It started with a fun evening meeting local people, then venturing to the Blue Ring to dive and coping with engine issues. This episode has it all, including some compelling reasons why we chose to sail around the world. It’s normal for yacht rallies to put on land-based events Click here for full post: https://followtheboat.com/5-reasons-to-sail-around-the-world/ […] More
We left Lahad Datu, the rally boats stuffed to their gunwales with guests who were joining us for a party at Silam, our next destination. Before that, we squeezed in a trip to the mud volcano of Sabah’s famous Tabin Wildlife Sanctuary. The smaller sister of Danum Valley, but still Click here for full post: […] More
We sailed 50 miles towards the pirate zone and straight back to night watches. This meant that after several days of freedom in the jungle, Esper had the ‘graveyard shift’ from 01:00 till dawn. It was our job to be on full alert and to wake up the other boats Click here for full post: […] More
Saying goodbye to the Kinatabangan River was hard, it was an experience we’ll never forget. But we had to move on and in this case it meant heading out into the Sulu Sea and the most dangerous waters in Sabah. We made decent going and Liz caught a barracuda (her Click here for full post: […] More
“Are you mad? We’re in a pandemic and there are pirates in the Sulu Sea, why the hell are you going there?” This was the common reaction when, in 2020, we announced that we were planning to sail around the eastern coast of Sabah, an area with a Click here for full post: https://followtheboat.com/whats-it-like-to-sail-with-an-armed-escort/ Twitter: […] More
This week, we head back towards the pirates (hitting submerged logs, dodging debris, running aground and navigating shallow water on the way). But first we have one more night in the Kinabatangan River. We take the dinghy up an overgrown tributary to an oxbow lake (or is it an abandoned Click here for full post: […] More
It’s the question we get asked most, and as we started living full time on our sailboat in 2006, we reckon we’ve amassed enough experience to give a useful answer. So here’s our way of planning a cruising budget to help those of you who are thinking of Click here for full post: https://followtheboat.com/how-much-to-sail-around-the-world/ Twitter: […] More
We’re sailing up river to find elephants and monkeys. Specifically pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys! The Kinabatangan River has rainforest lining its banks, but just behind are vast swathes of palm oil plantations. This means the rarest animals are squeezed into a small area of what was once a vast Click here for full post: […] More
We head into the Kinabatangan River, through rain forest and mangroves. The Kinabatangan River, at 342 miles, is the second longest river in Malaysia. Bordered by mangroves, rain forest, limestone caves and swamps, it’s like nowhere we have sailed before. As we made our way up river through the Click here for full post: https://followtheboat.com/into-the-kinabatangan/ […] More
“Sandakan” has an exotic and romantic ring to it. On the east coast of Sabah, close to Turtle Islands, marine parks and idyllic tropical beaches, it’s a fascinating place for any tourist to stop for a few days. After the storms of Turtle Islands, it was a relief for Click here for full post: https://followtheboat.com/ep214-death-marches/ […] More
When a second squall followed behind the first, all six rally boats turned 180 degrees and were pushed towards the reef. Boats began dragging in the soft sand forcing one of our number to motor deeper to escape the danger. Just yer average day on a rally in northern Borneo! Click here for full post: […] More
Six boats are taking part in the only rally happening in the world since Covid started. Sailing hundreds of miles into the notorious Sulu and Celebes Seas between Sabah and the Philippines, there are no marinas, no boat yards, not even any other sailboats. Just us and ESSCOM, the fantastic Click here for full post: […] More