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Kuching – 01°40.20'N, 110°20.20'E
Miri Marina, Sarawak – 04°19.17'N, 113°48.02'E
Santubong Anchorage – 01°42.88'N, 110°19.32'E

Extracted from OCC June 2008 Newsletter

Neil Langford Crystal Blues, winner of this year’s Water Music Trophy, writes: WE’LL BE RETURNING to Borneo this year with plans to spend most of our time ‘up river’. Crystal Blues will be on the Tulai River (a tributary of the Rajang), where we’ll participate in the Gawai festivities at the longhouse Rumah Lidam.

Besides the Gawai festival, there are many annual activities that make a trip to Sarawak worthwhile.

This year the following festivals can be enjoyed during the cruising season: Gawai Dayak – 1st-30th June. Main festivities are on 31st May and 1st June at most traditional longhouses in Sarawak (see our comments below).

Borneo Culture Festival – 27 June-5 July. In the town square at Sibu. Anchor in the Rajang River opposite the ferry terminal.

Rainforest World Music Festival – 11th-13th July. A world class musical feast at Sarawak Cultural Village, Santubong. Book early. Anchor in the river at Santubong or easy access from Kuching.

Kuching Festival – 1st-3rd August. The Kuching street parade is on 2nd August. Anchor in the Santubong River.

Sarawak Regatta – 1st-3rd August. Traditional longboat races on the Kuching River, downtown Kuching.

Borneo International Kites Festival – 16th-24th August. At the old airfield, downtown Bintulu.

Baram River Regatta – 22nd-24th August. Traditional longboat races on the Baram River at Marudi. Access via regional air service or ferry from Miri.

Borneo International Yachting Challenge – 7th-14th September. A fun event for cruisers held on Labuan Harbour and near Miri Marina.

Internal air travel in Sarawak and Sabah is inexpensive and accommodation is very reasonable. You can move around very easily and local people are helpful and friendly. For more information on these events see the Sarawak tourism website: www.sarawaktourism.com.

The Gawai Dayak festival is held each year 1st-30th June. To the local people it’s a celebration of unity, aspiration and hope that marks the end of rice harvest and ushers in another year of bountiful goodness. Traditional music, dance and tuak (rice wine) are all used in abundance. This year Gawai takes on a special role; it is Gawai Antu, meaning festival of the dead. The ceremony and celebrations are, we are told, more substantial and special. We hope to arrive in Kuching, Sarawak (Santubong River anchorage) in early May and to depart for the Rajang river by 20th May.

If you’re travelling northeast along the coast of Sarawak, you can enjoy the Gawai celebration up river and then either return to Santubong anchorage for the Rainforest World Music Festival or, as we did last year, move on to Miri marina and fly back to Kuching for the festival. It’s only two days’ travel in either direction and flights from Miri to Kuching are generally less than $50.

Our host and friend Jampie anak Merom, a family leader at the Iban longhouse Rumah Lidam, has encouraged us to invite other vessels to visit Sungai Tulai and the Rumah Lidam longhouse this year.

Access by boat is relatively straightforward, being close to Bintangor town on the Rajang River. Deep water is held all the way to the longhouse and anchorage is in an average of 7m. If you’d like to visit, please contact us for access details and guidance.

Finally, we’ve compiled an updated list of marine services and cruising resources in Sarawak, Labuan and Sabah – you can download it at http://svcrystalblues.blogspot.com.

Kuching has a marina as of 2010, located at 01° 33.5 ' N, 110° 24.3 ' E There are 22 berths. The inner berths are very shallow at low tide. All berths are exposed to ferry and boat wash and tidal flow.

Miri Marina is located on the north west the coast of Sarawak, East Malaysia. Although the Marina has no shore side facilities, there is town water and electricity and berths for 50 plus yachts. It provides a safe haven for yachts and is a great base to leave the boat and travel to Mulu, Niah and Lambier Falls National Parks and beyond. It is also where the Borneo International Yachting Challenge finishes.
The marina is located 2kms south west of Miri, along the coast. After a short walk you can connect with a regular bus route and taxi service into town. Although the town is well spread out along the coast, riding a bicycle is a easy as there few hills. You can hire bicycles from one of the cycle shops in town.

Miri services many aspects of the off shore oil industry and provides many services that cruisers seek. We have compiled a Miri Service Directory that can be accessed here. It also has a great local Art and Craft Council where you can see and buy local Iban crafts. The local markets are a treat. Fresh seafood, meat and a great range of local vegetables are offered by very friendly stall holders. There are also good bakery supplies, cheese, bacon and very well stocked supermakets and shopping malls.

Miri offers a wonderful choice in cuisines. We enjoy yum cha for breakfast, roti for lunch and Chinese style seafood dinners. Chinese, Indian and Malay restaurants abound.

There is an annual International Jazz Festival in May, an Oil Museum, night clubs, yacht club, Polo Club and many more facilites.

Santubong Anchorage
Santubong River Entrance

The river entrance here has shallowed somewhat over recent years. There are two (2) bars to cross on the way in - the first is well out to sea, where we saw 4.7 metres on a 3.0 metre tide. The inner bar is crossed after you 've turned to port, heading east into the river. Here we saw 3.9 metres on a 3.3 metre tide - thats 0.6 metres on a zero tide, using the installed leads as the entrance guide. Locals tend to wander south of those leads, and they say there is more water there, but I have never tested it.

The left hand image shows the display from our electronic charting system (Tsunamis Navigator Pro) on the way in, with our ship 's track in red. Note that we stay deliberately to the east of the lead line on the long southward leg, purely because thats the way the tugs and barges do it - I can take a hint. Then we turn to the east and come on to the river leads proper,though severe charting error shows us well south of the lead line. Don 't worry, use the white triangular leads at the river mouth, then start to move north again once you 've crossed the shallow section. As you make that turn to the east you must stay clear (north) of the yellow floating buoy... this marks the northern end of a reef off the mainland to the south. It used to be a big green pole with flashing light, but a barge took it out recently. I 've shown the buoy, at its GPS derived (approx) location, in the chartlet above. If you 're on the leads you 'll pass within 150 metres of it. The anchorage is not far in.

Datuk Lingi 's staff have asked that visiting yachts anchor on the north side of the river (about 1/3 of the way out from the bank), starting at Lingi 's dock and then working eastwards. They strongly suggest you don 't anchor off the village, as you 'll intefere with the drift netting that happens there most evenings. Barge and boat traffic on the river occurs on the southern side, so keep to the north of the centre line. This Google Earth image of the river shows the docks, plus anchoring positions, bus stop, shops etc. There are many fish farms along the north bank of the river, don 't anchor too close or your anchor will foul in their anchoring tackle.
There is a small private dock here, owned by Datuk Lingi. He kindly allows cruisers to tie up their dinghies and to take fresh water from the dock taps. His staff that manage the dock, plant and house are very friendly and helpful. They can often organise fuel, for a transport fee, using your own jerry jugs. Having this dock available is a fantasic benefit to visiting cruisers, please don 't abuse it.