Our trip out of Marang started just as the sun was going down. Halfway towards Kapas, crewman Aseng, who had left the bow to join Pok Di and I on the deck, pointed behind me.

I turned around and saw a clear and beautiful orange sky over the Marang river. “Wow! What an amazing view,” I exclaimed, feeling very lucky to witness such a pretty sunset.

You get to view these atmospheric effects if you are out at sea, not when on land.

Turning to Pok Di, I said: “Wonderful! I’ve not been here at this hour before. I know many people will pay a lot of money just to come and view this.”

Pok Di chipped in, speaking in a matter of fact way: “A sunset cruise will easily sell for a few hundred ringgit per pax.” I agreed. “But where are we going to get the tourists from,” he fired at me.

I looked at him apologetically. It felt as though I was personally responsible for driving tourists away.

Going for ‘sotong’

That night, at a location behind Pulau Kapas, we caught lots of “sotong” (squid or cuttlefish, as some people call them).

Pok Di, Nang and Aseng are true experts at their job. They know where to find a good spot and have all the gear, equipment and the right amount of lights to attract schools of squid towards our boat.

Watching them in action was itself a wonderful experience.

I managed to stay up for another hour or so before the gentle rhythm and the roll of the stationary boat rocked my head and sent me to sleep early in one of the two cabins.

I knew they would not finish before midnight and would only return to the harbour much later.

The next morning, I was told they had caught almost 40kg of squid overnight, all of which was sold to a waiting trader by the jetty, for RM15 per kg. Not bad, I thought.

At the market, where we went to have “nasi dagang” for breakfast, I walked past a fish stall, where I saw “sotong” of the same species and size being sold for RM28 per kg.

Unpolluted up river

I wanted to leave for Kuala Terengganu soon after, but Pok Di insisted that I follow them up river for a short cruise. He wanted me to see something else.

Up river, the Sungai Marang is in pristine condition – unpolluted and very clean, with green vegetation alongside. I shared my observations with Pok Di, who explained that this was because there are no large-scale oil palm plantations nearby.

“Not yet, at least,” he said. No plantations mean no oil mill nearby to channel its waste into the river.

“But if you allow PAS to govern for another term, this river will be dirty, like many other rivers in the state. They don’t particularly care about the environment,” said Pok Di.

Taking over the wheel from Nang, who was chatting with Aseng at the stern, Pok Di looked straight ahead. A short while later, he spoke again.

“We will stop at Pok Heng. You can have coffee there and talk to him, too, about what I just said,” he said.

He pointed to a boatyard, about 200 metres away on our port side.

Lament of a master boatbuilder

Pok Heng, or Ibrahim, has been a wooden boat builder for over 30 years. He has built and repaired most of the fishing boats one sees in the Marang estuary.

He has between 15 and 20 workers, all trained by him, who work without even a single sketch, let alone a proper drawing. They start with the keel as a foundation and add on to make a solid curving hull.

I noticed that he used an old measurement called “hoon”, which I believe is only used on the east coast.

Pok Heng spoke to me at length about the craft of boatbuilding and the need to maintain the tradition in Terengganu.

He is passionate about giving opportunities to enable youngsters in his locality to learn the skills, techniques and trade.

As we sipped our hot local black coffee, Pok Heng related his own experience from his younger days.

He said he was once part of a team that built bigger boats in Pulau Duyong, near Kuala Terengganu, before he decided to venture out on his own.

At the end of my unscheduled visit, I had to ask him that one last silly question.

I asked if he ever received any form of support, from anyone – whether from the government or any agency or bank, or under any scheme such as Jana Wibawa?

He gave me a bemused look, then smiled and shook his head slowly.

Finally, after a short pause and in a soft gentle voice, he said: “Kalau PM sekarang maghi tengok, mungkin dia akan bantu saya. Yang lain, dok napok jalan!”

(If the current PM was to visit my yard, maybe he would assist me, I have no hope in anyone else!)

Part One: In Terengganu, where PAS is seen as ‘hopeless’

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.