Josh Slocum II

Every so often one gets the urge; at least I do, and when this particular urge made itself felt I announced my intention of going for a long sail in the ship's whaler. In fact I was even more specific and said that we would sail from Singapore to the island of Pulau Tioman and back, a round trip by the shortest route of 280 miles. Of course the next morning I felt somewhat differently about all this but I was committed, so we went. It would be misleading to suggest that we went without any preparation; there was quite a lot and in the end I was given logistic support by an MFV which was to accompany us 'in case'. On the boat herself I carried out several modifications to the original Montague rig and ended up with a maximum set of two heads'ls, a flying jib tops'l, mains'l, mizzen stays'l and mizzen; a set which was quite well balanced and certainly improved the boat's performance in light airs.

At 1030 on Saturday September 24 we sailed from the Naval Base and made slow progress in light airs down towards Changi. We had two bouts of teething troubles, both of which were to affect us later on: firstly the primus stove leaked so we were resigned to cold food, and secondly we found ourselves unable to raise the naval wireless station at Kranji, however I was not unduly worried about this as we should soon be having the MFV in company and I hoped that they would be able to keep the authorities in the picture. The MFV passed us at 1900 and, after ribald suggestions about towing, went on to wait for us in the Singapore Strait: luckily they became bored and came back to look for us, and were able to take off one of my crew, who was suffering from severe stomach pains, and take him back to the Naval Base. The wind was not kind to us that night and it was 0200 before we finally cleared Changi Point, and then only with a strong ebb tide behind us. It was then that we came across our first hazard - fishing stakes. These are built in the shape of a wide V on either side of the fairway, and at 0330, with no wind to enable us to work off, we found ourselves set squarely and strongly on to a line of stakes. There was nothing for it but to make the best of a bad job, so we secured the boat and turned-in to await further developments. By 0600 the tide had slackened, and with a lively breeze we were able to work off the stakes and continue our passage to the SE. The wind held until mid-afternoon. We had an exhilarating reach down the Singapore Strait sitting well out under all sail, and by 1230 were running NNE past Pulau Lima and out into the open sea with the ebb once more behind us.

Cold tinned sausages didn't meet with the approval that they deserved, so we resolved to have our next meal from the MFV, which by this time we had sighted again further to seaward. Having continued to run NNE throughout the afternoon under a decreasing wind, we hove to at 1730 and secured alongside our 'guardian' for a large and well cooked supper. At this stage we had another volunteer for life before the mast, and when we slipped again two hours later it was once more with a full crew of four - the addition being 'Stirling' Moss. He was signed on as Chief Stoker - a job he did very well judging by the rapid depletion of our food stocks!

The breeze that got up at dusk stayed with us all night and we made good progress to the NNW comfortably on a broad reach. The peaceful night was marred by one incident when at 0130 we rode over a partially submerged log which unshipped the rudder. The crew reacted splendidly and within half an hour we had the boat scudding along as before with no damage done. With the coming of dawn it became obvious that we were in for a blow. By this time we were about 10 miles W of Pulau Aur, having made good an average of 4½ knots throughout the night. As the wind increased and the skies became blacker we took in sail until we were running N under stays'! and reefed mains'l alone, and making good speed until the rising stern sea and gusts began to make the boat less manageable when, to avoid the embarrassment of broaching-to, I hove-to and we lay quite comfortably under a backed stays'l and taking the sea on the quarter. I estimated at this time that the wind was gusting to Force 6 at times, and that the short, steep sea that had got up was certainly 5 feet in height - although from the bottom boards of a whaler in the trough it looked considerably more. Apart from rain and the odd small 'goffer' inboard we kept reasonably dry and were able, at least three of us were, to breakfast off hard-boiled eggs and tinned fruit - the 'Chief Stoker' doing smart justice to the unwanted ration!

By 0900 the wind had dropped sufficiently to enable us to set sail again; the wind and sea were now from the WSW and I found that the boat made little headway beating into the sea, so bore away and reached through the lee of Pulau Pemanggil. From there beating across to Pulau Tioman and finally securing alongside the MFV in Telok Tekek at 1730. We had seen nothing of the MFV all day but I found that they had passed to the N of us during the storm, and having seen us and decided that we looked better off than they felt, gone on their way.

The evening was spent very pleasantly around a large fire on the beach and we were also able to send a message through the police radio to the Naval Base, although I found afterwards that this took an inordinately long time to get through. Two stalwarts elected to sleep ashore round the embers of our fire, and the rest of us returned on board for what promised to be a quiet night. However, this was not to be, for at 0130, we were awoken by a hail from HMS MARYTON who had been instructed to discover our whereabouts on her way South to Singapore. She very kindly sent across technical assistance for our radio but found that there was little she could do, so finally left us having reported our circumstances to Singapore. The next morning was wet and windy, but later cleared and we made the most of our island until after lunch when we broke camp and returned to the boats where we once more made our preparations for sea.

At 1500, with two new crew members embarked in the whaler, both boats weighed and we left under tow into a light westerly wind. By 1700 the wind had backed to SSE and having made a good offing from the bay the tow was cast off and once again we were on our own. At this stage the MFV left us for good as she had to be back in the Naval Base next day. By dusk she was hull down and we were truly on our own. Throughout the night the wind remained light from SSE and by the following morning we were lying becalmed about 3 miles to the S of Pulau Tioman having tacked once overnight. Getting back to Singapore was obviously going to take a long time if the wind remained as it was, and I knew that the current setting up the coast wasn't going to help matters very much either. However the wind did not desert us for long and by 1600 we had made a long leg down to Pulau Babi and a squall was obviously brewing down to the SW of us. After beating to the S and gaining good ground for as long as possible, I tacked out again to gain more sea-room as I had no wish to be forced to heave-to off what promised to be a lee shore. Before long the wind had veered to S and we were beating into a rising sea under stays'l and reeled mains'l alone. The wind was gusting to an estimated Force 5 and things were just becoming exciting again when the mainsheet - which I had already noted for renewal - parted, and left me with no alternative. Whilst repairs were being carried out we continued under fore, trys'l and mizzen, and were able to make good ground to the SE, albeit getting somewhat wet in the process. My intentions at this time were to work off-shore again to the SE if possible, I did not want to tangle with the many rocks and shoals inshore of us during the night. I also hoped that further off-shore the effect of the adverse current might be less. By 1830 the squall had passed and the wind settled in the SSW so we remained on our SE'ly course and hoped to be able to pass well S of Pulau Aur the following morning. Progress overnight was not as good as I had hoped and by 0500 on Thursday we were lying becalmed about 7 miles W of Aur having been carried well N by the current. The wind remained light and variable all day, and although we were able to work slowly down to the S of Aur it was not until 0600 on Friday that we were able to start making good headway to the SSE again. During the previous night we sighted the lights of a submarine, and in an exchange of signals by light we found her to be HMS TEREDO: she was able to confirm our position and also to pass it back to the Naval Base for us.

From 0600 on Friday we continued SSE on a fine reach until Pulau Aur finally disappeared astern to the NW at about 30 miles. During the afternoon the wind veered to the W which enabled us to reach comfortably to the S, but slowly decreased until 1700 when we were becalmed again. By this time we were in the shipping lane, which gave some encouragement, and I hoped that given a good SE'ly breeze overnight, we would be able to reach well down towards Horsburgh Light. We had now been underway for three days, and the fare of cold tinned food, and water-rationing under the hot sun began tell a bit. Conversation turned on the delights of huge steaks washed down with gallons of ice-cold beer, and we even bewailed the absence of a good 'cuppa'. Becalmed with our gastronomic fantasies we were somewhat surprised to see a small outboard-driven sampan approach: I had made a practice of waving greetings to native craft that we passed, and this one from curiosity, came alongside. I had hoped that he might have some fruit that we might bargain for, but he had none. However, he explained that his parent fishing boat had, and would we like a tow over there. The offered tow was in the right direction, so with the prospect of replenishing at least our water supplies, I accepted. We had been under-tow for about 15 minutes when a larger fishing boat appeared over the horizon and we were soon secured alongside and invited on board. The boat was the 'TANG LOH' (No. SMF2), of about 70 tons and of the type common in these waters. She had a crew of four, of whom three were Malays and one was Indian. Qualms about what we were letting ourselves in for were markedly shown by the boot-faces of my crew, but these soon dispersed as we were plied with mugs of deliciously hot coffee and an enormous meal of rice and fish. We found the crew very friendly and although quantities of cigarettes and tinned food were exchanged with them, they refused any payment in cash or kind for the splendid meal they gave us; they seemed simply to have been delighted to have found a boatload of English sailors so far out, and to have entertained us to dinner. Whilst this enormous meal was being dealt with the boat remained underway and by my reckoning made about 9 miles to the WSW, finally securing to a net marker which they had evidently laid earlier. During our time in 'TANG LOH' I tried to get a second opinion as to our position but found this a little difficult as her crew, although very interested in my chart, were quite lost as to what it meant, and seemingly navigated by compass and eye alone. The final estimate that I got from them was 'Over there Pulau Aur, maybe four hours', which I translated into an approximate position of 155 Pulau Aur 40 miles; this was some 10 miles NW of my own estimation and probably, as proved by later events, more correct.

We slipped from 'TANG LOH' at 2000 and beat to the SE under a light breeze over calm seas. We were still in the shipping lane, which would give us a good indication of set, and I hoped to make a landfall on the coast to the N of Horsburgh Light the following morning. Having trimmed the sails the boat sailed herself well with little attention to the tiller, but the wind remained light and we were only able to average about 1½ knots. From midnight onwards it became clear from the shipping passing to the S of us that the current had not yet finished with us, and from about 0400 indications of another storm brewing to the SW suggested that we were not to be allowed favourable winds yet awhile. By 0700 the wind was rising rapidly from the S and we reefed down and beat into it: shortly after this we gained our landfall which showed disappointing progress overnight, and our position to be well north again. I was now convinced that we could not evade this adverse current by keeping well off shore so I resolved to continue west and work down the coast. The wind held all day until late afternoon when it backed slightly and slowly decreased. By 1600 we were close NE of Charybdis Point and as it seemed likely that we would take at least another two days to reach the Naval Base I decided to land in Jason Bay, from where I hoped we would be able to pass our position and intentions to the Naval Base; who by now had not heard from us for 48 hours. After some difficulty in beating round the point we entered the bay and turned up the channel to the fishing village of Kuala Sedili where we secured alongside at 1815. The police here were most helpful and I was able to get straight through to their wireless station at Johore Bahru, who promised to pass my message by telephone to the Naval Base. After a good meal ashore we settled down for our first night in harbour for five days.

The next day was Sunday and we were up early - you can't sleep when the fishing fleet all about you is putting to sea. After laying-in extra stocks of food and water we put to sea again and were underway by 0730. Here for the first time on the return trip we had a fair wind, and having reached out into the bay, turned and ran south down the coast under stay' and mains'ls alone. The wind blew steadily until 1300, by which time we had covered 23 miles, and then backed slowly to SW and decreased. After an exhilarating day's sail during which the crew thoroughly enjoyed themselves we glided slowly to a stop at 1900 off Telok Penawar and stayed there while the wind decided what to do next. The sight of Horsburgh Light flashing its welcome to us from the SE was a cheering one. Before long a light breeze sprang up again and we tacked slowly out, but by 2200 this had died and, unwilling to lose hard-won ground, we anchored to await a change.

Monday morning: Our ninth day out, and with 37 miles to go a good chance of being home for supper. With the approach of dawn came a gentle breeze from SE which was ideal. By 0800 we had cleared Pulau Lima and turned west up the Singapore Strait, and the wind had veered to S and freshened. Slowly during the forenoon the details of Changi Point became clearer until by 1230 we were there, and working slowly round it against the ebb - this took two frustrating hours, and my refusal of a tow at the height of our frustration was not the most popular of moves. However, I had faith in the flood tide and my promise to have us back for supper still stood.

The last lap was uneventful and we sailed gracefully, and rather proudly, into the Naval Base to beach by the Red House slip at 1825 - in time for supper!

In the nine days that we had been away, all but two nights and a day had been spent at sea, and during that time we had covered an estimated 450 miles. We had been hot, thirsty and becalmed; we had been uncomfortable, hungry and wet; but we had some splendid sailing and I think all of us learnt a lot. A buzz did get around afterwards that the Gunnery Officer was a raving maniac. But I think the crews, even if they won't admit to it in public, thoroughly enjoyed it - I certainly did.