By Norzu

I got to see my first love this week. She was docked at the Lumut Naval Base jetty, having a brief down time before her next assignment.

The KLD (Kapal Layar Diraja) Tunas Samudera is her name. She is a brigantine tall ship, a two-masted beauty built in the UK in 1989.

This sail training vessel is one of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s training platforms for young cadets and trainees. There are also programmes for youths and students to give an insight into the life of a seafarer and learn the basic seamanship skills.

_{The Gracious Lady…Built in 1989 in the UK, Tunas Samudera is one of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s training platforms for young cadets and trainees.}

My first voyage onboard was in November 2000 and it was a blast. The two weeks spent with the officers and crew as well as my fellow trainees have stayed on my mind even after I’ve sailed with her in other voyages in my current capacity.

Personally, I feel that this vessel – with her white sails and yard arms and other characteristics – provides the best experience to a young Malaysian to see our country from a different angle. We are a maritime nation after all.

Sailing onboard KLD Tunas Samudera as a trainee, you’ll be assigned tasks to do with the crew, and then some. You get to sail at night under the stars (and sometimes with rain) and for me, it is one of the joys of life people should experience at least once.