On October 9th we finally leave Raffles Marina in Tuas for our first trip. Our plan is to be away for 2 to 3 weeks, heading around Singapore and up the Malaysia East Coast towards Tioman.
It has rained all morning and we thought we would miss the slot: to be sure we will arrive at our first destination, Lazarus Island, before nightfall we need to leave no later than noon.
Around 11 it started to rain less, so I went to the marina office to settle the bill. We had a short ceremony to celebrate our first proper departure on Rainbow Safari, including important words and a sparkling apple juice toast. Then we unplugged the power cables, untied the lines and around 1 p.m. set off. As we pulled out of the box and turned out to sea the rain stopped and the sun came out.
Day 1: Tuas to Lazarus. About 4 hours, all motor. Uneventful, although we passed through one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and past the industrial heart of Singapore. Our first encounter with the Singapore Police force on water: their patrol boats are very active and check foreign boats traveling through Singapore waters. Very friendly and polite, but we have not had a single day sailing in Singapore without a police check.
Day 2: We want to start the day with a visit to Lazarus beach, but by the time we finish breakfast there is a thunderstorm so instead we head to Sisters Island for immigration out of Singapore (they pull up next to you with their boat, check who is on board and process passports, all at sea), then motor past Sentosa and central Singapore, along the East Coast and through the big ship anchorages, past Changi airport and naval base, and across to Tanjung Pengelih in Malaysia, where we arrive and anchor mid afternoon. We dinghy to the harbour office, but by the time we are there and have figured out where to go it is 5 p.m. and they are closed for the day.
Day 3: Early start at harbour master and immigration. They need all of us there, so return to boat and get Ute.. by the time we are all done and ready to leave it is noon. Welcome to Malaysia. It starts to rain as we head along the coast, and as we turn around the Southeast corner of Malaysia and start to head North the waves are short and choppy and the boat starts to rock a bit. We have some wind and can sail a few hours, but at the price of our first encounter with seasickness. With evening approaching we anchor off Desaru, in about 6m depth on sand. Fortunately the anchor digs in on the first attempt, and over night the waves calm down and we get some sleep.
Day 4: We wake up early and raise the anchor before breakfast. There is a spot of wind and we raise our sails and move up the coast until about 11, when the wind falls asleep. We start the engines and continue, but the sea has calmed down and the sun is back. By 15:45 we arrive at Pulau Sibu and anchor at the Southern Bay where the beach looks great. We lower the dinghy into the water and head over, but find the water is very shallow and we need to wade through sandy puddles for the last 50m. The kids are having a great time though, hunting for crabs and digging in the sand.
Day 5: At anchor in Sibu. We tidy the boat from the trip up, then take the Dinghy around the island to explore the next beach, on the East coast. It’s a beautiful beach that we have to ourselves, with waves big enough for the kids to play but quite safe. The restaurant on the beach is closed, so we have to return home for lunch. There is an afternoon thunderstorm so we use the time for some homeschooling. The wind gusts to about 29 knots, but our anchor is keeping us in place.
<to be continued >
Rainbow Safari 