What is the "East Malaysia Rally"?

For a number of years now sailors from around the world have joined Australian and New Zealanders sailing up the east coast of Australia to join the Sail Indonesia Rally, many have then gone on to join the Sail WEST Malaysia Rally to progress from Singapore up the Malacca Straits to Langkawi and continue their world trips.

What is not known or explored by many is the joys of the South China Sea, East Malaysia and Borneo and the wonderful islands of the very benevolent South China Sea. Australians particularly do have some knowledge of the beauty of the Pacific Islands with images of white, sandy, coconut lined beaches, beautiful fringing reefs and the many splendid coloured fish. Commonly we don't have an appreciation of the similarities in the South China Sea but with a gentle sea and many protected waterways. We also tend to forget that Malaysia consists of not only "Peninsula Malaysia but also the Western side of Borneo, Sarawak and Sabah separated by the South China Sea and many islands in between.

Last year, 2008, a new rally was started being the "East Malaysia Rally" supported by the Malaysian Government to introduce this wonderful area to yachties from around the world. Twelve boats joined this rally in that inaugural year, 46 registered this year and already there are over 60 expressions of interest for next year.

So just what is the "East Malaysia Rally"? Similar to the Sail Indonesia and Sail Malaysia Rally it is a partially organised event with plenty of time for participants to also do "their own thing" with the added value of numerous organised trips, tours and functions that add so much to the pleasure of the area and are a chance to share information, anecdotes and tales tall and thin with other like minded yachties. The Rally covers over a thousand nautical miles and runs from mid May to early August traversing from the Malacca Straits, Penang, down past Singapore, up the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia then crosses the South China Sea to Borneo arriving at Kuchin to sail up the West Coast of Borneo almost from southern tip to northern tip of this large island.

To provide a summarised travel itinerary the key destinations and their advantages follow in very brief descriptions, so much more could be said:-
• Penang - gathering boats from the Langkawi and the Malacca Straits. Penang is a scenic island off the west coast of Malaysia rightfully famous for its diverse and cheap foods and steeped in the rich history of Malaysia - a tourist destination in its own right
• Danga Bay -
• Puteri Marina - a new Marina in Malaysia to the west of Singapore which put on a great function and offered free berthing not only for the Rally but until Christmas to help promote this new area.
• Sebana Cove - this is where we joined the Rally, it is a short ferry ride across from Changi Airport, Singapore into Malaysia with a somewhat dilapidated golfing resort, but a great policy to "park" your boat if you wish to return home as it is super protected up a mangrove lined river, is fairly fresh water (inhibiting marine growth) and "out of town" so not many "lookenpeepers" around, and good rates. Monkeys and giant monitor lizards can be found here and marina tenants have use of the "resort" facilities including towels at the pool etc.
• Tioman Island - back to the Singapore Straits and the journey starts up the East Coast of Malaysia in very hospitable waters with easy anchorages and some island stopover to Tioman Island, one of a group not far offshore and part of a large national marine park with magnificently clean water (coral growing in the deep blue and clear marina water) with good beaches, reef snorkelling and diving and many islands and bays to visit and explore. This is a great marina with new amenities and one could be tempted to stay on and on.
• Quandong -
• Kapas Island - is the next official stop and is reached by island hopping up the Coast in easy day sails. Kapas is a tourist destination with beautiful sandy beaches and low key resorts and once again clear, clear water. A great spot also for a bit of squid fishing and they will take you out on a squid boat and show you how it is really done. We sail in convoy the short distance to the next destination with Malaysian tourism and sailing officials on board for the experience.
• Terrengenu - the northernmost official port for us on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia. An historic town in many respects and home of the annual Monsoon Cup a match racing event sailed on the fleet of Foundation 30's acquired from Perth some years ago every December. Visit traditional boat building yard in full operation and enjoy China town and the fantastic facilities of the Marina with spa, pool, sauna, gym and towels provided for your every shower! Time out here to visit islands like Redang and Perhentians a short distance north which provide wonderful anchorages, pristine beaches, coral reefs and reef fishes, turtle breeding areas, and you can swim and snorkel with turtles, fish and sharks in the clearest of waters. Certainly an area we will go back to.
• Kuchin - is the destination almost 500 nautical miles across the South China Sea to Borneo. One can expect flat seas and calm weather, sail around oil rigs, and through Indonesian Islands to arrive at the trading port of Kuchin or "Cat City" in southern west Borneo. A visit to the Orangutan Sanctuary is a must and the size and strength of the alpha male cannot help but leave an impression. Attend the annual Rainforest Music Festival if that way inclined or just enjoy the area. We anchored in the Santabong River, at Santabong, which must be the world's best barnacle breeding ground as we went in spotlessly clean and after only a week left with a blanket of juvenile barnacles attached to everything below the waterline!
• Miri - also has a great Marina but no facilities - yet - they are coming next year. But on the way there are island stopovers and the opportunity to travel deep into the massive Borneo River systems leading up to Sibu where ships travel through the rivers and a myriad of rivers intertwine and join and there is the opportunity to visit water villages, and long houses and meet the Iban, the native inhabitants of Borneo. The rivers are navigable and fascinating with fast running and complex tidal streams. They are not only populated by logs large and small but also massive trees intact come floating down on ebbing tides and return on the flood to make life interesting. Miri once reached is a modern town and the marina, canal development put on two splendid dinners for the Rally group. Miri is also the base for International Paints in this part of the world and many parts and repairs can be sourced from here. Two twelve metre yachts sit on the hard whilst their sails spill out of a container on the Marina obviously an idea for something not happening yet!
• Brunei - and we leave Malaysia for this oil rich Sultanate where we anchor at first at the Royal Brunei Yacht Club and later at the annex to the Club much closer to the City and the Palace. Oil money talks in this country which is affluent and the benefits of their arrangements with Shell Oil are obvious. Sailing up the coast we weave in and out of oil rigs and platforms of which there is no shortage. A trip to the highlands and up the rapids in longboats punctuates this visit as well as the opportunity to see the local Probiscus monkey, and other wildlife including Sea Otters, other monkeys, crocodiles etc
• Labuan - just twenty miles up the track we return to Malaysia at the duty free island of Labuan (stock up on beer and other essential nautical supplies). A very busy port as one might expect and a new marina and amenities building already well under way opening in October this year certainly a boon for next year's Rally. Not an official stopover but a great place to stop nonetheless.
• Koto Kinabulu and Sutera Marina - the last official stop of the Rally. This is THE 5 star marina with crystal clear water harbouring corals and tropical fish IN the marina, dozens of pools to select from for a swim, amenities providing all needs for showering and fresh towels, ten pin bowling, theatre, "chartroom" or readingroom with current papers, journals, wifi internet, restaurants with 40% discount for Marina users and so the list goes on. A prosperous town with all facilities. A group of nearby islands provide for snorkelling, diving, sound anchorages and the perfect place for family or visitors to come to and enjoy. A memorable Rally final dinner is put on here by the Tourism Board with local and traditional experiential entertainment that is a real night to remember.
• From there - well some boats just stay, some go on to the Boonekin Rally around the tip of Borneo and down to Indonesia, some are on their way back to Oz and others just stopping a while and going back to Peninsula Malaysia,
Interestingly the Sail Indonesia Rally is a great cultural experience where doesn't see or even think about a marina from the time you leave Darwin (if in fact you were in a Marina inside the locks at Darwin) until Nongsa Point where you leave Indonesia for Singapore or points further afield. The East Malaysia Rally however takes one from new to good and better and superb marina's, culminating in the five star marina at Sutera, punctuated by beautiful islands, protected anchorages, pristine beaches where one can anchor a short swim from the beach and count the grains of sand on the bottom by looking over the side of the boat.
A diversity of wildlife from tropical fish, coral reefs, swimming with turtles, orang-utans, monkeys of various types, dolphins and a variety of bird life in areas unexpectedly beautiful and in a sea that is for the most part benign, flat although it can also respond with quite spectacular thunderstorms , a vessel only hundreds of metres from us was hit by lightning near Tioman Island. The Rally is quite different from Sail Indonesia, Sail (West) Malaysia and the Pacific Rallies.
Water from crystal clear blue, to muddy rushing rivers, to that of the cities of Kuchin and the inlands of Borneo within a short time frame there is contrast upon contrast of blue and brown, of clear and murky, of old and new, of poverty and affluence, of happiness and striving, of material possessions of spirituality, of religion of all types, of animism or spiritualism this area offers new experience after new experience.
Clearly the numbers will increase dramatically as the word gets out. For any yachts, or power boats, to spend much more time in this still largely undiscovered and certainly unexploited wonderful cruising ground.
Do it if you can!