Taipan left Tioman Marina on the 9th of September for the 72NM run to Kuantan. To late and wrong tide for entry so we anchored on the coast. Bonused a nice dolphin fish for the next few dinners.
The 35nm to Kemerman was a delightful kite run. The entry is wide and quite deep enough for our 2.2M draft however if a big south - easterly sea was running it might be touch and go at low tide right at the entrance. OH!.. Allah! Kemerman has the noisiest Mosque we have ever heard. Must be like Wembley Stadium at the Soccer finals!. We didn't go ashore, because the tide was too low to access the very high wall on the river bank alongside the city. There were fire crackers all around and these went off all night! Must have been something on?? Ramadan! The quieter anchorage is opposite the police dock not far inside the river. The town anchorage would provide very easy access to supplies and services. However a higher tide would make it easier to get ashore.
Next stop Tenggol. A very pretty island with a deep anchorage and a number of buoys. We picked up a mooring buoy for 2 nights and enjoyed lovely weather and good snorkeling. Not stunning but quite clear and apart from the junk quite entertaining.There are no facilities here although there are 4 very low key resorts which don’t cater to outside visitors.
Kapas Isl 36nm, is just 10nm south of Terengganu. It is a really busy tourist spot. Water not so clear when we were there and there were plenty of "jellies" so we didn't swim here. Stayed two nights in a very comfortable anchorage on the north west of the larger island.
We believe there is some excellent snorkelling on the reef between the two islands and have since been advised that the jellies here have no sting. There are several large moorings which we saw other yachts pick up but the anchorage is shallow and on good sand so we didn't use one.
Arrived at on the15th of September. The Heritage Bay Marina is well placed and easy to find straight up the river. All modern facilities including Gym Spa but not use of resort pool. We dingied across the river, tied the dingy on the beach adjacent to the town steps and walked to the shops. There is also a good anchorage just to the east of the marina.
Terengganu is a big centre with several very large and well stocked supermarkets, an excellent morning fresh market just a very short walk from the town steps Chinatown has some great restaurants. We only got a chance to sample one but have it on good authority that there are many more to choose from.
The arrival of Hanly and Bill at Terrenganu on the16th was greeted with great joy. Bill has manufactured a beautiful prop puller. (See photo of Bill explaining its intricacies to the good Capt'n) Every yachities dream and Hanly has an extra 2 bottles of Cointreau. Necessary refreshment for yachties after exhausting swimming and snorkeling in crystal clear water of east coast Malaysia. Couple of days spent in Terrengganu purchasing limes by the lorry load and then with all the provisioning laid in we were off to Redang.
Then things went a bit pear shaped. David and I got the flue!..Nasty....10 days in state of sickness ...no cointreau...very little of anything in fact. The new chums managed to keep busy with swimming snorkelling and dingy rides here and there. Redang is a great island with snow white beaches and good anchorages. We holed up in Berjaya Bay on the north east side. Not much coral to speak of but nice swimming. We finally managed to drag our bones to Perhentian Islands where we stayed low while the guests did lots of eating and drinking and swimming and sleeping and singing. Hanly plans to add the eucalalie to her instrument repertoire so watch this spot for new music from "Doris" http://www.doris.com.au/. Watercolours restaurant was a favourite eating and drinking spot. Hanly slept till 9.00 o'clock one morning!!.
Finally with the flue a little behind us we were able to do some dives and enjoy the really lovely coral and fish in spectacularly clear water. The colour is just remarkable.
28th September and making our way back to Redang. Found some really good snorkeling on the eastern side and would love to go back to explore further.
Palau Bidong was an interesting lunch stop en-route to Terengganu. It was a refugee camp for Vietnamese refugees from the mid 70s to the early 90's. It’s very dilapidated and run down but there are some interesting and moving memorials and plaques. Its a lovely spot and well worth the visit.
Farewell to our special friends and thanks for the visit. Great sailors and great company both.
Next stop Tenggol. A very pretty island with a deep anchorage and a number of buoys. We picked up a mooring buoy for 2 nights and enjoyed lovely weather and good snorkeling. Not stunning but quite clear and apart from the junk quite entertaining.There are no facilities here although there are 4 very low key resorts which don’t cater to outside visitors.
Kapas Isl 36nm, is just 10nm south of Terengganu. It is a really busy tourist spot. Water not so clear when we were there and there were plenty of "jellies" so we didn't swim here. Stayed two nights in a very comfortable anchorage on the north west of the larger island.
We believe there is some excellent snorkelling on the reef between the two islands and have since been advised that the jellies here have no sting. There are several large moorings which we saw other yachts pick up but the anchorage is shallow and on good sand so we didn't use one.
Arrived at on the15th of September. The Heritage Bay Marina is well placed and easy to find straight up the river. All modern facilities including Gym Spa but not use of resort pool. We dingied across the river, tied the dingy on the beach adjacent to the town steps and walked to the shops. There is also a good anchorage just to the east of the marina.
Terengganu is a big centre with several very large and well stocked supermarkets, an excellent morning fresh market just a very short walk from the town steps Chinatown has some great restaurants. We only got a chance to sample one but have it on good authority that there are many more to choose from.
The arrival of Hanly and Bill at Terrenganu on the16th was greeted with great joy. Bill has manufactured a beautiful prop puller. (See photo of Bill explaining its intricacies to the good Capt'n) Every yachities dream and Hanly has an extra 2 bottles of Cointreau. Necessary refreshment for yachties after exhausting swimming and snorkeling in crystal clear water of east coast Malaysia. Couple of days spent in Terrengganu purchasing limes by the lorry load and then with all the provisioning laid in we were off to Redang.Then things went a bit pear shaped. David and I got the flue!..Nasty....10 days in state of sickness ...no cointreau...very little of anything in fact. The new chums managed to keep busy with swimming snorkelling and dingy rides here and there. Redang is a great island with snow white beaches and good anchorages. We holed up in Berjaya Bay on the north east side. Not much coral to speak of but nice swimming. We finally managed to drag our bones to Perhentian Islands where we stayed low while the guests did lots of eating and drinking and swimming and sleeping and singing. Hanly plans to add the eucalalie to her instrument repertoire so watch this spot for new music from "Doris" http://www.doris.com.au/. Watercolours restaurant was a favourite eating and drinking spot. Hanly slept till 9.00 o'clock one morning!!.
Finally with the flue a little behind us we were able to do some dives and enjoy the really lovely coral and fish in spectacularly clear water. The colour is just remarkable.
28th September and making our way back to Redang. Found some really good snorkeling on the eastern side and would love to go back to explore further.
Palau Bidong was an interesting lunch stop en-route to Terengganu. It was a refugee camp for Vietnamese refugees from the mid 70s to the early 90's. It’s very dilapidated and run down but there are some interesting and moving memorials and plaques. Its a lovely spot and well worth the visit.
Farewell to our special friends and thanks for the visit. Great sailors and great company both.
