Zionel the mechanic returns and fits our reconditioned gear box and new damping plate. After a few hours of boat maintenance we take the rest of the afternoon off and go for a drive and take in the rest of the sights of Langkawi.
Loving Langkawi: Part 1
While we waited for spares to be shipped from various parts of the globe, Jamie and I took time away from boat maintenance to enjoy Malaysia’s most popular tourist destination…
Top 10 things to do in Georgetown, Penang
Many cruisers visit Penang in order to go through the bureaucracy of acquiring a Thai visa. But Georgetown, with its UNESCO-listed heritage, art scene and world renowned street food is so much more than a visa stop-over. Here’s our guide to what to do and see in the island’s capital, and some suggestions of where to stay and eat.
Chemicals and culture: 48 hours in Georgetown, Penang
The island of Penang lies south of Langkawi on the north-west coast of mainland Malaysia. Before Kuala Lumpur developed into the international capital it is today, Penang was the economic and cultural hub of Malaysia. But it wasn’t always so.
FTB People: Nazar 72
“I Nazar seven two. Maybe you want diesel? Maybe wash boat?” With a sideways, rolling nod, he proffered a flimsy business card. Maybe, I thought, taking it from him. His anxious expression relaxed, and a brief smile smoothed his shiny face.
Penang’s Chemical Brother
On Georgetown’s most famous road, Chulia Street, resides this UNESCO World Heritage Site’s most famous resident. Down one of the covered walkways that are characteristic of Penang’s old town, nestled between a workshop refurbishing engine parts and a nick-nac store selling over-priced antiques, sits Liangtraco – ‘Chemicals and Apparatus’.
A New Year, A New Host, A New Boat?
Our website, like our lives, is in a state of flux. Whilst we prepare to haul Esper in Thailand and undergo a major refit, so followtheboat.com is getting some special treatment too. We were offline for a couple of weeks whilst we saw out Christmas at Rebak Resort and New Year at anchor. We even had Esper’s lights lit whilst partying ashore, which made it very easy to find her at two in the morning, half-cut! We’ve included some recent photographs and a hint at what’s happening next in our lives. Expect some interesting updates during 2014…
Galvanising Our Anchor And Chain
Galvanising your anchor and chain is a cost-effective way of lengthening the life of your gear. Here in Penang we used Steelway, who picked up our tackle and double-coated it in less than a week. Along the way I learnt a bit about the process and I’ve included some photos to show you the shiny result.
A Brief Introduction To Langkawi
It’s been too long since we last posted a blog update. We’d just sailed 1,500nm in some superb SW winds, but having lost our wind-pilot 200 miles into the trip we spent the rest of it exhausted and battered. Needless to say when we arrived in Langkawi, Malaysia, the last thing on our minds was reading, writing or even talking about sailing. Since then Liz returned to the UK for three months and I became a border-line alcoholic, discovering the delights and frustrations of Langkawi Island.
1,350 Miles Hand-steered! Maldives To Malaysia
Thirteen hundred miles hand-steered and no foresail, just two of the challenges we faced when completing our fifteen hundred mile trip from the Maldives to Malaysia. A complete account with observations, events, our turtle rescue and some great HD video clips including the one of Liz helming in a Force 6. Not to be missed!
