Back in OZ

Well, here we are back in OZ, it’s only 3 years but seems much, much longer and what a shock to the system. After having all the boat orifices cleaned at Cullen Bay, we headed off to the supermarkets, BANANAS $4//kg that taste like shit, but are a lovely shade of yellow without a blemish!! Thankfully the other food we bought made up for our lost Aussie taste sensations, Smiths chips, meat pies, cheese of all varieties, bacon etc, etc, etc

Our new neighbours inside the lock mum, dad and the 7 babies, a good sign there's NO CROCS here

Once securely tied up in our locked environment at the Tipperary Waters Marina we settled in to our new temporary home, without any fluctuation in water level, it felt quite strange. The first task was to get the home brewing up and happening again and since the supermarkets no longer supply the brew ingredients we headed off to K-Mart and Big W to get a new brew keg, new bottles, etc, etc. Two brews were put down that day utilizing the old brew keg (that sailed all around Asia with us) so we could avoid the horrendous cost of Australian beer. Can’t believe how expensive beer has become here in OZ. Home brew is still cheaper than any of the duty free we were buying throughout Asia.



Getting the priorities right 

Our other main priorities were repairing/replacing the burnt out alternator, both engine 1,000hr services, centreboard repairs, mainsail repairs, new internal fans (much needed in Darwin), new toilet, new masthead navigation lights, dinghy repairs, outboard service, etc, etc.

Down to work with some repairs to the centreboard

It took a month to get the alternator sorted as it was not viable to repair and persist with the Balmar. We installed a modified Bosch Marine 120 amp alternator with the old “Incharge” smart external regulator and it works a treat just like the old one we had on the Perkins engine. This has been a 4 year problem that has plagued us the whole time since installing the new engine in Townsville. The local Darwin marine electrician was great and expensive but did confer with the Australian importer of Balmar who surprisingly also recommended a Bosch. We could not find anyone in Asia that had a clue about externally regulated alternators. The Balmar was purchased in Langkawi from the U.S. for $1,000 with the expectation of solving our problem. It clearly didn’t. Another costly piece of junk!! thrown in the bin.

Out with the old and in with the new

Another problem that had been plaguing us was the fuel supply to the genset which we had experienced since installing the new fuel tanks, also in Langkawi. We replaced the fuel priming pump filter assembly in Kuching (Borneo) after finding the old unit faulty, and allowing air to enter the fuel lines. We have just replaced that filter assembly as part of our 1,000 hr service and found that this unit was also faulty, as it had an internal crack which would also allow air to enter. It wasn’t noticeable until removed but since installing another pump/filter assembly the problem no longer exists. What’s the chances of replacing 1 defective unit with another new defective unit, MURPHIES LAW in action, heh!!!!

The offending genset fuel filter priming pump assembly purchased as new complete with fitted filter cartridge and HAIRLINE CRACK for free!!

The three years away and 12,000nm travelling through SE Asian waters has been a tremendous experience and we’ve enjoyed the good with the bad, many of each in fact. Here are a few of the highlight photos which were pre blog days, or may not have been displayed in any of the blogs. Hope you enjoy.

The No 1 highlight of the trip was Camp Leaky, Kumai, Indonesia to meet the Orangutan our cousin brothers/sisters. Here we are secretly shown  by Pan how to open the door to the banana shed with a piece of wire, TOTALLY AMAZING!!!!!!



Mum and baby

And another pose

Who's a cheeky girl?? Look at ME!! Look at MEEE!!

The alpha male just hanging out

The surviving ancient Angkor Temples, Siem Reap, Cambodia our No 2 highlight of the trip



Mind blowling stuff





And again, nature will always rule....... eventually!!

And for 3rd it was split between the cave dinner at Halong Bay, Vietnam and.....



...... Komodo National Park, Indonesia with dragons running amock

It’s very expensive, and hot, in the Darwin marinas, so it’s been a rush to get the work completed asap and get moving again. We may have returned to OZ, but the cruising continues with further adventures planned, before our eventual return to Townsville later in the year.

This huge smoking volcano is right on our doorstep less than 500nm from OZ but who would know????

The blogs will continue for a little longer, but not again until our return to Darwin from the Kimberley’s in 3 months, or if we continue through to Broome and further south, not sure yet, so bye for now.

Beers and Cheers with a refreshing home brew

J&J

Banda to OZ



Arriving at Banda just before daylight

Surrounded by islands the harbour of Banda Naira is well protected from both winds and swell. The harbour is very deep up to 100m in some places close to shore so it is difficult to find a place to anchor with sufficient swing room. Our preference was to drop our main anchor in 25m then lay back with stern to the shore and tie 2 ropes to the shore. It was similar to the European way commonly seen in the Med but instead of a ladder to access the shore we used our dinghy.

European style tied to the shore

Banda and the surrounding islands are also known as the Spice Islands and are infamous for 2 reasons. It was once the only place on the planet where nutmeg was grown and because of this, caused frenzy within the European countries “barbarians” to create a monopoly to supply the produce and own the trees.

The humble nutmeg with the nut in the middle, the red mace around it and the outside pith is made into a really tasty candy.

In the sixteenth century the Dutch invaded the islands and systematically over the next 50 years decimated the local inhabitants in order to create and maintain with little success a monopoly to control the supply of nutmeg and mace to the rest of the world. It was a farcical process with horrific results and their domination lasted into the 1900’s before the eventual independence of Indonesia after WW2. Today the location is the Middle East with oil as the precious commodity.

This fort has stood the test of time but has many horrific stories to tell

 Many of the buildings and forts constructed during the Dutch control remain despite severe degradation over recent years partly as a result of the recent Christian vs Muslim disturbance.

One of the remaining Perkeniers (Dutch farmers) estates now run by locals but in much need of repair 

Banda is a truly beautiful place with an active volcano “Gunung Api” as its focal point on the western side of the harbour. The other islands are less impressive but do have white sandy beaches and crystal clear water, full of healthy coral and many fish.

Larva flows still visible after the last eruption in 1998

 The local economy still focuses on the nutmeg trade and of course tourism but because of the dominant Muslim control they can’t seem to be able to advance either industry, too busy praying!!

This large passenger ship is the only decent form of transport for tourists to Banda

 We met up with one local who guided us around the nutmeg plantations, Dutch forts and old homesteads, full of interesting information which we absorbed like sponges. We walked the streets of Banda and the neighboring island of Banda Besar enjoying the interaction with locals and experiencing their cruisy laidback lifestyle.

Our private ferry across to Bandar Besar, outside in the hot sun was much more pleasant than the noise and smell under cover

With the winds forecast to freshen from the west we decided to relocate to the western side of the harbour beneath Gunung Api, so we surveyed the best area with our lead line and found a spot with suitable trees ashore for fastening our stern lines. The holding was poor due to the volcanic rubble so in addition to the main anchor we deployed a danforth anchor out from our port bow at 90 degrees to prevent pivoting backwards and up into the shallower water. It was a longer dinghy ride across the harbour to town but at least the “Call to Prayer” was more tolerable.

  

Resetting stern ropes to anchor in deeper water on the western side of Banda Harbour, we managed to get a bit too close to the bottom at low tide

We had a wonderful meal at a local restaurant/guest house and sampled food cooked using the spices the islands are famous for and found it totally different to anything else tasted in Asia. It was equal to the best in Thailand but a totally different sensation. The main spices were nutmeg, mace and cinnamon with a host of local fresh vegetables, local kanari (almonds), chicken and a large jackfish.

Giving the local children of Banda a history lesson

Sitting beneath an active volcano which last blew its top off in 1998 was a little nervy so we decided to hike up to the top about 600m above sea level and check it out. The climb was straight up without much deviation along a bush/rock track which was extremely difficult as the rocks were loose and for every 2 steps forward you would slide back 1 and much of the way required physically climbing up or crawling.

It took 2 hours to reach the summit and from there we had superb views of Banda Naira and the surrounding islands, as well as looking down into the crater. In some spots steam was escaping from cracks in the ground and rocks were so hot you could not touch them.

The stunning view of the harbour and Banda Naira from near the top of Gunung Api

 After an hour at the summit recuperating and replenishing our fluids we virtually slid on our bums all the way back down the track to base camp. We were totally knackered and just fell into the sea to refresh before diving into the fridge for a few cold beers.

On the edge of Api

After about 10 days it was time to move on again so we left early morning and headed west around Gunung Api then SE towards the Kei Islands 180nm away. It was another overnighter which we sailed for about 12 hours out of the 30 hours it took to get to our next destination which was an anchorage to the south of a large pearl farm in the lee of a small island called Ut

Not sure what the breed is but it enjoyed our bow wave for about 30 minutes

We stayed for a couple of days swimming and relaxing then moved on to the capital city of Tual, in a pleasant well protected harbour. It was here that we had to get clearance out of Indonesia so a visit to Customs and Immigration was on the agenda. We had a visit from the Navy wanting to check our papers which was very cordial and friendly without any incident. Thankfully the Harbour Master didn’t bother us.



Another meeting on board with gun toting officials, this time the Indonesian Navy

Tual was a dirty town full of noisy bemo’s and extremely poor internet service, we couldn’t wait to get out, so after fueling up and buying fresh provisions we cleared and headed south to a small village called Debut. The clearance was trouble free and no bribes requested.

Returning home with some basic supplies with our local boatman Ricard

We hung around Debut for about a week waiting for a weather window for our 500nm trip back to Darwin. We planned to leave on Thursday but severe squalls associated with a developing low pressure system attached to the Monsoonal Trough came through with strong winds and heavy rain all day. We had to traverse the trough to get back to OZ and it had been a concern since commencing the trip in Malaysia, where would we meet it and how bad it would be??

 

Not the best place to anchor a ship

The next day offered much better conditions and better than we could expect for several days to come in this location so we braved ourselves and left on a Friday, something we normally never do as it is usually a cause of bad luck.

Something different a Christian church in Indonesia

 We motored for the first 2.5 days in light south to SW winds then had a good sail for about 6 hours with a SE wind just before dark. With the boredom of motoring we decided to have a competition with the four of us each nominating a time and location for the first boat to be called by Australian Customs Coastwatch. It was Just Magic which received the first call at 1630 on day 2 (Sunday), Chad was closest with the time and I was closest with the location, so that meant both girls were our slaves for a day (I wish), no we won some free drinks when we arrived in Darwin, both girls reckoned they were always our slaves so that was not a suitable prize.

A lovely sunset over the Arafura Sea but no wind!!



After all the motoring we noticed that the alternator light had come on during a fridge rundown and wouldn’t go off and a smell was coming from the engine compartment .NOT GOOD!! The heat in the compartment even with all hatches open was extreme and the alternator had been playing up ever since it was installed back in Langkawi, we thought this time it was terminal. The batteries were getting low and our only charging device was the genset which ran for 2hrs a day along with the main engine creating even more heat.



This is the only water supply for some locals on Banda Besar

We arrived at Cape Don at the entrance into Van Diemans Gulf at about midnight and pushed a 3-4kt current for about 4 hrs till we were hit by a severe squall line which we saw building on the radar, with it came heavy rain and 30kt winds from all angles, the current turned but we were blinded by the continuous squalls and darkness till after daylight. We continued motoring through the channel with varying strengths of current both with and against us till we had a favorable wind for sailing so we continued on without the motor for about 4hours.

 

Making our way through the rainforest on Gunung Api

 

When the breeze died we turned on the engine but it wouldn’t start and we were just 5 nm from Fanny Bay in Darwin so I checked the fuel filter and found it clogged with muck, I quickly changed it and away we went until we heard a clink of breaking glass and to our horror the fuel filter glass bowl had shattered probably from the extreme heat. I quickly connected the main engine fuel supply to the genset filter and away we went to the anchorage arriving at 1840hrs, a bit late for Customs to clear us so we raised the Q flag and sat well out away from other yachts. Just Magic arrived at 2100 and anchored of our starboard bow.



Surveying the view from the top of Gunung Api

I found a spare fuel filter glass bowl and reassembled the broken filter and reconnected both engine fuel lines, cleaned up the mess and then guzzled down many cold beers, the exact number I can’t recall, but here we were back in OZ where we left almost 3 years ago.

The others in an adjoining turret at the Banda Fort

The next morning after a solid sleep we called Customs to alert them of our arrival and we were asked to proceed to Cullen Bay wharf to be cleared by them and Quarantine. After some pleasantries it was down to business and to our surprise it was all over without any fuss. Quarantine removed our prohibited entry goods which were few and Customs removed our emergency drugs which we declared. They were returned to us several days later when they advised us we did not require a permit.

The Australian Navy, a bit more formidable than our Indonesian Neighbours

We were informed by Quarantine that if we intended to enter a marina here in Darwin we would have to undergo a free decontamination and have all our orifices thoroughly probed and cleansed, thankfully it wasn’t personal and only the boat had to suffer the indignity. It was arranged that fisheries would do the decom that afternoon and that we would have to remain at the wharf all night with our inlets closed then we could go to the marina.

Drying the nutmeg, mace and what appears to be fish fillets

We entered the lock to Tipperary Waters Marina at 0830 and were safely tied up in a pen soon after ready for a complete DE-ASIA-ING and a fresh clean start back in OZ,  and of course fixing the many problems that have developed since departing here 3 years ago.

About to exit the lock into the marina

Bye for now,

 Beers and Cheers with a margarita or 5 glad to be back in OZ, well we'll see??

J&J

Molluca Islands, Indonesia

Leaving Bitung with little wind we were approached by a speed boat with 3 guys proclaiming to be harbour police and asking to see our paperwork, without slowing down or letting them aboard we gave them a glance at the clearance papers from Customs and Immigration and informed them of our next destination which seemed to satisfy them and away they went. It was at this point we noticed sunlight shining through a small hole in a lower seam on the mainsail. Providing we avoided any flogging of the sail we hoped that a repeat of our previous passage would not reoccur.

Ternate Island just after sunrise

 
 Once we rounded the southern end of the channel and outer island we were sailing again with 20-25kts from the north, to preserve the main we dropped 2 reefs in and away we went heading ESE to Halmahera across the Molucca Sea and another overnighter. We sailed all the way to Ternate about 150nm arriving just before daylight and the sight of the volcano island was awesome as it loomed up to us in the fading light of a small portion of moon. The volcano is still considered active but benign at present much to the delight of the many residents perched on the foreshore. We didn’t stop but continued on another 15nm to a small bay on the west side of Halmahera Island where we planned to walk across the ridge to the east side of the island a distance of a few kilometres we thought. First we had to get some sleep then repair the mainsail. The following day we walked to the village which was very small and found that the distance was further than it had appeared on the chart, so by chance 4 locals stopped and gave us a tour to the east on their motorbikes, it was a bit of fun and after some lunch at a dingy restaurant we got a lift all the way back to the boats.



Sailing south from nearby Ternate

Our next destination was about 30nm away which we sailed most of the way with our UPS and poled-out headsail making full use of the light winds and positive current. The anchorage was isolated so we continued on the next day and crossed the Equator again and now becoming fully fledged “Turtlebacks” giving thanks to Neptune with an offering and some beer. Our intended anchorage was in a small inlet marked in detail on one of our computer plotting programs but blank on our main plotter, after a pleasant days sailing we approached the inlet and found ourselves in much less water than we had expected so had to abandon the inlet in favour of the next bay along the coast which thankfully was much more protected than it showed. It was deep and steep to the shore but without a fringing reef so we anchored in the lee of the 20kt winds and seas and enjoyed a well-earned beer or 2 rejoicing the fact of being back in the Southern Hemisphere. Adjacent where we anchored was a small fishing hut which housed the male contingent of a local family who fished with nets very successfully in the small bay. They delivered some coconuts and stayed for a chat.

We asked King Neptune if he could put a fish on our line after crossing the equator, perhaps we should have been more specific with regards the species.



Rafted together in the very deep anchorage close to shore

The next morning we headed a further 40nm south along the coast with a blustery NW wind to another inlet, this one was also only detailed on the computer plotter but was thankfully much more accurate with the soundings despite being 0.5nm out in its location. The anchorage was about 0.5nm upstream from a small village and we were surrounded with rainforest jungle and the sound of birds again. We decided to spend a couple of days here and enjoy the surroundings and the hospitality of the very friendly locals in their village. They gave us a guided tour of the village including the school and asked if we would sit with the teacher so she could practice her English. She needed heaps of practice but so do we with our Bahasa.

Kids at Gane Primary School

We were the first white people this child has ever seen

Our anchorage at Gane amoungst the rainforest

Our next run was another overnighter, 120nm SE to Misool Island. A book we bought in Darwin which lists 101 anchorages in Indonesia had 1 listed for the western end, a small lagoon with all facilities including fuel and a great market. We arrived really tired after motoring and pushing current all the way as well as dodging rain squalls to find the anchorage totally deserted of everything, this was to be our reprovisioning stop!! The anchorage was lovely in all other respects, heaps of birds and surrounding regrowth jungle but NO market. We were enroute to the SE end of Misool which is part of the Raja Ampat National and Marine Park, a supposed pristine isolated area so we were informed by an oz yachtie we met in PP. The SE is most definitely pristine but is a long way from being isolated.



Traversing the limestone outcrops we encounted strong currents and rips

We made our way along the isolated 60nm southern coast of Misool Island, wondering if we will find anyone or anything, weaving in and out of the smaller islands and reefs to find a huge pearling operation, apparently one of the largest in the world (in a national park seeking UNESCO recognition, how can this be???), we also found one of the most beautiful places in the world. A limestone ridge that was pushed up above the sea millions of years ago and now carved out by the sea to be a maze of small islands and thousands of pinnacles all interconnected with deep and shallow channels filled with coral reefs and clear smooth waters. TOTALLY AWESOME!!!



Eaten away by the salt water these limestone structures look almost ready to collapse

After traversing some of the deeper channels in search of an anchorage we decided to take the safe option and head further up the main inlet where we knew we could find the depth we wanted. We had to weaver around through the pearl farm and past the adjoining village to get there but it was well worth the effort. Both our plotter and the computer showed absolutely no detail of the area and actual around the pinnacles showed us well inland so it was all eyeball vis at very slow speed ahead, and a couple of times full astern as the depth sounder alarm beeped its head off.

Inside a limestone cave looking out this was adjacent our first anchorage upstream from the main village

The next morning we had a visit from a boat load of locals claiming to be Police, Army, an English interpreter, another guy in fatigues with an AK47 machine gun, the boat captain and 3 lackeys, they insisted on coming onboard to inspect our paperwork, all very friendly and we sweet talked them for about an hour and fed them lemon tea instead of the beer they had requested. They insisted on our presence in the village to meet with the Village Head in another hour, which we agreed to as it was always our intention of going to the village to seek out fuel and provisions anyway.

A visit from the local powers to be



Not sure if it was loaded but were we intimidated, of course we were!!



We were met at the village dock by a swarm of children and of course the guys from the boat and after the compulsory photo shoot it was off to the Village Head. He was an old man who had apparently started up the pearling lease with the Chinese backed company 30 years earlier. He treated us like school children meeting with the headmaster and after some explaining what we were and why we were in his backyard he finally gave us permission to stay in the area for 1 week on the proviso that we have the Policeman, the Army man and the interpreter with us whenever we went anywhere. We think that’s what he wanted as the negotiations were undertaken in the usual Asian way with plenty of smiling, nodding, hand shaking and not a lot of understanding of what was said.

Larger limestone outcrops

We found the fuel shop and both yachts got 2 drums of diesel and the girls bought some eggs and basics from another house-shop and we headed back to the boats with the intent of returning in an hour to go with our new companions to seek out an anchorage closer to the pinnacles. We returned to the dock thinking they would have their boat which they came in that morning only to be informed that it was the pearl farms and that they would be coming with us EVERY BLOODY DAY!!. Me, Chad and the 3 Amigos all in our inflatable in search of other anchorages up to 5nm away.  It turned out to be the best situation actually because after 3 hrs of tediously slow travel in the dinghy, dropping a lead line at various locations to find closer alternative anchorages they were totally bored and disinterested and couldn’t wait to get off.



The 3 Amigos in our dinghy, they soon lost interest

The next morning after a look around the upper reaches of the inlet we headed down to the first of our alternative anchorages. Within 30min we were confronted by the interpreter guy in a different boat to the previous day who told us the manager of the pearl farm had requested that we leave the area. He said he was sorry but couldn’t do anything and was going back to the village. Next a boatload of people in casual uniforms turned up requesting information about us and our intended stay in the national park. All very friendly and no concerns about us being there. I stood on deck scratching my head trying to figure out the situation then decided to front the pearl farm manager and have it out with him as he seemed to be the main man if the farm leased the area we were anchored in.

Enjoying a free feed of delicious oysters, no pearls in these critters however 

Chad and I went to the farm manager with our paperwork and cordially discussed our situation with him and he agreed that we could stay where we were for a couple of days till we found another alternative anchorage. We went searching again this time with the girls as the 3 Amigos were nowhere to be seen and we found a small fully enclosed isolated lagoon with 16m of water and enough room for a couple of yachts. Perfect!!

Our perfect anchorage within the pinnacles

We enjoyed our new home amongst the pinnacles for another?? days completely loosing track of time, none us new what day it was when we were ready to leave. We feasted on huge black-lipped oysters fresh off the rocks everyday and cooked them every night, we toured the whole area in the dinghy and snorkelled the coral reefs which were brilliant but unfortunately lacked very much fish life. It’s a great place to visit but not as isolated as were led to believe. We didn’t see the Amigos again or any other authorities, but we did have a few locals wanting smokes and matches.

Traversing the pinnacles, the plotter showed us on land

It was time to move on again and 30nm south we stopped at the Misool Eco Resort, a small and very expensive resort catering to divers. The resort leases the island and a huge area of seabed which is classed as a no-take zone and heavily policed by the authories. We had to take a resort mooring as anchoring in less than 60m is forbidden with heavy fines if caught, it’s also impossible for us in such deep water. The moorings were a little suspect and Just Magic had a steel FAD as a mooring buoy. Not good!!

The exclusive Misool Eco Resort

The resort was extremely friendly and invited us for dinner at their restaurant, but inadvertently forgot to inform us that they operate on +10hrs UTC whereas the real time zone is +9hrsUTC. They do this so they can get the guests up earlier and away diving. We arrived an hour later than their guests but the 3 course meal was excellent despite the expense of 30 Euros per person.

One of the deserted islands

The snorkelling was fantastic with masses of large fish within a boat length from the yacht reminding us of some of the locations on the GBR back home. We were intending to stay a couple of days but the steel mooring kept banging on Just Magic when the wind dropped that night and would have caused further damage.

In amoungst the pinnacles

We dropped the mooring at midday and headed south for the 120nm overnight trip to Palau Geser on the SE tip of Seram. The wind was too light to sail so we motor sailed pushing 1-2kts of current all the way, it was a long slow night. We arrived about 1000hrs and found an anchorage just inside the channel, downed our previous nights beer ration and then crashed.

A 10 cent icecream durian flavoured of course

The next morning we visited the village and had a walk around meeting some locals and buying some basic provisions, we met the local teacher and the girls helped her with her English, the police just wanted some beer, which again we avoided, informing them that good Muslims don’t drink beer. We up anchored at 1500hrs and headed off SW for the 120nm overnight trip to Banda (The Spice Islands). The weather was great, clear skies and a waxing ¾ moon but no wind, we tried the UPS but even that wouldn’t hold, we had almost 1kt of current with us so we arrived at the channel entrance about 1hr too early and had to sit and wait till after daylight to see our way in. It was an easy entry but the harbour is deep and steep so we had to anchor and then tie our stern back to the concrete wall.

Being greeted by the local kids at Geser

Farewell from the locals at Geser

More on Banda in the next blog, bye for now.

Beers and Cheers aboard "Just Magic" with Kelly and Chad

J&J