November 9, 2007
We checked out of Vietnam, boarded another boat, went a few hundred meters upstream, disembarked again presumably at the other side of the border, handled the formalities, and were welcomed into Cambodia without any further drama. Boarding the boat for the last time, we were finally on our way to Phnom Penh. Well, [...]
October 8
One of the great things about being based in Langkawi is that the airport is just a 10-15 minute hop from the marina, and there are regular connections via Malaysia Airlines to Kuala Lumpur or “K-L”. From there we popped down to Singapore. The three-hour layover was enough time to collect bags, check in [...]
We took a bit of a break from cruising, from late April to late June, to visit friends and family in the United States, and explore a bit of Hong Kong and China. Returning to Moonshadow, which was lying in Langkawi, we were staring at a pretty long list of things to do and get [...]
Continue reading about The Malacca Strait: Langkawi to Singapore
After a three-month summer break in New Zealand, we returned to the Malaysian island of Langkawi. Stepping off the plane, we were immediately assaulted by 32 C/90 F temperatures and about 90% relative humidity. In these conditions, one has to downshift into low gear and keep the pace very slow to avoid becoming drenched in [...]
This past November, with two rallies, four countries and five thousand miles of sailing all in our wake, we were looking forward to winding down the season with some relaxed and easy cruising.
We had more than a month up our sleeves before we planned to fly back to New Zealand for our “summer break,” [...]
Approaching the “Hole in the Wall”
The cluster of 105 beautiful islands near the Malay-Thai border called Langkawi was the final destination of our rather loosely scheduled Southeast Asian “rally” that began in Darwin at the end of July. SailAsia, our sponsors, offered the entire rally fleet a week’s stay at the lovely Telaga Harbour Marina, [...]
Mention the Straits of Malacca to almost any sailor, and the first thing they are likely to say is “pirates!” This busy shipping lane certainly has a long-standing reputation as one of the world’s piracy hot spots, and rightfully so. But in recent years, apparently due to increased police patrols resulting from the cooperation of [...]
Continue reading about The Strait of Malacca to the Andaman Sea
We generally consider Jimmy Cornell’s World Cruising Routes (available on SetSail) to be the bible as it relates to planning our cruising routes. Heading north from Bali to Kalimantan and/or Singapore, Jimmy recommends heading back up the Lombok Strait, along the east coast of Bali. As expected, most of the yachts departing Bali before us [...]
Continue reading about Bali, Borneo, the Kumai River and the Orangutan Rehabilitation Camps
Merima and friend.
We had heard and read that the channels between the islands in the Indonesian archipelago are home to some of the most treacherous waters in the world. There are many accounts of swift currents, tidal rips, whirlpools and massive overfalls, the likes of which are not seen anywhere else on the planet. While [...]
A local boat enjoying a sail off the coast of Lombok
With nothing much notable to offer the cruiser, we decided to give Sumbawa Island a miss. We left Banta early in the morning and did an overnight, 165-mile sail straight to Lombok Island. Lombok is the westernmost island in the Indonesian regency of E Nusa [...]
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