Sailing north-west past the pirates in the Malacca Strait used to be dangerous. Some ships are still boarded, so there’s always a slight frisson when sailboats take this route…
The waters around the island of Lingga and north through to the Singapore and Malacca Straits are still feared by some as a no-go area. It is a landscape of bays, inlets, coves, channels, promontories and hideaways perfect for speedy pirate boats to hang out.
There have been no records of sailboats being boarded, but larger commercial ships are still prey.
Our destination from Pulau Kentar was the island of Titapan, a place with shelter between islets and reefs giving protection from any wind, swell and currents coming across the Java Sea.
Titapan is another Southeast Asia favourite of ours. With nothing but nature’s beauty, the occasional jumping fish and chatty birdsong from shore, it’s easy to sit back and admire the scenery as a fisherman passes by with a friendly wave.
We weren’t able to leave the boat because we were now checked out of Indonesia, officially a “yacht in transit”. This means we mustn’t step off the boat. Still, with no commercial traffic and the protection of the mangroves, it made for a comfortable overnight stop in flat water.
The next leg required some consideration; our last stop in Indonesia, Kapala Jernih Island would be the launch point to cross the Malacca strait. But from Titapan, we’re talking 60 nautical miles, the area is prone to strong currents as well as the occasional piracy. And with the South Easterly Trades still blowing, there were few places to shelter between these two points.
We finally decided to aim for Ranoh Island, which would shave off 11 miles from the passage.
If you like our content and would like to support us, we will give you ad-free access to our videos before they go live to the public, discounts in our shop, access to Jamie’s iconic full-res photographs, and supporter-only blog posts. Click our ugly mugs for more info!
