DAY 206 - Saturday 14 November - Malacca to Port Dixon
02°28.64N 101°50.72E
We left with Kristie 1 at 7.20am and Cilantro caught us up. Whistle Down the Wind decided to stay. Started off motoring then the wind came up and we were sailing along at 7 knots - even hit 8.3 knots at one point - flying!!! Could see the rain and hoped it would pass us by but not to be - torrential rain and seas building. We had intended to anchor off and not go into the marina at Port Dickson but because of the deteriorating conditions we went into the marina. Geoff (Wave Sweeper) and Mike (Cheshire Cat) came out in the rain and helped tie our lines up along a long jetty. We were all soaked to the skin and then we helped Sisu and Cyan come in. The building was kind of colonial style and had a beautiful swimming pool and the best showers. We met for happy hour and then ate at the bistro upstairs. Serannity came in. They had anchored off the previous night but about 11.30pm could hear a big commotion and found themselves surrounded by fisherman with a net caught around their prop! We had news that a big swell had come into the Malacca marina and kleats had been pulled out and masts were banging together and it was chaos!
Miles 37 Total 5,107
DAY 207 - Sunday 15 November - Port Dickson - Port Klang
03°00.18N 101°23.49E
Happy Birthday little Jackie mate - miss you
Left at 7am with Kristie 1 and Sisu. Cilantro and Wave Sweeper decided to stay for another day. Motored all the way to Port Klang - weather good. Avoided a few nets. Had a two hour motor up the channel at Port Klang which is a huge busy port with huge container ships coming in and leaving, tugs waiting to catch ships and push them sideways into spaces and tugs pulling loaded ships out sideways and big boats going everywhere. The current turned against us so we put the headsail out and that helped. We finally got to the pontoon outside the Royal Selangor Yacht Club about 5pm as it started to rain. The pontoon is opposite the Club in the middle of the river with some very run down houses on the other side. Staff helped us tie up but the current goes through at a great rate of knots and carries so much flotsam and jetsom with it. Had sundowners with Kristie.
Miles 49 Total 5,156
DAY 208 - Monday 16 November - Port Klang (Kuala Lumpar)
Checked out the Yacht Club and walked to Port Klang. It started to rain so we caught the train to Kuala Lumpar - it cost RN4.40 ($1.60) each way and took about an hour. It poured rain. We caught a taxi to the twin towers (closed on Mondays!) (they were featured in some movie - has a bridge across between the towers) and then walked all around a very flash shopping mall - all the big name brands including Harrods. Checked out the Selangor pewter but it is still expensive. Went back down town and checked out the handbag shops - all big name copies. Peter said old men shouldn't stand on street corners - both he and Bryan were propositioned by a pimp!! We finally found the get on get off bus but it was 3pm and the tour if we didn't get off was 2 ½ hours so we decided to save it for another day. Arrived back at the Yacht club about 5.30 and Sisu was in. The menus were falling to pieces and they only had two kinds of beers - food was cheap but it certainly wasn't as flash as we had been led to believe. The boatman took us back at 8pm and we found all our fenders had popped out and we were hard up against the dock with a huge current racing. Had trouble with all of us pushing to get it off enough to put the fenders back in. Timo (Sisu) suggested we tie up our rudder and sure enough it was pushed hard over sending our back out so Peter tied it up and that helped.
DAY 209 - Tuesday 17 November - Port Klang to sea anchorage
03°42.818N 100°51.468E
Sisu left about 7am and we noticed the current was starting to pick up so we decided to go. We were watching whole trees go flying past - so much rubbish in the water. Bryan came to help us get out but the current kept us against the pontoon and we scraped the boat all up the pontoon and we couldn't push it off. Peter stopped the boat and we gave a huge push and we finally got away at about 8am. The boatman came to help Kristie. Visibility was very bad and it took an hour or more to get out of the river. There were heaps of huge ships anchored and one came in. There was a huge fire - looked oil based with flames and black smoke which could explain the lack of visibility. There were quite a few fishing boats with nets but they all seemed to head home about 1.30. A beautiful day but no wind. Got to our anchoring spot at about 6pm and anchored in 6 metres (4m low tide). It was a few miles off shore (too shallow to get any closer) and there was a restaurant/guest house built on huge pylons further out. Seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere and so strange to have a building even further out to sea! Was a bit rocky at first but we slept really well. In fact Dell apparently slept through a huge thunderstorm with thunder and lightning! Pleased to be anchored and not out in it and much preferred to sailing at night in these waters.
Miles 58 Total 5,214
DAY 210 - Wednesday 18 November - Sea anchorage to Pangkor Island
04°13.871N 100°32.449E
We upanchored at 7.45am after a surprisingly comfortable night. So strange to be in the middle of nowhere. We motored all day - changed course a few times to miss what we thought were nets - little flags everywhere but we think they may have been crab pots or fish traps. After the terrible trouble we had getting out of Port Klang we weren't keen to go up the river to Lumut so we parted company with Kristie and they went to Lumut while we headed to the southern end of Pangkor Island. It looked pretty good but was shallow and where we could actually anchor had current and whirlpools so we headed through a channel and came up the western side and found a lovely little bay half way up the island. We were the only boat in there so anchored at 3pm and chilled out on the boat for the rest of the afternoon.
Miles 41 Total 5,255
DAY 211 - Thursday 19 November - Pangkor Island
Had a late start to the day and went ashore - took lots of photos of hornbill birds and also some very cute monkeys. The town is a little seedy being one long street mostly with t-shirt shops, accommodation and touristy stuff with jungle to the beach. Quite a pretty place. We took a pink bemo and for $15 for both were taken for a tour of the island. It is 35km around and it took 2 hours. We saw where they do the boat building - large fishing boats, where they make the dried fish into packets of chips etc, a Dutch fort ruin, Indian and Chinese temples and more monkeys. He took us to places we would never have found. It poured rain in the afternoon so we are catching heaps of water for showering and washing! Went to a lovely restaurant on the beach for dinner - meal was lovely if a little bland. We are not sure if they don't eat hot and spicy here or if they think we don't like it. There are four other boats in here now - three of them French.
DAY 212 - Friday 20 November - Pangkor Island
Didn't leave the boat all day. Was so lovely to just chill out and not have to do anything. Read all day and it was just so lovely. Rained in the evening - more water!!
All Good - have booked flights home for Christmas.
Fair Winds and Calm Seas
Dell and Peter
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