Pulau Pangkor

The last sail with our buddy boat, Ellida, was quite challenging. After we left the luxurious Admiral Marina, the winds were light and the seas calm for 23 of the 26 hours it took to complete our passage north to Pangkor Island Marina. We motored with the mainsail raised. Sometimes it filled. As it went dark we had to alter course to avoid two small fishing boats guarding drift nets. These nets can be a quarter of a mile long! Then we had to pass lots of anchored ships one or two of which were moving to and from the nearby shipping lane. I came up on watch at midnight and there were so many lights ahead, I might have been approaching a city. These were the large fishing boats which mainly stay on station but sometimes move. Other ships and ferries pass through them as well as tugs towing large, unlit barges. I called Jeremy up to help when I found myself sandwiched between a barge and a ship. Fortunately, the ship was anchored. Having left the fishing grounds behind, Jeremy checked the battereries and found one had overheated. He disconnected it at 4.00am. Two hours later, he had just lowered the mainsail and put the last tie on it when SD was hit with 33knots of wind accompanied by heavy rain, thunder and lightning. This is known as a "sumatera" and is a feature of sailing in the Straits of Melaka. The sea was rough for the next three hours until we reached the channel between the mainland and Pulau Pangkor. The marina is on its own island on land reclaimed from the sea. That evening we enjoyed a superb dinner hosted by the marina. The next day all the Sail Malaysia participants were ferried across to Pangkor Island and treated to a tour and lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

We saw this anchorage at Teluk Nipah on the west side of Pulau Pangkor when we were on the tour. It was very sad saying farewell to Liz and Graham after 4 months of travelling together and sharing so many experiences. Ellida was to be lifted out at the end of November and Liz and Graham were flying home to see their new grandchild. However, they were going to join us at Penang for the tour and dinner. We spent 2 nights at the anchorage shown before setting off for Pulau Penang at 3.00 am.

Melaka

We left Danga Bay Marina (total charge for ten days - £1.75) and motored to Pisang Island where we anchored. We had a terrible night. Ellida had to re-anchor twice! Bleary eyed we motored into a headwind to Pulau Besar, for about 15 hours. The night was slightly better after the thunderstorm had finished. A short 8 hour motor saw us arrive at Admiral Bay Marina. The following morning we hired a taxi to Melaka. This is Christ Church and is an integral part of the historic walk which we completed the first day. Our lunch in Chinatown consisted of rice balls. These were exactly as the name implies, but the majority decision was that rice is tastier. We stayed at Samudra Inn for about £10 for Kathy and me. Our room was air conditioned, but the facilities were basic.
On the second morning we had our breakfast at a nearby stall - roti (cheese, egg, flour) with a hot lentil gravy. Crunchie Nut Cornflakes never seemed so good. Off we walked with Graham and Liz to the Maritime Museum, followed by lunch of chicken and rice for four, cost - under £5. In the afternoon we walked round the local temples. This Chinese temple, one of the oldest in Malaysia, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, was most impressive, with intricate gold carvings. A quick shop and the taxi back to Port Dickson near the marina was more interesting than anticipated. We got Albert the Singing Indian Performing Taxi Driver, who entertained us all the way home with his impression of crying babies, digruntled two year olds and renditions of once loved songs. It was like turning the clock back 23 years - "Are we there yet?" After a day to recover, Sal Darago and Ellida were ready to set off on their last journey together for some time as Ellida is to be hauled out at our next port of call 140 nautical miles away.

Singapore

We had a great morning on our first visit to Singapore. We crossed the causeway by bus, got off to check out of Malaysia, got on another bus, got off to check into Singapore, then got a taxi to the zoo. There are no cages and many primates, including orangutans, are free to roam through the rainforest in the zoo park. We were awed by the white tigers and amused by the antics of the baboons. My college house mate of 1973-74, Cathy, and her husband, Tony, picked us up from the zoo. We had lunch in a rural setting at an open air rustic restaurant and then drove into the city passing block after block of high rise buildings.

We stopped at the famous Raffles Hotel for expensive Singapore Slings. Tony had a pint of beer and that cost £10. We threw our peanut shells on the floor as is the tradition. The picture shows Cathy, Tony and Jeremy in the Long Bar at Raffles. We stayed the night at Cathy and Tony's apartment after being taken to the British Club for dinner, where we ate Shepherd's Pie, Steak and Onion Pie and drank Old Speckled Hen beer. Just what we needed after 3 months of nasi goreng! Thanks Cathy and Tony, we had a great time.
Our next visit to Singapore a few days later was functional. Using buses, trains and a taxi, we collected previously ordered Vetus engine parts from Tripower, a most efficient company. We had time to go to Raffles Marina and enjoy a 3 course meal in the restaurant marquee. Today, Jeremy fitted the new heat exchanger and changed the engine oil. Everything seems to be working, so we intend to check out of Danga Bay Marina on Friday and leave early on Saturday morning for the Straits of Malaka.

Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Crossing the Singapore Straits was less stressful than we had expected. We left Nongsa Point Marina at first light with our buddy boat Ellida, crossed the Straits, avoided big ships like the one in the photo and made it safely to the Johor Strait. Here Malaysia is on one side and Singapore is on the other. We kept to the Malaysian side. Armed boats patrol the Singapore side and if you stray within 75m of their shore, you could be shot. We almost scraped the bottom on our approach to Danga Bay Marina. Ron, the dockmaster, gave us good directions and helped us tie up in our free berth. All we pay for is mains electricity.

A few days after our arrival, the local authority held a Gala Dinner to mark the start of the Sail Malaysia  Rally. Here we are at the top table, wearing our batik clothes. For 2 hours before the dinner, Sail Malaysia invited us to "cocktails". Actually, it was free Tiger beer served from jugs by young women in short skirts. You could drink as much as you wanted. There was no alcohol at the dinner as the local authority is Muslim, but there were 8 courses of food, Chinese tea, water and soft drinks, plus entertainment led by an MC which included a live band called Shooters, 3 singers and a number of traditional dancing troupes. A participant from the Sail Malaysia Rally was asked to give a thank you speech. No-one had been asked to do this, so Jeremy stood up, walked on to the stage, stood behind the microphone and gave a speech "off the cuff". Huge applause followed. We had a wonderful evening, but some people left early complaining that the music was too loud. As the old maxim says, "You can please some people some of the time.....