We recently visited Langawi Island staying at the luxurious Danna Hotel. During the stay, we were invited to sail on the beautiful Warisan Duyong.
One of things that I could not help noticing, and this may just be via the good graces of mother nature, but the seas around Langkawi seem very calm, almost millpond still to the untrained eye. Out of my Natasha and myself, I am definitely the one without the Sea Legs, I feel sea-sick watching crab catching shows on the TV. So it was with complete fear and trepidation that I agreed to go on a romantic sunset cruise courtesy of The Danna and Dato Alexander of Tropical Charters Langkawi.
A glance from our top floor balcony suite re-confirmed the calmness of the sea, Natasha was eager, dressed and excited, so I had to summon up the courage and just go for it.
As we walked through the hotel lobby to our transport, a luxury MPV, my nerves were now under control, 30 minutes later, we were at the Quayside. Sat out in the bay and backlit by the sun, was the Warisan Duyong, a beautiful and traditional twin masted wooden sailing yacht, a true classic. Instantly my fears were replaced with excitement, curiosity and the vision of cruising around the bay like the Hollywood movie stars did from bygone days.
Upon boarding the yacht, I knew that this would be both fun and memorable. The yacht is beautifully maintained with lashings of Chengal wood used in the construction (a tropical heavy hardwood and one of the scarcest and most expensive types of wood in Malaysia). The 60 feet Warisan Duyong was built in the Malaysian East-coast state of Terengganu in a traditional Malay style and has three cabins suitable for up to 6 people that want to experience overnight sailing. Terengganu is famous for boat-building, with highly decorated carved wooden boats called bangau to be found in the harbour of every village and town, the skills involved in building the bangau’s have lent themselves perfectly to the construction of some of the most beautiful boats seen today in Malaysia’s waters including the Warisan Duyong.
As we sailed around the bays and islands with the warm wind blowing in my face, and combined with the eagles flying overhead, the calmness of the sea and the red sun setting, this all contributed to a magical feeling. A hearty meal was prepared by the friendly and attractive crew, and coupled with a free-flow fully-stocked bar, this added to the exquisite experience.
Sitting at my dining table on the deck, glass in hand, I looked across at my beautiful wife Natasha and said, “this is absolutely lovely”.