Oct 11 - Nongsa Point Marina, Batam Island

N01deg11.80min/ E104deg05.84min
We departed Mesansak Island at 0100 hours for the 55 mile run and had a long, slow motor to Batam Island. Wind was on the nose at 10-12 knots, and current was against us until about 1030 hours, so the first part of the trip wasn't fast.... Every morning towering cumulus clouds have formed and the thunder and lightning gets your attention quickly; October is a transitional month to the NE monsoon season (November to March) from the SW monsoon season (June to September). Calms are frequent, as is motoring. Shipping traffic has picked up, but the lanes are wide and there's plenty of room for everyone. We entered Nongsa Point Marina just before 3 pm, and the attendants took our dock lines. It didn't take long to get to the pool and enjoy a cold beer. Think being outside in the Florida summer; the heat and humidity take a bit to get used to. There are other boats here from Sail Indonesia, and folks come and go. Weekend trips to Singapore by water ferry are popular, and we're considering doing this. We'll be spending a few days in the marina here cleaning and resting up before departing to cross the Singapore Straits to Malaysia.
Pic: The crews of 6 boats went to the Mall (grocery store) for a last Indonesian provisioning. Beer won't be this cheap elsewhere...until duty free Lankawi probably. It'll be hard to find in Malaysia. Here our Swede friend Bernardo from sv Albertina is guarding our wares.
http://www.nongsapointmarina.com/

Oct 9 - Equator crossing

00deg00.00min/ 104deg49.589minE
This is our 4th equator crossing, but first in the eastern hemisphere. We had an appropriate ceremony for the occasion, and continued motoring to Kentar Island (position: 00deg03.268N/104deg45.501E) where we anchored in 30' sand. This is a nice bay, well protected, and, at least at this time, very calm. Another early start tomorrow morning (0600) is planned, but from here on it's a motor trip - no wind is predicted.
Pic: fishing huts are everywhere along this coast. And not lit at night.

Oct 8 - Lingga Island

Position: 00deg18.520minS/104deg58.887minE
We motored, sailed, and motor-sailed for the two night passage across the South China Sea from Serutu Island to Lingga Island. Between the unlit fishing nets we've gone over, fish boats running with incorrect night lights, dozens of commercial ships on AIS to dodge, tugs with single and double barges with no AIS and weak as hell lights, and just general fatigue, these have been challenging waters to traverse. Holding here is in 24' of mud, although wind and current are countering each other. Those eagle eyed readers of our blog will note that we're about 19 miles from the equator; we're heading northwest towards Singapore, and our crossing tomorrow into the northern hemisphere will mark Sue and my fourth equator crossing! We've been traveling along with sv Silver Girl, with our Australian buds Ann and Chris aboard; they'll celebrate their first equator crossing! We've planned a few more stops as day trips before getting to Nongsa Marina on Batam Island, our last stop in Indonesia, where we'll have a proper equator crossing celebration(s)...
Pic: We actually flew our 'sunshine' sail for a few hours!

Oct 5 - Serutu Island

01deg42.300minS/ 108deg43.192minE
We did a two night passage to Serutu, departing the Kumai River in the early morning. It was good to get out of the smokey haze and brown water. At night, we encountered dozens of boats fishing for squid, each lit up like a stadium for a night football game. We actually only had to divert for one 620 foot freighter; the squid boats tend to congregate in patches and are easily avoided. Winds were SE 15-20 until 0200 this morning, when we had to motor the last 25 miles due to light winds and strong current. We had just finished anchoring here when some local fishermen came over in their canoe selling fish and lobster. We passed on the fish, but bought two large lobster for $5.00USD. We'll be catching up on sleep today, and departing at sunrise for Kentar Island, another two night passage, about 260 mi away.

Oct. 1 - Orangutan country

Tanjung Puting National Park is the home of one of a few places on the planet where orangutans can be found in the wild. It's a natural ecosystem rain forest which has 600 types of trees, 200 varieties of orchids, almost 250 species of birds, 28 species of large mammals, and 9 species of primates. We took a 2 day, 1 night tour by klotok boat, a traditional Indonesian river boat where the tourist lives upstairs, and meals are prepared down below, where the guide, captain and cook live. At night, mosquito netting is spread over mattresses, and the boat is tied up alongside some palms or pandanus. We trekked a short distance to Camp Leaky where we saw 9 orangutans, including young ones with their mothers. A feeding of bananas is arranged for a particular time, and these wild and semi-wild orangs know the schedule. It's a delightful photo-op time, but serious research has been going on there for over 30 years. The highlight of our visit there was when Big Tom showed up. He's not there a lot during feedings (which is when the tourists are there); weighs about 110-120kg, is about 38 years old, and is the Main Man (ah..make that Orangutan...). You get the idea. When he walked towards us, we calmly walked the other way. The orangutan's strength is reputed to be 8 times greater than man's, and the guides constantly reminded us to keep a respectful distance. There were other feeding stations to visit also, but not as many orangs showed up when we were there. We also saw wild boar, squirrel, proboscis and macaque monkeys. On our boat ride, we saw several varieties of colorful kingfisher; the spectacular Stork Billed being our favorite with it's bright red beak, yellow head and bright blue body and wings. There were also wild orangutans, monkeys, crocodiles, butterflies, and we were surrounded by a cocophany of insect sounds. A wonderful web site is http://www.orangutanindonesia.com/tanjung-puting-national-park.htm, which gives a lot more detail than the above. Another good site is www.orangutan.org.

Sept. 28 - Kumai, Kalimantan, Borneo

Actually Kalimantan and Borneo are two different countries. Borneo belonging to Malaysia; Kalimantan is part of Indonesia.
Position: 02deg44.382S/111deg44.022E It's hot, muggy, and I'd like a beer....We've had to motor about 8 hours to get up river to the town of Kumai. The water is brown and depth is impossible to ascertain without a depth sounder. As we turned the last bend of the river and got a visual on the town, a jet roared overhead and a city of commercial boats, loading docks and a few wood mills greeted us. No wonder the orangatans are endangered. Tour guide operators buzzed around us in speed boats, obviously looking to score more business. We'll be taking a 2 day, 1 night tour with Ann & Chris of sv Silver Girl, and we're also looking at exploring the town a bit and topping off with diesel. There's cell coverage and internet, and an ATM is now available in town...progress, of sorts.
Pic: The huge concrete buildings make it look like a big city...but they're really 'swallow hotels' for a huge export: birds nests...for 'bird nest soup'.

Sept. 24 - Enroute to Borneo!

We've decided to go to the Orangatan Sanctuary at the Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan, Borneo. This area covers about 1175 square miles and in a UNESCO BIOSPHERE PRESERVE. Departing Lombok, there are two lovely islands along the way to anchor at, each about 140-150 miles distance, breaking up the journey into three individual overnight passages. How convenient! The first anchorage was at Ra-As Island, position 07deg07minS/114deg30minE. This is an exceptionally well protected, beautiful spot. The second island was Bawean, at 05deg43.8minS/112deg40.2minE. Again, another beautiful place, but exposed to NW winds. Our routine has been to raise anchor at 0600 and get underway for a long day and night. We're in the Java Sea now; how exotic is that?! If there's enough wind, we sail; much of the time is spent motoring in winds less than 8 knots. Once again, currents are strong and course adjustments need to be made. Night cruising is challenging, with unmarked fishing buoys, multiple fishing boats of many descriptions, tug and barge tows, freighters, and other hazards to navigation. Many of the boats and floats do not use lights, and when they do, more often than not, it's a blinking red, blue and green light giving a strobe effect. Psychedelic. We're in company with two other boats, both Australian, Christine Ann, and Silver Girl. We've taken a lay day here in Bawean and are catching up on rest and chores and will leave tomorrow for the Kumai River, in Borneo. When I think Borneo, (haven't you been thinking "Borneo" today?) I get this National Geographic picture in my mind of wild things; we'll see what the reality is in a couple of days.

Sept 18 - A tour aound Bali

We hired a private driver for the day and toured part of the island. We didn't know much about Bali before our arrival, but used the internet and the Lonely Planet Guide, as well as talking to some locals here in Ubud, to determine what areas might be of interest. Leaving at 0900, our first stop was the Hindu Temple of Goa Gajah, the Elephant Caves. Built in the 9th century, there are carvings at the entrance that are thought to ward off evil spirits. Next was the 11th century temple of Gunung Kawi. There are ten shrines cut into the rock face, each about 20' high. After, we went to Tirtha Empul, the Holy Water Temple. The Balinese people go here for purification rites. Many legends exist about all these temples, all dating back more than a thousand years. We then took a break and had coffee at a local coffee plantation (Madu Pertiwi), where we learned a bit about the harvesting of the coffee bean and the spices they grow, as well as Luwak coffee (for those of you who don't know, this is coffee that is made from the poo of the civet, a nocturnal cat-like creature with an elongated nose like a mongoose or possum, that eats the coffee beans, and whose digestive juices work on the beans before excretion,then the beans are gathered, roasted and served....a cup of Luwak coffee is the most expensive brew around). Breaking for lunch, we had a wonderful view of Mt. Batur (1730 meters) and Mt. Agung (3142 meters), two nearby volcanoes in Penelokan, with a view of Batur Lake. We saved the big kahuna for after lunch, the Besakih Temple. This temple is the largest and most well known in Bali, and built on the slopes of Mt. Agung, a major volcano. A "donation" was asked (after the entry fee of $3.50USD for two), but we gave $5.00USD and a guide accompanied us and explained stuff that we wouldn't have been aware of attempting to cover the huge area ourselves. Twenty two temples are in the complex, and I think we saw most of them. Having worn shorts, I had to use their sarong and waist belt to be allowed in; Sue had long pants on, so she was allowed entry. We then drove thru areas of beautifully terraced rice paddies before finally returning to our bungalow at 1600 hours. Total cost for the day was $40.00USD, plus lunch. This has been a tiring day, but we feel we've seen just a bit of Bali and have a better understanding of the Hindu culture and history. We could easily spend more time exploring this beautiful island...but it's time to move on and return to Infini.

Sept 16 - Bali

We decided not to sail Infini to Bali, and instead, took a 30 minute plane ride there. (After the 1.5 hour ride to the 'new' airport!). Avoiding Kuta and the beaches, a taxi took us direct to Ubud, known as an artistic, hippy type area that is laid back and easier on the senses than most of the tourist areas here. The taxi ride took 1.5 hours, and the traffic was, to be kind, chaotic. Thousands of motorbikes drive the narrow streets, often coming right at you on what was thought to be a one way street. How no one collides defies my imagination. Riding a bicycle along the streets is almost suicidal. We found Ubud to be a massive dose of shops close next to each other, many selling the same things, but with one occasionally displaying some originality. We enjoyed browsing thru some of the shops, talking with the artists who made their wares and finding out where stuff came from and the significance of the shapes and carvings. Small restaurants and inns are everywhere, as are their prices. Goods and services are negotiable here, and just about no one pays list price for anything. Taxi drivers are looking for customers, as are the many spas here. We went to the Monkey Forest Sanctuary today, and walked the many paths to the temples there. Seeing the many offerings being places in front of residences and businesses was very different for us, the air smelled of flowers, a nice change from the smokey smell of the coast.

Sept 12 - Lombok touring

We hired a tour guide and driver to take us around and see a bit of Lombok, along with our Ozzie friends Chris and Ann from Silver Girl. We arranged pick-up at 0800 and first stop was Banyumulek, one of the main pottery making villages in Lombok. We toured one of the many factories where everything is done by hand, and the beautiful finished products are sent world wide. Next on the agenda was a stop at Sukarara, a weaving village where ikat and Sasak traditional cloth is displayed and sold. Some of the weavers work outside, and a quality piece will take from 1-3 months to weave! Blankets, sarongs and cloth are made and sold here. We had previously made a short stop in Mataram where our guide, Awan, bought a box of breakfast pastries for us. He usually guides the overnight mountain treks to the second highest volcano in Indonesia- Mount Rinjani, but a friend of his (and a new friend of ours) asked him to take us around and he was a wonderful guide, explaining everything in good English and answering our many questions. We headed south to Kuta, and stopped at Tanjung Aan, a beautiful small village on the water with fine, white sand beaches. Talk about laid back. After a late lunch we headed back and made a final stop at Rungkang Jangkuk to visit a wood craft and furniture making facility. What a treat for the eye! The workmanship and complexity of some of the pieces was amazing; good thing we had no room aboard for any of the larger pieces! We returned to our boats at about 5:15 P.M., after a nine hour tour of a small part of this beautiful island. During our drive we saw lots of mosques and temples, two weddings; tobacco and vegetable fields; lots of monkeys, rice paddies, and thousands of mopeds weaving in and out of the traffic. Everyone says that parts of Lombok are what Bali used to be like 20-30 years ago, before heavy tourism changed everything there. We certainly enjoyed and highly recommend our day trip; cost p/p: $15.00USD.(Please be aware that prices are always negotiable, and often change...) Awan's cell: 0819 0734 5121.
Pic: They notch the design with chisel, and cut and inlay the shell...this was a big shop with a lot of furniture.

Sept 9 - Gili Air

We moved Infini once again, tying her med moor style by anchoring and attaching a stern line to a beach anchor. It was quite a scene as we are now pidgeon holed in a tight space, but we left the boat unattended, and the owner of Medana Bay Marina, as well as several yachtie friends, will be able to look after Infini a lot easier now; she's directly in front of the bar/restaurant in 3 meters of water. We then took an early morning taxi to the harbour, where we boarded what's called a "public boat" for transport to Gili Air with Cris and Ann from Silver Girl. This small island has about 1000 residents, and no motor vehicles. There are horse drawn carts and bicycles, as well as walking, as the only modes of transportation. We're staying at Sejuk Cottages, a group of small thatched cottages on the NE side of the island. Walking paths cover the island, and we found ourselves walking along trails thru the villagers simple living accomodations. Much of the waterfront has small bars and restaurants which all serve pretty much the same food and drink. The east side of the island has some fair snorkeling; the coral was pretty dead, but the fish were nice. This morning Sue and I had a massage; we're definitely living the high life now...upscale at $12./hr! We're heading back to the boat tomorrow; we've already turned in the paperwork for our visa renewal, and have an appointment at Immigration this Tuesday. After, we're planning another road trip for a few days before the Sail Indonesia Rally event here at Medana Bay Marina scheduled for Sept. 20th.
Pic: We enjoyed a fresh pineapple 'popsicle' after our snorkel. Yum!

Sept 5 - Gili Lawang

Position: 08deg17.73minS/116deg41.41minE We had to motor sail most of the day before picking up a stiff NW wind of 16-20 knots, gusts to 28, and had a nice sail for three hours to the NE corner of Lombok. Gili Lawang is a small barrier island, and the anchorage here is good holding in mud. Fayaway, Christine Anne and Silver Girl are here alongside in this small lagoon area, and we're all heading out in the early morning for another long day's run to Medana Bay Marina (medanabaymarina.com) on the NW corner of Lombok. Being a fairly new marina, there are no slips, but moorings and anchoring only.
Pic: Fayaway at our anchorage at Gili Lawang.

Sept 4 - Madang Island

08deg08.45minS/ 117deg22.42minE
Last night was our first overnight sail in Indonesia since Lembata. At various times we used our main, genoa, staysail, reacher, and pole. Winds were contrary to steady; from 00.0 knots to 26.4 knots. Seas were confused to following; current was strong and usually adverse. We motored just to get steerage in the current when there was little wind. Our speed was 3 knots (motor sail time) to 7.4 knots (hold on, Sally). We saw a few local fishing boats, but they presented no danger to the four boats in our small group, and we all stayed about 1-4 miles off the coast. We arrived Palau Madang (off the NE corner of Sumbawa) at 1130, less than 18 hours from departure from Telok Batu Montjo, which is located on the NW corner of Komodo Island. We'll have a good rest tonight and head out to Lombok in the morning.
Pic: Silver Girl was the only boat with us at Batu Montjo off Komodo Is.

Aug 31 - And then there be dragons

This has been a day to cross off one of those things on my bucket list - meeting the Komodo dragons up close and personal. We were picked up by our tour boat and joined 10 other folks for the 2 hour trip to Rinca Island, the other large island besides Komodo Island where the Komodo dragons are found. Coffee and tea were served and it was a great feeling for all of us not to have to navigate thru the many reefs, just to be tourists for the day and relax. Hendrik, our tour guide, was a 7th generation descendent of the Portuguese settlers of Flores Island, and spoke fluent English, Dutch and, of course, Indonesian. We docked at the small boat dock at the entrance to the Rinca Island Park, and met our two rangers assigned to our group. They both carried long forked sticks, and one was in front and one took up the rear of the group. Accidents do occur here, and people are occasionally attacked by the Komodo dragons, whose saliva carries toxic bacteria. We were told that the dragons bite and attempt to tear their prey up by shaking it from side to side. Hmmm. At any rate, about six dragons were resting under the kitchen cabin where the rangers cook their meals, so finding them was easy. There are different choices of trekking paths of different lengths, 1-5 km in length, so it's up to the individual folks which trail they walk. We came across a female dragon guarding her nesting area, a 3 feet deep hole in the ground, and the ranger explained their breeding habits. If I recall correctly, about 15-30 eggs are laid, although the survival rate is about 20%. We then saw a very unusual sight, another female digging her nesting hole, like a dog throwing dirt all over digging for its bone...The ranger was very excited at this event, as apparently it's quite rare to actually see it. We stood about 25' away from her, busy taking pictures but giving her lots of room and attempting to be as non-threatening as possible. After walking back to the entry area, we had again seen about 8 more dragons, so the total days sightings were quite high. We returned to our boat for a wonderful freshly cooked lunch of rice, fish and tofu dishes, with plenty of food for second helpings. We then took a diversion to go snorkeling and found a beautiful reef with lots of fish and plentiful coral. After, we ate a dessert of fried bananas and finally returned to our boats in the late afternoon. What a great day! Total inclusive cost per person: $48 USD. We'd highly recommend Hendrik, who arranges the boat and tour; his cell is 62-81-331-364-926.

Aug 30 - Labuan Bajo

Position: S08deg31.05min/E119deg52.00min
We continue to motor 30-35 nm daily, sailing when able. I look for what I call the 10/10 effect; that is, at 10:00 in the morning, give or take an hour...after all, this is Indonesia time, the wind comes up to 6-10 knots. Don't get excited...it only lasts an hour and then the water returns to glass flat and the wind speed indicator returns to 00.0. This 10/10 effect has seemed to occur regularly over the last week or so. The night before last we had our first rain in over 2 months, a very light sprinkle that lasted a few hours, but hardly enough to wash down the decks. We arrived Labuan Bajo yesterday. This is a tourist area catering to surfers and divers; we've been told that world class surf is about 50 nm from here. Labuan Bajo is also the gateway to Komodo and Rinca Islands, where one can see the Komodo dragons. Komodo Island has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We've anchored directly in front of the Eco Lodge, and took a dip in their pool along with a bunch of other cruisers. There are restaurants at many of the resorts, and we ate lunch here at the Eco; tourist prices but good food. Today I've arranged diesel delivery from one of the many boat boy boats (7000 rupiah/liter), who will, by the way, also arrange for water and gasoline delivery, laundry service, and act as taxi service (70000 rupiah return trip per boat) to town from the anchorage here about 2 miles away. Convenient. Btw, at this time, it's about 9100 rupiah to 1 USD. Rally events here have been cancelled...a familiar story. We're now at the northwestern corner of Flores Island, after traveling about 270 nm east to west on this northern coast, and it has been a beautiful island to visit. We didn't realize

that Indonesia, being the 4th most populous country in the world, had so many islands and coastline. Most of the population lives in Jakarta, but there are small and larger villages and towns scattered along these coastal islands with lots of people living a simple lifestyle. All have been friendly, their small fishing boats have been colorfully decorated, and everyone we've encountered waves and smiles back at us. Tomorrow, we're planning on a tour to Rinca Island to see the Komodo dragons; more about that later.
Pic: View from the village; our group of boats is in the distance (it's much quieter and out of the way of traffic.) The boat boys ferry us to town, wait for our return, and bring us back for 70,000R (about $7.00)

Aug 22 - Out and about; In Mausambi

We've had to do a lot of motoring to get to our anchorages. The wind has been light, frequently on the nose or dead downwind, or non-existent. Of course, the currents are strong, so our trawler imitation is getting pretty refined. We've found the Sail Indonesia Rally data a bit confusing...some of the dates and locations of Rally events are conflicting or have been cancelled...We're just heading in the general direction we want to go, looking for good anchorages, of which there are many on this north coast of Flores Island, and taking advantage of meeting some of the locals. Here in Mausambi, yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a visit to one of the local schools and met the English Club students. They were 8-11 years old and each gave a very short presentation...they were just as excited to meet the 20 cruisers who showed up! After, we had a BBQ, although Sue and I stayed vegetarian as the pork didn't look that well cooked. The anchorage here is very rolly (E08deg20.1min/S121deg47.2min) so I expect we'll leave in the next day or so. Sue's off on an early 0400 trip to Kelimutu and the Three Colored Lakes (http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/78/kelimutu-adventure-to-the-three-colored-lakes); she'll post pictures when we have strong internet.

Aug. 14 Lembata Festivities

When we first arrived in Lembata and met Max, the Dept of Tourism official, he asked me to become the "Official Representatives of the Yachties." I did my best to get out of it, but finally agreed to become the "Cultural Representative" and give a speech (!) at the official welcoming ceremonies. Max was Master of Ceremonies for the evening, and things began around 7 pm. But, I'm getting way ahead of myself. At 2 pm, the Official Welcome to Lembata began, with the Regent and Vice-Regent of the Lembata Province opening up the festivities. Sue and I were both fitted with serongs and ornamental palm headdress, and offered the betel nut with drink? as an introduction and welcome to the village. Being gracious visitors, we both chewed the betel nut and made motions to smoke the tobacco offered, but then the gate was opened for all the yachties, and a parade ensued to the downtown area. The school children and teens were all costumed, and about 300 people in the parade wound around to a large sport field area where native dancing took place. Of course, Sue and I were "required" to participate, so we humbly tried to follow the footsteps in what appeared to be a kind of line dance, and did our best to keep up. The villagers wanted to take lots of pictures with us, so it was quite a scene. We finally returned to the waterfront, and sat for a bit before the evening festivities were to begin. The local Officials made their speeches, and then I got up and spoke four lines of Bahasa Indonesian to welcome the Officials and thank the town on behalf of the yachties. There were loud shouts of appreciation and applause at my attempts, and my very short speech seemed to go quite well; at least everyone else thought so! Traditional dancing performances then took place, and we eventually lined up for a buffet meal of delicious traditional Indonesian food. There were, I estimate, about 125 yachties present, and lots of villagers, so the amount of food prepared was prodigious. During the dinner, more presentations took place, and after dinner, Sue and I were, once again, called forth to dance with the locals. Things finally wound down at 9:30 or so, and we returned to Infini tired, but having had a wonderful experience with these very friendly people. It was a unique opportunity for a cultural exchange, and we felt we had made the most of it. We heartily recommend Lembata as a stop for future Rally participants and other cruisers.

Aug 11 - A busy day in Lewoleba, Lembata

The morning started off by taking the Yamaha 15HP outboard motor off the stern rail and putting it in the dinghy. I hadn't started the motor for several years (!), and thought I had done the proper storage procedures, but when I went to finally use it, it wouldn't turn over and the starting cord didn't budge. I figured the piston was locked up in the cylinder, so was waiting for the proper time and place to find a mechanic to sort it out. Here in Lewoleba, Max is the "go-to" guy. He works for the Dept of Tourism, and his job this week is to help the yachties with any problems they may have. Yesterday, he took me by motorbike to a local welder who fixed our windless lever. The "shop" was primitive by most standards, but the results were perfect and the cost of repair ($2USD) most welcome. It turns out that the welder fellow is also the mechanic, so we arranged a bemo (no hauling that outboard on Max's motorbike) and took it to his place for him to work on. After taking a look at the pistons, he declared them in fine shape, but needed a 22mm socket to get off another engine part. I went back to Infini to get my socket for him, and by the time we returned to the shop the outboard was running smoothly! The 22mm socket wasn't needed after all, and Mr. Tomo (the mechanic/welder) had figured out the magneto was stuck. When Max asked him what he did to fix the engine, he replied "Magic..." I love a mechanic with a sense of humor. We then took the motor back to the dinghy, took off the 9.8 Tohatsu motor, put the Yamaha on, and did a test run with Max, Mr. Tomo, a dock hand and myself aboard. The motor purrs like a kitten and runs perfect! Again, cost of repair was most welcome, $15USD. I took a few jerry jugs in for diesel (7000 rupiah/liter-about $0.65USD/liter), and the local Government Tourism office has arranged for petrol, diesel, fresh water, laundry, tours and most anything else to be available to the yachties. During this whole time, Sue had gone on a tour with some friends of ours to see local traditional villages and meet some weavers, visit a leper hospital compound, and see a bit of the island. Her one hour tour took five hours, but everyone enjoyed the experience. In the afternoon, we ferried Max and three of his co-workers out to Infini; it was their first visit ever aboard a yacht, and we had a really nice visit and answered their many questions about our life and family. After a brief break in the action, we met up again with friends to go to dinner. The local Indonesian food is quite reasonably priced here, and Sue and I can both eat, with soft drinks, water, or a beer included, for about $3.50USD total.

Aug 8 - Lembata

We motorsailed to Lembata in the late morning. To go anywhere around here, you have to wait for the tides. If they're against you, you'll be going 0-1 knot SOG; with you, you'll be going 7-8 knots SOG. Lowobela Harbor is where we're anchored, and is surrounded by five volcanoes, two of which are about 5000' high; and one of which has an active steam vent escaping from its top cone. Lets hope it stays dormant for just a while longer. Dozens of fishing boats putter past; some of the boats are quite large, but the sound of their single cylinder engines without mufflers is quite distinctive. The fishermen weave in and around the sailboats, as about 20 of us are anchored in their fishing grounds, and lay nets or string lines from Chlorox bottles. The rest of the Rally fleet isn't here yet, and the anchorage will be more crowded than now, not a bright prospect. The loudspeakers from one of the nearby mosques blare either recorded prayers or music, depending on the time of day. This evening we enjoyed a farewell/one year friendship/wedding anniversary dinner aboard the Georgia J; Scotch fillet steak, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, Oriental noodle salad, and chocolate cake. We met Kim & Sharon one year ago at Suwarrow Atoll, Sue and I celebrated our 31st, and GJ leaves tomorrow to fast track to Bali and eventually Thailand. Tomorrow we'll go explore the town, await the Rally events, and plan our path across Indonesia.

Aug 3 - Kupang happenings

Last evening there was a dinner for all the Rally participants, hosted by the mayor of Kupang, with lots of traditional dancing, food, and modern music. It was attended by about 300 yachties and another 200 or so onlookers; there was quite a crowd. This morning we toured around Kupang with a guide. Our first stop was to see the monkeys in Tenau; not much to comment about. We then went to the Oenesu waterfall, a beautiful park setting with a fast flowing stream coming off the waterfall. Following that, we visited where the traditional Indonesian musical instrument, the sasando, was made, and listened to a performance by the local sasando master, Jeremias Pah, as well as his son, Dorce Pah. Their skills were amazing, and we ended up buying a small sasando, as well as a CD made by Jeremias, as souvenirs. Lots of pictures were taken and Jeremias autographed our instrument; a nice touch. Following a delicious lunch, we visited the local museum, which housed collections of weaving and wares of the East Nusa Tenggara province. We then stopped to see a traditional Indonesian fishing boat being constructed, although power tools are now being used these days. Our last stop was at the vegetable market. It was a full day, with some wonderful insights into this unique local culture and peoples. Time for a Bintang.