Tuesday, March 10, 2009
An introduction from a friend called Bronwyn, some brief email exchanges and two phone calls heralded the most exciting suggestion befallen me in years. I’d nothing more to do than pack a bag and ride a bus to Singapore.
My companions for the next two weeks were holed up in Raffles Marina. They’d both travelled from Mooloolaba in Queensland, Australia, over recent months and were taking some time to recuperate in the southern extremes of the Malacca Straights.
Their passage had been via Darwin, North Australia and on through some of the more remote Islands of Indonesia, one of which had left it’s indelible marks on this remarkable pair.
The younger of my two future companions was no more than 18 months in age. Her name is Minx. Many of her assets were presented in pairs. Her form was sleek and refined and many would use the term sexy to help create an accurate image of her lines.
The elder of my two future companions I found in sunglasses, t shirt and shorts enjoying a healthy fruit and nut breakfast tucked up in Minx’s lap on the Sunday morning of my arrival.
He is vibrant and flamboyant. His name is Jon..
Visually they complemented each other admirably, or should that be admirally!
Minx is a 38ft state of the art, cruising catamaran.
Jon is a state of the art, flamboyant, entrepreneur.
I was introduced to both by Jon over the ensuing few hours. Histories, both recent and beyond were exchanged in an easy flow of conversation that signalled a healthy respect and friendly future for us as friends and team mates in our adventure ahead.
We needed to be as confident as we could that Minx was ready for the passage in front of us. We were going to head out from Singapore to Langkawi, a distance of about 500 nautical miles up through the Malacca Straights between Malaysia and Indonesia. I was to be Captain Jon’s single crew member.
Minx held some concerns for us, an on board toilet malfunction, a battery charger that had failed, an outboard engine that wouldn’t start and a starboard engine that had just been refitted after some repairs at an adjacent dockyard. We attended to items with our combined knowledge and resourcefulness, slowly bringing ourselves to a point of sufficient confidence. In the course of these activities I was provided with a handsome understanding of the many facets of Minx’s character and build.
This work was interspersed with introductions to Jon’s recently made friends and acquaintances on and off boats at the marina. Tom and Witney made contrasting impressions on my conscious person during those few days. Both were engineers; Tom of marine diesels and Witney of attraction.
It was Wednesday before we had Minx properly prepared. Thursday mid morning saw us maneuvre gingerly out of the berth and into the channel between the Jurong side of Singapore and Malaysia. Jon, Minx and Me. The emotion was elation. The mood excited apprehension. Within the hour we were to have our first taste of the sensitive Singapore, Malaysia relationship. We were flying the Singapore flag. Replacing it with the Malaysian flag was the least of our concerns as we made our way into Malaysian waters. A Malaysian coastal marine patrol saw it differently. We spotted the officious looking vessel approaching from our stern at 12 to 15 knots. It was at least 35’, steel and stoutly. Through binoculars I recognized the Malay inscription indicating a government maritime vessel. It’s heading was clearly our direction. Within twenty seconds of its arrival at our stern it moved to a parallel heading and passed within 20 feet of Minx. We rocked violently in the wash. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez. ‘What was that all about?’ I enquired of Jon as he spun the helm wheel to bring the nose of Minx across the sizeable bow waves. ‘I guess we’d better exchange that Singaporean flag for the Malaysian flag.’ was Jon’s cool response.
The following days brought a multitude of new and breathtaking experiences to my 55 plus years on this planet. We were at sea and at one with the elements. Weather, wind, waves, tides, the sun, the moon were all both our allies and our enemies. We were in their hands yet in control. We learnt the weather patterns and sailed well in the late morning and afternoons. The main sail and genoa often pushed us toward 10 knots in the north westerly’s of the late day. We experimented with the screecher but the main and genoa produced a nice balance.
We were at anchor overnight for the first three nights. The first two being at Pulau Pisang and then at Muar.
The third wasn’t planned. Melacca looked attractive as we approached the city from the murky out waters during the late afternoon of the third day. It felt attractive too, after two nights at anchor. We could almost hear the Melaccan Tiger roaring on our approach. We were running only the port engine. The starboard engine had begun limping on the second day and we were only running it when absolutely necessary. We’d furled the genoa and the brought down the mainsail. Our speed would have been less than 5 knots. We’d had to maintain a constant watch for fishing nets, usually marked with white buoys… irritatingly, often disguised by the late afternoon white caps. There had been a sampang off our port bow with a couple of busy fisherman hauling nets up. After careful inspection of their activity through the binoculars we chose to keep them on our port side. The dull klunk from the port prop was our only indication of the mistake. Jon was quick to throw the engine into neutral and we spent 10 to 15 minutes hoping that we’d escaped with a mere collision on the buoy. We daren’t run the engine until we understood the situation fully. The fishermen continued to gather their net. We dropped anchor. The fishermen continued to gather their net. The sampang edged its way toward Minx. We realized the worst. The elder of the two fishermen demanded RM200 as the sampang bobbed up and down perilously close to Minx’s pristine body work. Negotiations were heated but oddly enough perforated with the occasional Malay chuckle. We finally parted with 50, 000 IR and a handful of Singapore coins before the nets were cut and the Malay fishermen departed into the dusk presumably to treat themselves to a KFC, via a money changer, courtesy of Graham and Jon. An unsuccessful attempt to get under the boat and free the prop from a mass of net and chord preceded a third night at anchor. During calmer waters at first light the following morning I managed to get below the boat armed with gulps of air and a knife. Within 30 minutes we were free of net and chord and on our way.
Jon, Minx and I arrived at Port Dixon, Admiral Marina on the evening of Sunday the 1st of March. Entry to the marina was simple. However it was the first time that Jon and I had worked that exercise together and as with many of the boaty operations that we have had to conduct together, we still have to refine the initially discussed process to have it run really smoothly.
Chandran was at the wharf to help us tie up.
David and Bronwyn were at Blitz just a few berths away to help us relax.
Blitz lubrication was gin and tonics mixed in generous proportions by Bronwyn. The bite of the quinine and the buzz of the gin encouraged a chattery hour of status updates and adventure exchanges before David needed to leave for the airport and a hospital appointment in England the following day!
Jon and I retired to the bar to allow the love birds a peaceful cooing of goodbyes. Food at the bar had not received any rewarding accolades from the Blitz crew so we ordered cautiously and bade our time with a couple of beers and a game of pool at the toytown pool table. I must have been over ginned. I lost at pool and the beer tasted as though it had been pulled direct from the Marina. We tried not to complain but it was impossible. There was a rumour that a barrel was being changed somewhere; our expectations were lifted and relaxed smiles replaced disappointed frowns as mental pictures of Tiger barrels being rolled and taps being loosened lifted and re-applied submerged the taste of pee from the Marina.
I would like to think that the exercise with the beer caused some extra care with meal preparation and presentation. It tasted better than the beer anyway.
A further two nights at Port Dixon allowed Jon and I to say goodbyes to Bronwyn, explore local stores and restaurants, and enjoy a ‘finale’ evening of dance and song with a Philippino band at an otherwise deathly quiet hotel on the Port Dixon run in. I’ll remember how well Chris sang ‘Bleeding Love’ and ‘Better in Time’ for years to come!
We were moving again early the following morning. It was half a days sailing to Port Klang’s Selangor Yacht club. The mooring process left us in less than joyous cheer. There was a very strong current that hindered a remote mooring to a pontoon that was losing its mooring stays to rust and general dilapidation. Later in the evening Mr. Maney (pronounced Money) a local haulage businessmen with endless enthusiasm for everything turned the evening around. Pool and beer amongst his troupe in the clubhouse closed with a drive into Klang town to consume late night oxtail soup and kway teow. Mr Maney courteously drove us back to the marina and tipped the night watchman to ferry us to the remote pontoon mooring. Look after yourself Mr. Maney.
There was nothing to keep us at Port Klang. We departed early afternoon the following day and endured one further overnight anchorage before a pre dawn departure to make the long sail to Lumut.
Sadly I had run out of time and I felt more than a little sad to leave Jon with his task of boat preparation for the onward journey and the sourcing of a replacement crew member. I am looking forward to crew for Jon again at some time in the future.
I enjoyed every minute of the whole journey, learnt a tremendous amount about myself, sailing and Minx, and made a fantastic friend in Jon Hope. I would like to end this chronological text with a big thank-you to Jon for allowing me the opportunity to join him and for making it a resounding success in so many ways. A fantastic fellow!
Down The Road 