30 Jul 05 Passage Kuantan River to Chukai, Kemaman River Back to Malaysia East Coast Cruise 2005
Our departure track gave us more information to refine the waypoints and the route to enter and leave Kuantan. Here are the final waypoints for the entry/exit. Use them with care since the channel shifts with the season.
We weighed anchor at 0715 and, surprisingly, found the chain rode rather clean with only a bit of mud on the anchor. Cleared the outer marker of the channel at 0752 and began a motor sail in Force 1 (1-3 knots) winds from astern. Rounding the entry marks at the Kuantan New Port and taking a more northerly course the wind picked up to Force 2 (6-8 knots) but the southeasterly swell was abnormally high at about 1 meter.
We sailed on a very broad reach then wing and wing for three hours until it was necessary to use the 'iron genoa' to make our entry of the river at just before high tide.
The mark shown on the chart no longer exists but there is a red plastic barrel marking the position of the wreck which we left to port on entry.
The course on the southwesterly and southerly portions of the entry is along a river bank and must be held close (30-50 feet) from the starboard bank until just before the town.
At 1514 we anchored at the end of the seawall in 10 feet of water under the keel in the position shown. It is just beyond a series of small mooring buoys and fish trap markers. Our trip of 33.3 NM took 8 hours for an average speed of 4.2 knots.
During the night the tide drop had us with just one foot under the keel!
On 1 Aug 05 the current change at high tide began at 1 hour 25 minutes after the high tide at Tanjong Gelang tidal station.
Here's the route with waypoints, updated after our departure and DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE POSTED ON 1 AUGUST.
Again, please use them with care.