In Malaysia, we are blessed with many public holidays. Being a multicultural nation, we celebrate 4 ethnic festivals yearly. Some of these are double-day holidays. Then, we have global holidays (new year’s, labour day) and a few other country-specific holidays (independence day, state holidays, etc). They make up quite a few holidays.

This year, Chinese New Year came early. Around the time of a couple of other holidays. It was too good to pass.

So, off we headed to my brother-in-law’s, Nesa, boat in Langkawi. I wrote in the past about moving the boat from Port Dickson to Langkawi. We motored the entire way. This time we were going to sail it to Koh Lipe, Thailand which is northwest of Langkawi, and back. Only 22 nautical miles from Langkawi. It felt like a nice first challenge for sailing. The island is visible from Langkawi. So, it was a must-do.

The wind patterns had been studied, by Nesa and we had marked a date for when we would set sail for Lipe. Many websites provide much-needed data. Predictwind.com is one. Our internal joke is that there is nothing predictable about it.

Planning and paperwork (harbour master, customs and immigration clearance) are essential and information is gathered to make the plan work. But, with sailing, there is much that is experienced in the moment. As I mentioned before, things change in a heartbeat.

To cut a long story short, we left on the day we had planned to leave and got the sails up and we sailed reaching up to 8 to 10 knots in speed! Never have I experienced the raw energy of wind power. It was an incredible experience.

The Seawind is a performance catamaran and perform it did! It glided through the water powered purely by wind. Such an amazing feeling. I was immediately taken back to when our forefathers risked life and family to venture onto new lands. They did not have the current gadgets and technology to sail. Theirs was raw information gathering and the rest was left to faith, fate, and luck. What brave people they were. If not for them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

We made it to Lipe in record time and moored there for 2 nights. We had to clear immigration. Anchoring is not allowed as the area is a marine park. There are enough moorings available. We got to shore using the dinghy. Over the next three days, we went island hopping to the nearby islands. A truly magnificent experience. The few pictures below give you an idea of what we experienced.

We returned to Langkawi six days later. Upon our entry back to the marina we noticed a new boat. Caught my eye right immediately. Unique. We made friends with the people on board later only to hear about her magnificent journey.

She is Nordkaperen, a Danish boat, and approximately 120 years old. The last owner died passing it on to his children who later created a foundation that sublets the boat to members (of the foundation). Members can then select a time in the schedule to sail her in whichever part of the world she is in. (What an amazing concept).

Members are paired with others who have the necessary skillsets. Experienced skippers are a must on each sail. We met a couple who had come on board for 2 months and were leaving the next day. The skipper for that sector had committed 3 months for his sail. The new skipper who would take over from him had just arrived in Langkawi to learn, ‘on the job’, the specifics of sailing her.

When we saw Nordkaperen in Langkawi, she had just sailed down from Thailand and is presently on her way down to Singapore and then to Indonesia and Fiji. Always with members who complement each other to make the sailing as fun, safe and memorable as possible. The youngest member of the current sail is 2 years old. The skipper’s son. Yes, they sail with their children. In Langkawi, there were 6 adults and 4 children on board. And a couple of ducklings as pets, purchased in Phuket! We met them too.

And just to give you an idea, it is basic. Water for cleaning and washing are stored in 8-10 canisters, the toilet is a bucket (yes, back to basics), and the anchor is dropped and pulled up manually!!! No winch, no pulleys! And ventilation in the cabin is minimal.

Just as I was feeling the thrill of sailing to and from Lipe, I was amazed and humbled by these Danish sailors. Ours was a floating home with modern amenities in comparison to Nordkaperen.

Both are on the water but completely different experiences.

And that’s why every journey is unique!

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com