Sarawak can attract tourists to its ports

MIRI: Sarawak has what it takes to attract foreigners to sail into its ports and stay on for adventure.

Two retired foreign couples from Australia and Belgium sailed in their own yachts into Miri about six weeks ago, and docked at the Marina Bay here.

“We sold our house in Australia to buy our yacht and sailed to Papua New Guinea, the Pacific islands, Cebu in the Philippines, Kota Kinabalu, and Brunei before coming to Miri,” said 64-year-old Tom Welsh when The Borneo Post talked to him during a medical mission in Sepupok, Niah near here on Saturday.

Welsh is a retired geologist from Australia now travelling the world with his wife Fran in their 15m-long yacht which they named Hamamas.

“We have stayed in various places in Australia, and decided not to keep our house which is a hassle to maintain, while sailing around to see the world,” said Welsh who has two sons and a daughter in Australia, with the eldest son at 41 years old.

He considered their yacht to be their mobile home which was very convenient since it was complete with all the amenities they would ever need.

“Our last address is in Queensland where we can fly back to visit during Christmas or other occasions,” he said.

He said his profession as a geologist in the mining industry in Australia helped him in navigation and map reading, which was made much easier with modern technology in satellite communications and the Internet.

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