DAY 1- Saturday 6 February - Rebak to Telaga
Spent the morning doing chores and finally at 1pm left Rebak marina and headed out. The prop jarred and grinded as it threw off some junk but we were on our way. James had dived on his prop the day before and took him ages to get it clean. Peter had suggested he run a rope round so he could get up and down easily instead of diving every time and it worked well but when he finished and started the motor he forgot to take the rope in and it wrapped around his prop!!!
We got to Talaga around 2.30 - motored and went to the fuel dock to fuel up and anchored around 4pm. We went to Faizel's bar at 5.30 with Kristie, Cilantro and Single Malt but it was Faizel's day off. Had a nice time and agreed on a programme for tomorrow. We all put flashing blue lights on our boats now as just after Christmas one of the dinghys was hit by an illegal Thai fishing boat and Giles ended up in the water. He put his arms up to protect himself and ended up with 2 broken arms (3 in each arm) and a prop gash top left and bottom right. He couldn't swim but his mate somehow got him back on board (the fishing boat kept going). He lost 5 litres of blood and luckily a Canadian doctor was on the dock and gave him initial first aid. He is staying at Rebak in a room at the resort and has two titanium plates in his arms and is working hard on his rehabilitation.
Miles: 4 Total 5,438
DAY 2 - Sunday 7 February - Telaga to Tanjong Rhu
06°27.714N 99°49.340E
We left Telaga at 9am with Kristie and Cilantro and had a bit of a sail heading round Langkawi Island. We can see Thailand a few short miles away. We anchored in a lovely little spot at 1.45pm, had some lunch and then went for a swim. The water is quite murky - lovely green but more like pea soup - not clear. Had sundowners on Kristie.
Miles: 20 Total: 5,458
DAY 3 - Monday 8 February - Tanjong Rhu to Hole In The Wall
06°25.280N 99°52.040E
James and Sandra collected us in their dinghy and we went over to a rocky island and saw some monkeys and lots of sea lice in the water, then all of a sudden the sea lice were all over the back of the dinghy! Peter was trying to wash them off but it was almost a losing battle. Got out of there and went to check out the inlet and floating restaurants and headed up the river aways. We upanchored at 1.30pm and sailed for a bit then motor sailed around the top NW corner of Langkawi to the Hole in the Wall. We followed a waypoint in and the water was quite deep all the way. Anchored at 3.15pm.
Jumped into our dinghys and went past the floating restaurant and round to the crocodile cave which we could go through. It was really beautiful. Came back and had dinner at the floating restaurant. We had sundowners on Cilanto and then all of a sudden there was Whistle Down the Wind coming into the anchorage so we called them up and invited them over too. It was really great to have the whole gang together again!
Miles: 7 Total: 5,465
DAY 4 - Tuesday 9 February -Hole In The Wall
Met at 10am and all went in our dinghys to see the Eagle feeding and then continued up mangrove tributaries following a 2002 mud map. The tributaries started getting smaller - it was really beautiful - looks like real crocodile country but it isn't - so they tell us! Brian was having trouble with his outboard so Kristie and Cilantro turned back. We continued on with Whistle and ended up rowing but the tributary got too narrow so we had to turn back, tried another one which ran round a rock wall but it also got too narrow and so we had to turn back. On the way back there were lots of eagles feeding so it was lovely. Peter dived on our prop and cleaned all the crap off it - really did look like croc country so he was working fast!!!
We all went to the restaurant for dinner and they showed us through the fish farm and fed all the fish for us. The stingrays were particularly interesting to feed. They would kind of flap up onto the edge of the pen and the keeper would turn them on to their backs so their mouths/faces were exposed and feed them. With the baby ones he just put his hand under them and fed them. They had some giant grouper - 50kg - heaps of big barramundi who all waited to be fed like a herd of cattle and made such a noise grabbing the food. There were archer fish which spat at a hunk of fish about 2ft above them and hit it so it fell into the water. They had giant trevally and reef fish and small grouper. Choose your fish - it is fresh. We passed on the fish!
DAY 5 - Wednesday 10 February - Hole In the Wall
Met at 10am again but Kristie elected not to come so we set off with Whistle and Cilantro and went through the cave and were supposed to keep going but Peter misread the mud map and took us a different direction - it was lovely but the wrong way. Sandra figured out which way to go so we gave her the mud map. Went back through the cave and to a very narrow pass which had been blasted out to connect the bays of Hole in the Wall and Danjong Rhu. Saw some monkeys on the other side and Whistle decided to turn back. We continued with Cilantro and saw a tourist boat putting pieces of fish into the water to feed the eagles so had a magnificent display of eagle feeding! Continued down past some old charcoal works with a couple of old kilns. I had my parasol and Sandra a big umbrella - the sun is rather fierce and it is so hot. Got through to Tanjong Rhu where we had previously been anchored and went to the floating restaurant there for lunch. Dell had a mango salad and asked for spicy. It was VERY spicy (hot!!!) so Peter had to finish it but all the meals were delicious. We then made our way back only taking a wrong turn once (a total of 10 miles). There were a heap of very curious monkeys just before the pass. Arrived back at 3pm having had a wonderful day out. We had sundowners on our boat. We put a cover we bought in Indonesia on the seat and wished we had bought 2 instead of one as it looked so nice, put the cushions out and lowered the dodger to allow the breeze in and had a lovely night. Soooooo hot now!
DAY 6 - Thursday 11 February -Hole In The Wall to Pulua Timun
06°18.592N 99°55.665E
Whistle left at 8.30 to head towards Penang to get their Thai visas and the rest of us left at 10.30 heading out of the Hole In the Wall around and between some lovely islands arriving at 12.30. After lunch we trolled around a rocky island with no luck and then went for a swim. Had a quiet night on board watching "The man with the golden gun" (what a silly movie!!!).
Miles: 9 Total: 5,474
DAY 7 - Friday 12 February - Pulua Timun to Kuah
06°18.716N 99°50.87E
We all upanchored at 9am and headed across the shallows to Kuah town and anchored at 11.05. We went to the harbour master to check in as apparently we should have done this when we first arrived in December and he gets very upset if you don't check in. Went to the supermarket and then to a nice restaurant for a couple of very cold beers. Went out to dinner in Kuah with Kristie and Cilantro in a pretty dingy looking restaurant but the food was ok.
Miles: 8 Total: 5,482
Love and Cheers
Fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter
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