Miri Marina, our destination, is notoriously difficult to enter. There is a long, shallow sand bar on approach and a narrow channel into the marina only navigable at high tide.…
YBW
Followtheboat: How we sailed through three lightning storms at night
This episode is all about sailing as we make passage from the Anambas archipelago to Borneo. With an early monsoon transitional season kicking up all kinds of capricious winds, we…
Coppercoat: The environmentally sensitive antifoul choice *sponsored post*
Visit a boatyard in March and you’ll be greeted by the sweet smell of solvents. Known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), they are essential to the application and curing of…
Followtheboat: Borneo rainforest burns and we go back in time
But all the time we were there, smoke from neighbouring Borneo’s rainforest fires drifted across the sea blanketing the island in an eerie pall. It’s something the islanders have become…
Followtheboat: How old is too old to sail around the world?
Sailing channels are selling a lie. We know from our thirteen years on the world cruising scene that the reality of cruising is very different to what most sailing channels…
Followtheboat: Hookworm invasion and on-board medical care
Parasites and disease are rife in South East Asia, as Jamie found out when an uninvited ‘passenger’ climbed on board his foot. Liz diagnosed hookworm, a parasite which is picked…
Five-year warranty on Icom Marine VHF radios purchased in January 2020
There will be some great discounts as well as the opportunity for customers to upgrade the warranty of their purchases made in January to an amazing five years. The exclusive…
Followtheboat: The best beach in the world? Add this to your bucket list…
There are no hotels, no resorts, no settlements, no campers, no backpackers, no tourists (apart from us) in this part of the Anambas. Better known bays tend to be sought…
Followtheboat: Top sailing destinations, plus how to pick up a mooring buoy
It’s the new year, in fact it’s a new decade. 2020 here we come! To get us all in an optimistic mood (and out of the winter blues for those…
Fixing an overheated engine, what do you check first?
Cruising anywhere in the world means freedom. On your own boat, you can find and get access to those less visited and more remote areas. The Anambas archipelago, in the…
Anambas Islands: Sailing straight towards a pirate zone
Three weeks prior to our departure there was a successful attack on a cargo ship slap bang along our route. The attackers were armed with one gun and several knives,…
Bats, sharks and turtles: Close encounters with animals in Malaysia
Every night on Pulau Tioman large flying-foxes (Pteropus vampyrus), with wingspans of up to 1.5m, leave the trees in their thousands on the hunt for fruit. On the way they…
Followtheboat: Climbing the mast, sailing 4m waves and dealing with flying foxes
After the six month passage through Indonesia, we take a quick stop at Sebana Cove Marina in Malaysia to check-in and get some boat chores ticked off the list. Liz…
New Icom marine products shown at METS Marine Trade Show
Icom are also delighted to announce the introduction of new versions of previously best-selling Icom marine fixed VHF radios. The IC-M400BBE (previously the IC-M400BB) and the IC-M423GE (formerly the IC-M423G)…
Followtheboat: Insane and scary crossing of the Singapore Strait
Billed as the ‘busiest shipping lane in the world’ (although those of us who have sailed across the English Channel might disagree) we weren’t looking forward to dodging between the…
Waterspouts and running aground: The sailing hazards of South East Asia
That’s when all the maintenance pays off. If we hadn’t kept our Beta engine in full working order we would still be stuck in a deserted bay somewhere in the…
Followtheboat: How to sail goose wing with a poled-out headsail
Just as we think this sailing life can’t get any better, a fierce squall hits as we sail into trouble inside a rocky anchorage. This is a desolate part of…
Introducing the BC-238 12V rapid multi-charger for the IC-M37E marine VHF radio
As well as providing a convenient tool for charging multiple IC-M37E handhelds, it also provides an ideal and logical location for storing multiple radios while in or out of use.…
Followtheboat: Dodging trawlers and tugboats in the Java Sea
We had to employ some careful anti-collision tactics to avoid sailing into them. We had checked out of Indonesia, but there was still a long way to go before leaving…
Followtheboat: How to use a hookah to clean your hull at anchor
Typical life at anchor next to a tropical island in the Java Sea: bit of boat work, bit of beach walking, bit of beer drinking. Pulau Belitung was a surprise…