Langkawi experience, anyone?

[settlednomad]

Hi forum,

I have found four boats of interest by the same broker in Langkawi. I guess with it being on the cruisers' and circumnavigators' route that boats here should have already been ocean proved and generally well-equipped for further cruising. The four I have seen online certainly appear to tick those boxes.

As a place to start (notwithstanding the logistical issues of getting personal kit to the boat), does anyone have experience of sailing in this area? On paper it seems to be (another) slice of paradise - I live in the UK so most places with sun and warmth are!

For those with experience in those parts, what are potential issues, beyond normal boaty-type issues, that should be considered before entertaining the idea of buying a boat out there? It appears to sit at the very top of the Malacca Straights, though I'm not sure it's close enough to be of any real concern.

Thank you in advance for any and all pearls of wisdom

[atoll]

lankawi is a pleasant tourist island,with quite a few expats living there.
there are also 3 marinas with a reasonable sized yachting community of livaboards and fifo owners.

good supermarkets,a couple of chandlers,boatyard,resort hotels,some nice beaches and restaurants.

muslim,but a sizable malay indian and chinese community which give a very cosmopolitan feel to the place.
good flight and ferry service,there used to be direct flights to the uk,not sure on current status.

hot and humid april to nov,dec-march cooler with NE trades.

piracy,not really an issue,but many fishing vessels can make navigation interesting at night.
not a bad place to start out from,or to base yourself from if cruising se asia

CF member pelagic had a thread about retiring there a few months ago.
will see if i can find the link.cheers atoll

edit,link to thread
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...se-191380.html

[settlednomad]

Atoll - fantastic - thank you. It certainly seems to have a lot going for it!

I'll follow the link you've provided and read further...