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01/01/18 Mon.   HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our view this morning at 0600 - another new day and the start of a new year.

02/01/18 Tues.  Time to check out again, so we took a dinghy ride to the ferry terminal for the excruciating, painful performance of a simple stamp out.  Not bad though, only an hour and visits to 9 offices!  Weighed anchor at 1230 and motor sailed back to Labuan, mooring in our usual berth at 1600.

06/01/18 Sat.  Nothing much happening, obviously we checked back into Malaysia on Wednesday, last night we went over to Craig's boat for a couple of drinks and a chin-wag and the plan now is to go back to Kudat on Monday on the bus, and launch Dulce for the trip back down here.

08/01/18 Mon.  We caught the 8am speedboat to Menumbok for the journey back to Kudat, arriving in KK at 1200.  After checking into Cititel Express Hotel for the night, we set off to Karamunsing to get Ana's phone repaired (only 7 weeks old!), then onto Colombong for some fibre glass matting.

09/01/18 Tues.  After breakfast, we got a mini bus to Kudat, an awful journey because of a whining differential beneath my seat!  The heavens opened on arrival and it poured with rain for the rest of the day and night.  Onboard Dulce, I tried both engines, the stbd started ok but the port one wouldn't because of a starter motor fault again!  Stripped off the starter, cleaned all the terminals again and checked it while out, refitted it to the engine and the engine started ok.  Arranged for an 8am launch on Thursday 11th.

10/01/18  Weds.  Into town this morning to pay the yard bill and check the boat out with Jabatan Laut and Customs. 

 

The pic is of Dulce this afternoon, - just about ready for launching tomorrow.

 

 

 

11/01/18 Thurs.  Launched at 0830!  After a brief trial, we set off towards the Tip of Borneo in torrential rain, then the seas got much worse and the wind picked up to 30 knots.  We could hardly see anything in front and I considered turning around and going back to the pond in Kudat, but thought that if we get around the tip, the seas will ease and we would have some shelter from the land.  Once around the tip, we had following seas of about 2 metres and a side wind. Neptune came onboard and stole my shoes!  We motored down to Usukan and anchored in the bay there at 6pm.......after some trouble with the windlass remote, which would not switch off!

12/01/18 Fri.  After the horrors of yesterday, we decided to remain at anchor today, even though the weather was beautiful, and have a rest (apart from a few odd jobs on the boat).

13/01/18 Sat. Up at 4am for a 0500 start, but a squealing alternator belt on the starboard engine put paid to that!  Finally, after fitting a new belt and having breakfast, we weighed anchor at 0600 and motored down the coast past KK, anchoring off the beach at Tiga island around 3pm (that's around 6knot average).  Stripped down the bow navigation light and fixed a bad connection in the lamp.

14/01/18 Sun.  Underway at 0600 for the final leg to Labuan, dry but cloudy day with gentle winds and fairly calm seas.  Moored alongside in Labuan at 1130 - just as a fresh water pipe on the heater burst!  Had that happened earlier, the tanks would have emptied into the bilges and been pumped overboard.

15/01/18 Mon.  Went into town to check Dulce in with Jabatan Laut, have some lunch and buy a few bits of shopping.

19/01/18 Fri.  Rented a car for a couple of days and went in search of a company which could make sliding doors - my shower/toilet has a small cupboard with plywood sliding doors which have rotted away because they are always wet.  We found a small firm which could make them but the frames (aluminium) would be much too big, so we decided to keep the hardwood frame and have new doors made from a 4mm sandwich of plastic and powdered aluminium.

22/01/18 Mon.  Into the Digi store again this morning to complain about my monthly bill which keeps showing "subscriptions" to which I have neither taken nor wanted.  Yesterday was spent doing every yottie's favourite job - stripping down the heads pump!  I took it out because it had started to make a strange sound, and once out decided to strip it, clean it and replace all the valves and diaphagm.  However, I had to do that four times because it leaked on every replacement.....I finally discovered a hairline crack in the casing which was letting air in and water out.

23/01/18 Tues.  Stripped down the heads pump again and covered the hairline crack with epoxy compound before refitting. Gave the shower cupboard frame it's first coat of varnish.

24/01/18 Weds. In search of thinners suitable for polyurethane finishes today but shop holders have difficulty in understanding, so we ended up renting a car again and going further afield.  Finally got some (but only available in 5 litre cans!) from Motorship.

25/01/18 Thurs.  More sanding and varnishing today, shower cupboard 2nd coat, coachroof grab rails first coat.

 

 

26/01/18 Fri.  Fitted the handles to the cupboard door and Ana screwed the frame back in place.  Looks a lot better now and at least the doors will not rot again!

 

 

 

29/01/18 Mon.  With the grabrails finished over the weekend, we went into town this afternoon and checked out with Jabatan Laut, Customs and Immigration.  Tomorrow, we will sail to Brunei again.

30/01/18 Tues.  Sailed at 0800 and made our way out across the harbour, once out we hoisted the mainsail and motorsailed across to Brunei against the current, arriving at the anchorage off RBYC at 1200.  After some lunch, we inflated the dinghy and went to the usual offices of immigration etc to check in - this time with little fuss!

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