The seas were a bit lumpy for our passage from Saumlaki to the Banda Islands but, other than that, we had near-perfect conditions. We covered the slightly more than 180 miles in around 30 hours which was no speed record but certainly well within our expectations. As usual for being this close to the equator (we're at 4 degrees South or about 270 miles south of the equator), the weather is hot and humid, the skies are frequently filled with squall-producing rain. The Banda Islands rise from the very deep ocean floor almost straight up and the steep sides of the still active volcano makes finding a place to drop the anchor a challenge. Everything is covered in thick, dark green tropical vegetation and groves of bananas, papaya, breadfruit, almonds and, of course, nutmeg, cover the six-island group.
There were 5 boats in our 14-boat fleet already here when we pulled into the harbor and our friends on Equanimity helped us Med-moor to the hotel's wharf. Rutea's anchor is some 300 feet out in the channel in over 125 feet of water and her stern sits just a few feet from the shore but still in 25 feet of water. Two thick dock lines run to shore, one tied to a stout tree but both have frisbees attached to them that I converted into rat guards. A representative from Sail Indonesia was on hand to welcome us and someone else took care of the clearing in process.
The town itself is small and busy with narrow streets that are swarmed by people riding motor scooters. Many of the buildings reflect the architecture from when the Dutch took over the islands and dominated the spice trade in the early 17th century. Typical of many Western countries at that time, the Dutch took whatever they wanted while often putting the indigenous people into near slavery. At one point the Indonesian people revolted against their Dutch occupiers and as punishment, the local head of the Dutch East India Company ordered a massacre of thousands of Bandanese. He hired Japanaese samurai to execute the 40 chiefs publicly and this was recently confirmed by a PhD candidate who was researching the islands and found records that the Dutch had kept. In 2002, a monument was erected in memorial to those who were killed back then - over 400 years ago.
Last night was the end of Ramadan and it was the first time any of us had been in a predominantly Muslim country for the end of the month-long fasting ritual. The skies were filled with fireworks and firecrackers made the whole area sound like a war zone. On a normal day, the muezzin - call to prayer - happens five times a day: Recordings of chanting blaring out over massive speakers that can be heard from everywhere in the town. Since today was special, the recordings started their blaring at 0430 instead of the normal 0500 and they went nonstop until 0730 - it sounds like their speakers are in Rutea's cockpit. Today, everything is shut down and its similar to Christmas in the West - families get together, exchange small gifts and eat traditional foods. We walked through town to find many people out on the streets, all wearing fine new clothing. Children walking towards us would stop us and press the backs of our hands to their foreheads. Our reply was to then touch our heart. It was an extraordinary experience.
Our schedule has us leaving Banda on Saturday and heading some 400 miles west to the island of Wangiwangi where Jacques Cousteau once said that the area had the best diving in the world. The forecast is for light winds which will probably make it a comfortable ride but bad because it uses our precious diesel. Diesel here is called Solar and is hard to find - when it is found, its often contaminated.
Despite the lack of diesel fuel and the island's troubling past with the Dutch, the people here are delightful and the area is gorgeous. We went snorkeling expedition this afternoon at a spot not far from where Rutea is tied up and we were all pleased to find world-class snorkeling. After some of the over-the-top snorkeling we've done in the South Pacific, we can be pretty critical of the underwater landscape. This place is fantastic. Too bad we don't have decent internet access so I can post some photos. They're unbelievable.
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At 8/6/2013 10:01 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 04°31.43'S 129°53.83'E
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Thursday, August 8, 2013
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Sail Indonesia 2013 Rally
Many, if not most, cruisers will tell you that they're not the type to join a rally. We say the same thing too but more often than not we're part of a rally. I think the conventional wisdom is that most cruisers like to think that they are the rugged individuals that avoid crowds and organizations and, based on my attitudes as a teenager, I think I still like to think of me as that way whereas in reality I've become very much of a 'joiner'.
Of course, we often justify the participation in rallies financially as they often represent a bargain (eg the cost to join the Sail Indonesia Rally was AUD$550 and that included the cost of cruising permit required by the Indonesian government which is AUD$300 AND they took care of all the paperwork which is substantial) but the truth is we'd probably join one regardless of what it cost. There is much to be said about cruising to a remote and Third World country with a dozen or more other boats who all face the same issues. However, in the case of Sail Indonesia, it has not only been a significant bargain but we've been treated like royalty.
Aside from taking care of the paperwork to get out cruising permit, the Sail Indonesia organizers got things started in Darwin by giving out Welcome Bags chocked full of information, including how to order duty-free booze. They also threw a big bar-b-q, complete with free beer and wine. There were seminars about cruising in Indonesia but the organizers largely kept their hands off the cruisers as they knew all too well that most cruisers are the 'rugged individual' types. Telling cruisers where to be or what to do is like herding cats. Still, the 87 boats that signed up for this year's rally behaved themselves pretty well while in Darwin and did pretty much as they were told.
The fleet was divided by destination: The rally ends at Lagoi on Bintan Island (only about 60 miles from Singapore) but the first landfall in Indonesia was either Kupang on Timor Island or Saumlaki on Yamdena Island. The route via Saumlaki is the more remote of the two and requires not only traveling further but also includes several overnight passages. 75 boats signed up for the Kupang route and the rest, including us, chose to sail to Saumlaki.
The official welcome we received in Saumlaki was far and away above our expectations. Ceremonies with officials from the government, tourism, police, military and village elders were obviously well rehearsed and organized. We were given gifts and fed. At one point, the local organizers hired a fleet of buses to take us to some of the sights around Saumlaki and the island, complete with a police escort - the new full-size police pickup had all it's lights flashing, it's siren blaring and it drove down the center of the road, forcing all on-coming traffic to the shoulders and refusing any traffic to pass us. This went on all afternoon. The actual sites we saw were lackluster to our Western eyes (a 'ship' made of rocks and a four-storey building that looked like an over-sized burial crypt with a 20-foot statue of Jesus Christ on top) but seeing the country side made the trip worthwhile.
Most participants in the rally were planning to leave on Saturday so on the Friday night before the organizers had scheduled a Farewell Gala. One of the organizing staff asked me to write a speech, thanking the organizers and the government for all the work they did on Sail Indonesia. One of the boats started a collection as we all felt somewhat overwhelmed with the generosity we had received and we all wanted to give something back. The first part of the Friday evening gala was a food competition with about 15 organizations presenting their best culinary skills. Once the judges had finished doing their tasting, the exhibits were opened to the cruisers and while most of the food was delicious, some of it required more adventuresome tastes than I have. Be sure to read Corie's blog about her experience.
There were about 200 people in the Saumlaki Art Center when I gave my short speech but it took longer than I had planned as I had to give time to the woman who was translating. Still, it went pretty well and I interrupted with applause from the locals on a couple of occasions. Of course, I have to assume that the translation was accurate but I suppose I'll never know. The speeches were followed by an award ceremony and much to my surprise, I was asked to hand out the trophies for the food competition. None of the women who was receiving a trophy understood English so when I said, "Congratulations!" they just looked at me with kind of a nervous smile. I could have said, "Terima kasih!" (the only word in Indonesian that I know) but that means 'thank you' and it didn't seem appropriate to be thanking them when I was handing out the trophy.
Our stay in Saumlaki was over-the-top. Had we ventured there on our own it would have been a much different experience so if nothing else happens with Sail Indonesia, we'll feel it was a good value and an extraordinary presentation. My guess, is though, that there will be much more to come.
-----
At 7/30/2013 10:16 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 07°58.52'S 131°17.30'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Of course, we often justify the participation in rallies financially as they often represent a bargain (eg the cost to join the Sail Indonesia Rally was AUD$550 and that included the cost of cruising permit required by the Indonesian government which is AUD$300 AND they took care of all the paperwork which is substantial) but the truth is we'd probably join one regardless of what it cost. There is much to be said about cruising to a remote and Third World country with a dozen or more other boats who all face the same issues. However, in the case of Sail Indonesia, it has not only been a significant bargain but we've been treated like royalty.
Aside from taking care of the paperwork to get out cruising permit, the Sail Indonesia organizers got things started in Darwin by giving out Welcome Bags chocked full of information, including how to order duty-free booze. They also threw a big bar-b-q, complete with free beer and wine. There were seminars about cruising in Indonesia but the organizers largely kept their hands off the cruisers as they knew all too well that most cruisers are the 'rugged individual' types. Telling cruisers where to be or what to do is like herding cats. Still, the 87 boats that signed up for this year's rally behaved themselves pretty well while in Darwin and did pretty much as they were told.
The fleet was divided by destination: The rally ends at Lagoi on Bintan Island (only about 60 miles from Singapore) but the first landfall in Indonesia was either Kupang on Timor Island or Saumlaki on Yamdena Island. The route via Saumlaki is the more remote of the two and requires not only traveling further but also includes several overnight passages. 75 boats signed up for the Kupang route and the rest, including us, chose to sail to Saumlaki.
The official welcome we received in Saumlaki was far and away above our expectations. Ceremonies with officials from the government, tourism, police, military and village elders were obviously well rehearsed and organized. We were given gifts and fed. At one point, the local organizers hired a fleet of buses to take us to some of the sights around Saumlaki and the island, complete with a police escort - the new full-size police pickup had all it's lights flashing, it's siren blaring and it drove down the center of the road, forcing all on-coming traffic to the shoulders and refusing any traffic to pass us. This went on all afternoon. The actual sites we saw were lackluster to our Western eyes (a 'ship' made of rocks and a four-storey building that looked like an over-sized burial crypt with a 20-foot statue of Jesus Christ on top) but seeing the country side made the trip worthwhile.
Most participants in the rally were planning to leave on Saturday so on the Friday night before the organizers had scheduled a Farewell Gala. One of the organizing staff asked me to write a speech, thanking the organizers and the government for all the work they did on Sail Indonesia. One of the boats started a collection as we all felt somewhat overwhelmed with the generosity we had received and we all wanted to give something back. The first part of the Friday evening gala was a food competition with about 15 organizations presenting their best culinary skills. Once the judges had finished doing their tasting, the exhibits were opened to the cruisers and while most of the food was delicious, some of it required more adventuresome tastes than I have. Be sure to read Corie's blog about her experience.
There were about 200 people in the Saumlaki Art Center when I gave my short speech but it took longer than I had planned as I had to give time to the woman who was translating. Still, it went pretty well and I interrupted with applause from the locals on a couple of occasions. Of course, I have to assume that the translation was accurate but I suppose I'll never know. The speeches were followed by an award ceremony and much to my surprise, I was asked to hand out the trophies for the food competition. None of the women who was receiving a trophy understood English so when I said, "Congratulations!" they just looked at me with kind of a nervous smile. I could have said, "Terima kasih!" (the only word in Indonesian that I know) but that means 'thank you' and it didn't seem appropriate to be thanking them when I was handing out the trophy.
Our stay in Saumlaki was over-the-top. Had we ventured there on our own it would have been a much different experience so if nothing else happens with Sail Indonesia, we'll feel it was a good value and an extraordinary presentation. My guess, is though, that there will be much more to come.
-----
At 7/30/2013 10:16 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 07°58.52'S 131°17.30'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Saumlaki, Indonesia
One of the things that the organizers of Sail Indonesia had warned us about is that things in Indonesia don't always work on the schedule you were told and often don't happen at all, especially when it comes to working with the government's bureaucracy. Foreign-flagged vessels are required to check in upon arrival to a country and some countries make it easier than others. We set our expectations appropriately and patiently waited for the skiff that carried the eight government officials to stop by Rutea. Every time the government skiff would leave the boat of a rally participant, we'd get hopeful that we'd be the next stop but our disappointment rose when the skiff headed back to shore. A call to another boat told us that we were to go into the Custom's office to clear in. Dropping the dinghy into the water, loading the outboard onto the dinghy, all of us piling in and steaming towards the Customs wharf as we were getting soak from the chop generated by 20-knot winds, we met the boat who had told us to go to the Customs office. "Turn around and go back to your boat. Customs is coming back out," they said. Eventually, Customs, Immigration and Quarantine did arrive, checked us in and welcomed us to their country. The chatter on the VHF radio was that a bunch of boats were heading into shore to go to a hotel for food and drink so it didn't take us long before we had piled back into the dinghy and we were tying up at the dinghy dock - only to find that we hadn't completed our check in and we all had stupid looks on our faces when they asked for our passports and crew list. I had to go back out to the boat to get them. They were very efficient, though, and we were able to complete everything in a matter of minutes. They gave each of us shiny Sail Indonesia gift bags stuffed with swag including a teal-colored polo shirt covered with elaborate embroidery about Sail Indonesia's sponsors.
This morning was the Welcoming Ceremony and I was pretty blasé about it. We all wore our new polo shirts and they had us line up. Cameras clicked noisily as we all got into position. Some elderly men in traditional garb (strange hats with feathers, woven scarves and shell necklaces) started to sing and pour a local rice wine on the ground. The ceremony suddenly became serious and meaningful, even though I couldn't understand a word they were saying. A glass of the wine was hand to each skipper to drink from by one of the elders, who later came by and put a cross on our foreheads of sand. Pretty girls put woven scarves around our necks. The ceremony was followed by a dance of beautiful young women in long skirts and a couple of young men with small drums. From there we were directed to sit in chairs under a huge canopy to protect us from the hot sun while more dancing, singing and speeches were made. It was all followed by a reception with lots of local foods, all of which I thought were pretty tasty. The effort that was made to welcome us was more than significant - they obviously invested a substantial amount of resources to put it all together. I felt honored.
After the reception, we walked through town and it seemed like we couldn't walk more than 10 meters before someone would say, "Hello, mister!" Apparently, not many Anglos make it to Saumlaki and there was much giggling when we would reply. Often, people would reach out and shake our hands as we'd be walking down the street. There was much more giggling when we'd take someone's photo and all those near would insist that we take their picture also. I took one old man's photo and he had us come into his small shop where he gave us a pancake-like treat and bottles of water. He talked incessantly and we nodded politely. Whereas this is definitely a Third World country, it feels safe and friendly.
-----
At 7/30/2013 10:16 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 07°58.52'S 131°17.30'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
This morning was the Welcoming Ceremony and I was pretty blasé about it. We all wore our new polo shirts and they had us line up. Cameras clicked noisily as we all got into position. Some elderly men in traditional garb (strange hats with feathers, woven scarves and shell necklaces) started to sing and pour a local rice wine on the ground. The ceremony suddenly became serious and meaningful, even though I couldn't understand a word they were saying. A glass of the wine was hand to each skipper to drink from by one of the elders, who later came by and put a cross on our foreheads of sand. Pretty girls put woven scarves around our necks. The ceremony was followed by a dance of beautiful young women in long skirts and a couple of young men with small drums. From there we were directed to sit in chairs under a huge canopy to protect us from the hot sun while more dancing, singing and speeches were made. It was all followed by a reception with lots of local foods, all of which I thought were pretty tasty. The effort that was made to welcome us was more than significant - they obviously invested a substantial amount of resources to put it all together. I felt honored.
After the reception, we walked through town and it seemed like we couldn't walk more than 10 meters before someone would say, "Hello, mister!" Apparently, not many Anglos make it to Saumlaki and there was much giggling when we would reply. Often, people would reach out and shake our hands as we'd be walking down the street. There was much more giggling when we'd take someone's photo and all those near would insist that we take their picture also. I took one old man's photo and he had us come into his small shop where he gave us a pancake-like treat and bottles of water. He talked incessantly and we nodded politely. Whereas this is definitely a Third World country, it feels safe and friendly.
-----
At 7/30/2013 10:16 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 07°58.52'S 131°17.30'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Monday, July 29, 2013
Saumlaki, Indonesia
After 36 hours of 2.5+ meter seas and 20-25 knots of wind, we anchored in Saumlaki this morning at 0730. Even though the conditions were about average for us, we were all glad to be over that passage. We're still waiting for Customs and Immigration clearance and that might be several hours yet as we've been warned that time has a different meaning in Indonesia and often things don't happen at all.
The entire fleet is here except for three boats, one having to drop out altogether due to autopilot problems. One other boat should be arriving on Thursday and still another on Saturday. If all goes according to plan, we should get internet access tomorrow.
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At 7/30/2013 12:17 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 07°58.53'S 131°17.30'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
The entire fleet is here except for three boats, one having to drop out altogether due to autopilot problems. One other boat should be arriving on Thursday and still another on Saturday. If all goes according to plan, we should get internet access tomorrow.
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At 7/30/2013 12:17 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 07°58.53'S 131°17.30'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Arafura Sea
We're slightly more than halfway across the Arafura Sea, having left Alcaro Bay near Cape Don last night at 2330. Once we left the wind shadow of Australia, the wind built to 20+ knots and has been consistently blowing between 20 and 25 ever since. That's good but Rutea is making too good time so we've had to furl our genoa and deploy our staysail instead in an effort to slow us down. We don't want to arrive in Saumlaki in the dark (we never want to arrive in any strange port in the dark) as we have been warned of unlit boats and FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices, ie, fish traps). With this brisk wind also comes larger seas and that's made the passage a bit uncomfortable - none of us have felt well.
With less than 90 miles to go, we're all glad that we'll be arriving in Indonesia just after sun up tomorrow.
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At 7/28/2013 8:20 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 11°17.00'S 131°47.73'E
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for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
With less than 90 miles to go, we're all glad that we'll be arriving in Indonesia just after sun up tomorrow.
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At 7/28/2013 8:20 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 11°17.00'S 131°47.73'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Van Diemen Gulf
Our spirits were high as we sailed out of Darwin on the beginning of the Sail Indonesia Rally. There were supposed to be 87 boats sailing over the 'starting line' but getting cruisers to do what they're told is like herding cats as many boats left the day before, the night before and some weren't planning to leave for a few days.
The timing of our arrival at Howard Channel was perfect, just as the current changed to be in our favor. This time we took the southern channel and though narrow, navigation was pretty easy and the 4+ knot current made up for the lack of wind. Initially, we planned to do a run straight through the 110-mile long Van Diemen Gulf but decided to hole up for the night just off of Cape Hotham. We ran the calculations and decided that we could leave the following morning at the civilized hour of 0700 and catch a favorable current out of the Gulf and into the Arafura Sea. Unfortunately, the winds were almost nonexistent so we wound up motoring almost the entire way.
Now we're waiting in a small bay near Cape Don as if we were to leave now, we'd wind up arriving in Saumlaki, Indonesia well before dawn. It's better to get some rest at anchor and leave later tonight, maybe somewhere around 2200. There's a good forecast for steady winds in the 20-25 knot range and we should make the crossing in about 36 hours.
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At 7/28/2013 4:56 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 11°31.02'S 131°38.99'E
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radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
The timing of our arrival at Howard Channel was perfect, just as the current changed to be in our favor. This time we took the southern channel and though narrow, navigation was pretty easy and the 4+ knot current made up for the lack of wind. Initially, we planned to do a run straight through the 110-mile long Van Diemen Gulf but decided to hole up for the night just off of Cape Hotham. We ran the calculations and decided that we could leave the following morning at the civilized hour of 0700 and catch a favorable current out of the Gulf and into the Arafura Sea. Unfortunately, the winds were almost nonexistent so we wound up motoring almost the entire way.
Now we're waiting in a small bay near Cape Don as if we were to leave now, we'd wind up arriving in Saumlaki, Indonesia well before dawn. It's better to get some rest at anchor and leave later tonight, maybe somewhere around 2200. There's a good forecast for steady winds in the 20-25 knot range and we should make the crossing in about 36 hours.
-----
At 7/28/2013 4:56 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 11°31.02'S 131°38.99'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Darwin, Northern Territory
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| Cockatoos - Photo by Corie |
Back to Darwin: With a population of about 130,000 people, its a bustling city with more than it's fair share of pubs. The day after we arrived, we spent part of a Sunday afternoon drinking cold beer in the air conditioned comfort of Shenanigan's, one of the larger and more popular establishments. Since Darwin is so close to the equator, it remains hot even in the 'winter', in fact, the seasons here are classified as 'wet' or 'dry' and not summer or winter. We're in the middle of the dry season now. We moved Rutea into the Tipperary Waters Marina but we had to go through a lock to do so as the tides are often in excess of 7 meters. The lock can't handle boats much larger than Rutea and my heart was going pitter-patter as I tried to navigate against a strong wind and stronger current.
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| Lock at Tipperary Waters Marina |
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| 4-Meter Croc |
Today we took some time off from boat projects, rented a 4x4 and drove up to the Adelaide River, where we had booked seats on a river trip. We had heard so much about crocodiles that we worried that we would leave Australia without seeing any. The river trips are a little kitschy but we did get to see crocodiles up close - very close - but it was still worthwhile. On our way back to the boat, we took pictures of the massive termite mounds. Corie's friend, Kyle, is joining us as we sail through Indonesia.Shortly after we got back to the boat, we barely had time to get cleaned up for the Sail Indonesia Farewell Bar-Be-Que. As our time in Darwin winds down, the Sail Indonesia Rally events ramp up and almost 150 people showed up for a night of food and fun at the Darwin Sailing Club.
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