Oct 26 - Singapore
We shared a taxi to Singapore with Gary and Tara (sv Pursuit IV) and arrived at our hotel in one hour. There were no clearance fees to enter Singapore via the Second Link bridge, and we didn't have to get out of our taxi. This is one of the world's great cities, and is a separate country from Indonesia and Malaysia. The amount of building construction defies the imagination; cranes and heavy equipment are everywhere. The economy depends greatly on exports and tourism, so it's pretty easy to find your way around. The MRT
(mass rapid transit), or subway system, is just amazing, as is the bus system. Traffic is heavy, in spite of governmental efforts to limit auto ownership by the application of heavy taxes, but if you ever want to see luxury cars en masse, this is the place to visit. Education is stressed, and there are multiple places of higher learning. Years ago there was a book entitled "Europe On $5 A Day." Today, another book would have to be titled "Singapore On $200 A Day!" This is an expensive city, from $16 beers to meals at $25 minimum. We haven't bought anything, but can tell you that shoppers have found nirvana here at very, very high prices. We've visited Little India, Chinatown, the Singapore National Museum, the Botanical Gardens along with the National Orchid Garden within, and the Asian Civilizations Museum. We've also done the obligatory visit to the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, where Sue enjoyed her Singapore Sling (where they were invented.) We've done a lot of walking, enjoying the architecture, taking lots of pictures, and also took a narrative city sight-seeing bus tour ($18.-24hr. pass; highly recommended). Tomorrow we'll be returning to Puteri Harbour Marina via MRT and bus.
Oct 22 - Puteri Harbour Marina happenings
Pic: Sunrise from our cockpit
Oct 15 - Puteri Harbour Marina, Malaysia
Position: N01deg25.07min/E103deg39.50min
We departed on the day our Indonesian CAIT (cruising permit) expired. There was a lot of confusion regarding the CAIT's issued to the Sail Indonesia Rally participants as apparently there was an error in the expiration dates and a new CAIT with extended dates was supposed to have been issued, but was sent to only a few of the boats in Belitung, not those of us in Batam, so not wanting to leave anything to chance and risk fines for being in Indonesia with an expired cruising permit, we (and five other yachts) decided to leave. We crossed the Singapore Straits without any problems at all. If any of you are squeamish about ships, stop reading right now...There were hundreds of ships on AIS and the laptop glowed blue (the color of the ship symbol with AIS on our nav program) around Singapore. We've never seen so many ships in one place before. We motor sailed the entire way from Nongsa Point Marina and, of course, the wind was on the nose, but we did manage to raise the main and get a bit of boost during the hour of so of actual Strait crossing. Our CM93 charts were pretty accurate, and we found favorable current most of our trip, which was a huge help. We came up the Johor Straits (west side of Singapore). We spotted the large Puteri Harbour sign outside the marina entrance at about 1530 hours, and were tied up in their secure lagoon by 1600. Of note, our charts did not show the Harbour entrance as the complex is newer than the charts, and there is a large red marker right outside the entrance that can be passed on either side; entrance is easy and the marina is large. Marina details: there doesn't seem to be much going on here. The complex is new; there's one restaurant that serves until 7PM, no alcohol served; there's laundry and shower facilities (which Danga Bay Marina doesn't have), as well as wifi, fuel and non-potable water. The other yachts here are storing their boats long term (at very favorable rates), and there's a lot of construction on a large hotel project in the marina complex. We're in Malaysia!
http://puteriharbour.com.my/marinas.php
http://puteriharbour.com.my/marinas.php
Oct 11 - Nongsa Point Marina, Batam Island
We departed Mesansak Island at 0100 hours for the 55 mile run and had a long, slow motor to Batam Island. Wind was on the nose at 10-12 knots, and current was against us until about 1030 hours, so the first part of the trip wasn't fast.... Every morning towering cumulus clouds have formed and the thunder and lightning gets your attention quickly; October is a transitional month to the NE monsoon season (November to March) from the SW monsoon season (June to September). Calms are frequent, as is motoring. Shipping traffic has picked up, but the lanes are wide and there's plenty of room for everyone. We entered Nongsa Point Marina just before 3 pm, and the attendants took our dock lines. It didn't take long to get to the pool and enjoy a cold beer. Think being outside in the Florida summer; the heat and humidity take a bit to get used to. There are other boats here from Sail Indonesia, and folks come and go. Weekend trips to Singapore by water ferry are popular, and we're considering doing this. We'll be spending a few days in the marina here cleaning and resting up before departing to cross the Singapore Straits to Malaysia.
Pic: The crews of 6 boats went to the Mall (grocery store) for a last Indonesian provisioning. Beer won't be this cheap elsewhere...until duty free Lankawi probably. It'll be hard to find in Malaysia. Here our Swede friend Bernardo from sv Albertina is guarding our wares.
http://www.nongsapointmarina.com/
Oct 9 - Equator crossing
This is our 4th equator crossing, but first in the eastern hemisphere. We had an appropriate ceremony for the occasion, and continued motoring to Kentar Island (position: 00deg03.268N/104deg45.501E) where we anchored in 30' sand. This is a nice bay, well protected, and, at least at this time, very calm. Another early start tomorrow morning (0600) is planned, but from here on it's a motor trip - no wind is predicted.
Pic: fishing huts are everywhere along this coast. And not lit at night.
Oct 8 - Lingga Island
We motored, sailed, and motor-sailed for the two night passage across the South China Sea from Serutu Island to Lingga Island. Between the unlit fishing nets we've gone over, fish boats running with incorrect night lights, dozens of commercial ships on AIS to dodge, tugs with single and double barges with no AIS and weak as hell lights, and just general fatigue, these have been challenging waters to traverse. Holding here is in 24' of mud, although wind and current are countering each other. Those eagle eyed readers of our blog will note that we're about 19 miles from the equator; we're heading northwest towards Singapore, and our crossing tomorrow into the northern hemisphere will mark Sue and my fourth equator crossing! We've been traveling along with sv Silver Girl, with our Australian buds Ann and Chris aboard; they'll celebrate their first equator crossing! We've planned a few more stops as day trips before getting to Nongsa Marina on Batam Island, our last stop in Indonesia, where we'll have a proper equator crossing celebration(s)...
Pic: We actually flew our 'sunshine' sail for a few hours!
Oct 5 - Serutu Island
01deg42.300minS/ 108deg43.192minE
We did a two night passage to Serutu, departing the Kumai River in the early morning. It was good to get out of the smokey haze and brown water. At night, we encountered dozens of boats fishing for squid, each lit up like a stadium for a night football game. We actually only had to divert for one 620 foot freighter; the squid boats tend to congregate in patches and are easily avoided. Winds were SE 15-20 until 0200 this morning, when we had to motor the last 25 miles due to light winds and strong current. We had just finished anchoring here when some local fishermen came over in their canoe selling fish and lobster. We passed on the fish, but bought two large lobster for $5.00USD. We'll be catching up on sleep today, and departing at sunrise for Kentar Island, another two night passage, about 260 mi away.
Oct. 1 - Orangutan country
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