Zen Again's Sail Malaysia 2012 Summary

Hi everyone,
It's time for some statistics describing our Sail Malaysia 2012 adventure.  Zen Again was one of the smallest yachts on the rally this year.  She is a 34' (10.4m) cutter-rigged cruiser/racer monohull displacing about 6500kg.

One of the key differences between Sail Malaysia and Sail Indonesia is that nearly all Sail Malaysia stops are in marinas.  So below the statistics is our personal opinion on each marina.

Zen Again approaching Langkawi

Statistics:

• Duration = 31 days
• Distance Logged = 444nm
• Sea Time = 93 hours
• Average Distance = 14 nm/day
• Engine Hours = 80 hours

As the stats show, we motored for most of the rally.  We only had one passage where we sailed from beginning to end - from Songsong Island to Langkawi Island.  It was very nice to end the rally with a good sail.


Marinas:

Danga Bay Marina

Pros - cheap; wifi in/near main building; close to public transport

Cons - dirty with debris in water; very poor toilet/shower facilities; poor laundry service; generally in a state of decay

Zen Again at Danga Bay

Admiral Marina

• Pros - good jetties; nice resort with very nice pool; nice bar and restaurant; fast wifi in main building; laundry service; small convenience store
• Cons - availability of electricity and water to pens variable depending on location; no reliable public transport nearby

Zen Again at Admiral Marina

Pangkor Island Marina

• Pros - good jetties; large hardstand area; small covered hardstand; OK pool (at Best Western hotel), happy hour bar (ditto); range of restaurants; small convenience store; laundry service
• Cons - very basic toilet/shower facilities; no reliable public transport nearby

Zen Again at Pangkor Island Marina

Jerejak Anchorage

• Pros - free; short dinghy ride ashore 
• Cons - variable holding; long taxi ride to Georgetown

Zen Again at Jerejak Anchorage

Rebak Island Marina

• Pros - good jetties; reasonable size hardstand; good toilet/shower facilities; bar/restaurant dedicated to yachties; lovely resort with very nice pool, bars & restaurant; wifi useable from onboard (F jetty); laundry; small convenience store; chandlery
• Cons - 15 minute ferry ride to Langkawi Island; sandflies

Zen Again (far right) at Rebak Marina

Summary:

We had a great time on Sail Malaysia.  The "sailing" was mostly motoring.  There were many nets, fishing boats and commercial vessels to watch out for.  By going well offshore we seemed to get away from the nets.  We had no serious problems sailing at night while well offshore.

The many tours put on or made available by the rally were excellent.  They allowed us to get a taste of the hinterland at each stop.  The fairly relaxed port to port schedule gave us time to arrange our own touring to see more of the places which interested us.

Considering the low cost of joining Sail Malaysia, it is outstanding value!