Crew or No Crew

With the boat almost ready and in progress, I had to decide: Do I have crew onboard?

Ideally, it should be someone I know well. But ocean sailing is not for everyone.

I was also looking to get another Malaysian on board as crew so that they could experience ocean sailing and what I saw the first time I went around the world.

I contacted local print, radio, TV, and digital news outlets to gain Malaysian followers. Additionally, I approached the Royal Malaysian Navy to see if they would support my efforts by involving a fellow sailor. Unfortunately, this didn't pan out. The Navy even requested sponsorship from me, which I found quite ridiculous, to say the least!

I asked for sponsors for those who wanted to follow, but none were for me. The money will just cover their insurance and flight tickets from the individual legs.

I asked Malaysia Airlines but was told they did not fly to those destinations; Air Asia did not even bother to reply!

Having done this, I was really upset, as I asked for a small sum for some Malaysian sailor to come with me, who could not afford it on their own. This was not meant to be.

Having worked in the corporate sector before, I knew almost all companies had budgets set aside for CSR projects; I realised I did not have enough ” eyeballs.”

Finally, I just gave up trying to ask Malaysians to follow me.

I went online, and through the same sailing groups and social media, I had gotten potential hits for the crew: a Czech sailor, Libor Holsan ( who sailed continuously with me to South Africa), and Bill Rogers from the UK for the first leg.

Having a sundowner enroute to Maldives