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Indonesia, although it involved extremely difficult and dangerous sailing, which we soon discovered, it was also the most diverse country and, on hindsight and reflection, one of the rare remaining destinations where a cruiser can see little to no influence of the modern world. It was also difficult to perceive that it is one country, as every island we visited was completely different with the exception of, possibly, the food and the language, although the latter has many different dialects. Everything from the shape and style of fishing boats, the shape and style of FADs (Fish Accumulation Devices), the landscape, the traditional dancing and outfits worn, the fruits grown, the livestock farmed, the colour and texture of the beaches, the vastly different colours of water ranging from deep blue to green to turquoise, weather ranging from warm and dry to hot and humid, wind that ranged from absolutely nothing, which had us motoring for hundreds of miles, to wind and current that was so strong we couldn’t slow Paw Paw down to ensure daylight arrivals. Add the diversity of the stunning underwater world, where snorkelling revealed fish and coral species, not only varieties which we’d never seen before, but each new snorkelling spot revealed something new and unique and then, of course, the magnificent sunrises and sunsets, the natural beauty of the towering volcanoes and the diverse wildlife, from flying foxes to whale sharks to Orang-utans to Komodo dragons. But, it was Bali, which, not only captured a place in our hearts, it felt like an entirely different country.

 

There were aspects, though, which we learnt the hard way and which ultimately dictated our entire experience of Indonesia. Had we known upfront about these, we would definitely have been more vigilant in avoiding the pitfalls as best we could. Unfortunately this kind of pertinent information was not provided by the Sail2Indonesia rally organisers, leaving us at the mercy of a population that was extremely unhealthy, mostly suffering from chest complaints, the underlying reason of which became apparent as we progressed through Indonesia; the smoke from the numerous burning fires, and the fact that most lived in completely unsanitary conditions. In all our travels, we had never experienced toilet facilities like those we saw in Indonesia and not a smidgen of soap to be found anywhere. Being “forewarned, is forearmed” would have afforded us the opportunity to give the local toilets, the local (coughing) population, the food and the drink, a wide berth. 

 

We weren’t the only cruisers to fall victim to this aspect of Indonesia, however, with the entire fleet ending up with either chest infections, sore throats or food poisoning or, in many cases, all three, but in Elaine’s case, an additional severe UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), coupled with multiple bouts of food poisoning, no matter how careful we tried to be. All of which spelt disaster for her autoimmune conditions and sent everything into free fall. Couple that with non-existent adequate healthcare available for thousands of miles from where we were in the Kai Islands, having cleared in to Indonesia in Debut, getting to Bali as quickly and as safely as possible was our only option, but we’d hoped the assistance and medications received from other cruisers on the rally would preclude us from having to pursue that option.

 

However, after setting sail to the Banda Islands after the completion of the Welcome Ceremony and rally festivities in Debut, the morning of 31st July 2019, confirmed our worst fears; unfortunately Elaine’s health woes had continued, specifically the UTI, forcing her to switch to a stronger antibiotic in the hopes of shifting it sooner rather than later. This also cemented our decision to change our itinerary, leaving the rally temporarily and heading for Bali, given that we had no idea if the latest course of antibiotics would, in fact, do the trick.  It didn’t help either that this was all fuelling her flareup and making it extremely difficult to get her conditions back under control. Our hope was, however, that by skipping a few destinations, Elaine’s health would improve and we’d also have the additional benefit of enjoying sun, sea and beaches, rather than villages and towns, full of sick people.

 

The new itinerary we had decided upon basically involved heading west to the Wakatobi Island group and from there heading south to the eastern end of Flores Island, work our way along the northern coasts of Flores and Sumbawa Islands, stopping at the Komodo National Park in between and onto to Lombok and Bali Islands, where Elaine could get her medical treatment and we could rejoin the rally in Lovina on the northern coast of Bali. On hindsight this turned out to be a fabulous option for us as we actually got to see the best of what Indonesia had to offer at our leisure, with a few exceptions. With the benefit of hindsight, we definitely would not have wasted our time doing the northern coast of Flores Island, but rather have headed straight to Labuan Bajo on the western side of the island, stopping at the Bonerate National Park en route. This latter destination is something we regret missing, although, at the time we didn’t know about it and the rally didn’t provide this kind of information. Skipping the Flores northern coast, would also have provided us with more time to spend on Belitung Island and in the Riau Group. Regardless, our new itinerary gave us the option of lingering longer at places we chose, especially since Elaine’s health did improve somewhat.

 

However, by the time we reached Lombok Island on Sunday, 1st September 2019 events were about to overtake us again. While we were delighted to have arrived with time to explore the area at our leisure and commence our visa renewal process, our road trip to Mataram on Tuesday, 3rd September 2019 from Medana Bay Marina to undertake the latter unfolded; an experience we can best describe as a cluster of monumental proportions, but the pre- and post cursors added to the disaster. 

By 0615 on Saturday, 13th July 2019 we had weighed anchor and started to snake our way out of the Horn Island anchorage, headed for the Prince of Wales Channel and, with that, it was goodbye to Australia after a much longer stay than intended; 12 months longer, in fact. 

 

Enjoying a speed of 9 Kts thanks to the fast flowing current, we had expected at least four other yachts to join us, but by 0800 we could see at least eight on the horizon. With the winds being much lighter than forecast, we had a rather slow start, but by mid-morning we were flying the chicken chute and making good time. However, by 1500 the winds had dropped again and we were barely doing 5 Kts. So down came the chicken chute, up went the white sails, followed by a slight change of course. By early evening the winds had picked up again, so we changed sail plan again; this time to wing-on-wing, but by 2300, with winds in excess of 25 Kts, it was time to bring down the mainsail and continue on headsail alone. Averaging a boat speed of 7.4 Kts and reaching speeds of close to 8 Kts for the remainder of the night was definitely unexpected, but we weren’t complaining. All in all, it was a busy and frustrating day at sea, with the multiple sail changes due to the winds being all over the board in terms of strength and direction, but, by nightfall, we had a waxing gibbous to light our way, along with friends for company. Chatting to everyone on our evening net was definitely a highlight. 

 

 

With slighter winds on the morning of Sunday, 14th July 2019, but still averaging 6.5 Kts, we contemplated putting up the mainsail again, but decided against it, given that the forecast indicated stronger winds for later in the day and the following day. We did, however, notice a number of yachts take off in various directions like bats out of hell overnight and wondered why. It wasn’t until the morning net that we heard they had chosen to continue to fly their kites overnight, while others had full white sails strapped down, wing-on-wing, which meant they weren’t able to jibe in the darkness with the stronger winds, leaving them with no alternative, but to go where the wind took them. Comments of cruisers being seasick or not being able to sleep because their speeds made for a very uncomfortable night, left us feeling pleased with ourselves for dropping the mainsail, albeit that we slowed down. We weren’t alone in this decision as two other rally yachts, The Pub and Element took the same decision, so we all trundled along comfortably. As things stood, we had possibly shaved off a night at sea, regardless; a nice unexpected bonus!

 

The afternoon was a continuation of the morning, though, with winds slightly lighter, contrary to the forecast, but we still had a visual on Element to our port side and we could hear a number of yachts on the VHF radio. We were simply happy to be sailing in the Arafura Sea; a nice change from the Tasman and Coral Seas, albeit a tad lumpy! It also helped that we’d completed 265NM of our 650NM passage.

 

So, after continuing to trundling along on headsail alone, another perusal of the weather forecast indicated the continuation of the conditions we were experiencing, with the exception of the winds veering to the southeast from east-southeast. This meant a better point of sail for Paw Paw on the mainsail and it meant the sail wouldn’t be flogging around in the swell. However, we decided to just continue trundling along.

 

In many respects this turned out to be a good decision, especially when we were hailed by the captain on Element in the middle of the night, indicating that he had spotted a fishing boat with a net in the water passing all the way across the path of both yachts. Since Element was to our port side at the time, this meant the net was situated a few miles to their port side crossing for a few miles to our starboard side. Impossible to alter course, he indicated that the net was lit up with flashing red, white and green lights and, fortunately, he was familiar with this fishing method from time sailed in the Mediterranean. Relaying that the lights lit up the highest point of the nets used for deep sea fishing of tuna, this meant it was safe to pass over the net as long as we stayed between the flashing lights where the net was deep below the surface. So, after Elaine woke Roy up to ensure we were both on deck and could keep a good lookout, we altered course to follow Element and cross the net between the flashing lights. Success, except for one small issue. This particular fishing boat had decided to run a surface line the entire length of the net, spotted at the last minute by Element. Having relayed the additional information and that the line had passed beneath his keels and rudders, we had no choice but to do the same without incident, thankfully. The experience, however, forced us to rethink our track and to alter course in order to pass Papua New Guinea further offshore, thereby avoiding any more fishing boats and nets. That also emphasised the better point of sail, so decision made; hoist a double reefed mainsail, reef the headsail, alter course and we were set for the remainder of the night with the bonus of having increased our SOG (Speed Over Ground).

 

What we weren’t expecting was for the weather to deteriorate, with stronger winds and higher seas. We were, however, configured for this and enjoyed boat speeds a little higher than expected, even after triple reefing the headsail, all of which had provided for an earlier arrival in Debut. Although it was a very dull, overcast, squally day, the winds moderated and the sun tried to peek through. We also still had Element for company and enjoyed a chat to Shawn on the VHF radio and Roy had the additional bonus of seeing a huge pod of dolphins on his morning watch.

 

That evening, having decided to drop the mainsail due to a change in wind direction again, back to east-southeast, we’d no sooner put both engines on, when we spotted another surface line associated with a fishing net, but unlit. Needless to say, it was a mad scramble to get both engines switched off again and the propellers folded just as we surfed over the line. Thankfully, it passed beneath us again without incident and we continued our sail change. 

 

The evening net, however, was full of stories of other yachts experiencing these lines, specifically Talulah Ruby III (Andy and Paul) who had experienced three instances over a period of two hours and had just hit another one while participating on the net. While bad enough for the catamarans, for a deep draft yacht this was proving to be very stressful indeed, forcing a hard turn to port in order to slide over the lines sideways to prevent the yacht getting hooked on to the net by the keel. Fortunately we were all able to swap information about the location of the nets encountered thus far in the hope that all the trailing yachts could avoid them. Despite the challenges of the day, though, spirits were up overall, especially since we were well past the halfway mark by this point with less than 200NM to go.

 

Having enjoyed a relatively peaceful night without any further encounters with fishing nets, the morning of Tuesday, 16th July 2019 was all about fishing boats instead. By noon we’d already had eight pass on either side of us; one coming within 100 metres regardless of how we altered course. We’d heard that this is typical behaviour of these vessels as there is a belief that they can pass any bad omens from one vessel to the other. We had a good giggle at the idea of any boat coming close to Paw Paw, as they would likely receive more bad juju than they expected and Elaine was definitely willing to pass it on. When this particular vessel eventually changed course and decided to move further away from us, they probably realised they were getting more than they had bargained for!

 

The fun was yet to begin, though. Within the hour we’d spotted five more, two of which decided 50 metres was a sufficiently safe distance and a look at the radar indicated hundreds more. It was raining fishing boats! This procession continued all afternoon and at any one time we could see at least five or six, but all giving us a wide berth. The word was clearly out; avoid that yacht at all cost!

 

By the evening we were on the home stretch and Paw Paw was like a horse to the barn, romping along at 9.6 Kts on headsail alone. She clearly wanted a break from all this sailing like the rest of us. So, with Lady (Jenny and Charlie) and Element (Shawn and Sherrie) a few miles ahead of us, the evening net relayed that Entice (Karen and Greg) was at anchor on one of the outer islands and Talulah Ruby III was arriving in the early hours of the morning, but anchoring out as well to then proceed to Debut during daylight. Based on our SOG, we estimated a daybreak arrival at the Kai Islands, following which we would proceed straight to Debut. With more fishing boats and nets to contend with overnight, we both had very little sleep, which made for a very long day, but “land ahoy” at daybreak on 17th July 2019, was a welcome sight indeed and, with that, it was “Hello Indonesia”.

 

Entering the anchorage at around 0900, only to learn that all our charts, both paper and electronic were not an accurate reflection of the water depths, made for a few anxious moments, though, but fortunately we received help from Element, yet again, who had unfortunately hit the bottom three times on entering the anchorage ahead of us earlier that morning. With helpful information relayed via the VHF radio as we slowly progressed, we were able to remain in the deeper water and reach the anchorage safely. By the time we were anchored, all Elaine wanted was her bed, while Roy decided to stay awake and start tidying up. It wasn’t long afterwards, however, that we noticed officials doing the rounds. That meant all hands on deck to get ready to clear in. Not what either of us wanted or needed after very little sleep the night before.

 

After, an hour of the various officials onboard, we were then informed that we had to visit the Customs office onshore. Unfortunately that turned into a very laborious process, as it transpired that our Vessel Declaration form, which the rally had provided to us, had, in fact, expired. That meant it had to be reissued, but unfortunately there were problems with the computer system. Third time was the charm in re-entering all the information required, but then printing the new form became the next technical issue. Despite the fact that it was nearly four hours later before we eventually got back to Paw Paw completely exhausted, the officials were extremely helpful and professional, let down only by technology, through no fault of their own. All we wanted now was our dinner and bed, but undertook one last task for the day; assist Rubicon (Lucy and Johan) get into the anchorage safely, given the help we had received from Element. It was our turn to “pay forward”!

 

There were a number of highlights to our first day in Indonesia, though, including a phone call to Keenan, meeting the cruisers off The Pub (Angela and Steve) and Charlie off Lady as they too waited to get their paperwork redone, meeting the cruisers off Amarillo (Lynn and Eric) who stopped by Paw Paw to introduce themselves and, finally, meeting the delightful, friendly people of Indonesia, especially the children who paddled out to us in their dugout canoes, calling out: “Mister,  mister” in their attempts to say hello and the children who helped with the dinghy, although, a short ride in it was what they really enjoyed.

 

When thinking about writing this article, it became apparent that there was so much to try and portray in words, both the positive and the negative. It’s fair to say, we almost felt traumatised by the time we left Indonesia and actually couldn’t wait to clear out and put the entire experience behind us, but it was also the most unusual destination that we have ever visited. Asked if we would consider visiting it again, the answer is a definitive no, but asked if we would recommend it to other cruisers, the answer is most definitely yes. Why such an opposing perspective? Well, we hope this article answers that question for you.

 

Indonesia, although it involves extremely difficult and dangerous sailing, which we soon discovered, it is also the most diverse country and, on hindsight and reflection, one of the rare remaining destinations where a cruiser can see little to no influence of the modern world. It is also difficult to perceive that it is one country, as every island you visit is completely different with the exception of, possibly, the food and the language, although the latter has many different dialects. Everything from the shape and style of fishing boats, the shape and style of FADs (Fish Accumulation Devices), the landscape, the traditional dancing and outfits worn, the fruits grown, the livestock farmed, the colour of the beaches, the texture of the beaches which ranged from powdery flour to rocky and from white to black in colour, including pink, anchorages that were either dreadful, deep and rolly or fabulous, shallow, protected and calm, the vastly different colours of water ranging from deep blue to green to turquoise, clear to opaque with sanding bottoms, dark mud or rock, weather ranging from warm and dry to hot and humid, with no rain for months to multiple downpours in a single afternoon or evening and from rain showers that cooled everything down to thunder and lightening storms that had us reaching for our blanket to hide underneath it, wind that ranged from absolutely nothing which had us motoring for hundreds of miles to wind that was so strong we couldn’t slow Paw Paw down to ensure daylight arrivals. Add the diversity of the stunning underwater world, where snorkelling revealed fish and coral species, not only varieties which we’d never seen before, but each new snorkelling spot revealed something new and unique and, of course, the magnificent sunrises and sunsets, the natural beauty of the towering volcanoes and the diverse wildlife from flying foxes to whale sharks to Orang-utans to Komodo dragons. Then there was Bali which felt like an entirely different country.

 

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