During our stay in Sibu we had noticed the incredible currents there. With that in mind we wanted to pull anchor on slack tide. This was no easy task as the currents had caused the anchor to be severely buried and our windlass motor could not pick it up. So we went as tight as possible and started using a combination of manual winch and the force of Sari Timur driving on the anchor then slacking off. We know we were making progress, as we were able to grab a few extra links each time. After about 20 minutes of this the mud finally let go of her captive and we could again use the electric winch. By now the current was flowing a bit stronger and we were soon up to 10 knots under slightly above idle! Anyway what a sleigh ride, however we were a bit concerned about hitting bottom at such speeds but luckily we had our track to follow on the way out. We noticed the engine was getting warm. Something we had been seeing a lot lately. We thought it might be because the current was pushing so hard up the exhaust it was partially blocking the exhaust. Though we really found that to not be so plausible we accepted it. Anyway just about an hour after leaving Sibu we were approaching our turn for the Sungai Labaan. This same trip in the other direction was over 3 hours! We noticed a sailboat anchored waiting for the current to slacken. We called them on the radio and found out they were Cloudy Bay, a boat we had seen in Thailand but never met. They were going to do a similar trip to ours but were about 3 days behind us.
We made our turn into the Sungai (river) Labaan and the currents slacked off considerable but we were still doing 6 knots under idle. The Labaan has a new bridge over it, which we had been told had 20 metre clearance. We were desperately looking for some kind of confirmation, not on any of our electronic or paper charts. You hate to take word of mouth as your sole source of reference, especially when you have heard it from only one source. We eventually saw a sign warning us it had 20 metre clearance and to slow down to 5 knots. Not quite an easy task and still remain with steerage but we managed to get the boat down to 5.1 by alternating the engine between idle and neutral. Luckily the engine was now running quite cool (maybe this water up the exhaust is the problem). The bridge turned out to be no drama in the end as there were even buoys indicating the passage through. Buoys in Malaysia are a sheer luxury and often do not exist even when they are supposed to! We were very pleased with ourselves and settled in to navigate the river. Some beautiful scenery but alas no pictures as we were both busy with navigation and driving. Still making speeds of 6 knots and now no track to follow meant we needed to be on our toes.
We had made a decision to turn off the Labaan and follow the Loba Singat. This is a rather narrow river but looked like we could navigate it ok. The charts showed a couple of areas where the sphincter muscles would be tight but all in all navigable and it should cut some time off the trip plus provide even more spectacular scenery. We didn’t have any reports of any yachts going this way before, but reckoned with the nav charts updated there must be traffic. Just as we were getting to the entrance we saw a ferry boat head in. Though these boats are shallow draft we reckoned it was a good sign. The scenery was well worth it.
From the Singat we entered the Lassa and if the Singat was narrow and shallow the Lassa was as wide and deep. We had thought about anchoring near the town of Daro but as we approached we could not see the skyline and realized the anchorage would be a bit out of the way. As it was early we decided to go up near the mouth of the Lassa and anchor there for the evening. This would allow us to get a good early jump in the morning on the way to Bintulu. But the best laid plans often go out the window. And as we approached the mouth, the river did shallow and we had 13 knots of wind blowing straight in. This was creating a chop that would have been uncomfortable to sleep. So we decided to continue on and do a couple of overnight sails to go straight to Miri.
As we were coming out of the mouth the wind slowly veered so that it was tight going but manageable and we were able to sail. As evening came the wind did drop and we had to turn on the motor.
In the morning the wind came back up and we even had reasonable angle so it was off with the engine and streaking towards Miri at high sixes and low sevens under sail. Is this what we are going to have for our race north at the end of the month, was all we kept thinking. Anyway at the change of tide both late morning and early evening we noticed a large amount of logs and bits in the water and were glad we were under sail. Hitting one of these bits with a rotating MaxProp could be expensive! As we were passing one of the oil platforms we saw a large school of tuna. Now Sari Timur has a reputation for not catching fish. As a matter of fact it has been a 15 year drought. Of course most of that was because we seldom put a line in the water. But since we were having such a great sail we decided maybe luck had turned with us. And we rigged up a line. Sure enough a few hours later we were rewarded with the sound of a fish on the line and we soon reeled in a nice mackerel of about 34 inches. Sashimi for dinner!
At about 10 pm the wind started to diminish and turn more on the nose. We wanted to make the entrance to Miri at first light, as that was optimum tide (Miri has a very shallow entrance and keel boats need some tide to enter). So we turned on the engine. Again we were running very warm and this time nothing was choking up the exhaust. We have a problem! So let’s try taking out the thermostat. The symptoms running sometimes hot, sometimes normal, could be explained by a sticky thermostat. In doing so we damaged an endcap hose on the heat exchanger without noticing it. Thermostat removed and the engine back together, let’s turn it on and give it a try. Without a thermostat the engine was running cool but that was expected, so let’s go. Clean up, get some sleep. Barely into dreamland when the engine overheated again. We opened up the engine room and found the above-mentioned endcap for the heat exchanger spraying water all over the place and things were very hot! It was off with the engine and drift sail towards Miri, as we again got out the tools. This endcap we do not have a spare for but Rube Goldberg style we made up an alternative and again started the engine. It was working and again, packed up the tools and cleaned up again and tried to get some sleep. An hour later and Rube let us down as one of the fittings wouldn’t hold. This time we have cooked the hose on the exhaust riser as well. This we have a spare for so we changed it and tried a different approach with ole Rube. And now we have learned, do not put away tools, do not get cleaned up and keep the engine box opened so we can watch. With no thermostat in the fresh water system by the time it gets warm on the gauges the salt water side is well and truly cooked. Anyway it all holds together and 4 hours later we are motoring into the Miri Marina.
We are very pleased with Miri. It has a true cruising community and we are experiencing the social life full on while we wait for those spares from Singapore. All in all a great trip so far. Other than a few hours worth of engine work on a hot engine with the wrong spares the trip so far has been fantastic.
Sounds like a lot of fun.
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