Singapore

Singapore 20 -14 October

Well, here we are! We originally had no intentions of staying at a Singapore Marina at all. We wanted to go straight to Johor Bahru in Malaysia and do a few day trips into Singapore. Our broken alternator made us change our mind and we decided to go to Raffles Marina. They offered a discount for “Sail Indonesia” participants and another discount if you stay 10 days or more. Raffles was an excellent choice. It is not only a calm marina but also the nicest one I have ever seen at all. A free shuttle bus runs every two hours to the nearest train station and further on. The facilities are fantastic and the staff very helpful. The swimming pools have spas and a waterslide. There is also a billiard room, bowling alley and gym. The restaurants are good and the bar has cheap drinks on certain days. Our first hot shower despite the hot weather lasted a very long time. What a waste of precious water. I hugged and kissed the washing machine like it was a long lost friend.

We went to Singapore two years ago during a stopover for 2 days. This time we would have more time to see it all again and at a slower pace. The public train and buses are very good. Trains are running every 3-5 minutes. Our first visit was of course the famous Raffles Hotel were we had a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar. For the cost of $AS 26 each. Ouch!!

We especially liked China Town, Little India and Little Arabia. Trying out lots of Chinese and Indian food and buying souvenirs for the grandchildren. Singapore is exceptionally clean and beautifully landscaped. Many signs are in four languages. In Sim Lim Tower (called the toy shop for men) we bought new water proof binoculars.

During our two week stay we experienced some nasty thunderstorms coming late during the night from the west with heavy lightning and tropical downpours. I think they are called “Sumatras” and are very similar to some Brissi Storms. A fellow cruiser got hit with a lightning strike and lost a lot of his electronics.

Raffles Marina organised a free dinner for all “Sail Indonesia“ participants in their ballroom. About 30 boats attended and we had a wonderful night, fantastic food and life music.

Our alternator has been fixed and Mike bought a second one as a spare as well. Our last two days will be spent doing nothing and lazing around the pool and reading. May be we’ll visit the Bird Park. A fellow cruiser said it is something not to be missed. Provisioning can wait till Johor Bahru, our next stop only 8 nm away. Malaysia is supposed to be lots cheaper than Singapore.

On Friday we will be part of a small convoy sailing, or most likely motoring, across to Danga Bay were the “Sail Malaysia” Rally will take off. A lot of yachts are alredy there. For more information about this rally please log on to http://sailmalaysia.net/

Good bye Singapore- Hello Malaysia
Michael & Rosemarie

Nearly there

Going North 15 October – 28 October

The last part of Sail Indonesia is a long trip. First we had to go from Kumai to Belitung, close to 300 miles. Two nights in a row on the water, last time we did that when we sailed from Darwin to Kupang. Not much sailing, the changeover between monsoons is a bit frustrating.

At some stage we crossed a main shipping lane. We spotted 9 ships at the same time and one was heading for us. We noticed on the AIS that he was changing his course several times so we called him on ch 16 and asked if he had intention of staying on this course. He said politely that he was not sure and his course depends on what the other ships are doing. Nice! We said we hang around until they had past. When we got closer to Belitung, we heard on the VHF that a bus was going from the anchorage into town for Customs, Immigration and Port Clearance. It was Friday and we wanted to check out of Indonesia at Belitung, so that we would not be under time pressure to reach Nongsa Point before our Cruising Permit (CAIT) and Visa expired. When we had cleared out, we could anchor anywhere for 24 hours, but were not allowed on shore.

So we rushed the last miles, dropped the anchor, put the motor on to the dinghy, grabbed our paperwork, and raced ashore. Ten minutes later, we were in the bus into town. It took all afternoon to get the stamps and papers we needed, but at 6pm we had everything. We had time for some rest after all this., and spent our last rupiahs on diesel and restaurants.

On our way back to the boat, there were some Javanese dancers who got themselves into some form of trance, and then wanted to be hit with a whip. I do not know the background of all that, but it seemed not right.

We were again in company with quite a few boats, we had made up some ground. The facilities were still there, so I could get some diesel, and we bought another slab of Bin tang beer. We distinctly remembered that Tiger beer in Singapore was expensive. We had drinks on a little island near the anchorage, and felt more and more relaxed.

The following day, we still did not feel like moving, so Rosi baked some bread, we did a few boat jobs, and decided to go snorkelling on the reefs we had seen in front of that little island the day before. We met some other boat people there, and when the rain came, we were playing in the water like little children. That was something special.

Back on the boat, we washed hair and got ready to go ashore. We visited the Turkish single hander, who was ill with Typhoid and resting in a bungalow on the beach. He thinks he got it when eating fresh oysters from the rocks at some island. We were glad that it was diagnosed and could be treated properly. Poor guy!

We had a lovely dinner with all remaining boats (about 7), and the organisers of Sail Indonesia. They did a marvellous job in getting such a big rally (120 boats, close to 2,500 miles) organised. We can imagine the issues with authorities they had to deal with! Many thanks to Raymond and Dewi.

The next morning we raised anchor towards Singapore. We thought a few day sails would get us there. We arrived at 5 in the morning at Bankka and rested. But the anchorage was so roly that we decided to continue at 5pm. Three other boats went with us, it would not have been a restful night. That trip from Bankka to Lingga was not nice. We had green water over the bow, with thunderstorms and 25 knot winds. Mostly motoring at first, but then the wind turned more easterly, and we got some nice speed out of our headsail. We arrived at Lingga at 3pm, with a few things wet in our V-birth. The big hatch is not as waterproof as I thought. But only 18 miles to go to the equator!

At 9am, it was time for another short trip. At 15:05 local time, we crossed the equator and went from spring into autumn within seconds! We went parallel for a while to get the photo right. We considered swimming across, but gave it a miss. We did not want to be late for the crossing party, otherwise King Neptune may get annoyed. So we continued to Kentar Island, and had a wonderful gathering on Gitano with Tiaki and Devon Gypsy.

Due to some alcohol consumption the previous night, we had a late start to get to Mesanak. It was plain motoring, the best thing was that Tiaki caught a Golden Trevally. So we gathered on Jemimah to grill the fish, with some salads and sweets. Another great night with wonderful company.

We left early next day towards the Singapore Straight, with the others still asleep. The sky was dark and it looked like the clouds would move so we would have any squall behind us. We went nicely, sailed for some time and had not much rain until the clouds disappeared and the wind died. We turn the motor on and automatically looked at the stern. Oh no! There was no water coming from the exhaust! After the initial panic, we sailed towards a small island and anchored. We used the MPS and did about 1.3 knots. . I was a bit at a loss, until I saw the intake hose for the salt water showing signs of a vacuum. I took of the intake hole, and close to the strainer was a plastic bag, deformed to a sausage, blocking the water intake. That was a relief!

In the meantime, the others had caught up, and we met in the anchorage at Sembulang. No party that night, but we decided to cross the Singapore Strait together. It was not a great distance, but the current was against us, and we did not make good progress. The decision was made to anchor on the Indonesian side of the Strait, for a morning crossing the following day. We had a most colourful display of triangles on our chart plotter, thanks to the AIS. There were over 50 ships within 20 miles of us moving not to count the many at anchor. After all, this is one of the busiest waterways in the world.

Early morning start, and we moved along the southern side of the Strait towards a crossing area opposite the Western Quarantine anchorage in Singapore. But when we got close, there was suddenly a huge gap in the traffic, and we decided to go for it. Rosi did not feel ready, it was a bit like crossing 20m before the traffic light, only because there is a gap. But all went well, we reached the other side without even being close to be run over.

At the anchorage, Customs/Immigration showed up within 10 minutes, and we were cleared in 15 minutes later. How easy was that! We moved on towards Raffles Marina, dodging a few big ships and going close to anchored vessels. It was a bit nerve wrecking.

When we went around the corner towards Johor Strait, we thought we had made it. But we got a call from Tiaki, who had spotted a fellow rally boat drifting aimlessly in the middle of the Singapore Strait , with no motor and no wind. So we turned around (giving up 10 hard earned miles) to tow him into the marina, as our motor is a lot more powerful than Tiaki’s.

Well, we got there, unhooked our tow, and slipped into birth D13 in Raffles Marina. Finally in Singapore, and Sail Indonesia is just a memory. But a great memory it is, we had never expected it to be such a beautiful place to be. Above all, the friendliness of the people is just unimaginable. And it seemed that the less material possessions people had, the friendlier they were.

Bye bye Indonesia

Orang Utans

Kalimantan 7 October – 14 October


The next leg was an overnight sail to Bawean, with the added entertainment of a thunderstorm and some ship traffic. It was not too bad, and all fishing boats had bright lights on. At Bawean, we met two other Rally boats. We had a chat, and went ashore. I played soccer with some boys on the beach. This was another island which deserved more time, but we were in a hurry to catch up with the fleet, and make it out of Indonesia before our Visa expired.

Another overnighter to Kumai was probably the best sailing for a long time. We made 143 miles in 24 hours, nearly 6 knots on average! WE did not motor until we entered the Kumai river and arrived with full batteries. The whole distance from Bali to Kumai was 380 miles. And there we were: still lots of Sail Indonesia boats, most of them visiting the Orang Utans. We arranged for a 2 day, one night tour together with an English single hander, got some diesel and water.

The man we booked the tour with (about AU$150 per person) promised to organise the bolts while we were in the forest. So off we went, the price included having a boat boy staying on the boat, and a guide, cook, captain, and assistant on the boat. It took us about five hours to reach Camp Leakey, and we saw quite a few monkeys on the way.

Arriving at Camp Leakey, we had to walk a bit through the forest to get to the information station. We saw Gibbons and some other monkeys on the way. We followed the ranger to the feeding station, and were overtaken on the way by 2 Orang Utans. It is a very strange feeling to be so close to those animals, who have the strength to swing around in the trees or rip up any backpack in seconds. At the feeding station, there were a total of close to 20 Orang Utans, and about four babies clinging to the neck of their mothers. The dominant male (“Tom”) had the bananas all to himself, the others would not go near him. Only after he had enough, the others would come down and eat. We were standing about 10m away from the feeding platform, and they would just walk around us, as if we were not seen as related at all. I wonder what they think of those humans...

At the ranger station, there were some more Orang Utans, and we got quite close. Especially when Rosi stepped back for a photo and nearly walked over one ... We could have stayed and watch for hours, it was a great experience. It was time to return to the boat, to go to the night anchorage in the river. We had mattresses on the deck, and mosquito nets. The food was good, it was amazing what this guy could produce with the limited equipment he had. They rigged a shower for us, with a generator and a pump to a shower head in the back cubicle, which was also the toilet. It was a western style toilet, with manual flushing. We had to ladle water into the bowl, to empty it into the river.

In the morning, we were woken up by Gibbons exchanging greetings in the trees. We upped the anchor to go to the morning session at the next feeding station. This one was also ok, but far fewer Orang Utans. There were only three of them. Still fascinating to watch. The next station only had one male consuming all bananas, and nobody else showed up. We were told that this was a good sign, as they all find enough food in the forest and do not need the handouts. Good for them. At the last stop, we had millions of mosquitos with their own interpretation of feeding station. We were glad to be back on the boat and on our way back to Kumai.

Overall, it was a brilliant experience, and not to be missed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would have chosen to visit Camp Leakey twice and skip the others. Just can’t get enough of those cute relatives...

In Kumai, we noticed that all other boats had gone. The boat boy had even folded the washing we had left on the line, and in such a neat way that I have never seen before. Rosi just could not believe that a man can do this. The next day we took on some more water, and I tried to clear out with the harbourmaster. He was not really interested and wished us a good trip.

Time to move on...

Borobodur/central Java

Borobudur/Java

Our bus left at 3 pm in the afternoon taking us across to the ferry teminal at Gilimanuk. After waiting one hour a second bus picked us up and we went straight on the ferry across to Java. All up we travelled 17 hours to Jogyakarta. The bus was full with locals going on Ramadan vacation. Blankets and pillows were provided and we stopped at a Indonesian truckstop for a hot meal. Unfortunaly we travelled at night and could not see the towering volcanoes. 50 % of the Indonsesain population live on the Java Island, around 120 million people. The towns are big and they are continuous. I never figued out were one city stopped and the next one started. Shops were open 24 hours and people selling produce on the raodside as well. On arrival at the bus teminal in the morning we booked the return ticked and got a taxi to the hotel, which was very nice, with comfortable bed and Ikat decoration, a fantastic breakfast and pool to cool, all for 25 Dollar a night for 2 people.The reception organized our tours to Borobodur and Prambanan temples for the next day. In the afternoon we visited the Kraton (Sultan Palace) not far from the hotel, but went back to Hotel for early dinner and night. We all didn’t sleep much on the bus.

On Tuedsay 23 Sep after breakfast we first had free time till lunch so we visted a big market selling everything from fruit and vegies to spice, fish to craft and clothes. I could have spent all day there. On the way back we stopped at the birdmarket where we saw all sort of singing birds, roosters, insects (for birdfood), bats, cats, dogs, squirrels and even an owl. A fellow cruiser poined out that we probably had eaten bats when we asked for sate sticks at the eateries. What the hell, they taste good.

At 12 noon we left for Borobudur, 26 km away. We took a guide and were overwhelmed with old, historic and enormous temples.Later on our next destination was the temple Prambanan wich is a Hindu temple. Unfortunately it was nearly destroyed by the 2006 earthquake. Many smaller temples lie there in pieces. Locals have taken the stones away and cut them up for houses. But the 3 big main temples still stand and are getting restored. But is was all fascinating to see and we were the last visitors at sunset until the warden let us out of the gate.

We found our bus but not the driver, so we sat in and beeped the horn for a while. He was waiting at the other exit for us. He took us to the restaurant around the corner where we had a very good buffet dinner with the background of the illuminated temple. After dinner we walked next door to the stage of the Ramayan ballet. A two hour opera/ballet telling the story of Rama and Sita. It was very good , beautiful costumes and they even set the rooftops of the background houses on fire as a special effect. We had a big day and arrived totally exhausted at the hotel at 11pm.

Next day we had till 2pm free time to walk the main street Malioboro of Jogyjakarta, resited all selling touts and stopped at the siver smiths capital of Kota Gede.We did no buy anything so, whats wrong with us? Our bus left at 2pm and we got back to Bali next morning at 10 am.

Cheers
R & M

Bali

Bali 16 Sept to 27 Sept

We left at 6 am for Bali crossing the Lombok strait. The current was not against us but neither did we have any help. The wind picked up to 25 knots and as soon as the main was down it died to almost nothing and the Izusu Sail was switched into life. Our progress along the Bali Coast was slow due to the 1.5 knot current flowing east. At 5 pm we passed a little headland and anchored in 10 meter and slept well despite being rolled.

Up next morning and made the 17 miles to Lovina Beach by 10.30am. We finally anchored in 4 meters sand. Mike went ashore and organised water, got brochures from the Sail Indonesia tent and money from the ATM. I was happy to stay behind to have some rest after finally falling sick in the guts. I knew sooner or later it would be my turn.

Next day I was ok and we explored the Lovina Beach area. The beaches are black sand with mountainous backdrops. Lovely restaurants and bars and lots of touts selling it all quite persistantly. We found a German bakery with nice bread and cakes.

At night we were picked up by buses to take us to the venue in Singaraja. We all enjoyed a nice meal and some singing, the traditional speeches from the government officials and caught up with people we hadn’t seen for a few weeks.

Next day we got up not knowing what to do. Should we do a day tour or a 2 day one? Where should we go? The tours on offer were big. Within 2 minutes we met up with Tiaki and Rubicon Star who were going to Kuta for 2 days and said we could join because there was still room on the bus. Mike went quickly back to the boat to grab toothbrush and spare clothes. So off we went to see beautiful Bali, temples , terraced rice fields, feeding monkeys (again) and enjoying the freshness of a waterfall. Our destination was Kuta.

So we did the tourist thing, booked into a hotel, bought clothes and a Rolex and took pictures of the Bali Bombing memorial. Kuta is not the Indonesia we had seen so far. Its more like the a Gold Coast with Mc Donald’s, KFC etc.We had a good night out but all of us did not sleep as well as expected. Something was missing. Maybe the slapping of the dinghy or the rocking and rolling. One day Kuta is enough and our driver picked us up at luchtime for the way back to Lovina Beach stopping at some beautiful lakeviews.

On the way home we all decided to book another tour. This time to Java to see Jogyakarta and the Borobodur temples. This sightseeing was offered through Sail Indonesia by sailing to Kurimun Java and then hopping on a ship to Java and then by bus. Doing the tour from Bali it would take us 4 days instead of five and would cost half the money the other tour would cost.

Talk to you again
Rosi and Mike

Lombok

Lubuhan Bajo - Lombok 4 September – 16 September

Time to move on, but it was afternoon, and we only sailed a few miles to a little bay in the south of Gili Lawa Laut. There was a mooring, but it was a rolly night due to tidal flows between islands. In the morning we went around the island to the its northern side where the snorkelling was excellent with very clear water and lots of fish. Rosi had second thoughts, as the first animal she saw was a sea snake. The poor animal escaped immediately to the bottom of the ocean. After a few hours we went to an anchorage in the northern part of Komodo. Brilliant snorkelling, the best so far. At night, we sat around a fire on the beach with some other boaties. Cruising can be hard.

Our next stop was Sumbawa. There were some reports about petty thefts from boats left unattended at anchor. We did not go ashore anywhere on Sumbawa. At nights we stoped at Raba, Kananga, Pulau Medang and Pulau Lawang on our way to Gili Air sailing past beautiful landscape and towering volcanic mountains which were cloud free in the mornings.

We arrived early afternoon at Gili Air north of Lombok and found the entrance into the lagoon easily and managed to find a spot in the already crowded anchorage. We walked along the beach where simple bungalow stye resorts and small restaurants line the shore. Rather than typical tables and chairs, most bars and restaurants have small gazebos on the beach with raised platforms with a small table and large comfortable cushions to sit on. Meals were delicious and inexpensive. No motorbikes or cars disturb peace and quiet. Island transport is by horse carriage. Next morning we wanted to do a 3 island snorkelling tour with a local boat and joined up with 3 other cruisers. The price for this 6 hour tour was AU$7.50. Our first snorkel was of Gili Trawangan to snorkel with the turtles. We just had to drift with the current and the boat drifted with us and made sure where ok.They took us to 5 different sites around all Gili Islands and we snorkelled with thousands of beautifully coloured fish, stopping for lunch at Gili Meno. Gili Air was great and we stayed 3 days, longer than anticipated but we could have stayed another 3 weeks there. Most of the rally boats anchored across on the Lombok site and took a day tour to Gili Air for a swim or snorkel.

We left Gili Air and did the short trip to the northern site of Lombok under motor where the venue was. Most boats organized transport for this event either by hiring a boat from Gili Air or a bus from Teluk Kombal but we decided to anchor in front of the venue after reading previous cruising notes of the anchorage being a wonderful place, calm no swell. We arrived at 10 am and broadcasted the good news on the radio and were later joined by 8 other yachts. We went shore to work out where the function was supposed to be held and talked to the locals who were setting things up but it didn’t look like much. We then continued our walk to the exclusive resort not far away and just for the fun of it ordered a fruit juice. This one came with two butlers, decoration and a nice setting at the pool on a mattress with cushion at our backs. So we drank slowly and pretended to be rich and famous. The total cost of two mixed fruit juices was $13. Normally just $2.50. Later in the afternoon we visited the Oberoi resort at the other end of the bay where one can stay for US$800 a night. The staff was friendly and had nothing against us for having a walk through the facilities. It was nice to put our feet on lush lawn for a while.
Later on our function was very low key. We all sat on the beach on braided palm leafs, received the compulsory speech. There was no cultural performances due to the fact that it was Ramadan. No dancing with an empty stomach. The “Gala Dinner” was a few plates of local dishes to share. We had to eat with our hands and most people were still hungry after all was eaten. I managed to cut up a plastic water cup and turned it into 2 spoons. So it was all over by 7 pm and bemos and water taxis went back.


On Sunday the 14 Sep we left early to make our way down South to the anchorage of Singiggi motor sailing into a brisk southerly dodging hundreds of outriggers coming home from nightfishing. We knew why the anchorge was not used for the Sail Indonesia fleet because it would only cater for about 20 boats. We went ashore and were met by dozens of hawkers. We bought a new simcard for our modem but could not get the Internet working because one would need a CDMA phone to registger first. Singiggi is a nice bay sheltered by a reef from the south but exposed to South West. It got a bit rocky during the day but we wanted to do some sightseeing anyway. Luckily one more rally boat, Lady in White, came in later and the 6 of us booked a tour. Just for the fun of it we walked through the grounds of the Sheraton Hotel and inquired about a room. The peak season was over and we bargained down the price from US$ 265 to US$ 140, but decided that it was no match for Jemimah.

The tour was a fantastic day, the driver was the nicest person we had met. He suffered greatly with Ramadan fasting but kept his humor. He told us how he and his wife met and how the wedding unfolded. The story was better than the Titanic one. We visited a local produce market, fed the monkeys in the forest, visited a weaving place (bought another ikat), a pottery place and a big temple. And of course enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Lombok and the humor of our 4 british Sailors. One the way home the driver kindly stopped at the big Supermarket so we could do some shopping.

After a nice meal at “THE OFFICE” the swell came down and we and our shopping returned safely to Jemimah.


To be continued
Rosi & Mike

Flores

Flores – Lubuhan Bajo 27 August – 4 September


Sailing on, we found a beautiful island in Riung Bay. White sandy beach, corals for snorkelling, some shelter on the beach, all part of the 17 Islands National Park. Much better than the Monkey Beach anchorage, which is in the 101 anchorages and where most people went. We really enjoyed our stay and delayed our departure for a day.

The next stop at Lingeh was interesting. A nice anchorage behind extensive reef, but annoying locals. This was the closest we came to feeling uneasy, and we took removable things into the cabin for the night.

An early start, we followed our track to get out of that bay. We made it to Bodo Island, but it was too rolly for us. So we got into a nearby bay, well protected and easy to get into. Some locals came by, but went after we said no thanks to their offers of pearls and carved dragons. We even had some rain, the first rain for months! The boat needed a wash badly. We had a very restful night.

We needed that rest, as the trip to Rinca included 25 knots on the nose for some time. We felt that we should sail, so we tacked until we got into the bay where the National Park hut was. As we arrived rather early, and tourist boats were still coming in, we decided to have a look ashore. There was a jetty to tie up our dinghi, and some monkeys to greet us. We walked to the station and joined a tour immediately. We saw our first Komodo dragon near the cafe, and quite a few on the short walk, some of them mating (or more accurately, just lying on top of each other). They are close to 3m long, with very powerful legs. They all seemed to be rather inactive, which was ok with us. I would not like to test if they run faster than me!

We also paid the fees, which were rather steep (360,000 rupiahs). I suppose a lot goes into the park maintenance and preservation of habitat, so that’s ok. We could have gone again the following day, but the dragons were not that fascinating. We wanted to snorkel at Pantai Merah (red beach), supposedly a great spot. Unfortunately we had to fight a big current in Lintah Strait, and it was quite an effort to get there. But the only mooring buoy was vacant, and we were tied up securely. Snorkelling was good, we took the dinghi to various spots.

After some excitement with another boat dragging anchor, we moved to the Eco resort near Labuhan Bajo. The current was not against us this time, but the wind varied. We went to the resort for dinner, and the earth moved for us! The first tremor was a little one, similar to a truck going past a house. We did not recognise it, but the second tremor left no doubt that we experienced our first earthquake. Even the staff at the resort looked worried, and the Admiral went outside to check if the trees were ok. But that was it, and we had a lovely dinner (although expensive for Indonesia).

Next day, we had a look at Lubuhan Bajo. It is quite a nice town, and it could be the next big tourist thing in that area (“gateway to the dragons”). We found an internet cafe... This explains the long delays between postings. We moved the boat closer to the venue for the welcome dinner, and rested. Next morning, we got some fuel, and we got water from the town. There are shops with water filtration equipment, and for 20 l water, we paid 6,000 rupiahs. It was quite a bit of work: take the dinghi to the jetty, around a fence, along a breakwater wall, through some back yards, across the street, and there it was. It is a lot easier with empty containers...

To be continued
Rosi & Mike

Mausambi

Mausambi/Endeh Regency 22 -26 August


We left Sea world anchorage and motored (what else) all day to Batu Boga (no 18 in the famous 101 book). Hoping that nobody would already anchor there. This is a really good hideaway on the west side of a headland behind a reef. A bit tricky to get in but no problem in early afternoon with good light. The book says room for 3-4 boats. As we rounded the corner we counted 7 boats. We managed to actually find a nice spot as well but one large, expensive American yacht owner didn’t want us there and said we are too close. We were not but moved 300 meter away in the next less protected bay behind Nimbus II. Soon after they gave us a lift to the beach across where we first tried to anchor and we had a nice BBQ including damper. The locals sat behind us and watched us cook and eat. Nobody spoke English but they smiled. We played football with the kids. Next morning we swang towards the reef and the tide was at its lowest. We discovered a bommie about 50 cm under water about 15 metres away from us. A bit of a surprise because we anchored in 8 meters. We decided then and there to jump in from now on and snorkel around the boat. By the way the snorkelling there was really good.

By afternoon next day we arrived in Mausambi or Endeh regency anchorage. This one is exposed and we were rolling badly. Hoping for the swell to die down at night but it did not do enough. Next morning we went ashore and the landing was adventurous and wet. The locals build a landing jetty for us but walking on it in the surf was not easy and good entertainment for the locals. The village lies in pretty hilly surroundings. There were nice stalls with food, ikat, craft and even a medical tent including a rally casualty. A fellow elderly yachty from England fell ill and was taken to the local hospital. Mike helped the poor husband to shift their boat 3 miles away so he could be closer to the hospital. I stayed behind on the beach and practised my Indonesia with a big crowd of children. Mike had a similar experience when he walked back and was followed by a cheering crowd of children all the way.
That night we had dinner with the Politicians of the Endeh regency. It was a good night with nice food again and traditional dances and singing. One of the politicians asked us why there are only old people sailing in the rally. Mike responded that there are only young people in this rally. We all loughed . It was nearly 11 pm when we went back to the boat and the swell had not died enough to provide a safe departure. So I fell from the jetty and had an unwanted swim.

Kelimutu 25 August

Early morning start at 4.30 am with breakfast at the beach.Destination Kelimutu Volcano and the three colour lakes. The bus was an old rattling smaller version of transportation. The road was bad the first hour but the sunrise made up for it. As we got further into the land and higher up the mountain landscape became more beautiful with terraced rice fields and fruit and vegetable plantations and rainforest. We reached the entrance to the national Park and our guide got out of the car and offered two cigarettes at the gatekeepers stone statue to ensure good weather and views. From the car park we walked 10 minutes and stopped. The guide pointed to a grey clouded wall and said this is the spot were you can see the brown lake. In front of him were 20 disappointed eyes. He suggested to go further uphill where you can see all three lakes. Off we went and if by magic spell the clouds lifted the sun came out and with it a very beautiful and spectacular scenery. To our surprise the clouds stayed away for the time we were up there and we very very lucky that day because the day before some others had the view of the lakes and craters only for a few seconds. One lake was like cappuccino, the middle one turquoise and the third dark green to black. At the car park were of course ikat selling locals and I don’t know how I ended up with another one in our small boat. After we stopped at the village of Moni for lunch, saw a traditional village where we had to dress up in traditional costumes, walk 3 times around a stone before allowed into the village where we were greeted by the chief and traditional dances. We got some refreshments, were asked for a donation but it was all good fun. Next stop was at some hot springs were the water was too hot to enter the water. Some did and looked like lobster. I put my feet in for a few seconds. At least they got clean after walking bare feet thought the black dirt of the village ( part of the costume is no shoes). Back to Mausambi. Another Nasi Goreng, Bintang and Entertainment as part of the cultural festival.We returned to the boat without incident and survived another rolly night.

Despite two more days of local festivities and entertainment we could no tolerate (or should I say “I”) the swell and rolling any more. We decided to leave early to make our way towards the next venue destination of Labuan Bajo and the very western side of Flores. We left at 8 am for a small bay 15 miles away. No swell, anchored in 15 and drifted back to 4m. Not much coral but so peaceful. One more yacht joined us later and we were only visited by one local boat .Exchange some words with them gave biscuits and pencils. Made bread and banana smoothies.Still had so many bananas and they ripen all at the same time. This anchorage was really nice and not in any books so we like to have the book changed to the “102 “ anchorage and this one dedicated to “Jemimah”. In case someone is interested the way points are 08.32.249 121.35.945.

Travelling on

Rosi & Mike

Sea World

Sea World/Maumere/Flores 18-22 August

We left early for a short 11 mile motor across to the Island Pulau Besar. Pulau means Island and besar means big. Our bahasa Indonesia gets better every day but we don’t know what day of the week it is. Albireo a German yacht is already there. The anchorage is totally protected from anything but north.Courious fisherman approached us instantly from the tiniest village I have seen so far. I counted 10 homes. We got lots of bananas (too many ) and they drifted of with a cap, t-shirt and pen. Don’t know who got the better deal. In the afternoon while having a sundowners we suddenly watched our dinghy drifting off. Brave Mike jumped after and swam his 100 meter world record but both were rescued by the local fishing boat and brought back to Albireo.The painter was rubbed through in the tube outside the dinghy. Glad it didn’t happen while we had a granny nap. At nights we always kept a second painter on the dinghy.

On Tuesday we motored to the next rally event anchorage at Sea World. Most of the boats were already there. The anchorage is very deep and it looked like there was no more room for us. Who wants to anchor in 30 meters. So we went past the fleet and found a sandy spot in 3 meters. That’s were normally only cats go. Our first impression: Resort nice and restaurant very nice. Good beach and reef. Beautiful hilly scenery. Prices for tour expensive and not well organized and price for 20 litres drinking water 20,000rp ($2.50). So we went to the other side of the creek and got same water for 12,000rp.Unfortunately when 100 sailboats rock up the prices automatically inflate.

The welcome ceremony was fun and the food delicious. Best dances we had seen so far. Our Kiwi cruisers performed the haka and two cruisers embarrassed us by fighting (about a 2 two year old child). Aki from the only Japanese boat sang Karaoke very well.

We visited the market in Maumere ( ride on back of motorbike). Maumere is quiet dirty and noisy and the day was very hot so we did not stay long. Bemo back to Geliting ( near Seaworld ) but could not find any eggs for sale. We were told the supply ship comes tomorrow. What’s the matter with all the local hens at Flores?

On Thursday we took a tour with the German Boaties of Nada Brahma (from Hamburg). The resort organized a nice aircon 7 seater for 500 000rp (A$60).That was a quarter of the price from the other organizers. We went to the Maria Statue on a hill and had a superb view over Maumere and ocean. Then to the famous Sikka village where we found an old Portuguese church and lots of ikat sellers. I bought a nice one for a good price but more and more sellers tried to make me buy all of them so I ended up running away from them. Mike filmed the scenario and I looked like a giant between all of these super short women. Back to lunch at Maumere (another Nasi Goreng).And then to the traditional fishing village just west of Maumere. The houses are build on stilts over the sea. They look tiny and uneven and poor. People all smiley and friendly. The harbour was full with traditional boats from Macassar bringing cement. They did not look seaworthy and the rigging was ancient. On the way back we asked the driver to stop so we could buy more Bintang.The shop had everything from beer to donuts to brooms. At night we had dinner at the resort for $5 p.p. So far our most expensive meal. We missed the cultural performance at the Sail Indonesia stage, it was not communicated.

See you later

Rosi & Mike

Lembata

Lembata Island 7 to 17 August

We intended to sail to Alor but a combination of leaving a day late from Kupang, no wind and a 4 knot current against us made us change course at midnight and sail directly to Lembata Island, the third destination on the Rally Program. Arriving at 7 am we spent the first day just anchoring around the first headland in a beautiful bay were we found a sandy patch between coral. The next day we sailed the 13 miles slowly (but we sailed) to Lebolewa the capital of Lembata and were the fifth yacht to arrive and snatched one of the best spots close to the jetty. Later we discovered that it was also the closest to the mosque and we were woken at 4 in the morning to the call for prayer. Lewoleba is a relaxed town with view of the smoking volcano Ili Api.

For the welcoming ceremonies they drove the entire fleet in open trucks and motorbikes trough the town with police escorts and musik. Everyone was outside their homes and cheered. I have never waved so much in my life and this is how the Queen E II must feel like. For three days we enjoyed traditional dance performances and were asked to join the people on stage. We all did to the amusement of the locals. On the second day local government organized a tour to a small fishing village called Lewolein a 2 hour bad road bus trip away. The people were really friendly with welcome ceremony , dances and a nice lunch. I don’t know what I ate but it tasted yummy. Mostly vegetarian stuff and salsa and fish. We witnessed traditional Ikat weaving( Cotton picking, spinning, colouring and weaving) a very long process. I also bought my first Ikat in beautiful traditional burgundy colours. We were shown tradional food preparations including making cornflakes from a simple corncob. Later we were to witness a traditional fishing ceremony so we gathered at the beach under shady coconut trees and waited. Two fishermen appeared , grabbed a net and went into the water. They put the 50 meter long net in a half circle from beach to beach and then it happened. 200 locals young and old ran from the village screaming into the water fully clothed, head in and grabbed the fishes with their bare hands and put them inside their clothing. We were asked to join them and most of us went knee deep in and tried our luck. After 7 minutes I managed to grab one little fish about 5 cm long. I looked at it and let it go. In the meantime the locals caught dozens and hundreds of fish. They got out of the water dropped the fishes and started cleaning just with a shell they found .Later we swam and snorkelled with goggles and our traditional swimsuits and attraction of the day for the Indonesians. All up we had a great time again.

For the following day a tour to the whaling village Lamalera (where the locals hunt 15 to 25 sperm whales each year with small wooden boats and spears) was planned. But the bus trip was supposed to be 3,5 hours one way on a bad road with a bus which has seen better days so we gave it a miss and sailed out of Lebolewa early to make our way west towards Maumere. We had a great sail across the bay for 2 hours and then of course the wind died and the ISUZU sail came out. By afternoon we found a nice, well protected anchorage called Tanjung Gedong on the north east coast of Flores. Next day we walked up to the village and were shown around by some friendly locals who invited us into their homes for coffee. The village has no bikes or cars. We shared our anchorage with some other rally boats and in the afternoon 7 people went by dinghy to the next village to see the local high school. The teacher and children were so excited to see us and we had a tour of the school and village. They were very grateful about the exercise book and pens we had as gifts. I had never seen any children so happy about receiving a pen. In the afternoon we snorkelled and witnessed two catamarans who dragged while rafted up. Re-anchored while still rafted up. Well done guys.

Our next stop was supposed to be a day sail (motor) away at Babi Island 20 miles on the charts but for a reason it was not part of any previous rally notes or the 101 Anchorage Book. The reason was obvious. A very deep drop-off and suddenly 2 meters over coral. Let’s go somewhere else. Suddenly the wind increased to 20m knots from the south (our direction ).Wind and tide wrong we sailed back 8 miles to Anchorage 15 from Book called Waimalung and found 4 other yachts here. One more arrived shortly after us and provided good entertainment during anchoring procedure for us. We decided to stay two nights and enjoyed good snorkelling and beautiful sunset rating 9.5 and 1 hour later a full moon rise with similar rating. Its a hard life!

Take care
R&M

Kupang - West Timur

Wednesday 30 July 2008

We are in Indonesia! It took us 95 hours for the 475 miles to get to Kupang. The weather was not against us, but also not exactly with us. If there was any wind, it was in our favour. But for long hours, there was none, and we had to motor. Anyway, we arrived, and had Quarantine on board within a few hours. Customs could not make it that day, but we could go ashore and visit Teddy’s bar for our first Bintang (23,000 rupiahs a big bottle, Teddy charges a bit more than others). The food was also expensive (30,000 rupiahs a serve) and not to be recommended. But newcomers are bound to pay a bit more.

The next day we spent waiting for customs. After a while I had enough and picked a guy up from the customs boat. He got wet on the dinghy ride to our boat, and looked rather sick. The formalities were over in less than five minutes, and I took him back. Ashore, we had to complete more formalities, with lots of photocopies of everything. Evething was stamped at least three times, and at last we were free to explore Kupang.

It is a rather large and noisy city, with bemos honking their horns at everything. The conductor, who is a boy in his early teens, holds a bundle of money in his one hand, and holds on with the other while hanging out of the door to call for customers. The inside holds huge speakers under the benches, going at full blast. A bemo fits about 10 people, but if there are passengers, everybody gets a ride. Payment is on exit, and tourists are charged 3,000 per person regardless of distance. Once we got the hang of it, we were charged 2,500. A massive saving of 12 cents!

We discovered a night market not far from Teddy’s bar. There were mainly food stalls, and a serve of nasi goreng, mie goreng, or gado gado was 6,000 rupiahs. Other stalls sold sweets, and we are yet to be disappointed. Everything tasted great.

We also went to the local market, where we were the only whites. Everybody was very friendly, lots of smiles and laughs. Maybe it had to do with my attempts at Bahasa Indonesia. The museum was small but nice, and it was good to find our way. People were very helpful. We tried to find the modern shopping mall, and were told to catch bemo 22 on the other side of the street. The traffic is frightening, and we were hesitant to risk our lives, when a young motorbike rider came across and stopped the traffic for us! This was just one example of many when local people just helped with a smile. You may have noticed by now that we are totally overwhelmed by the wonderful people here in West Timor.

At night, there was a reception by the governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur. Dancing, food, and a presentation of an ikat shawl for every participant. Then more dancing, and we joined in. A night to remember.

We went on a tour organised by the government. In spite of this, it was brilliant. We visited villages where people still live the traditional lifestyle (minus the headhunting, which was outlawed when Indonesia became independent in the early 50’s). We were presented with more ikat shawls as a welcome, plus the traditional timorese welcome. Again, everybody was unbelievably friendly. The food was again great, and were were free to look around. I wish I could speak more Indonesian, I could not make it past the general smalltalk. We took lots of photos, but our internet connections are patchy. We’ll publish some tmle later.

The next reception was with the Mayor of Kupang. Another lot of good food and dancing, and we were again made feel very welcome. Apparently we are on TV news here every night, and the foreshore entertainment was all set up for us.

A quick word about how things are here. The anchorage is very rolly from 11 am until sunset, we had to leave early and return late. On shore, there are many young students who work as a guide, and can organise about everything, like fuel, water, or spare parts. If you get here, ask for Tiel, he is a great guy with good english. He studies computer science, but he is still very nice and helpful.

Customs were the people who stuffed things up by impounding boats for a few days, and charging 50,000 rupiahs to have the sticker removed from the boat again. There are rumours that someone from Jakarta flew in (the press got hold of the story) to have the local head of Customs arrested. I suppose they do not want to get a bad reputation.

Another tour enabled us to visit an orphenage. The girls danced a welcoming dance, and we were shown around. It became obvious that there is not much money around. They are funded by World Vision, and of course we contributed as well. All children appeared happy and smiled, and we could distribute some of the things we brought. It was a very moving experience.

The next stop was a special school for children with some forms of disabilities. The teachers are doing a marvellous job, teaching skills according to the children’s ability. We distributed more goodies, and we wish we could do more. There are only one or two visits by westerners per year, and it appears to be something really special. It was certainly special for us.

Lunch was smoked pig in a small village, different but tasty. We also saw some ikat weaving, it requires a lot of patience. The day concluded with a visit to the monkey cave, where we sat amongst a few dozen spider monkeys. The corn feed was well received. Another great day.

To prepare for the next leg, we had a haircut in the local salon. Rosi was not too sure, so I had to go first. As he did a reasonable job (as reasonable as can be expected with my hair), she had a go as well. We paid 50,000 for both of us , which is around $A 6. All that was left to do was to clear out with the port captain (requiring another few copies of something we had to fetch from the boat), and farewell West Timor!

This was our first impression of Indonesia, and it could not have been better. The people are just wonderful. The bureaucracy needs improvement, this may happen over time. We are very happy to be here.

Time to move on.
Until next time, selamat tinggal!

Rosi & Mike

Bye Bye Australia

Wednesday 18 June 2008

We made it to Darwin! It took some time to cover those 2,500 miles, but we are quite happy that all went so well. The trip from Guluwin’ku was a series of dayhops. The landscape was rather uninspiring, and totally void of crocodiles. Apparently we nearly ran one over (the people on “Spindrift” told us), but we did not see it.

We went ashore in Port Essington. The ranger was not present, but a small museum was open. The shop was closed until further notice, so we missed out on ice cream.
For the final leg it was necessary to leave our anchorage at Alcaro Bay at 4 am to catch a favourable tide. There was very little wind when we left so we motored around Cape Don picking up a nice help from the tide and reaching a speed of nearly 11 knots. The nice full moon disappeared behind a big black cloud and the new day introduced itself with rain for 3 hours. Finally Jemimah received the long overdue clean from all the dust and salt. With the rain came the no wind and we were becalmed all the way to Darwin arriving at 19.30. We watched the most beautiful sunset ever and were overflown by at least 20 Air Force fighter jets departing Darwin airbase for an exercise (very noisy).

Next morning we rang around for a Marina berth and found one in Tipperary Marina. To get into it one must travel through a lock with a tide of at least 4 meters. We were scheduled for 2 pm. The experience was like this: you steer towards a rock wall and try to see a metal plate. When you see it keep steering at it and hope it opens in time. Once through you find yourself in a large container filled with water and missing roof. Suddenly there was the sound of rushing water and the water level inside the container rose and so did we. A second gate opened and we were free to enter the marina and find our berth.

Friday 20 June

Our plan was to fly back to Brisbane and go by car to Hervey Bay to see our new grandson. The next reasonable priced flights didn’t leave until the following Wednesday so we booked the flight and hired a campervan for 4 days to explore Litchfield and Kakadu NP. But before we took off we applied for our Visa at the Indonesian Consulate.

Saturday 21 to Wednesday 25 June

The first stop after foodshopping was Litchfield. The waterfalls and rockpools were quite impressive, and we spent some time in these natural spas. It was early in the season, and tourist numbers were not yet up to the “crowded” level. For our little campervan, only the main attractions were accessible. Our budget did not allow the 4WD hire, and time constraints prevented us from long hikes. So Litchfield was done in a day, and without stress.

The decision for Kakadu and not Katherine was also inspired by limited available time. It was a completely different landscape, the wetlands of Kakadu were fascinating. Most tracks were still closed this early in the season. The various information centres were very good, they explain the relationship of local people and nature. There are so many things we did not know ...
The town of Jabiru reminded us of a ghost town. It seemed that nobody lived there. Nothing was open, and the commercial buildings had no windows. Maybe the nearby Ranger Uranium mine inspires the need for protection? The local aboriginal people had identified the whole area as “sick country” a long time ago.

Then it was time to return the campervan and rush to the airport. We spent three weeks away from the boat. Our new grandson is just beautiful, and the girls are as cute as ever. We certainly will miss them! There was a lot to be done, and we were extremely busy all the time. This is why you haven’t heard from us!

Back at the boat, it was time to prepare for the trip. New batteries, duty free diesel and alcohol, gas bottles filled, and groceries for the next three years. We wonder what we forgot, but it’s too late now. We cleared customs and immigration on Friday, and in about 3 hours it is bye bye Australia.

Until next time, take care

Rosi & Mike

Gulf of Carpenteria and onwards

2 June to 4 June 08- Crossing the Gulf of Carpentaria

We left Seisia at 7.30 with a forecast of 15-20 knots southeast. Well, the first day and night we experienced only a 10 knot breeze so we motored a few hours. At times the tide slowed us down and the seas got confused. It was hot during the night, clouds blanketed out the stars and there was no moon anyway. The breeze picked up on the third day and we were glad to arrive in Gove harbour near the aboriginal town of Nhulunbuy. Our crossing seemed to be quite easy, although it did not feel that way.

Gove/Nhulunbuy
A very clean and friendly town. We hitched a ride into town and did some shopping. A phone call to our daughter revealed some relatives of her boyfriend and we managed to get hold of some very lovely people who took us out to the golf club for dinner. Small world! They even drove us to the service station with our jerry cans. Perkins wharf would only fill boat tanks and were booked out for the next four days.

The Gove Yacht Club is still operating, although it is more a pub than a yacht club. The food is good and beer is cold. It was nice to sit outside the club and chat to fellow cruisers. Laundry and hot shower were a bonus. Beware of the sandflies!

7 June to 10 June
We left Gove at lunchtime only to make it to Elisabeth Bay, 27 miles to the north. At Cape Wilberforce we experienced some turbulent water where two different currents meet. We were glad to make it through the passage between the cape and the little island next to it. Soon we anchored in a beautiful, calm bay to enjoy a sunset on the catamaran “Spindrift” in the company of Barry, Silvia and Phil. Off early the next day for a 34 mile run to Guruliya Bay on Raragala Island, which is part of the Wessel Islands. We needed to go through the “Hole in the Wall” just after high tide. Our timing was perfect and we went trough the 64 meter wide and 2 mile long passage with 2-3 knots current, slow enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Anchored just 6 miles south of the H.i.t.W. we had enough time to go ashore and explore nature.

Next day a 39 mile sail in fresh wind took us to Refuge Bay on Elcho Island. Again some turbulences around Stevens Island made us wish we were there at a slack tide. Michael took lots of photos of “Spindrift” sailing past us right in the middle of the wild water while I tried to control Jemimah and got washed by a wave from behind. Refuge Bay is a large bay and we needed to go right down 2 miles against the wind to find protection. For the first time since leaving Gove we saw people on the beach. The next day “Jemimah” left before “Spindrift” for the short trip to Galiwin’ku, 25 miles further south on Elcho Is. “Spindrift” finally caught up as we were near the anchorage. We did not see the crocodile next to us as we were approaching the anchorage.

Galiwin’ku is a “Dry” community. Visitors are welcome and we were greeted by a bunch of happy children who were splashing in shallow water. They hopped into ”Spindrifts” dinghy and wanted a ride first. We were greeted by many people walking past us and shown the way to the supermarket. From the outside it looked like a shed but the inside was fully air-conditioned and very well stocked but expensive. Unfortunately the art centre only opens Sundays. We were surprised to find the Internet on Board worked due to a Telstra G3 tower on the Island. We were also warned that the petrol in the dinghi may disappear. But there were no problems, and we are glad that we visited.

Maybe we even get to see a crocodile on our way to Darwin!

On another note, please feel free to add your comments to the blog. We are not really sure if anybody reads this. Hello, anyone out there?

Until next time, take care!
Rosi & Mike

Around the Top

Sunday 18 May

A slow sail got us from Cairns to the Low Isles along some of the most beautiful coastal scenery. Surprisingly we found 9 yachts at anchor. Half of them were on the Darwin/Kupang Rally list. The fridge is still working ok, but we noticed some issues with our house batteries. It seems we will have to do something about them before we leave Australia.

Monday 19 May

We left just before sunrise for Hope Island and soon were followed by all others and quickly overtaken by some. This time we took a little pass between the two neighbouring reefs arriving at low tide. It was easy to find our way into the half lagoon dodging some coral heads. At high tide of course the sandbanks and reef were no longer exposed and we put up with the chop.

Tuesday 20 May – Thursday 22 May

This was probably our best sailing so far. Both sails up, beam reach, around 14 knots wind. No wonder we averaged 6 knots. But we still arrived at Lizard Island after dark, due to our late start. We wanted enough sunlight to see all potential coral hazards on our way out of Hope Island. On our way we easily passed the boat that passed us late the day before. When we talked to him later, his comment was “you left us for dead”. I couldn’t have put it nicer myself. 10 miles before Lizard a Securetay call came through about some kind of bombing exercise taking place within 5 miles of Lizard. Soon an Australian Warship past us and we watched some nice display of bombing taken place northwest of us.

The following morning, we moved a bit closer to the beach. Arriving at night make us just a little bit more careful, and we stayed out further than normal. About a dozen boats were anchored here. We were just contemplating what to do on this beautiful day when a dinghy came past, informing us that a group of cruisers would walk to Coconut Beach at nine. Would we like to come? Of course we would!

It was a nice walk with a lot of nice people, and we talked all the way. When I thought we had reached our destination, the fun really started. We had to climb over a rather steep ridge, and the other side looked like bare rock. But there was a way, and for the steepest part there were some ropes to hang on to. In our rush to join the group, I had packed the wine instead of the water. The white shiraz in a spring water bottle looks the same as water mixed with Ribina. But others shared theirs, so we survived without getting drunk.

The beach really had coconut trees, and provided the usual scenery of windward beaches: Beautiful sand, and rubbish at the high water mark. Plastic bottles, thongs (never a matching pair), even a plastic chair. The children in the group found some Nautilus shells, more items for the on-board collection. Some people opened coconuts to taste, even some green ones for the milk (very nice) and the soft flesh. We were back at the boat about 2pm.

Drinks on the beach, and more talk about issues and future plans. This was a very pleasant day. Our plan was to scale Cook’s Look on the following day, this time we took water, and we needed it. It was close to two hours up a rather steep hill, and from our heart rate we could tell that our fitness has suffered considerably. But it was worth it, and we wrote our names in the book at the summit. We met some people who stayed at the resort, younger and fitter than us. The way down was a lot easier, and we finally saw a goanna. It was Lizard Island after all. On the last rock, I slipped, and the Admiral called out in German: “Not on the last few metres!”. This resulted in a couple sitting on the beach addressing us in German. Well, you never know who you meet.

We also had to sample the reef, but we were rather too exhausted. Our snorkelling lasted only for an hour, mainly to cool us down after the walk. Drinks on the beach, more talk, and temporary good-byes to those who chose to stay a bit longer.

Friday 23 May

A long and mostly uninteresting sail (72 miles) past Cape Melville to Bathurst Bay, only interrupted by our first significant fishing success. We caught a Spanish Mackerel on a trolling lure. It was just over legal size (75 cm). The fish landed in the cockpit, leapt and fought with great agility trying to spit out the lure. All between my feet. Within seconds there was blood all over and the fish was still well alive. I realised the autopilot wasn’t even switched on. So I climbed on top of the bench and continued steering while Mike killed our dinner. The slaughter and filleting made an ever bigger mess and it took Mike over one hour to clean up. But the fish was excellent tasting and very fresh of course.

Saturday 24 May

Another long sail (75 miles) with arrival at Morris Island, a coral reef with a tiny cay on it, after dark. The wind freshened during the late afternoon to over 20 knots, and we had a beam swell. It was not pleasant and very tiring. The only remarkable event was the attack of the flying fish. We saw some jumping (flying) about 4m high and 10m in distance. One of them attacked me, but was foiled by the lifeline. Three scales marked the spot where contact was made. Now I know why we need the lifelines!

When we arrived, there were already another three boats anchored, and that helped us to find a protected spot. We skipped dinner and went straight to bed, we were just exhausted.

Sunday 25 May – Friday 30 May

The forecast does not sound nice, there is a strong wind warning for Torres Straight to Cooktown. We decided to move a bit closer to the next destination and sailed 20 miles to Night Island. This is also protected from East and Southeast winds, so we should have another peaceful night. The wind appears to calm down in the mornings, and freshens by mid-morning and easing of at late afternoon. So behind Night Is we stayed 2 nights (hence the name). We are considering to ignore the forecast and sail short legs of about 40 miles. This should get us to Portland Roads tomorrow, and Cape Grenville the day after. Hopefully then the forecast will be less than the current 25-30 knots.

Well, it was again 20-25 knots, and we moved to Portland Roads. It consists of a handful of houses and a telephone box. I took my change, and all was fine until I tried to speak. The microphone did not work, and my dollar stayed in there as well. We did not even see one crocodile, although there was an interesting warning sign. It said basically that launching a dinghy is close to suicide. The Admiral was rather worried. I talked to another cruiser, and he confirmed that he had seen crocodiles on the beach where we had parked our dinghy. Another close shave for us!

The sail to Margaret Bay was fast and uncomfortable. Gusts got up to 30 knots, and that makes it hard not to spill the drink. But we are another 45 miles closer to the top.

Our next stop was Bushy Islet, due to the fact that we could not make it to the Escape river before dark. For the first time we felt the outgoing tide to be a disadvantage. When we got there at low tide a was very calm but soon the big sandbank disappeared and the rolling started. The good thing is that we are now less than 40 Miles from Cape York, and tomorrow we will leave the Coral Sea behind us.

Saturday 31 May and 1st June

Off at sunrise we sailed slowly in light winds. Outgoing tide slowing us again. But that was ok because we needed to get to the Albany Passage not before low tide. According to the cruising guide it should be at 2 pm. We were spot on getting there after catching a spotty Mackerel to slowly make our way through pushing 3 knots tide. But the good thing was we could enjoy the scenery a bit longer. One comment was “This passage is nicer than Nara Inlets. 2nd after Hinchinbrook Channel”. Due to the tide being wrong that afternoon we anchored around the corner 3 miles short of Cape York. We were just sitting down with a coffee when the AIS receiver went off with the message: Dangerous vessel approaching. We pressed the button and saw a red triangle racing through the passage. Soon another Navy ship went past us within 0,3 of a mile and we had this beautiful place all for ourselves. On Sunday morning we had the tide in our favour and left with a very light breeze. So we were pushed by the tide around Australia under a cloudless sky. After rounding the breeze picked up a little and the tide picked up a lot. Soon we were doing nearly 12 knots speed over ground. So we zipped past Possession Island before we could even see it properly. High tide got us into Seisia. Nice palm fringed beaches. Turquoise water and a very hot day.(32 degree). If it weren’t for the crocodiles, a swim would be on the menu.
The weather forecast for the crossing of the Gulf looks good. The winds should be light due to the high being slow.

I’m not sure about internet access in Gove. We’ll update again when we get an opportunity.

Until then
Take care

Rosi & Mike

Townsville to Cairns

Wednesday 14 May

Finally everything seems to be ok. The mechanic worked until 7pm last night, and the fridge is cooling again. The Admiral did the shopping while he worked, and we are ready for the trip to Cairns. At first light (5:30 am) we left Townsville for Hinchinbrook, and made it to Haycock Island in the channel by 5pm. This is a very nice and calm anchorage, like being on a lake.

At 4:37 pm on that day, Alex (third grandchild, first grandson) was born. A good reason to invite the other boats in the anchorage (Mishiwa, Sahula, Kayitsiz) over for drinks and nibblies. Nice to celebrate in such an impressive environment.

Thursday 15 May

A short trip got us through the channel to Dunk Island. The clouds over Hinchinbrook were below the peaks, it was like a different world. We should have more time, maybe on our next trip. We walked around Dunk Island to find the Artists Gallery, but all appeared to be gone after cyclone Larry. No artists, nothing on display. We walked on to Coconut Beach, and we really found coconuts. We took one back to the boat, it seemed ok. The proof will be later when we open it completely.

There were two other boats at Dunk, from Sweden and Norway. The first one is going via Broome to South Africa, the other one to Indonesia.

Friday 16 May

A long trip from Dunk Island to Fitzroy Island. We used the MPS all the way, but if there is not enough wind, we are slow. The two other boats were rather fast, about a knot more than us. We found our way into the anchorage just after dark without problems, there was also a nice moon to help us. It was good to have leftovers from the previous day for dinner, that made the cooking fast and easy.

Saturday 17 May

As there is no wind, we have to motor into Cairns. We decided after much deliberation and consultation to go into Marlin Marina in Cairns, and that was a good thing. The marina charged $37.52 for the night (cheaper than all the others so far), and is right in the heart of the city. On our first shopping expedition we found Rusty’s Market, with lots of fruit and vegie stalls. All fresh and cheap, it was unbelievable. There is no such market in Brisbane. We will live very healthy for the next month if we eat all that. On top of that, we found a Woolies for the rest of the provisions. We again bought lots.

On board, we tried to stow it all away. We definitely would be lost without the second fridge, everything is packed to the rim. A second walk got us some beer and wine. Then, after a refreshing shower, we went out to sample the city nightlife. Who knows when we can do that again. We found a nice Thai restaurant, which claimed to have the best Thai food in town. We believe anything when we are hungry. The food was very nice, and we then walked through the night markets for a Sarong and ice cream.

We heard on the news about violent storms and strong winds in Brisbane. Well, we have about 5-10 knots here, and the same change is predicted at 15-20 knots here. Things are a bit slower up here.

We enjoyed our stay in Cairns. The marina is close to everything, lots of things to see and do. It has a touch of Gold Coast with everything for the tourist, but much nicer than Airlie. Probably worth another two days if we had the time.

The next weeks will take us away from civilisation. We plan to give Port Douglas and Cooktown a miss, so the next town may be Bamaga, Gove, or Darwin. There will be some phone coverage, but I have my doubts about internet. Our next entry may be a while.

Take Care

Rosi & Mike
JEMIMAH

Waiting in Townsville

Wednesday 30 April to Friday 2 May

The winds are back with 15-20 knots southeast and we left at high tide in the morning. Luckily it was not low tide, we would not have been able to back out of our berth. It took as 3 easy day sails to Townsville, sailing through the Gloucester passage and stopping in the afternoons at Cape Edgecumbe and Cape Upstart .

Townsville 3 May to 13 May

We managed to find a fridge mechanic (apparently the is only one in town who knows his job). Unfortunately he was in Brisbane when we rang so we had to wait for him to return to Townsville and wait another day for the spare part to arrive from Brisbane as well. In the meantime we explored the city with visits to the museums and long walks along the strand esplanade. We met up with our German friends who migrated to Australia only one year ago. Its nice so see them settled and happy in their new country. For 3 days we escaped to beautiful Magnetic Island where we met a few boats all part of the rally.

It is no good when things break down. If we have that many difficulties here in Australia to have something rather simple fixed, how will it be further on? This will be one of the great challenges ahead. On we go!

Take Care

Rosi & Mike
JEMIMAH

Pictures at last!

Whitsunday Holidays

Thursday 24 April

Some steady motoring got us through Fitzalan and Solway Passages to Whitehaven. We are still not used to how close all those things are. Just five hours from Airlie to the other end of the Whitsundays!

The first thing we noticed were the turtles. There seemed to be lots of them, all trying to find out who exactly was in that red boat. The beach itself was quite nice, although I thought the sand at Lake McKenzie on Fraser is even whiter. The weather was not favourable for sailing, but we rested comfortably at anchor. The forecast for the next few days is for North-Easterlies at two knots, gusting to three. This enables us to stay in exposed anchorages without any worries.

Friday 25 April

The Admiral’s birthday, and the fine weather was quite appropriate for the occasion. We were also out of telephone and internet range. All those phone calls and emails have to wait until the weekend brings us closer to civilisation.

After a short beach walk, we continued on to Border Island for snorkelling. Fortunately we were able to grab one of the reef protection moorings. We have our wetsuits for stinger protection, and also for warmth. After all, the water only has 25 degrees.

Then the first mishap occurred: The Admiral lost her footing on entering the dinghy, slipped, and as she held on to the lifeline, hurt her shoulder. This took her out of action for the day. Not nice!

The second mishap was that our fridge felt a certain lack of gas, and decided to run continuously in a vain attempt to maintain the required temperature. Fortunately the bottle of bubbly was cold enough to make the celebration memorable. By that time we had reached a mooring at Manta Ray Bay, at the top of Hook Island. The fish were plentiful and enjoyed our bread, among them a rather large Maori Wrasse. The calm conditions enabled us to stay the night at the mooring.

Cooking that night was also interesting, me being the Admiral’s right hand. Nothing new really, but I learnt a lot that night. Maybe one day I can also create such a lovely dinner.

Saturday 26 April

There was still a lot of snorkelling to be done. The Admiral was restricted to fish feeding duty from the cockpit; her right wing was not yet good enough. I hope I’ll manage to post those photos!

Next door to Manta Ray Bay is Pinnacle Bay, also with coral and fish. It is strange to hear the sound of fish feeding off the coral, I could hear how hard it is. Over lunch we motored over to Hayman, to Blue Pearl Bay. Another mooring, and another very calm night. I did snorkel around the whole bay, and there were plenty of fish and coral. I am rather exhausted from all that hard work.
Sunday 27 April

We left early for a short motor to Langford Reef were we used one of the reef protection buoys again. Anchoring in 5 meters of water over the reef we could already see all the beautiful corals and fish from the cockpit. We both snorkelled for hours (the Admiral with one arm and going a bit in circles). Unfortunately we had to vacate our mooring after 2 hours and continued to Nara Inlet at Hook Island.

Nara is very spectacular. We ventured right to the end near a waterfall (no water coming down at all) and were the only boat in this magnificent fjord. We found the small beach and the track to the aboriginal caves and continued the track a bit further to a lookout where we could see JEMIMAH. Later on Nara Inlet filled with lots of boat including a cruise ship.

Monday 28 April

A nonworking fridge meant we had to find a mechanic so we motored back to Arlie via South Molle Island (still only 2 knots gusting to 3) where we anchored in Bauer Bay and went ashore. The resort looked deserted. South Molle Is is a national park with excellent walking tracks. The walk up to Spion Kop was worth the effort and we had a packed lunch at the observation deck overlooking the Whitsunday Passage and Molle channel.

Tuesday 29 April

The fridge mechanic’s diagnosis was as follows: “Your fridge is out of gas”. We knew that already. “ It’s got a leak somewhere”. We figured that out ourselves too. “Its propobly the connection to the compressor”. Well, how do you know that without testing the pressure? “You need a new compressor, this one is no good.” Well, our fridge and compressor are only 3 years old. Not trusting this guy we decided to leave any future repair until Townsville. A second opinion is needed. That afternoon during a short stroll to Cannonvale (2 hours one way ) we discovered a Batteries shop and ended up buying one of these magnificent portable 12 volt fridges (Waco CF50). Now the beer is cold again.

Overall Impressions of the Whitsundays

The place is nice. Beautiful fish and coral, nice landscape, lots of moorings and protected anchorages. I can understand why people charter here.

Airlie Beach is nice but expensive. Cannonvale is cheaper, worth the walk. Our only meal in Airlie was at the sailing club, dinner for two under $40, schooner for $4.40, and Lemon Lime & Bitter for $1.50. Cheaper than the RQ!

Groceries in Cannonvale are even cheaper than Brisbane. One more indication that profit drives pricing decisions. Some comparisons: Stinger suit in Airlie: $95. Same thing in Cannonvale: $54. Diesel prices are also interesting: Marina $1.82, Airlie $1.69, Cannonvale $1.56. I only went to the Airlie servo once to get 60 litres in jerrycans on our trolley.

It was great to have a break from our rush north. Now I must get those photos on to the blog…

Take care
Rosi & Mike

Finally in the Whitsundays!

Hello again, this time from the Whitsundays!

We finally made it. But the weather was not playing its part this time…

Sunday 13 April

We left Great Keppel with some regret, as we did not go ashore to check out island prices. We had heard from VMC that the wind would increase soon, and we wanted to be close to the Whitsundays. The day got us up to Island Head Creek, passing Cape Manifold on the way. We commemorated briefly the spot where Two To Go capsized some time ago, and where probably my wedding ring found its new home. Fortunately there were no serious war games on, and we were not bothered by the military. Island Head Creek is a lot larger than we thought, and it would have been a calm anchorage. But there was that destination…

Monday 14 April

During our travel, we discussed our options, as the wind increase was predicted for Tuesday evening. We could continue overnight (and fall asleep some time), we could continue Tuesday (and risk being blown away), or stay in the Percy Islands. We decided to stay at South Percy.

Bad choice. The swell came around the corner, and we were rocking continuously. The wind blew hard enough to prevent us from going ashore, and it continued to do so until Monday 21 April. We didn’t even leave something in the A-frame hut on Middle Percy!

The time at South Percy was not nice. With the benefit of hindsight, we should have stayed at Island Head Creek, as we knew the forecast. Another lesson learnt, with about six million others to come.

Monday 21 April

Finally under way, with a bit of apprehension about the swell that had built up over the last week of 30+ knot winds. But it was ok, apart from the wind direction. Jemimah just does not like the wind from behind. Again we arrived in darkness, against our plans. With the help of the moon and the chartplotter, we found a nice spot in Refuge Bay on Scawfell. We had the most restful sleep after a week of rocking and unexplained noises!

Tuesday 22 April

We slept a bit longer this time. It was so nice! And the next leg would be a short one to Shaw Island, the first of the Whitsundays. The wind was ok, 15 knots from aft quarter. Not ideal, but it kept us going. For the first time, we experienced the power of the tides here. But we found a nice spot, with some bullets over Shaw Peak (over 400m high), and had even some success with fishing. The Admiral caught two, and we had fresh dinner! It’s a sign of things to come.

Wednesday 23 April

The first sail through the Whitsundays. We went past Hamilton and saw those eddies created by the tide. Another new experience! And more was to come: The Admiral thought that with enough distance from Moreton Bay, those red Stradbroke ferries could no longer get her. Wrong! They sent their plane, and we had to take evasive action in front of the runway at Hamilton. The recommended distance is 300m, we had at least double that, but a plane with its lights and noise is rather scary.

We survived, and enquired about fuel and water at Hamilton. The fuel pump did not work, and to take on water, we had to tie up for $14 per hour. Needless to say, we gave it a miss and continued to Shute Harbour. This was full of tourist boats with no option to get water easily. The soft option was to go to Abel Point Marina at Airlie. We could even go shopping, and our watertanks are full again. Now for the hard part: Diesel is $1.81 per litre, and I would like to get 90 litres. Well, the Fitzroy experience taught us to be careful.

After that, it’s off to Whitehaven, and preparations for the Admiral’s birthday tomorrow.

We’ll be back here next week. By then, I will hopefully have worked out how to put pictures on. I’ll try now, but…
Take care!

Mooloolaba to Great Keppel

Monday 7 April
This morning it’s raining and the forecast has been updated to 20-25 knots. It was supposed to ease off. So we stay put and relax.

Tuesday 8 April/ Wednesday 9 April
Today the wind has eased off a little bit but the rain has increased to very frequent showers. I can walk a little bit on my painful toe (not on the beach though) to the ice cream parlour. We are thinking about leaving tonight and changing our mind every 10 minutes. Every hour we look up the weather website to see were the showers have gone to. (They seem to be always right over Mooloolaba). Anyway, we put the alarm clock at 11.30pm and look one more time at the weather website. Oh, the rain has gone away. The wind has eased to 10 knots. So off we go at midnight to face a rather large swell. It will ease off more, I am sure of that. Will it? No, of course not. After about 2 hours the wind is back to 20 knots. Then more rain and finally 25 knots. I gave back my dinner to the fish and wished to be somewhere else. At some stage I didn’t even care if I got wet from a wave or rain. After Double Island Point the seas and swell got a little better and I did too. Taking the helm helps. Bar report said “manageable with no breaking seas over the channel. What does “ Manageable” mean? Well, it meant it was a hell of ride from the first waypoint to the second. The rest of the crossing was “ manageable” in my eyes. So after the crossing we continued on to “Garys’ Anchorage where we did not want to anchor next to so many power and houseboats. “Lets go a bit further in” were her last words. And so we go stuck at 3.30pm and 2 hours before low tide. We tried desperately to come free but no luck. What kind of tide do we have at the moment? A springtide of course. At 5.30 dear little Jemimah was well and truly on the side in 1.1 meter of water. So we did the only logical thing. We set the alarm clock at 8.30pm and went to sleep (the backrest of the sofa was the better choice to lie down). At 9 pm we were free and re-anchored 20 meters further into the channel and continued our well deserved sleep. Well, the last 24 hours I really would like to forget but I am sure we never will.

Thursday 10 April
The trip throught the Sandy Straits was uneventful. We managed to sail through it with the tide to our advantage. Going past Kingfisher Bay with the tide still running out for another few hours and that beautiful breeze at broad reach we kept going towards Bundaberg and arrived at midnight after a beautiful “ half night sail”(the breeze kept blowing all the way). We finally anchored in the river next to the fuel dock.

Friday 11 April
Got going at 6 am. Destination Pancake Creek 65 miles away. Beautiful sunrise with an equally beautiful land breeze at first. Then no wind. After 5 hours motoring the seabreeze kicked in and the sails got us to Pancake Creek just before sunset and low tide. Why am I so nervous going in here? Can’t shake the grounding off yet.

Saturday 12 April
Up anchor again a 6am. Destination - Keppel Island or Cape Capricorn (Yellow Patch). But first we must go through 30 anchored Bulk Carrier Ships. Michael called Gladstone Harbour Control on channel 13. One Inbound Ship scheduled at 7.30. Oh that’s good. It will go in before we cross. But as we got closer we saw no movement. 8.30 a.m., we called them again to confirm the movement. Yes, one is scheduled to go in right now. We look at them and watch the chimneys. Yes, that one is blowing smoke. Its that one. No, it stopped. Then another one is blowing smoke. But that one stops as well after one minute. Which one of the 30 big ships is about to leave right now and cross our way? None! We saw no movement at all and motored the 2 hours through the anchorage. After we passed the last ship it was time to try the brand new MPS light wind sail. It looked good at first. But you actually need some breeze to make it work. Unfortunately there was none and the spinnaker was pulled in again and the engine brought to life. We passed beautiful Rundle and Hummocky Islands and Cape Capricorn and arrived at Great Keppel just before sunset.

Statistics for week one:

Distance travelled: 353.5 miles (one eights of the way to Darwin)
Engine hours: 22.7 (those light winds really got us)
Travelling time: 59 hours 15 minutes
Average speed: 5.966 knots
Domestics: none
Animals: Dolphins since Double Island Point, and lots of butterflies.

Next report will be from the Whitsundays.

Now the last word about cruising from a book I just finished:
Yes it is pure escapism, a retreat from reality, an abrogation of responsibilities, and isn’t it just great.