Known as the ‘pearl of the orient’, the island of Penang is separated from mainland Malaysia by a channel about 3 miles wide at its narrowest point. The main channel is the northern one, Selat Utara, and this is the one by which we had entered in Aeolus after the landfall at Kedah Peak.

Two days later, much of which was spent in sleep, I changed back to Kay Sira for the next passage some 85 nautical miles down the coast to the South, to a place called Lumut, which I had visited in my youth, for it is the departure point for ferries to the small island of Pangkor, which was then, and still is a holiday resort known for its clear waters and coral.

On this, the first leg of our two-leg journey to join the Raja Muda Regatta at Port Klang, there were 2 newly-qualified Day Skippers and the instructor asked us to share control, and my leg is next. For the leg in which i was not practicing as skipper, I was asked to prepare the Pilotage for the voyage, which is needed to convey the boat from harbour to clear open water. It is necessary to prepare a route using charts, tide tables, and almanac, and to take control under the skipper for that part of the voyage.

I found the first part of the pilotage to be well within my growing capability, with the number of potentially catastrophic silly mistakes fewer in number than before. I conned Kay Sira through the suspension part of two huge road bridges at the southern end of the island, one of which is still under construction.

The limits of the local chart were reached after the site of the second bridge, the newer one, which is not shown on it. I had thought that this was the end of my Pilotage, but no, it was necessary to move to a smaller scale chart for the last part of the pilotage, eventually to arrive at the ‘Safe Water Mark’.

We arrived at this transition at the same time as darkness, and so I had to scrabble together a pilotage plan from nothing tp cover the last 7 miles. It was hairy and my inadequate knowledge of the night lighting and day marking of the various buoys seemed to be holding us back.

However with the patient help of the instructor (Barry this time) I muddled through and revealed that I need to learn up these facts by rote.

I had thought that I could not possibly endure a passage of longer than the 60 miles from Lankawi to Penang, but here I am after 85, and still writing. But I lost 6 hours of sleep via the watch system so must now rest and face the next leg later…