Kudat-Sutera Harbour
Kudat Golf club, Crusoe far back at anchor.
We left Kudat for an overnight run to arrive Sutera Harbour first light the next AM, that was the plan, but mother nature had other plans. The winds were on the nose from beginning to end for the 100nm trip, we headed north from Kudat, rounded the NE point of Borneo and then turned South, and the wind just followed around to stay on the nose. To add insult to injury the wind increased steadily to over 30+kt during the night and we had 1.5kt of current against us! At times only maintianig enough headway to keep our bow into the wind, with the motor only. Around 3AM the wind started to drop to the low 20’s and backed slightly so we could motor sail and started making headway. As the sun came up we could see the moutians of North Borneo to port.
We arrived into Sutera Harbour around 11 AM, and were relieved to be done with a 33 day trip from Cairns Australia, through Indonesia, and now safely berthed at the amazing 5 star (actually 2x 5 star hotels within the marina complex sandwiched between the two). Sutera Harbour resort is where we will become members and enjoy the resort just as hotel guests would, but from our own floating home, Crusoe!
Waiting for the bus to town, 
……Oh well…someone has got to do it!
Fantastic that you finally got to your new home! We have been following your blog, but did not want to comment till now for fear of high costs for the communication on your end. The situation you find yourselves in looks great! I am guessing that is RW in the pool and Brent reading the paper in the lobby??? Both looking very relaxed, and deservedly so after your trip. Hoping you will post more photos. Best wishes, Toni and Don.
Yes thats us alright, click on the pic to enlarge, the resort is a short $1 bus ride to downtown and it runs day and night, the return is free! We have a gym, bowling alley, pool tables, free internet, squash, badminton, tennis, theater, 3x huge swimpools, sauna, jacuzzi in each mens and ladies locker rooms, and free showers with a towell as many times of the day you wish!
Come visit!
Man, you guys are living the dream — but then you have always been living the dream! It reminds me of a quote by T.H. Lawrence ( of Arabia):
” All men dream, but not equally. Those that dream by night in the dusky recesses of the mind awake by day to find it was but vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act their dreams to make them possible”.
You are dreamers of the day and you have always acted your dreams. It is what I most admire about you. Enjoy, you deserve it!
And you better be careful issuing invitations — Australia is not so far away that we couldn’t take a short break and take you up on it! Ha! Thanks for keeping us in the loop. Take care. Don and Toni
Don, We only have one life to live, why not do it on your own terms
Hi,it’s Wil from Kauai.I just found a letter with you blog address and read your most recent blogs. Back in Mar./Apr. we talked to Raewyn from our friends home in Sydney.Our 20 day cruise from Sydney went along the coast all the way to Darwin before going to Bali.Like almost everything now Bali was much realer when we were there in 1995.Wewere to go to Ho Chi Minh city, but a cyclone cancelled that.We were 2 days in Bankok to see the sights.Then sailed to Koi Samoi, a pretty island a day south of Bankok.We finished up in Singapore.After our cruise we went back to Pattaya,the beach resort of Bankok and I got some dental work done.We than flew to Siem Reap Cambodia to se Ankor Wat.Cambodia was a cool place and we really enjoyed our 5 days there. WE flew back home from Bankok on Apr. 19, having been gone 38 days.
this is the first contact e-mail I did in months.
Take Care Happy Sailings/Someday to meet again,
Love, Wil & Steve
Congratulations Brent and Raewyn.
Back in NZ before you bought Crusoe you had a dream to sail to Malaysia. Then it was only a dream and yet… if you can dream it you can do it.
You two have done it!!!
Well done!
What is next? Best wishes with achieving your next dream.
love John and Wilma
Hi Guys
Long term, well our plan is no plan, we are now life members of the Sutera Harbour resort so we will hang there for awhile. …….. But short term, we are ff to Singapore when I return from work in 4 weeks, over to KL from there then back to KK, about 10 days. We will go to Brunei after the holiday season and haul Crusoe, it will be two years on the current paint, wow…we have owned Crusoe for two years around Xmas time, time is flying, seems like only yesterday!