Sunday 25th March
Nai Harn Bay
   We'd planned to stay in Nai Harn Bay until Monday then move to Au Chalong to do Port Clearance, Customs and Immigration before leaving Thailand for Malaysia but there was a swell working into the bay by Sunday morning and by midday it was pretty uncomfortable so we moved around to Au Chalong a bit earlier. As usual it was pretty crowded and you had to anchor much closer to other boats than was comfortable but there's no alternative. I suppose if you're sailing in the Med or the Caribbean all anchorages must be like that. Anyway it was much calmer and we were able to get ashore very easily.

Monday 26th to Tuesday 27th March
Au Chalong
   We stayed a couple of days to stock up on foodstuffs for the trip to Singapore and buy one or two boat bits that we needed. Had another meal at the Thai restaurant by the pier but this time it was full of European tour parties and the staff didn't seem to have much time for a single couple like us. It will be a shame if it turns into just another tourist restaurant with toned down Thai food and too many concessions to European-style dishes.
    Tuesday afternoon we checked out. We arrived at the one-stop checkout office about 15 minutes before it closed and I don't think we've ever been checked out from Thailand quite so quickly. It was nearly as quick as Malaysia.

Wednesday 28th March
Au Chalong to Ko Kradan
   We left Au Chalong very early just as it got light since we had quite a long way to go. We'd intended to go as far as the south of Ko Lanta but there was no wind so we were motoring quite fast and decided to go on to Ko Kradan. We had previously anchored at Ko Muk which is not far away but had been told there was a good anchorage at Ko Kradan. When we arrived we found there were buoys laid on the South side of the island but the East side looked more sheltered. We crept fairly close in and dropped the anchor just as it was getting dark. During the night there were a few strange noises and in the morning when we could see a large coral head a metre or so from the stern we decided the strange noises were the keel grinding against it. Next time we'll probably anchor a bit further out.
Anchor position:- 07° 19.194N, 099° 15.330E (but it was too close in)

Thursday 29th March
Ko Kradan to Ko Bulan
   We didn't have too far to go today so we didn't leave until late morning hoping to pick up the shore breeze which comes in around mid-day. Steve spent some time cleaning the worst of the slime off the bottom of the boat. We managed to get a few hours sailing then the weather started to look a bit threatening and we could see rain squalls building up around us. When it was obvious we were directly in the path of a heavy squall we decide to drop the sails, put up all the rain covers and try to keep dry. By this time we were very close to Ko Bulan. This anchorage is a channel between two islands. The entry from the N. is a very narrow channel which is hard to find unless you know where it is. From the S. it's a very wide channel - you just have to keep your nerve when going in as it gets extremely shallow before getting deep enough to anchor in. As we approached the N. entrance the rain squall was sweeping across us limiting visibility severely but we were pretty sure of the co-ordinates and pressed on and suddenly it all opened up in front of us and we were able to slip through the gap into a most delightful anchorage between Ko Bulan and Ko Khao Yai.
 Anchor position:- 06° 49.516N, 099° 41.030E

Friday 30th March
Ko Bulan to Langkawi
   Again we didn't have too far to go so we left late morning just as another couple of yachts came in. This is the first time we've seen other yachts in this anchorage. We planned to sail down the E. side of Ko Tarutao then spend the night at the Hole-in the-Wall on the east side of Langkawi. The pattern was pretty much the same as yesterday, no wind in the morning, light winds in the afternoon and rain squalls building up in the late afternoon. We arrived at the anchorage just as it was getting dark and enjoyed the perfect peace of no Karaoke Bars, water scooters or speed boats. The speed boats would start up again in the morning but we would be gone by then.
Anchor position:- 06° 25.230N, 099° 52.003E 

Saturday 31st March to Monday 2nd April
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club
   As we left the Kilin River there were sea eagles flying around the cliffs and hunting for fish in the river, always a fascinating sight. We motored through the islands and were welcomed back into the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. We seem to have spent so much time there over the last couple of years it almost feels like home. We only planned to spend a couple of days there, just long enough to get some laundry done and stock up on diesel, fresh fruit and veg and a few more bits and pieces we couldn't get in Phuket. We managed to buy a new casing for the tri-colour navigation light at the top of the mast. It was a nice surprise since we'd thought we would have to buy a complete new light. The old one was starting to deteriorate so it was time to replace it. Steve then had to spend half an hour or so at the top of the mast fitting it and doing one or two other jobs that we'd been putting off.

Tuesday 3rd to Wednesday 4th April
Langkawi to Penang - 80 miles approx.
     Langkawi to Penang is just too far to sail in daylight so rather than arrive late in the evening in the dark we decided to do it as an overnight sail leaving Tuesday evening and expecting to arrive at Penang about 9 a.m. the next morning. We left the Yacht Club at about 1 p.m. at slack tide since it's much easier to manoeuvre the boat in the confined space when the tide isn't pushing you around as well. We anchored just off Kuah town for the afternoon and left at about 8 p.m. The trip didn't quite turn out the way we'd hoped. As we left Langkawi there were thunderstorms all around us with some very unfriendly looking forked lightning. The winds were all over the place so we were motoring and spent quite a few hours dodging the worst of the storms. By about midnight the worst had passed but left behind mist and drizzle but no wind. By this time we were in the middle of the fishing fleets - there lights stretching across the whole horizon so the next couple of hours was spent avoiding fishing boats. They tend to be a bit unpredictable and don't seem to use any known system of navigation lights so you have to be pretty alert.
   We motored the whole way so arrived at Penang nearer 7 a.m. than 9 a.m. Our destination was the Tanjung City Marina which had only recently opened. We called on the radio but only got a reply from another yacht who told us the staff didn't arrive until 9 a.m. We went to have a look and could see lots of empty berths so went and moored in one of them. When the staff arrived they seemed quite happy with our choice so there we stayed.
Marina entrance:- 05° 24.986N, 100° 20.760E

Thursday 5th April
Tanjung City Marina - Penang
   We went to the marina rather than just anchoring somewhere because it gave us easy access to the town for shopping and sightseeing and also access to unlimited power and water so we could wash down the boat. The marina is conveniently situated close to the town and there is plenty of space so we have a two berth section all to ourselves. We'd been told that there was a big problem with wash from the ferry terminal next door causing the boats to roll a lot but we had no problems at all in fact there was less swell than in the RLYC at Langkawi.
   The marina only has basic facilities but is quite adequate for our needs. The water is none too clean but that's what you'd expect in the middle of a big town. It's on the route for the free shuttle buses around town and the free shuttle to the Tesco supermarket so we had no complaints. We spent a couple of days doing some sightseeing and buying fresh food. From Penang we would not be going ashore anywhere else until we reached Singapore so we had to clear immigration, port control and customs. It was a bit challenging finding all the right buildings since they weren't very well marked but the staff were friendly and all formalities were completed without any hassle.

Friday 6th April
Tanjung City Marina to Pulau Rimau - 10 miles approx.
   We left the marina at slack tide about 11 a.m. and headed for Pulau Rimau just off the southern tip of Penang. It's only about 10 miles but the next day to Pulau Pangkor is about 70 miles so it just knocks a couple of hours off the trip. We had an uneventful motor through the harbour and anchored in the shelter of Pulau Rimau ready for an early start the next morning.
Anchor position:- 05° 14.897N, 100° 16.633E 

Saturday 7th April
Pulau Rimau to Pulau Pangkor - 60 miles approx.
   We left at dawn under motor and passed innumerable fishing boats and nets having to detour around the nets on many occasions. We sailed for a couple of hours until the N Easterly died  then motored until the shore breeze started and had a beautiful sail for a few hours. We arrived at Pangkor just as it was getting dark and anchored off the bay at the south. Somebody was wailing into a karaoke machine onshore but fortunately that didn't last long. The night sky was clear and full of stars.
Anchor position:- 04° 12.589N, 100° 33.210E
 

Sunday 8th April
Pulau Pangkor to Sungai Berman - 30 miles approx.
   Not much N Easterly this morning so motorsailed until the shore breeze started. The anchorage tonight is  Sungai Berman just inside the river mouth. The coastline here is very flat and the sea shallow for a long way out. We have to find the channel through the mudflats to the river where there is a sheltered anchorage in about 6 metres of water. There is a buoy marking the channel about 2 miles from the shore which we can line up with a beacon onshore to show the channel. As a safety measure we followed the big fishing boats through the channel since we thought they probably needed at least as much water as we did. The anchorage is on the south side of the river just downriver from a fish farm. The fishing boats from a town further up the river seem to be passing back and forth all night and have very noisy engines so it wasn't as peaceful as we'd hoped.
Anchor position:- 03° 50.796N, 100° 49.939E 

Monday 9th April
Sungai Berman to Port Klang - 65 miles approx.
   We have a long way to go today so lifted the anchor at 6:45 a.m. just as it was getting light. Once we were out of the river and a little bit away from the shore we were able to sail on the last of the overnight N Easterly. By 10 a.m. the wind had died away so we motored until 1 p.m. when the shore breeze started. The winds were a bit light and fickle so by the time we reached the river entrance to Port Klang it was dark. We intended to anchor in the same spot that we'd used on our trip up the coast 2 years ago and still had the waypoints set in the chart plotter so coming in at night was no problem. The anchorage is just off Pulau Pintu Gedong on the north side of the estuary not far from some leading lights for the main channel. It's quite sheltered and hidden from the blaze of lights from the container port a little further up the river.
Anchor position:- 02° 55.001N, 101° 15.840E 

Tuesday 10th April
Port Klang to Port Dickson - 40 miles approx.
   Not so far to go today so we waited until about 10 a.m. before we left to make the most of the afternoon shore breeze. The wind was aft of the beam so we were able to fly the genniker for a few hours and go a bit faster. For the non-sailors a genniker is a big balloon shaped light weight sail that you can fly instead of the genoa in light winds. We can go a bit quicker with it until the wind comes from forward of the beam then it doesn't make much difference.
   This part of the coast is quite industrialised and there seem to be numerous oil refineries dotted along it.
   By 5 p.m. the wind had died away again so we motored into the anchorage off Port Dickson. It feels a bit exposed but the weather is very settled at this time of year apart from the afternoon thunderstorms. There were a few enormous oil tankers anchored off but for a busy port it was surprisingly quiet.
Anchor position:- 02° 31.077N, 101° 47.859E 

Wednesday 11th April
Port Dickson to the Pulau Besar (Water Islands) - 45 miles approx
   The distance was about the same as yesterday so we followed the same pattern. Left about 10 a.m. motoring then sailed on the afternoon shore breeze until it died and motored into the anchorage. There are about half a dozen islands but apart from Pulau Besar they are too small to give any shelter. You can't anchor very close to Pulau Besar because it is rocky so you end up being a long way from the island. It isn't a brilliant anchorage and if there was any weather about it would be quite exposed.
Anchor position:- 02° 06.724N, 102° 20.321E 

Thursday 12th April
Pulau Besar to Pulau Pisang - 65 miles approx
   Another long day so we left at 6 a.m. just before dawn. The NE stayed in until 11 a.m. so we had a good sail with the wind on the beam. The shore breeze started about 2:30 so we had a beam wind from the other direction. Today we saw a whole fleet of tugs towing enormous barges filled with sand towards Singapore. Singapore is still building a massive reclamation around the south of the island so presumably that's where the sand was going.
    As the afternoon wore on the thunderstorms began to build up. We seemed to be directly in the path of one so put a couple of reefs in to be on the safe side. Just as we thought it was going behind us the cloud overhead suddenly thickened and blackened and the heavens opened. By the time we reached Pulau Pisang the storm had passed by. The place we had anchored on the way up the coast was a bit exposed to the wind this time so we motored round the island to find a more sheltered spot. Found a good spot on the south west side completely sheltered from the wind in about 8 - 10 metres of water. What we hadn't realised was that because it faced the shipping channel every time a ship passed, we got the wash 10 minutes later . Soon after we'd anchored a Malaysian Coastguard vessel stopped by. We thought maybe we'd anchored in a restricted area but I think he just wanted to tie up to us for the night. This we politely discouraged.
Anchor position:- 01° 27.664N, 103° 15.076E 

Friday 13th April
Pulau Pisang to Raffles Marina - Singapore - 35 miles approx.
   This morning was very dreary with no wind so we motored all the way to Singapore. We had about 35 miles to go and needed to be there by mid-afternoon. The marina had arranged for the immigration officer to arrive at about 4:00p.m. We had just turned into the channel approaching the marina and were about an hour away when an enormous thunderstorm developed over the land with scary looking forked lightning and massive thunderclaps right overhead and 20 knots of wind underneath it. By the time we reached the marina the rain was falling in sheets around us. We'd called the marina to let them know we had arrived and to ask for the berth number. As we came through the entrance and headed towards the berth we could see two figures in bright yellow oilskins jumping up and down and waving to us to show us where to go. The gaps between the docks were quite small and with all the rain covers down it was hard to see to manoeuvre the boat but Steve did his usual brilliant job and we came alongside safely.
   We plan to stay here for a week or so then check out the weather. We can't really start going up the east coast until the north-easterly monsoon has died out so we'll just have to keep checking the weather until that happens meanwhile we shall enjoy a bit of R & R in Singapore.

Saturday 14th April - Monday 23rd April
Raffles Marina - Singapore
   Raffles Marina is on the West side of Singapore just before the bridge joining Tuas in Singapore to Malaysia. It seemed well organised with a boatyard with travel hoist, a well-appointed Club House with 2 or 3 restaurants, a swimming pool, fitness centre and function rooms but considerably more expensive than Yachthaven in Phuket or the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. There was a shuttle bus to take you to the nearest MRT stations at Boon Lay and Jurong East and a shopping centre at Boon Lay with a couple of reasonable supermarkets and an excess of clothes, shoes and handbag shops. From Boon Lay to the main shopping centres in Singapore took about half an hour or so.
   We had hoped to be able to buy a 2nd whisker pole in Singapore to allow us to fly twin headsails in the right conditions but we couldn't track down a pole of the right dimensions. We did manage to buy replacement displays for our speed and depth instruments which had become almost unreadable and a DVD player to play our growing collection of DVDs. We bought a Shinco portable DVD player with a 12 inch screen and so far it seems to work very well.
   The weather while we were in Singapore was not so good. There were thunderstorms every afternoon and on one day in particular the storm passed directly overhead and one of the boats on the hardstanding suffered a lightning strike. His radio aerial disintegrated and both his VHF and SSB radios were irreparably damaged. His CMAP navigation system was also damaged.
   Once we'd made the essential purchases and stocked up on food we left. The one of the supermarkets at Boon Lay would deliver to the marina so that made things much easier.
   We made the boat ready and on Monday evening at 6:00 an immigration officer came to the marina and stamped us out of Singapore.

Tuesday 24th April
Raffles Marina to the Santi River.
   The tides around Singapore can run at 2 knots or more so our trip around to the East side of the island needed to be carefully timed to ensure the tide was with us and not against us. We left the marina about 7:00 a.m. just after it got light to make maximum use of the tides. The weather didn't look too good, there were thunderstorms at all points of the compass but since we were checked out we had to leave. Pretty soon we had all the rain covers up and were peering through the torrential downpour trying to spot any vessels on a collision course. The good thing was that we were making 7 - 8 knots with the tide so it was a very quick trip. We arrived at the mouth of the Santi River on the Malaysian side of the channel on the East side of Singapore by early afternoon. Inevitably the rain stopped almost as soon as we had anchored.

Wednesday 25th April
Sebana Cove
   The reason for stopping at the Santi River was to go up to Sebana Cove to fill up with diesel. There was enough of a price difference between Malaysia and Singapore to make it worthwhile. Sebana Cove is only a few miles up the river so about mid-morning we motored up there and tied alongside the fuel dock. The fuel dock is on the river itself so there is no need to even go into the marina. We had considered leaving the boat on the dock for an hour or two and having a swim in the pool at the marina but while we were waiting for the attendant one of the many macaque monkeys jumped onto the back of the boat looking as though it was contemplating mischief. Knowing how destructive they can be we decided to stay with the boat. Having topped up with fuel we motored back down the river to anchor for the night.

Thursday 26th April
Santi River to Jason's Bay
   Jason's Bay is about 50 miles from where we were anchored so we left at 6:00 a.m. to make maximum use of the tides. It was still about an hour before dawn so we could see the thunderstorms around us quite clearly. We motored through one of the big ship anchorages and skirted the edge of the shipping channel in torrential rain with appalling visibility and 3 knots of current under us. The radar came into it's own once we'd filtered out the rainstorms. We motored all day since the only wind was coming out of the storms and constantly changed direction and speed sometimes disappearing altogether and sometimes blowing at 30 knots. To make a bad day worse the wind instrument display gave up altogether. The connectors that came with the display unit were very poor and we'd had problems with them in the past but checking them out meant removing the dodger then removing the covering panel from the cabin roof so we needed a dry day to do it.
   We arrived at Jason's Bay in the early afternoon and anchored on the seaward side of the bar across the river mouth at the North end of the bay. At high tide the fishing boats came and went from the town just inside the river mouth. Most came quite close to have a good look and give a friendly wave.

Friday 27th April
Jason Bay to Pulau Sibu
   Now we can start checking out the islands on Malaysia's east coast. First stop is Pulau Sibu about 25 miles from Jason Bay. There was no wind but it was a nice bright day. Along the west coast of Pulau Sibu were four stilt villages. Originally they were the homes of the indigenous Sea Gypsies but now they have been turned into tourist attractions where there is basic overnight accommodation and fishing trips.
   We motored around the island until we came to an attractive bay on the east side facing Pulau Tinggi. The beach was white sand and there was good holding in sand in about 5 - 7 metres on the northern side of the bay. There was a slight swell from the NE but not too troublesome.

Saturday 28th April
Pulau Sibu to Pulau Tinggi
   When we went ashore yesterday we had a drink and a chat with the owners of one of the resorts who told us there was good snorkelling to be had at Pulau Tinggi so about midday we motored the 3 or 4 miles across to Pulau Tinggi to check it out. We found a superb little anchorage tucked in behind the reef between the main island and a group of islets on the SE corner of the island out of the swell. We anchored in about 6 metres and we know the bottom was sand because we could see it. There was a small sleepy looking village on the shore, it was very peaceful with no karaoke, jet skis, banana boats, speed boats etc. We found the snorkelling around the islets quite good with a variety of undamaged hard corals and numerous reef fish. It rated high on the list of pleasant anchorages.

Sunday 29th April
Pulau Tinggi
   During the night a fierce squall came through from the only direction from which we were not protected. We had 27 knots of wind and a big swell. The anchor held with no problem but it was a bit bouncy for a few hours. By the morning things had calmed down quite a lot but it was still a bit choppy for snorkelling.

Monday 30th April
Pulau Tinggi to Pulau Rawa
    We left Pulau Tinggi about mid-morning to take advantage of a favourable tide but the current always seemed to be against us regardless of what the tide was doing. The winds were quite light but there was enough to sail past Pulau Besar where we were originally heading, and on to Pulau Rawa, a distance of about 16 miles. We anchored opposite the resort on Pulau Rawa, it was a pleasant looking beach and resort but after another fierce overnight squall we decided to continue on to Pulau Tioman.

Tuesday 1st May
Pulau Rawa to Pulau Tioman
   We started sailing first thing in the morning but yet another squall threatened to sweep over us so we dropped the sails until it had gone by. Of course it dissipated before it got anywhere near us so we sailed on under yankee only since the course was almost directly downwind. When we arrived at Pulau Tioman we dropped anchor in Tekek Bay just south of the ferry pier in what looked like a sandy patch. The anchor seemed to be holding so we went ashore to check in and have a look around the town. Shan from the watersports centre on the beach had helped us with the dinghy when we went ashore and was most helpful. He pointed out some mooring buoys close to where we were anchored which we could use and assured us they were good and strong.
   Having completed our business ashore we were just on our way back to Carillon when another squall started rolling in. As we approached in the dinghy we could see that the anchor was dragging and Carillon was moving rapidly downwind. We got on board and took Shan's advice about picking up a mooring. Another squall overnight proved to us that the mooring was indeed strong enough to hold us.

Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th May
Tekek Bay
   Wednesday morning we investigated the local shops. We found 2 or 3 selling duty-free alcohol at quite good prices. The local mini-markets had a small selection of basics but the only vegetables were some sorry looking onions and potatoes. One had some frozen items including large packs of chicken and the other had some watermelon and not very fresh looking pineapple. We found later there was a vegetable shop further out of town towards Air Batang which had a small selection of fresh vegetables of varying quality. I think we'll have to take the ferry to Mersing one day to stock up properly. The information centre just by the airport has a reasonable internet connection.
   We checked out East Divers - Tioman, a local dive shop on the beach where we were moored and met Sufian who owns and runs the business and a German couple, Peter and Elke who were on holiday. We arranged to go diving with them that afternoon. We did 3 days diving altogether with Sufian and were quite pleasantly surprised and the quality of the dive sites. The visibility was about 15 - 20 metres and the coral was, on the whole, in excellent condition. We some areas of damaged staghorn coral but there were also many Crown of Thorns starfish in evidence so that may account for some of the damage. We saw shoals of reef fish, some small barracuda, an enormous moray which I refused to go close enough to photograph since the head alone was about 30 - 40 cm long, bumphead parrotfish which must qualify for the very ugly fish award, lots of blue-spotted rays and much more that I don't remember.

Saturday 5th May
Tekek to Monkey Bay
   Having checked out the diving we started to explore the island. A good wind came up in the morning so we sailed around Pulau Tulai on the NW corner of Pulau Tioman then back into Monkey Bay north of Tekek. Monkey Bay was delightful, it's a fairly deep bay quite well protected from every direction except due west and has at least 2 strong moorings. There is a sandy beach with 1 or 2 huts but not much else. We had the most peaceful night that we'd had for some time. The snorkelling was quite average but on the north side of the bay was a spot where tourists were taken to feed the fish so if you snorkelled there you got mugged by sergeant fish and small green wrasses expecting to be fed.

Sunday 6th May
Monkey Bay
   We decided to chill out in Monkey Bay for another day since it was so nice. During the afternoon we found our small outboard engine was malfunctioning. Steve stripped down the fuel system and gave it a good clean but still no luck. We decided to motor back to Tekek the next morning to see if Sufian knew any good mechanics.

Monday 7th May
Tekek to Juara Bay
   Motored back to Tekek to talk to Sufian about the outboard. He said they sent their engines to Mersing for repair and servicing but he knew someone on Tioman who was good with engines and would ask him to have a look. We left the engine with him and sailed around to Juara on the east coast of Tioman. We had a good sail around the north end of Tioman with only one or two patches where the island blanketed the wind. In Juara Bay we anchored in sand in about 8 metres of water close to the jetty. Juara Bay is very quiet, the only way to get there is by water taxi from Tekek or 4-wheel drive on a dirt track across the island. There are a few low-key resorts with restaurants, a mini-mart and a long yellow sandy beach.

Tuesday 8th to Wednesday 9th May
Juara Bay
     Decided to stay another day but to move to the southern end of the bay. The strong SE wind seems to be a daily occurrence and works up a bit of a swell by mid-afternoon which stays in for most of the night but the SW corner is a little more sheltered.
   Wednesday we had heavy rain all day but were sheltered from the squally winds. It must be pretty rough in Tekek Bay. The local swallows seemed to think we were a good place to roost during the rain and at one time the rails and crosstrees were completely covered by them. They're fetching little birds but they did make a bit of a mess on the deck.

Thursday 10th May
Juara to Tekek
   On Saturday we plan to take the ferry to Mersing to stock up for when 2 of our children, Louise and Mike, come for a visit. We are going to put the boat in Tioman's new marina for safety so today we need to sail back to Tekek. Having gone to Tekek around the north of Tioman we came back around the south. The winds were light on the east side but as we came around the south coast they increased and followed the coast round. On the SW corner where the wind was blowing about 15 knots came across a Hobie Cat with it's sail tied into the mast and 3 boat boys paddling it furiously towards the shore. We went over to make sure they were ok but they gave us a cheerful wave and said they were fine so we left them to it. We tied up to our usual buoy in Tekek Bay then went ashore to check out the marina. We found all the docks full of small local boats which we later discovered were using it for free because the creek they used to anchor in had been blocked when the marina was built. The entrance to the creek is currently being resited to allow the small boats to use it again. We were assured that if we came into the marina a dock would be cleared for us.

Friday 11th May
Tioman Marina
    Before we took Carillon into the marina Steve went in by dinghy to be sure there was an empty dock. Sure enough a good sized dock with easy access was clear so in we went. The docks are complete and power and water are available although at the moment they haven't quite got things together to charge for either so we got them free. The office and marina buildings are not quite finished so you have to go to the Port Clearance office to check in. It's quite pleasant and feels very open but is still well protected from any swell by the sea wall. The water is the clearest we've seen in any marina and full of small fish. We planned to go to Mersing the next day by ferry and since Sufian's friend had been unable to fix the outboard we would be taking it with us in the hope that it could be repaired in the same day.

Saturday 12th May
Mersing
   The ferry was scheduled to leave at 7:30 a.m. so we were up bright and early and took ourselves and the outboard motor to the ferry pier. There we were told it would go at 8:00 a.m. so leaving the outboard at the terminal we went to find some breakfast. We returned just before 8 but no sign of the ferry. Eventually it came at 8:30 so everyone boarded and off we went - for about 10 minutes, then it turned around and went back again. It seemed that someone had missed the ferry and requested that it return for them. 9:45 and we were finally on our way. It took about an hour and a half. The approach to Mersing was very shallow and at times the ferry was skimming through the mud on the bottom. The river is very narrow so even if we could have got Carillon in at high tide we would still have had to tie alongside a fishing boat since there was no room to anchor.
   Mersing was a pleasant little town, we managed to find the repair shop for the outboard and they seemed confident that they could repair it before we returned to Tioman in the afternoon. The market wasn't very good, there wasn't a very good selection of vegetables and very little fruit but we got what we could then went in search of a supermarket to buy meat. The supermarket was also quite basic but we were able to buy some chicken and minced beef. It wasn't brilliant but it was better than Tioman.
   By 3:00 p.m. the outboard was ready and we got back to the ferry terminal in time for the 3:30 ferry.

Sunday 13th May
Tioman Marina
Today we started clearing everything off the bunks so Louise and Mike will have some where to sleep when they arrive tomorrow.

Monday 14th to Saturday 26th May
Cruising with Louise and Mike
Monday 14th May
     Louise and Mike were due to arrive at Paya about midday so we motored down to Paya and picked up a dive buoy to wait for them. They had flown to Singapore and arrived early yesterday morning then had to catch the bus from Singapore at 6:30 this morning. The ferry arrived early afternoon so we transported them and their luggage to Carillon where they enjoyed a welcome swim in the cool clear water. A lazy afternoon swimming and snorkelling followed before we motored back to Tekek to talk to Sufian about diving. We organised Louise's refresher course for the following morning and Mike's advanced course for the weekend with a few days diving in between.

Tuesday 15th May
   We took a slightly nervous Louise ashore the following morning to complete a dive refresher course with Sufian. It's almost 10 years since she did any diving so had a lot to remember. Mike and Steve were going to dive at Ringgis while Louise was doing her course but the jet lag caught up with Mike and he didn't wake up until 11:00. Since Louise's course was almost finished by then Mike and Steve decided to dive in the afternoon instead. Louise's course went very well, she had a bit of a problem equalising the pressure one ear but no problems remembering the skills. In the afternoon we all went to Ringgis in the dinghy for Mike and Steve to dive and Louise to snorkel. The diving is very easy there with good visibility, lots to see and almost no current.

Wednesday 16th May
    Today we all go diving. Sufian has no other divers at the moment so we can dive where we want. We decided to dive on Tiger Reef and Golden Reef which are submerged reefs west of Tekek. The seas were very calm and we found the buoy line quite easily. There was quite a lot of surface current so we held onto the buoy line to go down but once we'd reached the bottom the current was only slight. Louise's ear was still a little troublesome but she was able to clear it more easily than yesterday. Both dives the visibility was good and both Louise and Mike looked comfortable and relaxed under the water.

 Thursday 17th May
    Today's diving was at Chebeh and Malang Rocks NW of Tekek. Chebeh is a small island and Malang Rocks a small rocky outcrop just showing above the water.  Again the visibility was good and we saw among other things a large bumphead parrotfish, lots of batfish, blue-spotted rays, etc.  We finished diving quite early and decided to motor to Monkey Bay and spend the next day there then return to Tekek on Saturday for Mike to do his PADI Advanced Course. In Monkey Bay we picked up one of the moorings where we were sheltered from the swell. It was all very peaceful but we didn't see the monkeys this time.

Friday 18th May   
 We inflated the canoes this morning and Steve and Mike went paddling while Lyn and Louise snorkelled. This is the bay where boats bring tourists to feed the fish so we snorkelled over to where the fish feeding takes place and were completely surrounded by sergeant major fish and small green wrasses. Since we had no food for them one or two decided to take a bite out of Mike instead.
   Today was Mike's birthday so we had cake and champagne to celebrate. We also took the dinghy to Salang Bay for lunch. Salang Bay is one of the backpacker areas with some small resorts, a few restaurants and one or two shops. In the evening we went back to Tekek and had dinner in the Steamboat Restaurant at the Berjaya Resort to complete Mike's birthday celebrations.

Saturday 19th May    
Mike's course doesn't start until about midday so this morning we went for a walk in the jungle There is a track that goes from just north of the airport at Tekek across the island to Juara Bay. It was too far to go the whole way so we walked for about an hour or so into the jungle then came back. Most of Tioman is primary jungle so there are some impressive trees. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife apart from insects and a small green snake. We could hear the birds but they are quite difficult to spot. In the afternoon while Mike was doing his course Louise and Lyn took themselves to the Berjaya Resort Spa and enjoyed a relaxing massage. 

Sunday 20th May
   Mike completed the rest of his course today. For the Advanced Course there are 2 compulsory modules which are the Navigation and Deep dive modules then you choose three more so you complete 5 modules altogether. Mike decided to do Search and Rescue, Peak Performance Buoyancy and Night Dive.
   In the meantime Louise and Lyn dived at Ringgis with Steve as backup in the dinghy. Unlike the other times we'd dived here there was a bit of current so we could just hover and watch the reef passing under us. It did mean we reached the end of the reef long before we ran out of air so had plenty of time to explore different parts of the reef. The current wasn't so strong that you couldn't swim against it. One of the more unusual things that we saw was a moray eel swimming over the sand at the edge of the reef. Normally they are in holes with just the head poking out.

Monday 21st May    
Having spent the first week diving we were now going to sail to some of the nearby islands. Our first destination was Pulau Seribuat. The wind was gusting quite strongly around Tioman so we put a reef in the mainsail. We noticed that the wind direction sensor seemed to be malfunctioning again, hope it's nothing serious. At Pulau Seribuat we anchored behind the reef between Pulau Seribuat and Pulau Sembilang. Although it's open to the wind the reef protects us from the swell. We thought the islands were deserted but then noticed what seemed to be an encampment on the beach. Not knowing what it was we wondered if it might be some kind of eco-project. 

Tuesday 22nd May
   This morning it was low tide and the party on the beach were wandering all over the reef. Later a small boat arrived with what seemed to be a camera crew. We knew that these islands had been used in the past for the filming of the television series 'Survivor' and speculated that this might be connected. This was confirmed later in the day when the film crew boat came out to ask us if we could possibly move because we were in their shot. At this time it was too late in the day to reach another anchorage before dark, where we were we had the reef directly in front and 20 metres depth of water behind so had to refuse. We had planned to leave the next morning so they would have to delay that particular shot for 24 hours.
   During the day we had taken the canoes to explore the island. There were numerous mangroves further round the coast with channels running through them although you had to take care not to get lost inside the mangrove area. Coming back to Carillon Louise got quite frustrated with current spinning the canoes around and making it difficult to paddle in a straight line.

Wednesday 23rd May
When we left the anchorage we motored round to the south side of the reef to have a look and noted at least 3 possibly 4 of the 'Survivor' groups.  There was no wind so we motored to Pulau Babi Tengah for our next stop. This was a very pretty anchorage with a white sand beach and some little rocky bays. We went ashore and found some local workman building a wooden structure just off the beach. We were curious to know what it was a asked the workmen. They told us it was for a competition for the 'Survivor' groups. They were on this island too. Later on the beach Steve met with 2 or 3 people from one of the groups and learnt that there were 9 groups in the area altogether from different countries.

Thursday 24th May
   We decided to move on to Rawa today. There was a good wind so we were able to sail all the way. It wasn't very far fro Pulau Babi Tengah so we went the long way round Pulau Babi Besar to make a good days sailing. Unfortunately when we reached Pulau Rawa we found the anchorage was open to a swell from the south and decided it would not be a suitable overnight anchorage. We decided the best thing to do was to return to Pulau Babi Tengah for the night.

Friday 25th May
Today we have to return to Tioman. Louise and Mike have to leave on the ferry tomorrow so we need to get them back to Paya. When we tried to lift the anchor we found it was fouled on a large fishing net tangled up with a piece of coral. We managed to get the anchor near enough to the surface to cut the net off but it took quite a while. Eventually we were on our way again. We had a gentle sail back to Tioman and picked up the mooring near the jetty at Paya and Louise and Mike spent their last afternoon swimming over the coral in the beautiful clear water.

 Saturday 26th May
   Louise and Mike have to catch the ferry back to Tanjung Gemok then the bus to Singapore. The ferry is scheduled to leave at about midday so we went shore about mid-morning for brunch. After a final walk along the beach we saw them to the ferry at about 1:00 and waved a sad goodbye looking forward to seeing them again with rest of our family when we return to the UK for a break towards the end of July.
   We returned to the mooring at Tekek and spent the afternoon checking out of Tioman, checking the internet and picking up one or two last bits of shopping.

Sunday 27th May
Tioman to Pahang
     We're going to cruise up the coast for about a month probably getting as far as the Perhentian Islands before heading for Miri on the NW coast of Borneo. Today we plan to get as far as the Pahang River about 60 miles away so it's an early start. The autopilot compass is malfunctioning but the GPS is ok so although we can't steer a compass course with the autopilot it will steer to a waypoint. The wind instrument is also malfunctioning. We think the sensor at the top of the mast is not working properly and is sending confusing information to the instruments. We reached Pahang in the early afternoon about high tide and followed the pilotage instructions to find the channel across the bar. We found we ran out of water so had to come back to the deeper water and think again. Unfortunately there were no boats going in that we could follow but it looked as though the water was slightly less muddy on the south side of the channel so we tried going in there. It was the right decision, we had a least depth of about 3 metres. We anchored off the fishing village just inside the entrance and must have had almost the whole village gathered on the shore to take a look at us. I don't think many yachts come in here.

Monday 28th May
Pahang to Kuantan
    We only have about 20 miles to go today so we left at high tide to have plenty of water to get over the bar. Going out we followed the south bank of the river fairly closely and had plenty of water. We had about 10 knots of wind so could sail all the way and arrived at low tide. We watched the local boats going in and followed their track on the assumption that they would be following the deepest channel. Had no problem this time and even at low water still had a minimum depth of 3 metres. There was a fishing village just at the entrance then the town of Kuantan a little further on just past a bridge. The bridge was too low for us to pass under but the river widened just before it so there we anchored. We took the dinghy to the public jetty in the middle of town to get ashore then found our way to the tourist office. The people in the tourist office were very helpful in locating a courier to get our sail to Malacca for repair, a laundry, internet cafe, the wetmarket and supermarkets.
   Later in the evening a thunderstorm passed by with 20 - 30 knots of wind causing the anchor to drag. The first we knew of it was when the boat lurched as it hit the mud just in front of some fishing boats. We were able to motor off and on lifting the anchor discovered a large polythene sack around the fluke. We re-anchored further into the middle of the river and hoped it would hold this time.

Tuesday 29th to Wednesday 30th May
Kuantan
We got the headsail to the courier on Tuesday and had a call from the sailmaker on Wednesday to say that it had arrived. All well and good - now we just have to organise getting it back when it's been repaired. Next on the list was to contact the boatyard manager at Raffles Marina to see if he could help us with ordering the spare parts we needed for the autohelm system. We need a new fluxgate compass and a new wind instrument. He put them on order and will let us know when they arrive so they can be couriered to where we are. Almost certainly it will be Kuala Terrenganu.
   We had a day out on Wednesday to visit the museum in the nearby town of Pekan. The main museum giving the history of the Sultans of Phang State was quite interesting but the local watercraft section was more to our taste. The town was having a 5 day festival and next to the Watercraft Museum a blowpipe competition was being held. The competitors were using 2 metre long blowpipes and had to hit a target approximately 50 metres away. It looked difficult enough to hold the blow-pipe steady let alone blow a dart through it to hit the target.
   On our return to Kuantan we found that the dinghy had grounded and while trying to free it we punctured one of the tubes on the barnacle covered rocks. We managed to limp back to Carillon with only one tube inflated then had to search out the repair kit to mend the gash.

Thursday 31st May
Kuantan to Cukai
   The wind was right behind so we sailed slowly under headsail only to Cukai on the Kemamen River. The entry to this one was easy. The channel was well marked and we had a least depth of 4 metres. The town is a mile or so up the river so we motored gently along the channel watching the sea eagles soaring around us and anchored just off the town park where again we collected quite an audience. We didn't find an internet cafe here so we couldn't check for emails but the wet market was only a few minutes walk from where we went ashore. Again it's a quiet town with a pleasant seating area overlooking the river.
   This whole area seems to be full of sea eagles both on the rocky faces of the offshore islands and nesting in the trees lining the banks of the rivers on the mainland. Everywhere we go we hear their raucous calls.

Friday 1st June
Cukai to Pulau Tenggol
   First thing this morning we went ashore to buy fresh fish, fruit and veg and to fill the jerry cans with diesel. Getting ashore was quite challenging, a fishing competition was being held so the whole the riverfront was packed with people wielding fishing rods and trying to pick our way through the lines without wrapping any of them around the propeller took some doing but we got there in the end. The market shopping went well, we managed to get everything we wanted including some fresh prawns and fish but there's a problem with diesel. Because of government regulations it's quite difficult to get jerry cans filled at a petrol station. Steve finally managed to get the attendant to tell him that they could only fill one can at a time so if he took one can, filled it, paid for it and took it away he could then return with the next can and repeat the procedure for all the cans he wanted to fill.
    Having finally bought enough diesel to fill the main tank we left Cukai for our next stop which was Pulau Tenggol about 30 miles offshore. The day was very overcast and there was no wind so we motored all the way. Our pilotage instructions told us there was a bay on the east side of the island with a dive shop on the beach and some moorings since it was too deep to anchor. We motored around the east side but all we could find were steep rocks and no moorings. Eventually we found ourselves on the west side of the island where we found a beautifully protected bay with 4 dive shops on the beach and a few moorings one of which we picked up.
   Since we had arrived at the weekend everything was very busy and there seemed to be hundreds of people on the beach or snorkelling or buzzing around in dive boats. There was also a liveaboard dive boat which came into the bay early in the evening with the noisiest generator and the brightest lights all of which were running throughout the night.

Saturday 2nd to Sunday 3rd June
Pulau Tenggol
   We stayed a couple of days. When the noisy liveaboard wasn't there it was very pleasant. We just watched the comings and goings and did a bit of swimming and a bit of sleeping. On Sunday most of the people had left. We were glad to see the noisy liveaboard heading back to the mainland. Now it was much quieter we went ashore to have a look around. There are 3 resorts on the beach, all of them dive resorts. The accommodation looks fairly basic but since there's no infrastructure on the island it's hardly surprising. Apart from this beach the island is all jungle and rocks, there certainly doesn't seem to be any other habitation anywhere. The buoys close to the beach are used by the resort boats but the other 4 buoys in the bay mark dive sites. The one we're tied to marks a dive site consisting of 5 wrecks in 30 metres of water so quite deep.

Monday 4th June
Pulau Tenggol to Pulau Kapas
    We sailed partway to Pulau Kapas but then the wind ran out so we motored the rest. Kapas is only a few miles from the coast so at weekend gets lots of day-trippers. The main beach looked as though there were quite a few people there but we anchored on the NW corner between Pulau Kapas and the tiny island of Pulau Gemia. It was delightful. There was no swell, the only people on the beach were a small group of young boys camping and there were no speed boats or jet skies or anything like that and the water was clear enough to see the anchor hit the bottom. We needed to get to Kuala Terengganu otherwise it would have been tempting to spend another day there.

Tuesday 5th June
Pulau Kapas to Kuala Terengganu
    Our pilotage instructions indicated that it was a difficult entrance into Kuala Terengganu so we left in time to reach it an hour or so before high tide. There was no wind so we motored all the way but it was only about 9 miles. We found when we got there that there is a massive amount of work going on in the river entrance so what used to be a difficult approach is now very straightforward. From the middleground buoy outside the entrance you can just head straight into the river and there is plenty of water all the way. They seem to be doing lots of reclamation, dredging and seawall building so although the entrance is narrower than it used to be it's well defined. There is a new marina at Terengganu which although not officially open is still happy to take yachts. The first set of pontoons are in place and supplied with power and water and the staff were very friendly and helpful. There is still no fuel dock or boatyard but they are on the future plans. The only quibble we had was that the price was out of line with the other marinas in Malaysia and comparatively expensive. The daily rate for Carillon was roughly double what we were paying at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club however it has a very pleasant open aspect on an island in the middle of the estuary. To get into the town you can either take your own dinghy across to the public jetty next to the wet market or the marina will run a ferry service during operating hours or you can call a public ferry.
   The reason for being in Terengganu was to locate a courier to get the repaired sail back from Malacca and the autohelm spares from Singapore. We eventually settled on Citylink and set things in motion. We hope to get both items by tomorrow or Thursday.

Wednesday 6th June to Saturday 9th June
Kuala Terengganu
   Well the sail has arrived at the courier's office but the autohelm parts are in KL waiting for us to sign a form promising to pay the customs duty. We have to go to the courier office to sign the form and once there arrange for them to deliver the sail and the spare parts when they arrive to us at the marina. Since the sail weighs 30 kg we're more than pleased at not having to get it back ourselves.  
   Thursday morning (Happy Birthday Steve!!) Steve got the marina ferry to take us and 5 fuel cans up the river to the fishing boat fuel dock since the marina does not yet have it's own fuel dock so we should now have enough fuel to last until we get to Miri. We also have to check out today because the CIQ offices are closed from Thursday afternoon for the weekend and we'd like to leave Saturday or Sunday. By the time we've done all this the packages from the courier have arrived so tomorrow we'll install the spares and hope it all works.
    By 8:00a.m. Steve's at the top of the mast with the new wind instrument. The one we're replacing is an older model so he is delighted to find that he can just screw it in place of the old one. He had envisaged having to replace all the fittings and releading the cable down the mast. He also replaced the fluxgate compass but found it still gave the wrong readings. When we leave we'll try recalibrating it but if that doesn't work then the problem must be with the wiring or the course computer. The wiring we can check but the course computer will have to go back to the UK with us for checking and we'll be without self-steering for the 4 or 5 day trip to Miri.
   Saturday is provisioning day so we spent an hour or so at the wet market buying fresh fruit, vegetables, chicken and fish. The wet market is enormous and rambling. The vegetables are nice and fresh and if we can't get the variety we'd like we'll just have to make do with what we can get. In the afternoon we decided to be tourists and visit the museum. It's a bit out of town and there don't seem to be any buses so we have to go by taxi and arrange for the taxi to pick us up later. The exhibits are quite interesting but the presentation could be a bit more imaginative. There's certainly no lack of space. We'll leave first thing tomorrow when the tide is slack. At mid tide it rushes through here at a couple of knots or more. It was quite tricky coming in and we'd prefer to go out more safely.

Sunday 10th June
Kuala Terengganu to Pulau Bidung Laut
   We left at about 9:00 a.m. when the tide was almost slack - but not quite - it was still pushing us around a bit but there is plenty of space so we got out without any mishap. Once outside the river in reasonably deep water we put the instruments into calibration mode and started turning the boat in slow circles. To calibrate the compass we need to do at least 2 slow circles but after 4 it still hadn't worked. Steve tried connecting to the course computer with new cable but that didn't work either so the problem must be in the course computer. If there is wind while we're sailing offshore we can use the windvane system for self steering but it doesn't work very well inshore because the wind tends to be too shifty. The next thing to do then is to set up the backup autohelm. A year or two ago we bought a TillerPilot, which is an autohelm system designed for small boats. The idea was that we could use it to drive the windvane system. The windvane has a totally separate rudder which acts as a trim tab to the main rudder so lets hope this works.
   As there was no wind we motored to Pulau Bidung Laut just south of Pulau Redang. There used to be a Vietnamese Refugee Camp here from the time of the boatpeople so we thought we'd take a look. There was a mooring buoy in the bay which we picked up, and some fishing boats anchored but they normally leave to go fishing in the late afternoon. The water is crystal clear. We're in about 12 metres and you can see the rocks and old fishing nets on the bottom quite clearly.

Monday 11th June
Pulau Bidung Laut to Pulau Redang
   We went ashore early before it got too hot. There are many dilapidated buildings to be found although new vegetation has reclaimed most of the area. The camp would have been occupied by Vietnamese refugees for 10 years or so from about 1987. On a small promontory stands the remains of a church and clinic and in front of these are 2 memorials. The first is a representation of a boat and is covered in plaques bearing the names of refugees giving thanks. The other is more abstract and commemorates the death by drowning of 38 refugees within sight of land.
   We left about midday for Pulau Redang. Again there was no wind so we motored. Steve set up the TillerPilot on the wind vane arm to see if it would successfully steer the boat. We were quite relieved to find that it worked very well. On our 700 mile trip to Miri we can use the wind vane system to steer the boat if there is wind but if there is no wind and we have to motor we can now use the TillerPilot to drive the wind vane system in place of the wind. It's good to know we don't have to hand steer for the 6 or 7 days it will take for the trip.
   At Pulau Redang we picked up a Marine Park buoy in a very sheltered bay on the SE side of the island just off the Marine Park Headquarters. The water was crystal clear but there were very few fish.

Tuesday 12th to Friday 15th June
Pulau Redang
   The drain pump for the shower stopped working this morning so Steve spent most of the rest of the morning servicing it. I think all our boat systems must have a 10 year life since they all seem to be going wrong this year. Carillon will be 10 years old in January 2008.
   Later we motored around the coast to have a look at the beaches on the east side of the island. There are 3 beaches separated by rocky headlands. The 2 more northerly beaches have quite a lot of garish looking resorts which don't blend at all well into the surroundings. A non-stop procession of boats full of life-jacketed snorkellors was proceeding to and from both of them. We eventually anchored off the third beach which had only one low-key resort and seemed much quieter. There were groups of snorkellors on the reef close by so we went to see what was there. It was disappointing. The coral was in good condition but there were almost no fish to be seen.
   During the night a swell started working into the bay making it pretty uncomfortable so the next morning we moved to a deep set bay on the NE side of the island where we anchored in 8 or 9 metres in sand. The water was almost as clear as a swimming pool. We could see every ripple in the sand on the bottom but no fish, although there was a turtle that appeared every now and then and seemed to live in the bay.
   Friday is the Moslem weekend so our bay filled up with fishing boats visiting their families in the village and going to the mosque.
   The other beach in the bay was occupied by the Berjaya Resort so we were close enough to make use of their restaurant but not so close that the resort was intrusive.

Saturday 16th June
Pulau Redang to Pulau Perhentian
   No wind again so we motored to Pulau Perhentian. The winds had turned to northerlies so there was a swell coming from the NE. We anchored tentatively in Teluk Dalam, a large bay on the south side of Pulau Perhentian Besar in about 17 metres which is a bit deeper than we like to be. We'd already motored around the islands to look at the other anchorages and found them also quite deep and exposed to the north easterly swell at the moment. The water is nowhere near as clear as it was at Pulau Redang so we can't tell for sure what's on the seabed. There are 4 or 5 moorings in the bay but we don't know if they are used by the resorts or not. If no-one uses them tonight we may pick one up tomorrow.

Sunday 17th to Saturday 23rd June
Pulau Perhentian
   There was a squall during the night and we were blown around a bit. The next morning we found the dinghy lines had become entangled with one of the moorings and almost sunk the dinghy so we decided to move to one of the moorings. We started to lift the anchor but found it was jammed on something and no amount of tricks and manoeuvrings would unjam it. The only thing to do was put the dive gear on and go down and investigate. Steve went down to check things out and after quite some time surfaced to say he'd managed to free it. The anchor chain had been wrapped twice around a large rock and the anchor itself firmly jammed underneath the rock so it took a bit of pushing and pulling to release it. Having already got the dive gear on he then went to check out the nearest mooring and found a good strong line attached to a large concrete block. As soon as he was back on board and out of the dive gear we tied onto it.
   We spent the whole week moored at Teluk Dalam. There was a patch of unsettled weather moving northwards through the South China Sea which gave us a few days of northerly winds and squalls so the other bays would have been pretty uncomfortable the whole time we were there.
   Pulau Perhentian consists of 2 islands, Pulau Perhentian Kecil to the west and Pulau Perhentian Besar to the east. There is a small village on the SE side of Pulau Perhentian Kecil. It has 1 or 2 shops on the waterfront where you can buy basics and some fruit and veg. The village has a school and a Police Station but not much else. There are resorts on the beaches all around both islands although most are concentrated on the NE side of Pulau Perhentian Kecil and the west side of Pulau Perhentian Besar. The interior of both islands is jungle. There are one or two walking tracks across the islands but no roads on either island. The only way to get around is by boat and all the resorts run water taxi services. The south bay on Pulau Perhentian Besar where we were anchored has a few resorts but is relatively undeveloped. Diving and snorkelling are the main activities and every resort has it's own dive shop. We didn't dive at either Pulau Redang or Pulau Perhentian so don't know how good it was.
   We'd been watching the weather forecasts each day to pick the best time to go to Miri. The weather system to the east was giving northerly winds and quite stormy weather for most of the week but on the 24th the forecast was for the winds to switch back to southerly so that was the day to go. In the last couple of days before the 24th the clouds were clearing and the stormy squalls disappearing. On the 23rd we anchored Carillon off the village to buy some fresh fruit for the trip then went to check out the other bays again. The northerly swell was still working into everywhere except the bay we'd been moored in so we returned there for the last night.

Sunday 24th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   We left at 8:30 after lifting the dinghy onto the foredeck and stowing the outboard and dinghy wheels. The winds were as forecast - 10-15 knots from the south so with a knot of current with us we were making 7-8 knots. Towards evening and overnight the winds increased to 15-20 knots so we put a reef in the main and carried on crashing along at 7-8 knots. Way offshore we were still coming across unlit fishtraps. Fortunately we seemed to have left them behind by the time it got dark.

Monday 25th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   Soon after dawn a squall came up suddenly and we had 30-40 knots of wind before we realised it. We got the headsail rolled away but it was a while before we got the boat under control enough to put the second reef in. We'd been using the windvane for steering which worked brilliantly but with only 1 reef, no headsail and 30 knots of wind it was struggling. Steve took over the steering and between us we got the second reef in and the boat settled down a bit. After 2 or 3 hours the wind settled back to about 25 knots and we were able to trim the sails and reset the windvane to steer. By this time the swell was about 3 metres and we were rolling from side to side making doing anything downstairs pretty difficult. As it got dark the wind increased again. By this time, having got little sleep the night before, we were both pretty tired and didn't fancy fighting with the wind all night. We decided to heave to until dawn and get some rest by which time we hoped the worst of the wind would have blown itself out. Carillon sits quite comfortably when hove to and she just drifted very gently downwind while one of us slept downstairs and the other catnapped on deck. Luckily we were away from the fishing areas and the shipping lanes so the one on deck just needed to have a quick look round every 10-15 minutes.

Tuesday 26th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   By dawn the wind had dropped to 15-18 knots so we started sailing again. The swell had gone down quite a bit but it was still pretty rolly. As the day wore on the wind decreased until by midnight it was down to about 8 knots still from the south which made things quite a bit slower but a lot more comfortable.

Wednesday 27th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   We're really at the other end of the spectrum now, the wind is down to 5 or 6 knots and the seas are considerably calmer. Now it's possible to make some bread, repair the leaks in the hatch over our bunk, tidy away all the things that have been flying around the cabin for the last couple of days and wash the sea water from the cabin floors where the odd wave made it down the hatch. By early afternoon the wind has gone down to 1-2 knots, the sea is glassy and we're motoring. The TillerPilot is set up on the windvane system to steer us and is working beautifully. If the weather forecast is to be believed this is how it's going to be for the next 300 miles.

Thursday 28th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   So far the weather forecast is right and we're still motoring. This is a very empty piece of sea. In the last couple of days we've seen 2 fishing boats on the horizon and 1 ship - which we had to change course to avoid.

Friday 29th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   Motored most of the night and what a dreary morning this is - 100% grey skies - but it got better. The wind came in during the morning, the cloud started to clear and we ended up having a glorious sail with 10 - 15 knots from the south. Not only that, we caught a nice fat tuna for dinner. At this speed we would reach Miri about midnight which is not a good time since going into a strange marina in the dark isn't something we like to do. The plan is to heave to about 10 miles offshore and wait until daylight then go in.
   What actually happened was that at 2200 or so a big storm came through with 20 - 30 knots from the west. We thought it would blow through quickly but 2 hours later it was still blowing 25 knots and we were still heading in the wrong direction. We hove to where we were close to a couple of oil rigs with about 20 miles to go which meant we were rolling around in the swell but could just drift gently in the right direction.

Saturday 30th June
Pulau Perhentian to Miri
   About 0400 the wind was only blowing 7 or 8 knots so we started motoring towards Miri and reached the coast about 0700. The entrance to the marina was easier than we'd been led to believe and by 0830 we were tied up snugly.
   Since leaving Kuala Terengganu we had been having problems with the house batteries. They were quite old and simply worn out so were not holding their charge for more than an hour or two. By the time we reached Miri we had to have either the engine or the generator running at all times just to be able to run the navigation instruments and running lights. Fin, the Miri Marina manager, gave us the phone number of an electrical systems specialist who thought he would be able to find us some new batteries so we just have to get him on board to check out the old ones and take it from there.
   The good news is he can get us some new batteries by this afternoon.

Sunday 1st July to Sunday 8th July
Miri
   We spent this week exploring Miri and getting Carillon ready to be left for the summer. Miri was the home of the very first Malaysian oilwell. The well is no longer producing oil but has been restored as a museum piece to show future generations how it all started. There are now numerous oilfields in production around the coasts of Malaysia and oil and it's related products form one of their major industries.
   Before going to the UK for the summer we were going to spend a week in Kuching firstly because we hadn't been there and it sounded an interesting place to visit, and secondly to go to the Rainforest Music Festival held at Santubong which is about 35km from Kuching.

Monday 9th July to Wednesday 11th July
Kuching
   Having got Carillon cleaned, tidied, snugged down and locked up we flew to Kuching around Monday lunchtime. We spent a few days exploring Kuching, it has a few museums, an interesting chinese quarter, a pleasant riverside walk and one or two other attractions. We found it a pleasant place to spend a few days before moving on to Santubong.

Thursday 12th July to Monday 16th July
Santubong
   Even without the rainforest festival Santubong is a popular place for tourists to visit and there are shuttle buses running regularly between Kuching and Santubong so getting there was easy.
   The rainforest festival was started 10 years ago with just a few musicians and has now grown to be a major attraction. It features musicians from all over the world playing ethnic music. I can't remember all the bands but the countries they represented included Malaysia and specifically it's own ethnic groups, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, South America, Italy, Spain, UK, US, Madagascar, Canada and more. As well as the evening concerts there were workshops each afternoon where bands or members of bands got together to explain particular aspects of their music. There was a very friendly relaxed atmosphere the whole time. The setting was the Sarawak Cultural Village which is situated by the sea in the shadow of Mt Santubong. It features the traditional longhouses of each of the ethnic groups in Malaysia giving visitors a chance to see how each of the live. During the festival the village is completely taken over with the longhouses being used for workshops and traditional displays. We very much ejoyed the whole experience and would recommend it to anyone thinking of attending the next Rainforest Festival.
    We left Santubong early on Monday morning to catch a flight back to the UK where we will spend the next couple of months catching up with family and friends.