Penang. But how do you get ashore?

The next morning we heaved up anchor and set off for an anchorage in Penang harbour.

The weather gods were still not playing as they should.

This was extremely evident as we picked our way through hundreds of flags marking out the fishing nets of the local fishermen. Last time I had been in Penang on K'Gari, the fishermen were all at the northern end of the island, but the prevailing Northerly wind, had them all down the southern end now. South of the "new bridge". It was glassy calm and we motored, picking our way through as best we could, throwing the engine into neutral each time we passed over where we thought the net actually was , just in case! The trouble was finding the" pair" for the flag that you can identify as being at least one end of the net.
The fishermen seemed to be waving us through and no net, nor outraged fisherman followed us , so it was obviously successful.

On my previous transit north through Penang, I had missed the entrance to an anchorage off Jerejak Island. It's immediately after transiting under the new Bridge that I needed to alter course.

We did so and motored all the way to the very small Jabatan Laut Marina just south of the old bridge. It was obvious that there was "no room in the inn".
We had checked out the newly refurbished shore line on Penang Island on the way .Looks great , but no access.The bits where you may have been able to access - ie a sandy bit could be seen, then seemed to be fenced off from the 6 lanes of traffic , just the other side of the fence.

As both of us had been to Penang before , we weren't desperate (apart from the tonic crisis) to try a "break in". It would have been nice , but not essential. An afternoon nap seemed far more sensible.
We picked our way back through the half dozen dredges anchored between Jerejak and Penang Islands - obviously they were, or had been employed in the dredging /refurbishment that had occurred along the foreshore. All appeared to be Chinese registered. We saw none of them actually working whilst we were there, but at least three departed, so perhaps the job is done- although there is still a lot of dredging occurring at the north end of the island.

Back past the gigantic, but to us, inaccessible, Queensbay Mall shopping centre- undoubtedly fully airconditioned, but we will never know!
Anchored just off a  resort which is now on Jerejak Island. The reports I had read  say the holding is not good, but we had no problems, even when the evening squalls came through.
Jerejak's "European"  history is that of ,Quarantine Station,  prison island and a leper colony.
Now it seems to have a resort nestled on it on the Western side. The eastern side there is a ship building facility and many fish farms.
We were in fact anchored about half a mile upwind of fishfarm in our anchorage location.

Weather report meant we weren't going anywhere for a day or two,as the wind was increasing again from the North, so we spent the day, and until midday the next day, anchored off Jerejak.
Much to Lynne's continued amusement , I was still steadfastly working on the theory that the tidal run actually  changes three hours  either side of the tabulated times for  high or low water. So,  perhaps sometimes, it hasn't seemed quite an exact science, but that's nature!
Waiting until midday for the tide to be running to the north, ( and yes hooray , it actually was....) we then shifted to the Junk Anchorage- just off the main town. This anchoarge is where the Chinese trading junks used to anchor.It is just off the "clan jetties". Still very much inhabited by the famous Chinese  clans of long ago. Also anchored here are many small bunker barges, small coastal traders  and similar vessels.

Georgetown from the Junk Anchorage

We found a spot I was happy with and anchored. I noticed a German yacht nearby, despatch their dinghy towards the jetty and return with an extra body aboard, so launched our dinghy and rowed over to see if this was the way ashore?  The answer was sort of half promising , but I still wasnt convinced that this was where I could safely leave the dinghy- nor were they, which is why only one had gone ashore and the other had stayed on board.

Hmmm- still no tonic refurbishment!

Later that evening just on dusk another catamaran arrived and we had visitors for a short time,We had  meet before in Port Dickson, and they came across to enquire "how to get ashore"?
Having no answer for them, they set off in the dark , interestingly we didn't see them return. Great family, 4 children , 3 girls and the youngest, a boy. I had been really impressed with the kids in Port Dickson. Simple things ,such as when the rode their scooters down the wharf , they stopped and lifted the scooter over my electrical cable,  which due to the layout of the wharf I had no option but to run  across the jetty finger. The girls were all multi lingual ( several european languages), I think from memory the youngest daughter  had 7?, and I struggle with English!  

Superstar Libra- destination "High Seas" so must be currently  on the gambling run .
One of the two  constantly crossing ferries across to Butterworth on the mainland, is the blue thing.

Lynne ,checking the weather,looking for a recipe,or FBing ??

The weather report had improved and we left the next morning at 0500- yes, the tide, the tide !

As it turns out all three of the yachts left, making their way to Langkawi.

Lynne and I have made a great  team , at this getting underway in the dark routine. It just happens. Made  far easier now  by the fact that we now have small UHF radios , which I brought up from Oz. We don't have to shout, thus not really worrying about waking up anyone else around us, as Lynne relays to me the position and amount of anchor chain heaved up.
Would have been handy up the forestay when I was aloft too. Just need to find another couple of hands, for hanging on, doing the job and using the radio to relay the hoist or lower message!