Malaysia: Sarawak/Sabah Marinas

[peter.d.m]

Would be grateful if anyone has advice on marinas in this area for leaving a cat for a month or two at various times of the year.
Marinas that have staff who could do general cleaning and upkeep while I am away. Are there yards with haul out facilities and handstand as well as berths?
Looks like great cruising area so any input on that would be awesome.
Pete

[Tupaia]

By far the best place (as was a while ago) is Miri Marina. The water is brackish so hardly any fouling which is a good thing as they used to have a resident crocodile.

If you are divers then it is/was possible to obtain permits to go to and dive on Swallow Reef part of the Spratly Islands. You have to be completely self sufficient and jump through a few hoops but an amazing dive site. Enquire at Miri Marina.

There is also a haul out facility in Kudat, part of the hotel marina complex. The TL was too narrow for us so check beam. This area has varying political security issues so check locally.

There is/was a marina of sorts in Labuan (island) but it regularly falls to pieces and boat owners need to be on board. Would not leave a boat unattended here.

There is also a marina in KK.

[peter.d.m]

Originally Posted by peter.d.m

Would be grateful if anyone has advice on marinas in this area for leaving a cat for a month or two at various times of the year.
Marinas that have staff who could do general cleaning and upkeep while I am away. Are there yards with haul out facilities and handstand as well as berths?
Looks like great cruising area so any input on that would be awesome.
Pete

Thank you very much for info and tips on diving.
I am waiting for a reply from marina in KK
Much appreciated
Pete

[Jon Hacking]

Hi Pete. There's actually a marina-ish thing (floating docks) about 7nm up the river at Kuching. Good access to town. But logs come floating down the river, especially during full moon, so it's not entirely safe. Our friends also got a rat on board there once. I'd say it's OK for short stays only.

Moving NE, Miri is just south of Brunei, & has a pretty good marina, as mentioned. Small boats can hire a crane to take you out, but it's not really a hard-stand.

There's a marina in Labuan, which is a duty-free island, like Langkawi. The marina is very centrally located & was lovely 15 years ago, but most of it has now fallen apart. We've always found room there, but the few floating docks that are left are usually a bit crowded.

Next up is the marina in KK. It's fabulous, right downtown, & super expensive. You might be able to arrange someone to look after your boat, but I suspect the marina charges by the inhale & exhale.

Several miles north of KK is a relatively new haul-out yard with a 150-ton travel lift. I haven't been there, but the reports are not very friendly. It's far from town, so the taxis don't like going out there. There's no place to stay nearby, & no facilities (like bathroom or showers) for boats that are hauled out. It might work as a place to leave your boat, but I'd check it out first. They tend to work on super-yachts, not us small-fry, so they're also probably expensive.

Around the corner, at Kudat, is a tiny marina that's totally filled with government boats, so there's never any room. But just next to it is the "Duck-pond", where you can Med-moor to the golf-course. You still have to use your dinghy to go anywhere, but it's free, very well protected, you can use the marina as a dinghy dock, & there's a nice restaurant upstairs of the marina, overlooking the boats.

Just next to that, in the same bay but on the other side of the fancy hotel, is Penuwasa, where we're hauled out now. They also have a (much older) 150-ton travel lift. The pen is over 8m wide (8.4m if memory serves). They can put you in the gravel/mud for storage, or for a bit more you can go on the concrete, but there are only 7 slots on the concrete & most of them are occupied (2 open slots as I type this). If you're on the concrete, they give you a key to your own toilet & shower room, which is nice. Unfortunately, the price to move you from the storage area to the work (concrete) area is basically another haul-out, so not usually worthwhile. They have some supplies, a machine-shop, welders (including SS & aluminum) & an excellent diesel mechanic just outside the gate. There are accommodations nearby that run the gammut from cheap to luxury. KK is a 3-hour drive each way if you need fancy supplies, & there are various ways to get there & back.

Only Penuwasa really has workers, supplied by Tommy, who's not really employed by Penuwasa (his mother runs the small food-store/cantina there). Tommy would probably do general cleanup if you asked, but I'd worry about him (or one of his guys) leaving a hatch open by mistake & letting the rain in. Tommy can do painting, fiberglass, & probably lots more as well. He's a good guy, but he never has enough workers.

AFAIK, this is the only place where you could hire someone reputable to look after your boat, although you could probably make a deal with a long-time liveaboard neighbor at any of the marinas, if you got to be friends.

Hope this helps.