4 September 99 - LANGKAWI ANCHORAGES

One change we have noticed in the past few years of cruising is that far more boats these days spend their time cruising from marina to marina. We are not adverse to going into a marina ourselves, for they do serve useful purposes, and in some places a marina is the only option. However, it just seems many cruisers REQUIRE a marina berth. They get locked into their air cons, TV's and telephones. They don't take advantages of the perfectly good anchorages around them. Why leave home.

One of the beauties of being in Langkawi, and having it as a year long base of operations, is the choice of anchorages. Langkawi isn't just one island. The tourist promo says there are "99 emerald islands, breathtaking in beauty, and abounding in legend." Well let me tell you, a lot of those "islands" are realistically just big rocks. You could drive around them in a dinghy in 5 minutes. But there are enough large ones, proper islands, and scattered in such a pattern, that there is always an anchoring option for dictates of weather, or the whim of exploration. In the last few weeks we have been in 4 different anchorages.

Pulau Singha Besar has quite a nice bay on the North East corner giving protection from the SW Monsoon -- which mostly means Westerly winds here. No one lives on the island now, but there are several abandoned wood structures that once were part of a youth camp. There are picnic tables and benches, and a Bar-B-Q too. Yachties who spend a lot of time there make sure the grounds are kept clean, and have resurrected the water supply coming down from a dam further up the hill. Lovely long beach. At one time there was to be a sort of zoo on the north end of the island. When the project collapsed, the animals were released. It is unique to see deer walking along the beach, or a herd of pigs gone wild and scurrying across the rocks, as well as the usual macaque monkeys and amazing birds.

Another spot is called the "Hole-in-the-Wall". Narrow entrance as you would imagine, leading into a labyrinth of mangrove shrouded channels. Quite a few deep enough for navigation, although we anchor in the main one, about a mile inside where it opens up enough to have some breeze. The outer edges of all this area are formed by rocky cliffs - quite spectacular! There are birds - eagles, kingfishers, hornbills, (some kind of?) singers and such, plus macaque monkeys and long tail leaf eating monkeys, huge monitor lizards, and a family of otters. Sometimes the pink tipped dolphins swim into the channels for breakfast! There are also MOSSIES at dusk, so up with the screens and a bit of coil in front of the hatchway. We are not too bothered. About a 15 minute dinghy ride will take you to the end of the Kilim River and put you at a fisherman's wharf. There is a small restaurant; you can get ice and gasoline too. Short walk from there to the main road and a mini van goes into town for 2 Ringgit each. ($.52)

The "Ferry Cut", so named because it is traversed by many of the ferries servicing Langkawi, is seldom used by more than 3 or 4 boats that we know. Most other anchor out types feel the roll produced by the passing ferries negates its usefulness. (Let's keep deluding them!) Can be a bother if you are trying to do something delicate, or work on the hull side from the dinghy, but they are spaced throughout the day, and quit service about 8 at night. Meanwhile, the anchorage provides good holding and good wind protection, has the above menagerie of wild life for shoreside entertainment, good beaches for swimming, and constantly flowing water from springs on the far hills to give a steady supply for showers and washing. Maybe we should rename it "Laundry Bay"!

There are other anchorages we frequent, but not necessarily at this time of year. "Eagle Cove" -- a anchorable pocket formed between three small islands with lots of eagles (what else!) and making a good spot for early morning depatures to Penang. "The Lake Cut" -- an almost gorge type setting betwen steeply rising cliffs, a fresh water spring, wildlife, and close dinghy access to a fresh water lake for swimming. "Doggie Beach" or "Big Cave Beach" which has a tremendously impressive cave, freshwater stream and springs, a tourist "camp" with picnic tables and shelters that makes a good "Let's all have a Bar-B-Q" spot, as it is quite close to Kuah. Bumbon Island -- our least favorite because of poor holding, but there are 6-8 boats there most of the time. And of course you can anchor right in front of the main town, Kuah.