Up before 5 again, we had another pre-dawn start to ensure that we could cover 65 miles by nightfall. We spent the day weaving among hundreds of fishing boats. Luckily, the current was with us for part of the morning, an we arrived at Pulau Rimau, on the southeastern tip of Penang, by mid-afternoon. In the morning we'll head into a marina in the heart of Georgetown.
Although we've only been at it a few days, this passage has been a long slog. Day hops are exhausting. We are constantly watching the clock and the distance to go. We have to keep our speed up so as to arrive before sundown. In the light winds of the Malacca Strait that means a lot of motorsailing. We're both sick of listening to the main engine. And doing a single overnight, well, that always wrecks us. To make matters worse, each of our anchorages since we left the marina in Singapore has been rolly, so we haven't been sleeping well. We'd much rather be offshore than do a coastal passage like this. We're both looking forward to a few days rest in Penang.
We can't wait to explore Penang, which like Singapore and Melaka, was once a capital of the Straits Settlements. It promises to be full of colonial architecture, temples and museums, and, oh yeah, great food.
Lots of stuff to avoid out here . . .
Trawlers
Gill netters
Whatever this top heavy looking thing is
And the occasional floating island
Whatever this top heavy looking thing is
And the occasional floating island
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