Telaga Harbor, Langakwi - Cruiser in Dinghy Run Down

Created by sue. Last modified on 2010-02-20 21:28:45
Countries: Malaysia

Giles Finlayson, 58, of San Diego, while cruising on his Newport 41 sailboat Petrel in Malaysia, was severely injured in Telaga Harbor, Langakwi, Malaysia, on December 27, 2009, as the dinghy in which he was riding was run down by a speeding wooden fishing boat which left the scene.

Finlayson, was knocked from the skiff in which he was riding by the impact of the collision. The fishing boat, which struck from behind, rode up over a portion of the skiff before the propeller of its outboard motor slashed and broke both of Finlayson's arms as it passed over him in the water.

Geoffrey Moore (the owner of the skiff), who was not severely injured, reported what happened next: “I saw Giles in a pool of blood and gasping to stay afloat...I dove into the water and swam to him and keeping (sic) his head above water. It was then that I realized that he had no use of his arms. With Giles kicking his legs I managed to get him back to the dingy and pull him in. I then called to the offending boat for help but the skipper, who was wearing a white hat or turban, just motored away at speed.”

A fishing boat came to their aid and towed the dingy, with the pair of cruisers aboard, back to the dock. A Canadian doctor from another cruising boat gave first aid to Finlayson to stop the profuse bleeding. Finlayson was taken to the local hospital in Langkawi where they felt treatment of his injuries were beyond their capabilities and he was transported in a small ferry from the island of Langkawi to the mainland government hospital in the state capital of Alor Star, Kedah. After surgery it soon became clear to Finlayson that he needed a better facility and more surgery so moved to the Loh Guan Lye Specialist Center in Penang.

Six weeks after the accident Finlayson is improving but he still has limited use of his arms as well as weakness. The psychological damage is also severe; Finlayson reports that he relives the accident every day. Despite the prospect of a long period of recovery Finlayson is optimistic and is determined to resume sailing on Petrel.

Giles Finlayson is not the only victim of hit and run in Malaysian waters. Since Finlayson’s accident reports have surfaced of several other similar incidents. The crew of the Yacht Bara were run down by an outboard powered tour boat while travelling in their dingy in front of the Hole in the Wall Restaurant also on Langkawi. That accident was witnessed by a local businessman who identified the operator of the tour boat, who had also fled the scene, and restitution was paid.

In the Tanjung Ruh waterway on the North End of Langkawi, Joel and Christian, of the Yacht Maeva, report that they have been hit twice by speed boats in the last year while operating their dingy and now resort to carrying and waving a giant Malaysian flag whenever they are in their dingy and a speed boat approaches. While not injured in either accident, in one incident their zodiac and its motor were destroyed. In that case the tour operator acknowledged his responsibility for the damage caused by his driver and paid for some, if not all, of the loss.

Finally, Finlayson says he was told by the consular staff of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, while discussing his own situation with them, that his case was not unique; within the last year another American tourist was hit by a boat operator in Malaysia and died of his injuries. Further inquires of the American Embassy resulted in “no comment” and the name of the victim was not given however the Bangkok Post, on May 25, 2009, published the following: “63-year-old Kenneth Wayne, USA…has gone missing off Malaysian east coast after the yacht he was sailing in was hit by an unknown vessel…The unknown vessel hit the yacht and sped off..”

Notably absent in all of this is any evidence of a crime investigation by Malaysian authorities or even an official Malaysian position. Moore filed a police report and provided a detailed description of the vessel which hit Finlayson and its operator, but to this date no officers have spoken to either Bruce or Finlayson. When Moore made a subsequent inquiry at the police station where the accident was reported he reportedly was told not to expect that the culprit would ever be found and that the Coast Guard would have to conduct further investigations, if any. When this reporter visited the police at their station they simply said, “No Information”.

After the Tanjung Ruh incidents the local authorities and tour operators there reacted in a more concerned manner and held at least one public meeting. While considerable concern was expressed by all at the meeting little concrete action appears to have been taken. Operators of the fishing and tour boats in Malaysian waters still have little in the way of training, licensing, or supervision. On- the-water law enforcement is notably absent. The Telaga Harbor waterway where Finlayson was hit still has no posted speed limit. Neither the Malaysian Marine Enforcement Agency (MMEA) or Tourism Malaysia responded to written inquiries regarding any investigations or future action.

So the situation for cruising yachtsman riding in their dingys in Malaysia remains dangerous and, one must also suspect, the same is true in Thailand; with its many high speed long tail boats it would be just as dangerous.

Joel told me that with the high traditional bows on the fishing and tour boats in this part of the world, the operators, often untrained young men sitting far aft in their boats, cannot see directly ahead of them. Having ten passengers in front, as many tour boats have, must limit forward vision even further. A low riding yacht dingy is particularly vulnerable.

All cruisers should keep this in mind whenever they are in their dingys anywhere that high speed fishing boats, tour boats, or any other kind of speed boat may be present. As Finlayson concluded, “The operators of those boats definitely are not looking out for you and they probably won’t even stop if they hit you. You have to look out for yourself.”

Fredrick Roswold
SV Wings
Langkawi