Whether for identifying a tricky harbour entrance, taking a closer look at an approaching ship or even looking for the breeze, a decent pair of marine binoculars will repay their…
YBW
Followtheboat: Running aground and sailing defensively in pirate waters
But we had to move on and in this case it meant heading out into the Sulu Sea and the most dangerous waters in Sabah. We made decent going and…
Jungle sailing: Followtheboat on hitting logs and running aground
But first we had one more night in the tranquil jungle. Before it was time to turn in, we took the dinghy though an overgrown tributary to an oxbow lake…
Best sailing books: Immerse yourself in one of these 10 sailing novels
From spy thrillers and historical novels to childhood classics, escape with one of these 10 sailing books. How many have you read? Let us know your recommendations!
Sailing up river: Followtheboat go in search of elephants and monkeys
The Kinabatangan River has rainforest lining its banks, but just behind are vast swathes of palm oil plantations. This means the rarest animals are squeezed into a small area of…
Sailing up river: Followtheboat take their sailboat into the Malaysian jungle
Sailing deep into the rainforest up the Kinabatangan River (Malaysia’s second longest at 342 miles) is like nothing we’ve done before in 15 years of cruising. Jungle sailing was a…
Followtheboat visits Sandakan – famous for war and wildlife
We visited the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and, with hardly any tourists around, were able to get close to those extraordinary human-like creatures. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre gave…
Engine fail and storms at Turtle Island: Followtheboat join Sail Malaysia’s Sabah Rally
The static on our VHF radio made it difficult to hear properly and we couldn’t see him, so all we could do was hope he put his anchor down safely.…
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Meet the new Simrad NSSevo3s: The best just got better *sponsored post*
The next level in on board functionality Available in 9-, 12- and 16-inch models, the Simrad NSSevo3S allows users to experience unprecedented levels of built-in functionality under all conditions using…
Followtheboat: Going over to the dark side on a motorboat cruise
During lockdown at Sutera Harbour Marina, we took a spin in a superyacht with Captain Paul Stanton of Island Princess, a Princess 88 on its way to be hauled out.…
Followtheboat: Is this South East Asia’s answer to the Caribbean?
Like many worldwide destinations, Sabah’s tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. With borders closed and the Movement Control Order in place for months, most hotels and resorts…
Introducing the all new Icom IC-M803 MF/HF/SSB Marine Radio
Over many decades Icom have been manufacturing marine HF/SSB Introducing the all new Icom IC-M803 MF/HF/SSB Marine Radiotransceivers that have provided a sound communication platform for both commercial deep sea…
Followtheboat: Total refit costs and what we would do differently next time
When we arrived in Malaysia in 2013, Esper was in pretty bad shape. After three years without moving in the brackish waters of Kerala, a knockdown off the Maldives and…
Back by popular demand: Icom relaunches IC-M423G and IC-M400BB Fixed Marine VHF radios
Both of these radios have been firm favourites with many of commercial and leisure marine users and the reintroduction of them also means that Icom’s HM-195CMI Multi-Station Commandmic Interface is…
Followtheboat: Refitting Esper’s interior, navigation gear and electronics
Because one of us was on the job in the yard every day, we were able to watch and manage the entire project, which is probably why it’s still so…
Followtheboat: Looking back after thousands of miles and hundreds of anchorages
In this celebration of the 200th episode, Liz and Jamie remember how it all started (Jamie had hair! Liz wore a bikini on camera!). They share some unseen images and…
Followtheboat: Refitting Esper’s deck and topsides
There’s a lot of grinding and faring to be finished before we can apply the paint. We used Awlcraft 2000 paint from Awlgrip in Snow White and Moon Dust. Then…
Followtheboat: The inside story of Esper’s extensive refit
With over 2,000 video clips across 51 episodes over 13 months, our refit playlist is a big commitment to wade through, so in this series we separate out and talk…
Followtheboat: Things are looking up as Malaysian lockdown eases
In Sutera Harbour Marina the pontoon home-made “pubs” are still popular with the seven occupied boats here and Jamie’s in the kitchen making a mess. But when the excitement has…
Followtheboat: Why the best boat to sail around the world is a ketch
While there are many more cats (and cruisers?) on the water than we first saw 14 years ago, you might be surprised by the high number of ketches you’d stumble…