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On arrival at Pulau Pangkor, we anchored in a little bay on the southeast side of the island, positioned with front row seats for viewing the fishing boat traffic and village life ashore. The following day we rowed to a tiny beach, walked into the waterfront town, and rented a motorbike. The island is small and a trip around the perimeter takes a little less than an hour. The road is paved, and winds past some postcard-pretty bays and through quiet areas of shady jungle, where we saw monkeys perched on the low roadside wall. We rode twice around, stopping for lunch and ice cream. The west side of the island has several beautiful bays and beaches, which are popular with tourists and which offer rentals of kayaks and jet skis, as well as boat tours around the island. Eastern Pulau Pangkor is the industrial side. The waterfront is packed cheek to jowl with ferries and various types of fishing boats. We spent two enjoyable days at Pangkor and were preparing to head up a nearby river, when on a whim, we decided to stop at a new marina resort just across the channel from our bay. It turned out to be a good move. x

Marina Island Pangkor is the name of this charming marina, which was about 2/3 full with assorted yachts, big power boats, and local fishing or dive tour boats. It has clean facilities, clean water, helpful staff, and a dynamic and efficient young director named James Khoo. James was a veritable encyclopedia of local knowledge, and was generous with his time and helpful tips.

We met fellow yachties from Australia and Canada, and became instant friends. We were invited aboard two lovely boats for sundowners and stories, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our initial plan was to stay two days to water ship, do laundry, and assess the marina. However, friends tipped us off to a canvas shop in the town where we could get a broken zipper replaced on our dodger. The owners were finishing another project, and estimated that they’d have ours done in a week, so we extended our stay, and managed to fill our days with projects that we’d forgotten we had. The ferry terminal is beside the marina, and nearby there are hawker stalls for delicious cheap local food, and a convenience store for cold beer. x

After spending eight enjoyable and fruitful days at the marina, we got underway at first light for the passage to Pulau Penang. It is a 75-mile passage and we decided to break it up into two days. The short travel days would allow us to sail only during the time when the current was favorable, with the added bonus of daylight for optimum visibility of those pesky fishing nets. We got lucky the first day and had a following wind and sea. However, we didn’t get lucky with the spot where we chose to anchor, because a few hours after dropping the hook, we were inundated with drift nets. By this time, the current was fair again, so we weighed anchor and put some more miles in towards our destination. Just as well, because an ominous-looking navy blue squall line had appeared on the horizon to our north. Dirty grey clouds boiled above the darkness, and the system was headed our way. Our course had us heading west, parallel to the front, and we zipped along under jib and single-reefed main as it loomed closer and streaks of cloud-to-ground lightning made bright gold seams in the dark front. We battened down the hatches, but as the system closed in on us, it had already spent most of its venom, and although we got thoroughly drenched, there was no drama as it moved on and gave way to a clear blue evening sky. x

Close to sunset, we picked another spot to anchor that was several miles off shore and not near a river mouth. We rewarded our efforts with wine and cheese, and topped off the evening with some pretty tasty hot chocolate while we listened to some podcasts that Ken had downloaded. We got lucky and had a restful net-free night. The lights of a few fishing boats twinkled in the clear night, but they were far off on the horizon. A bright moon rose in the east, and we could even see stars (Orion) and planets (Jupiter) overhead. At first light we weighed anchor to complete the 20-mile passage to Penang. This time we had light headwinds and head seas, but with the fair current giving us a nice boost we still made very good time. However, upon entering the Penang channel, things got butt-ugly, with a short-spaced chop and a moderate wind right on the nose. We decided to exit stage left, and we anchored in a beautiful little bay on the southeast side of Pulau Rimau (see map). Too bad we can’t swim, because we can see quite a few jellyfish, so it’ll be cockpit showers again tonight. We’ll spend the night here before pushing on to the hubbub of Penang. There is another new marina resort here that we hope to check out. x

To see where we are, click on the “Map” tab. To see out photos, click on the “Photos” tab. When we have internet access, we can be reached at: sanddollar_n4ks@yahoo.com