Reported by Anthony Swanston: Checking in and out at Kuah, Langkawi

Lots of boats have arrived today from Phuket for the regatta. They all checked in at Kuah Jetty without using an agent and no problems have been reported.

Sometimes, however, problems do arise. Some people have asked the officials to fill in the forms for them. Others have asked many questions. Things like this make the officials think that you need help, i.e. an agent.

So the advice is to arrive well dressed, bring your own pen and answer questions; don’t ask them.

If you are a motorboat or you are over 24 metres you need an agent. This is a long-standing rule.

If you are in Telaga or Rebak you have to do customs and immigration either at Telaga or the airport. There is no longer a harbour master at Telaga so you have to come to Kuah for that, then back to your end of the island for the other two.

I hope this clarifies matters.

Anthony
sv Wild Fox
http://www.blog.mailasail.com/wildfox

Reported by Bob Mott:

There are issues now in Langkawi with some boat owners being told they have to use an agent. There is a sign on the wall stating that power boat owners have to use an agent. Departments down there are telling catamaran owners that they have 2 x engines so are considered to be power boats. All sorts of varying reports with some people having no problems and others being mucked around.

One person argued and I think to save face the officer asked for their original bill of sale which they had and once they produced that they were processed.
The agent’s fee is around 345 RM which is around 100US$.

There was also a case reported by a yacht checking in that due to them only having 2 people aboard an agent was not required. This again was after some arguing by the yacht owner. Officials again came up with a “get out of jail card” / save face and introduced the 2 person exemption.

People need to be aware of these circumstances and be prepared.
Suggest that best clothes are worn, long trousers and shirt collar and proper shoes to get a feeling of respect from the various departments and that the person checking in/out remains calm and patient and makes sure that everyone on the boat is there in person with their passports and that they all stay until all of the procedures are completed in all the departments, in case they are needed for some “on the spot” reason.

Reconfirming that insurance cover for all yachts arriving and departing Langkawi needs to be valid and in date and they need to see the document.

Reported by Iris Kroencke:

Telaga Marina/Harbour, Langkawi, Malaysia
Check-In/Out in General

Malaysia must be the easiest country we’ve checked in, ever.

There are immigration and customs at Telaga (the latter was on a 5-day leave when we arrived).

1) You first have to go to immigration to get your passports stamped.

You then have several days to register with

2) Harbour Master / Jabatan Laut (in Malay)
Since 2016, there’s only one on the island, it is at Jetty Point in Kuah, located on the very western point, kind of adjacent to the building complex with its own entry.
It took us a while to find it as Jetty Point is a busy ferry terminal with lots of duty-free shops.
Since 2016, they need a copy of your insurance and boat registration. That seems to be the only documents they need.

3) Customs
You have to go to the closest customs office, depending on where your boat is stationed.
I know of three:
– Jetty Point, Kuah
– Airport
– Telaga Harbour
They need your clearance from where you left and the Harbour Master’s document.

There does not seem to be a restriction on how long your boat can stay.

Telaga Marina seems to have been a pretty and busy place. Now it seems a bit dated and many shops are gone. There are still some restaurants, we tried one, it was very good.

Marina rents out cars for 90 RM/day or 20 RM for the first hour, 10 for every following hour.
Very convenient to get organised, especially if it’s pouring with rain!

Anchorage in front of Marina was nice when we were there (Nov 2018).
Muddy and shallow, we heard of several boats dragging.
Not so much ferry traffic anymore.
Cool breeze at night from the mountains.

Sometimes some traffic from jet skis, shuttle boats and music from the water park event island on one of the artificial islands, but mainly on weekends and not late at night.

Thanks for providing so much great info for us yachties!

Reported by R Hoare:
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club – Important News

The management have allowed their computer system to be hacked and virus-containing emails are being sent to, I believe, everyone whose details were kept on the club’s computer system. I received 3 emails on the same day from the harbour master stating there was an enclosure. They looked like virus emails and were junked.

Hi YES, I agree, these guys are really good. Mark Robertson did amazing diagnostics on our boat and saved us lots of time and money with his local knowledge. Really down to earth.

In 2017, Immigration is still open in Telaga. Almost always Customs is open if you are patient. The Harbor Master, it would take a miracle, but it could happen!

About repair of diesel engines.

I used the service of Mr Sukesh, phone 0162049817.
Speaks English, competent, reliable, punctual reasonable fees. He can work in any place on the island…Daniel, on sy Ronin

Feedback from Rachel Robertson of Seaspray Marine Services, Langkawi:
Marina facilities in Rebak have improved, along with the wifi reception.
Boat work should be planned as per the seasons, and the wet season (April-November) can be a terrible time for any external work, i.e. painting or varnishing. Not impossible, but you have to really juggle the weather.

I was reading through a couple of comments by Rex, ie clearance. You should NEVER have to pay the Harbour Master here! We never have heard of this! Immigration, Harbor Master and customs clearances can be done both in TELAGA and at the main port in KUAH. All simple, easy, and free.

Anchoring in Kuah means easy walking access to supermarkets and to hardware stores, all within a 5-10 min walk.

Posted on behalf of Anthony Swanston – SY Wild Fox (www.blog.mailasail.com/wildfox):
I support everything in the excellent report by Yindee Plus (August 2015) but would just add a few additional comments.

The island of Langkawi is duty-free so a great place to buy laptops and booze.

The staff both marina side and resort side could not have been more friendly and helpful. This is a five-star resort so expect to pay a bit more, but it is still cheap by western standards. Berth holders get a 35% discount on everything at the resort.

After the privations of Indonesia, the swim up cocktail bar was a real luxury. At RN35 the breakfast was enormous – a huge buffet. You could eat for the day! (Residents pay RN95).

The jamming session is now on Fridays at the beach bar.

The 3G signal on the island is weak, besides the pool is best. I used the marina Wifi which was fine for emails etc. but you will need an antenna to get this on the boat.

The showers are so scruffy that most people showered on the boat. The toilets are now verging on the disgusting. I used the loo by the main resort restaurant and it was always pristine. Such a contrast with the marina side.

The haul out area is good but there is a limit to the work you can get done, so check first. The jib on the travel lift to remove masts is broken. The manager told me in an email that there were no plans to repair it!

I stayed for a month; it really was a great place to chill out. But watch out. Barnacle growth at Rebak is legendary. If you stay any length of time you will need to clean the bottom, especially your propeller. Folding props may not even open properly after a month…

Posted on behalf of Alison Innes:
I just wanted to update you on the recent experience we had checking in and out of Telaga, Langkawi. We sailed from Phuket to Telaga and were wanting to check in and check out on the same day.

This was very easy as Immigration, Customs and the Harbour Master are all conveniently located in the one building located behind the service station. We anchored just outside and took the dinghy into the marina wharf. Immigration is open every day from 8 am -7 pm, customs and the harbour master from 8 am -5 pm.

The process for check-in is:
1. Immigration
2. Harbour Master
3. Customs
And to check out is:
1. Harbour Master
2. Customs
3. Immigration.

All staff were extremely friendly and professional and the whole process only took 25 minutes. Just make sure that you have a small amount of Malaysian currency with you as you will need to pay the Harbour Master and unfortunately the ATM nearby had run out of money (I think this is a regular occurrence – so don’t rely on it).
Alison Innes
Rex 1