MIRI TO SINGAPORE Friday 13th May 2011

  The day is wearing on as we prepare to leave the marina in Miri to head to Singapore on out first leg back to Phuket. Waiting for a part for a pump. Well its getting late and the part hasn't shown up by4pm so we finally toss the lines and head to sea. 

Huck in the tea brown Rajang River in Sarawak.

Aboard the good ship Taipan for this journey we have Huck Holden from Mt Barker in WA. Hucks a seasoned Taipan traveler having come from Darwin to Bali with us in '06 and on various other legs round Australia prior to this. Huck is an invaluable crew member because not only does he eat what ever is going without complaint he can also fix almost anything. We never seem to notice the things that need fixing till he arrives so hes been put to work on the pump. Hence the parts we were waiting for.

The wind picked up about an hour out and the sails took over all the way to the entrance to the Lassa River. 185NM South West. On Saturday Huck landed 3 Spanish Mackerel in pretty quick order and we decided to call a halt to the fishing about then! Tasty change from chicken and pork.

We anchored at about 5am on Sunday in the entrance to the Lassa River for a nap then up anchored and off up the dirty tea brown river past mile of destroyed forest replanted with Palm Oil. The whole day was spent motoring in the sometimes rainy and dank river swamps. You may have guessed I am very unimpressed with the swamps of Borneo thus far!

A traditional Long House on the Rajang!

On Monday morning we struck off into the clear blue ocean for  Singapore, 450 NM to the west. No wind! Well enough to sail assist for motor sailing. Tuna!! at 4 and a half knots on ta blue Rapala lure followed by sashumi. a highlight! On Tuesday the wind dropped to total  calm so we dropped the main, cut the engine and David hopped over the side with a scraper to knock of some barnacles which we suspected were on the propeller and shaft and causing extra drag. He was only in the water about 15 minuets and just as he got out 4 very big dolphins surfaced for a look. Luck he didn't spot one in the water!!

Friendly Indonesian Fishermen between Borneo and Singapore

The 18th was Davids 64th birthday so we started the day with Champagne breakfast then naps in shifts...then lunch was Canapes and anti pasta and white wine. More naps in shifts then Dinner of Beef Stroganoff followed by Plum Pud and Brandy Sauce with Red wine. You know we haven't been drinking because you see we are following a really serious health plan. Loose weight and get fit to fight the Prostate cancer! We did however feel a birthday could excuse us all.

The 19th we are approaching the Seaways into Singapore. We've not had a drop of rain or a squall and the strongest wind has been 12 knots , since we left Miri on the 13th.

MIRI MARINA May 1st 2011

Here its mostly fine during the day with a late storm some days. We walk an hour every morning and then do whatever boat jobs are on the never ending lists.

There has been the inevitable re provisioning to do after a lengthy absence. The fridge and freezer were emptied and turned off so some serious shopping happened. We bought back some Roo steak and cheese. The Australian Customs took the Blue Castillo off us because its a "soft" substance...probably a nitro bomb!! Darn!! Air Asia were also antsy about us flying our two new plastic diesel  Jerry cans. In the end they assured themselves, probably by smell test...that they were safe and we were able to bring them. Malaysian Airlines didn't have a problem with them. We were pretty unhappy with Air Asia the last couple of flights. Their prices have not been so competitive and the service is really ordinary. We have done a few flights with Malaysian Airlines and Vietnam Air lately and been pleasantly surprised.

Since we returned David has re commissioned the Spectra Water-maker which we pickled, as we were unsure how long our absence was to be. Its running well apparently. During that process he discovered a pump had come undone and was rubbing on the steering cables so just as well we found that now and not in the middle of a storm!! 

While we were back in OZ I got an Xray and Ultra Sound of my shoulder but didn't have time to get back to the hospital for a second ultrasound and to have the injection. In Miri we called into the Orthopedic Specialist for an appointment. We went back an hour later for a cortisone injection into my shoulder. No fuss no bother and now no pain! All for just $57Aus. In Australia just the Xray and Ultrasound was $300 plus 2 doctor visits and I still hadn't had the cortisone!!

A couple of days ago we put new rope clutches on the Main Traveler because  the Ronstan ones we purchased and installed in Thailand  were not clutches. The were only jammers and now we have moved the track forward there is more tension on the lines so  we think clutches will work better  David  also replaced the injectors on the Volvo which we had serviced back in Perth. He has run up the two engines , main engine and gen set, and  its all systems go!
 

We are waiting here in Miri for Chris and Daun to return to More Magic and for Huck our trusty sailor friend to come from OZ. We are hoping Huck will sail with us from Miri to Singapore.

Tim and Vanessa, Davids son and partner, are planning a trip to Phuket to catch up with us on the 15th of July for 10 days so our plan is to sail back to Phuket to leave Taipan on the hardstand from mid August until mid January when we return from Australia. Mid August because that will give us time to do a few little things before we leave, like pull the mast out and strip it in preparation for new paint. We would like to get the non skid deck surface redone and the hull painted if that is possible. We are exploring possibilities and prices at the moment. There are some good trades people in Phuket we have worked with before and its possible to leave the boat and expect the work to be done. The trusty blue Jeep is already booked with Morn, the great car rent man of Phuket, so we'll have wheels as well.

So for now we are waiting and doing jobs!

BACK TO TAIPAN 25th April 2011

We flew out of Perth with Air Asia for Kuala Lumpur at 6.50am. Thanks to Andrew and Christine for their lift to the airport at 5am!! Also for the stupendous roast pork and all the goodies the night before we left.

Our wait in KL was painful. Traveled from the cheap terminal to the main terminal and waited until 8.15pm for our flight out to Miri with Malaysian Airlines. Back aboard Taipan before midnight. Pretty wacked!

Its been exhausting getting the Prostate Treatment sorted out but now its under way. Lots of exercise to go with the Hormone Treatment and already feeling tired.

MIRI TO LABUAN 6th March 2011

Left Miri at a round mid-day on  Friday the 4th....yes, and with bananas on board!. In spite of the bananas we had a great sail around to the river anchorage in Kuala Belait, Brunei. Its about 35NM so we arrived well before dark, in time for pleasant sun-downers in the cockpit, and glad to be out of the marina again. On Saturday the weather held again for a great sail in fine conditions to the infamous anchorage built by the Sultan of Brunei's brother. Some sort of folly for Brunei and a lovely anchorage for yachties passing by. The most peaceful and calm anchorage imaginable with picturesque shore side. Unfortunately its a no landing area so we were content to look at it with beer in hand from the cockpit once again.

This morning after a leisurely breakfast we motored out and set sail for Labuan about 35NM again. However the wind died and after only a  very short sail we motor sailed into the marina at about 3.30 pm. We passed the time learning to put eye splices into double braid lines. The larger ropes still challenge us and the instructions are total double dutch!. Labuan still a dodgy marina but we have some parts and some mail here to pick up. We also have a new anchor winch on order and will wait for that here also.

KUCHING EASIER INTO THE WIND BY AIR December 2010.

David, Joan, (Davids mum visiting from Perth Western Australia,) and I head out to the airport on the 16th  to catch a flight to Kuching. We took a chance and didn't book rooms for our stay however city map showed numerous choices and we had very little luggage so a taxi took us to central Kuching and we set Joan down in a comfortable air-conditioned chair while we went in search of accommodation. Very quickly we came upon a clean and basic looking place, one street off the main waterfront, called Furama Lodging House and despite warnings on the net that some of the cheaper places "having vice activities" we checked out the rooms and checked in. $33A per night seemed ok. We ended up spending our three days here and would go back.

Orangutang at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre.

After checking in we ran down the car hire place and organized a car. An ancient Honda Accord, in very good condition. That afternoon, Thursday, we drove out to Semenggoh to visit the Orangutan sanctuary. The feeding was nearly over because we managed to get lost several times and arrived late. The staff were great though and we got to see several of these beautiful creatures. Dinner that evening at Magna Carta Restruant in the old Court House on the Kuching Waterfront, was a highlight and Joan was intorduced to Tuak, the local wine.

Friday we set off to breakfast at a local cafe then to head to a mall. all this took longer than planned so we aborted the visit to The Cultural Village at Tanjung Dati and went instead to the Sarawak Museum. Several hours later and somewhat dissapointed we headed to lunch after which we spent a very pleasant hour in a water craft meandering up and down the river inspecting the local landmarks.

We learned sometime about now that we had visited the "Old" Museum!..darn! The old museum is extremely badly lit and the exhibits certainly look like they have been there since early last century. We will have to go to the New Sarawak Museum on our next visit. 

The government building. Parliament Palace. Kuching

Saturday we headed out early to the Cultural Village at Tanjung Datai. Its a fair drive and we only got lost once!. You do see some interesting things on the side when you get lost so its not all bad. We arrived and managed to track down a wheel chair for Joan at the Datu Beach Resort. Its a lot of walking at the village, mostly on  boardwalks and only on the odd rough spot, did we look like tipping her out. Joan was able to climb the sometimes rickety and challenging entry ladders to see the examples of traditional tribal houses, offering an introduction to local cultures and lifestyles. There was a compliment of local people on site to offer further information and displays of music, dance, craft and cooking. It was a long day but fortunately not too hot and well worth the effort.

Sunday we went to the local Sunday market for a few bargains and then to Uniko Borneo craft shop in the centre of the city. This was an amazing antique shop selling items primarily from Sarawak but also odd  exotic pieces from all over Asia. A very articulate and well informed young man there was able to supply information on a number of interesting pieces we admired. Eventually we had to drag ourselves out of there and rush to pack and drive to the airport for our flight back to Miri.

Orang Ulu House at the Cultural Village near Tanjong Datu

Bidayuh House

 Kuching. Interesting and friendly city. We will be back.

Now we are motor sailing up the coast towards Muara and the Royal Brunei Yacht Club for a Xmas Lunch on Saturday in company with Chris and Daun on "More Magic". We left Miri yesterday mid-day and stayed in the river at Kuala Belait last night after a great sail.

On that note I will wish everyone a very Merry Xmas and may 2011 be all you wish for.

Cheers.

More Photos of Kuching December 2010 

MIRI BORNEO 2nd December 2010

Good bye Singapore and hello ocean passage, all be it a short one. We motored out of One 15 Marina Sentosa Island on Friday 26th of November for clearance and a short passage to the anchorage at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsular prior to setting off to Borneo. Destination Miri to meet Chris and Daun on More Magic for a long overdue rendezvous. We fare-welled them in Tioman Island promising to catch up soon. that was 2 years ago.

Passage east was uneventful and we motor sailed in light northerly weather for the first 2 days. Had about a day of sailing in total. Caught 4 fat mackerel to top up the freezer and relieve the boredom. We decided to take a detour up the Rajang river and out the Lassa River mouth to get a nights sleep. This proved fairly eventful as we pushed strong current up river for 6 hours to the anchorage and promptly went aground on a mud bank at low tide right on dark. Had to sit it out for an hour to get enough water to go again and then we pushed current for another hour in the dark to find a suitable anchorage. It was supposed to be a rest day!

One more overnight sail through the Sarawak oil fields and negotiating some tropical storms brought us into Miri and our destination on the mid north coast of the island of Borneo. Only one of the storms had any wind in it and it caught us by surprise early on the last day. No damage but we had become lax in preparation as all previous rain had been calm.  We only saw 30kn and only briefly. All told it was a good trip and we arrived in good form ready to take on the More Magic crew. However the Admiral was in Australia so we had to entertain the captain for a couple of days.

Daun  is back now and she and I are having a fat time stooging about the shops on our bikes. Its an easy place to get about and traffic is very light by comparison with many places we've stopped. The marina here is very quiet although  there has been a bit of excitement with 2 boats sinking in their pens in the last couple of months. The most recent was an old English lifeboat pictured above being re floated.

On Saturday night we attended the Christmas Parade through town in which thousands participated with candles and lanterns and singing Christmas carols. It is fabulous to see this participation in an Islamic country where harmony and common sense prevail. Everyone celebrates everyone's festivals and rituals!!

My birthday came and went with some fanfare. Breakfast in bed, champagne morning tea  Great lunch out on the town with Chris and Daun and a fantastic Borneo mask to add to my collection. I also received fabulous sparkly thongs and a great top. 

On the 12th of December David flew off to Kuala Lumpur very early to meet Joan, his mum, and fly back to Miri with her for a 5 week visit aboard Taipan. Tomorrow we will all fly to Kuching to spend 3 nights there exploring the sights and culture of this interesting city.  More on that in my next posting.

We return from Kuching on Sunday 19th and plan to depart the marina to sail in company to Brunei for Xmas at the Royal Brunei Yacht Club with the crew of More Magic.

This may be my last posting before the big Xmas 2010 so to all you followers out there...... CHEERS! BOTTOMS UP!! AND HAVE A GREAT BIG FAT MERRY XMAS!!