Sail Malaysia continues
Hi All,
We are cruising towards Kota Kinabalu, the final stop of Sail Malaysia. We left Miri, Malaysia on the 24th and arrived in tiny Brunei on the 25th about 5 am. Since it’s not light till about 6:15 and the Immigration Officials weren’t due to arrive at the Royal Brunei Yacht Club until 10 am we actually dropped anchor outside the channel into Brunei and went to sleep. We’d left Miri the afternoon before and cruised through the night so we were tired. As for Brunei, other than about a hundred photos, good memories, a trip down Outward Bound memory lane and the best bus tour around Brunei with Allan Riches, eating back about 3 additional pounds I had just lost, a rock from the Ulu Tamburong National Park, and what is still an itchy bee sting, other than all that, we hardly did a thing in our 3 days in Brunei! Several boats took the opportunity to load up on diesel in Brunei where they had special cheap rates for the locals; our visiting yachts were allowed the lower price. But you had to haul it in large fuel containers from the inland station and at too small amounts to be useful to us. Sailboats obviously need and hold lots less fuel than we do. Yachts were allowed 300 litters which is 79 gallons. We had taken on 300 gallons at the fuel dock in Terengganu at the higher but much more convenient rate. Now we’re here in Labuan mostly to wait until July 31st when a slip will open for us in Kota Kinaba (Randal Close the Hatches!, It’s raining!!) Kinabalu . Of course, now the sun’s out and we really did need the rain to clean the salt off the boat. Since we are anchored out here in Labuan we can’t spare our water to wash the boat. We are in a bay; but need good salty ocean water to make water. We do have half a tank of water and that will last us. Sail Malaysia regroups in Kota Kinabalu August 1st.
Until we leave for KK boats will stay here in “duty free, buy all your booze” Labuan or head the 30 miles to Tiga Island which is half way, 30 miles, to KK. Not sure what we’ll do. I’d like to see Peace Park where the Japanese surrendered to the Allies in WW2 and also the WW2 memorial to the Australian soldiers. But as Randal says, we can stop here on our way back around after the rally. It would be nice to split the 60 mile cruise to KK. We do have to check back into Malaysia here since we left to go to Brunei and because there are “independent” parts of Malaysia who require visiting yachts to check in and out no matter it’s all Malaysia. Miri was in Serawak and Labuan and KK are in Sabah, all Malaysia, but different states.
We plan to stay several weeks in Kota Kinabalu so I should be able to start sending lots of photos. From some comments, I won’t feel the need to discuss bird saliva should Randal and I encounter it on a tour. In August 2008, Randal and I spent a month in KK so we know our way around. There is a pretty good library and hopefully in that time I’ll find some art lessons too. Islamic art is often beautiful calligraphy so I’m not sure about my success finding watercolor lessons; but I’ll try. We still have boat chores and with shore power and water, the boat should get a good cleaning. And we’ll be able to dive and clean our propeller.
Here in Pulau Labuan we are anchored in the working harbor next to the fleet of fishing boats. It’s like being anchored in downtown New Bedford next to the fishing fleet which I think is quite cool! Things are getting morning busy now, but I slept like a log last night. It was calm and quiet. No kereokee. The harbor doesn’t have much room for visiting yachts so some cruisers had to go over to the unfinished marina; unfinished because it was more rolling there than here in the working harbor. But there is only so much room and most of the 30 something Sail Malaysia boats are here. We were lucky it get here in the middle of the pack so found a space.
We’re off later this morning to check into Sabah, see a bit of the city and then to buy our share of beer and some wine and hopefully some form of sugarfree Coke product. Pepsi is dreadful! Cruiser chatter about checking in and out and buying booze is over the VHF radio just now. We all turn to the same not busy channel to keep in touch. Apparently booze isn’t so cheap and the water taxis might take a bit to come, but the sun is shining and all seems good.
Ru