S/V Eleanor sail by KongKong

We try to take a break from all our work at least once a year, to enjoy a day out doing something on the water. This year, we decided that Eleanor should go check out the progress on the Johor river bridge again and to visit KongKong island that is on the other side of the river.

Alot of preparation goes into every trip, even this day trip took a whole 2 days to get ready for. Just as we expected, after 1year of pickling(neglect) the O/B wont start. Okay, so take it apart, clean every little crevices, gummed up or not. See those tiny little parts and little holes? Dried petrol becomes a gummy substance that totally jam it shut. After that big cleaning done on those little parts, Eleanors’ 5HP rarely used O/B comes alive. Hah! We are ready to rumble!

Navigation in darkness, all you see is lights.

14 Feb ’10 0515hrs, Eleanor underway. We timed our departure such that we leave Sebana on a outgoing tide and in time to catch the flooding tide going up river Johor. The weather was perfect this morning. Cool, clear skies, plenty of stars to watch as we motored down the river Santi. The dark morning sky was very pretty on this Valentines day! I was counting the planes that flew into Singapore this early morning… about 1 every 2 minutes… and I even got a shooting star! … I couldnt think of something to wish for… but hey, isnt that great!?

0600hrs, at the mouth of Santi, still dark. How do you navigate in this darkness? How can you read the lights? A large vessel was coming into Santi as we were going out. Possible a head on collision, but we saw it coming and gave it a wide berth. Can you sea the green, red and white light that marked the vessel approaching us? Yes, thats what we look for in night navigation… everybody go slow and look out for lights, especially the moving ones.
 

Make a guess, what are these big black things? .. big ship fenders!

0700hrs, it seems like we timed the tides just perfect. We exited Santi and turn up into Johor river, making 5kns with the motor at near idling speed. A slight breeze filled in at daybreak. We hoist full sails, then reduce O/B to idling speed and still maintained 4 to 5kns.

Daybreak at Kong Kong Village.

0800hrs, breeze is now a constant 10kns north-easterly. O/B cut off. Looks like we will arrive at KongKong ahead of our schedule, which is great.

Mac on board his home.

0900hrs, fisherman were just starting their day on the farms or coming out in their little skiffs from inside KongKong. Inside the KongKong channel is a whole line of ramps on the mainland side and fish farms on the islet side. Arriving early allows us extra time to check out the villages on the banks and call out to a old friend, an American living on the water at KongKong.

The blue Heron. I like this bird, very elegant.

0930hrs, we went further into the channel, hoping to sail around KongKong islet, but we couldnt make it under the part of the bridge that was completed. It seems like the bridge goes from mainland over to KongKong, then over to Telok Sengat. Okay, so we turn back out the same way we came in.

Ships anchored in the Johor river. Waiting for jobs I suppose.

1000hrs, making use of the last of the flood tides, we tacked up the river and got really close to the unfinished bridge. Winds are now a full 15kns and water are a little choppy.. we are getting spray! We put 1 reef into the main, just in case it gets more bolsterous than this.

Still a big gap between the pillars. Whats taking them so long?

Maybe the economy is not doing well… seems like many more ships are anchored here than last year. They are pretty looking ships. Not at all run down.

Me thinks they made very small progress over 1 year... ..tsk tsk..

1030hrs, we done our survey of the parked vessels and the bridge. Now heading back, just as the tides turned in our favor again… arent we lucky. There was alot of fetch, resulting in a 2 mile stretch of very choppy following sea. Eleanor did so well under these conditions.

Lunch out of a Thermos. Clam chowder and crackers! My favorite sailing meal.

Doug thought that the chops were about as bad as on the day that I was out solo at the Southern Singapore islands onroute to Raffles. … nope, it was nowhere close. On that day, the waves were rising above me and I was totally wet for the whole day. On this day (I wish I had taken some photos), we got some light spray… thats all.

Whirlpool inside thru hull cockpit drains.

1200hrs, we made it into Santi. Winds are flukey in this narrow winding river. Jib lowered, motored started. It was slow progress as we hit the outgoing tide at its peak rate. Zzzz… Doug took the helm as I snooze…  

nice greenish visual effects in a small hole..

1400hrs, O/B acting strange as we entered Sebana. We were trying to put away the main when we notice that O/B would idle up into a high rev. That was strange, unpredictable … made our approach into the berth difficult.. but lucky no damage. Have to look into that O/B thingy again..  Maybe its Eleanors’ wild spirit not wanting to be home. .. like a horse not wanting to go back into the stall…

Kayaking around Sebana

This is the year of many visitors for us at Sebana, and our newest visitor is Vanessa. Before you start thinking that Sebana is a fun place that people are flocking over to see this beautiful place.. ahem.. this place is nice, but my friends are here to visit with us, because we are fun and we do fun things.

Warming up her kayak paddling arms.

Vanessa and I travelled from SG on the last Friday night ferry from CFT to Belunkor where we met up with Doug and off to Sebana. Our plans start 1st thing at 6am on Sat. We are going to make a Cevichi! and so we need lots of stuff from the wet market. .. That is followed by breakfast, then lots of prep work to get the Cevichi going. The Cevichi making will be in the next post.

Upriver Santi.

With 3 of us working together on the Cevichi making, we managed to finish it quite quickly. By 1100, we were finish and it was time to go paddling. Vanessa has been dragon boating lately, and she runs all the time. I definately have alot of respect for her fitness… but I dunno how well she paddle a kayak. 1st, I set her on my little H/P Yakuni. Very easy to stroke, this kayak is always friendly to new paddlers. I followed on the white Cobra SOT, which was high volume and heavy. It wasnt half as fun as my little Yakuni at all.

Only a short 1hr paddle up river Santi. Okay, so she paddles. Now, we can be sure that she’ll will have no problem to make the trip to see the fireflies this evening. Yes, that the plan. Seems like fireflies trips is very popular around Desaru, so why not..

Paddling out at dusk.

We put Van on our fastest kayak, Doug on the Cobra SOT and I in Yakuni. Being on the shortest kayak, meaning possibly the slowest of the group, I set the pace. This arrangement proved to be the best for us, we all had fun because we were almost equally paced without too much effort.

Was it scary to kayak in a very dark night? Even tho we bought a flashlight, we hardly used it. The dark night was great for watching fireflies, they were so cute, little light bulbs on the mangrove trees. Being on a kayak, and since it was high tide, we could paddle up to the trees and touch those flies… Another thing about paddling on a very dark night was the phospherescense display in the water. We all had silver wake. Too bad pictures dont turn out, so you guys will have to come to experience it yourself…

Riding on the Belungkor – Changi Ferry service.

We have been getting some problems with the ferry service between Sebana and Tanah Merah (SG). There had been a number of breakdowns, unpredictable schedule and nobody knows if there will be a ferry service or not at the scheduled time. We were told to turn up at the ferry counter, and if there is a ferry, you get on. If there is none you, come again and hope the next one is coming! That is so crap!

The other ferry.. Batura Express

Sebana’s reception desk recommend us to use the Belungkor ferry for now. They too are having problems dealing with the current ferry operator. So what choice have I got, but to try yet another way of travelling between Seabana and home.. 

Passengers on top deck..

The Belungkor – Changi Ferry Terminal ferry service has been in operations for at least 2 decades. It caters mainly to tourist from SG to Desaru. This ferry has seen many golf bags and bicycles. Last ferry on Sunday leaves at 1900 and we must check in at least 1/2 hr before departure. Sebana to Belungkor is a good 30 mins drive away and would have cost RM30 in cab fares, so we wouldnt be too keen on it if didnt drive ourselves. I had only 1hr to adjust to this change of plans and we made it just in time.

Eagle flying..

RM66 for a return trip, all tax included. That is cheaper than RM110 for the Sebana-TMFT (1 big point) and it has a good running reputation (another big point), but it lands at Changi Ferry Terminal which has no bus service and no waiting cabs (-1 big point).. that was the reason we didnt use this ferry before, but I guess we have to try it now..

Sunset was happening at the time of departure.. got a nice picture of an sea eagle flying.. and the other black spots on the left are little birds. 

The cruise ship Megastar Tauraus

Megastar Tauraus! I’ve been on that cruise ship. Dont quite remember when that was.. long time ago.. Now berth at Belungkor and taking guest on weekend cruises to nowhere.. it seems.

Getting from CFT to home is a chore.. I took a cab, and switched to a bus this time.. but I am going to discover how to do a bus journey on my way back.

On your mark!

… <snip> 5 workding days went by .. <snip> Time for returning to Sebana. Here I am, trying to make the 2015hrs ferry, and that took some doings.

My day started at 0600, in office by 0700 so that I can be off early at 1600. Got home, pack stuff and out of the house by 1730. Lucky me that the buses are working on time today. Bus 53 came along soon as I reached the bus stop. That was nice.. but I alighted 1 stop after the Pasir Ris MRT and had to walk back towards White Sands mall to get bus 89.. oh well, since I was there, I got myself a dinner. This place is really quite different from the last time I was there. Alot of new businesses and alot more vibrant now..

A beautiful park with many tall trees.

Good thing that bus 89 was a quick one and I alighted at Airline road 1840. This was the nearest busstop to CFT… which is still 1.8km away… and I am going to make the best out of this walk.

Starting my walk at the 1800m mark.. wondering what is it going to be at the end. Carrying with my a loaded up backpack, a heavy laptop case and some food for the weekend, I walk down the lonely path of Changi beach. Its pretty nice actually.. except that I had to walk fast because the mozzies are after me. Should have applied on the bug repellent before leaving home.

A glimpse of CFT from the beach.

Midway into my walk, I stopped and rest my tired laptop carrying arm. Its getting dark, so the picture of CFT across the bay doesnt come up well.

I have arrived! .. at the last marker.

See! It was dark when I finally get to the last marker.. 1910. So it was 3300m – 1800m, oh only 1.5km afterall.. but I still had to walk across the car park and into CFT. Anyway, happy that I made it in time for check in.. and really, it wasnt so bad… only if I had the bug spray on. 3 bites on my ankles!

Would I do this again..? yes, probably. .. but I really like doing the sebana ferry bettter. Using this ferry service, means that Doug would have to drive me over and fetch me back. A waste of fuel for Trio and time for him… maybe S$20 savings is worth it huh?

Return trip

This post is for putting out important information about riding the bumboats. For non regular users of this service, we should be aware of some basic principles of this business.

Bumboat contact info

1) Operating hours.  Even though it says 24hrs, it is really not! The bumboats run from 7am to 4pm. But at 345pm, there is no garantee of service. The bumboat captains may decided to leave terminal early, with the last load for the day. So call ahead to make a reservation, else they will do as they please. On weekends, the last ferry may leave between 4-5, but again, there is no garantee.

2) The ride is S$9 from SG – Pengerang, and RM$16 from Pengerang – SG. There is no terminal fees or immigration fees.

3) Cash transaction only. Visa doesnt work here. No receipts will be given.

4) It is easy to get to Changi Point ferry terminal by public transport. This is a cheap way of getting there. There is no public transport for getting out of Pengerang. If nobody is meeting you there, get ready to deal with Taxi Touts.

I might discover more tricks or things to know about using this ferry service later, which I will add at a later date. Here are pictures of inside the bumboat and from the roof.

Light load, only 5 pax. Last ferry out.

From the roof.

A bumboat trip

15 Feb. Today I am taking a bumboat ferry ride back to SG. “Bumboats” have been plying this SG – Pengerang route since my grandfathers’ days. I dont know much about the history, but those bumboats looks like they were handed down from that era, and the operators of this business now maintains it that way…

bumboat loading at Pengerang

So here I am today, making my way back to SG, after another great weekend at Sebana. Doug decided it was probably best for him to stay for the week, and since I am not allowed to drive myself back, this bumboat trip is the cheapest way home for me. This is also a 1st experience on how to do it.

On our way, leaving Pengerang BB terminal

When we got to the “ticket counter”, we werent sure what we should do. There were no instructions and no counter staff to help you. I guess the culture here is to follow the lead by someone who has done this before. Soon, other passengers came along and dropped their passports into a slot, and so I followed. Then, the bumboat captain comes along, collect the passports, make a passenger list, puts the passports on the desk, then the passengers go forward to grab their passports and walk after the captain. Clear immigration, hop onto the boats and viola, here we go. Only 30mins, from the captains arriving at the desk to departing again. They usually will wait for the bumboats to fill up to 12 persons, but today was a busy day for them..

Well, I am pretty sad, leaving Doug and ending my weekend getaway earlier than usual, but I move on. The ride was surprisingly stable, the interior was clean, things were put away. Cost of ride was RM$16, a bargain I think. Takes about 40 mins.

Red buoy and channel marker

For those of you who are non-seafarers, heres a little marinetime information for you. Did you ever wonder how captains drives boats around other boats? Which is the right of way? Unlike road traffic, there is no “lane markings” on the water. So how do we navigate?

Introducing to yer landlubbers, the  Red Buoy. Just like drivers obey traffic lights, captains use the various buoys for navigation aid.

Green buoy marking the entrance to Changi Point Ferry terminal

And heres the Green Buoy, and remember to keep the Red on your left and Green on your right when entering a port or a channel.

Bumboat captains are excellent at boat handling in tight quarters. Check out the picture on bumboat parking at Changi Village terminal. It is tight getting in and out!

So, my 1st ride on a cross border bumboat wasnt not bad at all. Will be doing it again going back to Sebana on Friday.

Thats us arriving at SG

Bumboats waiting for next load of passengers.

Eleanor’s CNY sail to Lebam river

On 28th Jan 2009, the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year, Eleanor left her berth very quietly at 6am. A little bit of ebb tide giving us a 0.5kn, while we motored for 1 hour till we got out into Johor river. We would love to sail out instead, but the wind God didnt get out of bed till the sun rose.

Our objective today was to go check out the JB bridge to Desaru. We thought it should have be completed by now! That would cut our driving time by 1hr each way, coming over from SG to Sebana. Anyway, it was a good reason to make this “long” 8hr trip. 

Our track - Sebana -> Lebam -> Sebana

It was a little past 700hrs when we got out into Johor river. We have raise full main and jib, wind was a mild 5knots initially, but soon it was a good 10 – 15 knots. We managed to make very good speed on just the wind alone, averaged 5kns up till the 900hrs mark. Its was refreshing for Eleanor to be out in the open again. To once again do long tacks, check our position against the GPS and watch for rocks and buoys. Eleanor was a happy girl today.

Uncompleted bridge and Tankers hanging out.

900hrs, the bridge is in sight. It looks like very much completed.. 930hrs, clearer sight of the bridge, shows that the gap right in the middle.  Looks like its a long way from finish. Disappointed. I, captain, decided to change course and explore the Lebam river. That turn out to be fun.

With our handy GPS, we dont have to be that prepared to make changes to our destination. On the flying tracking helps us mark our positions relative to navigation harzards like rocks, buoys and fishfarms.

Rocks of Tanjung Buai

Our track in yellow, shows how close we got to some rocks. Maybe only 3 meters to spare, a little scary, but we survive. Not a problem.

While sailing in Lebam, we were observed by kids and fishermans on their platforms or in their little skiffs. A pretty little sailboat with full on sails is not common in this river, I guess. There was alot of fishing and fish activity in here. Casting and drawing, and fish hopping. It was great fun to watch them at work. This was just a normal day of work for them, except for our intrusion.

Fish farm. Where little fishes grow into bigger fishes.

Fish farms and fishing platforms are quite a common sight in Malaysian rivers, especially near kampongs. Some of these farms have rooms for “homestay” visitors.

Fishing platforms

We wish to go further, but 1100hrs was the time that I set to turn around. I like to be back with enough energy to put away Eleanor nicely and still have dinner and a movie on the computer.  We had a great day out, so why not… This time, we are sailing downwind and against the incoming tide. 20kns of wind against tide, makes a really nasty chop and a little difficult to steer. We were lucky to only have a few gybes and no hits.

Birds hangout on fishing stakes

Rest of the trip was pretty much the same with no much to show. Eleanor, being reluctant in going back, was moving slowly… We had to urge her along with the motor. She has a spirit and mind of her own.

1430, the marina is in sight! 1435, a power boat is coming up behind us, looks familiar. Oh its the doctor and EastWind II. 1445, Eleanors sail taken down. 1500, Eleanor back in berth. 1530, Eleanor put away! It was that easy. And we go have a nice little nap down below Calliste…

8hrs and 24mins was our total sail time, 32.7nm total distance, 4kns average speed. A really good day out for all of us.

Aboard M/V Eastwind to KongKong

leaving sebana on EastWind II

I had wanted to write about Eleanor’s “Chinese New Year” trip to the bridge, but it seemed to be boring with no pictures to show. When sailing, my mind is totally on sailing and not at all in taking pictures, which is why there is so little to show… Well, when the doctor ask if we would like to join him on this trip to KongKong, I thought it was a great opportunity for me to grab the pictures!

So here we are, leaving Sebana onboard EastWind II on Valentine’s Day 2009. Our destination, a great seafood dinner restaurant in KongKong river. This is going to be a 2hr motoring journey down Santi river, up Johor river, dodging shallow waters and rocks along the way, then turning up into KongKong.

Restaurant view from Eastwind at anchor

This was a very pleasant day for a boat trip. Not too hot, not rainy, but unfortunately it was not a clear day. The air was thick with smog, hence the smoggy looking pictures. Also an unusual S wind was blowing in this NE monsoon season. Just our luck, the NE winds would have cleared the smog.

Party crowd onboard SZ5996

Now, I am still planning to write about Eleanor’s trip… at a later time.. so I am keeping some of the pictures today for then. But here are some pictures that should keep you entertained for now. Here is one nice picture of a sailboat out from Changi. SZ 5996, great to see ya sailing today. Contact me if you want more pictures of you sailing.

I counted 3 sailboats out there today. It always is nice for me to see sailors out there enjoying their boats. Raising sail is the ultimate best return a sailor can have for all the hard work in sailboat maintenance. Having friends onboard and having a great time together is double the reward. At least, that is how I feel about me and Eleanor.

Akama preparing to go ashoreBuddy boating.

Akama followed our wake to KongKong. Here’s a great picture of how its done. Using the crane arm, 1st lower the dinghy, then followed by the O/B. On a sailboat, we have the improvise with the mast, boom and fuss around with the ropes, winches and whatever! How nice to have a dedicated arm for lifting .

Now, this trip is about boating and food! What good is a destination with nothing to look forward to at the end? This Chili Crab was excellent. I was lucky to grab a picture of it before too much of it was gone. Very fresh and just the right taste!

The famous SouthEast Asia Chili Crab

We all had a great time today, thanks to our host Doctor Peter! EastWind II is one of the few very well kept boats in Asia. Its engine ran smooth, its equipment worked well… afterall, we did not run aground and we all manage to enjoy ourselves yakking. No unexpected diasters to take care of. Plus I manage to keep all this energy and do this blogging right after coming back…. To be honest, I started preparing the pictures on our 2hrs journey back. Again, thanks to the very comfortable cabin setup onboard EastWind. EastWind II at anchor

EastWind II at anchor