MALAYSIA as a Home Base?

[fivecapes]

You do NOT want to base in Singapore, there are way better alternatives. It's really expensive, I should know, I'm based here, and I say this after being based in HK and Tokyo.

JB is THE crime capital in Malaysia. It's not as expensive as Singapore but it's close, and it's brutal for the locals, hence the crime. Iskandar is a white elephant, even before the anti China money new government. Apartments sit empty. I avoid the place like the plague.

I do strongly recommend, however, Langkawi, hands down. 3 decent marinas, duty free, beautiful anchorages, international airport, did I say duty free? It's in the state of Kedah, the new PM's home state, and Langkawi was one of his pet projects to raise sailing and boating awareness in Malaysia when he was PM before. A short ferry ride to Penang, low crime, old school yet modern, fantastic local eats, an awesome place in itself. An even shorter hop to south Thailand for work done in pretty decent shipyards in Satun, or head slightly further north to Phuket for...'nuff said.

Seriously, you don't want to be anywhere south of Penang in the Malaysian peninsula.

Fair winds

[Pelagic]

Hi Five capes
When I bought my boat in Phuket, I stayed in Langkawi for 2 months in 2004 waiting for the new St Vincent & Grenadines Registry.

Loved the place, but it was quite sleepy then.

Stayed in Telaga Hbr just below where Mahatmir had his retirement office and saw him a couple of times. Loved his museum of state gifts

Don't know what its like now after the Tsunami (2004)

My boat is now registered in Langkawi, so this might be a natural fit, but I need an update on what its like now as a base?

[fivecapes]

Royal Langkawi escaped the brunt of it, Rebak and Telaga were destroyed and rebuilt. You should check it out.

You're right, Langkawi can be a little sleepy, but not KK sleepy. It's getting a little bit more tourist dollars, which might not be a bad thing, and it's still a big place. Not sure how frequent it was when you were there but cruise ships now stop by maybe twice a week. There's always Penang if you're bored.

My info is dated (Langkawi 2011, Penang every year) but I stand by what I said about Langkawi as the first choice in the area (and you get the RLIR, King's Cup if you're up to it further north).

As an aside, I just came back from a week in Danang, gorgeous country, gorgeous weather. I didn't see a single sail the whole time I was there, had to settle for a Taipan by the hour.

[SKG56]

Thailand has been my home base for almost 10 years, I sold my W32 in Washington State, was going back maybe once a year, looking to buy another boat in SEA, Phuket or Langkawi, I'm looking at one in Fiji now, but it may have more problems than I want to deal with, not sure yet, Had a restaurant and bar on the beach in Hat Mea Phueng, down the beach road from Ban Phe, bought a house and everything that goes with it, married to a Thai woman for 6 years, when that ended I gave most everything to her, married life and what I do doesn't go well together, for a lot of us anyway, I can't stand going back to the States, and I'll never buy dirt again, anywhere, renting a nice house with ground around it in Ban Phe, it's nice, clean, in a good area, backed up against the hills, less than a half mile to the beach, the rent is 150 USD a month, I have my girlfriend in the house, If it doesn't work out with boat in Fiji, I'm looking at one in Langkawi, never been there, so this thread has been informative, I've heard good things about it