Across the Singapore Straits and into Malaysia

It has been a while since I blogged, but we have been busy enjoying ourselves and catching up with friends and time has flown by. We are now in Malaysia, anchored at Danga Bay Marina, Johor Bahru, which is at the southern tip of Malaysia very close to Singapore.
We checked out of Indonesia on 9th October from Nongsa Point Marina on Batam Island. It was quite a relief to arrive at Nongsa and enjoy the comforts of a marina and a very nice clean one too. It is attached to a resort so we had use of  the swimming pool and restaurant, great showers and a laundry. It was good to get the boat scrubbed as it was quite dirty after nearly 3 months without a fresh water scrub down.

We had heard allsorts of stories about crossing the Singapore Straits, most of them not good so we were feeling a little apprehensive about the trip. Jerry put a lot of thought into planning the trip so we would hopefully have an easy trip across, which as it turned out was quite an easy interesting day, although very tiring as we had to keep a good lookout at all times We set off at 6am under motor only as there was not a breath of wind. It was very hot and sticky but at least we had flat calm sea. Fortunately the shipping channels did not seem to be very busy and we had time to enjoy looking at our surrounds.

The Singapore shore was not so clear as there was a lot of haze around but watching all the different ships pass us was quite interesting.


We stuck to the Indonesian coast for a while and had planned to cross the straits at the narrowest point in the hope of avoiding as much shipping as possible. Just before we got there Jerry saw a break in ships and decided to cross. We were off, no turning back now. It is a very short crossing only 2 miles at the most but if you time it wrong it can be very scary. We crossed without any problems and then we were in Singapore waters. This is where it started to get very busy and we had to keep all eyes looking forward, behind and sideways. Patrol boats  and airforce jets cruise the border and come very close to see who you are.


It wasn’t long before we turned to starboard and were heading up the Johor Straits and into Malaysian waters. From here when you look at the Singapore shoreline it is protected by razor wire fence. Going under the 2nd Link bridge was ok we had just enough room. This bridge is one of 2 that link Malyasia with Singapore.


Our first stop was Puteri Harbour, a fairly new marina with great facilities but lacking in “character” and in the middle of nowhere. So we checked out the following day and headed another 3 miles upstream to Danga Bay where we are now. This marina while not as clean as Puteri it has lots of “character” and is a local bus ride to anywhere you want to go, even Singapore. And at $30 a week it’s also very affordable. There are a lot of yachts here having a break in cruising and some who just choose to make the marina home for a while. It is a little noisy at times with music from the local bar that goes on until 2am. Some of the bands are quite pleasant to listen to but then there are some who call for ear plugs to be put in so I can get to sleep. Nothing seems to stop Jerry from sleeping!
We enjoyed Deepavali celebrations on our first night in Johor Bahru City.
The Festival of Lights in Little India.


Our friend Peter came over from Singapore and stayed overnight for a visit, then we went back with him to learn the “ropes” on how to use public transport to get there ourselves. It costs no more than $4 and takes about 1.5/2hrs depending on traffic. So easy and simple. Of course once in Singapore its shopping time to get all the boat bits you need or in some cases don’t need but nice to have anyway!

We took time for some tourist outings. Off to  Kudeta Skybar at Marina Bay Sands for a sun downer and enjoy the spectacular view from this amazing skyscraper. But at $25 a drink we didn’t stay too long.



The view was magnificent and well worth going. Maybe one day we will get to swim in the infinity pool that spans the 3 towers.

We also had a walk around Tiger Balm Gardens. Built in 1934 by Aw Boon Haw for his brother Aw Boon Paw. The family that invented Tiger Balm. Very old and a little tired, it was built to educate the younger generation important lessons in life. We had good fun interpreting these stories.




While in Singapore we stayed onboard Shadow at RSYC and enjoyed the comfort of an air conditioned boat, once Jerry had “Jerryfied” Peter’s set  up.As Jerry does!

oooh! I think i just pooped my pants!!  Thunder and lightening overhead. The storms are big up here and the thunder and lightening takes some getting used to. This one is a beauty!
Now where was I…. oh yes, air conditioned boats. Most boats eventually have an air conditioner of some sort jammed into a hatch on deck, especially if you are going to spend time in a marina where there is not a lot of airflow. For now we have bought a 240v fan to assist our 12v fans and we are able to sleep ok at night but it can get a little sticky during the day. But that”s life up here so we shall have to get used to it, or eventually but an air conditioner for those sticky nights.
Not so hard to get used to is the delicious Malaysian food that is so cheap it makes cooking on board  a waste of time, energy & money plus it heats up the cabin too much. So we have happy hour on TToo, not many restaurants sell alcohol, then head out for dinner at $3 –$4 a head! You can’t complain about that. Of course when the heat gets too much we can always wander around one of the many air conditioned shopping malls, go to the movies, have a coffee, maybe a massage or even a haircut. Its all here and it’s all very affordable.
Next weekend we are flying home for a 10 day holiday  to be with Ben and Kate for their official engagement party. Are we excited, YES, very. It will be good to see family and friends and then when we return we have Malaysia to discover.
And to finish with we are in the land of signs and directions, here is a funny one for you found outside the marine chandlery store we visited.

Who said the Northern hemisphere was cold?

 

 

As we approach the equator we can feel the weather changing. It is getting warmer and at times very oppressive. Heavy black clouds are starting to build in the sky, sheet lightening can be seen and the occasional thunder heard. We are lucky though as the wind has not dropped out completely yet as we expected it too. Hopefully it will stay with us until we reach our last stop in Indonesia, Nongsa Point Marina on Batam island.

As I write this blog we are sailing along at 4.5-5.0 knots in a gentle easterly breeze and flat calm seas. I am down below cooking dinner, pasta & sauce, an easy meal to cook while sailing along and always some left overs for our night sail if we get peckish.

We are having to keep a proper watch now, by that I mean up on deck looking out as opposed down below reading with the occasional check on deck. We are constantly sailing through FADS, fishing platforms, squid boats and smaller local boats and not all of them are lit. The AIS takes care of the big shipping giving us the position and closest point of approach so we rarely have to worry about them.

Gill nets are also set mid ocean and we have sailed over a few tonight. I don’t think I will ever get used to this as I am so nervous of getting caught up in them as I was the craypots off the WA coast.

On leaving Kalimantan we  sailed 2 nights to the island of Belitung. I think so far the prettiest of all the islands with beautiful white sand beaches and large granite boulders scattered along the shoreline. We spent a couple of days here, unfortunately the anchorage was a little rolly but we tried to make the most of it. We went into town one day to do some shopping and the markets were wonderful. Full of the freshest fruit and veggies. Even oranges from Australia! The locals were very colourful too!

The people are friendly and as not may Westerners visit the island we attracted quite an audience where ever we went. I am guessing but this seemed quite a wealthy island compared to others, the fully tarmacked roads, the larger houses with well kept gardens, the way people were dressed, the amount of English spoken.

Another overnight sail took us to the northern end of Bangka Island in time to celebrate my birthday at the resort we had read about. How disappointed we all were when we got there to find not only was there no resort  but also no local Warong and at night we could not see one light ashore, very unusual for Indonesia. So Chrissie & Phil took things in hand and invited us ashore for pre lunch swim and drinks followed by lunch onboard Basanti. What could be better, who needs a restaurant anyway when you have a complete bay to yourself! However…..my birthday arrived and we woke up to a very black and stormy sky. It wasn’t long before we were running around shutting hatches and securing stuff on deck as we got hit with 35 kn winds, torrential rain and a good 1 metre swell coming into the bay putting us on a lee shore. Not a good situation to be in but too late to move so we hung in there for 4 hours while it passed over us and prayed the Rocna anchor would hold, which it did.

The swim and drinks ashore were cancelled but once the rain cleared we were taxied over to Basanti where we enjoyed a fine lunch, a few drinks and a delicious Jimmy Buffet Rum Cake cooked by our chief cake baker Phil. It was a great birthday thanks to Chrissie, Phil and Jerry and I even managed a Skype call to Ben

The next day we left Bangka Is behind in the afternoon again flat calm seas, gentle easterly breeze, heading for Linga Island and this is where I started this blog.

Two days later we are in the northern hemisphere having crossed the equator without so much as a bump. We dressed for the occasion and had a tot of rum for King Neptune as we passed over the line that seperates north from south.

Just to our starboard side as we passed over the equator we saw this sand bank. Right there in the middle of nowhere, it was quite weird. Later when looking at my cruising info I see it is listed as an anchorage to stop at and celebrate being on the equator. I suppose it would be ok if the weather was right.

Later that day we anchored at Kentar Island and King Neptune visited with Chris and Phil to continue the celebrations. He looked oddly familiar to me!

The islands we are sailing through now are all fishing villages with houses on stilts in the water. Fishing platforms litter the coast line and then there are those that have fallen down but not removed so we have to look out for the remains which are just sticks in the ocean!

Everyday now the clouds build up and we have been caught out in a few nasty squalls but the boat and crew so far have handled them well. Today we are anchored amongst a small group of islands which in the middle form a very safe anchorage. We have just enjoyed a rain shower on deck, very refreshing. The water tanks are full again and the boat has finally been washed of the red dust from Dampier and the salt that has been building up over the last few weeks. We decided to stay for a day to rest up and do some research on tides and currents in preparation for our next sail through the Riau Straits and into Nongsa Point Marina. I must say as much as I have enjoyed Indonesia I am really looking forward to tying up in a marina for a short while. Not having to worry about the anchor, shower as much as I like and hopefully a washing machine to get some laundry done!