Langkawi Gazette

Rock by Katja Penders on 16 Aug 2010, 3:17 pm

If this is indeed correct, why doesn't Langkawi care enough to do anything about the warnings?

I really cannot understand the attitude of the authorities here sometimes....

Hi Katja, by Mark on 16 Aug 2010, 3:41 pm

I can absolutely assure you that this thing with the very dangerous rock is true. I was once myself just a meter away from hitting it (saw it on the deepsounder in the last moment and was lucky). You can ask any captain you know, and he will tell you.

We have somehow a similar thing with the missing drain covers and with holes in the roads leading to accidents in general.

There is obviously no department of the Government, LADA or the City Council who feels it is its duty to protect the citizens and tourists from obvious and real immediate danger.

In regard to the missing buoy it should be in the interest of the harbour master to fix that - in regard to the missing drain covers and holes in the road it should be the police department and/or bomba who should feel responsible and intervene to protect the public if no one else does IMO.

Money.Money. by Lars Carlen on 19 Aug 2010, 7:33 am

Mishaps. Like hit a rock.
Gives the Locals work, and money.

Rock by Yang Razlan on 19 Aug 2010, 5:10 pm

I advice quickly get the authorities to do the necessary.As a group explain to them its importance to place a beacon light or whatever to forewarn boat users.Sound it to the Member of Parliament, let him work. If they can spent millions on white elephants why cant they place the beacon.

Fair Play Please by Dato Alex - Tropical Charters on 20 Aug 2010, 4:02 pm

Dear All,

It is NOT the rock near Awana. They hit a rock off a small island close to Dayang Bunting.
But it looks like everyone has missed the point: accidents do happen, but as a responsible operator, we must ensure that we are not overloaded and that there are enough life jackets for our guests and crew. I am sure it has nothing to do with us locals trying to make money and that mindset is so primitive. We operate under Malaysian Law, and as such we must adhere to Malaysian Law. Maybe, we should not be blaming the rock which has been there way before us, but should instead be asking why was the boat overloaded, why were life jackets not given out, and by the way, if this had happened in the USA, UK, Canada, NZ or any other well developed country, the operator would be hauled up and not the rock or the locals be accused of not doing their jobs.
What we need is enforcement, to protect the tourism industry and all tourists who go for sailing cruises.
We can always, as concerned boat operators, write to Jabatan Laut, requesting them to mark out the areas, or put beacons at such points.
It is our understanding, that the said rock that Day Dreamer hit, was very close to the beach and known to all who operate around the area. Remember, safety is and should be of utmost importance to all operators and not just money.

Thank you Dato Alex ! by Mark on 20 Aug 2010, 2:07 pm

Thank you Dato Alex for this input. Now we know a bit more.
And yes - safety is priority - and the only thing that will assure income in the long run.
We asked the operator to tell us his side of what happened, but did not get any answer back so far.

Daydreamer by John Alder on 20 Aug 2010, 11:32 pm

Sorry to hear about Daydreamers bad day more to the point thankfully nobody was hurt or worse, Totally agree with comments made so far BUT why did this happen?
This Cat has been doing the same Trip and Itinerary for the past six or seven years sometimes twice a day for months and months non stop during the high season So it certainly did not get lost in unfamiliar waters
Quote :from Langkawi Gazette They hit a rock (which should be a known rock to every Captain) and started sinking. Well! not according to the Guests onboard. Having been shown where this incident took place a conclusion can only be made that:
This Rock in question happens to be an Island clearly marked on the chart as Pulau Singah Ketchil 6.13 920N-99.44.910E no underwater rocks are apparent or charted
! All local Charter boat Captains should be aware of these small Island rocky perimeters (shown on charts) and have the sense enough to keep a good safety margin especially at low tides. Only an inexperienced person could have allowed this to happen
Crystal Yacht over the years have proved to be a well established professionally run business giving countless hours of entertainment to Tourists from all over the World
The duty Captain should have been qualified? But more important experienced enough to be in charge of the Boat and their Guests safety (was he?)

Daydreamer Accident by Barry - Langkawi sailing School on 21 Aug 2010, 5:29 pm

Some interesting comments about the Accident when Daydreamer hit the a rock.
Firstly thank goodness there were no injuries and everyone was returned to shore OK. I agree with Dato Alex that blaming the Marine Authorities is not the way forward.
It is every Skippers responsibility to ensure suitable pilotage techniques are employed to ensure a vessel and crew are not put in Danger.
Having said that Accidents do happen and there but the grace of God go all of us Skippers when operating vessels close to shore.
Any Marine accident should be investigated and the results published.
It is vital that all of us ensure that operators of boats have the correct training and experience for the job they are doing.
Safety cannot be compromised

Thanks Barry for your comment ! by Mark on 21 Aug 2010, 11:13 pm

I just today heard, that the mishap happened on the first day of a new captain...

by John on 22 Aug 2010, 8:54 am

Hopefully that would have been the last day of the new Captain

by Sofian Zack on 24 Sep 2010, 12:06 am

Hopefully it is the last day. Phewwww....the ups and downs of local business. They need more experienced management i think.

Dato Alex comments by Sofian Zack on 24 Sep 2010, 1:15 am

Yes i do agree.Fair play please.Quite obvious where these comments are going.

The facts must be right otherwise its just mere gossip

Helmsman! by KT. Wong on 01 Oct 2010, 10:12 am

Yah! thank goodness no one was harmed.

In those days Langkawi don't have much certified helmsman but they need to fill in those who operated island hopping boats and also those day trippers boat to P.Payar. (Yes, those days P.Payar trips are made in 32 footer boats and hence the limitation of visitors.)

To fill in, they lowered the standards and certified a bunch of them. So, there you have certified helmsman. I don't know if the one that captained the Daydreamer carried these license or not but it is also known as 'lesen mati' in local lingo. Reason is, it will only be issued out if one holder is gone and if the original holders are still alive, they have to go through the stringent helmsman course and pass them before they issue another.

Speaking of submerged rocks, other than the one in front of Awana there is another treacherous one near P.Tuba just south of Pulau Bunga (also known as P.Tiloi). I don't think it is marked till now.