SY S A L U L A M I: 2008.12

End of June, we left Tioman for Sarawak.

Jesus on SY Proteus made is way up to Ko Samui. We had a 4 and a half day passage up to Datu and had to motor half the way. Datu is cap at the NW point of Borneo. For Pui it was a premiere. Night sailing, and no land around to see. From Datu we stopped at Pulau Talang Talang and Pulau Satang Besar.

We made 560 NM from Singapore to Datu.

July was spent in Santubong and Kuching region. As you come up the river, you will see on port side, first the village of Santubong, then a nice property with a pontoon, and further up the police dock. Try to anchor from the property and below, and live a lot space around you because the current move you erratically around. Don’t anchor close to the police pontoon; there is a wreck and friends of our needed to hire a diver to get the anchor free. We experienced that upwards the police place, the anchorage was of poor holding. Introduce your self to the man in charge of the property and it will be no problem to tie up your dingy.

The owner likes Yachties so you will be welcome. To get to Kuching, walk through the property pass the police station and on the top take right and you are on the main road. Wait after the Muslim memorial. If you go to town around height a clock here are many mini buses going there. There are also resort buses that will pick you up, but it’s more expensive than the other ones. Some times a local will pick you up.
Be aware that a crocodile is living in the river. We see him as we left, he is big!

The little village of Santubong has some basic provisioning and you can get vegetables and fruits there. People are very nice and kids live full.

Kuching, city of the cats. There is a nice waterfront and we watched the dragoon boat race.

Museums are worth to visit; they explain how Sarawak developed in the centuries with the help of Chinese community.

Good provisioning and services are provided there. The market is color full and you find every thing.

Close to Santubong (+-2 km) there is a cultural village to be visited that explains the life of the different ethnic living along the river and they’re habitat.

In July (11 to 13th) was the international rainforest music festival going on at the cultural village. You can make day bookings.

We went the first day and could experience workshops composed of musician from different groups playing the same instrument

explaining them and how they use them. We saw Violin, tambourine, percussion, guitars. In the evening you could see them playing in they’re respective band.

Of course as the event is called, in the evening rain was pouring down.

In the vicinity we also visited Bako National Park for 3 days together with Bruno-Hellen from Helena zwo, Wally-Lise from Bluetango and Ian-Christine from SabiStar I met in Chagos in 2007.

We organized a bus from Santubong to the pick up place at the river. From there we went with the boat down the river to get to the place. On the way we met our second crocodile.

After the usual bugs that annoys you, your worth enemy is the monkey. Don’t let your stuff out of eyesight, it will disappear. Christine was reading her book at the table with a drink just in front of her; she was just starting to get scared by a noise, the drink was gone.

We had a guide who explained us what’s going on out there in the wild. There are a lot of traps you don’t even think about before you get to know them. You are in the jungle, humidity, odors, noises of all sorts gives you an unusual feelings.

At the headquarters we had an unexpected visit in the evening as we were enjoying an aperitif on the terrace of our bungalow, Wild pig.

Close by they were organizing a barbecue, what if . . .

At night we also could see fireflies.

With Pui we started sailing together going up the West coast of Phuket Island. Nai Han, Kata Beach, there we met Palin on SY Merlin from Switzerland, I met him the first time in New Zealand 6 years ago. He got attacked by a western guy coming to the boat swimming from the beach (with intention to steal the boat). He was illegal in the country, had healthy problems and was out of money. Palin got severely injured and in self-defence killed the aggressor. His passport got seized until the case was cleared out. He was found not guilty.

We didn’t stop in Patong (That’s the place to go for single), there are too many water scooter turning around your yacht like flies around shit.

In Kamala beach we met Swiss friends coming every year for holydays. Then we went up to Nai Yang Beach to meet Nikon. She keeps a nice restaurant we used to go over the week-ends for dinner.

On the way back we stopped in O Chalong and from there we went up to Yacht Heaven, to cancel her room and clean it out.

End of January, visa running out, together with my friend Jesus single hander on SY Proteus (I met him the first time I was in Thailand in 2003) we sailed to Langkawi (duty free Island) on the Malaysian Border. There are a lot of Islands to stop on the way done. We stopped at: Ko Chong Lat Noi, Ko Phi Phi Don, Ko Rok Nok, Ko Liang Tai, Ko Bulon Le, Ko Butang.

One week later we arrived in Telaga. There is a marina and also a

nice anchorage place well sheltered from SW by two artificial Islands at the entrance. It’s possible to make the clearance there, just get used to the schedule. The easiest is at the ferry terminal in Kuat. Officials are very friendly and helpful. You need to hire a car to go to Kuat were the shopping centers are. On the way to Kudat, opposite the petrol station there is a good Chinese super market well sorted out.

If you make landfall in Kuat the holding in the bay is very poor. Be sure to put out ten times the depth of water of chain. First time when I anchored there I put 20m of chain in 4m of water, and as I was coming back from town a SW gale was going over the bay, me seeing my yacht dragging, luckily it stopped. So put enough chain out to avoid becoming an eagle’s egg. There is a huge concrete eagle at the end of the bay.

It’s worth to sail around Langkawi Island. The hole in the wall is a very sheltered place to leave the boat, but it’s out of town. Unfortunately the waters around Langkawi are not clear for snorkelling.

Notice. You have to know that alcohol is expensive in Malaysia. There are three duty free place were the alcohol is very affordable, cigarettes too, but I’m not concerned. Langkawi is on the West Side of Malaysia Peninsula. Tioman Island is on the East Side of Malaysia Peninsula. Labuan Island is North of Brunei between Sarawak and Saba provinces on Northern part of Borneo. Anywhere ells alcohol is very expensive. One can of beer duty free is MYR 1.20, in super markets MYR 6.-; in restaurants you will pay MYR 4.50.

End of February we sailed back to Thailand, enjoying the way up. We stopped at Tarutau, Petra, Ko Muk, Ko Kradan, Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phy Lee and Ko May Thon. All this places are beautiful; it’s impressive to see the strait walls where the birds nest. The waters are clear for snorkeling. Some places are crowded during the day by dozens of speed boats bringing the tourists from the main land Phuket, but from 04:00 Pm to 08.00Am next day every body is gone and you can enjoy the natural sounds of nature. Two weeks later we made the clearance in O Chalong, official port of entry in Thailand.

Notice. Any trick is good for them to get money out of your pocket. When I made first time land fall in Thailand I went strait to Boat Lagoon, and from there went to O Chalong by motorcycle taxi (no, I’m not life sick!) to clear in. That’s what I was told by regulars. 45 minutes before closing time, only immigration was there, Harbor Master and custom where gone. Next day, I had to come back to finish my clearance. Dealing with custom, the officer asks me where the yacht is: I tell him in Boat Lagoon. He shows me a paper on the wall telling that you are not allowed to sail Thai waters until clearance has been done. The fine for this offence is between THB 500.- and THB 5’000.-. What can you say? I’m guilty! He says if you give me BHT 500.- it’s ok! I didn’t get a recipe for that. After the Malaysian Official’s welcome, you really get an ice cold shower. Burk!

In March, we sailed together with our friend Jesus up to the Surin and Similan Islands located on the Northwest side of the top of Phuket Island. Crystal clear water and less crowded than Pangna Bay. This is more a diving place, so you can expect compressors be running until late at night. It’s very deep to set anchor but there are many moorings to pick up.

In Ko Surin Tai, March 15, we anchor near a 30 foot ex Sunsail yacht. He had a Swiss flag in the spreaders. We go to meet him. So we met Marc from Switzerland an

d his wife Si from Thailand. They live in Phuket. Talking together it comes out that Marc used to live 20km away from where I was living in Switzerland. As we are talking I mention my surname. Marc gets quiet, and I see Si surprised. After a while he asks me; is it Grossniklaus with two “S”. I answer yes, surprised. Because usually people tend to write my surname with “ckl” instate of “kl”. Now I’m asking him if his surname is Grossniklaus. Yes he answers! Tears came out of my eyes. Our surname in Switzerland is not as popular as Dupon… with “t” or “d” at the end is in France. Of course we had a nice party to celebrate the encounter.

As SW monsoon was tacking place, we decided with Jesus to go around Singapore and sail up the East coast on Malaysia peninsula. Jesus is heading for Ko Samui, almost at the same latitude than Phuket but on the East side of Thailand. Ourself we are heading to Northern Borneo.

In April, we left Thailand for Langkawi, did some provisioning there and then made our way down to Singapore.

We made mostly day trips, because there was not

much wind on the way or squalls. Usually we were motoring in the morning, getting some sea breeze in the afternoon for two to three hours and again motoring to the next anchorage, the advantage is that the batteries are the entire time top charged. Sailing close to the land to get advantage of the breeze, we also had to watch for fishing boats and fishing nets and traps.

Keeps you busy for the day. Forget it sailing through at night. If so, you must go out in the channel. Beware the big cargos. On the way down we stopped in: P. Paya, deep anchorage but you can pick up a mooring; the water is Crystal clear there. Penang, P.Rimau, P.Pangor, Berman River, P. Angsa, Port Klang, Port Dixon, P. Besar, P. Pisang, P. Kupkuk.

Then we rounded Singapore to anchor east of the crossway in Johor Baru. We arrived there mid May.

When you round the SE part of Singapore, don’t come to close Changi Naval Base. We cut the corner, and released the alarm in the base.

Three minutes later we saw a huge rubber dingy coming full power with armed marines to us. It was very impressive to see how the dingy was banging in the waves, and as they boarded us ordering to stop, no one had the helmet strait on the head. We got informed that we entered the security zone, and they ordered us to stop the yacht. Oups! Sorry sir we didn’t know I told them.

As you know you don’t stop a sailing yacht as quick it is to stop a motor boat. By the time we dropped the sails, they were nervous. They wanted to take our passports and leave with them. I denied telling them that I will anchor here and come with them because I didn’t want the passports to get out of my eyesight.

They informed the headquarters, they didn’t want me to come in the base. Finally they passed the details through the VHF radio. All the time they were polite and you could see on them that they enjoyed the ride. One hour later we were free to go. The security zone is half a mile around the watch tower.

We rounded northern Singapore Island and anchored between the custom and police dock. In 2003 there was a pontoon where you could leave the dingy, and from there it was very close to get to Singapore by bus over the crossway. Today the dock doesn’t exist any more. We asked permission to tie up the dingy at one of the police boat, they didn’t want, but we were aloud to tie up the dingy at the wall where steps are built in the concrete. Its very ruff so better have a fender to protect your dingy from ragging against the wall.

Notice.
I was told that you can come up the west side from Singapore and stop in Danga Bay marina (approximate Pos 1°28 N 103°43 E) and take the bus to Singapore. Going this way you must past under a bridge.

Anecdote:

Pui as Thai citizen is aloud to visit Malaysia and gets 30 day visa on arrival. The reciprocity applies for Malaysian citizen visiting Thailand. As visa expires, we where told in Langkawi that she just has to make a U turn and she will get an other 30 days and so on. (Easy in Langkawi because she goes to Satun by ferry witch is Thai border).

It’s just not working in Johro Baru. At the Malaysian immigration in Johro Baru they didn’t want to let her go to Singapore, the only way to leave the country was by airplane going to Thailand. I explained the immigration officer that we where together on a sailing yacht and could convince him to let us enter Singapore.

First thing we did, we went to the Embassy to apply for a 90 day. As we arrived at the counter No1 we were told that she doesn’t need a 90 day visa, getting 30 days on arrival. I asked how to proceed to get an extension. I was answered to go to an immigration office to get an extension. You don’t argue with official.

Ah! Singapore, the paradise for electronic of all kinds and spears you need for your yacht. Most of it can be found in Sim Lin Tower, and Sim Lin Square. Half an hour walking around form these places you find a lot of hardware shops, ship chandler and engine dealers. Be careful it’s addictive. So we spent the day shopping.

In the vicinity you will also discover a China Town and Indian quarters, there are nice temple to visit. On the way back as we re enter Malaysia, the immigration officer didn’t want to let her in! Aaarrrrgell! Again I told my story and showing a crew list, he finally let us comes in.

It was a 500NM trip from Langkawi to Singapore.

End of May, we left Singapore for Tioman. It’s the second duty free Island in Malaysia between the mainland and Borneo.

We stopped at Pasir Gogor, Pulau Tingi, and Pulau Aur. Nice places with clear waters for snorkeling.

We met nice people in Tioman from the sailing community (Helena zwo, Bruno and Hellen from Switzerland; Blue Tango, Wally and Lise from the States) and locals.
Grocery is a little more expensive then the mainland, every thing is coming in by ferry. Twice a week a little cargo brings fresh vegetable.

We stayed in the marina for 3 weeks. As Pui’s visa comes close to expire, I approach the immigration from Tioman and get told that I just have to clear out, go for two days on anchor to the next island and then come in again. Cool! On day D as we go to clear out, the bell doesn’t ring the same. She has to make a U turn to Singapore or fly home. Re Aaarrrrgell!

In emergency we had to book a flight to Singapore. Luckily I was told from Martin who is married to an Indonesian lady and living on a yacht, that you have to ask to talk to the supervisor when you get at counter No 1.