end of our beer supplies were polished off that afternoon before indulging again at the local watering hole owned by Captain Kerk a local rogue and minister for all things possible. The evening was finished off with a meal at one of the best Chinese restaurants we’ve been to.

The tiny 36 boat marina on Tioman Island

While catching up the previous evening we heard that our friends had been hit by lightning on their way here at a neighbouring island and had lost their VHF radio antennae, it just disintergrated, other items lost were the solar panel regulator, and the battery isolator switch, surprisingly the radio survived. The next day we gave them a spare antennae we had and got their radio working again. It was very scratchy until they bypassed their antennae splitter device which must have also suffered the effects of the lightning bolt. It can take weeks to find out the full effects of a lightning strike as more and more failures become apparent. We had a similar experience with our VHF radio and splitter when traversing the Malacca Straits in 2010.



Main street Kampung Tekek Tioman Is

Tioman Island is such a contrast to everywhere else we have been. The water is clear even in the small marina, the marina itself is very well protected and probably the best in Malaysia other than Rebak and Telaga, unfortunately most of the anchorages are exposed to either wind or roll. The beer is not as cheap as Langkawi but Chang beer from Thailand is available and tastes much better than Malaysia’s Skol. The alcohol content is the same 5% but the Chang’s not guaranteed, could be as high as 10%.

One of many nightly gatherings at Captain Kerk's

Pulled the anchor winch apart and found that rather than moisture in the motor as expected the motor was clogged with black dust accumulated from the brushes wearing. The gearbox was also clogged with muck, so after a thorough cleaning and some test runs it seems to be working OK, time will tell, and this island does not provide any repair facilities so it would require a ferry back to the mainland or a replacement shipped in.



One of the local inhabitants - Black Scorpion

After the forced repair works were completed we headed of in the dinghy to check out the reef close by the marina and were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of both the reef and fish life, so we are keen to get out again and do some exploring in the clean and clear waters of the South China Sea. Ah it is sooooo!!!!  good to be able to see the bottom again.

Beers and Cheers with a chilly Chang

J&J