The rally, which is organized by the Malaysian Tourist Board, allows about thirty boats each year to visit the country’s coastline, heading from west to east with various planned stopovers. There are visits, welcomes, various meals with all the local folklore and much more. Of course, there is plenty of help given as far as paperwork is concerned with visas being looked after. We will sail from Langkawi, the first island to the south of Thailand, to Tawau, in the east of the country. We then leave Phuket and all of its facilities for an adventure. Kho Rock Noi and Nok are natural parks. The landscape is sublime, the water is turquoise, and the seabed full of corals and aquatic fauna and flora of all kinds. We have now arrived in Malaysia, on the island of Langkawi and its main city Kuah, the port of entry. The island is duty free which means that it’s a good chance to stock up. Here, we discover a multitude of walking possibilities, including a cable car climbing up to 700 meters (2,300’) altitude. It’s a welcome fresher moment compared to down at sea level. Then we set off again towards Singapore. The crossing is a little stressful. Countless cargo ships brush past you at more than 15 knots. We have to strictly follow a shipping channel that is about a hundred meters (330’) wide. The Singaporean police are watching. We then sail up the east coast of Malaysia to Seri Buat, where we stop for two days to see the small islands and the splendid seabed. In the middle of the night, the wind picked up, hitting more than 50 knots. The beautiful paradisiacal anchorage became hellish. Our multihull was pulled in every direction. We checked our anchor alarm: phew, we’re not dragging! We prepared the emergency anchor just in case and the engines were ready to go. The next day we set off again for Tioman Island. Wow! Paradise on earth does still exist and we’ve seen it in the Anambas, on Pulau Anak: turquoise water, seabeds full of multicolored corals in perfect condition. No trash on the beach... pure happiness.
Who: Corinne and Michel
Where: Southeast Asia
Multihull: Catathaï Grand Voyage 44
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