Saturday 2nd October - Friday 8th October
Kota Kinabalu
We landed in Kota Kinabalu about 11:00 pm having been delayed in Kuala Lumpur by about an hour. The weather was dreadful, it was bucketing down with rain and blowing half a gale. We and our luggage got drenched walking down the pontoon to the boat. The next few days were just as bad - torrential rain under very gusty squalls from the SW. Our plans for completing outside jobs on the boat were seriously set back. We'd bought various items back from the UK in order to complete some of the jobs the main ones being some high quality drill bits to go through stainless steel in order to secure the new solar panels to the frame we'd recently had fitted to the back of the boat. The rains continued for almost a week after our return. Having completed the inside jobs we were getting pretty frustrated but eventually the rain stopped and we were able to get the solar panels installed. We next decided to start the engine to make sure it was OK. It started although it sounded as though the battery wasn't fully charged so we ran it for a few minutes before trying to stop it - but it wouldn't stop. The stop button on the control panel had no effect, the solenoid switch on the engine also had no effect so the only other thing we could do  was switch off the fuel. After what seemed like ages the engine was still running then there was an acrid smell of burning and it finally stopped. This was a bit of a worry. We found a mechanic who diagnosed problems with the starter motor (again) and we deduced that the starter motor was jammed open so every time we tried to stop the engine the starter motor started it again eventually burning itself out. Michael the mechanic fitted the replacement starter motor which we'd had reconditioned in the Philippines at Sablayan and it seemed to start although a little unwillingly. By this time we were due to go to Sipadan so we decided to recheck everything when we got back. The plan was then to sail to Miri on Monday 18th where we would leave the boat for a few days to visit the Gunung Mulu National Park.

Saturday 9th October - Tuesday 12th October
Sipadan
The original plan was to go back to Sipadan with a group from Sabah Divers. The friends we'd made there - Mark, Helen and Chris were coming and the rest of the group would be made up of members of the Sabah Divers Dive Club. Unfortunately there was a problem with the booking arrangements and only 8 places were available not the 20 that were originally booked. The group trip was cancelled but we decided to go anyway since it would be our last chance before the resorts on the island were closed down for good at the end of the year.
The diving was still excellent. We were put in a group with 4 Japanese ladies all of whom were Divemaster or instructor level and had completed hundreds of dives. It was a very relaxed group with none of the frantic activity you see with less experienced divers. We thoroughly enjoyed every dive.
We arrived on the island around 10:30 am and because we'd been before were able to join the 11:00 am and 2:00 pm dives rather than having to wait for the one orientation dive in the afternoon.
Two mornings we went searching for hammerhead sharks but didn't find them, there was so much else to see that it didn't seem to matter that much. Whilst in the UK we'd bought an underwater housing for the camera so had lots of fun finding out just how difficult it is to take good underwater photos.
We spent 3 nights at Sipadan and did 8 dives. We were flying back to KK on the last day so were unable to dive the last morning. Since aircraft are not pressurised to normal ground level pressure flying too soon after diving could have the same dangerous effect that coming up too quickly from depth has i.e.. nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream possibly causing an embolism of one sort or another.
We'd enjoyed our few days on Sipadan and having watched a turtle laying her eggs on the previous occasion, were delighted to be able to see newly hatched baby turtles being released onto the sand to make their way down to the sea to begin their fight for survival to become the beautiful graceful creatures we'd seen 'flying' underwater.

Wednesday 13th October - Monday 18th October
Leaving KK - well maybe not just yet
We returned from Sipadan on Tuesday 12th October and planned to finish readying the boat and to leave the following Monday. We did shopping for non-perishables, tidied up the last few jobs and did port clearance and immigration as of Monday 18th  It wasn't to be - the weather forecast showed squally rainshowers and southwesterly winds and the engine was still not starting properly. We called Michael in again and his diagnosis was that our battery was worn out. We were a little sceptical since it wasn't all that old but Michael told us he would bring a new charged battery first thing the next morning. They did bring a new battery but had omitted to charge it - no problem they said, we'll bring another one straight away - but that wasn't charged either. The solution was to put it on charge then come back in the afternoon to check it out. They came back in the afternoon but a fully charged brand new battery would still not start the engine so back to square one. After rechecking the supposedly reconditioned starter motor we found it hadn't been reconditioned at all and was in fact totally useless but the good news was there was nothing wrong with our original battery. The solution was to recondition both starter motors properly. Michael's electrical expert took them away to replace everything except the outer casing and the gear with new parts. Given that it was now Monday, the weather forecast was still rotten and the starter motors wouldn't be fixed for a day or two we decided to fly to Miri to visit Gunung Mulu and leave on Carillon the following Monday.

Tuesday 19th October - Saturday 22nd October
Gunung Mulu
Gunung Mulu is Sarawak's largest National Park. It's a 529 sq km wilderness with two mountain ranges within it's boundaries, one of sandstone and the other of limestone. Within the park are many spectacular caves of which four are open to the public but the whole network of caves stretch at least 51 km and include the largest chamber in the world, the Sarawak Chamber. Apart from the caves the other two main attractions are the Pinnacles which are a forest of limestone rock formations near the top of Gunung Api and the Headhunters Trail which is a jungle trek along an old tribal warpath. We decided to see the caves and the Pinnacles.

Tuesday 19th October
To get to Gunung Mulu we had to fly first to Miri then to Mulu. We'd originally planned to catch the 10:50am flight to Miri but by the time Michael had finished with the engine and we knew we'd be able to go to Miri the flight was full so we had to get the 7:20 am flight instead - another 5:00 am start. We reached the hotel by 8:30 am and since it wasn't full we didn't need to wait until lunchtime to get into the room. We found we were overlooking the construction site of the new marina which gave us an excellent opportunity to have a good look. The pontoons were in so it was possible to tie up but the rest was still a construction site so there was no infrastructure or facilities. If we had followed the original plan and sailed to Miri first it would be a good safe place to leave the boat to go to Gunung Mulu but if we were just calling in for fuel and provisions it would be a bit of a trek to the town. Mooring up the river would be more convenient. We did a quick recce of the town in case we decided to stop on the way past and found the fruit and veg markets and the fish market all of which seemed to have plenty of fresh looking produce. The fish market had an abundance of fish including baby hammerhead sharks, barracuda, batfish, stingrays and all the usual jackfish, squid and prawns.
The tour company 'Seridan Mulu' had made all the arrangements for our trip to Gunung Mulu including a direct flight from Mulu back to KK. We were quite impressed with the efficiency and found that throughout our trip everything went like clockwork.

Wednesday 20th October
Our flight this morning to Mulu was at 9:50am and when we came to check out at 8:30 the rep from 'Seridan Mulu' was there with all the tickets, hotel voucher and transport to the airport. The plane was a Fokker 50 which can carry 50 passengers but there were no more than 20 on board. At Mulu once again the guide was waiting and while we were collecting our luggage he took our tickets to reconfirm our return flight. We were transported to the Royal Mulu Resort (well we had 1 night in a hotel and 2 in the jungle so we booked the upmarket hotel). The hotel is built on stilts in the style of Sarawak longhouses and is situated in the middle of the jungle next to the Melinau river. Access to the various parts of the hotel is by wooden walkways about 20 feet above the forest floor. Our room overlooked the river so we had a good view of the longboats travelling up and down. Hibiscus and Bougainvillia were growing at ground level and wild orchids were hanging from the walkways.
In the afternoon our guide, Ipoy, took us to the two closest caves - they were only about an hour's walk from the hotel so not too far. The first cave, Lang's Cave, was quite deep and maybe 20m high. There were many attractive rock formations and stalactite/stalagmites. The second cave, Deer's Cave, was so named because the deer used to come into the cave to drink from the stream. In Deer's Cave there are somewhere in the region of 5 million bats so the stream water was salty from the bat droppings. This has the largest entrance of any cave discovered so far. The roof is 150m high and the first part of the cave extends back some 200m or so. Just before dusk the bats start to leave the cave for their night time foraging. It's a spectacular sight - long ribbons of bats come streaming out of the cave spiralling and turning as they do so. It can take up to an hour and a half for all the bats to leave.

Thursday 21st October
The plan today is to take a longboat up the river stopping first at an indigenous village although this seems to be a ploy to persuade tourists to buy poor quality souvenirs - then to go on to the other two caves. These are the Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave. All the caves are magnificent in their own way but the rock formations in Wind Cave surpassed anything we'd ever seen before There are many tunnels into the wind cave and inside you could feel currents of air being pulled through. There is a large chamber at the end of the tourist access section which has been named the King's Chamber and is full of the most beautiful delicate stalactites and stalagmites. There is a complete sound of silence inside broken only by the occasional drip of water. Clearwater Cave has an underground stream running through the great cavern from one side of the mountain to the other and the walkway takes you alongside the stream until you can see the sky and trees through the far entrance..
After gaping in awe at these two caves we continued our trip upriver having to get out and push every now and then when the water was too shallow for the boat. We travelled for about another hour then left the boat to walk to camp 5. This was about 8km along a jungle path through the rainforest with the occasional boardwalk across the muddier bits. It promised to be a very enjoyable walk - unfortunately about 3 km from camp 5 the heavens opened, the paths quickly flooded and we arrived at camp 5 in a very soggy and muddy state.
The camp consists of 4 long rooms with sleeping platforms on each side and a communal kitchen. Each sleeping room could probably hold about 30 people but the camp wasn't very full so there were only 8 in ours. You can rent a thin mattress but you provide your own sheet and/or sleeping bag. You also have to provide and cook your own food but because we'd arranged the trip as a guided tour the guide took care of all the catering. The camp is right on the river bank and although toilets are provided in the camp you have to wash in the river which is sparklingly clear but pretty chilly. The drinking water also comes from the river and is boiled before using.

Friday 22nd October
Today we climb Gunung Api to see the Pinnacles. These are some very unusual and spectacular rock formations about 1175m up the mountain. The distance for the walk is 2.4 km including the 1 km up so it's pretty steep. This is a tough walk/climb. There are no flat sections to catch your breath and you are either climbing up and over tree roots or over rocks. About two thirds of the way up the rocks are too steep to climb in places so there are aluminium ladders bolted to the rocks either vertically for steep rocks or horizontally to cross wide gaps. There are also ropes fastened in places to give you something to hang on to. It took us about 2¾ hours to reach the pinnacles. These are enormously tall limestone rocks weathered to form sharp peaks standing at the top of the mountain. The viewpoint is a small relatively flat rock at the top of the climb.
Descending the mountain was more difficult than climbing it. It was just as difficult climbing down as up and very tiring on the leg muscles. I decided about halfway down that I was definitely too old to climb any more mountains. The descent took us 3½ hours and we were shattered. We lay and soaked in the river for a long time after getting back to camp 5.

Saturday 23rd October
Today we just need to trek the 8 km back to the pickup point then take the long boat back down the river to Mulu. My legs don't feel too bad today and there's no rain so it promises to be a very pleasant walk. My trainers suffered a bit coming down the mountain yesterday and the soles are looking none too secure so I hope they last until we get to the longboat. It takes us around 3 hours for the trek including wading through a couple of rivers and 10:30 finds us climbing into the longboat ready for the ride back downriver. The sole on my shoe chooses this moment to fall off completely so not bad timing. The trip downriver is much easier than coming up and there's no need for us to get out and push. The current carries us over most of the shallow bits and where it doesn't the boatboy gives a good shove with a stout stick. We stop again at Clearwater and Wind caves for an early lunch and a wash in the river then straight to the airport for the flight back to KK.   

Sunday 24th October
Really leaving KK for Singapore
The engine is fine, the weather forecast is good so we really are leaving tomorrow. We spent the morning at the markets buying enough fresh fruit and veg to last around 2 weeks although the trip should only take 7 or 8 days. At the fish market we bought a small tuna big enough for 3 meals and a chicken to freeze. If we get the freezer really cold while we're on shore power it shouldn't take too much power to keep it going for a few days. We went to the usual Sunday buffet at the Pacific Hotel to enjoy it for the last time this trip and enjoy spending time with the friends we've made and may not see again for some time. We pay the final bill to the Marina and plan to leave at about 8 am the following morning.

Monday 25th October
Up early and into the Marina Club for the last shower with unlimited hot water for the next week or so then to the Pacific Hotel for a loaf of freshly baked bread to take with us. As we unplug and tidy away the shore power cable our friends from the other yachts gather on the pontoon to help cast off the lines and wish us good luck and fair winds.
We plan to stop the first night at Pulau Tiga about 30 miles down the coast to ease ourselves back into sailing after 5 months in the marina at Sutera Harbour. We had to motor for a couple of hours before the wind came in then were able to set a course pretty much directly to Pulau Tiga. As we approached the anchorage we noticed a ketch anchored at one end of the bay so we decided to go over and say hello before dropping anchor ourselves. The boat was called Gasa and was from Darwin. He was anchored much closer to the reef than we wanted to be so we just gave him a passing wave before finding our own spot in a patch of sandy mud in front of the small resort on the SW side of the island.

Tuesday 26th October (05º 43.191' N  115º 38.899' E)
Pulau Tiga has two claims to fame - one is being the location of a British television program called Survivors made some years ago and the other is bubbling mud springs which can be bathed in. We went ashore to the resort which was of course called the Survivor Resort and they directed us to the mud springs a kilometer or so into the jungle. When we found the springs there was a Dutch couple already enjoying the experience of being suspended in mud. Steve decided to join them but I decided against it - the mud looked decidedly gloopy and sticky. The pool was about 4 feet deep but unless you actively pushed down with your feet you were completely suspended in the mud. When Steve came out the resemblance to a moving stone statue with a human head was remarkable. The only way to wash the mud off was to walk back the 1 km to the resort and wash it off in the sea. Judging by the patches of dried mud all over the path bathing in the mud pool is a popular pastime.
After returning to the boat we set course for Singapore - 251° for 6 - 7 days. It's about 770 miles to Singapore and we can carry enough fuel to motor for about 700 if there's no wind. If we find we have to motor for the first few days then we have the option of going into Miri, Bintulu or Kuching to buy more fuel. We've estimated that if we can sail for at least 100 of those miles then we have enough fuel to motor the rest of the way if the wind dies. We needn't have worried - the wind was blowing around 10 - 15 knots from the north as we left Pulau Tiga and by nightfall had built to 20 - 25 knots still from the north. It made for great speeds, 8 - 9 knots, but a pretty rolly ride. Overnight we had gusty squalls with up to 30 knots of wind in the gusts and made a maximum speed of 9.3 knots. We had 2 reefs in the main and the headsail rolled up to storm jib size.

Wednesday 27th October (04º 51' N  113º 07' E)
This area is full of oil rigs. We're off the coast of Brunei and wherever you look there are oil rigs. The winds are still up to 20 knots apparent from behind so we have the main with 2 reefs tied down with a preventer on one side and the headsail rolled down to storm jib size poled out on the other. We are making 8 - 9 knots still rolling downwind in big seas with the occasional squall making things a bit windier and wetter. The generator cooling system has failed. We think it just needs a new impeller in the pump but we'll wait for calmer weather to deal with it. We can still use the main engine to charge the batteries if necessary.

Thursday 28th October (03º 55' N  110º 36' E)
The winds were still pretty strong during the day but during the afternoon and evening heavy storms were developing all around us. The winds were getting lighter and we altered course to try to avoid a particularly nasty looking storm. As the winds became lighter and more variable we motored to avoid the nastier looking weather. The storms show up on the radar so you can get some idea of how far away they are, which direction they're travelling in and how big an area they cover - very useful. Other hazards to avoid were fishing boats pair trawling and ships.

Friday 29th October (03º 18' N  108º 52' E)
The winds had become very light and variable so we spent most of the day motoring. There were quite a few fishing boats and ships to avoid so we didn't get bored.
In the early hours of the morning a group of bottlenose dolphins came to play in the bow wave. There was a bright full moon so they could be clearly seen. They were quite small so maybe juveniles.

Saturday 30th October (02º 24' N  106º 52' E)
The winds have filled in a little now but from the NNW instead of N or NE so we are beating into a light wind. It's a bit slow but much quieter than bashing along under engine. The afternoon brought the usual gusty rain squalls so at nightfall the reefs go in for safety. We've had a few goes at putting reefs in during a 30 knot gust and have decided it's easier to be over cautious and put them in early. Just as it was getting dark we had an unexpected visitor. A barn swallow had at first settled on the guard rails then decided it looked much warmer and drier in the main cabin. It must have been exhausted, it was very small so maybe a young one and it seemed quite happy to perch on my finger until I tried to put it back outside then it found a cosy spot on the edge of the sink cover in the galley. It didn't seem at all worried about me preparing dinner only a foot or so away and then settled down comfortably to sleep through the night.

Sunday 31st October (01º 30' N  105º 12' E)
Our timing is completely wrong - we need to be at the approach to Singapore just before dawn but at the moment it looks as though we'll be there at dusk. We're planning on going into Sebana Cove Marina which is on a river on the Malaysian side NE of Singapore Island but we don't want to go in while it's dark so we're deliberately slowing down to delay our approach. During the night we are heading for the Malaysian coast just north of the approach to Singapore. This entails crossing the busy shipping lanes heading for the Singapore Straits. It's a nightmare - there seem to be 3 lines of ships, 2 going in and one coming out. The ships are about 12 minutes apart but not directly in line with each other. It's also dark so seeing exactly which way they are heading is not easy. We're tracking them with bearings, radar and luck to pick the right moment to cross between them. Once we get to the other side we need to mark time but the wind is dying and the current is running at 2 knots due south. At one point we drifted back into the shipping lane without realising it until we suddenly saw a ship heading for us with both Port and Starboard lights showing - it was time to motor out and to find a safer spot. Eventually the time came to head for the approaches just outside the shipping lane but with a constant stream of ships passing close by our port side.

Monday 1st November (01º 24.784' N  104º 09.800' E)
Dawn found us motoring down our plotted track north of Singapore Island and away from the ships. We have to head up a small river called the Sungai Santi and Sebana Cove Marina is about a mile or so along it. There is a bar at the entrance where we had 1.7m under the keel but once we got into the river it was quite deep. We arrived at the marina around 8:00 am. The marina staff were very helpful, the clubhouse isn't quite as sumptuous as Sutera Harbour but as other yachties have told us Sutera Harbour is quite exceptional. We plan to stop here for a few days. We need to sort out some parts in Singapore then we'll move on eventually reaching Langkawi in early December.

Tuesday 2nd November (Sebana Cove Marina - 01º 24.784' N  104º 09.800' E)
Sebana Cove Marina run a ferry service into Singapore leaving 3 times a day. The trip takes about an hour to Tanah Merah on the east side of Singapore then a few minutes ride on the bus will take you to Tanah Merah MRT Station. From there to the centre of Singapore takes about half an hour so the trip is fairly straightforward. Sebana Cove has it's own Customs and Immigration Office so formalities are no problem. We'd decided to spend a couple of days in Singapore so had booked ourselves into the Bencoolin Hotel on Bencoolin Street. It was a comfortable smallish mid-range hotel, quite comfortable and close to where we wanted to be. Singapore is much more expensive then Malaysia in fact much closer to Hong Kong prices. We needed some electronics work done and once we'd found the right shop it all seemed very straightforward. The job would be completed by Saturday so we would have to come back.
We had a wander round the Little India quarter which was decorated for the Deepavali Festival then wandered along Boat Quay to find somewhere for dinner.

Wednesday 3rd November (Sebana Cove Marina - 01º 24.784' N  104º 09.800' E)
We'd found a shop close to the hotel which had some very reasonably priced folding bikes with magnesium frames. We were very tempted to buy these and thought long and hard about whether the use we would get out of them would justify the space they would take up. At this time we decided not to buy them but will maybe buy some in the future.
We explored the Arab quarter and bought an attractive fabric painting to hang in our house in the UK. We then paid a visit to the supermarket to buy a few luxuries that are difficult to find in Malaysia like ham, pork, good quality lamb and a few other bits and pieces.

Thursday 4th November (Sebana Cove Marina - 01º 24.784' N  104º 09.800' E)
Twice a week on Monday and Thursday the Marina runs a bus into the nearest town to enable the yachties to buy anything they might need. It stops in the centre for an hour or so where there are a few shops selling groceries and fruit and veg. There are also one or two hardware shops and a few restaurants but it's not very big. The bus will then go to a place where one of the local people sells small quantities of fish then to a small supermarket outside the town. One of the drawbacks of Sebana Cove is it's remote location. There are no public buses close by and a taxi called from the Marina to take you into town costs RM50 which in Malaysian terms is quite a lot. It's possible to get into Singapore quite easily but again the overall cost is about RM50 and takes the whole day. It would be a good safe place to leave a boat and quite well appointed for staying just a few days but if you were there long term you would need your own transport.

Friday 5th November (Sebana Cove Marina - 01º 24.784' N  104º 09.800' E)
We had originally planned to leave today and go round to Danga Bay just west of the causeway between Malaysia and Singapore but decided to leave it a day and just relax here around the pool (at least in the morning when it wasn't raining). We spent some time working out the best route. The waters around Singapore are very busy and we wanted to avoid the shipping lanes as far as possible.

Saturday 6th November
We left Sebana Cove as soon as it got light to make the most of favourable tides. Our trip round to Danga Bay would be about 60 miles. We would motor at about 6 knots but the ebb tide would push us along at an extra 2 - 3 knots. By the time the tide was tuning we wanted to be around the southern tip of Singapore Island and on our way up the other side. The timing worked well but we had to change our route a little to take into account a very large piece of reclamation started too recently to show on our charts. To get around the west side of Singapore island up to Danga Bay entails passing under a new bridge known as The Second Link bridge. It's central span is 25 metres high and the top of Carillon's mast (including the VHF aerial) is 21.25 metres high so we went under very slowly and very carefully just in case. Danga Bay is a development in the making about 5 km west of Johor Bahru and the causeway to Singapore. It is still in the very early stages but plans include large housing developments, a marina, water sports area, etc. The marina doesn't exist at the moment but they are more than happy to have yachts anchor in the bay. There is a secure dinghy dock with a water hose (jerry cans only, you can't come alongside) and very easy access into Johor Bahru. Bob McKean on S/Y "Bobcat" has produced some extensive information and can be reached on sybobcat@yahoo.com if you need to know more.

Sunday 7th November (Danga Bay - 01º 28.31' N  103º 43.42' E)
Went to have a look round Johor Bahru - it's obviously a developing town. There are new buildings next to the old and quite few construction sites. We didn't need shopping so just had a quick look then went to see the local museum. The museum used to be the Sultan's palace and much of the furniture and layout has been preserved for display in the museum. Transport to and from Danga Bay was very easy - local buses run every few minutes and the cost is RM1.10.

Monday 8th November (Danga Bay - 01º 28.31' N  103º 43.42' E)
Steve went back to Singapore to collect the items we'd had adjusted while I went in search of provisions. To get to Singapore from here is just a matter of picking up the local bus into JB then a causeway bus across to Singapore getting on and off at each end of the causeway to clear customs and immigration. I took a bus to an out of town mall recommended by Bob for provisioning. There was an excellent supermarket with a good stock of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh meat (including pork although you had to pay for it at a special counter) and a wide range of other goods. Our next big stop is Port Dixon which will be two or three days away so I don't need to get too much fresh stuff.

Tuesday 9th November (Danga Bay - 01º 28.31' N  103º 43.42' E)
Danga Bay - Pulau Pisang
We left Danga Bay about 8:00 am to take the ebb tide up the coast to Pulau Pisang. Low tide is about 3:00 pm so that gives us 7 hours to do just under 40 miles. We need to do about 5½ knots over the ground and with 1 - 1½ knots of tide with us it shouldn't be a problem. We have about 5 knots of wind from behind so we have to motor. The sea is very calm, a little bit silty but not much rubbish in it and visibility is quite hazy. We can just about see the coast of Malaysia about 5 miles away. There are lots of small fishing boats anchored next to fishing markers with the occupants either sleeping or pulling in nets at a very leisurely rate. We arrive at Pulau Pisang at about 2:00 pm, we can hear thunder in the distance and can see a rain storm heading towards us as we are anchoring. We've just time to set the anchor before the torrential rain reaches us but it's all over in an hour or so. There is very little on this island, one or two fish farms but not much else.

Wednesday November 10th (Pulau Pisang - 01º 28.497 N  103º 15.650' E)
Pulau Pisang - Water Islands
The distance to go today is about 60 miles so we leave at dawn. The wind is fairly light and almost on the nose so we motor. After about 10 minutes or so the engine overheated so we stopped it and started sailing before investigating what the problem was. It turned out to be a broken fanbelt. I think the last time it was changed was nearly 2 years ago so it hasn't done badly. We can sail at about 4 knots or so in almost the right direction and when the engine has cooled a bit we'll change the fan belt. We were able to sail for a while but by late morning the wind had died so back to the motor. After a couple of hours the sea breeze had built up so we were able to sail again. When we stopped the engine we heard the sound of the water pump running and with no taps turned on that could only mean one of the joints in the water pressure system had burst. That's two problems so quite an exciting day today. We'd lost around a third of a tank of water into the bilge but it probably needed a bit of a rinse anyway. We found the burst joint but it means hanging over the engine to fix it so we need to let the engine cool again. Luckily there's enough wind for us to sail for a few hours. By 4:30 we still have 15 miles to go so if we want to get there in daylight we have to motor again. We arrive as the sun is setting and find a sheltered place to anchor near couple of other yachts.

Thursday November 11th (Water Islands - 02º 06.596' N  102º 20.466' E)
Water Islands - Admiral Marina (Just S of Port Dixon)
Only 30 miles or so today, the tide is favourable from about 9:30 am so we don't have to get up too early. Our course takes us fairly close to the coast so get a good view of Melaka on the way past. There seems to be a large oil refinery at one end and quite a few ships anchored off waiting to load or unload. The wind is much the same as the last couple of days - light offshore in the morning, a couple of hours with no wind then light onshore in the afternoon. This suits us fine we can cruise gently up the coast. When we were within a few miles of Admiral Marina we tried to raise them on the VHF. None of the pieces of information we had gave us the frequency so we tried all the usual ones with no luck but we did hear someone calling a Mayday. We spoke to the person calling and it turned out to be a yacht we could see a couple more miles offshore. It turned out his engine had broken down and he wanted a tow so maybe didn't quite warrant a Mayday call. We went over and towed him into the marina where he could sort out his engine.
This marina is about 8 km south of Port Dixon and seems to be quite efficient. At the entrance there was a big notice announcing that the VHF channel they used was Ch 14 so we were able to let them know we had a yacht in tow so they could find a suitable dock. There were a few people around to help so no problems.

Friday November 12th - Saturday November 13th (Admiral Marina - 02º 28.582' N  101º 50.721' E)
Melaka
 We wanted to visit Melaka (or Malacca as it is also called). We were told that despite what it said in the Lonely Planet Guide there were no buses from Port Dixon to Melaka and unless you wanted to spend all day on local buses the only practical way to get there was by taxi which would cost RM120 (normally RM100 but we're in the middle of the celebrations for the end of Ramadan and Deepavali so it's public holiday for a few days). The trip took about an hour and a half. We had booked into a guesthouse called Heeren House which was really quite quaint. It was run by 2 or 3 chinese/malays who were very relaxed, indeed the whole place was pretty laid back. The decor was old dutch style and our room had an ornate four poster bed and some heavy wooden carvings on the wall. It was overlooking the river in chinatown and from the window we could see across the river to the Stadthuys which was part of the dutch area and is now a museum. We spent some time wandering around chinatown which as well as being full of antique and souvenir shops has some beautiful old chinese temples hidden in narrow streets amongst the original buildings. There are numerous museums telling of the history of Melaka although the displays seem to be similar. The maritime museum has an original setting in a reproduction of a portuguese ship which was sunk in the Malacca Straits.
Two days was about right to visit the interesting parts and we returned to Carillon late afternoon on Saturday.

Sunday November 14th (Admiral Marina - 02º 28.582' N  101º 50.721' E)
We will leave tomorrow to continue up the coast so today we'll stock up on one or two items that are running short and take care of one or two jobs. We've discovered that two of the cupboards, one on each side of the boat are wet. We've been investigating on and off for a while but haven't discovered where the leaks are coming from so it's time to remove the lining at the top of the cupboard to expose the underside of the deck. We think we have found the leak on one side - it seems to be seeping through the deck itself not a deck fitting as we had originally thought. The first solution is to replace the caulking on the deck planking where it's worn and see if that stops it. It could be a long process. Late afternoon we top up with fuel. Here it costs RM 1.40 a litre which is slightly more than Sutera Harbour and quite a lot less than Sebana Cove. The exchange rate is about RM6 to GBP1 or RM3.80 to US$1.

Monday November 15th (Admiral Marina - 02º 28.582' N  101º 50.721' E)
Admiral Marina - Entrance to Port Klang
We leave around 8:00 am but there's almost no wind so I think we'll be motoring most of the way. We contacted the Yacht Club who informed us there was a visitors mooring available so we'll head straight there. We can see Bill and Sam on Blue Banana ahead of us also motorsailing. The winds followed the same pattern as previous days so by lunchtime we have enough wind to sail.  By mid afternoon we were approaching the river entrance to Port Klang. The Royal Selangor Yacht Club is about 15 miles up the river and there looked to be a big thunderstorm developing over it so we decided to anchor off Pulau Che Mat Zin at the entrance to the river and go on up to the yacht club in the morning

Tuesday November 16th (Entrance to Port Klang - 02º 54.855' N  101º 15.993' E)
Entrance to Port Klang to Royal Selangor Yacht Club
The tides in the river are very fast so we waited for the flood tide to up the river. The estuary is made up of a number of islands and channels and although the tide was flooding where we were anchored we found that further up where a channel went off to the north the tide was still ebbing so instead of having the tide with us we now had a couple of knots against us. We didn't fancy waiting in the middle of the shipping channel so we went on - very slowly. There are two large port areas at the entrance to the north and south channels and the river gets busier and dirtier the further up you go. There were numerous vessels anchored and lots of traffic from small tugs rushing up and down to container ships making their ponderous way up to yet another port area higher up the river. The yacht club is in a small side channel and we prepared for picking up a mooring. As we approached a small boat came out to show us where to go. We found that we were not going to be picking up a mooring but would be going alongside a pontoon so hurriedly got out mooring lines and fenders. The tide was still ebbing, in fact we were told that it ebbs for around 8 hours of a tide and floods for only five especially after a lot of rain when the flow from the upper reaches reinforces the ebb. The yacht club was friendly enough and it was nice to find an old Hong Kong hand on the management team.
Our original intention was to stay for a day or two to meet up with old Hong Kong friends coming up for the Raja Muda series racing from Port Klang to Langkawi but we found the river pretty unpleasant so decided to go on to Pangkor and meet up with them there at the end of the first leg.

Wednesday November 17th (Royal Selangor Yacht Club - 03º 00.398' N  101º 23.300' E)
Royal Selangor Yacht Club - Pulau Ketam
Steve went ashore at 9:00 am to check out and we left at 10:00. The tide was sluicing past so we couldn't use our usual method of letting go the lines and climbing on board afterwards. We had to loop bow and stern lines over the cleats and flick them off from the boat and even then the tide was pushing us away from the dock before both lines were off. We went downriver pretty fast until the junction where the channel splits into two then things became a bit more leisurely. The next stop would be Sungai Bernam but this was almost 70 miles so we anchored behind Pulau Ketam at the entrance to the north channel. There were two or three fishing villages and numerous ferries going to and fro but it was very sheltered.

Thursday November 18th (Pulau Ketam - 03º 01.829' N  101º 16.554' E)
Pulau Ketam - Sungai Bernam
We left at first light. There had been heavy rain overnight but it was fine by morning. The wind was following the same pattern so we had a few hours sailing in the morning then some motoring then sailing again once the sea breeze had established itself. We saw 3 yachts heading towards Port Klang and assumed they were joining the Raja Muda Race. Our next stop was a river - the Sungai Bernam (Sungai is Malay for river). It has a very wide entrance and is fairly shallow. There is a middle ground buoy at the entrance which has to be lined up with a leading mark about 5 miles upriver. We were going in at low tide and for quite a long way had less than 2 metres of water under the keel. Once past the leading mark there was plenty of water and we found a sheltered spot off another fishing village about 10 miles from the river entrance. I don't think they see many yachts since soon after we arrived it seemed like the whole village was clustered on a balcony looking at the boat.

Friday November 19th (Sungai Bernam - 03º 50.833' N  100º 49.936' E)
Sungai Bernam - Pangkor Island
Today we only have about 35 or 40 miles to go so we leave around 8:30. We cross the bar at the river mouth close to high tide so no worries about depth now. We passed close to the Sembilan Islands with a vague thought that we might stop there if we could anchor but they are pretty much steep to and although there are a few beaches the approaches shallow so rapidly that they don't seem like very safe anchorages so we admire them in passing and go on to Pangkor. There are 3 suitable bays on the west side of Pangkor and one that is theoretically suitable on the west side of Pangkor Laut but we discover that one is effectively roped off by the resort company that owns the island. We decided to anchor in Teluk Nipah which is the middle of the three bays . There were a couple of other yachts anchored there already.
We went ashore to have a look round. There were quite a few backpacker type hotels, lots of food stalls and lots of stalls all selling the same type of beach clothing. We arranged to hire a couple of motor bikes the next day to have a look around the island and try and stock up on fresh fruit, veg and meat.

Saturday November 20th (Teluk Nipah, Pangkor Island - 04º 14.261' N  100º 32.589' E)
Pangkor Island
The system with the motor bikes is that you hire them from noon one day until noon the next so we don't need to ashore just yet. When we went ashore yesterday the outboard engine overheated and we had to row. The problem with the outboard was a worn impeller in the cooling system so with the manual in one hand and a spanner in the other Steve set about repairing it. Apart from the manual being for a slightly modified version of our engine things went reasonably smoothly and by mid-morning we were back in business - note - add outboard impellers to UK shopping list.
We had to wait about half an hour or so for the bikes but eventually they managed to get two. The controls were slightly different from the one I was used to but not too much of a problem. The guy renting them didn't seem overly concerned about seeing our licences so the fact that mine is still a provisional wasn't a problem. We circumnavigated the island - the west side is mainly accommodation and resorts and the east side is where the town and the ferry terminals are. The island is easy to get to so tends to be quite crowded at weekends. We investigated the town - there were lots of shops selling dried fish but only one selling fresh fruit and only one that had any vegetables. The vegetable shop had a cold store so not having seen anywhere to buy meat or fish we asked if they had any. Yes was the answer so from the cold store came a chicken complete with head and feet but minus feathers and entrails. We took it back to the boat, jointed it so that it looked like the sanitised version we're more used to and tossed it in the freezer.

Sunday November 21st (Teluk Nipah, Pangkor Island - 04º 14.261' N  100º 32.589' E)
Pangkor Island
The first leg of the Raja Muda Race finished in the next bay and most of the boats had arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning. We went along to the hotel being used as the race headquarters and found quite a few of the crews including our friends a bit bleary-eyed but still standing. We decided to bring Carillon around to the same bay as the other boats then come ashore later.

Monday November 22nd (Pasir Bogah, Pangkor Island - 04º 12.501' N  100º 33.252' E)
Pangkor Island - Pulau Riman, Penang
We left at dawn and had a light land breeze for a couple of hours then it died and we were motoring again. These must be good fishing grounds - at one time we counted 48 fishing boats within view. We had to motor almost all the way, the wind was very light from almost directly behind so a pretty tedious day. I'm glad we weren't trying to race, it would have been very frustrating. We arrived at the southern tip of Penang about 18:30 and anchored to the east of Pulau Riman along with 3 other boats. When we anchored what wind there was came from the west but during the night the Northeasterly set in again so the anchorage was a bit exposed.

Tuesday November 23rd (Pulau Riman, Penang - 05º 14.902' N  100º 16.720' E)
Pulau Riman, Penang - Marina Batu Uban, Penang
We had decided to anchor at the same place as the Raja Muda Race boats which was just off Marina Batu Uban on the south side of the bridge between Penang and Port Butterworth on the mainland. It was about an hour or two motoring so not very far. As we approached the anchorage we came across our friends on Backchat towing one of the other race boats. Their engine had broken down so without some help they wouldn't have been able to get to the anchorage. The Marina Batu Uban is a very small private marina that can only take boats up to about 10 metres but it's quite safe to anchor just in front of it and use the marina as somewhere safe to leave the dinghy when coming ashore. It's not so easy to get into town but one of the staff was helping out by driving people into town. We had a look around and did a bit of shopping. There's a shop in the backstreets of chinatown that sells stuff you can add to antifouling to make it last longer and stuff to put in batteries to make them last longer.
There's also a very large Tesco store (as in UK Tesco) so we were able to stock up on basics, fruit, veg and meat. In the evening we met up with our friends from the Raja Muda Race at the E & O Hotel where they were holding a prize-giving party.

Wednesday November 24th (Marina Uban Batu, Penang - 05º 21.269' N  100º 19.076' E)
Marina Uban Batu - Pulau Paya
We needed to go north and pass under the bridge but although we were anchored right next to it we the water was too shallow for us to simply go parallel with the bridge to pass under the centre span. We had to backtrack south around Pulau Jerejak then up the main channel. The bridge is 28 metres high in the centre so no problem. We motored to the northern tip of Penang then hoisted the sails and did some sailing and some motorsailing. At one time we decided to head for Pulau Songsong about 12 miles due north because that was where the wind was taking us, then it all changed and the wind was once again taking is NW towards Pulau Paya. We arrived at Pulau Paya not quite knowing what we would find and prepared to go on to Langkawi in the dark if we couldn't stop. We had been told there were moorings at Pulau Paya but you may not anchor because it's a Marine Park. What we didn't know was whether or not there would be a mooring available. From a distance we could see a yacht in the bay so if there was only one mooring we'd be sailing on. As we approached we could see about half a dozen moorings with big orange buoys marking them so no problem. Pulau Paya has reasonably clear water and some quite good snorkelling. Dive boats come out from Langkawi but we didn't dive there so we don't know what it was like. They also have a large pontoon at one end of the beach which we think has a glass bottomed viewing area for those who don't snorkel or dive. By the time we arrived the tour boats had all gone back and it was deserted apart from the staff. The anchorage was a bit choppy since the prevailing wind is Northeasterly and the island runs NE - SW so neither side is particularly sheltered.

Thursday November 25th (Pulau Paya - 06º 03.727' N  100º 02.515' E)
Pulau Paya
We decided to spend the day here and have a look around and do some snorkelling. Around 10:00 am it started to get very busy with dive boats and tour boats arriving at frequent intervals. The tour boats were enormous and must have carried a couple of hundred people at least. Some people went to the viewing platform, others to the beach. They make a practice of feeding the fish and amongst those fish that come to be fed are a number of small black tip reef sharks. There are no catering facilities so the practice seems to be that the package includes a packed lunch and the operators take all the debris away with them to keep the Marine Park clean. By 3:00 pm the tour parties were all leaving and once again it became a rather beautiful peaceful setting. We took this opportunity to do some snorkelling and exploring without the crowds.

Friday November 26th (Pulau Paya - 06º 03.727' N  100º 02.515' E)
Pulau Paya - Teluk Ayer Taban, Langkawi
We left early to get the morning wind and had a perfect sail with the wind on the beam at about 15 knots. By 11:30 we had arrived at the southern islands of Langkawi and had plenty of time to nose around a few bays to find a good anchorage. We found a very lovely anchorage tucked behind Pulau Ujeng Buloh but it was very gusty with not really enough swinging room so we settled for Teluk Ayer Taban instead. It was sheltered from the winds but open to the SW so not too closed in. The rest of the day we spent just chilling out and enjoying the sunshine.

Saturday November 27th (Teluk Ayer Taban, Langkawi - 06º 10.617' N  099º 48.112' E)
Teluk Ayer Taban - Hole in the Wall, Langkawi