But the Malacca Straits had other ideas for us. We could indeed put our cup of tea down, because the movement was not the problem, but rather the fog. We motored across, filled with dread. The soupy water seemed to thicken the fog that hung limply above, camouflaging other vessels. Huge monolithic ships continually glided silently up and down the busy, narrow stretch. To add to the fun, a strong current pushed us along sideways. Imagine sliding on your bottom on ice. You might be facing left, but your body is going forwards. In a strong current this is how boats behave. It is rather disconcerting when you are weaving between enormous ships that are moving at twenty-six knots. Our maximum speed, under motor, was about six-and-a-half knots. We put a lot of faith in our equipment on board, as well as our ability. We arrived at Port Dickson in the beginning of November 2000. So much had happened already; we had only left Australia in September. I felt like we had been sailing away from Australia for years.
