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

Sulawesi Indonesia

We caught up with Chad and Kelli from “Just Magic” at Tawau after first meeting them in PP. Another yacht heading in the same direction at the same time. It’s a Lidgard 36 with a fractional rig and quite a performer especially in light winds. We enjoyed the comforts and hospitality of the yacht club while sorting our entry visa to Indonesia, provisioning and getting as much diesel as we could carry. We had already received our CAIT (Cruising Permit) for Indonesia a month earlier after applying for it while in PP.

A farewell from the Malaysian Authority all very friendly

A weather window presented itself just at the right time as a low pressure system was expected to cross further north changing the wind direction from the prevailing NE through North and then West during our 500nm passage across the Celebes Sea. The Celebes Sea is reported to be “Not Fun” during the NE Monsoon and the North Coast of Sulawesi “Downright Inhospitable” according to the SE Asia Cruising Guide so our expectations were filled with trepidation and anxiety.

A "FAD" more like a torpedo which has to be avoided at night, they are spread all over the Celebes Sea and are unlit

Up early on departure day and the weather grib files indicated that we could expect heavy rain in the location we would be the first night and that the wind would still be NE at the top of Sulawasi when we arrived so we decided to delay a day and relocate to another anchorage 50nm ENE where we had overnighted on our way to Tawau. We set off at 0800 and motor sailed out of the harbour and then sailed with a light westerly wind. Clouds began to build and the wind freshened from the north then backed to the NW giving us a better angle on the wind and we then sailed at good speed all the way to the anchorage. A couple of rain squalls accompanied us along the way but we were fortunate to avoid the worst and set anchor before the heavens opened on us. The conditions had taken their toll as I had developed a sore throat and cough similar to the PP epidemic.



A hut attached to a FAD which is hundreds of miles from land and a guy lives on it

The next morning was overcast with drizzle but the gribs were good so we headed off for the NE tip of Sulawesi leaving Malaysia for the last time. After clearing the inner islands and reefs we lost our depth sounder as the bottom dropped away to over 1000m deep, its over 5100m at the  deepest section somewhere in the middle of the sea. The variable winds changed dramatically as a 30kt squall hit us from the NE as we approached the most easterly reef and with double reefed main and staysail we were closehauled on a course well south of our intended 107 degree track, drenched with rain and not happy. The squall lasted about an hour and the wind held in at NE for the rest of the day, we were also pushing against a 1kt current which made our progress SLOW!!

One of the westerly squalls which hit us enroute

By nightfall the wind had died and backed to the NW so we motored with just the mainsail up in sloppy seas left over from the earlier squalls. The head current persisted and at times increased to 1.5kt but we were happy to continue on at low engine revs maintaining visual contact with the other yacht and try getting some rest. At 0300 after the half-moon had set and all was dark and I was trying to sleep Jen calls out to wake me with the news that we have a ripped mainsail and that a storm is brewing with lightning to the north and perhaps I should get up. These are NOT the dreams I want to be weaving!! More like a NIGHTMARE!! The mainsail was pulled down and inspected, a seam had separated below the top batten caused by the flogging from the lack of wind and slop we found ourselves in. The sail could not be repaired during this passage but I thought it could be at anchor in Bitung, but at our current speed that would be another 3 days.

Chad helping stitch the mainsail, it's a 2 man operation trying to keep tension on the twine

After daylight the wind freshened from the north so we sailed with our headsail and set up our storm trysail which is a replacement for the mainsail when in storm conditions or when the main is damaged. It’s only a small sail and is hoisted in its own track which runs parallel to the main track up the mast. It helped to counter the roll from the northerly swell and kept us sailing all day and night at a slow but acceptable speed. We had to manoeuvre around several ships we encountered that night which were traversing across the Celebes Sea to and from the Makassar Strait, in addition to the ships we had to hope we didn’t hit a FAD (fish attracting device)  which are somehow anchored in this deep sea and have boats and huts attached to them without any lighting. They are hard to see in daylight and impossible at night.

Repairs to the mainsail seam and patch on the luff, the sail then had to be hoisted so the leech line near the batten could be stretched and secured

On day 3 the wind backed further to the west as predicted so we played with a few different sail combinations which proved to be successful as we were still keeping up with our companions, the sloppy seas were slowing them more than us and by dark we were actually ahead. A westerly squall hit us just before dark at 30kts but passed quickly and then the wind dropped to about 6kts so we motored through the night and at 0200 the head current weakened then by daylight changed to a favourable current of 0.5-1kt and the seas calmed to a more acceptable state.

Everything hoisted at the bow running with a westerly wind and our little storm trisail replacing the mainsail, this combination kept us sailing much longer than we expected

We continued motoring all day and saw land at 1600 to the south east, a prominent volcano which is typical for Indonesia, we rounded the northern tip of Sulawesi at 1800 then headed south towards Bitung through a maze of brightly lit fishing boats and finally dropped anchor at 2345. My flu had worsened and moved to the chest so as well as the panadol I was on a course of antibiotics. Thankfully it was time to get some real sleep so after a couple of beers we both crashed out till the following lunchtime or later.

The anchorage in Bitung and 'Just Magic' in the foreground

When we arrived at our anchorage we were tired and it was dark so we could see very little we had pretty much sailed in by instruments, in the daylight we were surprised to find ourselves behind this beautiful small island covered in greenery and situated in the Bitung Channel with clean blue water and surrounded with lovely lush rainforest hills and two dormant volcanoes in full view, simply stunning.

Survival training at the Academy where we left our dinghy for the trips to towns with the girls

After a full 36hr rest we set to mending the mainsail, so with the help of Chad and Kelli we first glued and stitched the separated seam and glued a patch over a section of sail which had pulled away from the luff. This took 2 days as the winds had again freshened from the NE and it was hard work with the sail partly raised. The sail was finally repaired and fully zigzag stitched then the stitching covered with sticky-back sailcloth courtesy of 'Just Magic' who had a large piece tucked away for such emergencies. Our stock of sticky-back was depleted at Kudat where we had patched up some small sections of the mainsail after hauling out.

A local lunch in town, we actually ordered 4 ice waters and this is what we were served, it was shaved ice with toppings and who knows what but was absolutely delicious

The next job on the agenda was to clear in to Indonesia, a daunting task we believed after our previous experience at Kupang with the rally. We had only a general idea where to go so Chad and myself headed to the port 2nm away in our dinghy. We decided to leave the dinghy tied to a large police boat thinking this would be safe and to our surprise they offered to give us a lift to Immigration our first office to call on. All was good till we arrived at the office only to be told it was the wrong office, however the Immigration Officer offered to take us to the right office which happened to be just 100m away from where we had left the dinghy. Immigration was easy and we had our passports stamped within 30 minutes.

The locals are extremely friendly and love getting their photo taken, this one was at the local Pasar (market)

 Next was Customs which we were told was around the corner about 500m away. The Customs Officers were great, we had an informal interview sitting on a lounge and filled in our declarations and handed them our ships papers, etc. They insisted on coming out to our boats which was a concern when they declared that their boat was broke and could they use ours. Surprising how quickly it was repaired when they heard we only had a small inflatable and our yachts were 2nm away. The visit was brief and we actually caught both ladies coming back from a kayak adventure, in fact the trip to the yachts and back took longer in their poor excuse for a Customs boat. We had a few laughs with them which broke the ice and all in all it was a pleasant experience. We avoided any contact with the other authorities Quarantine and Harbour Master as they are usually the ones who cause the most grief and we don’t need their clearance to get back out of the country. We hope!!

Chad and Kelli share a bike taxi our main means of transport in Bitung

After clearance was completed we needed to find a fuel supplier to fill our drums, we headed to the shore and after a couple of attempts to land and find a service station we found a fuel depot on the water front which would sell us diesel for 8000Rp/litre which is about A$0.80/litre. We arranged to return at 0800 the next morning and fill all our drums.

The hole in the wall natural archway close by to the anchorage

With the fuel run completed the next chore  was provisioning with fresh produce again, this time the ladies came with us and we secured the dinghy at The Marine Academy jetty adjacent the anchorage and under the watch full eye of a local boatman. We then tried to catch a taxi but were informed the only way into town was on the back of a motorbike so we hailed down 4 bikes and were delivered to the local fresh produce market. We became the days entertainment for the locals as we traversed the market buying our fruit and veges. Next was a taxi down to the main street and supermarket to get some basics and beer, then after some lunch at a local restaurant we caught another taxi back to the dinghy landing and then back to the boat for some well earned R&R.
Bye for now,

Beers and Cheers with a 3 Amigos beer at Bitung

J&J

North East Borneo

Back in Kudat again after some of our best sailing since leaving OZ. The trip down from PP was quick and despite some strong head winds on the last day relatively relaxing and enjoyable.

Kudat Marina basin just after hauling out

We anchored overnight inside the channel rather than going into the marina and were hauled out at 0930 the next morning after giving 30 minutes notice, hassle free and thankfully before the onshore NE wind set in which would have made the entry into the haul-out pen a manoeuvring nightmare.
The haul out facility at Kudat is run by Chinese and as is typical with the Chinese they find the most cost effective way of conducting their business, so here don’t expect costly fabricated steel frames to support the boat, instead you’ll get large concrete blocks which have been pilfered from the sea wall which surrounds the facility and paid for by some other party, probably the Malaysian Government.

They should call it the Bedrock Hardstand, it's what you would expect to see on the Flintstones

All went well with the wash down and wet sand despite not having a hose point and having to bucket water from the closest single tap point 50m away, another Chinese cost saving measure. We did have 240v power supplied after we ran out all our leads and waterproofed the joints. We also re-rigged the freezer/fridge cooling system and recirculated it through a 20ltr water drum which worked really well and will be adopted for future haul-outs, it also serves as a water heater for showering providing the drum is topped up after.

Small by our standards but nice all the same, purchased from a local enroute to Sandakan

Back in the water again after 1 week with a clean bum, plenty of rain but relatively unhindered with our progress, we lifted the centreboard out and scraped the casing but haven’t fixed the problem of the board catching half way down, may need further work next time out. We slotted into the marina and while we were away in the Philippines the owners had stabilized the pontoons by welding some extension brackets around the piles, very agricultural but effective for the moment until they break or rust away. It made walking along the fingers upright possible for the first time.

The sons of the Sea Gypsie fisherman who traded the crayfish

It was only a short stay at the marina to catch up with some friends and say farewell, get provisions and set sail again. We headed east along the north coast of Borneo and found a couple of nice protected and isolated anchorages but only stayed overnight at each. Moving on we anchored at the Sandakan “Yacht Club” on our third night out of Kudat and stayed for 4 nights. The weather had deteriorated with rain squalls and swell rolling in from the NE. The masses of local fishing boats and ferries milling around our anchorage didn’t help the situation either but we know we are in their space and can’t really complain.

Fisherman are the same all round the world just different boats

With the weather improving we headed further east to the NE tip of Borneo and then around the corner pushing current and wind the whole way. After 2 days we were in the lea of the NE swell and the anchorages became more pleasant, we found a lovely island anchorage just north of Semporna which provided us with marina like conditions and completely isolated, no local boats, just birds and clear skies, it was by far the most relaxing anchorage we had found in SE Asia. We stayed 4 nights and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Timbun Mata anchorage, a sanctuary once safely through the seaweed farm

Our trip through Semporna Strait was uneventful despite the mass of rubbish we had to traverse, clean water sadly cluttered with heaps of garbage, mostly plastic bags, we were surprised by the quality of the stilt villages we saw and how opulent they appeared in comparison to those on the west coast. Rather than stopping early in the day we continued on towards Tawau the most SE city in Malaysian Borneo and situated on the border with Indonesia.

Built on the side of a coral reef at the entrance to Semporna Channel this stilt house has everything even a large modern speed boat parked in the garage

We anchored off the Tawau “Yacht Club” another Chinese run elitist club similar to Sandakan (left over from the British Colonial era) which surprisingly doesn’t particularly like to cater to yachties. The anchorage is subject to some fierce tidal flows especially during spring tides which was the situation after we arrived. The current can flow at greater than2kts making it difficult securing and getting in and out of the dinghy especially at the clubs jetty.

Yachties entry point at Tawau Yacht Club jetty

Bye for now.

 Beers and Cheers from Tawau Yacht Club

  

J&J