As we farewelled the remaining fellow cruisers and cleared customs and immigration in Tanjung Penang, little did we know about the drama looming ahead on the next leg of our trip. Our plan had been to take a couple of days to sail from Tanjung Penang (Indonesia) to the anchorage from which we intended to cross the Singapore Strait. After crossing the Singapore strait we were to make our way up the Johour strait which separates the northern coast of Singapore from the southern tip of mainland Malaysia, to Puteri Harbour marina where we would clear into Malaysia.

So we departed Tanjung Penang on November 11th and headed north with not much wind so motor sailing. The sea was flat as usual and the passing scenery was beautiful. There were a few squalls on the horizon which skirted around us but by mid afternoon we had a fairly small innocuous one right in front of us. It brought an initial gust of wind and a few spits of rain and while Phil was finishing off furling in the headsail, I decided to get some things below out of the rain. I made the mistake of disregarding the rule about one hand for you and one hand for the boat, and was going down the companionway steps (backwards as usual) while holding a bulky item on the top step until I got down below. However, when I reached the last step and put my left foot on the floor which was a little wet from the rain, I slipped and came crashing down, twisting my right leg somehow.  I immediately knew that there was something seriously wrong with my leg. It was bent on a strange angle at the knee and I couldn’t straighten it.

 

We knew that we needed to get medical assistance as soon as possible, and I remembered that there is a marina at Nongsa Point, not too far from where we were at the time. We had not planned on stopping there, but our intended route would have taken us past it. So I dosed up on painkillers and with me lying below trying to keep my leg as still as possible, Phil pulled out all stops to get us to Nongsa Point as quickly as possible. It took just over an hour to get there and the marina staff were on hand to help us tie up. An Australian nurse (Marilyn) from another boat in the marina came over to lend a hand, and we waited for a while for an ambulance. However, the ambulance did not materialise so between Phil, the marina staff, Marilyn and her husband, My leg was splinted and I  was lifted onto a stretcher and carried off the boat to a waiting car provided by the marina and driven to the Awal Bros Hospital in the nearby city of Batam, about a 30 minute drive.

Needless to say I was somewhat anxious about the level of medical care that might be available but once we got into the hospital and they started to assess my injury, I could tell that I was receiving the same standard of care that one would expect in any of the major Melbourne hospitals. A set of X-rays and an MRI scan confirmed a very nasty fractured femur from my knee to about half way up my thigh, where the bone had shattered into a number of fragments. After a fair bit of “too-ing and fro-ing” about payment (which involved Phil having to come back into the hospital at midnight), I had surgery to insert a plate and screws very early the following morning. I had a short stay in hospital (fabulous nursing care) and was discharged the next day with an enormously swollen leg, crutches, a swag of medication and orders to not put any weight on my leg for one month.

In an extremely fortunate co-incidence of good timing, our very good friend Leonie was due to arrive in Singapore the evening of the day I was discharged. We had been planning to meet her in Singapore for three days of fun being land based tourists. As Nongsa Point is just across the strait from Singapore, Leonie caught the ferry and proved to be our lady in shining armour, just when we needed support and practical help the most.  With the boat in the marina, we booked a room in the attached resort and set about waiting until I could be cleared to fly home.

 

The Indonesian bureaucracy kept us “entertained” as we tried to sort our way through the process of getting new visas and an visa extension that would allow us to stay until I had the one week post-op check. They led us on a merry dance, sending us off to get a letter from the doctor to prove I needed to stay (despite the fact that I had an appointment slip from the hospital, and a discharge summary that verified my injury), and then requiring us to visit the immigration office for photos which they decided were not needed once we got to the office. After being told for about three days that our passports would be ready tomorrow, we actually got them back at about 5pm on the day before Leonie and I were booked to fly home.

 

The travel insurance company (Travel Insurance Direct) were fantastic and organised for Leonie and I to fly home business class with Qantas, and also for assistance at the airports in Singapore and Melbourne. We had a seamless trip all the way from Nongsa Point to Melbourne, which involved several taxi rides, the ferry and the plane, and arrived in Melbourne in as good a shape as possible given the circumstances.

 

Since arriving back, I have been staying with Leonie in Melbourne, and spending weekends with our son Reece and his girlfriend in Geelong. My leg has again been x-rayed and my orthopaedic surgeon has reviewed it and advised that I need to be non-weight bearing on crutches for 3 months until there is sufficient new bone formed around the fragments to hold my weight. A bit of a drag, but more importantly this has created an accommodation crisis as our apartment in Melbourne is up three flights of stairs and there is no lift in the building. Our friends and family have been fantastic and we have had a number of offers, so we just need to work out the best option for everyone.

Meanwhile, Phil has been sailing Paseafique single-handed from Nongsa Point to Pangkor Marina in Malaysia (about 300 nm) where we have decided to leave her for a few months so he can return to Melbourne while I recover. That has been an adventure in itself but one that I didn’t get to share. While it was a bit of a daunting prospect, Phil was also looking forward to the challenge and a chance to try single-handed coastal cruising.

We are guessing that I am unlikely to be ready to return to the boat until at least sometime in March, but we will have to wait and see how the healing and rehabilitation go. It has been upsetting of course to have our cruising life interrupted at this early stage. We just have to make the most of being back in Australia, seeing family and friends over Christmas and being here for some important birthdays and anniversaries. Thanks to all who offered good wishes and practical help-we have greatly appreciated it.

(sorry about the photo sizes- these came from a number of different sources and I can’t work out how to re-size them in wordpress)