Tuesday 21 August 2018

SINGAPORE


SINGAPORE







Singapore is celebrating its 53rd birthday. The island has almost doubled in size over those 53 years, due to reclaiming. So most of the new residential and industrial Singapore is build on sand. Obviously, the waterways are getting more narrow. Yes, space on the island and its waterways is becoming lesser and lesser while the population is growing.




Sailing through Singapore waterways, shared with Malaysia & actually called Johor Strait, is becoming difficult. Some years ago Singapore was a sailors friendly country. Guess, while space is becoming limited, sailing visitors are not welcome. Not so ships that are money making enterprise. Yachts with much lesser engine power are being send to shipping lanes where speedy 20 000 tonnes ships are creating a wake that rocks yachts gunnel to gunnel.





Unaware of the changes introduced in the last couple of years we managed to get a glimpse of this beautiful city before being escorted by police to roll of the shipping lane.








Luckily, visited many times before, Singapore stays in our memory as stunning, visitor friendly city with delicious cuisine displayed in many restaurants.










It was great to relax in a comfortable anchorage on the Malaysian side after some nautical miles added and not so smooth sailing passage. 

Happy Birthday Singapore!

Thursday 2 August 2018

PULAU REDANG MALAYSIA


PULAU REDANG
MALAYSIA







Many islands decorate the map of the East Coast of Malaysia. Those are best visited between May and November, in the North East Monsoon season, when the weather is sunny and the crystal clear waters are calm and warm.
Pulau Redang, a short hop from KualaTerengannu, is famous as an absolute holiday destination. It is accessible by ferry and by air. International flights from Singapore can land at its airport, as well as domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur.




The island is a Marine Reserve. It is famous for fabulous reefs and fish, snorkeling and diving are the primary interests of visitors. The island is Eco- friendly and it has a Turtle Sanctuary. Chagar Hutang Turtle Sanctuary is a sea turtle conservation and research center, it invites visitors and accepts donations to help with research.
Pulau Redang has walking tracks, white sand beaches, crystal clear waters. It is a paradise for snorkeling, diving, swimming and walking. There are a number of resorts and restaurants offering local and international cuisine.