There are many other anchorages besides ours to choose from. There are also many beautiful sand cays to explore. The fishermen anchor behind some of these.
We were cruising around here in October/November, 2007 and of course, had NE/E winds going there and W/NW coming back! Generally, we had good weather during the day but SW squalls at night – only to around 20knots for short bursts. The offshore anchorages have good NE protection, but not from the SW – not that we found anyway. This is the main reason why we chose to come back along the coast.
Palau Gaya: T. Melohom
Anchorage was in 9m sand. Reef that is marked on the chart close to this has been bombed and is more rubble than anything else. Good protection in SW monsoon and perhaps NE monsoon as there is a substantial reef running out from the nearby point. A new resort was being built on the western side of the bay and there is a small village in the opposite corner.
06 00.696 N 116 03 451 E
Usukan Bay
South of Usukan Bay there are numerous other bays that perhaps are worthy of exploring, some of which appear to be excellent sheltered anchorages. Usukan Bay has a significant harbour for rig tenders picking up workers. Excellent protection in both monsoons.
SW monsoon: 06 22.00 N 116 19.993 E (12m)
NE monsoon: 06 22.884 N 116 20.128 E (11m)
P. Kalambok
Excellent protection in NE Monsoon. Apparently there is a development happening here. We have seen the aerial shots of the brochure and for some reason reality is a little different!! The other side of the small island may provide protection in SW monsoon.
06 59.094N 116 43.184E (9m)
Kudat (pond near haulout)
We experienced good holding. Be aware of plastic bags on bottom though.
06 53.449N 116 51.495E
Although we did not have the time to explore Marudu Bay, one yacht we spoke to said there are many beautiful bays and beaches to find, which are very quiet and remote.
P. Banggi
There are many anchorages around P. Banggi. We chose to anchor around the corner of Karakit town, in 8m of water. This is very well protected anchorage from all directions; quiet and peaceful. The town has a few supplies and some basic restaurants on the pier. Around a reef that is marked by a few sticks is Mitford Harbour, which is an extremely well protected anchorage with a few entrances that are narrow, but clear. We explored this in the dinghy. In the NE monsoon the winds funnel down the harbour. It appeared to us that the reef systems marked on the charts corresponded to what we could see and the electronic charts were quite accurate. We would be happy to go in at night now that we have explored the area.
There is a significant reef to the east of the anchorage with a house in the middle of it.
07 07.6 N 117 05.6 E (8m)
On the way to Sandakan we mostly followed the recommended route between the islands and reefs, which is well buoyed. As we had good weather during the day, good light and visibility, we followed the coast back. We had a good visual on all the reefs and rocks. There is a strong police/military presence in the areas due to smuggling. Often the police boat would come out to identify us and tell us we were ok. We found all our anchorages to be good holding.
P. Tigabu
Good protection from the NE. Exposed to SW. Anchored in 12m sand.
06 52.874 N 117 28.362 E
P. Lankayan (marine park/turtle hatchery). Protection from NW wind.
There is only 1 mooring buoy in front of the jetty. Can anchor away from the reef but it is very deep. We did not explore the other side of the island/reef for any anchorages with SW protection as it all looked very deep. There was no charge for the mooring buoy and it was very substantial. We had no wind when we were there.
The island welcomes yachties. In the Marine Park office there is a good display of marine parks in the area and the officer was keen to chat with us. You are welcome to join in the release of the baby turtles at night.
06 30 29 N 117 54.8 E
P. Gulisaan
There are many anchorages around the ‘Turtle Islands’ to choose from. Baoan (Booan) Island is conspicuous as you approach the Turtle Islands. It is a Philippine island; an extinct mud volcano. The Philippine border runs between P. Bakkungaan Kechil and P. Bakkungaan Besar. Our choice of anchorage was purely in consideration of the night squalls!
06 09 404 N 118 03 303 E (5m mud) It was late when we got in but we did notice a few reefy patches closer in to the main reef.
Sandakan
The anchorage in front of the yacht club is interesting. The yacht club has a pool, cheap beer, wifi and very welcoming. We had a prolonged squall there on our return from the Kinabatangan River, which eventually came from the south east, putting us on a lee shore! We moved across the other side of the bay.
05 50.4 N 118 07.4 E
Kinabatangan River
Sandakan Yacht Club has a CD left by Lifeline with waypoints to get into the southern entrance via the Mamuyon River. As you go in on Lifeline’s track, there is deeper water to your starboard side. This entrance has a wide flat bar. Going in with any swell running would be hazardous. We entered on a 0.5 m tide but we only draw 1.2m. Minimum amount of water under our keel was little over a metre. We found that the electronic charts were not accurate at the river mouth.
We anchored at the small village, on your port side as you enter, just past the police jetty.
05 48.181 N 118 19.576 E
Abai Village
05 41 N 118 23 E
outside Damau Pitas (oxbow lake)
05 40.209 N 118 23 257 E (5m)
Sakau
Just before the power lines, opposite the cemetery. We could not get underneath. Our mast height above DWL is 16.9m.
Approx 05 30 N 118 17 E
On our way back to Kota Kinabalu:
P. Gullisaan
Anchored on sand, which proved to be good holding in the night SW squalls.
06 08.731 N 118 03.303 E (7.6m)
Near P. Tegapil
Behind reef approx 1.0 nm from shore. The reef provided good protection from the two different wind directions we were experiencing. Anchorage is open to the east. Further north, other yachts found a good anchorage at P. Billean. These two islands are marine parks.
On leaving this anchorage there is a semi marked channel to get through the reef. Good visibility enabled us to see the entire reef. We went close to the reef and drove in and out of some of the reef to see if the electronic charts were accurate. They were!
06 30.078 N 117 40.739 E
T.Agasan
This anchorage is between the mainland and a substantial reef in 5m of sand/mud. Very quiet. Although we did not experience NE winds, the reef is high enough to perhaps offer good protection from this direction as well.
06 53.017 N 117 16.145 E
We are now back on our track to Kota Kinabalu. We actually got a bit of a hammering for a few hours north of Usukan Bay and ran back to P. Matanani to see if there was shelter in a SW blow. Forget it!! Far too rolly for us. We pushed on to Usukan Bay which we knew we could easily get into at night. We found a spot in between the rig tenders and fishing boats. We were all huddled in the corner!
13 Aralık 2007 Perşembe
1 Aralık 2007 Cumartesi
Interpreting Gradient Level Wind Analysis Charts for tropical areas.
The following information is from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. They also have a section on interpreting MSLP charts. It is the gradient wind shown in streamline charts that offers a more accurate anlysis of the weather situaiton for tropical areas.
http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nt/rsmc/glw.shtml
The Gradient Level Wind Analysis is a snapshot of the airflow near the surface of the earth. The arrowed lines are called streamlines and represent the direction of the wind. The dashed lines are called isotachs, and connect points of equal wind speed. The standard isotach intervals are 15 and 30 knots (28 km/h and 56 km/h) - knots is the preferred unit for these charts as they complement the Bureau's marine services.Current Gradient Level Wind Analysis
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind [00 12 UTC]
The above Gradient Level Wind chart has been reduced significantly to fit on to the web page.
A more detailed view can be obtained by looking at Region A or Region B below.
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind - Region A (Indian Ocean) [ 00 12 UTC]
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind - Region B (Pacific Ocean) [ 00 12 UTC] Current MSLP
Asian Region MSLP [ 00UTC]
The gradient level lies about 1000 metres above the earth's surface, and is the level most representative of the air flow in the lower atmosphere immediately above the layer affected by surface friction. This level is free of local wind and topographic effects (such as sea breezes, downslope winds etc).
Streamline charts are much more useful than isobaric pressure (MSLP) charts for showing the weather patterns over tropical areas. While & MSLP charts are good for estimating wind direction and strength over mid and high latitudes, in the tropics pressure gradients are weak and often don't give a good indication of the prevailing winds. Meteorologists overcome this difficulty by drawing charts of the actual wind flow. The surface wind may be estimated by decreasing the gradient level wind speed by approximately 20% over the ocean, 40% over land and assuming a direction deviation of about 10-30 degrees. If looking along the direction of the wind, the deviation is to the right if low pressure is on your right (or if high pressure is on your left).
On streamline charts, low pressure systems (including tropical cyclones) appear as inflowing circulations - clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere. High pressure systems appear as outflowing circulations, with direction of rotation opposite to that of the lows. Near the equator, when the wind changes direction as it flows from one hemisphere into the other, closed eddies may appear; these are indicated by an "E" and are not associated with high or low pressure (and are often associated with clear weather).
Lows are indicated by an L symbol, highs by H , accompanied with the value of central pressure in hectoPascals. Tropical cyclones are particularly intense low pressure systems, identified by the cyclone symbol, together with information on the name, maximum wind speed (knots) , central pressure (hPa) and current direction of movement (speed in knots). In the northwest Pacific, tropical cyclones are called Tropical Storms , and the more intense systems are called Typhoons . In Australia, these systems are called Tropical Cyclones and Severe Tropical Cyclones .
The broad streams of air flowing toward the equator from the midlatitude highs are called the trade winds: southeast winds in the southern hemisphere and northeast winds in the north; these wind streams tend to be strongest in the winter hemisphere when high pressure systems are more intense.
In the summer hemisphere, persistent winds tend to flow into the near-equatorial area from the opposite hemisphere, and are frequently associated with widespread cloudiness and heavy rain. These winds are referred to as the northwest monsoon in the southern hemisphere (December-March) and the southwest monsoon in the northern hemisphere (June-September). The monsoon flow is on the equatorward side of an area of low pressure called the monsoon trough, and tropical cyclones often develop from lows located in this trough.
Other Weather Maps available are:
Australian Region MSLP
[ 00 06 12 18 UTC ]
Pacific Region MSLP
[ 00 12 UTC ]
Indian Ocean Region MSLP
[ 00 12 UTC ]
Archives:
Browse Archive of Weather Maps
Other Explanatory Information:
Interpreting the MSLP Weather Map
About the Weather Charts
http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nt/rsmc/glw.shtml
The Gradient Level Wind Analysis is a snapshot of the airflow near the surface of the earth. The arrowed lines are called streamlines and represent the direction of the wind. The dashed lines are called isotachs, and connect points of equal wind speed. The standard isotach intervals are 15 and 30 knots (28 km/h and 56 km/h) - knots is the preferred unit for these charts as they complement the Bureau's marine services.Current Gradient Level Wind Analysis
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind [00 12 UTC]
The above Gradient Level Wind chart has been reduced significantly to fit on to the web page.
A more detailed view can be obtained by looking at Region A or Region B below.
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind - Region A (Indian Ocean) [ 00 12 UTC]
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind - Region B (Pacific Ocean) [ 00 12 UTC] Current MSLP
Asian Region MSLP [ 00UTC]
The gradient level lies about 1000 metres above the earth's surface, and is the level most representative of the air flow in the lower atmosphere immediately above the layer affected by surface friction. This level is free of local wind and topographic effects (such as sea breezes, downslope winds etc).
Streamline charts are much more useful than isobaric pressure (MSLP) charts for showing the weather patterns over tropical areas. While & MSLP charts are good for estimating wind direction and strength over mid and high latitudes, in the tropics pressure gradients are weak and often don't give a good indication of the prevailing winds. Meteorologists overcome this difficulty by drawing charts of the actual wind flow. The surface wind may be estimated by decreasing the gradient level wind speed by approximately 20% over the ocean, 40% over land and assuming a direction deviation of about 10-30 degrees. If looking along the direction of the wind, the deviation is to the right if low pressure is on your right (or if high pressure is on your left).
On streamline charts, low pressure systems (including tropical cyclones) appear as inflowing circulations - clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere. High pressure systems appear as outflowing circulations, with direction of rotation opposite to that of the lows. Near the equator, when the wind changes direction as it flows from one hemisphere into the other, closed eddies may appear; these are indicated by an "E" and are not associated with high or low pressure (and are often associated with clear weather).
Lows are indicated by an L symbol, highs by H , accompanied with the value of central pressure in hectoPascals. Tropical cyclones are particularly intense low pressure systems, identified by the cyclone symbol, together with information on the name, maximum wind speed (knots) , central pressure (hPa) and current direction of movement (speed in knots). In the northwest Pacific, tropical cyclones are called Tropical Storms , and the more intense systems are called Typhoons . In Australia, these systems are called Tropical Cyclones and Severe Tropical Cyclones .
The broad streams of air flowing toward the equator from the midlatitude highs are called the trade winds: southeast winds in the southern hemisphere and northeast winds in the north; these wind streams tend to be strongest in the winter hemisphere when high pressure systems are more intense.
In the summer hemisphere, persistent winds tend to flow into the near-equatorial area from the opposite hemisphere, and are frequently associated with widespread cloudiness and heavy rain. These winds are referred to as the northwest monsoon in the southern hemisphere (December-March) and the southwest monsoon in the northern hemisphere (June-September). The monsoon flow is on the equatorward side of an area of low pressure called the monsoon trough, and tropical cyclones often develop from lows located in this trough.
Other Weather Maps available are:
Australian Region MSLP
[ 00 06 12 18 UTC ]
Pacific Region MSLP
[ 00 12 UTC ]
Indian Ocean Region MSLP
[ 00 12 UTC ]
Archives:
Browse Archive of Weather Maps
Other Explanatory Information:
Interpreting the MSLP Weather Map
About the Weather Charts
Philippines Fax Frequencies Dec 2007
Fax Frequencies for Philippines 2007
ALL times (UTC)
VMC (Charleville) (BOM Australia)
Frequency... Time
2626............ 0900-1900
5100............ 0000-2400
11030 ..........0000-2400
13920.......... 0000-2400
20469......... 1900-0900
VMW (Wiluna) (BOM Australia)
Frequency... Time
5755 .............1100-2100
7535............. 0000-2400
10555........... 0000-2400
15615............ 0000-2400
18060............ 2100-1100
Tokyo Frequencies
JMH 3622.5
JMH2 7795
JMH4 13988.5
NB Program HF radio 1.8/1.9 kHz below advertised frequency
0020............ Japan 96HR surface pressure, precip progs
0040............ Japan 120HR surface pressure, precip progs
0110/1310.. Japan Sat picture (MSAT)
0150/1350..Japan Tropical cyclone forecast (1)
0240/1440 ..Japan Surface Analysis (shows wind barbs)
0623-0645.. AUS Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Anal
0710/1910... Japan Sat picture (MSAT)
0750/1950... Japan Tropical cyclone forecast (1)
0820.............. Japan 48HR surface pressure
1000/2200... Japan 48HR/72HR surface pressure, precipitation prog
1823-1845..... AUS Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Analysis
NB http://www.typhoon2000.com/ provides information on the current weather prognosis for the Philippines and west Pacific. Click on the link to Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and you can obtain the same synoptic chart as you receive via fax.
For more information about weather fax scheds from BOM Australia:
http://www.bom.gov.au/nmoc/rad_sch/
ALL times (UTC)
VMC (Charleville) (BOM Australia)
Frequency... Time
2626............ 0900-1900
5100............ 0000-2400
11030 ..........0000-2400
13920.......... 0000-2400
20469......... 1900-0900
VMW (Wiluna) (BOM Australia)
Frequency... Time
5755 .............1100-2100
7535............. 0000-2400
10555........... 0000-2400
15615............ 0000-2400
18060............ 2100-1100
Tokyo Frequencies
JMH 3622.5
JMH2 7795
JMH4 13988.5
NB Program HF radio 1.8/1.9 kHz below advertised frequency
0020............ Japan 96HR surface pressure, precip progs
0040............ Japan 120HR surface pressure, precip progs
0110/1310.. Japan Sat picture (MSAT)
0150/1350..Japan Tropical cyclone forecast (1)
0240/1440 ..Japan Surface Analysis (shows wind barbs)
0623-0645.. AUS Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Anal
0710/1910... Japan Sat picture (MSAT)
0750/1950... Japan Tropical cyclone forecast (1)
0820.............. Japan 48HR surface pressure
1000/2200... Japan 48HR/72HR surface pressure, precipitation prog
1823-1845..... AUS Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Analysis
NB http://www.typhoon2000.com/ provides information on the current weather prognosis for the Philippines and west Pacific. Click on the link to Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and you can obtain the same synoptic chart as you receive via fax.
For more information about weather fax scheds from BOM Australia:
http://www.bom.gov.au/nmoc/rad_sch/
22 Ekim 2007 Pazartesi
Kinabatangan River and Sandakan, Sabah
Our return to Sabah was always with the intention of re-launching Stolen Kiss (she had been on the hard at Kudat for 5 months) and going up the mighty Kinabatangan River, the largest in Sabah. Near its mouth the Kinabatangan meanders across the large flood plain it has created, resulting in many oxbow lakes. The upper reaches can be in flood with no effect on the lower parts of the river. Good to know in case of some huge rains!
Peter arrived back a week or so before me, antifouling the bottom and doing a few other jobs. He met me in Kota Kinabalu where we stayed in Fiona’s (our dentist) condo and enjoyed some fantastic meals with her parents. They are a Chinese family; her father having been a highly respected Minister of Parliament, holding two degrees and speaking 6 languages. There are 6 children in the family and they have more degrees than a thermometer! A wonderful, warm, fun family. We hosted them on Stolen Kiss at a later date. They are intrigued by our lifestyle and what we do all day in such a small space!
Yusoff was the ‘yachtie’ contact as a driver between Kudat and KK as he had a reputation for being a safe driver. Of course, this is not so during Ramadan! As the afternoon progressed on our journey to Kudat,
his driving became progressively worse. Peter told him off for passing a car on a blind corner and we were wishing the time to hurry up for 6 minutes past 6pm – when he could stop and drink and have something to eat! He explained to Peter that his eyes and his judgment were not as good during Ramadan as he needed to eat! As he liked to turn and face you when he is talking to you, we decided to keep quiet as we figured what eye sight he had; it was best focused on the road. Peter (skipper of Australian Cat, Zosha, whom we met) and his crew, Stuart, had noted similar behaviour in Kashmir and Morocco in their travels. Now they tell us!
We had the track of another yacht that had gone up the river a year or so ago, so we knew the best place to cross the bar and where to make the turns in the river system. The main entrance to the Kinabatangan is 45 miles around the coast, but Lifeline (a converted Tassie fishing boat) had followed some barges out of another river, joining the Kinabatangan, which has its mouth just north of Sandakan. A shorter route to follow!
The Kinabatangan is a major river, which for us is navigable for 30 miles as there are now power lines at the town of Sakau. Although there is not a lot of jungle left due to illegal logging, what is left is beautiful, stunning forest alive with wildlife. The river twists and turns and flows gently when not in flood. In some places it is very deep and others only a few metres, affording good anchorages anywhere. We found out later (the hard way) that the silt is not good for water pumps!
Zainal invited us ashore to meet his wonderful extended family, who prepared a meal for us. He bought all of the 18 children out to Stolen Kiss. We had cold watermelon, which was well received. They were keen to take photos of our family photos!
The small river boats are just big enough for a 15 year old boy to sit in. They have a small inboard motor and are steered by leaning to one side. They only have stop and go speeds, so can be quite dangerous. Despite this the young boys race them around. We were up the river during Hari Raya and the boys from Abai Village had gone up to Sakau to race, returning home triumphant with a large trophy they quickly showed off passing us at great speed.
There are many oxbow lakes as the old river wends its way across the floodplain. Zainal took us one evening up a very narrow channel which opened up into a huge oxbow lake. He had a house there and is going to build another one around the corner. It is full of wildlife – birds, crocodiles, fireflies, orangs and elephants! We sat in here at dusk to listen to all and sundry. We heard them all and sat in front of a mass of trees that came alive with fireflies after sunset. In our excitement we forgot a torch which made getting home a little bit of an adventure.
Lifeline has left excellent information re passage into the Kinabatangan at the Sandakan Yacht Club.
Lankayan Island is one of many islands which form a marine sanctuary where yo
u can watch the baby turtles hatch and be released in the ocean at night. Green and Hawksbill turtles have their breeding grounds here and fisheries personnel collect turtle eggs and place them in a hatchery so that they cannot be stolen. Fishermen are prosecuted for bombing the coral or using cyanide. After bombing a reef, fishermen use a small hose to collect the fish off the bottom. No compressor, no mask. Many have died in the process. Through a large part of Indonesia and Malaysia, many reefs have been destroyed from such activities. We suspect the same will be in some parts of the Philippines.
All the recommended anchorages along the north coast provide shelter from NE but not from SW squalls. This was to be interesting as we were nearing the end of the SW monsoon and this would be the most likely direction of any adverse weather. We spent the best part of one night (it was only actually two hours but I sat waiting for the squall to hit us as we could see it forming and moving ever so slowly in our direction) in our first squall, which was only 20 knots, anchored on a lee shore. Other nights we decided to up anchor to wander to a new home protected from the SW. A bit like wandering around with your pillow looking for a place to sleep! This was probably not the best decision, but one which was made easier with electronic charts that are accurate.
You can actually day sail from KK to Subic Bay in the north of the Philippines, then a few overnight sails and you are in Japan! Since reading the pilot for the area, we have discovered the write up on the entrances to Mitford Harbour anchorage. It is surrounded by beautiful hills – some grassy slopes and others covered in jungle. The harbour is between the very large main island and a series of other islands with protection from the elements by a series of reef systems. There are some small villages dotted along the shores as some boats passed us at anchor. The main town is small and has some local restaurants that sell basic Malay food along the pier. Peter had discovered a glitch in the water maker which translated into having a small water shortage on board! We had not thought to fill our tanks from the squalls. There were many showers around Banggi, but unfortunately not over the boat! Wanting a long shower, armed with shampoo, we went off in the dinghy to sit in the rain. Alas, by the time we got there the shower had stopped! The wind finally changed, allowing us to go the final 25 miles back to Kudat, where we stayed for another week.
Peter arrived back a week or so before me, antifouling the bottom and doing a few other jobs. He met me in Kota Kinabalu where we stayed in Fiona’s (our dentist) condo and enjoyed some fantastic meals with her parents. They are a Chinese family; her father having been a highly respected Minister of Parliament, holding two degrees and speaking 6 languages. There are 6 children in the family and they have more degrees than a thermometer! A wonderful, warm, fun family. We hosted them on Stolen Kiss at a later date. They are intrigued by our lifestyle and what we do all day in such a small space!Yusoff was the ‘yachtie’ contact as a driver between Kudat and KK as he had a reputation for being a safe driver. Of course, this is not so during Ramadan! As the afternoon progressed on our journey to Kudat,
his driving became progressively worse. Peter told him off for passing a car on a blind corner and we were wishing the time to hurry up for 6 minutes past 6pm – when he could stop and drink and have something to eat! He explained to Peter that his eyes and his judgment were not as good during Ramadan as he needed to eat! As he liked to turn and face you when he is talking to you, we decided to keep quiet as we figured what eye sight he had; it was best focused on the road. Peter (skipper of Australian Cat, Zosha, whom we met) and his crew, Stuart, had noted similar behaviour in Kashmir and Morocco in their travels. Now they tell us!
We had the track of another yacht that had gone up the river a year or so ago, so we knew the best place to cross the bar and where to make the turns in the river system. The main entrance to the Kinabatangan is 45 miles around the coast, but Lifeline (a converted Tassie fishing boat) had followed some barges out of another river, joining the Kinabatangan, which has its mouth just north of Sandakan. A shorter route to follow!
The Kinabatangan is a major river, which for us is navigable for 30 miles as there are now power lines at the town of Sakau. Although there is not a lot of jungle left due to illegal logging, what is left is beautiful, stunning forest alive with wildlife. The river twists and turns and flows gently when not in flood. In some places it is very deep and others only a few metres, affording good anchorages anywhere. We found out later (the hard way) that the silt is not good for water pumps!Trees fetch up to 2000RM each, which is excellent money and the reason for the extensive logging. We read in the local paper of replanting of mangroves by locals and the plan to replant 2 million trees a year in order to start sustainable logging. We only hope this is successful. Locals have no land tenure, so anyone can come and start a tourist resort with permission of a local minister with a little ‘incentive’. Tour guidesappear to show very little responsibility for the environment from which they make a handsome living.
Zainal (a local) works with international scientists and other interest groups, greets yachties and offers a personalized tour. We pay him what we think is a very good price. We get a more accurate picture of what happens along the Kinabatangan. Sometimes Zainal is a lone voice trying to get people to take responsibility for their actions that harm the delicate ecosystem. Wildlife and the river are also threatened by the barges which come to take the palm oil away.
Zainal invited us ashore to meet his wonderful extended family, who prepared a meal for us. He bought all of the 18 children out to Stolen Kiss. We had cold watermelon, which was well received. They were keen to take photos of our family photos!Orangutans live a life of solitude and can be heard saying something which sounds like ‘0h no’ when they are stressed. Every night they make a new nest in the top of a tree. We saw 
many nests and heard them – just did not see one. Zainal took us out one morning to see if we could see an orangutan feeding on nipper palm roots. We didn’t see any as we suspect we were too noisy as Peter (Zosha) could not stop talking! (Zosha Peter had met a backpacker at Memorial Park in Sandakan, who accompanied him up the river – a young guy from Perth, who actually went to school with one of the young guys I taught with at St Hildas!)
many nests and heard them – just did not see one. Zainal took us out one morning to see if we could see an orangutan feeding on nipper palm roots. We didn’t see any as we suspect we were too noisy as Peter (Zosha) could not stop talking! (Zosha Peter had met a backpacker at Memorial Park in Sandakan, who accompanied him up the river – a young guy from Perth, who actually went to school with one of the young guys I taught with at St Hildas!)
Elephants often swim across the river – the females surrounding the baby elephants to help them swim. There are over 100 elephants that are divided into three groups, but unfortunately something had disturbed them when we were there as they had been moving at a faster pace. They are pygmy elephants, only found in Borneo. Even so, they are still large and the males have tusks. Sometimes the tour guides drive the boats too close if the elephants are swimming and some have been found drowned. The locals know how to approach the animals, but the tour guides are from the cities and appear to be more interested in keeping the customers happy.
Proboscis monkeys are also only native to Borneo. They live in groups – either with one male and s
everal females/babies - a ‘harem’ or with one alpha and several lesser males and many females/babies. The males are distinguished by their larger size, larger nose and of course, their very large bright red penis! They spend the days inland sheltering in the trees and nights in trees by the river, so as to provide more protection from their predators – ‘cats’ and pythons. We anchored next to a troupe one night and sat for hours watching their behaviour. They are amazing jumpers and just hang in the trees without falling out! The larger ones would sit and stare back at us. We anchored as close to the bank as we dared, hoping to be out of reach of the wildlife! We spent hours in our cockpit watching their antics.
At this anchorage were also millions of fire flies that glow in the dark. The males attract females via their glowing. The trees looked like they had Xmas lights on as the twinkled when the flies moved! We did have inside knowledge about this spot!
There are also many macaques, which also live in troupes. They feed on fruit and river prawns (which are larger than tiger prawns!). Up and down the river there are many sticks just out from the bank, with prawn traps attached. These are checked on a daily basis. The fishermen have to hide the strings due to the macaques emptying their traps. We watched one male doing this. He was strong enough to hold on to the stick with one hand and pull the trap up by the string in the other. He managed to open the top then dived in to get the prawns. We thought he would disappear in the trap and drown has he went head first into the trap and into the water. However, he was successful and kept repeating the process until he thought he was done.
Using our river knowledge we anchored every night just down from the inside bend going up river where we are safe from river traffic. This proved fortuitous as an illegal log barge passed us one night. Two tugs towing a very long line of logs. Not sure how the logs were contained, but the tow was about 500m long. Somehow they got around the bends! We heard them coming quite a distance away and saw their flashlights. We turned on our floods, nav lights and flashing blue light just to make sure they saw us!
The small river boats are just big enough for a 15 year old boy to sit in. They have a small inboard motor and are steered by leaning to one side. They only have stop and go speeds, so can be quite dangerous. Despite this the young boys race them around. We were up the river during Hari Raya and the boys from Abai Village had gone up to Sakau to race, returning home triumphant with a large trophy they quickly showed off passing us at great speed.
There are many oxbow lakes as the old river wends its way across the floodplain. Zainal took us one evening up a very narrow channel which opened up into a huge oxbow lake. He had a house there and is going to build another one around the corner. It is full of wildlife – birds, crocodiles, fireflies, orangs and elephants! We sat in here at dusk to listen to all and sundry. We heard them all and sat in front of a mass of trees that came alive with fireflies after sunset. In our excitement we forgot a torch which made getting home a little bit of an adventure.
Lifeline has left excellent information re passage into the Kinabatangan at the Sandakan Yacht Club.
Lankayan Island is one of many islands which form a marine sanctuary where yo
u can watch the baby turtles hatch and be released in the ocean at night. Green and Hawksbill turtles have their breeding grounds here and fisheries personnel collect turtle eggs and place them in a hatchery so that they cannot be stolen. Fishermen are prosecuted for bombing the coral or using cyanide. After bombing a reef, fishermen use a small hose to collect the fish off the bottom. No compressor, no mask. Many have died in the process. Through a large part of Indonesia and Malaysia, many reefs have been destroyed from such activities. We suspect the same will be in some parts of the Philippines.
Local authorities are now working with fishing communities to educate them about the long term effects and develop other industries like tourism to help provide them with an alternative source of income. Of course, this is a long term prospect and their need to feed their families, short term. In the local markets here, you still find small baby turtles, coral and precious shells for sale!
All the recommended anchorages along the north coast provide shelter from NE but not from SW squalls. This was to be interesting as we were nearing the end of the SW monsoon and this would be the most likely direction of any adverse weather. We spent the best part of one night (it was only actually two hours but I sat waiting for the squall to hit us as we could see it forming and moving ever so slowly in our direction) in our first squall, which was only 20 knots, anchored on a lee shore. Other nights we decided to up anchor to wander to a new home protected from the SW. A bit like wandering around with your pillow looking for a place to sleep! This was probably not the best decision, but one which was made easier with electronic charts that are accurate.
As the pilot book stated, the first sight of Sandakan Harbour is the very conspicuous cliffs of Berhala Island at the entrance. This is where some of the POW's were interned and was also a leper colony. Getting there from our last anchorage at Gullisaan Island (a mere 20 nm) proved to be a bit of an obstacle course, albeit interesting as we had to wend our way through bamboo fish traps, of a type we had not seen before. There were a few fishermen attending to the traps. As some had Malay flags and some Philippine flags we were not sure in which country we were in. We knew we were very close to the border, not that it mattered.
We did have a few pucker factor moments, like having to up anchor in Sandakan Harbour anchorage (at 10pm) with concrete walls behind us that became a lee shore. As we were pulling up the anchor in mid squall, the bow (and Peter!) were buried in a short, steep chop kicked up by the squall. 
We had to use a lot of engine revs to make any forward motion away from the sea wall. Being happy that we had moved anchor earlier to make some room between ourselves and Zosha, we once again in the middle of a black night, wandered across to the other side of the bay, (with Zosha close behind) which offered protected from the SE, dropped anchor, enjoyed the calm and finally, a sleep. The storm lasted 6 hours, going round in circles, seemingly trapped between the hills. Zosha had called Yela (in Sutra Harbour, KK) who said they had a storm as well which had 50 knots of breeze. I guess we got the tail end as we only had up to 30 knots. Sandakan was an interesting town to visit and had the best market we have seen in Sabah. Perhaps its because it is all new!
We had to use a lot of engine revs to make any forward motion away from the sea wall. Being happy that we had moved anchor earlier to make some room between ourselves and Zosha, we once again in the middle of a black night, wandered across to the other side of the bay, (with Zosha close behind) which offered protected from the SE, dropped anchor, enjoyed the calm and finally, a sleep. The storm lasted 6 hours, going round in circles, seemingly trapped between the hills. Zosha had called Yela (in Sutra Harbour, KK) who said they had a storm as well which had 50 knots of breeze. I guess we got the tail end as we only had up to 30 knots. Sandakan was an interesting town to visit and had the best market we have seen in Sabah. Perhaps its because it is all new! We visited Memorial Park and sat down where the Australian POW camp was trying to fathom all that had happened during Japanese occupation and the death march. Agnes K
eith, an American woman who was interned in Sandakan with her baby son, has written two excellet books 'Three Came Home' and 'Land below the Wind', which are recognised as having a tremendous historical contribution in the account of the life in Sandakan pre and post World War 2. During the settled weather, the Yacht Club pool did provided a welcome relief from the heat of the day. Wifi and cheap beer was aslo welcomed! As there were storms around, we decided to leave Sandakan prematurely, sailing once again through the unusual fish farms.
eith, an American woman who was interned in Sandakan with her baby son, has written two excellet books 'Three Came Home' and 'Land below the Wind', which are recognised as having a tremendous historical contribution in the account of the life in Sandakan pre and post World War 2. During the settled weather, the Yacht Club pool did provided a welcome relief from the heat of the day. Wifi and cheap beer was aslo welcomed! As there were storms around, we decided to leave Sandakan prematurely, sailing once again through the unusual fish farms.
On the return journey, we decided on the inland route and managed to find some fantastic anchorages behind reef and in a natural harbour. The anchorage at Banggi Island was the gem that we found and in particular, Mitford Harbour, which would make a great typhoon/bad weather anchorage if we need one on the way to the Philippines.
You can actually day sail from KK to Subic Bay in the north of the Philippines, then a few overnight sails and you are in Japan! Since reading the pilot for the area, we have discovered the write up on the entrances to Mitford Harbour anchorage. It is surrounded by beautiful hills – some grassy slopes and others covered in jungle. The harbour is between the very large main island and a series of other islands with protection from the elements by a series of reef systems. There are some small villages dotted along the shores as some boats passed us at anchor. The main town is small and has some local restaurants that sell basic Malay food along the pier. Peter had discovered a glitch in the water maker which translated into having a small water shortage on board! We had not thought to fill our tanks from the squalls. There were many showers around Banggi, but unfortunately not over the boat! Wanting a long shower, armed with shampoo, we went off in the dinghy to sit in the rain. Alas, by the time we got there the shower had stopped! The wind finally changed, allowing us to go the final 25 miles back to Kudat, where we stayed for another week.
It took us two attempts to get around the tip of Borneo (like all great capes that seem to attract a lot of wind!) as the wind was still SW and a rather large swell. The other shackl
e on the centre board had broken, so our wait did allow Peter to go over the side and replace it. Just a small obstacle to over come first as the board had slammed down and jammed. The 100 miles back to KK provided a little challenge, spending 6 hours motoring through a 2-3 m SW swell, (the course we needed was 210!) with winds from 10 to 25 knots. The seas were walls of water, one boat length apart with no backs, hence allowing us to go up one wave only for our bow to be greeted by another, which rolled over us. Our speed was reduced for a great part, to 2 knots. As we always say, warm and wet is much more acceptable than cold and wet! We had met up with a large tow at the tip of Borneo, and we kept crossing him and sometimes the reverse. He kept a slow and steady pace whilst we were tacking in and out. Our intended anchorage was Usukan Bay, a deep protected bay. We wandered in at 2330, found a nice little patch between the tugs and local fishing boats, had dinner and fell into our bunks.
e on the centre board had broken, so our wait did allow Peter to go over the side and replace it. Just a small obstacle to over come first as the board had slammed down and jammed. The 100 miles back to KK provided a little challenge, spending 6 hours motoring through a 2-3 m SW swell, (the course we needed was 210!) with winds from 10 to 25 knots. The seas were walls of water, one boat length apart with no backs, hence allowing us to go up one wave only for our bow to be greeted by another, which rolled over us. Our speed was reduced for a great part, to 2 knots. As we always say, warm and wet is much more acceptable than cold and wet! We had met up with a large tow at the tip of Borneo, and we kept crossing him and sometimes the reverse. He kept a slow and steady pace whilst we were tacking in and out. Our intended anchorage was Usukan Bay, a deep protected bay. We wandered in at 2330, found a nice little patch between the tugs and local fishing boats, had dinner and fell into our bunks. We will be in Sutera Harbour Marina, KK for 3 months during the wet and not so pleasant start of the NE monsoon, after which we will make our way to the Philippines. Peter is working his way through the boat re-painting the white surfaces and we are off to Laos in December with Laura and Randy from Pollen Path. There are no complaints as we are in between two 5 star resorts, have great neighbours with a sense of humour, 7 pools to choose from, a movie theatre, laundry service at 70 cents/kilo and a courtesy bus to town every hour. Oh, yes, and the gym, which we visit every day. Peter is aiming for his young buffed self (inspired by Barns!).
20 Nisan 2007 Cuma
Off to Borneo, Febuary 2007.
Destination: Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu
As the ITCZ is at its southern most position in February; February and March are the driest months with the least amount of thunderstorms, this sounded good to us! Our forecast was for northerly winds 10 – 15 knots with a 1 meter swell. What more could one ask for? The latter had been up to 4 metres in the South China Sea due to adverse weather. A chopper had been lost to the sea off Bintulu trying to get to the rigs. So waiting for our weather window was not an issue.
The swell mostly under a metre, but the occasional wall of water would hit us and almost stop the boat. The
windward deck was continually awash, but the cockpit remained dry, with only the spray over the dodger. However, some of the windward windows leaked and the old leaks – well they are still there! Surely the leaks cannot be through the new toe rail with the amount of sikaflex we put on! There is nothing like a passage to highlight your next boat project! (We are happy to report the leaks were soon gone!) All was not lost. Starry nights, fair weather, wind at 60 degrees off our bow and an almost full moon– how could we complain?
Crossing the shipping lanes at Horsborough Light was an easy task given our fair conditions. Others who had done this passage indicated to us that once across the straits you
are clear of shipping! No idea how anyone could come to that conclusion!! We were in the shipping lanes until around 2300 hours! Although the traffic was not too heavy, it was consistent. We ended up cruising along in the east bound lane and put out an ‘All Ships’ bulletin on VHF Ch 16 to say who we were, our course and speed. Ships responded well to this and steered around us, as I guess you would when you indicate to a ship you are on their bow 2 miles ahead! Once out of the shipping lanes, we saw only a few fishing boats until we were further north along the Borneo coast.
We passed close to an Indonesian Island that was indeed chartered incorrectly; located only 0.7 miles from its chartered position! After 3 days we sighted Tg. Datu in the distance, however with the wind bending more NE, we struggled for a day to pass the cape. Given the wind direction and our need to arrive in KK in time to meet Barnaby, we decided to give Kuching a miss for the time being, although the thought of bearing away and running down the bay was appealing.
We headed across the bay to enter the Paloh River. There was the occasional ship coming out of the river and one going in – so on a flood tide, our timing was perfect. We had good notes from another yacht and found that the channel was actually marked. As it was getting on dusk we were anxious to get the pick down and have a break from night watches. Due to the extensive river systems around here and the general terrain, the bar was quite extensive, being relatively shallow (7 meters at HW) for 5 miles. We finally anchored at 2100 hours, surrounded by jungle, had diner and fell into a deep sleep.
We were actually circumnavigating Bruit Island which saved us rounding yet anot
her cape on a NE wind. The island being a nature reserve had of course been subject to some logging! Large floating logs (and small islands with palm trees) are indeed numerous; both in the rivers and out to sea. Like the burgy bits in waters somewhat further from the equator, logs go away at night as by some stroke of luck, we never hit one.
Although river traffic was quite prolific, we only saw a few villages over the two days we were in the river syst
em. The river was well marked with poles and leads indicating where to cross. This made the confluence of the Muara Lassa River easy and we were able to negotiate our way around the mud banks with ease. We tried to anchor out of the main tidal flow which meant that the little island floating towards us at day break did not actually land on our bow! Our northerly course exiting the Muara Lassa River was a little challenging as we had 4 meters of water for 7 miles with wind and swell against us. We left on a flood tide but as it took us more than 6 hours to actually complete the 20 miles needed clear the mouth, the tide finally turned just before we made it to deeper water! We did this with 10 knots of breeze and less than a 1 meter swell – maximum conditions for this exit!
Although the forecast was for rain for our night passage to Bintulu, (those black lines on the grib files again!) it was more important for our exit from the Muara Lassa River to have light winds, so our choice was limited. Sleeping was definitely out of the question as we had a busy night with heavy rain, large fishing boats that were well lit, smaller ones that were impossible to see, oil rigs and Indonesian junk boats at anchor! In the end we had our huge spotlight and kept lighting the sails when we saw a boat in the hope at least they could see us somehow.
The maximum wind gust was only 20 knots for a while and warm and wet is still preferable to cold and wet! We were thundering along! Away from the capes the wind is more north/north west, which made for some good sailing.
Our early mor
ning arrival in the very busy Bintulu Port was welcomed, as was the Police Boat coming out to meet us and escort us to ‘yachtie corner’. Our instructions from the police were very precise – drop your anchor on THIS spot and take a warp to the wharf and one to the trees! It is a tight squeeze, but luckily there was no-one else to share it with. If the weather was not settled, we would not have stayed. Peter cut up one of our round plastic lids to use as a rat deterrent on the bow line. Container ships were just forward of us and we had the loading and unloading of these ships to entertain us 24/7.
A small town near Bintulu, Medan, provided us with some good supermarket items whilst the fresh food market at the former was the way to go. We had one day of rest whilst the showers passed us by and a day to re-provision. Having a good expat population is a dead cert for finding cheese and other western ‘must haves’. During our short stay, there was a large bang in the middle of the night. I woke Peter up to investigate, who assured me it was the wake from one of the tugs! Hmm! Not totally convinced. On departure, the said noise revealed itself to be the centerboard strop responsible for its raising and lowering. So now we draw 3m!
Our night sail to Miri was uneventful with a star studded sky and very few fishing boats. We slowed down to arrive outside Miri Marina at first light, as there had been significant land reclamation which was not shown on the chart. Our instructions said to look for the giant seahorse outside the marina entrance – and yes, there it was! We anchored outsid
e the marina wall to wait for the tide and had time to reflect on what to do with the centerboard, not knowing the depth inside the marina. The water had a high tannin content (well, that is what we told ourselves), low visibility and generally not looking good! The big decision was to run a rope under the boat to pull the centre board up a little. Definitely a job for the master, rather than the owner – so Peter very bravely and quite blindly got in the dark brown water! Mission accomplished and off we went into the marina. We had 5 other yachties greet us and take our lines! What a welcome!
Miri, also hav
ing a significant expat population was a great place for restaurants and supermarkets. This is also the place to shop for whatever you desire! The down side was that the car hire was twice as expensive as what we were used to. Our week stopover was very busy with visits to national parks and sorting out the necessities, the very important social contact and swapping of information. Niah Caves were a worth while visit, despite the slippery boardwalk, as was the waterfall at Lambir Hills. Feeling a little tired from the 4 hour walk the previous day, the walk in Lambir Hills was, according to Peter, only a short 15 minutes. Not so. We were sent off on an hour plus hike up the mountain, on a very picturesque jun
gle walk, albeit, very, very steep. The waterfall proved to be popular with the locals, who seemed to carry all but the kitchen sink! The amount of food and possessions that people were struggling with was a constant source of amusement for us. The whole, plucked chicken Malaysian style (very dead but still with head and feet attached), 20L water container (full) and the ghetto blaster gave us a good laugh. At least we were on the way down whilst this mass of humanity were still struggling to get there!
Although there was some confusion as to where we had to go to check out of Miri, (Customs had moved into town from the Port the same week as the Harbour Master had moved out to the Port!) immigration and customs were very kind to us and smoothed the way, giving us our port clearance so we did not have the very expensive drive out to the port.
Departing Miri
, with only day sailing ahead of us, we felt more like we were in cruising mode. Kuala Belait, Brunei was our next port of call, a mere 36 miles away. We needed to round a point/cape which had a major river running out from its centre. Due to extensive logging inland, there is significant silt being washed out to sea. As we rounded the cape, there was a distinctive line of blue/green sea water against the brown river water. Kuala Belait is another very busy 'port' which services the oil rigs. Huge rig tenders and tugs are constantly on the move.
As we were not planning a stay here, we anchored in the river for the night and departed at first light for Juradong. The latter is an interesting anchorage created by a huge breakwater w
ith an artificial island inside the entrance to keep out the swell. It would have covered the same cumulative area as FSC, the Fishing Boat Harbour and the RPYC Annexe! Anchoring off a small white sandy beach (as per our information) with 360 degree protection from the elements, we were in absolute awe at what this place could be! The Sultan’s younger brother had it built for his ‘yacht’, but the plans for a super marina were abandoned when younger brother Jeffrey was caught pilfering the State purse to the tune of 30 million USD! (Young Jeffrey fled to the UK but was pursued through the courts and most of the money has been recovered!)
Waiting for the morning showers to clear with the local fishing boats, we finally departed for our main destination in Brunei. It always makes you feel warm and fuzzy when your time of departure coincides with the locals – a good guess that the weather is clearing.
The anchorage off Royal Brunei Yacht Club, Muara offers good protection and good holding in sticky mud. They yacht club itself is a haven for the expats with free WIFI, a swimming pool and great food! Always a good draw card for the yachties! How times have changed!
Interestingly, one cannot purchase a drop of alcohol in Brunei – even in the hotels after it was banned in 1996. Fortunately for the yachties, that the duty free port of Labuan, Sabah, Malaysia is only 20 miles away!
The Sultan of Brunei has a cattle station just south of Darwin and often liked to fly direct from Brunei to his station. Australian Customs finally caught him out, took offence at his actions and now make him check in and out of Darwin. So, as a result, Australian passport holders can only stay for 2 weeks in Brunei for the cost of $30 pp. Everyone else gets a month for free! Bugger! So we paid out money, hired a car, re-fueled for 25 cents/l (AUD!! – there had to be an up side!!), visited an amazing mosque and a few other sights and departed for Labuan.
Our visit to Labuan was primarily to check into Sabah and to do a booze stock. To our delight they had a much improved selection of wine (chateau cardboard) than Langkawi. We also visited the War Memorial Park, which is partially maintained by the War Graves Commission in Australia. The park is immaculate and a local woman spends every day polishing the placques. They are the graves from the men who died on the Sandakan Death March.
From Labuan we had only one more anchorage before Kota Kinabalu. Palau Tiga – ‘Survivor Island’! This was an absolute gem – we dropped anchor in clear water and sand, with a back drop of virgin rainforest right down to the white sandy beach! A small eco friendly resort had the odd punter staying. The coral along the NW reef was sensational, with many different corals we had not seen in the Indian Ocean. Walk trails circumnavigate the island through the pristine jungle and the wildlife is very noisy!
The island was formed from volcanic mud pools, which was still happening today. Knowing that people pay a fortune for mud baths, we took Barnaby back there so the three of us could immerse ourselves in the rejuvenating mud! It was very squishy, with clumpy bits from leaves and small twigs. A challenge for me!! The density of the mud made it easy to half sit/lie down in the mud. Barnaby somehow kept one hand clean to mark the occasion with suitable photos! (or not!!)
So on to KK and the amazing Sutera Harbour Marina, set between 2, 5 star resorts. For the same price as other Malaysian Marinas (around $400 a month) we have a choice of 5 swimming pools, (including an Olympic pool) free movie theatre, gym, 10 pin bowling, discounted food, cheap laundry and an hourly free shuttle into town! We really feel like we are on holiday!
We of course had to climb Mt Kinabalu, (because it was there!) with the summit, Lowe’s Peak, at 4100m. Barnaby practically ran all the way up and down! Peter and I took 5 ho
urs to climb the 6km to base camp at Laban Rata with a gradient of 2:1. Arriving there at lunch time, we spent a glorious afternoon lazing around on the granite boulders at an altitude of 3200m, in a cool 10 degrees C, watching the clouds swirling around the summit. As we had to carry all that we required for the two days, we packed the bare minimum. Although we had thermals, gloves, beanies and jackets, a few more layers would not have gone astray. It was strange being so cold knowing that in the afternoon you would be hot!
For the final summit, we left at 0200 hours, in a cool 2 degrees C. The climb was very steep and arduous.
Most of it requires the climbers to pull themselves up along a rope. Peter exerted himself keeping up with
the young son and they reached the summit 1 hour before sunrise. So, huddled in the freezing cold, we waited for sunrise, took the necessary photos and made it back to base camp at 0730 hours. I have never seen Peter so exhausted! He had the famous grey waterproof poncho we purchased in Lombok a few years earlier. Huddled under his poncho, someone sat on Peter as they thought he was a rock! I wonder who got the biggest fright!!
The clouds swirling in the air currents at the top were always amazing.
In our absence the yard had organized our chain and anchor to be re-galvanized for a very small fee and had all the antifouling paint we had ordered waiting for us on our return. Had to be happy with that! Once again, we have met many yachties who have come from all corners of the globe, with 10 yachts hauled out in total. Some people from the Philippines who say once you are there you are nowhere else! Interesting concept for us who seem to be unable to stay in one place for any length of time! One American gentleman spends 3 months every year in Antarctica, where he has been doing a yearly krill count over the past 20 years.
After waiting at Sebana Cove for the NE Monsoon to break, we finally had a good weather window and departed on February 4th at 0900 hours. Our departure time was set to cross the shipping lanes at Horsborough Light at slack water, so at least we would have the ebb to start with. Although our timing of departure was questioned by many (why go in the NE monsoon when you can go in the SW monsoon and have the wind behind you?) it was the necessity of leaving Stolen Kiss on the hard somewhere by April when we have to return to Perth. Barnaby had also decided that he would come and visit us in Kota Kinabalu (KK), so we had a schedule to keep!!
As the ITCZ is at its southern most position in February; February and March are the driest months with the least amount of thunderstorms, this sounded good to us! Our forecast was for northerly winds 10 – 15 knots with a 1 meter swell. What more could one ask for? The latter had been up to 4 metres in the South China Sea due to adverse weather. A chopper had been lost to the sea off Bintulu trying to get to the rigs. So waiting for our weather window was not an issue.The swell mostly under a metre, but the occasional wall of water would hit us and almost stop the boat. The
windward deck was continually awash, but the cockpit remained dry, with only the spray over the dodger. However, some of the windward windows leaked and the old leaks – well they are still there! Surely the leaks cannot be through the new toe rail with the amount of sikaflex we put on! There is nothing like a passage to highlight your next boat project! (We are happy to report the leaks were soon gone!) All was not lost. Starry nights, fair weather, wind at 60 degrees off our bow and an almost full moon– how could we complain?Crossing the shipping lanes at Horsborough Light was an easy task given our fair conditions. Others who had done this passage indicated to us that once across the straits you
are clear of shipping! No idea how anyone could come to that conclusion!! We were in the shipping lanes until around 2300 hours! Although the traffic was not too heavy, it was consistent. We ended up cruising along in the east bound lane and put out an ‘All Ships’ bulletin on VHF Ch 16 to say who we were, our course and speed. Ships responded well to this and steered around us, as I guess you would when you indicate to a ship you are on their bow 2 miles ahead! Once out of the shipping lanes, we saw only a few fishing boats until we were further north along the Borneo coast.We passed close to an Indonesian Island that was indeed chartered incorrectly; located only 0.7 miles from its chartered position! After 3 days we sighted Tg. Datu in the distance, however with the wind bending more NE, we struggled for a day to pass the cape. Given the wind direction and our need to arrive in KK in time to meet Barnaby, we decided to give Kuching a miss for the time being, although the thought of bearing away and running down the bay was appealing.
We headed across the bay to enter the Paloh River. There was the occasional ship coming out of the river and one going in – so on a flood tide, our timing was perfect. We had good notes from another yacht and found that the channel was actually marked. As it was getting on dusk we were anxious to get the pick down and have a break from night watches. Due to the extensive river systems around here and the general terrain, the bar was quite extensive, being relatively shallow (7 meters at HW) for 5 miles. We finally anchored at 2100 hours, surrounded by jungle, had diner and fell into a deep sleep.We were actually circumnavigating Bruit Island which saved us rounding yet anot
her cape on a NE wind. The island being a nature reserve had of course been subject to some logging! Large floating logs (and small islands with palm trees) are indeed numerous; both in the rivers and out to sea. Like the burgy bits in waters somewhat further from the equator, logs go away at night as by some stroke of luck, we never hit one.Although river traffic was quite prolific, we only saw a few villages over the two days we were in the river syst
em. The river was well marked with poles and leads indicating where to cross. This made the confluence of the Muara Lassa River easy and we were able to negotiate our way around the mud banks with ease. We tried to anchor out of the main tidal flow which meant that the little island floating towards us at day break did not actually land on our bow! Our northerly course exiting the Muara Lassa River was a little challenging as we had 4 meters of water for 7 miles with wind and swell against us. We left on a flood tide but as it took us more than 6 hours to actually complete the 20 miles needed clear the mouth, the tide finally turned just before we made it to deeper water! We did this with 10 knots of breeze and less than a 1 meter swell – maximum conditions for this exit!
Although the forecast was for rain for our night passage to Bintulu, (those black lines on the grib files again!) it was more important for our exit from the Muara Lassa River to have light winds, so our choice was limited. Sleeping was definitely out of the question as we had a busy night with heavy rain, large fishing boats that were well lit, smaller ones that were impossible to see, oil rigs and Indonesian junk boats at anchor! In the end we had our huge spotlight and kept lighting the sails when we saw a boat in the hope at least they could see us somehow.
The maximum wind gust was only 20 knots for a while and warm and wet is still preferable to cold and wet! We were thundering along! Away from the capes the wind is more north/north west, which made for some good sailing.
Our early mor
ning arrival in the very busy Bintulu Port was welcomed, as was the Police Boat coming out to meet us and escort us to ‘yachtie corner’. Our instructions from the police were very precise – drop your anchor on THIS spot and take a warp to the wharf and one to the trees! It is a tight squeeze, but luckily there was no-one else to share it with. If the weather was not settled, we would not have stayed. Peter cut up one of our round plastic lids to use as a rat deterrent on the bow line. Container ships were just forward of us and we had the loading and unloading of these ships to entertain us 24/7.A small town near Bintulu, Medan, provided us with some good supermarket items whilst the fresh food market at the former was the way to go. We had one day of rest whilst the showers passed us by and a day to re-provision. Having a good expat population is a dead cert for finding cheese and other western ‘must haves’. During our short stay, there was a large bang in the middle of the night. I woke Peter up to investigate, who assured me it was the wake from one of the tugs! Hmm! Not totally convinced. On departure, the said noise revealed itself to be the centerboard strop responsible for its raising and lowering. So now we draw 3m!
Our night sail to Miri was uneventful with a star studded sky and very few fishing boats. We slowed down to arrive outside Miri Marina at first light, as there had been significant land reclamation which was not shown on the chart. Our instructions said to look for the giant seahorse outside the marina entrance – and yes, there it was! We anchored outsid
e the marina wall to wait for the tide and had time to reflect on what to do with the centerboard, not knowing the depth inside the marina. The water had a high tannin content (well, that is what we told ourselves), low visibility and generally not looking good! The big decision was to run a rope under the boat to pull the centre board up a little. Definitely a job for the master, rather than the owner – so Peter very bravely and quite blindly got in the dark brown water! Mission accomplished and off we went into the marina. We had 5 other yachties greet us and take our lines! What a welcome!Miri, also hav
ing a significant expat population was a great place for restaurants and supermarkets. This is also the place to shop for whatever you desire! The down side was that the car hire was twice as expensive as what we were used to. Our week stopover was very busy with visits to national parks and sorting out the necessities, the very important social contact and swapping of information. Niah Caves were a worth while visit, despite the slippery boardwalk, as was the waterfall at Lambir Hills. Feeling a little tired from the 4 hour walk the previous day, the walk in Lambir Hills was, according to Peter, only a short 15 minutes. Not so. We were sent off on an hour plus hike up the mountain, on a very picturesque jun
gle walk, albeit, very, very steep. The waterfall proved to be popular with the locals, who seemed to carry all but the kitchen sink! The amount of food and possessions that people were struggling with was a constant source of amusement for us. The whole, plucked chicken Malaysian style (very dead but still with head and feet attached), 20L water container (full) and the ghetto blaster gave us a good laugh. At least we were on the way down whilst this mass of humanity were still struggling to get there!Although there was some confusion as to where we had to go to check out of Miri, (Customs had moved into town from the Port the same week as the Harbour Master had moved out to the Port!) immigration and customs were very kind to us and smoothed the way, giving us our port clearance so we did not have the very expensive drive out to the port.
Departing Miri
, with only day sailing ahead of us, we felt more like we were in cruising mode. Kuala Belait, Brunei was our next port of call, a mere 36 miles away. We needed to round a point/cape which had a major river running out from its centre. Due to extensive logging inland, there is significant silt being washed out to sea. As we rounded the cape, there was a distinctive line of blue/green sea water against the brown river water. Kuala Belait is another very busy 'port' which services the oil rigs. Huge rig tenders and tugs are constantly on the move.As we were not planning a stay here, we anchored in the river for the night and departed at first light for Juradong. The latter is an interesting anchorage created by a huge breakwater w
ith an artificial island inside the entrance to keep out the swell. It would have covered the same cumulative area as FSC, the Fishing Boat Harbour and the RPYC Annexe! Anchoring off a small white sandy beach (as per our information) with 360 degree protection from the elements, we were in absolute awe at what this place could be! The Sultan’s younger brother had it built for his ‘yacht’, but the plans for a super marina were abandoned when younger brother Jeffrey was caught pilfering the State purse to the tune of 30 million USD! (Young Jeffrey fled to the UK but was pursued through the courts and most of the money has been recovered!)
Waiting for the morning showers to clear with the local fishing boats, we finally departed for our main destination in Brunei. It always makes you feel warm and fuzzy when your time of departure coincides with the locals – a good guess that the weather is clearing.
The anchorage off Royal Brunei Yacht Club, Muara offers good protection and good holding in sticky mud. They yacht club itself is a haven for the expats with free WIFI, a swimming pool and great food! Always a good draw card for the yachties! How times have changed!
Interestingly, one cannot purchase a drop of alcohol in Brunei – even in the hotels after it was banned in 1996. Fortunately for the yachties, that the duty free port of Labuan, Sabah, Malaysia is only 20 miles away!
The Sultan of Brunei has a cattle station just south of Darwin and often liked to fly direct from Brunei to his station. Australian Customs finally caught him out, took offence at his actions and now make him check in and out of Darwin. So, as a result, Australian passport holders can only stay for 2 weeks in Brunei for the cost of $30 pp. Everyone else gets a month for free! Bugger! So we paid out money, hired a car, re-fueled for 25 cents/l (AUD!! – there had to be an up side!!), visited an amazing mosque and a few other sights and departed for Labuan.
Our visit to Labuan was primarily to check into Sabah and to do a booze stock. To our delight they had a much improved selection of wine (chateau cardboard) than Langkawi. We also visited the War Memorial Park, which is partially maintained by the War Graves Commission in Australia. The park is immaculate and a local woman spends every day polishing the placques. They are the graves from the men who died on the Sandakan Death March.
From Labuan we had only one more anchorage before Kota Kinabalu. Palau Tiga – ‘Survivor Island’! This was an absolute gem – we dropped anchor in clear water and sand, with a back drop of virgin rainforest right down to the white sandy beach! A small eco friendly resort had the odd punter staying. The coral along the NW reef was sensational, with many different corals we had not seen in the Indian Ocean. Walk trails circumnavigate the island through the pristine jungle and the wildlife is very noisy!
The island was formed from volcanic mud pools, which was still happening today. Knowing that people pay a fortune for mud baths, we took Barnaby back there so the three of us could immerse ourselves in the rejuvenating mud! It was very squishy, with clumpy bits from leaves and small twigs. A challenge for me!! The density of the mud made it easy to half sit/lie down in the mud. Barnaby somehow kept one hand clean to mark the occasion with suitable photos! (or not!!)So on to KK and the amazing Sutera Harbour Marina, set between 2, 5 star resorts. For the same price as other Malaysian Marinas (around $400 a month) we have a choice of 5 swimming pools, (including an Olympic pool) free movie theatre, gym, 10 pin bowling, discounted food, cheap laundry and an hourly free shuttle into town! We really feel like we are on holiday!
We of course had to climb Mt Kinabalu, (because it was there!) with the summit, Lowe’s Peak, at 4100m. Barnaby practically ran all the way up and down! Peter and I took 5 ho
urs to climb the 6km to base camp at Laban Rata with a gradient of 2:1. Arriving there at lunch time, we spent a glorious afternoon lazing around on the granite boulders at an altitude of 3200m, in a cool 10 degrees C, watching the clouds swirling around the summit. As we had to carry all that we required for the two days, we packed the bare minimum. Although we had thermals, gloves, beanies and jackets, a few more layers would not have gone astray. It was strange being so cold knowing that in the afternoon you would be hot!For the final summit, we left at 0200 hours, in a cool 2 degrees C. The climb was very steep and arduous.
Most of it requires the climbers to pull themselves up along a rope. Peter exerted himself keeping up with
the young son and they reached the summit 1 hour before sunrise. So, huddled in the freezing cold, we waited for sunrise, took the necessary photos and made it back to base camp at 0730 hours. I have never seen Peter so exhausted! He had the famous grey waterproof poncho we purchased in Lombok a few years earlier. Huddled under his poncho, someone sat on Peter as they thought he was a rock! I wonder who got the biggest fright!!
The clouds swirling in the air currents at the top were always amazing.
A quick breakfast saw us ready for our descent at 0830 hours. We had purchased a walking stick for me to use on the way up and for Peter on the way down!! A young Indian man we passed on our descent found Peter to be an inspiration – ‘if an old man can do it I can!’ The ½ km pegs were a welcomed sight as we counted down our 6km. We could not believe that the previous day we had even made it up the mountain!
At the end of t he month, Barnaby returns to Perth and we take Stolen Kiss another 100 miles north to Kudat for haul out, where she will stay whilst we return to Perth for a few months. More yachts have arrived here over the past few days, so on with the continual sharing of information and endless stories to be told and the big decision for the day is which pool shall we visit?
Meeting Barnaby at Sutera Harbour was a bonus in many ways, least of all being the gym. A very special time for us all to spend together. It was here that Barns met ‘Fiona’ a dentist, who had been schooled in Perth and had completed her degree at Cambridge University no less. Barnaby was a 
little in awe as he discovered her other achievements over the next few days – a dive instructor, elite athlete who can actually run up and down THE Mountain in three hours! We felt a little in awe of this beautiful young lady as well! As we had a dentist visit on our plan, we all went and sought her professionalism! Fiona very kindly came to Sutera to pick us up and dropped us off. (Barnaby organized this as he thought we would get lost!) We had a few moments to enjoy Fiona’s company and appreciated her kindness. As Barnaby had a friend, we did not feel too bad about sending him off early on a Sunday morning (0900 hours) to spend some time with Fiona so we could leave for Kudat.
little in awe as he discovered her other achievements over the next few days – a dive instructor, elite athlete who can actually run up and down THE Mountain in three hours! We felt a little in awe of this beautiful young lady as well! As we had a dentist visit on our plan, we all went and sought her professionalism! Fiona very kindly came to Sutera to pick us up and dropped us off. (Barnaby organized this as he thought we would get lost!) We had a few moments to enjoy Fiona’s company and appreciated her kindness. As Barnaby had a friend, we did not feel too bad about sending him off early on a Sunday morning (0900 hours) to spend some time with Fiona so we could leave for Kudat.Our first bay was 36 miles north, but with very little wind, we felt it could take
some time. (Are we justifying our actions??) Usukan Bay, our first anchorage was a well protected bay with a great view of 'The Mountain' and one that is being developed to accommodate the supply tugs for the offshore rigs. More time permitting would have allowed us to explore this bay. However, our haul out was now foremost in our minds. We decided to push on past Agal Bay and see if we could make an anchorage further north, just under another ‘Great Cape’; the north western tip of Borneo where the South China Sea meets the Sulu Sea. This would enable us to round the cape early next morning before the breeze picks up around noon.
some time. (Are we justifying our actions??) Usukan Bay, our first anchorage was a well protected bay with a great view of 'The Mountain' and one that is being developed to accommodate the supply tugs for the offshore rigs. More time permitting would have allowed us to explore this bay. However, our haul out was now foremost in our minds. We decided to push on past Agal Bay and see if we could make an anchorage further north, just under another ‘Great Cape’; the north western tip of Borneo where the South China Sea meets the Sulu Sea. This would enable us to round the cape early next morning before the breeze picks up around noon. Although it did not look too encouraging for a while, the wind did in fact move more from the north to the east so that we became under the lee of the land. We were actually on a look out for the bay that had been advertised as the next tourist resort in the area. As always, the brochures looked stunning with a beautiful beach; a small island with a sandy bar adjoining the land. Looking for the most likely location of said bay on chart, we made our way towards Palau Kalambok, deciding to hang out in the same bay as the local fishing boats (local knowledge is always an advantage!). A beautiful, peaceful bay; not quite like the brochure, but a worthwhile anchorage and worthy of a more lengthy stay. Low tide in the morning revealed the sand bar and a very sheltered anchorage on the other side of the island.
With only 17 miles to go to Kudat ship yard, we were off early, anxious to get there and organize our lift that was to be happening in two days time. The anchorage outside the Golf Course ‘Marina’ was Med-moore fashion as the jetties have yet to be installed. We had heard that the holding was not good due to the plastic bags on the bottom. By the number of said bags that came up on our anchor, we think that this is prob
ably the case. The ship yard is owned and operated by a Chinese family. Very busy with fishing boats and ship building. A 50 ton travel lift (that was in Penang) with double slings and an experienced operator gave us a lot of confidence. Stolen Kiss was hauled out very professionally and chocked with huge cement blocks (used for building protective breakwaters). Whilst facilities are basic, there is a guy who does an excellent job straightening props (we had a small ding in ours from hitting a log), we can get our anchor and chain re-galvanized, yachties have their own individual washroom, laundry service and they yard being a short walk from town, easy access to cheap meals and internet.
ably the case. The ship yard is owned and operated by a Chinese family. Very busy with fishing boats and ship building. A 50 ton travel lift (that was in Penang) with double slings and an experienced operator gave us a lot of confidence. Stolen Kiss was hauled out very professionally and chocked with huge cement blocks (used for building protective breakwaters). Whilst facilities are basic, there is a guy who does an excellent job straightening props (we had a small ding in ours from hitting a log), we can get our anchor and chain re-galvanized, yachties have their own individual washroom, laundry service and they yard being a short walk from town, easy access to cheap meals and internet.
In our absence the yard had organized our chain and anchor to be re-galvanized for a very small fee and had all the antifouling paint we had ordered waiting for us on our return. Had to be happy with that! Once again, we have met many yachties who have come from all corners of the globe, with 10 yachts hauled out in total. Some people from the Philippines who say once you are there you are nowhere else! Interesting concept for us who seem to be unable to stay in one place for any length of time! One American gentleman spends 3 months every year in Antarctica, where he has been doing a yearly krill count over the past 20 years.As usual, there is the never ending swapping of information and stories. The young 
crew of a Japanese yacht wanted to adopt Peter as his brother and sail with us. He said his captain was very mean and Stolen Kiss was like a home, not like his yacht which was just an uncomfortable boat. He was a diesel mechanic and did not like the ocean, but liked the places they visited. He was a very energetic and excitable young man who would go off and get involved with life around town. We hear the wildlife is a bit challenging and have various anti-rat devices in place. It is hot and dry and have never been so grateful for having an air conditioner on board!! (As it turned out, the worst Stolen Kiss experienced in our absence was dirt. A small price to pay.)
crew of a Japanese yacht wanted to adopt Peter as his brother and sail with us. He said his captain was very mean and Stolen Kiss was like a home, not like his yacht which was just an uncomfortable boat. He was a diesel mechanic and did not like the ocean, but liked the places they visited. He was a very energetic and excitable young man who would go off and get involved with life around town. We hear the wildlife is a bit challenging and have various anti-rat devices in place. It is hot and dry and have never been so grateful for having an air conditioner on board!! (As it turned out, the worst Stolen Kiss experienced in our absence was dirt. A small price to pay.)  |
| Our short stay on Mt Kinabalu before the final ascent. |
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