Labuan and north to Kudat

Labuan Marina - the good and the bad. Location was great as we were within easy walking distance to local food stalls, a Giant supermarket (albeit a small one), a large wet market for fresh meat, fruit and veggies, Customs and Immigration as well as all the duty free shops in town. The condition of the marina however left a lot to be desired. As per many developments and buildings in Malaysia, maintenance is not high on anyone's agenda so when things break, they stay that way. The marina had the potential to house all of the rally boats but sadly many of the pontoons which had suffered previous storm damage however many years prior were still broken or lacking power and water, so many of the rally boats had to anchor outside the wall. We were told that it is being worked on, but things only  happen slowly in this part of the world. Still, we enjoyed our few days there walking around discovering new places to eat, provisioning and re stocking alcohol - our last chance of cheaper prices. Here is where we collected our new crew member Andrea. She is to be with us for a month and flying out of Sandakan home to Switzerland after a year of travelling the globe.

                               
                                           Kittani enjoying great sailing on the way to Labuan

                 
                         One of the many rigs and service vessels that support the oil industry

So out of the marina and the chance to island hop for a week or so before our next destination of Kota Kinabalu. First stop was Pulau Tiga - the island used for the first 'Survivor' series years ago. Always good to be back in the water and some great snorkeling - abundant fish life and vibrant corals close to where we anchored on the southern side of the island. Next day we went ashore and after dodging the swarms of mosquitoes and a handful of monkeys, we found a track that was a short 15 minute walk to some 'mud pools'. These turned out to be not much more than muddy water holes and rather underwhelming so after a quick dip, it was sprint back downhill to the beach and a thorough wash off. The following day we motored around to the next island with a large sand spit attached so good to get out for a long beach walk and the chance of find some shells. We came across the remnants of a beach barbeque still smouldering from the previous evening. These are a favourite pastime of cruisers wherever we can find a beach and it means we are not heating up the boat having to cook in the galley. Sadly we were the only boat there that evening and beach barbies aren't anywhere near as much fun on your own, so we opted to barbecue on board instead.

                           
                                            Ferocious looking and not keen to get any closer!

Next stop Pulau Sulug and barely room for one boat to anchor but luckily we had it to ourselves. The clearest of turquoise waters and whitest sand and yet we were in sight of Kota Kinabalu town - a mere 2 nautical miles away. Not due into the marina for a few more days gave us the chance to explore various anchorages on Pulau Gaya. The southern bay for the first night was a popular dive and snorkel spot with small local runabouts bringing day visitors over from the mainland in a steady stream - it was reminiscent of the chaos we encountered at Phi Phi island in Thailand. Thankfully they had all left by 3.30pm so, along with Gemini Lady and Esoterica we were able to enjoy the peace and quiet of our beautiful tranquil setting. We all enjoyed a snorkel late afternoon and again first thing in the morning before the onslaught started again for the day.

                                        Some of the great sealife at Palau Gaya, Polish Bay

Around to the northern side of Gaya and bay hopped spending 2 evenings in each place. Our first anchorage was in Polish Bay off the Bunga Raya resort. A 4.5 lodging with villas built on the side of the hill and camouflaged with the lush green vegetation. A long jetty stretched out from the beach with pots of vibrant pink Bougainvillia along its length - a picturesque landscape for the arriving house guests. We did wonder as we dropped the anchor how much they would appreciate 'yachties' invading their pristine bay but for those who went ashore, they were greeted by friendly staff and taken in 'buggies' for a tour of the resort, pointing out the Royal Suite complete with its infinity pool, private beach in front and only 8,000 MYR per night ($2,600 appx AUD) But breakfast was included in that!!!!! We had considered taking a room for the night to celebrate my birthday until we discovered the costs - oh well, there is always next year.

                  The impressive Bunga Raya Resort on Gaya Island with bungalows just visible.

                                           Getting better with these tree top canopy walks

Next bay was the Gaya Island resort and a totally different attitude to yachties. When one boat ventured into the area off the island marked with buoys for a snorkelling spot, they were approached and advised that it was private property and that they were not welcome. Can they really own the water and stop us ? As we could find nowhere shallower than 21 mtrs to drop the pick, we ventured across to the other side of the bay and tucked into a small cove with a sandy beach, a few local dwellings and palm trees and enjoyed 2 lovely nights there.

Time to go into the marina so heading across to the mainland, we followed Gemini Lady through the channel markers that took us right through the port area of Kota Kinabalu, out the other side and down into the entrance. Many of the rally boats had already arrived and space was now at a premium - even though we had made a booking a week prior. We had been warned by Tiki (having already arrived a few days earlier) that we may be asked to do a Med mooring - a style commonly used in the Mediterranean which entails dropping the anchor then throwing 2 lines to the shore (in the marina case - the pontoon) and tying off port and starboard side. This would mean getting on and off the boat via the back, and not at all suitable for the likes of Kittani who does not have a back platform on which to descend. Sure enough that is what they wanted us to do. But after explaining that we don't have suitable access on and off the boat at the back, thankfully they found us a berth right next door to Tiki. 

                          Sunset looking out from Kota Kinabalu Marina - a spectacular setting.

This was a beautiful marina and reported to be the best in Borneo. With resort attached, cafe and  restaurants, 4 swimming pools, gym, tennis courts, in house theatre and the cheapest laundry service (apparently subsidised) that we had seen in ages - we were happy and ready to indulge for 6 days. We made the most of being able to swim in fresh water and so nice not having that layer of salt on your body after a dip. We had access to the theatre one morning so set up and watched episodes 1 - 3 of season 6 Game of Thrones along with a few other cruises who admitted to being die hard GOT enthusiasts. Uber transport had 2 months earlier been introduced to KK, the only other town using it in Borneo being Kuching and this proved to be an excellent mode of transport and so much cheaper than local taxis. Modern comfortable cars and extremely friendly drivers, one of which told us since its inception 8 weeks prior has now cornered 75% of the market making for some very disgruntled taxi drivers. 

Hiring a car one day, we set off with Sandy and Brian from Persephone for a trip to the Mt Kinabalu National Park - in 2000 becoming Malaysia's first World Heritage site.  A picturesque drive winding up the hill through local villages and often with a spectacular view of the famous mountain itself. After a quick visit to the park headquarters located 1,520 metres above sea level, we pushed on further to Poring Hotsprings for a couple of hours wandering the bamboo gardens, butterfly house and tree top canopy walk. A bite of lunch and the next stop before starting our homeward journey was to see a Rafflesia, the worlds largest flower. Taking almost a year or sometimes longer to bloom, they then stay open for only 6 days and towards the end of their flowering can often emit a foul smelling odour that has been likened to that of rotting flesh. we got to view one (albeit in someones backyard and costing us $3 for the privilege).This specimen was reported to be 75 cm in diameter and although it was at day 5, there was no smell.

     My knuckles were touching the petal of this amazing flower. next years flower bud on the left,

                 Beautiful Mt. Kinabalu appearing through the layer of cloud that often surrounds it.

             

 

                      Pete and Andrea KK marina                         No luck with fishing - only seaweed

Our time had come to leave the comforts of KK marina and make our way north to the tip of Borneo and our next rally stop of Kudat. not being due there for 5 days, we could again head out to the islands and enjoy their charms. Pulau Mantanani was our first stop where we anchored 1 night on both south and north sides of the island. We had a bit of bad luck on the way up finding ourselves surrounded by an expansive slick of dirty brown crude oil, and not being able to avoid it, we just had to plough on through. it stuck to our lovely new paint job turning our while hulls a sickly brown colour and was a devil of a job to remove. For the next 2 days as soon as we anchored, the 3 of us armed with cloths, sponges and detergent spent hours washing, rubbing, rinsing, more washing, more rubbing and more rinsing until finally Kittani looked clean again.

Our last anchorage before Kudat was Pulau Kulambok and this became one of our favourite bays. it was joined to the mainland by a sandy spit barely exposed at high tide and had the clearest of turquoise water and white sand bottom. Only a few small dwellings ashore and each afternoon the locals would wade waist deep into the water and fish for hours on end, or walk the exposed reefs at low tide collecting .....dinner, we presumed. The second afternoon, we had a hundred or so small squid swimming around the boat and sadly for 2 of them they ended up on our barbecue - just cooked and tender. What was expected to be a one night stop stretched into two before heading up to the northern most point of Borneo and down the other side into Kudat.

          
On our arrival in Kudat we were advised there wasn't space in the small marina for our size boat (no bookings taken here and first come first served basis) so second option was the dreaded 'Med mooring' that we had managed to avoid in Kota Kinabalu marina. Thankfully we had a couple of things in our favour. The wind was benign - almost non-existent, we had an extra person onboard in Andrea and we were the only boat arriving that morning so we could take our time and give it our best shot. All those things worked - we got a good hold with the anchor the first time, then quickly got ashore in the dingy and tied off both port and starboard side to huge concrete blocks. Another notch under the belt but hopefully that is the first and last time we have to moor that style.


                    Kittani 'med moored' in Kudat harbour with many rally boats moored in line.

                    Dinner at Kudat marina - good cheap food and you could BYO drinks.

The rally schedule coincided with the opening of a new marine park for Sabah and the Kudat festival was a weekend of events including tug of war and dragon boat racing with local teams - both sports taken very seriously here in Borneo. We put together teams and got beaten in both events, but in all fairness the teams had come from all over Malaysia to compete (big prize money incentives). We were granted exclusive entry straight through to the final of the dragon boat race and we came a respectable 3rd place - not bad considering only a couple of people on our team had ever done it before.



                          Sail Malaysia Dragon Boat team heading off towards the start line ........




                Clearing the boats at the finish line - all still pumped with the adrenaline of the race.

                            A very commendable 3rd place with Pete and Andrea in centre front.

Kudat was were we meet with ESSCOM (Eastern Sabah Security Command) - the security force who are escorting us up around the top of Borneo and back into Indonesian waters due to the proximity of the Philipines and the piracy issues. This meeting will be the determining factor as to whether any boats decide to turn back. Sadly we have to say goodbye to our sailing companions aboard Tiki who have decided to turn back towards mainland Malaysia. Until we meet again ........................

Back into Malaysia

After a long days sail, we made it through to anchor at the Rangers station - our first stop back in Malaysia. A peaceful anchorage and only a short 10 miles to go the following day to reach the turtle sanctuary on Pulau Talang Talang Besar. Arriving there the next day, we were fortunate in being the only boat and ahead of the rally fleet as they did allow us to go ashore after dark and watch these amazing animals laying their eggs. The majority of the fleet were not allowed to do as we did, unfortunately missing out on quite a spectacular event. We watched a 60 year old turtle laboriously cover her hatch of eggs - a slow process with her powerful flippers and well over an hours job. We were then taken to the hatchery area where we collected about 20 new born hatchlings into a bucket, then released them on the beach a few meters from the waters edge. They must make their way down the sand and imprint in their brains their origin to where they will return (if lucky) in the years ahead to breed themselves. The statistics say that only 1 in 1000 make it back - what terrible odds !!!

                               This was our 60 year old mum turtle laying another clutch of eggs

                       How cute was this newly hatched baby - such tiny odds that it will survive.

             Rows of blue netted enclosures where the rangers re bury the eggs to hatch and monitor.

Our next rally destination was Kuching and our aim was to arrive early as to get a berth in the public marina up the river - first in best dressed. This would make it easier for us to have our new battery bank delivered, our old bank finally giving up the ghost and a casualty from 2 years on the hard in Pangkor. That night night we found a beautiful anchorage tucked in behind the cape leading down towards the river entrance. Amidst the largest jellyfish I have ever seen - large white creatures easily 20" diameter floating all around us, we anchored in mud off a cliff face with tropical palms reaching down to the turquoise blue water. 

The next morning we started the trek in through the channels markers and followed the river up towards the marina. As the current was so strong against us, we decided to drop the anchor and wait a couple of hours for the flow to decrease before continuing our journey. With only a couple of boats in the marina, we found a spot easily and tied up for a few days. It is always nice to secure a marina berth after some weeks at anchor, to have shore power to fully charge the fridge and freezer (the later of ours another issue to have addressed whilst here) and air con to indulge for a few nights!!! Obtaining fuel is also made easier when you are tied to land rather than having to dinghy the fuel containers out to the boat. So many things we take for granted when you live on land. The current was still flowing strongly through the marina and it wasn't uncommon to see large logs and palm frond clusters float past us quickly, only to return going the other way with the change of tides, One particular mound was like a mountain and thankfully it missed the marina entrance.

                             Not a chance of moving it on - just had to wait until the change in tide.

Of all the rally activities here, the highlight was the visit to Semenggoh Nature Reserve to see the orangutans living in a refuge dedicated to their species. What characters these animals have, the almost human cheekiness in their mannerisms, the childlike naughtiness displayed whilst interacting with their trainers. The juveniles just so cute - another tick off my bucket list.

                              Orangutans - mum and baby. What beautiful creatures these are.

Leaving Kuching with many of the rally boats, we headed up the coast and into one of the many river systems that cover Borneo. We followed the meandering river route 30 miles to the town of Serakai where some boats took the opportunity to re fuel at a fuel dock. We ventured ashore for a quick shop at the open markets, then to find a restaurant open for lunch - this was a challenge. We were in the month of Ramadan where Muslims (a good percentage of the Malaysian population) do not let anything pass their lips, eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. This really only left us with the option of Chinese restaurants, but always good food anyway.

                      8 of our rally boats - like ducks in a line heading up the river to Serakai

                                                   Market in Serakai

The next 2 days were covering the distance up the coast to Miri and can only be described as long and horrible sailing. The day started with current against us and no wind. Then the rain squalls and electrical thunderstorms rolled in, alternating for hours and continuing throughout the night. This left us with lumpy seas and still no wind to fill the sails and potentially stabilise us. Making our way though the oil and gas rigs we had to be extra vigilant as (typical Malaysia) there were unmarked unlit buoys near the rigs and a real potential danger for boats. Day break and a slight improvement but on the approach into Miri marina, logs in the water everywhere and some of them literally huge tree trunks. Also by now we had a 30knt tail wind and surfing down some of the bigger waves. By the time we got in through the entrance, there was still a cross wind of 25knts blowing through the marina - a berthing nightmare. With the help of another cruisers tender pushing us bow or stern at the right moment, we managed to tie up without incident. All in all, 48 hours I never wish to go through again.

                             Kittani (and Pete) enjoying the weather even if I didn't 

Miri was a great little spot, good power and water supply in the marina though new toilet and shower facilities still being built. A pot luck dinner was held there the second evening, a wonderful selection of food from everyone and a trio of guitars (fellow cruisers) entertained us well into the night. We opted not to do the Niah caves bus tour from here but instead joined Tiki and 5 of us flew MASwings up to Mulu for 2 nights in the national park and caves system there and what a wonderful experience is was. We stayed in a B & B right on the river, with all meals supplied and free rides back and forth to the park. The next 48 hours was spent trekking deep into many of the caves, each one different from the other. At sunset, we witnessed 3 million bats stream from one of the caves, a performance lasting about 30 minutes. They formed long ribbon-like shapes, swirling corkscrew trails as they tried to elude the Bat Hawks looking for a meal. We dared a tree top canopy walk 480 meters long and 20 meters above the tranquil river - it was a little nerve wracking for us both, getting worse with age and our fear of heights.And the end of each long day, a cold beer, an icy cool shower and dinner provided. All over too quickly and we were boarding our 30 minute flight back to Miri.

                               Our 30 minute MAS Wings (Malaysian Airlines) flight to Mulu                 

On the way up river to the caves.

                                                        Spectacular palms and ferns above us

                     Bat exodus from the cave. Photos don't really capture this spectacular show

                    "Selamat Datang" - Welcome to Gunung Mulu National Park - Mulu, Borneo

                      

                        Those little dots are people. The size of the cave is amazing!

                                    Exiting one of the caves and a stunning view of forest behind.



          Neil, Sam, Heather &  Pete.                                                   Blowing a poisonous dart gun                            
                  

          . Unusual jungle foliage..........                                                       and green jungle lizard

                    About to start the 480mts tree canopy walk - it was probably more a grimace!

From Miri we headed a day sail up the coast to Jeradong where we over nighted in the 'Sultans Folly' or as the locals call it - the duck pond. Built by one of the Princes of Brunei, the marina is huge with stone and concrete sea walls, a walkway all around the top of the walls and even an island in the middle of it! The rally had been granted permission to use the marina for an overnight stop, a good half way point to Labuan.

                                         Tiki arriving into the 'Sultan's Folly' marina - Brunei

This was as close to Brunei as we got, choosing not to enter the country with the rest of the rally. We had extended our stay in Miri by spending time in Mulu National Park and opted to sail directly to Labuan arriving the same time as the others from Banda Seri Bagwan (Brunei). It seems a shame that sometimes we rush through these towns, not stopping to really enjoy what they have to offer unless we make the conscious choice to forgo some of the schedule. So back into a  marina tomorrow for a few days, re provision stores and being a duty free island - beer!

Anambas - Indonesia

Just after dawn we made our way through the outer western islands of the Anambas group and found a large sheltered bay where we dropped the anchor. Our priority now was sleep as an overnight sail never allows for much of it. We had raced ahead of a storm front we could see fast approaching from the west and luckily we had managed to dodge it. Not so lucky was Tuppenny and Tiki an hour behind us as they felt the full force of the torrential downpour, strong winds. thunder and lightning. Drenched and exhausted, they soon arrived into the bay to anchor with us and it was time for sleep on all boats.

          Sunrise on our approach into the Anambas group of islands - back into Indonesia for a spell.

                                         Villages far and few between amid the islands.

Waking early afternoon, we were able to view our surroundings and appreciate the remoteness of this island group. In our bay, the dwellings were far and few between with only a dirt track linking them - no sign of vehicles of any sort and small canoes the only mode of transport between the houses. Last years rally was the first time these islands had been visited, so a yacht anchoring in the bay would be a novelty. As we hadn't officially checked in to Indonesia, we weren't able to go ashore so a leisurely afternoon was spent onboard getting the boat back in order after our night crossing.

Up anchoring early the following morning, we motored for a couple of hours across to Terempa - the main town of the Anambas group and our clearing in point. Hoisting our yellow quarantine flag, our three boats motored into the harbour and looked for a spot to drop the pick. We had read that anchoring can be challenging in this group of islands and this was to be our first experience of that. Two and three attempts on a rocky bottom before we all managed to get the anchors to lock securely. Not having to wait more than half an hour before we could see the immigration boat readying itself to come out and check us all in. We were the first boat to be boarded by what seemed a multitude of officials - Health and Quarantine to start, followed by Customs then finally Immigration. They had a good look downstairs, commented on our alcohol supply and advised that it was not to be taken ashore (as if we would), photographed a few things then told us we could put up our Indonesian flag and we were done. All in all about 30 mins, very friendly personnel, happy to have their photos taken with us all smiling - a good experience all round. As we were a few days ahead of the rally and the official rally activities, we up anchored and headed out to explore these beautiful remote islands.

                    Pete giving some of the local kids surfing lessons - the board being an esky lid.

            Tuppenny going through the entry process - Quarantine, Health, Customs & Immigration.

   
                  Pete grocery shopping Terempa style. Do you have any cereal.....lost in translation!

Waterfall Bay was our first stop. A large sheltered bay with a relatively large fishing community along the shore line. We met Herol, a local fellow who had arrived out in his speed boat to visit us. Arriving at Tiki first and finding they had a reasonable knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia , he stopped with them to practice his English. After a couple of hours of communicating as such, we headed ashore with him and walked up the waterfall. Being the dry season, there was minimal water but enough to have some small falls and lovely cool waterholes at the base in which to plunge and cool off. Harol was a trader in the village and sorted us out with fresh squid, fish and vegetables we were needing.Due to a lack of recent rains, the waterfall wasn't exactly fast flowing but enough to find a waterhole and have a cool refreshing plunge.



                                           Pete taking a refreshing shower under the waterfall.

Basic village dwellings

We next headed up to North of the island group - first night we named Fad Bay where we anchored near a FAD (fish attracting device). On sunset, it was towed out to the open water where it was lit up like a Xmas tree. Working all night and returning at daybreak the inhabitants then sleep till early afternoon when, on wakening, sounds of modern music drifted across the water. 

Time to move on and the next stop was a picturesque anchorage in water so clear that we could see the anchor sitting on the bottom in 6 mtrs of depth. Snorkeling here was another amazing experience and to top it all off, Pete speared a sweetlip which was succulent on the barbeque for dinner. I had been given a green coconut and after managing to peel the husk strip by strip with a screwdriver, we extracted milk and soft flesh in which we cooked our catch. Yum!! This anchorage we named Sweetlip Island.


                                      
                                                   Tiki and Gemini Lady at "Sweet Lip Island"

Back to Tarempa where all the fleet had arrived in our absence and a couple of days of rally activities. One of which was a day trip away to one of the outer islands for diving, snorkeling and a beach barbeque. With most of the cruisers attending the excursion, it was a great day of chatting and swapping stories and as most of them had just arrived, they wanted to hear about the anchorages we had found. Our hosts cooked fresh fish on a large grill over the flames, teamed with rice, potatoes in foil, salad and home made spicy sauces to match - it was a sumptuous feast. Whilst snorkeling, I could feel some 'bities' in the water, not an uncommon experience in these parts but I must have got a 'stinger' of sorts under my swim shirt which had a feast on my skin. By midnight my torso was covered in red angry bites screaming out to be scratched which then took 48 hours of regular cortisone cream and anti-histamine to get under control. I would almost think it was an allergic reaction to the initial sting. 48 hours I do not ever wish to go through again 😫😫.

Away from the harbour for the last time, we headed out towards the most easterly islands to give us a head start for our passage to Malaysia in a couple of days. We found a delightful spot, calm and sheltered close by an island with a lovely beach - just calling for the plough disc bbq to be brought out again. Another rally catamaran had joined us in the anchorage so we had 9 people around the barbeque that night, enjoying a beer and watching the sun set over an idyllic location.

                         Heading ashore for another beach barbeque - Tiki, Kittani and Psycho Puss

                             The girls scavenging for anything that will burn for the barbeque fire.

                       Our view from the beach as the sun slowly sets on another day in paradise.

Our last day started with the morning 'sight seeing underwater', then breakfast and readying the boat for a mid afternoon departure from the Anambas Islands. You could easily spend a month in this area hopping from bay to bay, so many we hadn't discovered but thoroughly enjoying the ones we did. We were pleased we had made the decision not to go north from Tioman with the rally, allowing us to spend more time here as many of the other boats felt they hadn't had enough time to explore the treasures Anambas has to offer. Tarempa has now just become a clearing in port for Indonesia making it more accessible for cruisers in the future. Though I don't think that will change things much in this pristine untouched part of the world, I would hope not anyway.

Can't help myself with sunsets!

JABS!! (Just Another Bl..dy Sunset)