A snapshot of the AIS screen, taken from the "traffic island" before crossing the Westbound shipping lane of the Singapore Strait.. Fortunately, many of those ships were at anchor to the north of the channel.
Nearly a month since we'd left Bali, and we were without our third set of eyes....Graham having left from Nongsa the morning previously.
It was an exciting day, and the complex task ahead had been preying on my mind for more than a week. We'd planned a fairly lengthy run across the Singapore Strait and then up the skinny Johor Strait and into Puteri Marina, on the Malaysian side. (Singapore's marina prices are hideously expensive!)
Easy to begin with, under sunny skies, albeit with a couple of ominous thunderheads on the horizon. Very light wind, of course...we toodled along in parallel with the big ships...missed the first of the squalls which exploded somewhere off our beam, and continued on, carefully avoiding the barge traffic which goes in all directions outside of the major shipping channel.
But then, the other squall which had looked a bit threatening, looked even more threatening, and then hit us like a ton of bricks....
Total loss of visibility, 15 knots of wind on the nose, we turned on our nav lights and hoped that the tug and barge that we knew was crossing in front of us somewhere, was watching his AIS screen. Not that he could've manouvred around us anyway. And as if that wasn't stressful enough, WHAM! and a bolt of lightning thundered directly down into the water a hundred metres in front of us. I let go the stainless steel steering wheel in awe! Things could only get better from there, and it wasn't too long before we were back in calm water, with a gloomy grey but neutral sky for the rest of the day.
We zoomed across the Eastbound shipping lane and made our way through the dividing anchorage strip in the middle, keeping eagle eyes out for big ships starting to move. All good, and then came the Westbound lane, where we sat waiting for a gap in the traffic for 20 minutes or so before galloping across....and then we were done!
We motored through the ships' parking area at the entrance to the Johor Strait, and then proceeded up the channel, and finally into the marina at Puteri.
It was an exciting day, and the complex task ahead had been preying on my mind for more than a week. We'd planned a fairly lengthy run across the Singapore Strait and then up the skinny Johor Strait and into Puteri Marina, on the Malaysian side. (Singapore's marina prices are hideously expensive!)
Easy to begin with, under sunny skies, albeit with a couple of ominous thunderheads on the horizon. Very light wind, of course...we toodled along in parallel with the big ships...missed the first of the squalls which exploded somewhere off our beam, and continued on, carefully avoiding the barge traffic which goes in all directions outside of the major shipping channel.
But then, the other squall which had looked a bit threatening, looked even more threatening, and then hit us like a ton of bricks....
Total loss of visibility, 15 knots of wind on the nose, we turned on our nav lights and hoped that the tug and barge that we knew was crossing in front of us somewhere, was watching his AIS screen. Not that he could've manouvred around us anyway. And as if that wasn't stressful enough, WHAM! and a bolt of lightning thundered directly down into the water a hundred metres in front of us. I let go the stainless steel steering wheel in awe! Things could only get better from there, and it wasn't too long before we were back in calm water, with a gloomy grey but neutral sky for the rest of the day.
We zoomed across the Eastbound shipping lane and made our way through the dividing anchorage strip in the middle, keeping eagle eyes out for big ships starting to move. All good, and then came the Westbound lane, where we sat waiting for a gap in the traffic for 20 minutes or so before galloping across....and then we were done!
We motored through the ships' parking area at the entrance to the Johor Strait, and then proceeded up the channel, and finally into the marina at Puteri.
The view from the 4th. floor horizon pool adjacent to Puteri Marina.
Culture Shock! We'd finally become accustomed to the somewhat rough edges of Indonesia, and it's undeniably third world sensibility, when we found ourselves in a marina surrounded by a modern, western-style shopping mall, complete with bars, chain restaurants, and security guards who blew their whistles if they spotted somebody standing on a wall for a selfie. The place was busy, and the bustling crowd were glued to their cellphones, engrossed in their Pokemon Go pursuits. We were like fish out of water, but were welcomed into the office and our entire "checking in" procedure to Malaysia took barely a minute or so. More culture shock!
Over the next couple of days, the marina started filling up with other cruisers, from both rallies, and we were made welcome, and felt very comfortable indeed.
Over the next couple of days, the marina started filling up with other cruisers, from both rallies, and we were made welcome, and felt very comfortable indeed.
Deepavali celebrations at the marina.
Many of the boats which had come in from Indonesia virtually limped in to the marina, desperate for spare parts and TLC. We were much better off, but were pleased to be able to have a mechanic come and change our engine oil for us, and we brought a cleanup crew on board to give the outside of the boat a good clean and polish all of the stainless steel. So we had a good-lookin' cat again!
We taxied into Singapore for a few days, lapping up the luxury, and staying at a plush hotel near Orchard Road. We had a slap-up Peking Duck birthday dinner, with friends Bruce and Deb from the yacht "Matilda", visited the chandleries and yacht supply houses, shopped for stuff, ate a lot and spent a load of money just cruising about the place.
We taxied into Singapore for a few days, lapping up the luxury, and staying at a plush hotel near Orchard Road. We had a slap-up Peking Duck birthday dinner, with friends Bruce and Deb from the yacht "Matilda", visited the chandleries and yacht supply houses, shopped for stuff, ate a lot and spent a load of money just cruising about the place.
Bright lights, big city.....
After a few days sampling the delights of Singapore, Malaysia felt relaxed and comfortable, and to think that just a few days earlier we'd been blown away with how fast and glitzy it had all seemed.
We agreed to join the "Sail Malaysia" yacht rally, which gave us all sorts of benefits on the trip north through the Straits of Malacca to Langkawi, where we'd planned on leaving the boat.
So, it was a few more days of festivities, meetings and socialising, before we headed out once again.
Anchorages along the way north to Port Dickson looked a bit average, so we decided on another overnighter, despite the worry of travelling along one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, and also a notorious pirate zone. What could possibly go wrong?
We agreed to join the "Sail Malaysia" yacht rally, which gave us all sorts of benefits on the trip north through the Straits of Malacca to Langkawi, where we'd planned on leaving the boat.
So, it was a few more days of festivities, meetings and socialising, before we headed out once again.
Anchorages along the way north to Port Dickson looked a bit average, so we decided on another overnighter, despite the worry of travelling along one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, and also a notorious pirate zone. What could possibly go wrong?
Honk! Well, nothing went wrong really. It was an interesting trip, with an ever-changing seascape of all kinds of ship traffic, and during the day we spent a fair bit of time taking evasive action with tugs, barges and fishing vessels. By the time night fell, we were into the rhythm of it all, and crept along on the edge of the northbound shipping channel. The most spectacular sight was the massive cruise ship "Costa Luminosa" which glowed luminously indeed, but I didn't snap a pic.
Throughout the night, we had a big, violent thunderstorm ahead of us for some of the time, but it must have been travelling north, too, at around the same speed as us....we didn't bump into it anyway. By midnight it had dissipated and we cruised along in bright moonlight.
All too easy, and at around 0730 we pulled into the marina at Port Dickson. We'd been advised that they weren't accepting advance bookings and that we should radio in just before entry. Which we did, but nobody answered. And we tried again, and then, the phone, but still no answer. So we just rocked in anyway, spotted an empty berth, pulled into it and tied up. Done!
Another resort-style marina with all of the comforts, and not long afterwards, the office opened, the rate was negotiated, and we were official. (We heard from others at the marina about the savage storm that'd blown through overnight...the one I'd been watching, that we luckily missed.)
We had drinks that night with Keith and Lea Pennicot, my former neighbours (and dockmaster) from Tipperary Waters Marina in Darwin, and Keith drove us into town the next day in his rental car.
Another week or so in Port Dickson, with lots of socialising and a rally day trip to Melaka, which was great fun once we'd slipped away from the tour guide and rendezvoused at the pub.
All too easy, and at around 0730 we pulled into the marina at Port Dickson. We'd been advised that they weren't accepting advance bookings and that we should radio in just before entry. Which we did, but nobody answered. And we tried again, and then, the phone, but still no answer. So we just rocked in anyway, spotted an empty berth, pulled into it and tied up. Done!
Another resort-style marina with all of the comforts, and not long afterwards, the office opened, the rate was negotiated, and we were official. (We heard from others at the marina about the savage storm that'd blown through overnight...the one I'd been watching, that we luckily missed.)
We had drinks that night with Keith and Lea Pennicot, my former neighbours (and dockmaster) from Tipperary Waters Marina in Darwin, and Keith drove us into town the next day in his rental car.
Another week or so in Port Dickson, with lots of socialising and a rally day trip to Melaka, which was great fun once we'd slipped away from the tour guide and rendezvoused at the pub.
Deb and Bruce decided they liked this taxi better than the bus.
I had actually been feeling a little ill for a few days, my first sickness on the whole trip so far, so for the next couple of weeks I didn't have much energy. But, we had to keep moving, so once again dropped the mooring lines and headed off towards Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur's seaport. We anchored overnight in the river, with strong tidal currents dragging islands of weed and plastic past us....we'd get very familiar with those in the next few weeks, too.
The container terminal at Port Klang is impressive. A massive operation, with cranes to the horizon.
Up-anchor again in the morning, and an all-day motor/sail to the island of Pangkor, and its' marina. Again, we had been told that the marina was full, and bookings weren't being accepted. But we'd no sooner radioed in, than Marina Manager James Khoo was alongside us in a launch to guide us into a berth....for free, courtesy of our rally participation. Terriffic.
James turned on plenty of entertainment for the week, and we had lots of social activity (such as drinks and party games aboard "Wirraway") so Mary represented the team while I was a bit of a wet blanket with the strange, debilitating bug I'd picked up.
Anyway, Pangkor is a great marina, James is a great manager, and there's good hardstand facilities when work needs to be done.
I was feeling a bit better by the time we finally left Pangkor, and we anchored off Pulau Talang ("Monkey Island") on our way through to Penang.
James turned on plenty of entertainment for the week, and we had lots of social activity (such as drinks and party games aboard "Wirraway") so Mary represented the team while I was a bit of a wet blanket with the strange, debilitating bug I'd picked up.
Anyway, Pangkor is a great marina, James is a great manager, and there's good hardstand facilities when work needs to be done.
I was feeling a bit better by the time we finally left Pangkor, and we anchored off Pulau Talang ("Monkey Island") on our way through to Penang.
Lunch day for the Rallyistas, on the beach and courtesy of Pangkor Marina.
Our youngest Rallyist, the cute lil Willow enjoying a sand-witch.
The fleet proceeds under what is reported to be the Longest Bridge In SE Asia.
The "Sail Malaysia" team had asked us to anchor inside Jerijak Island when we arrived in Penang, which is what we did, along with a growing fleet of cruisers, all ready for an early start and official "sail-under-the-bridge" event the next morning. So it was up early and all off together.
There was some interesting argy-bargy on the VHF radio...firstly about a dog that needed rescuing....which was met with a "I'm not rescuing no dog, I'll get rabies" response, and then, a more compassionate response. It seems that there was a dog clinging to a floating island of weed and garbage. One of the crew from the French boat "Lazy Jack" actually jumped into the water to untangle the dog...a beautiful German shorthaired critter...from the mess that she was in, and the animal was taken aboard the Australian catamaran "Endless Summer", where she promptly curled up on the deck to sleep.
Meanwhile, there was more silliness on the radio, with an irate American, with a possibly Naval background, demanding to know why the fleet wasn't in disciplined formation at the notified speed. The fleet graciously ignored him, and while it was tempting to take the bait, we all just motored on at varying speeds, waving at each other, while he grew ever angrier.
We all made our way through the strait, and anchored outside the Penang Marina to once again enjoy the luxuries of a big Western shopping mall, with it's bars and restaurants.
For a predominantly tropical, Muslim nation, Malaysia does a good job of making the place look like Christmas....even if it's just to sell more stuff in the shopping malls.
And as Christmas WAS creeping up, we had a big buffet, pre-Christmas Sunday roast with some of the usual suspects, at the grandest pub in town, the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, a beautifully maintained colonial edifice.
There was some interesting argy-bargy on the VHF radio...firstly about a dog that needed rescuing....which was met with a "I'm not rescuing no dog, I'll get rabies" response, and then, a more compassionate response. It seems that there was a dog clinging to a floating island of weed and garbage. One of the crew from the French boat "Lazy Jack" actually jumped into the water to untangle the dog...a beautiful German shorthaired critter...from the mess that she was in, and the animal was taken aboard the Australian catamaran "Endless Summer", where she promptly curled up on the deck to sleep.
Meanwhile, there was more silliness on the radio, with an irate American, with a possibly Naval background, demanding to know why the fleet wasn't in disciplined formation at the notified speed. The fleet graciously ignored him, and while it was tempting to take the bait, we all just motored on at varying speeds, waving at each other, while he grew ever angrier.
We all made our way through the strait, and anchored outside the Penang Marina to once again enjoy the luxuries of a big Western shopping mall, with it's bars and restaurants.
For a predominantly tropical, Muslim nation, Malaysia does a good job of making the place look like Christmas....even if it's just to sell more stuff in the shopping malls.
And as Christmas WAS creeping up, we had a big buffet, pre-Christmas Sunday roast with some of the usual suspects, at the grandest pub in town, the Eastern and Oriental Hotel, a beautifully maintained colonial edifice.
John and Catherine from "Afar VI", Mick and Gin from "Wishful Thinking", Gary and Bev from "Wirraway of Sydney", Bruce and Deb from "Matilda", and, Mary of course, and my empty chair and half eaten lunch.
We had some good days in Penang, wandering around not only the fancy malls, but also the tiny, bustling streets of Georgetown, the funky old-city tourist zone. We had a tourist-bus excursion courtesy of the Rally, visiting Pen Marine's shipyards for an indoctrination, had a tour of a fish-processing plant, ate at the street food markets, and generally had a good time. But we weren't long at anchor off Straits Quay Marina before the weather turned nasty and the anchorage deteriorated into a washing machine ride. Off back to Jerijak Island again....
Sorting the Prawns.
 |  The Wooden Boatyard. OH&S rules are no big deal here, but plenty of skill and experience go into building these big puppies. |
 A bit of Penang colour... |  Just another day in the streetside anchor factory. |
Little India and Chinatown nestle side-by-side in Georgetown. Ganesh was ALMOST the name of our boat at one point. We were tempted to spend more time in Penang, but the weather was crap and we were getting toey to get on to Langkawi, our planned last stop on this journey, and the boat's new home for the forseeable future. It was an awkward departure from Penang, with a short, sharp chop on the nose and we were dodging the daily Casino cruise ships as we buffeted our way through the strait. By the time we'd cleared the island of Penang, it was much easier and nice to be sailing again.
We dropped the anchor for the night at little Bunting Island and I actually had a swim off the back of the boat, which, as it turned out, was my last ocean swim of the trip....we'd heard that as we were heading north, box jellyfish were a genuine threat, and besides, it was murky water anyway.
We dropped the anchor for the night at little Bunting Island and I actually had a swim off the back of the boat, which, as it turned out, was my last ocean swim of the trip....we'd heard that as we were heading north, box jellyfish were a genuine threat, and besides, it was murky water anyway.
Our $90 Aldi Special fold up bike. And so it was off to Langkawi. The last day's sail was a bit grey and blustery , but the wind dropped out and the sun poked through as we passed some of Langkawi's outlying islands, where we could see a few yachts tucked in and at anchor amongst the spectacular cliffs. But we kept on, and cruised into a berth at the marina, which is completely hidden from view from the sea.
Out came the fold-up bike which we'd carried on the deck all the way from Australia...($90 special at Aldi!) and we started settling into the boat's new home.
The Rebak Island Marina is a part of a 5-star Taj Hotel resort, so all of the facilities are at our disposal. It's a free, ten minute ferry ride to the main island of Langkawi, and there's space for up to 190 yachts, mostly foreign-registered, and many with their crews living aboard.
I have heard it described as "The World's Best Retirement Village" which is fair comment.
Social life at the marina is healthy, with live music jam sessions a couple of times a week, a swim up bar in the pool, Happy Hour cocktails and the Hard Dock cafe which is reserved just for boaties....hotel guests not allowed.
Out came the fold-up bike which we'd carried on the deck all the way from Australia...($90 special at Aldi!) and we started settling into the boat's new home.
The Rebak Island Marina is a part of a 5-star Taj Hotel resort, so all of the facilities are at our disposal. It's a free, ten minute ferry ride to the main island of Langkawi, and there's space for up to 190 yachts, mostly foreign-registered, and many with their crews living aboard.
I have heard it described as "The World's Best Retirement Village" which is fair comment.
Social life at the marina is healthy, with live music jam sessions a couple of times a week, a swim up bar in the pool, Happy Hour cocktails and the Hard Dock cafe which is reserved just for boaties....hotel guests not allowed.
Virginia is thirsty...many may not be aware that this is Sign Language for "please order another drink". It was easy to settle in.... We rented an air conditioner to make life a bit more comfortable, started to learn where things were in Langkawi, like the supermarkets and hardware stores and did a few runs into the capital, Kuah, finding our way around in general. And socialised a lot....
Number One daughter, India (well, we only have one daughter...) flew in for a visit, and on her first day off the plane we made the journey up the mountains to the spectacular Skycab and Skybridge. Which was wonderful, until she sprained her ankle on the hike to the mid-station, and was just a bit embarrassed when the Ranger offered to have her stretchered out.
She opted to hobble....for most of the week unfortunately.
A couple of days' sailing to the outer islands was next on the agenda, along with a bit more socialising on the beach while we were at anchor, and then a quick flight back down to Penang....and then came Christmas.
It was a good little break to be in Penang without having the boat and an untenable anchorage to worry about. And it's only a 35 minute flight.
Number One daughter, India (well, we only have one daughter...) flew in for a visit, and on her first day off the plane we made the journey up the mountains to the spectacular Skycab and Skybridge. Which was wonderful, until she sprained her ankle on the hike to the mid-station, and was just a bit embarrassed when the Ranger offered to have her stretchered out.
She opted to hobble....for most of the week unfortunately.
A couple of days' sailing to the outer islands was next on the agenda, along with a bit more socialising on the beach while we were at anchor, and then a quick flight back down to Penang....and then came Christmas.
It was a good little break to be in Penang without having the boat and an untenable anchorage to worry about. And it's only a 35 minute flight.
 Ouch. |  The Longest Free Span and Curved Bridge in The World. Damn scary I reckon! |
The Brave Bridge Expeditioners.
 |  The plush marina at left, and at right, out for a daysail...or day-motor, anyway. |
We stayed in a little boutique hotel, the "D'Nice", in the heart of Georgetown and did some more wandering about, more eating, and even caught the bus across the island to Batu Ferringhi, the once hip and groovy beach which seems to have been forgotten. (Well, it was hip and groovy when I first visited Penang in 1974....)
 Street Art is as famous in Penang as its Street Food. |  |
Christmas Lunch was a spectacular buffet feed in the Hotel restaurant along with dozens of other yacht crews, and while it wasnt the same as Christmas at home, it was still pretty good. The hotel staff, predominantly Muslim or Hindu, went to huge lengths to make us all feel comfortable and welcome....there was even a Brown Santa!
Once Christmas was done, India was bundled off back to the airport and we readied for the next job...hauling big "El Gato" out of the water and up onto the hard stand for storage. Which was easier than anticipated...the local staff was brilliant. Slick, professional and sensitive to our needs. In no time, the hull had been pressure washed, and the boat was placed solidly on it's stands, and we started the storage/mothballing process in earnest.
Once Christmas was done, India was bundled off back to the airport and we readied for the next job...hauling big "El Gato" out of the water and up onto the hard stand for storage. Which was easier than anticipated...the local staff was brilliant. Slick, professional and sensitive to our needs. In no time, the hull had been pressure washed, and the boat was placed solidly on it's stands, and we started the storage/mothballing process in earnest.
"El Gato" goes for a ride to her temporary new home on the dry.
Which brings us to the end of the story for the moment....it's been quite a trip, and the sense of satisfaction that we've both felt in making our way all the way to northern Malaysia is real. The boat's been wonderful, the company of other cruisers wonderful, and the help from locals along the way has made it all too easy.
So, what's next? A quick little round-Australia trek by caravan, for starters, before coming back to Malaysia later in the year....I guess I'll have to keep the blog going.....
So, what's next? A quick little round-Australia trek by caravan, for starters, before coming back to Malaysia later in the year....I guess I'll have to keep the blog going.....
The route we've taken from Thursday Island in Australia, to Langkawi in Malaysia.
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