Langkawi - Malaysia. Our experience, with information for cruisers.

Pulau Langkawi …

South Bunting - the bay to anchor for a tender ride to see the Princess Lake.

After the Sail Malaysia Rally finished up at Rebak Marina, Langkawi in December 2016 we were keen to find some alone time so we left the marina shortly after the final farewell and headed out to Telaga Harbour to catch our breath and reflect on the last few weeks. From the comfort of our cockpit we were able to get a good grasp on the sailing grounds of Langkawi, and after talking to some locals we were soon to find it a place we could easily stay on for some time. It’s easy to understand once you’re here why so many cruisers stop here and basically never leave, it’s a fantastic location. Thailand is literally on your door step and Penang is a day sail away.

Bass Harbour - Kuah at sunset.

To give you an idea of its size: Langkawi’s total area is 478.4km², where the as the Whitsundays is 282.82km² according to Wikipedia.  Langkawi has 99 islands and the Whitsundays has 74. Incredibly only 4 of the 99 islands are inhabited here. What we do wonder is if all those 99 islands are really islands or just enormous rocks with growth on them protruding out of the water as not all of them are even suitable to anchor beside, let alone walk on. They are however very impressive and very different to those in the Whitsundays. Its easy to see why the area has become over run with tourists. Statistics give the numbers from 2005, 1.84 million tourists then on to 2015 3.62 million and rapidly increasing.

Delivery boat for the restaurants in The Hole in the Wall.

The trademark symbol of Langkawi is their eagle, a Brahminy Kite. As you enter the main ferry terminal in Bass Harbour at Kuah you are greeted with an enormous 12 meter full size statue of the eagle in flight. One interpretation says Langkawi is made up of two Malay words: Lang = eagle and kawi = the colour reddish brown. Since the Brahminy Kite is well at home here, it obviously seemed fitting at the time. 90% of the population are Malays and they are Islamic by faith.  However it seems there is a little unrest with some leaders calling for the demolishing of the 12 meter eagle icon on the grounds that it is against Islamic faith to make full size statues of animals (and people) and it is against Islamic faith for men to stand and be photographed with animals. A situation which the Ministry of Tourism is fighting, as the eagle has now stood for 20 years and is an iconic tourist spot.

The mighty eagle at the main hub of Kuah.

To check in and out of Langkawi you have two locations to visit. You can anchor in the main harbor at Kuah, that’s Bass Harbour and go into the Harbour Masters office there via your tender or taxi, or you can go around to Telaga Harbour and go up to the Harbour masters office there. Both are easy to find and easy to deal with. They have the process down very well. You must check in and out of Langkawi even if you have already checked in prior at say Puteri Harbour, why we are not exactly sure but that’s the way it is here. In short the process is this: Sail Boat check in: Immigration, Harbour Master, Customs and check out is Harbour Master, Customs, Immigration. It is imperative you have your last original port of clearance with you and obviously your passports. Life is so much easier (and quicker) if you logon to check in and out. Here is the web address: http://marine21.marine.gov.my/scsagent/  

A good easy to follow sign for yachts entering Langkawi.

This is immigration at Kuah. They are on the ground floor and if not 'open' just knock.

Kuah - the Harbour Masters office hours.

The building that houses: immigration, harbour master and customs.

Kuah - yacht check in and the ramp where we left our tender to walk in. Its safe and secure (wear good shoes - loads of little rocks and slippery).

Telaga Harbour check in station is just up that ramp. You can see the tenders out the front.

Langkawi is also a duty free port. The rules can change weekly on the amounts you can and cannot purchase re cigarettes and alcohol. The best advice we can give you is to ask the officers at the shop you’re in for the latest rule on that.  Remember to take in your passport – no passport no purchase.

If marinas are your thing there are three main places: Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, Rebak Marina and Telaga Harbour marina. We took a berth at Rebak due to the rally finishing there. If you want a marina that is very well protected in case the weather is turning foul, this is your best option. It is incredibly well protected. The down side of this is it is incredibly hot here, there is little to no wind and it is surrounded by fairly high hills. It is a part of the Rebak Resort and you are allowed to use the pool as you are a guest. Needless to say the pool here is well used by the yachties. There are no shops for serious provisioning. There is a very small chandlery and a very basic store. For better options you need to board one of the free ferrys , which run regularly to mainland Langkawi for shopping & eating out. You can eat at the resort but it does get expensive, however the food is very good. Internet coverage in the marina is very poor, yet much better by the pool – another reason why the yachties all merge over there all day. There is no fuel here but you can haul out. A word of warning, the monkeys will enter your boat looking or food, if you leave the companionway open. They have a very good hardstand and working yard. Its also a great location for guests who are flying in and out as it is close to the airport.

Rebak's pool and wifi hub!

Telaga Harbour Marina is also well protected, but not as much as Rebak. However its in a good position if you want to go to the cable car, waterfalls, fuel up, get water and check in/out. The entrance is shallow, so if you draw 2mtrs like us you will need mid to rising tide to enter. There is no yard here to haul out, but the internet is very strong. If you don’t want to use the marina, you can drop anchor in the outside basin. We found the water in the western area deeper and felt more comfortable there, it can get quite shallow in some spots so watch your depth carefully.

The anchorage at sunset in Telaga basin (just outside the marina).

Royal Langkawi Yacht Club is very well situated. It has fuel, strong internet but no hard stand or haul out facilities. It is very close to shops at Billion Supermarket for supplies. It caters for super yachts which at times can very entertaining. The precinct at the RLYC has a good range of places to eat, which have a good reputation. The ferry terminal is very close by so great if you are picking up and dropping off guests who use that service. The marina however is prone to surge. We had some work done on our head sail here and each time we went to the repairer the boats where all rubbing in their berths on their fenders.

RLYC - Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.

There are also a handful of shipyards in Langkawi. B&V Marine, Boustead Langkawi Shipyard, DK Composites and Seaspray Marine Services. For all information use noonsite or Google.

We believe what makes Langkawi so good is its ease of re supplying. You don't only have Kuah to resupply but its so handy to everywhere. If you are at Telaga you will have to hire a taxi, from the RLYC you can walk but you will need a taxi depending on how much you need to gather and from Rebak this would also be a taxi ride. The taxi’s are cheap, reliable and there are loads of them. The reason there are loads of them is because Langkawi has no bus service. Once at Kuah, you have loads of options. Just do your research. If you anchor in the Kuah anchorage its very easy to walk everywhere. This anchorage puts you right in the main town. You have two options to leave your dingy: the blue jetty which you will pay RM3 to leave your tender, but puts you closer to Billion supermarket or there is the bridge jetty with the fisherman. We used this jetty a lot. Everyone is very friendly and your tender is very safe for no charge – you just walk across the road, over the bridge and you’re in town. Keep in mind that being a Muslim town, Fridays are prayer day, and most shops are closed.

Tender dock we used every time we went into Kuah's main town. Its secure and safe, easy walking distance to the shops and cafes.

Depending on what you want to do while you’re in Langkawi it has loads of options. Whether you want to find a quiet bay to chill for a while, hire a car to see some sights or sit amongst the tourist chaos it’s all here. Sometimes for us part of the fun is actually finding places to go visit and to resupply. It can sometimes take us days to find things, and feel quite proud once we locate whatever it was we were looking for. Between our bad Malay Bahasa, the locals broken English, mud maps and word of mouth directions it can be a test, especially on a hot day. We found what we needed fairly quickly and again it just reinforced why so many people stay on, it’s all too easy here.

Kuah.

A couple of places well worth taking the time to visit here are The Hole in the Wall by boat, The Princess Lake,then by car up to the lookout up at Gunung Raja and the Sky Cable Car at Telaga. The Hole in the Wall is quite unique. We motor sailed there, one day from Kuah anchorage out and around towards the east between Pulau Bumbon Besar and Pulau Langkawi. The Hole in the Wall is a UNESCO Geoforest Park. Which was given to the area in 2007 due to its unique flora and fauna, however it is in danger of losing the title due to the overrun of tourism and little to no restrictions on what they can and cannot do. While there you can visit (by tender or hire a long tail boat) the bat cave, the crocodile cave and the feeding of the eagles. We took our tender up and in the mangrove forests and saw loads of monkeys. We ate at one of the floating restaurants. To be quite honest the food wasn’t very good and once we talked to a few people not one person said the food was any good. A word of warning each restaurant has its own fish farms which you choose your fish from and they also have their own toilets which flush directly into the water below – you can make you own choice from here (we did not order fish). The area is overrun with long tails and high powered (500HP) speed boats bringing in their tourists but still we enjoyed it especially once they all left to take their guests back to their hotels. Be careful and keep your wits about you as the long tail drivers like to race each other and are not always looking out, especially for little tenders puttering around the water ways.

Matilda entering The Hole in the Wall - along with one of 100's of fast boats that bring in guests daily.

Geoforest sign.

The Princess Lake is worth a visit. It’s one of the only natural fresh water lakes in Langkawai. It is situated inside Pulau Dayang. As are most things in Asia it is full of superstition and legend story telling. The lake is said to be able to make barren women fertile. Its easy to anchor outside in the small bay and take your tender in. The walk in is easy and its not too far. Take your insect repellent – loads of mosquitoes. There is also a nice café there as well to have a snack at. If you can go early so you miss the hordes of tourist being bought in on fast boats by the 100’s.

The pretty Princess Lake.

Princess Lake ready for their tourists.

Here come the tourists for the day.

If you can afford it, hire a car and take the trip up to the 360° look out at Gunung Raja, it’s amazing. The drive is easy and well sign posted. You will get to see loads of monkeys on the way up and you can stop at the Craft Centre and have lunch. It’s a great day out with views to die for. It puts a great perspective on the islands of Langkawi. Well worth doing.

The view from Gunung Raja is just stunning. Try to go up on a clear day.

At Telaga Harbour there is easy access to the Sky Bridge Cable Car ride. It’s definitely a high light. If you purse strings can extend, buy the VIP pass. It’s well worth every single cent. The ride up and down is extraordinary and loads of fun. The sky walk is quite a thrill to walk around. All over the grounds at the base of the cable car area are shops, cafes, restaurants and fun things to do like the 3D ride.

Not for everyone but quite a thrill to do it. The view is incredible.

Again, not for everyone. This structure is a master piece in itself.

Places & Services we used while in Langkawi:

Car rental – Anytime Holidays. If you take your tender the fishing dock (not the blue building floating dock), walk up the ramp, and turn right. Keep walking, cross the road directly in front of you (not the main road to your left) you will see shops. Anytime Holidays can’t be missed, it’s quite colorful. We hired a car from David several times and always a good experience. Phone the office on 6049668669 or 60175448669. Or call David on 60124087327 or Anas 60184700553. Email: anytimeholiday13@gmail.com

Sail repairs – Hugo & Joanna who are based at the RLYC on their 72ft yacht (which they do paid cruises on). They are honest, work hard and we believe well priced. Phone: 0124980377 or 0164807137. Email: hallelujahcruises@gmail.com

PL Soon is a little shop (there are few around) that sold alcohol, cheese, meat and few other bits and pieces that are hard to find. Take your passport to purchase alcohol. Bulk supermarket about 800 metres from main traffic light intersection in Matsirat on road to Kuah. Small section next to checkout devoted to imported foods. Next door is a warehouse where cases of beer can be purchased very cheaply.

Hawker centre – Water Garden. Excellent pork rice. Easy to locate. Cross the road from the tender jetty (in the river) walk across the road, take the first right and walk up the main street keeping the left hand side. Its on the corner (there is only one), about a 5 minute walk.

24/7 Indian cafes x 2. Our favourite was the Restoran Nasi Kandar Alaman. Easy to find. Once you park your tender at either jetty walk to the cluster of shops towards the main road. just look for the Baron sign (there are a few) but the one with the pink building is your Indian cafe. The service is fabulous and the food is delicious. The second one is called Restoran Haji Ali, food and service the same as Alaman. This is a bit further to walk, but if your going down this way its worth having lunch/dinner at. You need to walk away from the big eagle on the main street. Cross over to the walkway on the water side. At the V intersection look to your right - its there.

Fruit and vegi man – Ms. Hin. Phone: 0123132540. Email: vegierun@yahoo.com. Facebook: Vegie Run. Excellent produce and service. Can be flexible re delivery points.

Outboard prop for our Suzuki – Yamaha Dealer, Yamaha Outboard Engines:
New/Second hand & repairs. Spare parts, tune-ups, re-builds. Reliable & inexpensive.
In side street off main highway, up from traffic lights, just before KFC, near T/S. Huat.
Contact: Teng Cheng Eng: Tel/Fax: (6)04-9666299 or H/P: (6)012-4982299

Hardware Shop - we found a great hardware shop that sold water filters, oil and an absolute astounding array of bits and pieces just up from the jetty dock. Multi Quip Trading (L) Sdn Bhd
Engine spares, impellers, electrical supplies. Jotun & Kossan marine paints, anti-foul, Epoxy, Epoxy Glue, Fibreglass etc. etc. Power tools, oil & fuel filters, some stock of stainless deck hardware. Will order in parts. Central Kuah (1st street in from waterfront), 28-30 Jalan Pandak Mayah, Kuah.
Tel: +6 04 966 6953   &   +6 04 966 2988 Fax:+6 04 966 7219  -   Mr. Yong: h/p: 012-4331068 email: yongpikhoon@hotmail.com. Generally known for fair prices.

S.K. Intertrade is mostly a photocopying shops, who will also do up business size passport cards for you. they are very handy to know, and very helpful. 89, JalanPandak Mayah 1, Kuah, Tel.: +6 04 966 7778 - khan80@tm.net.my They also sell: Sea Charts, Navigational Book and Flags, custom made Flags (give them some time) and boat labeling. Experienced and helpful.

CIMB banks (with Westpac no international fees are charged at their ATM's)

Post Office – down near the Billion shopping centre

Gas – Rebak Marina will arrange refilling gas bottles.

There is also loads of information to be found on the web at the Langkawi Gazette. https://langkawi-gazette.com/ 

To the left of the C88 (Like a 7/11) is PL Soon's shop. Here you can buy alcohol (you  must produce your passport), meat, cheese and a few groceries. She is not open on a Friday.

To the right of Planet Watch is the photo copier shop - very handy. (He also sells charts and guide books).

Our sail repair place at the RLYC.

The Jotun shop was the hardware place we found and bought water & engine filters and engine oil.

Another favorite Indian cafe, but a bit further up to walk - however worth every step. (Its the one on the corner to the right with a dead end street out the front).

Easily our favorite Indian cafe. We went here for breakfast a fair bit - good cheap food.

Teng Cheng Eng Trading were able to assist us with parts for our Suzuki tender outboard.

Great pork rice to be had at the Water Garden Hawker Centre.

PHONE & INTERNET

While in Malaysia we used U Mobile. To dial Australia: use 1310, 61 then the area code or the mobile number less the '0' .35rm a minute. Rates are good but no unlimited options. Coverage is excellent.

FUEL

You can get fuel at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, the fuel barge in Bass Harbour – Kuah and the fuel dock at Telaga Harbour. To use the fuel dock at the RLYC, give them a ring first. For the fuel barge at Kuah, ring  019 455 6267 and at the time of writing (early 2017) it was approx.. AU .60c p/l. To buy fuel at Telaga you need to book first for anything over 500 litres. Ring (604) 959 3225 0830. Note the fuel dock has nothing to do with the marina office, you are dealing with the Petronas petrol station.

Telaga - this is where you get water from. (Its also the dock to see the Harbour Master).

Telaga fuel dock. Its a little run down on the walkway up to pay, watch your step.

WATER

You can also get water at the water dock ( AKA the Thai Ferry Dock) 69 on VHF, hours: 1000 - 1200 and 1500 - 1700. Cost = RM40 which is right next to the fuel dock at Telaga. 

Thailand - Check In / Check Out at Ao Chalong (Phuket) and a Tuk Tuk driver 2017

The sign on the door (sorry about the shading).

Checking in and checking out of Thailand at Ao Chalong is a painless process for a few reasons. First of all - all the services you need are in the one location and secondly the process has been streamlined and is very efficient. Please note that if you do no have an MMSI you can not check in.

** As at March 2017 the online system to register your yacht & crew's details was not working you must go to the office to register.

Phuket Yacht Control Center building..

The building is called the Phuket Yacht Control Center (PYCC) and is at the end of Chalong Pier, it opens at 9am. We found the best way to get to the PYCC was by dingy. There is a tender dock provided which brings its own complexities but worth using. Lock everything on and lock on the tender on to a cleat.

There are bins provided at the top of the walkway. Please do not dump your rubbish in the piles that seem to accumulate on the dingy dock. Even though the dingy dock needs you take care, there are lots of trip hazards but its very handy. If you take your tender right to the beach you have a fairly decent walk to go back up to the office and the tide goes out a very long way - you need high tide to get in and out at the beach.

This is Chalong pier looking from the road side - its very long. That's the PYCC building right up the very end.

The steps are simple:

1. Have at lease 4 copies each of: passports for Captain and crew, crew lists and ship registration papers. If you are checking in take photos of your vessel and passport photos.
2. Have all your documentation in a folder ready to go
3. Know your MMSI number
4. Be neat and tidy, take a cool drink and patience (they are very busy)
5. Due to not being able to register electronically we had to go to the first door (where the sign above is displayed) and log on via their computers and register our details
6. Then walk up the steps and go see the Harbour Master 
7. Then go next door to the Immigration
8. (If your checking in you also need to go see Quarantine - who are next door)
9. Then next door again to Customs.

The Chalong Pier look out.

The service is available 7 days a week but if you check in/out on the weekend you will pay extra. For example when we checked out in March 2017 we paid 200 baht to both immigration and customs. If we had of done this on the weekend, we would have paid 1000 baht for each service (2000 baht).

Fuel and Water barge.

Interesting to note in Ao Chalong there is a fuel and water barge available in the bay. However, it doesn't look like a barge. You can pull along either side, but go in your dingy first. We didn't do this as we did not need this service. Check the water is suitable for drinking before you fill your tank/s.

While in Ao Chalong we often used the same driver and his tuk tuk. His name is Danai and can be reached on 082 270 2110. His English is a little scratchy but we all managed and had loads of laughs in the process. If we needed somewhere specific eg. Rolly Tasker's Sail loft, I took along the phone number for him to call someone so he could liaise in Thai - we always got to our destination and Danai is a very safe & slow driver. 

To share the cost of travelling with Danai is interesting. He will not quote, he will let you decide what you think is fair. We had never come across this method before. As an example: we hired him from Makro shopping center back to Chalong Pier (right down to the PYCC) and he went to the service station for us, 4 people, loads of shopping and we paid him 100 baht per person. Another day we hired Danai to take us to Rolly Tuskers Sail loft, we took approximately 2.5 hours and paid him 500 baht plus 100 baht tip (our choice), there was 4 of us in the tuk tuk plus a sail on the way back. Another time we hired him to take us to the Big Buddha & back to Rolly Taskers (we forgot to buy something) and where gone approximately 4 hours and paid him 600 baht.

Sunrise over Ao Chalong Bay.

FADs, Fishing Boats and Nets

FADs, fishing boats and fishing nets will be your biggest challenge while sailing in Asian waters. We have sailed around Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Everyday there is another new challenge.

Fishing boats where our first hazard we encountered when sailing from Thursday Island to Tual, Indonesia. About 24 hours out of Tual's coast line we were fronted with an absolute white wall of lights. Approaching cautiously we soon discovered these lights where squid boats. They are massive and they were in their 100's, literally. they spanned the entire horizon. We later found out they mostly are at anchor so very few are actually moving. We did have one large vessel on the move and through the binoculars it was impossible to establish which way he was moving. they do not display any navigational lights what so ever. As it turned out he was anchoring, very close to our moving boat as it turned out.

Fishing boats in these waters while very beautiful, and come in various shapes, sizes and are very colorful are a hazard because most of them do not display lights or shapes as we are use to. None of them until you reach the Port of Klang will display an AIS. They will not move out of your way and at night came be impossible to determine their movements. They also will not respond to radio calls on the VHF.

Fish Attracting Devices (as first pictured above) are called FADs. They are everywhere and they come in various shapes and sizes. Very few are lite. Some if your lucky have flags on them. most do not. They vary in size and shape but all do the same thing. They are weighted/anchored to the ocean floor, some do float but are still weighted and the purpose is to attract fish. They work very well and its all very ingenious but they are dreadful hazards. Keep a good eye out.

Very hard to judge what it is.

Fishing nets are scary. They are everywhere. Usually you will see a little boat and a flag at the end of his net line, but not always. Some nets are massive and spanning miles. Some nets are drifting and seem to have no end to find. Some nets are laying very low in the water, so low you can drift over them but its impossible to know depth. And some nets are seen with a drum at each end, but again not aways. Be very careful of these nets and if your snagged do not jump in at night, you may get tangled in the mess. Drop your anchor, and wait for day light.

We managed to snag these two water containers with hard core twine joining them.

Its also worth noting here tugs. Most tugs also do not display lights (if they do they are very weak) on either their tug or tow, no AIS and will not respond to radio calls on VHF. The ones around Indonesian waters are just scary. They are huge and impossible to detect at night. The distance between tug and tow can be seriously wide. Keep a keen eye out for these hazards.

Stop 20: Riau Islands - Tanjung Pinang. October 27 - 31 2016. Farewell.

Our welcoming committee - The Navy making their presence felt as we motored towards Tanjung Penang.

Our journey to Tanjung Pinang (TP) was filled with a mixture of emotions. Sadness as this was the end point of the rally, excitement because it also meant new beginnings of life in Asia on our own and the usual thrill of arriving in a new place to explore..

At TP we anchored at 00 56.20N & 104 26.56E, in about 6.6 meters of water, with a mud bottom and as it turned out very good holding. The anchorage is well protected but very exposed to the west. All our guide books all said the same thing and as it turned out every single squall we had all came from the west.

We stayed 4 days at TP and left the morning of the 5th day bound for Palau Nongsa to anchor prior to crossing the Singapore Strait into Malaysia. Whilst some yachties will claim it is the busiest strait in the world to cross, that accolade actually goes to the Strait of Dover. Singapore Strait is the worlds 3rd busiest strait. However, do not under estimate your crossing of the strait.

Here are few pointers:

• You can only cross in day light hours
• We crossed at the second allocated section located at: 01 10.17N & 103 50.44E to 01 11.50N & 103 49.68E. this is the narrowest section and it only took us 12 minutes to cross at 6 knots. Once crossed over we ran along the westbound shipping lane towards the strait to Puteri Harbour Marina
• do not hesitate
• be calm
• wait for a clear and wide gap from both lanes, these giants move very fast
• a lot of the ships are anchored both sides of the strait making it look worse than what it is 
• understand you can not cross into Singapore waters unless you are staying in Singapore waters. The minute your cross over and enter their waters you will be called on the radio by either the coast guard, police and or the Singapore Navy and you will be asked your intentions. 
• AIS. We all found it difficult to establish if it is illegal to cross without a transmitter, some websites say yes, some say no its not law. However, the shipping lane is busy and it is your to benefit and safety for these ships to be able to see you just as much for you to see them on AIS
• At the time of our crossing (November 2016), it was not compulsory to announce ourselves on channel 18

Matilda is the red boat - center of screen. Screen shot taken just prior to crossing.

We actually found the Malaysian side of the strait, busier than the shipping lanes. The ships not in the shipping lanes are free to move around as they need. There are no allocated areas for movement. We found this more stressful than the crossing itself. These waters are very, very busy with many different types of vessels and everyone on board should be looking out at all times. Use your AIS to see around corners and do not cross their paths, you need to move out of their way. Once in the strait between Malaysia & Singapore to Puteri Harbour Marina, the chaos will cease and everyone can exhale!

We had to give way to this massive barge as we entered the narrow channel.

Anyway back to TP. Our farewell dinner to be honest was a let down. The process of checking out was stressful and we experienced one of the worst storms we have ever sat at anchor in for years. Other than that, TP has everything you need. Do the tours, it a very interesting place. We had a day where we went to a shopping mall, a market, a squid factory, saw some traditional batik being done and went to a massive Buddhist temple.

Dried squid.

The bay is deceptive, it can house many boats at anchor. This means many dingys heading to shore. Our jetty dock at the time had 3 entry points: 2 on the same platform, one with round steps one with flat - as usual all made out of bamboo. The third was attached to the other platform but very poor construction and one of members actually fell through and it was amazing he did not pierce himself or sustain any injuries. Be very careful on the jetty docks.

Our dingy dock. The little hut with the pointy roof to the right of screen was the dangerous one.

The farewell dinner was a let down. Our itinerary told us to be at Government house (we could easily walk there) by 2pm for dancing and celebrations until 5pm,  then to be back around 7pm for dinner. Well from 2pm till 5pm all we did was sit in the heat listening to speeches, again all in Indonesian. We felt for the dancers who actually had to sit in the sun. nobody was giving them drinks or moving them to the shade. We had one little water given to us and the toilet was a mission to find. At 1645 the speeches stopped, the dancers danced for 10 minutes then everyone left. That was it.

Dinner. As requested we all dressed up nicely, men in long pants, ladies well dressed. Only to get there and find all the officials  seated at what we presumed to be our tables. So we had to sit on the seats out the back and scrounge around for the left over food that wasn't already gobbled up. It was a real let down and everyone felt flat.

Our dinner venue. You can hardly see the chairs way, way up the back behind the tables where we all had to sit.

Not to be beaten we all went back to the hotel and drunk Tiger beers as they don't sell Bintang beers here, and laughed until the wind started to pick up. Given the signal of wind had been a proven precursor to squalls, a mad scramble to the tenders was on. The dingy dock made it dangerous but everyone made it back to their boats unhurt. The storm that night really turned it on. We had consistent winds over 25 knots, peaking at times to 35 knots from the west creating surf. In the anchorage was our rally fleet, the fleet from the Darwin rally, a fleet of power boats up from Singapore and another fleet we couldn't establish where from. There would have easily been over 60 vessels if not more in the bay and 3/4 of them all dragged.

The bottom of the bay is extremely foul. We must of lucked in the spot we choose as we didn't drag. Boats where hauling anchor and having to cut off the debris wrapped around their anchors. Wads of fishing nets combined with plastic bags, fishing line, plastic tubing and loads of other crap made this task very difficult and dangerous for some. One of our fleet ended up on the concrete steps behind them near one of the ferry terminals, and by sheer luck did not damage their boat. Some boats simply couldn't re-anchor during the storm due to so many other boats moving, a foul bottom and quite a few winches where failing.

A ferry terminal.

Most of the fleet did not get to bed until the storm eased and their anchors well set again, and this was well after 0300. The next morning on shore many a story of wow came out and even though the damage to some boats was minimal on some, more substantial on others every one of us gave enormous comfort to each other - it was a very harrowing night for everyone.

A day spent walking the streets was a highlight to see TP in its raw state.

Dried goods.

Yep - dried Seahorses.

We found TP, to be the most populated island and on one walk around found the rubbish situation difficult to understand and process in our minds. How this situation can be left and what seemed to be ignored by the population is difficult to understand. A walk through the markets was in some parts revolting to say the least and as we meandered around the streets more cesspits of rubbish left us all speechless. The people of TP, like most other places we went to, need to be educated about rubbish disposal and control.

The rubbish 'bin' at the market. Kids playing in it. The smell was atrocious.

A dingy ride the day before we left we got to see some of the harbour. Its very different to anything we have ever seen, and quite beautiful in some regards.

Egg delivery.

This hill was jam packed with buildings.

That said the people where all lovely, very welcoming and the food delicious especially in the night markets and local eateries. We would like to go back for a longer stay one day to explore and to understand their history. Quite a fascinating place to visit and TP's proximity to Singapore is a bonus - 2 hours on the fast ferry!

Final thoughts as we close the rally with a few tips.

Everybody asks us: 'Would you do it again?'. Its an interesting question and we often ask in return 'do you mean the rally or do you mean sail around Indonesia'. Which ever way, the answer is a firm yes to both yes.

For us personally the rally was a wonderful way for us to sail overseas in company, especially as it was our first time off shore. It gave us security, companionship, confidence and we have made friendships that will last a life time.

Would we sail Indonesia again, thats absolutely a huge yes. Its easy to sail (which is actually motor), as there is island after island after island to explore. Loads to do. People are lovely. Food is awesome, but would we do it in a rally again, perhaps, most likely yes.

Tips we wished we had of thought of or been advised of (some we where advised of):

• Research your destinations and all those in between so you know what to go and see prior to leaving. There are loads of places here and it gets a bit overwhelming once you arrive. There are 17,000 plus island's to explore here in Indonesia.
• If you are into temples ('Pura' in Indonesian), research this. You are about to find yourself yourself in the land of temples in Bali especially as they have over 20,000 on the island. Each temple has a wonderful history and individual meanings. 
• Researching the statues and sculptures would also be wise as they are most impressive and all have meanings. 
• Unlock all your data devices
• Spend some time and download all the google maps and device charts (eg. Navionics, Ovitalmap, iSailor etc) you can.  Go somewhere the wifi is free, eg. McDonalds, your local library - saves your private data as these maps are extensive. Download everything you can, even for those areas you think you will not go to as they are invaluable resources. Navionics & C-Maps are great but they are out a lot of the time, or inaccurate eg. only showing part of existing reefs so its great to compare one against the other.
• Take a very comprehensive stock of spare parts with you. There are somethings that you simply can not buy here. eg. fuel and oil filters in particular are difficult to source
• Don't over buy your ships stores, there are loads available here. Re food and non perishable items.
• Shout yourself a very good sturdy pair of walking shoes/sandals
• Don't believe everything you read about what you can and can't get here. People eat here and they eat well. They are educated, they have doctors and hospitals, people wash and there is loads of diesel (solar).
• Know how to replace a split fuel line and know how to bleed air from the system
• Know how to check and maintain your batteries
• When it rains here it is torrential. Work out a good, quick, efficient way to capture the rain for your water tanks.
• Its going to get hot - your entering a prolific volcanic area especially around Bali
• Understand how the visa extension process works and passage plan around it
• Advise your bank you are travelling overseas (re credit cards etc)
• Take a good back pack
• If you can buy a good underwater camera. You are about to dive/snorkel in pristine waters and some underwater photos are great memories.
• Buy or download to your phone a translator - its well worth it
• Take the time to learn a few basic Basha words and phrases, it will make your life a lot easier and its fun
• Be very mindful of the dingy docks that will be constructed for your arrival. Not all are safe.
• Expect the unexpected to become normal
• Come here with an open mind, loads of patience and compassion.