9th October, 2009
I think I am getting worse instead of better at keeping up with the blog, but as I am having one of those nights when sleep seems to be eluding me, thought I might as well get up and do a blog update.
Since the last blog we had another 6 days in Kudat and while their did boat maintenance, including me doing a sewing repair job on the genoa, a bit of cycling around the town and had a barbecue and pot luck dinner with Fran & Dave & Jill and Bruce (Daemon) and some of the other yachties who were in Kudat. On the Saturday afternoon we went across to a bar at the resort behind us and watched the rugby along with another 6 kiwis - big disappointment as that was the game the All Blacks lost to South Africa. We all then went along to the cheaper restaurant at the golf club for dinner.
We finally left Kudat along with Jill & Bruce on Daemaon on Tuesday, 15th Sept. and after we rounded the top of Borneo we had a lovely sail down the coast with just the genoa and spent the night in Agal Bay in a very sheltered anchorage. From there we headed to the Mantanani Islands and anchored between the island and a coral reef. We ended up motor sailing the whole way as there was very little wind. It was beautiful and calm when we arrived and Dave and I got in the dinghy and went for a snorkel on the reef. On the way back we stopped off at Jill & Bruce's boat and had a cuppa and by the time we were about to leave the wind had got up and there was quite a little chop. Any plans of us giving the bottom of the boat a clean had to be scrapped. As the evening went on the wind intensified and a few hours later we had a rather nasty electrical storm for an hour or so. They are not very nice and one is always in fear that the mast is going to get hit by lightening which would wipe out the electronic gear. We generally try to disconnect all that we can and the computers go in the microwave and oven for protection. We ended up having a very roly night and the next day was not going to be much better so we headed off straight after breakfast for Police Bay,
Gaya Island which is just off Kota Kinabalu. We have been in there several times and it is a lovely anchorage. We arrived there early enough in the afternoon that we were soon in the water giving the bottom of the boat a scrape and clean to remove barnacles, slime etc. I seem to have lost a day but we must have spent another night anchored along the coast as we headed into Sutera Harbour Marina on the Saturday morning (19th). We were fortunate enough to be able to watch the Wallabies v NZ rugby game on Sundance who have Astro TV so did not have to venture off into town to the Pirates Bar to watch it. As Betty on Sundance had a free dinner at the marina as well from the optimist sailing, Betty and David from Sundance and us went and had our free Barbecue smorgasboard dinner which was pretty good with just about every variety of food you could imagine. However the drinks were not that cheap!!
On the Sunday morning Dave and I headed off into town to do the market to stock up on fruit and vegetables and planned an earlyish start on Monday morning to start making tracks down to Miri. However as we were about to leave a storm came across and it was another hour before we could get away. Another two boats in the marina also headed off shortly after us and we all ended up anchored in the same bay for the night which was nice and calm. We had wanted to anchor off Tiga Island but there wasn't going to be any shelter so ended up in Kuala Penyo. We were anchored quite well out as it was too shallow closer in but we had a great fireworks display for several hours that night as over the weekend and for the next few days the Muslims were celebrating the end of Ramadan and in Malaysia the Muslims were on holiday until the Wednesday (23rd). We had a mixture of sailing and motor sailing that day but the next day we were away just after 6am and had to motor sail all the way to Labuan as we had quite a strong wind and on the nose the whole way. We tied up in a dilapidated marina which is starting to be resurrected again. We had to clear customs, immigration and the harbour master there as we were leaving Sabah. However most were closed until the next day (Wed) so we stocked up on a few trays of duty free beer as we were down to 1 can left and headed off at 8.30am the next morning to do the customs etc. thing. Got the customs and harbour master thing done okay but not surprising customs sent us to the wrong immigration building so ended up having to walk back to the ferry terminal building to do immigration which is virtually next door to customs only to be told that we didn't need to do immigration as we were only clearing out of Sabah into Sarawak which is still Malaysia. Every time you get told something different and it all depends on who you strike. It can be very frustrating but you just have to learn to go with the flow. Finally left Labuan at 11am and headed for Miri doing an overnight passage.
We had a good 20 knot southerly against us after leaving Labuan and it was not that nice out there until we got past Brunei Bay and we had to do quite a bit of tacking and then at 3am the wind came around to the SE and we had lovely sailing right up until we arrived in Miri just after 11am on Thursday 24th. We were a bit worried that we might not get into the marina as it is very shallow at the entrance and it was a spring low tide and at the time we went in the tide was .4. At Miri there is only two tides a day and high tide was not until about 9pm and then it was only 1.8m. I stayed up at the bow ready to drop the anchor if need be and Dave just let the boat drift in with the current but we must have only been centimeters from touching as the depth sounder got down to 1.7m.
Once in a berth we were delighted to find our friends, Leo and Anne Sim from Pewter tied up opposite us. On the Friday afternoon we biked into town to do the customs, immigration thing and that night the yachties had a drinks and nibbles get together at the end of the pier we were on. The next few days were spent decommissioning the boat, along with cleaning etc. and the Sim's and us had a few meals together and we had our last dinner on their boat on the Tuesday night as I had completely cleaned out both the fridge and freezer and what I did have left over I gave to Anne.
When we first arrived in the marina we were met by the manager and he told us that we would have to change berths in a day or so but he would let us know etc. However as the days went by nothing happened so we assumed we were going to be able to stay put so just before lunch on the Tuesday Dave put more ropes on to tie us up more securely etc. Within about 15min of doing it the Manager comes along and tells us we need to shift which we did later on that afternoon. We are now actually in a better berth for leaving the boat and is more secure and more sheltered.
Wednesday, 30th Sept. dawned and we had a taxi pick us up at 8am to take us to Miri Airport for our 10am Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur which landed at 12.20pm. We had booked in to the Tune Hotel for the night which was walking distance from the airport. The room was clean and comfortable but you could not swing a cat in it. There was only 300cm on each side of the bed and 500cm at the end. We struggled to find room for the luggage and there was certainly no tea making facilities. There was not a lot to see or do there but we did have a look in a factory outlet place and ended up joining an English couple en route to NZ for dinner. Checked out next morning at 10am and then walked over to the airport and waited there for our 1.30pm Air Asia flight to Melbourne. Was an 8 hour flight to Melbourne and we arrived there at 11.30pm and Leith was there to meet us. What a shock to the system after being in 35C degrees for months and coming to 8C degrees!!
THE GRAMPIANS.
Leith had Friday off so had us up and away next morning at 7.45am and we headed off to the Grampians, which is nearly half way to Adelaide, for the weekend. He had decided that since we had been to Melbourne 2or 3 times we needed to see a bit more of Victoria so he booked a cottage for us at Halls Gap in the Grampians. Talk about freezing there and a bitterly cold wind to boot on Friday. We had to stop en route for me to buy a pair of walking shoes as I did not have room in our luggage to bring ours from the boat as we had his dive gear with us and had a weight restriction. He had us doing a few short walks on Friday in the freezing cold and I had 4 layers of merino tops plus a polo fleece on and still froze. Also visited a great information centre they have there. Halls Gap is a popular place and as it was school holidays there were a lot of holiday makers there and I could not believe how many were actually camping in tents in the freezing cold. That afternoon there were about 30 kangaroos on a grassed area in front of the campground but never saw them there again after that. As Hannah could not get the day off she came down by train and then bus and arrived at 9.30 that night.
Next morning Leith had us climbing up to the top of the Pinnacles which is a 2.1km trek and I have since had sore calves and shins for several days!! He is really into tramping and the outdoor thing. We then went for lunch at the café at the information centre and had a wild foods platter which consisted of a salad with a crocodile kebab, kangaroo, smoked emu and wild duck. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and doing a little sight seeing.
The Grampians are also renowned for their wild flowers and in the local hall they had a big display so we went and had a look at that on Sunday morning and then to a craft market before we headed off into the bush to do some four wheel driving as Leith and Hannah have a 4 wheel drive Suzuki Grand Vitara. We saw the effects of the 2006 forest fires but saw wallabies, emus and lizards in the wild. Had a picnic lunch and got back to Melbourne around 5pm. Our niece, Tiffany is also in Melbourne and she came over to Leith's to see us and have dinner which we enjoyed. Leith and Tiffany had not managed to get together until then as they live on opposite sides of Melbourne.
Leith dropped us off at the airport on Monday morning and we arrived in Auckland at 5.30pm and were met by friends, Linda and Ross Goodin and we headed off into Howick for dinner where we had a lovely dinner at a local restaurant before they dropped us off at Dave's mother in Highland Park retirement village. Tuesday morning we spent reregistering and getting a warrant of fitness for our car plus renewing Dave's driving license which had expired in February. After lunch Dave's sister, Jenny, husband Bill and son, Richard came to see us and that night we went to our friend's Grant & Lenore's for dinner.
Spent all Wednesday with Dave's mother and left at 5pm for Te Kauwhata where we spent the night at Ross & Linda's and came on down to Tauranga to my mother's, stopping off at my sister's, Wendy & Tim, for lunch. Before getting to Mum's Dave had an appointment at the hearing clinic and dropped off his hearing aids to be sent away to be fixed as they have both died. Whether they are fixable and if ACC are going to come to the party to fund some new ones remains to be seen.
We I have a specialist appointment in Hamilton on Tuesday, then head south from there and spend the night with my brother in Rata and then on to Wellington to Rachel & Sean's on Wednesday morning and really looking forward to seeing them all again and spending time with Brodin & Daisy and Scarlett & Flynn when we get down south..
We fly from Wellington to Christchurch on 20th to spend 9 days with Cameron, Melissa, Scarlett & Flynn and fly back to Wellington on 29th. After that, nothing is organized, well not at the moment anyway other than another hearing appointment for Dave on 10th November in Tauranga.
So, I think that about brings you up to date.
A bit late adding this to our blog but hopefully will give you a further update on our NZ travels in a short while!!
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09/09/2009, Kudat
We ended up spending another two weeks in Sutera Harbour Marina awaiting the fixing of the alternator - it was a hard job getting the man on the job as he was being called this way and that from the various yachties in the marina. Finally got the job done but then we waited for Leith's friend Bjorn to join us again but then he went off for a couple of days to climb Mt. Kinabalu with kiwis Margaret & Doug from Tonic and Mitch from Fourstar. While they were away I had my crown put on on the Tuesday (25th Aug) and later that day Dave sailed in a yacht race on optimists. I was going to do it too but I was not back from the dentist in time. The Sutera yacht club race every fortnight and the marina put on a yachties dinner after the racing. Dave came second on handicap and his prize - dinner for 2 at the Sutera Harbour Marina Saturday night barbecue dinner which we have until November to use.
Bjorn & co made it to the top of Mt. Kinabalu which is 4095m - higher than Mt. Cook but of curse no snow. It is a two day trip and accommodation is provided for the night before a very early start to reach the top in time for sunrise over Borneo. The air gets pretty thin up there and they all struggled with their breathing. Dave was keen to do it but a few days earlier he slipped down the front shower hatch when sliding through and cracked his ribs - in fact they are still a bit sore. With guides, accommodation, meals etc. it costs between 700 - 800 RM to climb Kinabalu so it's not cheap. They arrived back late afternoon on the Wednesday absolutely shattered and had sore knees and legs for several days.
On the Friday morning (28th) we untied from the marina and headed out to Police Bay at Gaya Island and had a lovely relaxing afternoon swimming and Dave and I giving the hull of the boat a clean.
Next morning we up anchored at 5.15am and headed off to Pulau Layang-Layang in the Sprattly Islands - 160 miles away. We had great sailing for 9 hours, including a storm for 2hrs and then the wind died and we had everything against us, tide, wind and current and motored the rest of the way, all but for 2 hrs, arriving in the lagoon at Layang-Layang at 2.30pm. The Sprattly group of islands is one of the most contentious groups of islands in the world with Vietnam, China, Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia all trying to claim them. Layang-Layang has been claimed by Malaysia and there is a permanent navy base with 50 personnel based there. We had to apply to the Malaysian Navy to go there and this was done by a couple of the yachties who were ex navy (US & NZ) guys. The only other establishment there is a resort which closed on 21 Aug and does not reopen until March, due to the monsoon seasons. Of the half dozen yachts going we were the first to arrive and three others arrived the next day, with another two to arrive on the Wednesday. However, on Wednesday the weather really turned to custard and we had 40 knot winds blowing in the lagoon and three of us lost our snubbers on the anchor chain and we were rocking and rolling in 1.5m seas. Sundance & Kalaerin left on Tuesday and they were getting a pounding then so Kalaerin turned back and headed for Kudat and Sundance finally arrived in on Wednesday at 5pm but they had had a horrendous trip with storm after storm, 3-4m seas and on the nose the whole way. We thought it was pretty ghastly in the lagoon but they thought it was heaven!
For the next few days the wind just kept on blowing, but not quite as bad as Wednesday but we still kept getting storms of 30-40 knots so there was no way one could contemplate going diving as the dive spots were on the outer part of the reef and drop off to 1000m. We did do some snorkeling inside the lagoon which was quite nice. It was only on Friday night that we could go to another boat for sundowners.
As Bjorn was flying from KK to KL today we decided that we would leave on Saturday morning and head for Kudat and then he could get a bus or taxi from Kudat to KK. We left at 7am and had 30-35 knot winds the whole way with 3.5m seas, but the good thing was it was a following sea. Unfortunately the autohelm decided to pack up 30 minutes after leaving so we had to hand steer the whole way - 192 miles. At 3am Sunday morning while Bjorn and I were trying (trying being the operative word) to get some sleep, Dave on the helm, a storm came and of course he could not leave the helm to furl in the genoa so all hell broke loose, including a crash gybe, until we were all on deck and got the boat under control. Unfortunately we have a tear in the new UV strip on the genoa so I have a bit of a repair job to do. Within about 20 min it was all over and we could carry on. Was lovely to round the tip of Borneo and then have absolutely flat sailing into Kudat, at times reaching 9 knots as we still had 30-35 knots of wind. It was the first time we had been able to sail all the way to a destination with no motor and we averaged just over 6 knots for the whole trip.
We caught a small mahi-mahi on the way to Layang-Layang and on the way back caught a small tuna and what we think is an ocean barracuda which are apparently nice eating and quite different to the barracuda we have at home in NZ. Have yet to try the latter.
We are now anchored in what is called the pond in Kudat and is to be a marina associated with a golf club and so we are tied up to a wall from the stern which is on the edge of the golf club and resort. Sunday night we went to the golf club for dinner - meal being all of 6RM along with Dave & Fran Chown (Te Kauwhata) who have their yacht up on the hard stand here doing there antifouling along with a few other yachtie friends. It is great catching up with Dave & Fran as we haven't seen them since leaving Bundaberg. We had them here for a roast dinner on Monday night and yesterday morning Bjorn got a taxi (25RM) to KK which is a 2-3 hr trip.
Went into the town on Monday morning and had a bit of a look around as well as going to the market which is quite big. Have spent the last couple of days doing a bit of maintenance as well as skyping Rachel, Cameron & Leith and seeing and chatting to the grandchildren. It is surprising how much time it takes as we generally talked to each one for close on an hour. Skype is certainly a wonderful thing when overseas as it keeps us in regular contact with the family and also some friends who are also on Skype. We also use it for making very cheap phone calls to the mothers. Skype to Skype is free.
Some other kiwi friends arrived in here late yesterday so they had morning tea with us this morning and we are heading off to the golf club for dinner tonight and on Saturday we are hoping we are going to be able to watch the rugby at the golf club.
We will head off to KK early next week and perhaps have 2 nights in the marina in order to take in the free dinner on Saturday week and then we will head on south to Miri, doing day hops, arriving there on 23rd or 24th, then decommission the boat before flying out from Miri at 10am on 30th Sept. Spend a night in KL and fly to Melbourne on 1st Oct to spend the weekend with Leith & Hannah and fly on to Auckland on 5th October.
I think that about covers our news for the time being so until next time.
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08/14/2009, Sutera Harbour Marina
Friday, 14th August 2007
I always have good intentions of trying to update the blog more regularly but somehow it does not seem to happen.
Saturday, 1st August we found out that the fuel injection pump was going to be ready for pick up later on during the day so we decided to catch a 9am bus down to the ferry terminal at Muara to do our Customs, Immigration and Marine Department check out of Brunei to save time. In all about an hour's journey for $B1.00 each. Once done we then waited a little while to catch a bus back to the city, BSB, and then caught another bus out to pick up the fuel injection pump, then back to the yacht club, back onto Pied A Mer, finally back on board at 3pm, only to find that while we were away the boat had dragged about 500m when there was a bit of a blow. The yacht club staff actually boarded it to make sure nothing drastic happened and then finally the anchor took hold. The next 3 ½ hrs were spent with Dave fitting the fuel injection pump back on - not an easy job at all in a small confined place and once fitted the injectors had to be bled several times before the engine would finally start. We finally up anchored at 6.50pm (found 5 plastic bags stuck on the anchor so no wonder we dragged) and headed down the river in the dark, then out to sea to do the 103 miles to Sutera Harbour, Kota Kinabalu. We sailed and motor sailed most of the way in order to arrive at Sutera to meet up with Leith and his friend Bjorn and to go to the final rally dinner. We had some good sailing but a few more problems with the motor - found the alternator wasn't charging the batteries and also it would not idle. However we made good time and arrived at Sutera Harbour Marina at 12.20pm on Sunday, 2nd August having done 103 miles in 17 ½ hrs.
Sutera Harbour Marina is a fabulous set up and along with the marina, three first class hotels, a 27 hole golf course, numerous swimming pools, including a 50 metre one, a gymn, badminton & squash courts, bowling alley, movie theatre, tennis courts and numerous bars and restaurants plus a free shuttle bus into town and back hourly and we in the marina have the use of all these facilities. Luxury living really at a fraction of the price!
Leith & Bjorn arrived to join us not long after we arrived as they had flown up from Kuching the night before.
Sunday night was the big rally finale and what a night it was too. The evening started with cocktails on the promenade and all us ladies were presented with a 6 metre piece of material which would make a sari. We then adjourned to the covered tennis courts for the dinner and entertainment and what a fabulous night it was and all for free and put on by the Sabah Tourism Board. You can see what a night it was when you look at the photos.
The alternator was taken away to be looked at on the Monday and apparently only needed a service but did not arrive back until last Wednesday.
On the Monday morning, Hardeep (Sail Malaysia organiser) gave us all a lesson on how to put on a sari with the 6m piece of material we were all given - there is quite an art to it and I also got her to show us how to put on a sewn together sarong from the lovely pieces of batik we were given in Terengganu.
Last Tuesday (4th) Leith, Bjorn and us hired motor scooters for 24 hrs and we set off to what is the new Immigration building to do our bit as we had not checked in since leaving Brunei. Well what a performance, we were sent from pillar to post and all to no avail so gave up and then we all took off to the Mt. Kinabalu National Park - an 88km trip from Kota Kinabalu. With Dave and I on one bike it was a bit hard on the rear end for that distance and hill climbing all the way so could not go very fast. However it was worth the trip and it was decidedly cooler which was nice. Kinabalu Park is a World Heritage site and we went as high as 1866m above sea level which is as high as one can go before stating the walk to its peak which is 4095m. Dave is quite keen to do the climb which one usually does over two days but you have to have guides etc. and is quite an expensive exercise and only small groups can go at a time and you have to do it through a tour company. Finally got back to town just after 7pm ad went to the big night market for some supplies and had dinner there - Philipino barbecue which is mainly fish and is well known here and was very good.
Dave and I set off into town on the scooter first thing Wednesday morning to do the customs, immigration thing as we were illegal immigrants up until that point. Once again we were duck shoved around but finally after 2 hrs got it done with a bit of a wrap over the knuckles from Immigration! We then took the scooters back and that afternoon got the alternator back and on but still having a few problems - the light and the alarm won't stop going while the motor is running. However we decided not to worry about it for a couple of days and headed out to a couple of islands out from Kota Kinabalu for Thursday and Friday for Leith to do some diving and us to do some snorkeling and Dave and I gave the hull of the boat a good clean. We spent Thursday night in Police Bay, Gaya Island along with Solan and we had a barbecue dinner together. Solan had cleared out and are heading up to the Philippines, across to New Guinea, the Solomon's, Louisiades and then on down to Townsville and hoping to be there by November. A big trip in such a short time span and they left us on Friday morning.
We came back into the marina late Friday afternoon and on Saturday morning the boys left and flew from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and haven't heard from them since as they were going up a river for 3 days to do some jungle trekking as well as hoping to dive at Sipadon. Leith flies back to Melbourne this weekend and Bjorn is staying on for another 3-4 weeks so he may spend a bit more time with us on the boat.
There is a big market in Gaya Street (which is closed to the traffic) on a Sunday so we went there but it is mainly trinkets, souvenirs etc. with a little bit of fruit and vegetables = wouldn't bother going again, although I bought 2 light shift dresses (they are cooler to wear than shorts etc.) for $NZ14.
This week has been pretty quiet as we have spent most of it waiting for the mechanic to come and look at the alternator. Was to come on Monday and finally arrived Wednesday afternoon and the alternator came off again, was to come back this morning but as yet we are still waiting.
The tooth that I had fixed in Terengganu lasted about 4 weeks so on Tuesday I went to a dentist here to get a crown done. Was there for 2 hours and have a temporary crown for a couple of weeks. Eat your heart out all those who have had crowns done in NZ or Australia - total cost 600RM ($NZ260). After having that done took myself off to a hairdresser to get my hair cut as I had not had it done since the end of March in Langkawi. It was a really short hair cut though. Was a bit hit and miss as to what I would get but it is fine and I am quite happy with it.
Dave was working on the wiring of the anchor switches on Monday and decided to let himself down into the boat from the front hatch (shower) and slipped, catching his ribs on the edge of the hatch so is now in agony with either cracked or broken ribs. Fortunately we have a good supply of voltaren.
Tuesday night the remaining yachties who are still in the marina went to the Kota Kinabalu sailing club for dinner to celebrate Ginny from Pura Vida's 60th birthday. Was a good night but by the time we came to come home the heavens had opened and we had some pretty solid rain for a couple of hours.
Dave and I went into town late yesterday afternoon to have a bit of a look around and do a few things and had dinner in town at a Chinese restaurant before getting the resort bus back. I think that just about brings us up to date. It is now only 6 weeks on Monday until we fly into Auckland and I am really looking forward to our trip home as you can all imagine.
KOTA KINABALU
Kota Kinabalu or KK as it is commonly called is the capital of Sabah and was granted city status in 2000 and has a modern infrastructure and quite a vibrant city It was originally named Jesselton after Sir Charles Jessel, the Vice Chairman of the British North Borneo Chartered Company and was a British settlement. To liberate North Borneo from Japanese occupation during WW1, Allied Forces bombed and completely destroyed Jesselton, leaving only three colonial buildings standing. The high cost of re-building forced the Chartered Company to relinquish their land right over North Borneo to the British Government. North Borneo became a British Crown Colony in July 1946 and Jesselton was selected the new capital of North Borneo to replace Sandakan which was also destroyed during WW11.
Jesselton was renamed Kota Kinabalu on 30 Sept 1968 for the majestic Mt. Kinabalu which is the highest mountain in SE Asia. Most of KK has been built on reclaimed land.
There is certainly a lot to see and do in Borneo and it surprises us that there is not more promotion of it as a holiday destination in NZ. I will endeavour to load photographs tomorrow
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