Singapore to Phuket

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by atoll

you are correct,though it is possible to minibus from koh lanta to krabi and check in,satun is also a possibility,though not really realistic if they are in a hurry.
weather of course might demand unscheduled stops[emoji2]
https://www.noonsite.com/place/thail...arance-section

I got stuck behind those little islands just north of Singapore for 4 days once, terrible weather.
Don't get me wrong, I like Malaysia but I dont see the Malacca straight as a sailing destination, it's a piece of water you transit to get somewhere else. Just my opinion.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by fivecapes

Selat = Strait
Selatan = South.

Well caught, fivecapes.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I got stuck behind those little islands just north of Singapore for 4 days once, terrible weather.
Don't get me wrong, I like Malaysia but I dont see the Malacca straight as a sailing destination, it's a piece of water you transit to get somewhere else. Just my opinion.

definitly agree,apart from the big tides,strong currents,heavy shipping , local traffic,nets ,FADS and depending on which monsoon you might be lucky to get some wind or massive thunder squalls at the southern end,though generally gets better after lamut for navigation.
blue water returns north of langkawi as well and winds become more constant at that lattitude during the NE monsoon

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by daletournier

. . . Don't get me wrong, I like Malaysia but I dont see the Malacca straight as a sailing destination, it's a piece of water you transit to get somewhere else. Just my opinion.

If you had three weeks starting in Singapore, is there some other place you would go?

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I got stuck behind those little islands just north of Singapore for 4 days once, terrible weather.
Don't get me wrong, I like Malaysia but I dont see the Malacca straight as a sailing destination, it's a piece of water you transit to get somewhere else. Just my opinion.

In the heyday of sailing, sailors did say that Sinkers was a port in which squall could destroy a ship.

I reckon that the stretch of coast from Lumut to Phuket is (or used to be, because massive overdevelopment is taking place as we write) one of the most beautiful tropical coastlines around.

Plus the Water Islands off Malacca are quite pleasant to the eye.

And yes, contemporary notions of beauty do not value much of the rest of the MY coast.

But that doesn't mean there aren't things to enjoy (e.g. bits of Langkawi, the geological park aspect of it - where you can see the rock shelf cut, about 5 metres above mean seal level, by wave action when the ice cap and glaciers were at their most recent minimum; or even just the gutter of the Strait itself, much of which is a drowned river valley; or that from Penang you can catch an inexpensive flight to Medan in Indonesia (see: https://wikitravel.org/en/Medan) and then make your way overland to Lake Toba, in the crater lake of the supervolcano that took out all of the humans other than our few ancestors about 75K years ago (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Toba)

The Strait of Malacca is the western end of the Great Archipelago, the biggest group of islands on the planet. And the GA has of course been the home to the biggest sailing fleets of all time, encompassing the Bugis/Makassans and the diverse fleets of Polynesia, Melanesia etc. Not to mention the several times fleets from India ventured to the East (e.g. the Cola/Chola, just one of the waves of Indians who used sail to move far) or the one or two fleets from China (e.g. Zheng He). Sure, those fleets did not do regatta sailing in the Malacca Strait. But they left their marks (the Cola are likely the ones who spread Indian traditional medicine and Indian traditional medicinal plants and food plants such as mango from India SE Asia to E Asia; you'll find temples commemorating Zheng He on both sides of the Strait, with one in Indonesia commemorating his visit and one on Penang island that imagined his visit - with a footprint left in stone by Zheng He himself at the entrance to the temple); the Portuguese and Dutch who left buildings, cannons, and genes in Malacca; Penang and the Sembilan islands that hosted an Englander pirate in the 16th century; the remnant fort and cemeteries in Penang (even the grave of Thomas Leonowens, the spouse of Anna - they invented the family name by merging their two family names - after Thomas died in Penang, Anna had a short term as a teacher in Siam where she was employed by King Mongkut and taught young Chulalongkorn. After moving to the US, Anna made money writing travel stories about her time in SE Asia. Some say she sauced her King and I stories, inventing flirtation from Mongkut. Why Mongkut would flirt with a dowdy widow when he had hot and cold running candidates for the post of concubine on tap, is another story); and so on up to the counter-parts today - the sophisticated container ports of Singapore and Tanjung Pelapas.

And the people. And their languages. You understand that non-华语 speakers call Modern Standard Chinese (普通话) "mandarin" because in the Malay states the Portuguese adventurers, when asking about the lands along the East Asia coast were told that in the Celestial Kingdom (神州) the language of the officials in the capital was 'mentri', an Indian word for "minister" or "official". Or that in cities such as Penang you can still find artisanal 'kitchup' factories, where you can see ceramic pots of fermenting soy beans on the way to becoming the genre of South China sauce known in some parts of North America as 'ketchup'. Or that around Ipoh, in the MY state of Perak (= silver), and from there down to Kuala Lumpur, you can see the remnants of the mines that provided the tin that was used to coat the steel cans that contained food that fed hungry people for a century or so (Kuala Lumpur = muddy confluence of rivers, where early hydraulic mining for tin was carried out; or Ipoh "the town that tin built").

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

. . . Some say she sauced her King and I stories, inventing flirtation from Mongkut. Why Mongkut would flirt with a dowdy widow when he had hot and cold running candidates for the post of concubine on tap, is another story) . . .

Maybe he just liked MILF's?

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Maybe he just liked MILF's?

Nah. Browse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Leonowens and read the sections under the sub-heading 'Literary Career' and 'Canada' (in which a meeting between Anna and Chulalongkorn is recounted).

If you want a contemporary parallel, read the Wikipedia entry on Rama X (Vajralongkorn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajiralongkorn).

Rama X both before and since taking the throne has enjoyed several women who threw themselves at him.

No suggestion that Rama X has any inherited tendency to play with mothers, whether in DE (where he has spent big mobs of time) or TH. No need. The only difference between any King of Siam and Elvis, Andy Windsor, or Paulie McCartney is that the KoS has minders around him to filter out most of the groupies.

I reckon Anna sauced her stories. And then there's the possibility that she tilted her hat at Mongkut and was rebuffed by him.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

If you had three weeks starting in Singapore, is there some other place you would go?

Late December to mid January is in the middle of the NE monsoon.

And this NE monsoon is a little more windy than some, but perhaps a little less rainy than some

So unless you're keen to bash hard to windward, you'd not want to cruise into the Gulf of Thailand or the S China Sea.

Of course there's a bit of information missing: where do you want to be 3 weeks after departing Sinkers: back in Sinkers? in Phuket? or somewhere else?

The sailing cargo vessels in the China trade, used the NE monsoon for two things: 1. to voyage heavily laden with porcelain and tea from ports on the China coast S to the Singapore Strait; and 2. to voyage from a way station (such as Bandar Aceh, Penang, or Junk Ceylon aka Phuket) to Ceylon and either on to ports in Kerala and then to Yemen or to work S towards the Cape of Good Hope.

From Sinkers to Penang, B. Aceh, or Phuket, those cargo ships worked the sea breezes and what was available. Some years the wind in the Malacca Strait is good, otherwise it's as I described earlier (relatively easy sailing from Sinkers north to 2 deg something N, then opportunistic sailing when there's wind until you've made your way to 5 deg something N, when the NE wind cuts across the skinny and low part of the Kra peninsula. The tough bit is between 2 deg N and 5 deg N, where the broad and high ranges of the Kra peninsula cut the strength of the NE wind in big way.

You've also not said what hull you're sailing. In the light airs of the Malacca Strait, a cruising cat performs v well (gets into shoal anchorages, sails well in light air).

If Phuket is not your objective, then your other options include any of several destinations in Indonesia. Perhaps just to cruise Indon and then return to Sinkers, or perhaps to cruise through Indonesia into the Indian O. Note well that the Indian O and the Arafura Sea may well become sites of cyclogenesis in January thru March. If you're a volcano adventurer and White Island, NZ, has turned you off active stuff, you could try Tambora on Sembawa. It's the volcano that did a VEI 7 in 1815 and produced a 'nuclear winter', the so-called year with no sun in the N Hemisphere that amongst other things caused a fertile minds (e.g Mary Shelley and Georgie Byron) to come up with a story about a monster cobbled together from spare parts.

If Phuket is an objective, then Sinkers to Phuket should be fine. Sure you can expect a few days of light winds. Working the sea breeze to make miles can be frustrating. I've known catamaran cruisers who have aimed to make overnight passages, sitting out on the boundary between the shipping channel and the inshore zone, where they've found just enough wind and cool conditions.

And if you've budgeted 3 weeks for the passage, then you've enough time to do the sailing and spend time in port to do the eating and seeing, without any sailing-to-a-date pressure.

In December in Sinkers and Penang you'll likely find a few durians for sale (in truth, durians are now almost a year around treat. The major season is in the middle of the year, but there's always been s small season from Dec to Feb).

Just make sure you get yourself to Penang or Langkawi in good time for a reach along the TH coast to Phuket. Winds from Penang or Langkawi to Phuket should be fairly reliable. It's the stretch from about the Water Islands to Penang that will likely have the lightest airs.

You'll find respectable marinas in Port Dickson, Lumut, and Langkawi along the MY coast.

Penang has not been able to sustain a respectable marina in my lifetime. The Straits Quay marina on the N coast has only one or two berths, so a forward scheduled booking needs be made. The Jabatan Laut (marine department) marina, just S of the N-most of the two Penang to mainland bridges, seldom has a free berth. And is not well sheltered from a NE blow - I've been there in a blow and heard fenders pop. Fair anchorage can be made at the Seagate Anchorage, in the lee of Pulau Jerjak and anchored just off an unpretentious food court (and down the coast from the Queensbay Mall retail extravaganza).

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

If Phuket is not your objective, then your other options include any of several destinations in Indonesia. Perhaps just to cruise Indon and then return to Sinkers, or perhaps to cruise through Indonesia into the Indian O. Note well that the Indian O and the Arafura Sea may well become sites of cyclogenesis in January thru March. If you're a volcano adventurer and White Island, NZ, has turned you off active stuff, you could try Tambora on Sembawa. It's the volcano that did a VEI 7 in 1815 and produced a 'nuclear winter', the so-called year with no sun in the N Hemisphere that amongst other things caused a fertile minds (e.g Mary Shelley and Georgie Byron) to come up with a story about a monster cobbled together from spare parts.

Blow me down, but the S China Morning Post has just run a story promoting Tambora (but not the volcano that left Lake Toba - funny, because Toba must have been one of the most lethal in human history). See: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/expla...olcanoes-watch

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

If you had three weeks starting in Singapore, is there some other place you would go?

Langkawi to Phuket is nice and of course there is lots to do in Phuket, I'd just motor straight to Langkawi keeping on the edge of the shipping lane as suggested, or stop at Penang for a nice Indian meal. Once at Langkawi you can enjoy cruising, little hops to Phuket.

On east side of Malaysia you have some lovely islands and clear water heading upto Tioman island but I'm assuming this time of year isnt best for that side? I think after May is the better timing (it's been a while, not sure of timing etc).

I love Indonesia, I've spent over 12 mths cruising indo waters,normal route on the inside of archepeligo, also the north from the Philippines and last time west Sumatra but I would choose Phuket if I had 3 weeks as you do, indo isnt a 3 week gig imho.

Can your friend get the boat to Langkawi and you join him there to make the most of your time? that would be much better.

Being the NE you'll spend your time anchored of the west coast of Phuket, clearer water etc, you could even hop out to the Similians.

[daletournier]

Hi Allan, regarding your in the old days Singpore was a port that could destroy ships, I agree, I've experienced Sumatras of there.

My first time up the causeway wasnt pleasant, plastic bags around my prop limiting speed and not the place to dive and rectify the problem with only 2 nms to go, crazy traffic as you know and then a big whirl wind (think twister) coming down the middle of the causeway (no joke, I'm serious). Fortunately it turned into a massive rain squall just prior to hitting us, zero visibility everyone doing their best to hold station.

The whiskey at raffles tasted mighty fine that night.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by daletournier

Dh squalls tend to dominate the local weather. Report back and let us no if you sailed or motored, you may get lucky.

We lived aboard, cruising up and down the Malacca Strait, for five years. Never knew that squalls dominated the weather there. I don't think the evidence supports that proposition.

Met Service Singapore has a quick summary of the four monsoons characterising the climate of Singapore (and the Kra peninsula and the Malacca Strait). Met Service Singapore restricts itself to talking about 'Occasional "Sumatra Squalls"' in the SW Monsoon, with thunderstorms in each of the inter-monsoons. See: Climate of Singapore |

Malaysian newsmedia are talking about a 'fourth wave', a strong pulse in the current NE monsoon, expected in about one week's time (24-25 Deccember 2019). That can be expected to bring heavy rain and wind, causing local flooding, on the E side of the Kra peninsula. See: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malay...floods/1819357

Met Service Singapore offers also offers a real-time Rain Intensity Map (Heavy Rain Warning |). Note the slide that can be activated to see reports of lightning.

The Malaysian Met Bureau offers an Android app, cunningly called myCuaca (so you can read it as my weather or MY=Malaysian Weather), on the so-called Google Play Store (see: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....mycuaca&hl=en). With data by 3G/4G or WiFi, the myCuaca app gives access to weather radar and satellite weather images.

[daletournier]

Hi Alan, regardless of the links you attached most spend a great deal of time motoring in that part of the world, that's just a fact and to say other wise is just fantasy, anyone that has cruised there knows this.

Thunderstorms and squalls are part of the cruising experience up there, that's another fact, you can frame it anyway you wish.

Malacca straights is not a great cruising destination, as I said earlier it's a piece of water you transit to get somewhere else, few get excited about motoring from Singapore to Langkawi. If your very patient and have time then sure you can wait for wind ,squalls whatever and sail up there but rarely are most of us just willing to bob around waiting for abit if breeze or a squall, we start the engine. Dh has 3 weeks, your misleading him.

[daletournier]

At time of posting.

[Pelagic]

My experiences concurs with Dale. You can get a bit of land breeze in the morning and if you sample locations along the way with Windy, you will see short periods of 8-10knts , but mostly 2-3kns
Expect to be motoring for that section