Landfall in Indonesia

We departed the locks at Cullen Bay Marina with no drama.  The morning was glassy calm and the path to the start line was several miles against a 2 knot current.   So when we realized our ETA to the start line was 20 minutes past the start time, we decided to save an hour worth of fuel and just proceed on our 900+ nautical mile journey to Indonesia.  Onboard we had our friend Josh (this was his second leg with us) and his mom Jonell.  Jonell hadn’t crossed an ocean before.  It was a joy to have her enthusiasm on board.  She was always looking for the perfect wave to photograph!   

Jonell serving up dinner when nothing was staying still.

Conditions out of Darwin were pretty pleasant.  We had to motor for at least the first day but it was over a flat sea and was very comfortable.   On about day 5, we had completely lost track of time and were truly "in the zone" of ocean crossing.   The days and nights were running together.  The sunrises and sunsets all spectacular. One afternoon we played a ‘game’ to see who could remember what day it was – and we used our wildlife sightings and dinners to help us count. 

Day 1 Saw Turtle, had Pasta Salad

Day 2 Saw Dolphins, had Bulgogi Beef Bowls

A very large group of dolphins swam with us for awhile one morning. Dan captured lots of cool images with our underwater camera.

Day 3 Saw Whale, had Gumbo

Day 4 Saw Booby on board, had Burritos

This booby gave me quite a startle when I went to use the Toilet in the middle of the night and peering in through the head window was his 4" beak. I had been asleep when he landed so it was quite a surprise to see him less than 6" from face!

Day 5 no wildlife, had Pasta

So, I guess it must be day 6.  (Of note, since we were disqualified from the start line, our record keeping in our log book became a little lazy on this trip). 

Each day was sunny.  Really hot in the mornings when the sun was coming up and our cockpit cover offered little protection from the intense morning sun.  Afternoons were pleasant and benefited from a breeze.  Evenings again were hot, but by that time with the sun setting in the west – and us heading directly west – we were in the shade of the sails. 

Each sunset on this leg was spectacular.

For several days we didn’t adjust the sails hardly at all.  We had our jib poled out on the starboard side and our asymmetrical spinnaker (we call it the drifter) poled out to the main boom.  

We used this sail configuration for several days. It was easy going and gave us lots of flexibility when the wind shifted slightly.

With this sail configuration were able to go 180 degrees off the wind (or dead-downwind).  This was efficient and very comfortable.  One afternoon, the wind died again and we got in the water to cool off somewhere in the middle of the Timor Sea. 

Josh & Jonell swimming in the Timor sea on a becalmed afternoon.

After we crossed the finish line, we had 90 nm yet to go up the Alas strait and around the north side of Lombok island.  We all were enamored with the landscape of Indonesia.  After fighting a 3-4 knot current for the first 2 hours (giving us extended viewing of the beautiful shoreline), the tide turned and we resumed a favorable 6-7 knots, allowing us to arrive at Medana Bay Marina just 30 minutes after sunset.  Everything felt so exotic and Indonesian – a country we quickly realized we knew relatively little about. 

Sunrise as we entered the Alas Strait. We passed hundreds of small fishing boats that were nearly invisible in the tidal waves caused by a 4 knot current.

Josh using the mobile ATM that had been brought to the Marina for our arrival.

The rally stop in Lombok is REALLY short – only one week – and it was obvious that much more time could be spent here.   

Due to the usual maintenance of the boat (cleaning the bottom, dumping our trash, doing our laundry, clearing in and out of the country formalities, etc….) that week was already feeling pressured.   We had to prioritize.  Fortunately, our first day we had the chance to take a tour of the island visiting a large urban market and the largest mosque on the island. 

Ponies and carts are occasionally used for local inner city transportation. These carts were lined up at the market we visited ready to take people with all their goods back to the suburbs.

Lombok is predominately Muslim and our guide told us it’s nickname of the “island of 1000 mosques”.  With only a few pockets of hotel development our impressions of Lombok were certainly that it was an authentic experience and had a lot to offer the visitor.  The Medana Bay Marina staff were extremely helpful in arranging everything and really made this place feel like a special stop. 

Loads of beautiful chilis were available at the market. These little ones are particulary hot.

Dried anchovies at the market

One night, at the local restaurant we attempted to order off the menu. The staff didn't say much but when all the food came out they were laughing because we ordered WAY TOO MUCH. We ate about 1/2 of it!

A local fisherman paddles through the anchorage early in the morning with a crowd of onlookers from WorldARC boats.

We had planned to have Dan is tackle the Indian Ocean with ‘the guys’.  So I will be off the boat for 8 weeks, providing shore support and will pick back up as crew in Africa.  So today, I headed to Bali for a short visit before heading back to the U.S.   Josh & Jonell also have left the boat (very reluctantly!) So, Dan was thrilled to have the boat to himself for an entire day before he was joined by Andrea, an Italian, that has been hoping from boat to boat across the WorldARC fleet.  The set sail today, so more on that adventure in a week or two!  Onward!

Dan & Andrea setting out from the start line in Indonesia