Some of the yachts moored at the Rebak Island Marina. — Photos: Filepics
Princess Mary looked awesome on the waters of Langkawi Island, as it glided towards a sunset cruise that looked promising. The 16m-long multi-hull took one year in the making at a shipyard in Lumut, Perak, and since August, she has docked at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club and is being booked for sunset cruises, the most popular tourist cruise package on the Kedah island.
“She is custom-built to specifications and is the only catamaran with a spiral staircase,” says owner and manager, Marxus Lim. There are three air-conditioned cabins in the hulls, a main deck seating for 24, as well as a bar and buffet.
Amara Langkawi Holidays managing director, Chitra Danapalan, is glad that there is a new yacht in the selection.
“There’s a very competitive market out there with so many cruise operators around, so it’s nice to offer something new to my clients plus it’s a positive sign in what I still see as a recovery phase in the tourism industry after the pandemic,” she said.
“Cruise” as a general term in Langkawi refers to the commercial aspect of the island’s tourism industry. Sunset cruises, all-day or overnight cruises, and mangrove cruises are provided through a variety of different boats. There are also stopovers by ocean liner cruise ships which dock near Resorts World on the southwestern corner of the island.
Princess Mary is a new cruising yacht in Langkawi. — Handout
In 2023, Langkawi received more than 40,000 passengers via cruise ships and it is estimated that 20,000 passengers more will come through by the end of December. There are seven cruise ships docking in Langkawi, and another 14 upcoming scheduled cruise ships, in November and December (data provided by Langkawi Development Authority).
Langkawi seems to offer a close-to-perfect cruising domain. With “sailing carpet” seas year-round, mainly good weather with seasonal breaks that works to the island’s advantage from a yachting point of view, and adequate infrastructure of ancillary yachting services. There’s also the added bonus of glorious landscapes featuring islands and mountain ranges and picture-scapes of sun, sea and skies – all these make for memorable cruises.
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club
There are three main marinas on the island. The Langkawi Yacht Club was built in 1996 and was relegated its “royal” status in 1999. It is well known for its big calendar event regattas – the Raja Muda Regatta (this year, it is happening from Nov 24-26), and the Royal Langkawi International Regatta Jan 15-20, 2024).
“The current estimated number of yachts in Langkawi recorded in the international Langkawi Yacht directory at this time (end October 2023) is around 500, including the ones on the dry dock. These are based on 130 here at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, 100 in Telaga, 160 in Rebak, 10 at the Boustead Shipyard, 20 at the Northern Shipyard, 50 at the B&V Marine, 50 at anchorage,” explains Azlan Abdullah, executive director at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club.
Telaga Harbour Marina
Swiss entrepreneur Felix Sutter, owns a 16m catamaran docked at Langkawi’s other marina, Telaga Harbour. “Telaga has one of the best settings, located in the middle of the jungle, so it is quite far away from man made noises. It has the best sunset spots, high quality infrastructure, great security, a capable and customer-friendly management team, too. And it is well protected from the elements, while being a good starting point to cruising destinations,” he says.
Telaga Harbour also has the distinction of being the site where the Jalur Gemilang is displayed. The sailing yacht belongs to Datuk Azhar Mansor, the first Malaysian to sail solo around the world in 1999, setting a new world record via an East-about route, verified by the World Speed Sailing Record Council as an official record.
Rebak Island Marina
The third marina is located on Rebak Island, southwest of Langkawi. It is described as a clean, quiet, non-commercialised storm protected harbour within a calm and sheltered marina basin with no surge and wake.
The marina also has the exclusive Rebak Island resort offering all day dining, bar and lounge, swimming pool, gym and private beach.
The support services
Rachel Robertson believes that these three marinas currently accommodate the flow of yacht tourism in Kedah. She and her shipwright husband have operated a yacht brokerage business on Rebak Island since 2007 where they reside and where her two children, now adults, were brought up. How did Rebak become their base?
“We had the opportunity to work on a boat that was already here. We met other contractors, and people in the industry, and had our application to be on the contractors list approved. From there, we just got to meet other ‘yachties’ who needed work. It was several years before we had an office.
“We used our own boat as a base/office/administration area until we were granted a resident tenancy. It was also very child friendly, and all marina residents get to use the swimming pool, beach, and tennis courts, not to mention the transient but friendly sailing community. It’s safe, and friendly and a good base for cruising yachties to get work done, or rest along their voyage,” she explains.
Robertson (right) at Rebak Marina. — RACHEL ROBERTSON
Are there career opportunities for Malaysians in this business? “Yes, definitely. The industry needs painters, fibreglass workers, marine engineers, mechanics, woodworkers, electricians, electronics technicians, boat care and cleaning servicemen, canvas workers, upholsters, sailmakers, metal workers and others. Not to mention crew positions,” Robertson shares.
Langkawi has got most of the fundamentals for a thriving cruise industry, not just from a tourism perspective but from a serious sailing aspect. For Sutter, however, some improvements need to be done. “The availability of an international hospital or school would make it easier for sure,” he says.
“More direct international flights would be another wish to have. With these improvements, more certified and specialised craftsmen would choose Langkawi as a base to move to and live with their families. As a result, maintenance work and access to parts would be easier too. One could say, the hardware is already here, but it just lacks the software,” he concludes.
