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02/11/18 Fri. We are running a little late and still doing jobs and shopping - but we hope to check out tomorrow and sail on Sunday. Today, Ana made a cover for the inverted dinghy (while it's on deck), to keep the sun off it. We did the market shopping this morning, stocked on veg and chicken.
03/11/18 Sat. The plan was to check out this morning and sail tomorrow but strong NE winds put paid to that. We will wait a day or two!
05/11/18 Mon. Checked out this morning, filled the water tank and slipped the mooring. Winds are NE, so we will be against the elements. Not quite what happened!! When I tried to start the engine, there was nothing - finally tracked the fault down to a failed relay on the ignition circuit, so into town again to buy an new one (and a spare). Changed that and engine started but only ran for a few seconds - obviously air in the fuel lines despite running the engine for a long while after changing the filter last week. Once I had bled the air out, the engine started and ran as normal, so then we slipped and motored towards Tiga Island (It was now almost 2pm). We were able to hoist the mainsail and get some help from that until the wind increased and backed onto the nose. The wheelpilot clutch refused to stay engaged and kept jumping out, so I had to fix that while underway, then the temperature gauge went off, so rewired that while Ana steered. The last two hours toward Tiga were hard going, it was dark, the wind was 30 kts, thunder and lightning all around us, heavy rain and rough seas. On arrival at Tiga, the other three boats, Alistair, George and a catamaran who left before us were already at anchor.
06/11/18 Tues. Alistair weighed anchor first at 0600 and headed back to Labuan with autopilot problems. The cat. went next and we weighed anchor at 0630, shortly followed by George. Both those boats turned into Kota Kinabalu, but we carried on to Telek Usukan where we knew we could rest in shelter for a day.
07/11/18 Weds. A day of rest. Just after 0900, we saw both George and the catamaran passing the bay entrance, so they are now ahead of us.
08/11/18 Thurs. Weighed anchor at 0500 and again had to motor into headwinds towards the Tip of Borneo with frequent rain showers and uncomfortable short seas. We had now burned far more fuel than we anticipated, so I made the decision to go around the tip and head for Kudat where we could get more diesel. We entered the small bay just as it got dark (and in heavy rain) and anchored in the middle, near Penuwasa shipyard. With a sea of white horses outside and some running into the anchorage, it wasn't a very comfortable night.
09/11/18 Fri. Launched the dinghy and went into Penuwasa to arrange diesel, and see John Marwood (Touche) who we had been speaking on the phone with. So the first job of the new dinghy was to carry 120 litres of fuel in jerry cans back to the boat! During the afternoon, we pulled the anchor up and moved opposite the 'marina', dropping the hook again and putting two stern lines to shore with George's help. Had lunch with George and Smiley on their boat Australis. A more comfortable night than last night!
11/11/18 Sun. Remembrance Day and a hundred years since the armistice was signed. Today, we would have been at the War Graves Cemetery in Labuan but here we are in Kudat awaiting a weather window. There is nothing good coming but maybe tomorrow is our best chance, so we intend leaving in the morning at first light.
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