Removing River Gunk

Back in Sarawak, northern Borneo, we experienced significant staining on the bow from the river waters. The Suriname River brought it all back to us and we arrived at Waterland Marina with a significant brown "moustache" on the bow.

We found other boat owners were busy scrubbing with heavy duty cleaners and even kitchen scourers (yoiks) trying to remove the stains from their paint or gelcoat.

However Ley was able to erase the brown stain the easy way - with half a lemon.

Slice a lemon in half, squeeze a little to bring juice to the surface and wipe over the hull.

It doesn't disappear instantly, but it is much easier than other methods. A little sunshine also helps accelerate the process. Our neighbour tried using a lime and found that worked just fine too.

Fish Traps In Paradise

A common hazard in Thai coastal waters, fish traps create differing reactions among cruisers in the region.
Onboard Crystal Blues we work hard to avoid them, though it is common to be sitting in the cockpit and see one slide past only a metre away.  Oops.

The flags are often poorly maintained and they can be very hard to see subject to daylight conditions. Of course at night we have no chance, so our coastal navigation is almost always in daylight.

The dark fish trap flag in the photo above, a good boat length from Crystal Blues, is easy to see against the sky, but difficult against the darker water.  We pass many hundreds of these in a coastal day sail, and they are prolific north of Phuket, between Ban Thap Lamu and the Myanmar border.  One sailor I spoke to says he has given up worrying about them - he just ignores them.  Others I know have spent frustrating hours hooked up to traps, working to clear lines from rudders, skegs and propellers.  We value our paint job, so we do everything we can to avoid them.

A Month In Borneo

I Must Be Dreaming

Birthday surprise.

Crystal Blues is anchored on the very peaceful Sungai Tulai, and the sun is just peeping through the open hatches.  I'm still sleeping when I hear a choir of sweet young voices singing (very quietly) "Happy Birthday."  Of course I think I'm dreaming, so I lay in bed, sleeping, drifting off.  Then the choir starts up again, a little louder, and through the fog I realise - this is for real ! The singing is coming from the cockpit !  I stumble out of bed and through sleepy eyes I see nine children, a stack of gifts and a beautiful cake with candles burning.  After blowing out the candles, and opening the gifts, the children paddle home in their canoes.  What a fantastic way to start our birthday !

Then I turn on the computer.  As soon as Skype loads birthday messages and calls come flooding in.  Gary and Sue on SV Yaringa made a quick video call from Japan, just before they depart on passage to Alaska.  Our Seirra Wireless modem and the Celcom data card is provividng excellent service up here in the jungle. I quickly emailed some of the birthday images to Neil, who is still in Singapore.  Our birthdays will be spent apart, as Neil flew back to India and Singapore for a week of work.

Jungle Barbecue

Kikki and Betty preparing the middin fern

Jabu and Chanda suggested a barbecue in the jungle one afternoon and invited all the cruisers.  A children's committee was formed, menu and costings were calculated.  Coconut rice in bamboo, hot dogs, marinated chicken wings, fish bits, sausages and midden fern were on the menu.  I added an Aussie touch with potatoes in foil, cooked in the coals.  Next morning we speed off in the dinghy to purchase the supplies and others prepared the barbecue area and cut down the bamboo for the rice.
  

Two fires were prepared, one for the grill, one for the bamboo rice and potatoes.  While the food was cooking Jabu, Beretin and Dominic took the cruisers to explore the jungle.  The boys showed us large Nepenthes, (insect eating Pitcher plants), hanging orchids, birds nest ferns and many tall native fruit trees.  We arrived back as the food was being served on large green leaves.  Everyone agreed that it was a great adventure.

New reading glasses and big smiles!

Reading Glasses R Us

Kikii from SV Endelig and we on Crystal Blues had been collecting reading glasses and sun glasses.  One evening whilst visiting the long house we asked for a book and distributed the glasses.  Then we sat back as glasses were tested.  Eventually all those who needed new reading glasses found a suitable pair.  Our Iban friends will often "go without" with no complaints, but are happy to accept when the spirit is right.

Rubber Tapping Iban Style 

   

Jampie collecting the latex

Although this was our fifth visit to the longhouse, we had never visited a rubber plantation.  This year our good friend Jampie asked us if we would like to go and watch him tap and collect the white, silky latex.  Robert and Elaine (SV Sunrise) joined Ley and the kids early one morning to watch Jampie.  We saw the simple tool that is used to just skim open the the bark each morning.  He carefully poured the collected latex into a bottle and then turned over each cup so that the mosquitoes could not breed in them.     

Jentang and Asat rolling out the rubber.

The latex is then taken back to the long house and mixed with a coagulating chemical (an acid), left to firm up and then pressed out into rubber slabs.  These are then dried and sold off to the traders in town. Even after four years of visiting Rumah Lidam, we are still amazed by their culture and life skills.

Borneo River Action

Our Caribe "car" with a load of Iban visitors

We always think of our inflatable dinghy as our "car".  Here in Borneo, on the river Sungai Tulai, it is the quickest way for us to get to town, and really the only way to move around - visiting the long houses or bringing visitors to our boat.  Built by Caribe in Venezuela, it's now ten years old and still going strong.  On our last visit here the Caribe carried a mother in labour to hospital - and that child was named after Ley.  Last week it carried a badly injured young man to the same hospital, after he was involved in an accident in the longhouse.  Bleeding badly, he was carried from the longhouse in a woven sling under a stout pole and loaded onto the floor.  We hear that he survived, but may not have use of his fingers.

Local Boats 

Our Iban friend Jampie made his own boat 5 years ago.  He went into the jungle, cut the tree down and then cut the timber into long planks.  These were left to dry out and then he built his boat.  That tradition continues, though this year we were surprised to see new styles emerging - boats clearly built for speed.  This year, the young men are building small racing boats, practicing for a competitive regatta to be held on the river in July.  Though the designs are new, they're assembled with the same skills used by their fathers.  

 Each boat uses a small (standard) chinese manufactured petrol engine, air cooled with a single cylinder. Propeller selection and hull shape seems to be up to the builder.  Every day this week they've been carried down to the river and tested, sometimes with dramatic results. Iban boats are usually steered by a single paddle, held over the side.  These new boats have rudimentary rudders with a basic rope steering system.  These afternoon practice sessions are great entertainment for the locals - big and small, old and young, the community crowds the dock, offering words of encouragement and helpful suggestions. There is always alot of laughter. Neil uses our dinghy as the "crash" boat.  He has towed a few boats back to the dock and was instrumental in one rescue where the driver flew out of his boat whilst turning too sharply.  The boat sped off into the jungle along the riverbank.  It was totally hidden in the undergrowth and a machete was called for to hack a path into it.  All the time the engine was roaring away - no safety cut out switches here. 

Glamour For The Girls

There are three yachts now visiting the longhouses here on Sungai Tulai for the Gawai festival.  Yesterday afternoon the three cruising women decided to add a bit of glamour for the local girls.  They gathered up nail files, polish, polish remover and a splash of perfume, and headed into the long house.                                                                        

Ley gave a quick talk on  manicure and nail polishing techniques.  Nails were cleaned and filed, cuticles pushed down and then the painting began. One coat of clear base, two coats of colour and then two top protective coats - all in fairly rapid succession.  Extreme speed nail painting followed, but we all had a great time and many beautifully manicured hands were seen in the long house that evening. Many thanks to Kikki from SV Endelig and Christina from SV Roxy for helping hands and the perfume.

Sarawak Update

Crystal Blues anchored in the Santubong River

After a three day passage from Singapore, we dropped anchor in the Santubong River, where we're surrounded by peace and serenity.  Mt Santubong towered overhead, attracting a crown of clouds, whilst from it's slopes a chorus of jungle birds called.  Malay fishermen were quietly hauling in their nets and the ever shy Irrawaddy Dolphins were quietly surfacing around us.  It was a great welcome back for our 4th visit to Borneo.

Dollar and Pende, caretakers of Datu Linggi's house and dock here, were on hand to greet us.  They confirmed that cruisers are still welcome to tie their dinghy to the dock and that fresh, potable water is available.  A new development this year is the "No Berthing" sign - sadly some boats have abused the privilege of Datu Linggi's kindness, and have not only tied to the dock, but when asked to move on, they refused to do so.  This is not leaving a clean wake for others!

Ian and Mona, the owners of the Kuching registered SV Kumang, confirmed that there is still a sunken fishing boat immediately off the large Jabatan Laut dock.  Anchoring there, or too close to the fish farms, has caused problems for cruisers in the past.  Employing a diver to untangle your anchor is expensive in these crocodile infested waters.  And yes - we saw our first croc in the anchorage this visit! 

Reviewing the Rajang River charts with the Cartographers

Ian has kindly supplied a detailed Google Map of where to check in.  We also visited the Cartography Office of the Jabatan Laut, Sarawak Marine Department (Lot 683, Section 66, Jalan Utama, Tanak Puteh, Kuching) and purchased three recently updated charts for the Rajang River.  Charts required are SAR 1440, 1441 and 15.

We visited the new marina on the Kuching River and were advised that they have onshore facilities and there is water and power to some of the slips.  It is located some distance from Kuching adjacent to the new Convention Centre, before the bridge and barrage, but has none of the beauty of the Santubong anchorage.  It really is in the middle of an industrial waste land, though when the convention centre is finished it should all be different.

Three Days To Gawai!

Crystal Blues is now anchored on Sungai Tulai, in front of Rumah Lidam long house.  We have been blessed with wonderful friendships with these Iban families over the last 4 years, and have been warmly welcomed back into their homes and lives.  Last night we were invited into the long house for a jam session with the band.  Neil was given a few rhythm lessons by Jambar then the fun began.  We also shared a few glasses of tuak, yumai Iban home made rice wine.

We carefully walked down the boardwalk to the dinghy dock only to find our dinghy beached in knee high sloppy mud.  Neil waded in, pushed and pulled and finally the dinghy was freed - then we had to deal with mud caked legs, clothes and bags.  A refreshing midnight swim in the river cleaned us up.  Dealing with 5 metre tides makes for interesting times up river.

Back To Work

Neil at work

We stunned quite a few friends with this decision, whilst others thought we had sailed off the edge of the world. We just see it as part of the adventure.

Late last year Neil was offered a position with Space Matrix Design Consultants in Singapore, to establish a new multi-media business similar to our previous enterprise in Australia.  The new operation would be part of the turn key solutions that Space Martix wanted to offer to their clients.  Space Matrix is one of the fastest growing architectural and interior design firms in Asia.  It is Singapore based, with offices in India, Bangkok and Sydney.  Our good friend (and best man) Steven Shaw is the Regional Design Director, hence the arm twisting offer.

A few weeks into work Neil added another hat to his Multi-Media role, by taking on the management of Space Matrix's IT teams. As most of Space Marix's offices and his AV and IT staff are based in India, there will be a lot of travelling involved.

So we have based ourselves and Crystal Blues at OneDegree 15 Marina in Singapore and are enjoying the change of life.  Neil's wardrobe has been expanded with new work clothes, whilst Ley has taken on the care and maintenance of Crystal Blues (and Neil).

Neil started work in early March, after our shake down cruise to the Andaman islands.  We still manage to cast off the dock lines every other weekend, drop the anchor and chill out with friends.  One weekend our godson, Ethan Shaw and his younger brother stayed onboard, so the boat and the systems are still getting a good work out.

Najat ( dancing) at Gawai

9 Days To Gawai Festival

Our younger Iban friends have been bombarding us with text and Facebook messages, plus emails with questions and countdowns for Gawai. Neil telephoned our friend Jampie in the longhouse on Sungai Tulai, Sarawak, this week and told him that we would be there this year to share in the celebrations.  For the dayak peoples of Borneo, the Gawai festival is like Christmas, New Year & Thanks Giving all rolled into one.

We don't know who is the most excited, as we have really missed all our friends at the longhouse Rumah Lidam, on the Tulai River.  It will be only a short visit, due to work commitments, but we'll party hard, hopefully celebrating with lots of music and dancing.

Time To Go ......

Our Iban friends waving goodbye on Sungai Tulai

Each departure has its own emotional signature - leaving Australia over 4 years ago was different to leaving Borneo 18 months ago.  In each case the lead-up is similar - prepare the vessel, stock up, share special moments with family and friends, then say goodbye. As cruisers (sea gypsies?) we soon learn to quickly look ahead to our next destination and to savour what it might offer - that is, after all, why we do this. When we departed Borneo last time the entire community was there to see us off, and many tears were shed on the dock and on board Crystal Blues.

Tomorrow, we depart Thailand after 15 months of serious refit work,  plus various part time employment in the region. We won't be shedding any tears.  Its not that we don't love the people (we do), and we have made some fabulous friends, its just that 15 months is too long - our sea gypsy blood requires us to move farther and more often than we have been able.

So the past week or so has seen a familiar tension re-enter our life, as Ley tries cutting the dock lines every day and I urge caution and point out the important jobs still on our to-do list.  This is a personal conflict we've waged many times.  Lately, with the boat looking so beautiful, its easy to feel like I should just roll over and agree. Each time I look at Crystal Blues she seems to want to move, so it feels like both the women in my life are ganging up on me.  Its difficult ....

Ready and waiting at Grand Ao Po Marina, Phuket

Yesterday we filled our tanks (fuel & water) and sea-trialled our re-commissioned auto-pilot system.  Everything worked, so I declared us OK to depart.  Ley baked more bread, the outboard motor disappeared into the forward hold, the dinghy was strapped into the davits and we requested yet another weather forecast.  Today we drove down to Ao Chalong and cleared both immigration and customs, so we're officially on our way at last.

On the way home we purchased our final stock of fresh produce and had dinner at a favourite local restaurant - steamed whole fish, three different varieties of mushrooms and lots of lovely stir fried local vegetables. When we explained to the restaurant owners that we were leaving they immediately showered us with gifts - fresh local fruits for our voyage - the Thai people can be so generous.

We launched on December 4, so it has taken almost six weeks to complete the necessary jobs on board, working 7 days a week.  Today we're sailing for Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, where we plan to spend a few weeks of well earned chill out, before returning to Thailand.  Fair winds all.

Borneo / Sarawak Cruising Information

We're still planning to visit Borneo this year, but for those who will undoubtedly be there before us, some of this news may assist.

New Check-In Procedures in Kuching

Anchoring at Santubong is always a delight, it is a very special and beautiful place (that's Samsara II in the anchorage in the image at right). However in the past the check-in procedures were always a little daunting.

I'm pleased to say that things have improved, with the Harbour Master now re-located to a building on the new Express Wharf, right where the high speed ferries berth. Unfortunately it is on the other side of the port boundary fence from the Immigration office, but it is a lot more convenient than before! To help with Check-In, Ian Robertson of SY Kumang in Kuching, has updated the procedures document for visiting yachts.

You can download the guide here, or from the Borneo Cruising Information area, lower down in the right hand column of this site. Of course if you're travelling as one of the rally boats to Borneo this year you probably won't need the guide, but then you also won't see the Santubong at its most peaceful .... I just can't imagine 40 boats anchoring in that place. The very shy and rare Irrawady Dolphin can usually be seen there, which leads me to our next story....

Dolphins In Sarawak Waters

There is a UNIMAS team doing a survey of Dolphins in Sarawak coastal waters. Ian Robertson has been in contact with the survey team and offered the services of passing yachts as dolphin spotters. Ian says the more people we can get involved the better. Nothing too strenuous just note down when / where / numbers / species etc. If possible with photos, then relax having put in a hard day's spotting for a good cause!

Information about the survey and response forms are available here. There are both online and downloadable forms for recording details.

Borneo Cruising Resources List - Updated

Over the last month we've updated and re-loaded all the major Asian marine resource directories that can be downloaded from this blogsite (check the right hand column).

If you have an earlier version of the Borneo list, or haven't seen it yet, you can get the new one by clicking here. Remember these are .pdf files, and are designed to be searched to find the resource you're chasing. If you type say "heat exchanger" into the search query box, the Adobe software will pop up with all the service options we've found and included. All of the updated guides, country by country, can be downloaded from the table in the right hand column of
this blog.

1000 Miles To Phuket

Latitude 06 degrees 32.31 North, Longitude 099 degrees 25.16 East. The Southern Andaman Sea

Its 1000 nautical miles (just under 2000km) from our long-house anchorage in Borneo to Phuket in Thailand. Right now we're just 90nm from Phuket and should arrive there tomorrow morning. Then we start work in earnest, as Crystal Blues will come out of the water onto the hard stand for a six month intensive refit and paint job.

We departed Sarawak, Borneo, on July 23rd, and paused in Singapore for a 4 day break that (typically) turned into a 2 week layover. Why does this always happen to us ? Catching up with friends is part of it, and being thoroughly entertained by the Stonham family (we call it being "Stonhamed") also took its toll. However we did spend a lot of time checking out equipment for an upcoming video shoot, completed our AIS transponder installation, re-installed our wifi antenna system to the davits aft and purchased a lot of the materials needed for the refit.

Our good friend Robert Goh, who lives in Singapore, is a newly initiated cruising sailor. He's also a 1st rate alpinist and mountain climber. Unfortunately he was caught up in the sad disaster that engulfed the climbing teams on K2 in Pakistan this season - Robert wasn't hurt, he was below the ice fall and he returned to base camp safely. Check his website here. His summit attempt has now been cancelled and he's naturally very disappointed. Robert's partner Elaine spent time with us as the disaster progressed, and is naturally quite relieved that he's on his way home.

We escaped from Singapore on Wednesday August 13, heading north up the Malacca Straits and arrived in Langkawi (Malaysia) exactly 2 days and 11 hours later. Every hour of that passage was on the engine - the "new" Cummins engine has now clocked over 2000 hours. There was no useful wind for the entire trip. The even newer Comar Automatic Identification System also proved its worth - more on that in a future story. 36 hours anchored at Kuah town in Langkawi let us abuse our credit cards whilst stocking up on essential duty free "beverages" and adding further to the collection of refit materials now clogging the boat.

Stashed below are 2 sheets of Dow RTM Styrofoam insulation for our new freezer box (each 2.6m long), plus a roll of vinyl marine hooding for Ley to make new covers. On deck we have a new aluminium extension ladder for access to the boat on the hard. A deck mount air-con unit loaned by SV Tweed fills the salon, thanks Jon & Pam (thats the Tweed crew in the image at left, breakfasting on Roti in Langkawi). Our aft cabin is full of grog, hardware, stainless steel angle, paint and spare parts. Its now a big floating hardware store, and it all has to come off the boat and go into storage when we arrive, along with everything else on the vessel - food, clothing, utensils, parts, tools, mast, rigging etc. This will take a while, though we hope to complete the transfer before we haul out on September 4th.

We departed Langkawi this morning and have a fine weather forecast for the next 24 hours - a little wind this time, so we're now motor sailing with 7 knots of breeze just aft the beam. Flat seas and sunny weather, little rain, its unusually mild for the South West monsoon. Ley and I expect to be in Thailand for 6 months, and will be renting a house for the duration, somewhere close to Phuket Boat Lagoon. Friends and family are always welcome, so please email or call us if you'd like to visit.

Kuching to Singapore, With AIS Onboard

After two months with our friends on the Tulai River, Crystal Blues departed Santubong (Kuching) at 11.00am on Tuesday, bound for Phuket (Thailand) via Singapore, Penang and Langkawi. As I write we are just 125 miles from One Degree 15 Marina in Singapore - it has been a magic run across the South China Sea. We covered 180 nautical miles in the past 24 hours.

Good winds have kept the boat speed well over 7 knots for hours at a time, and the forecast is for these conditions to hold. Right now we have 11.5 knots of true windjust aft the beam, boat speed is 7.5 knots and a favourable current is giving us 7.8 knots over the ground. Magical sailing, although its pitch black outside and the new moon won't rise for another hour - just before dawn.

On this voyage we're testing and commissioning our new Comar AIS (Automatic Identification System) installation. The system uses small vessel mounted VFH transceivers to transmit and receive vessel data - position, speed, course, name etc. This data is automatically received by other AIS equipped vessels, and the data is displayed on dedicated screens or overlayed onto electronic chart displays.

In our case the AIS targets and data are available on our Transas Navigation software chart display - so we can see our own vessel, plus all AIS equipped vessels as real time targets on the electronic chart. Check the image at right - or click here to download a larger hi-resolution screen image. Radar targets can also be overlayed and compared, making this an ideal active safety system. Right now we're receiving data and safety messages from vessls over 100 nautical miles away, so I'm very impressed. Its a real step forward in collision avoidance, a major concern for all cruising vessels. More on this in a future story on the web, once its fully commissioned.

AIS is already compulsory on larger vessels, and is moving into the recreational boating area. It's now compulsory on all private vessels in Singapore, and we think it will become compulsory in many other countries quite soon.

We should arrive in Singapore late tonight, with a planned stopover of four or five days. Our telephone number in Singapore is +65-9122-8094 (see the right hand pane).

Births, Deaths & Marriages

This is our third year visiting our friends on the Tulai River, and we thought we'd seen it all....regular readers will already know about the marriage, however life here has a way of grabbing you by the throat and forcing you to face reality.

A few days after our Aussie visitors headed back to Australia we were relaxing in the cockpit when a local longboat approached ... "Uncle, can you help us ?" they asked. "Of course, what is the problem ?" we said. "My wife is having a baby" he said ... "When ?" I asked ..."Maybe now" he said !!!

Wow .. They needed a fast trip to the clinic, and our Caribe dinghy is the fastest boat on the river. Quickly I threw some clothes on, Ley checked the fuel tank and the wife and husband climbed aboard. The grandparents were left in the longboat to travel down stream at a slower, traditional pace. So off we went, with me busily thanking God that we'd serviced the Tohatsu outboard and there was good air pressure in the tubes.

Always the wise one, Ley had spotted the storm clouds in the distance and thrown in our largest umbrella. As the rain started I slowed the boat and set the umbrella up as a kind of dodger ... mother-to-be and father sheltered behind that and off we went again, flat out to Bintangor town. Dodging logs and flotsam at 20 knots in a rain storm proved kind of challenging, but we got there OK. The clinic put them in an ambulance to Sarikei Hospital, and a healthy baby girl was born about two hours later. Thank heavens ! That's Grandmother at left, in the photo above, with a nervous mother at right.

The following Sunday Ley set off to church early, and was immediately aware of a loud keening and wailing coming from the longhouse. On arrival she learned that our friend Lucy had passed away in the early morning ... suddenly everything had changed in the longhouse. Lucy was 60 years old, had eight children, the youngest being only 13. She was regal and proud, a beautiful woman. Unfortunately she had high blood pressure, as many Iban do, and suffered a stroke in the early hours. With no transport available, the family sat with her until she passed away around 6.00am.

Lucy was laid out in the public area of the longhouse for two days while visitors and family arrived from all over Sarawak and Malaysia. We sat with the family, next to Lucy, while friends and relatives arrived and completed there lifetime relationship with her. Each person was able to sit with her, to talk, to sing their memories and to hold her hand. The family never left her side, sang to her, burned candles constantly and still managed to look after the dozens of visitors.

Frankly I've never been so moved by a social process - the ability of these folk to deal with death and face it positively, actively combining Christian and traditional practices, was awe inspiring. After 48 hours so many people had gathered it felt like a party ... the locals erected a special kitchen just to cook for the visitors, who all slept in the public space of the longhouse.

For three days no one in the longhouse worked - no fishing, no agriculture, no hunting. Then Lucy was buried by the community and her family, who asked specially that we take the final photograph of her, as seen above. As a practicing Catholic her final resting was organised differently to traditional Iban practice, which would have seen her laid out on a platform above ground. For another two weeks, the children in the longhouse must now be careful - no running, no music, no television, no entertainment. Life will be quiet.

We departed the Tulai River last Wednesday, on the outgoing tide. Given our close relationship this was a very sad departure - many tears were shed for days before, yet on the day our friends were all there on the river bank, wishing us safe travel. We really do love this river, but we love the people even more - they're family now, and it is very hard to leave them.

Crystal Blues is now anchored on the Santubong River, near Kuching, and will depart for Singapore tomorrow morning. The passage should take three days. Our next six months will be spent in Phuket, Thailand, refitting and painting Crystal Blues. Our refit booking starts in September, so we need to get a move on ... we have to cover 1000 nautical miles (about 2000km) in the next 2 weeks.

Did We Tell You About The Crocodiles ?

Late in May, Crystal Blues returned to the Tulai river, and found the children surprisingly reluctant to swim in the river. Then we discovered they had spotted some juvenuile crocodiles living down stream. It looked as though swimming was off the activity list, which was quite annoying given our hassles with crocs in Santubong.

Next day, the afternoon heat and the lure of the cool river overcame the crocodile fear. We all swam then, two or three times a day and our friends from the longhouse came down to the river each afternoon to bathe, swim and socialise. The crocodile threat appeared to be forgotton.

One night in the longhouse we asked if there had been any crocodile attacks on the Tulai River. The answer was a resounding NO - crocodiles are friends to the Iban people, and they live in harmony with the crocodiles. One day Ley, with young Jabu and Beretin, was coming back from town in the dinghy. They passed one of the smaller crocs sunning itself near the river bank. Jabu waved and said hello to the crocodile, maintaining that respectful relationship. Note that it took us five days of serious effort to eventually capture a photograph of that animal (about 2.5m long), as seen at right.

The Iban don't kill crocodiles, unless absolutely necessary. When we said we had actually eaten crocodile flesh (back in Australia) there was some consternation amongst our hosts....was this a bad omen ? The Iban who catch fish further upstream told us the crocodiles up there often damage their nets - so now we knew there were beasties both up and down the river. Yet we continued swimming, as did the locals, content that the respect between the animals and the people was real. Sitting back now, I can't tell you how we rationalised that, but it worked for us.

BIYC & Borneo Cruising Update

With a little under 4 weeks to go, preparations for this years event are moving ahead. Two local entries in the racing division will have local Sarawak Sail Team crews on board. A record number of visiting boats (over 20!) were anchored at Santubong for the Rainforest World Music Festival, with most now heading on to Miri and Labuan for the race start.

Dancing On The Tulai River

SV Harrier and SV Quoll 2 visited Sungai Tulai late in June for the "End Of Gawai" celebrations at longhouse Rumah Lidam. The local population worked hard to welcome everyone, and the Tuak was flowing. Harrier have moved on to Miri after Dennis stole the show with his own unique Ngajat (dance, at left), while Quoll 2 moved back to Santubong for the music festival. Ask Tim about his sumpit (blowpipe) skills - he placed third in a competition among many locals last week.

Unusual Weather

Some boats have experienced unusually heavy conditions on the crossing from Singapore and West Malaysia, with some damage to sails and canvas reported. On the Rajang Delta we've had an unusually wet two months. I'm told the south west monsoon is stronger than usual. Some dry season! With only two sailboats registered in the whole state, there are no sailmakers or sail repair services in Sarawak. Canvas workshops are available in Miri and Kuching, but straight stitch only. If you want zig-zag, you'll need to find a boat with a suitable machine onboard.

Santubong Wrecks

SV Blue Tango, one of many vessels to visit this year, had the bad luck to pick up a wreck on their anchor chain. We're told this happened off the Marine Police jetty, an area suggested to us for anchoring by the locals....and we've seen fishing boats anchored there in the past year. Never the less they had a serious problem, resolved only after hiring a diver and barge etc. Most unfortunate. We're now told there are two wrecks in that area, plus a sunken Japanese aircraft on the other side of the river.

A Visit To Sibu, Sarawak's Second Biggest City

Anchor opposite the express boat terminal, immediately downstream of the sawmill on the opposite bank. Sibu produce markets are exceptional, with unique packaging for live chickens. We recommend a visit to The Fisherman Restaurant, on the waterfront near the water taxi depot (downstream from the express boat terminal). They serve a unique blend of Chinese and Melanau cooking, lots of seafood, and the special Assam Prawn Soup is a must. In daylight hours your dinghy can be left safely on the long express boat pontoon - go around the upstream end of the pontoon and then come back towards the terminal building between the river bank and the pontoon. However that dock is locked up each evening, so at night we use the public dock immediately downstream from the water taxi depot (its right opposite The Fisherman Restaurant). Again we use the shore-side of the floating pontoon, leaving the river side open for commercial traffic. Be sure that your dinghy is locked in both places. Fresh water can be obtained from a tap at the water taxi / fuel depot - if you go in at high tide the tap is only a few metres from your dinghy (I wouldn't recommend putting your yacht anywhere near that dock).

The night market in Sibu is a delight, with many types of local food, clothing, jewellery, gadgets etc. We shop at the council market in the heart of town for vegetables and fruit - the range is fantastic. If you want to see the country further up river, you can take an express boat from here to Song and Kapit, 120km inland. I recommend a visit to the Tun Jugah Museum at Fort Sylvia in Kapit. Coincidentally, it is Datuk Linggi, son of Tun Jugah, who makes available the floating dock at Santubong that is so valuable to visiting cruising boats.

Haul Out Facilities

SV Court Jester arrived in Santubong with a persistent leak - they needed to dry out to access the source. In the end they careened on the piles at Santubong, quite successfully. There is a concrete hard stand area at Miri Marina, serviced by mobile crane. Whilst it is quite full at the moment, Captain Fin advises they would do everything possible to help a distressed vessel. Next stop after Miri for haulout is the big travel lift at Kudat. Prices there have risen recently, but are still reasonable. Check our Marine Services Directory (right hand column) for contact details.

More Boats Visit Sungai Tulai

Whilst the annual Gawai festival is officially over, our Iban friends on Sungai Tulai continue to extend hospitality to visiting boats. Last week we met cruising yachts Circe, Dream Catcher, Millenium and Callala in Bintangor and arranged for them to visit. They came up stream in convoy the next day. Donations from the boats to the fire victim at Rumah Suring were graciously accepted, then the crews were hosted with traditional wine, music and dance at Rumah Labang. That evening the Rumah Lidam families provided a traditional Iban meal inside the longhouse, followed by hours of conversation and tuak (rice wine).

Miri Marina Arrival Information

Head for the giant Seahorse - if you miss that, the next most obvious landmark will be the big smile on Capt. Fin's face (just joking). We sounded the entrance to Miri Marina on October 10 last year, and measured 1.45m on a 0.0m tide (this depth occuring well within the sea walls). Captain Fin recommends using a minimum 1.0 metre tide for entry, and believes there is more water now than we measured last year. The bottom shelves gradually on approach to the entrance. We recommend keeping around 75m clear (SSW) of the sea walls before turning into the entrance. Plenty of water in the pond itself, but don't swim there - I've personally seen a crocodile in the canals beyond the marina, though Capt. Fin tells me thay caught that one a few months ago....

Brunei Anchorage Update

Patrick & Elizabeth on SV Labarque have confirmed that Allan Riches' notes (offered via Sailmail and also included in Envy's compilation) seem to be out of date. According to the Brunei Police, the only authorised anchorage in the Brunei River is now off the Royal Brunei Yacht Club at Serasa (05-00.2N, 115-04.1E, or thereabouts). Labarque tried anchoring up river (in town) but met problems with garbage, officialdom and locals. The holding at Serasa is very good and the club welcomes visitors. From the anchorage you can take the dinghy to the ferry terminal to check in.

Fuel is available at the Shell marine station some five miles inland from Serasa (04-55.98N, 115-01.12E). Subsidised fuel is no longer available. Diesel for foreign vessels costs B$1.30 a litre. You'll need a barge board to lie alongside the fuel wharf comfortably. We've re-fueled Crystal Blues there many times - best to arrive at high tide, slack water. Brunei is well worth a visit. We know of one boat that was hit by a barge when anchored in town, so the yacht club anchorage at Serasa is definitely the place to be. Do lock your dinghy and outboard motors though .... we lost an outboard motor there last year. See our stories here & here.

Blowpipes, Mushrooms & Friendship

Seven weeks have passed since our arrival on the Tulai River. The first few weeks were frantic, including a wedding here at longhouse Rumah Lidam plus the Gawai Dayak celebrations. In early June we were also invited to our first Gawai Antu (Festival Of The Dead), held at nearby longhouse Rumah Labang. The images from Gawai Antu are available here, and in the photo gallery in the right hand column.

Life settled down just a little after that. With help from local friends Hillary & Jampie we were able to acquire a good quantity of hand made "laja" (blowpipe darts), and the people of Rumah Lidam turned their hands and lungs to a very unusual competition. This was a first for almost all of them - a blowpipe hadn't been used by these people for more than a generation. After the first day's entertainment several old blowpipes appeared out of the local biliks (homes), though all were warped or damaged, and unuseable. Using Neil's new (& straight) blowpipe, the competition final was held on June 30.

On June 28 the world turned upside down again with the arrival of family friend Diana Farrell and her friend Charlotte (at left). Two 18 year old aussie girls certainly caused a stir on the river, and in the local towns. They were delivered to the longhouse in great style, carried aboard an Iban longboat. That night was the end of Gawai, and the celebrations included dressing Ley and both girls in traditional Iban costume. Thats "Princess" Ley in the photo at right.

Our friends here keep us well supplied with local foods and are eager for us to sample everything from local river snails to Pangolin and tapioca leaf. The wild mushrooms shown here look red and dangerous to the newcomer, but taste delicious when cooked (lightly spiced). Last week Jampie cut a large bunch of fruit from the Napa Palm along the river bank. The nuts were separated from the bunch and then cut open on the dock. Inside is a delicious clear milk, just like coconut milk. Surrounding the milk is a clear gelatinous layer that can be scraped out with your finger nail. To our surpise it tastes like Lychee fruit, only milder. Two days in a row we slurped and scraped our morning tea of fresh nappa fruit, sitting on the dock, with Jampie wielding his long knife to keep everyone fed. Incidentally, if you want a knife sharpened really well, give it to an Iban ... Jampie has honed our large galley knife to a very fine and dangerous edge. His own long knife knocks the top off green coconuts in a flash, as Charlotte & Diana saw last week. The girls returned to Australia yesterday, though the local boys are still asking after them...see the photo's here, or in the gallery at right.

Our presence on this river sometimes generates an unusual amount of interest - in the past month we've been visited twice by local Chinese language newspapers, who each devoted a full page in colour to our presence here. Read about it here, & here. The courtesy and generosity of the local people is difficult to describe - I've lost count of the food and drink we've been offered by locals, both Chinese and Iban. Even in local restaurants we sometimes find our meal is paid for before we even finish it .... Sarawak is unique.

A River Clean Up Leads To Wasp Attack

Afternoons on Crystal Blues are usually busy with "boat school" (English & Mathematics) for the local children. However after the jungle around the plankwalk was cleared (see the story here), we noticed that quite a lot of plastic and other trash had accumulated along the boardwalk.

So the following day we cancelled school and asked the children to help with a big clean up of the river bank. This went very well, with lots of enthusiastic helpers, and we planned to burn what could not be recycled. As I was lighting the fire I noticed the clean up team suddenly slapping at their limbs, yelling and screaming, and then running flat out to the river .... they'd disturbed a wasp nest under the plank walk. This wasn't funny - the wasps pursued them to the water before returning to the nest, and many children were bitten (Ley scored a few bites as well).

Of course now it was retribution time - young Jabu said we must burn the nest, it is the Iban way ! With newspaper from Crystal Blues, he and Beretin lit torches of rolled paper and placed them under the nest. Thats them sprinting away from the burning nest in the photo at right. The last few wasps were subdued with spray from Crystal Blues, and the plankwalk was then safe for the children to return home.

A Boatyard In Borneo

A rickety elevated plank-walk connects the nearby longhouse to the river, crossing wet padi fields and pushing through a jungle margin at the river bank. That jungle is constantly trying to claim back the plank-walk, along with the weeds and grasses in the fallow padi fields. One afternoon last week the entire male population of the longhouse appeared, all armed with long knives. They slashed their way from the longhouse to the river, clearing a wide swathe through the undergrowth.

Next day the job continued, and only then did we discover what was really happening. It seems that many of the local long-boats have not been out of the water for some time (some for more than twelve months), so they need to be dried out and re-painted.

Our friends were busy clearing a hard stand area, though on this flood prone river bank you'd have to call it a "soft" stand. The boats will be floated up on a high tide, and then lifted clear of the mud onto simple wooden supports. After several days drying they'll be scraped, painted and launched again. The river tides here are rarely less than 2.5 metres, and often run to more than 5.0 metres, so finding a really dry spot is difficult - even the long houses are built on stilts to allow for the periodic flooding.

These Iban river craft are a curious mix of modern and traditional design. Long and narrow, with natural "grown" knees re-inforcing the chines, they are easy to paddle and fast under power. Our good friend Jampie has a nice little single cylinder (4 stroke) Honda engine powering his boat, complete with a 1/4" stainless shaft and 6.5"dia. alloy propeller. However when he set out to build the boat he headed up river to a virgin jungle area - there he selected and felled a suitable tree and sawed the planks in the field, whilst living rough. After a couple of weeks he was able to head back down river with an almost completed boat .... traditional skills survive.

Thats Jampie in his boat at right (above), showing the dinner he'd caught for us - a giant freshwater prawn. As the jungle was cleared, we noticed that the felled "Rasau" palms were being collected. Everyone was energetically extracting the heart of the central stalk, which is sliced and cooked in a light curry.