Dinawan, a small island just 10km south of Kota Kinabalu (5°50'38.5"N 115°59'30.4"E) has everything you need from a Caribbean island: coral sand beach, blue lagoon, wooden bungalows, gentle lapping water

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 are closed. This means no income for owners and their workers.

We are trying our best to spend money with local people wherever we can and taking part in the Sabah Rally over the next few weeks should give the island a good PR boost.

At this resort island the local fishermen fished for supper and at low tide whole families scoured the rocks for shellfish. It’s a tough life over in Borneo for many right now.

We took a breather here before the rally and lived like privileged holiday-makers for a few nights at anchor.

Then we headed back to Gaya, where we found some wind and managed a small sail. On the way Liz rediscovered her fishing mojo and landed a nice skipjack tuna for dinner. Jamie did his best Millie impression and jumped about with excitement.

This is what we’ve been missing for the past few months.