Squirrely sailing

I now know how a squirrel feels when attempting to cross a Los Angeles freeway in rush hour. After a full week of waiting on Indonesia Customs and Immigration to clear me out of Batam Island, I finally got the green light. So February 16th at 07:00, I headed out into the large channel that separates Indonesia from the island nation of Singapore for a 1-day solo sail to Malaysia (Judy was back home giving support to parents).

This is probably the world's busiest channel with ships of all sizes and types coming and going and from all points of the globe.

B U S Y !

My destination was the Danga Bay Marina (Malaysia) which is across a much smaller channel that creates the border on the north side of Singapore.

For the 1st couple of hours, I sailed west with a nice breeze on the starboard beam and with a 2-knot current. I paralleled the designated shipping lanes which is noted on the charts, a redundancy because all 1 had to do is observe the string of ships going in either direction to know where you shouldn't be. However, I had to cross those lanes at a prescribed place, which I did as I jogged around the hugest mega super tanker that was evidently loaded.

At any 1 time, I could count 50 to 100 ships either in route or anchored or berthed. I would guess that there are at least 1,000 ships in this immediate area at any given time.

1 of the smaller freighters

Once I had passed along the south side of Singapore, I turned and started up the Perkins to motor up the smaller channel on the west side heading north towards Danga Bay Marina. It was later in the afternoon when I turned into the Marina, and as the tide was at its lowest, I had only 1 metre under the keel at 1 point.

I tied up (N01°28.44' E103°43.38'), and just as I made the last snap on the sail cover, the sky opened up for a short but heavy shower. But this squirrel was safe and snug and to boot, Sea Turtle was getting a nice rinse off which is always good after a passage.

Assault on the senses

Indonesia (and Bali especially) is often stated as an assault on the senses. Now we understand why this is said. There is so much to see, smell, taste, hear, and touch that you become overwhelmed at times.

Sight: Our first impression was of all the sights and scenes that we absorbed as we travelled along scenic paths and roads or through picturesque terraced rice paddies; as we strolled quaint alleys of villages, towns, and cities; as we contemplated the unique traditional architecture as we passed or entered buildings, residences, and temples; as we watched the beautifully decorated traditional dancers. Everywhere the sights were amazing. Handmade carvings of wood, stone, marble, etc. were beyond words to describe. 

We watched as traffic cops helped pedestrians to jaywalk, stopping traffic as they led the pedestrian across! And even more surprising, was seeing so many, very young, motor-scooter drivers. These capable youngsters would ride them to and from school and all around the towns or villages. After all, they grow up as passengers on them from the day they are born.

How old are you?! (courtesy of Aaron)

As well as young drivers on motor-scooters, we saw adults on loaded motorcycles or bicycles with their wares to sell. This man on bicycle is actually moving down the street, fully loaded!

He must be in there somewhere...

Smell could be positive or negative. When walking or driving past areas where garbage had been dumped was very bad. We would have to plug our noses until we passed by! The smell of smoke could be rampant as almost all men and most women smoke in Indonesia. (There were also many large billboards advertising cigarettes, something no longer allowed in North America.)

But the aroma of delicious food cooking was very enticing and the odour of stunning flowers intoxicating.

Come close...

Taste: And speaking of food, we found the food in Indonesia to taste delicious whether from roadside stands or restaurants. I can't handle real spicy foods but when we asked for mild, it almost always was. We tasted many dishes that we have never even heard of before and it was usually something that we thoroughly enjoyed.

A large lunch buffet

Due to high humidity, liquid sugar was served with coffee, etc. What we lacked for our taste buds was good wine! It was very difficult to find any wine in most of Indonesia, and when we did, it was quite expensive, so come well stocked.

Hear: Our ears could hear all sorts of different sounds. Throughout the day at specified times was the sound of the Muslim call to prayer. For us, at time, this was an annoying sound but we soon learned to blank it out. And of course there were the typical roosters crowing in the morning. In larger centres, blaring bar music.

Gleeful laughter of adorable children

But there was also the sound of silence when in the outlying areas which was a nice change from city noise.

Touch: What can we say about touch? Well, all the new fruits and vegetables never tried before; the soft leathery pads of monkey and orangutan paws, the soft sands on our feet, the tickle of the butterflies when they would alight, and all the different textures of cloth such as the exquisite silks, linens, cottons, etc.

Super soft feel

Riding in a van bus assaults several senses. Drivers honk their horns as a warning of their approach, quickly swerving through hand-drawn carts, pedestrians, and hundreds of motor-scooters. It's a mystery how they can see where they are going as their windshields are tinted and cluttered with many small round mirrors, gadgets, stuffed animals, etc. usually stretching from 1 side clear over to the other side.

This is 1 of the less cluttered windshields with several items hanging from the rearview mirror, 3 round mirrors stuck to windshield, 5 Happy Faces, stuffed animals all along the dashboard, and tinting at top and bottom, leaving only a narrow strip of clear vision...

All in all, the new and unique stimulating senses added to the memories that we cherish. Yes, Indonesia was definitely a fabulous assault on our senses!

Official dollars and time

Following is a summary of facts of Indonesian officialdom for the 2 of us, and many other sailors, with costs indicated in US dollars:

Prearranged Cruising Permit (CAIT) must be applied and issued prior to entering Indonesia. Cost: $200 for agent fees. Time: 3 weeks. The 90-day clock started ticking on this day before we even reached Indonesia.

Prearranged personal 60-day Visa is required before entering Indonesia. Process done at the closest Indonesian Consulate, which for us was Fiji. Time: 2 days.

Checking in for us was at a rather remote city in Tual. Cost: $130. Time: A frustrating 6-day process mostly do do with Custom procedures (officials not familiar or up-to-date with sailor-related privileges).

Renewal of personal Visas for an additional 30 days while at Bali. Applied on Wednesday, paid the fee of $160 on Friday, then returned for the 3rd time on Monday to pick up passports with new stamps. Time: 5-day process.

Renewal of CAIT. Cost: another $200 for agent fees. Time: 1 month.

Renewal of personal Visas for another 50 days while at Pangkal Pinang. Cost: $450 including 4-day overstay penalty, local agent assistance, and travel. Time: 5-day process.

Renewal of Jordan's last personal Visa. Cost: $85 including ferry. Time: 4-hour process.

Indonesian checkout. Cost: $125. Time: 1-week process.

Total cost of officialdom for our 4-months in Indonesia: $1,350

Indonesian checkout

I had arrived at the Nongsa Point Marina from Mentok on Saturday, February 8th. This is an Indonesian checkout spot that many westbound sailors use for its location and as the Marina staff facilitates the checkout officialdom. It is on the Island of Batam right across the strait from the island country of Singapore and would be the last stop in Indonesia. (Judy was still in Canada helping her parents.)

I soon found out that I had arrived on the final day of a week-long annual sailboat race/regatta that the Marina hosted. Most of the boats were stationed in the area, but the crews were from all over. I took advantage of fresh shore water to give Sea Turtle a refreshing shower.

Upon registering my arrival at the office, I informed them that my personal Visitor's Visa would expire the next day and asked them if they could process my checkout pronto. They said "If you bring up your paperwork, it should be no problem." (Hmmm...I think I have heard that one before.)

"Do you have a wheelbarrow?"
"What?"
"Never mind."

So staying positive, I presented all of the reams of official Indonesian papers that we had accumulated and let them tell me which ones they needed. But apparently, I didn't have the proper Import Permit, and the one we had, had expired which they decisively pointed to. I felt like asking them if they had ever travelled to China, and if so, could they read Chinese? All the forms are in Indonesian and nobody explained that we even had an Import Permit much less explained that it expired.

We were always made aware when our Visitor's Visas and our Cruising Permit (CAIT) was about to expire, no one mentioned anything about an Import Permit. This apparently was going to need some consultation with the Customs head office to sort it out.

I could see that this was going to take more than one day, so I decided to do a Singapore Visa run the next morning, the day my personal Indonesian Visa expired. But the Marina facilities here were great with restaurant, bar, showers, and swimming pool, so in the meantime, I decided to heed the call of the cold at poolside.

Refreshing indeed

I was up at 05:15 the next morning to catch the shuttle bus for a short ride to the ferry terminal for the 06:00 Singapore run. Before boarding, the Immigration stamped my passport as outgoing. It was a short 30-minute ride across the strait where I went through Singapore Immigration and they stamped my passport giving me a 30-day Visitor's Visa for Singapore. (Thanks, but I only need about an hour.) I had a quick runny egg breakfast, then got back on the ferry for the return ride.

So on landing back in Indonesia, of course, it was through Customs Immigration again as an incoming tourist. "Would you like a 7-day or 30-day Visa?" they asked. Now normally, I am a positive and optimistic person, but after 4 months of cruising in Indonesia and dealing with bureaucracy, I was being cured of that condition and I was being swayed over to the dark side. So it was with an unapologetic pessimist attitude that I paid the extra and went for the 30-day.

The days started to tick by with no progress. My inquiries yielded small dribbles of insight as to the goings on of the officialdom out yonder, beyond my control. Evidently, the normal agent, for the normal of fee of $25 couldn't handle my problem with Customs. It required a different agent.

By Thursday (5 days later), I finally was informed that everything was sorted out and the Customs would clear me, however, the agent needed a $300 US payment to cover Custom fees, penalties, and agent fees. I was getting a distinct whiff of a fattened rodent.

I informed him this was exorbitant and I asked for a breakdown of costs for Customs, penalties, and agent fees and that I would take it up with our agent Raymond in Jakarta who we had used for our original incoming processing. Well, it turned out that when pressured, he said it was all just agent fees. I told him that was too much and it should be no more than $100 US. The next day, he texted me a simple blunt message "I cannot act as your agent." I replied with a not so simple and not so nice retort.

Raymond in the meantime inquired about the problem and apparently we were originally given a commercial type of Import Permit that was a comprehensive bundle of bureaucratic redundancy that needed attending to, however it was mostly done and I could finish it.

Surprise, surprise - the next morning I got a text that the agent would finish the process and the charge would only be the $100 US. So I gave him the go-ahead.

So by Saturday, the whole clearing out process was done and I was free to go. One week to check out of a country! Unbelievable. Raymond, our agent in Jakarta has been working with Tourism Indonesia to simplify this complicated bureaucracy, but the wheels are rusty.

The upside...it was a nice place to be held hostage. The resort facilities were at my disposal. I practiced up on the pool table at the bar beside the pool which I swam in everyday. A good fast internet was included! Life could be worse.

February 16th at 07:00, I departed the clutches of Indonesia for a solo one-day sail to another marina in Malaysia.

Sea Turtle ready to leave Nongsa Point Marina

The battle in my brain

It seems that just before a departure on a passage the opposing poles of my psyche start bantering like fighters in the ring. The venue is my grey matter. The longer we have been in port, the more intense the fighting goes. This departure was no different. My middle mind acts like the referee at ringside as Apprehension, the opponent on 1 side, battles it out with Enthusiasm on the other.

Apprehension throws a solid: "It's a good practice to add 10 knots to the weather reports and expect bashing into unexpected short steep waves that halt you in your tracks."

On the defensive, Enthusiasm counters with: "So what's the worst, we have to tack an extra day for the first leg."

Apprehension: "The longer you postpone your leave, the better the seasonal strong winds will abate, so just wait."

Enthusiasm: "But our friend Sam told us that the latest up-to-date news was that the supply ships, after being weather bound for so long, were now heading out because it was calming down considerably."

Undeterred, Apprehension lands a solid 'one-two': "Did you forget already getting beat up trying the passage from Kalimantan or that horrid night trying to make the last 10 nautical miles around the point to the Bali harbour."

The battle seemed close at times but, in the end, the optimism of undefeated Enthusiasm won the match, making it now 26 & 0.

This is a battle that plays out in the fickle minds of more than just this sailor. I've seen world class sailors in various ports permanently hunkered down, frozen with the fears from their last rough passage blinding them of the remembrance of those good ones.

So the late afternoon of February 4th, I spent stowing and lashing and sending off emails giving notice to loved ones that I would be severing Mentok's hold early in the morning. Judy was home in Canada giving some support to parents so I would be solo sailing, a 1st for me.

The 1st day would be the breaker. If I made that open stretch okay, the rest should be much easier.

Goodbye Mentok

Shortly after I pulled anchor, I was around the point and heading into the wind that was coming directly down my rhumb line. It was about 12 to 15 knots, just enough to make waves the size and spacing that stopped Sea Turtle if she tried to go directly into them. So I fell off about 35° and motorsailed to keep it as close as possible into the wind, tacking my way north across this 50 nautical miles of open sea.

Not more than an hour out, the auto pilot started to act up and then quit completely. I spent an hour troubleshooting and determined it was unfixable by me. I could hear Apprehension mumble something from the corner of my mind. I ignored him and undeterred I attached the self-steering windvane rudder and kept going. The windvane requires a certain amount of wind for it to function adequately and that I had for the 1st day and night.

It took tacking back and forth all of that 1st day and night to make it across the 1st open stretch. It was not unpleasant at all. "Take that Apprehension!" I am fortunately wired so that I can fall asleep within 15 seconds of putting my head down. So with a timer placed close to my ear and set for 17 minutes, I woke regularly for my checks throughout the night.

I enjoyed greeting the early morning dawn rested, and perked up with a cup of java. On the north side of the open sea area that I had just crossed, and close to my planned route, the charts showed a wreck. There are many wrecks noted in this part of the world but almost all are below water, however this was noted as parts above water. Sure enough, there it was, a not too old freighter sitting mostly out of the water with its back broken, slowly being recycled by nature. I wondered what it was like on the bridge at the moment she ran aground.

It was on the charts...

Captain to 1st Mate: "What was that rumble?"
1st Mate: "I don't know Captain. Maybe you should check the charts."
Captain: "Ahhh, yes Mate, good idea...where do we keep those?"

My route from that point on took me mostly on the west side of a string of islands or between them. The wind predictions were 10 to 14 knots from the NNE, so with a little of lee from the islands, the wind was that or much less most of the rest of the way. But the windvane needs a stiffer breeze that that and likes it more on the beam, so I was hand-steering for the rest of the way.

Hand-steering didn't require constant vigilance behind the wheel as I had feared. I mostly sat under the dodger reading my Kindle e-book and only occasionally making slight adjustment to stay the course. I was even able to pop to and from below to make meals, etc. while making way.

The 2nd night, I was able to find a nice anchorage (S00°39.8' E104°20.5') at the south end of Singkep Island around 05:30 and was able to watch a movie before retiring for a full night's sleep. Up at 05:00. Coffee on. Check engine oil and clean up bilge. Up anchor and off at 06:00.

1st anchorage

About 07:00, I was passing a settlement where I had marked my charts as the anchorage our friends used 1 night on their passage. There I noticed what looked like cell phone towers so I pulled closer to shore to see if I could get reception for my cellular Wi-Fi. Even though reception was the speed of sap in winter, I was able to get and send a couple of emails and even get a Buoy Weather report. The forecast was still good. The site track cost me an hour but it was worth it.

The tide/current was with me all morning and I noticed it mostly passing between islands. However in those conditions where I was encountering current against even the slightest winds, it created short, steep, little waves that would bounce Sea Turtle causing the bow to pound into the face of each wave, almost stopping her at times. Once out in more open waters though, it was easy going.

The skies were hazy in the mornings but clear and sunny during the days.

At 17:35, it was another milestone for Sea Turtle. We crossed into the Northern Hemisphere on February 6th. Sea Turtle had been cruising south of the equator for 2.5 years (crossed southbound off the coast of Ecuador on August 16, 2011). I celebrated alone in the warm velvet evening setting sun by cracking open a cold beer and downed it in quiet but happy contemplation of the places this good little ship had carried us. Those moments were almost perfect. Almost, because I was missing my 1st Mate.

Crossing the equator northbound

Later that evening, I dropped anchor (N00°06.65' E104°19.25') on the lee side of an island for another peaceful night. Rarely do I come in to anchor in the dark, but before the evening light faded, I could see the island's features and then with radar and depth sounder, I very slowly moved in safely. Again, I noticed a cell tower. Weird for such a remote place. I tried Wi-Fi again and actually got some emailing done as slow as it was.

Early in the morning, I pulled out for the next day's journey. Shortly after getting underway, I noticed some other sailboats at an adjacent island. This was a curious sight as very few cruise these waters at this time of year. I radioed but got no response.

I was in an area of beautiful islands with hilly topography and sandy beaches. Definitely a great cruising area. I thought maybe that was why I was seeing other sailboats. Maybe Singaporeans down for some cruising?

Singapore is an island country that punctuates the bottom of the Malaysia Peninsula. My destination was a marina still in Indonesia on the Island of Batam, just across and on the south side of the Singapore Strait which runs east and west. I would have to go up another strait between Batam and Bintan Islands that run north and west. My last night anchoring (N00°48.6' E104°21.3') was in that later strait.

At that point, I was seeing not only other sailboats, but increasing marine traffic. Also very evident was development. I was leaving remoteness behind. Again I was able to slowly get and send some emails.

Up and away at 06:00, it was my last jaunt. Going up the Strait, I was constantly dodging small fishing boats as speedy passenger ferries were constantly dodging around me as they transitted back and forth from the 2 bigger islands. The further I got up the channel, the more commercial traffic - either coming or going or at anchor or at the port's piers.

The last 8 nautical miles gave me good gap winds on the beam, so I extinguished the purr of the Perkins for a pleasant 6-knot sail right up the entrance of the Nongsa Point Marina (N01°11.8' E104°05.8') on Batam Island on February 8th. I pulled in along with sailboats who were returning.

It had taken a relatively comfortable 4 days + 5 hours - including my 3 nights at anchor - and covered 275 NM to make our destination. So take that, Apprehension!

Memorable times in Mentok

Alone on Sea Turtle for the 1st time. Normally Judy and I at any time are no more than a boat's interior distance apart. Some have asked us how we could live so close together 24/7 but it just seems right to us. Now with her half a world away, it seems strange. But boat jobs fill some of the void.

Still in Mentok (aka Muntok, Indonesia), I daily talked to Arthur on Morning Glory to compare weather predictions that we each pull off our favourite internet sites. Right from the boat I got 3G internet using the cell phone system so I kept in touch daily with Judy while she was in 50° below zero Alberta weather.

Judy and her Dad in cold Canada

Sam and his wife as well as his parents, all of Chinese ancestry, have adopted me and make the delay in this port memorable. They are a well known and respected fixture in the happy community. There is a diverse religious mix here - Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu - and they all are proud how they accept each other with absolutely no prejudice or judgment.

Sam insisted I spend 2 days with them for Chinese New Year's, a big thing for Chinese all around the world. The 1st day, as tradition dictates, Sam opened up his garage door and set it up for visitors, replete with light eats and customary snacks where anyone known or otherwise was welcomed in for pleasantries. I was an honoured guest that Sam graciously introduced to each and every visitor. The next day, I went with the family to make their rounds to their friends where we were in turn catered to.

Far left: Sam's parents, left next to parents: Sam & wife, far right in back: Jordan

Yet another display of the wonderful friendly local hospitality was shown when I was invited along with Sam and family to an annual feast put on by a large extended Chinese family of Buddhist persuasion. (Sam and family are Christian.) The variety and abundance of dishes, many I had never tasted before, was a symphony of delights.

I reciprocated the only way appropriate and had Sam and family all out to the boat for snacks and refreshments. I dug out some ancient prized Chinese tea that we were given by our Chinese friends before we left Victoria. They were quite impressed with our floating home and the tea.

Another day, Sam and I hiked to the top of a hill just outside town that was the exiled home of Indonesian royalty during the turmoil of Indonesian independence.

Strange rock erosion

And on it went. Another day for dinner at Sam's parents. Another night when the dinghy was high and dry in the mud by the time for my return to Sea Turtle, Sam insisted I stay once again with them.

When Morning Glory detected some predictions for slightly less wind, they decided to make a run for the north. They are a faster boat with a family of 4. I would be single-handing so I was not quite comfortable with the prediction. So I was left as the only and lonely sailboat.

Finally though I saw a comfortable forecast for significantly lesser winds so decided to make my departure. When I was in port to say my goodbyes, the confidence of my decision was strengthened when the news in town was that the commercial boats were about to start moving which delighted them because town supplies were getting low.

Mentok discoveries

During our stay in Mentok (aka Muntok) on Bangka Island of Indonesia, we did a bit of exploring with our local friend Sam.

We learned that Mentok's history developed from tin mining. In fact, Bangka's name was derived from wangka meaning tin. We were in a tin rich area that stretched from as far north as Thailand to down past this area. Much of the mining is done by large working dredge barges that we had seen in the area and were anchored close by. There were all sorts of support boats, like the fuel transports, tugs, etc.

Tin is found in the sandy bottom of the ocean that is dredged up from the shallows and sluiced to yield a dense black sand that is highly concentrated with tin. Just south of town is a large tin smelter that produces ingots for export. Many tourist items are made from tin and Sam was even able to get a bit of the black tin sand for me to add to my collection!

Sam acted as our tour guide of the town. We visited the new museum where we learned that the Dutch started the tin mining here in the 1700s. He also took us out to the old towering lighthouse at the point where we climbed the cramped circular stairs up over 100 stairs.

View from the top of the lighthouse

However, during the days waiting for a weather window, I was getting some distressing news about my Mom's deteriorating health with the realization that her hospitalization wouldn't be temporary, leaving Dad on his own to deal with this difficult and sad adjustment.

We both were planning on flying home in a couple of months to visit, but now things were not the same. I decided to fly home early and Jordan would join me after he and Sea Turtle made the necessary exit of Indonesia. Sam found and booked me a reasonably priced, short notice, flight back to Canada.

With a few days before I left, we had a chance to receive the warm hospitality of Sam and his friends and family. He treated us royally and even one night when an extremely low tide left our dinghy high and dry in the mud (along with all the other boats in the harbour) preventing us from returning to Sea Turtle for the night, he insisted that we stay with him and his wife in their home overnight.

Sam with wife Elizabeth and their nephews

Our friends (Amy and Arthur, and their kids Rivers and Stephen) on board Morning Glory had arrived at Mentok after doing the same orangutan tour we took. They too were on their way north and needed to wait for weather and renew their visas as well. So we introduced them to Sam who once again obligingly facilitated officialdom for their visa extension.

We and Morning Glory also met a bright young gentleman named Harry who worked in a roadside shop. He made us delicious avocado drinks with ice that he crushed manually with his old antique green crusher. We enjoyed our visits and great conversation with Harry at his shop.

South Borneo and these islands are major growers of the palms used for palm oil. We passed by huge tracts of these palm plantations and saw clusters of the palm tree fruit at the side of the road waiting to be picked up or delivered. Malaysia is the 2nd largest producer but the largest exporter of palm oil.

Jordan with roadside clusters

When it came time, Jordan accompanied me on the bus to Pangkal Pinang where I would leave the next morning. That night, we stayed in a luxury hotel and dined over a gourmet last meal.

Mentok chores

Mentok (aka Muntok) is on the northwest end of Bangka Island (Indonesia). We were anchored in front of the town about half a nautical mile offshore because of the shallowing depth and about 2 nautical miles from a point that protected us and many other anchored commercial boats from the north winds.

With the dinghy launched, our first sojourn ashore was exploratory. We entered a small harbour behind the breakwater where we had spotted boat traffic going in and out of and discovered a myriad of mostly fishing boats rafted up 10 wide or more. We tied our dinghy alongside and clamoured across the fleet and climbed the piles up to the pier. We quickly realized from the friendly stares and the continuous "Hello Mista" that we were a curious novelty in this rather remote town.

Boats all in a row

First stop: checking into an internet shop, where again we sat on the floor in a cramped corner getting our email and checking weather sites. It was quickly obvious that the north winds were here and it would be who knows how long before we could see an adequate break to make the last 450 nautical miles (835 km) to exit Indonesia.

Then the next issue we had to address was our expired visitor's visas. "Overstays" as they define it are penalized at $20/day/person. We realized we could be stuck for weeks waiting for a weather window and the penalties could be substantial by the time we made it to the Indonesian checkout place. So we had to consider flying to Singapore for a visa run.

Visa runs for many travellers visiting in SE Asia are common and it usually involves simply going across the border of the closest neighbouring country. There, one would get their passport stamped for exiting the country that they just left and stamped into the country that they just entered. Then one turns right around and returns, getting an exit stamp and a new entry visa for the country that they want to stay in. Making a visa run from Mentok, a small town far off the tourist track with no airport, was not going to be easy.

We wandered through the narrow streets to familiarize ourselves with the town. After inquiring, we were referred to a small office that handled travel arrangements. There we met the owner Sam who would become not only the most gracious host to us but also became a special friend.

Jordan and Sam

Sam soon told us an alternative way to get our visa renewed. There was an immigration office in Pangal Pinang, the capital of Bangka and across the Island, a 2.5 hour drive away. The process would take 3 trips to their office and about a week but we wouldn't have to travel out of the country (ie. an expensive flight to Singapore).

Sam offered to transport us and liaise for us through the infamous and not-so-straight-forward Indonesian officialdom. A bonus: Sam could speak Indonesian. When we asked Sam what he would charge for his services, he responded "Whatever you think, it's not that important." Now normally when we get such a response, we are on guard because it is open for overcharges after the service is done. But for some reason, we sensed in Sam a genuine honesty and benevolence which we would learn was an understatement.

Once the immigration visa extension process was done, it cost (including penalties) about $550 and only gave us 3 remaining weeks after which we would either have to do it all over again or be checked out of Indonesia up north by then.

Fuel was another requirement, a not so easy endeavour at the best of places. We had anchored right beside a self-propelled barge, Avirra III of Jakarta, that looked like it was a fuel transporter. What the heck, no harm in asking. Jordan dinghied over to see if a purchase could be done and after some haggling on price, the super friendly crew accommodated Jordan's fuel jug sorties.

Awesome Avirra III

We were given a tour of the spotlessly clean Avirra with its shiny green deck. Their cook served us coffee and we were able to check email on a crew member's phone. What a great bunch of guys!

Jordan wanted to get a permanent fix to replace the jury fix of the broken injector pipe. Our engine is an older Perkins made in Britain halfway around the world. Factory original parts, if available, would take some time to get delivered.

So one of our day trips with Sam to the city of Pangkal Pinang, with a spare injector and broken pipe in hand, we stopped at a dealer for Kubota Earth Excavators to see if their machine shop could fabricate what we needed. But he brought out from his Parts Department an injector pipe for a Kubota and surprisingly it had the right threaded nuts and flared ends that could be fitted on our Perkins!! The pipe was extra long but with a bit on bending it did the fix. Things were working out.

Karimunjawa to Mentok

The forecast for a few days was for light winds from the north, so we wasted no time getting out of Karimunjawa to head north for a checkout point of Indonesia.

Skies were squally with thunder and lightning around the islands, but as we left, our course kept us just upwind of an ominous storm cell. Our first hour was a nice sail to windward through a few islands, then once out in the open, the winds died so it was motoring as expected. We kept our fingers crossed for 2 days of light winds which would get us to the lee of islands to the north - and we were fortunate to get what we wished!

As we got close to the channel between Bangka Island and Sumatra Island on our port but still about 30 nautical miles offshore in open waters, we noticed a larger fishing boat anchored in strong current. The depth was about 15 metres. Jordan was concerned about running short on fuel before our next available fuel stop so we pulled up to the fishing boat to see if they could sell us some diesel.

Our communication was by signing. Jordan held up a jerry jug, hollered "Solar?" and showed them some Indo currency notes, and we got a jolly affirmative.

Even though there was only a moderate wind, the tides created short steep waves, so tying alongside was not an option. They tossed us a line and we tied off on our bow. Another messenger line was floated back using a big clear inflated bag which Jordan then tied around a jug and they hauled it back for filling. We did that twice, to yield us about 37 litres (10 gallons).

Jordan put the cash in the float bag to be sent back to complete the transaction. Judging from all the crew spectating and then waving goodbye with big smiles, this no doubt was a pleasant and rare interlude to their mundane sea life.

The money's in the bag!

We had to battle increasing winds and tides to get up into the channel and relented for a few hours by anchoring (S03°20.082' E106°38.024'). Once the tide changed enough to lay down the seas, we started up again and the tighter the channel got, the more the water flattened and gave us some calm motoring. But we had been experiencing periodic motor rev increase that was worrisome. Could it mean clogged fuel filters or worse, a slipping tranny? We carried on though.

The channel we were heading up through was a busy shipping route. Small freighters and big tugs were ever present. At times, we would pass real close and exchange pleasant waves.

We noticed a funny practice by the local small fishing boats that Jordan dubbed "Indo remoras" (a remora is a fish that suctions itself to larger fish for a free ride). The fishermen would sneak up behind the barges being towed by a tugboat and hook onto the barge for a free ride. Jordan and I looked at each other. "Hmmmmm, should we?" But we chose not to be likened to a parasitic fish! LOL!

Indo remora

The land on either side of the channel was low lying and the waters were shallow for a long way out so we maintained a close watch on the depth sounder especially when we cut the corners.

We got pelted with rain and threatened by lightning as we wound our way north but were happy to be in protected waters. Our next anticipated stop was at the north end of Bangka Island at a town called Mentok (aka Muntok). Just a few hours short of that stop, we were getting an increased smell of diesel that was puzzling and the periodic motor rev increase was increasing. We increased throttle, but that didn't provide any more power. So we decided to anchor and try to find out what it was.

Once the engine compartment was open, Jordan found a leak from a crack in the #1 injector line right at the injector. It was late so we decided to both get a good night's sleep then tackle the problem (S02°14.545' E105°36.876').

The next morning, it took some ingenious jury fabricating using bits and pieces, taping and drilling till Jordan got a leakproof fitting of the high pressure line. Then we were off for a short 6-hour run to Mentok. As we rounded the last point before the town, we got a stiff wind which we at first beat into until we were close enough to the lee of the land to motor the final short distance.

The charts showed rather shallow bottom that diminished up to the shore. That was the last place of protection before one would meet the open seas beyond and the force of a north wind sea. For a couple of kilometres along the shore, other commercial boats were anchored.

Watching our depth sounder, we slowly moved towards the shore for a suitable anchoring depth. But something weird was happening. Our depth sounder indicated an erratic bottom - 8 metres, 90 metres, all over the place. The geography was low and flat and predictable; the charts showed the bottom was a constant but slowly increasing depth further out. We thought the depth sounder was giving up the ghost.

So Jordan got out the fishing rod with a weighted line and sounded, and sure enough, the sandy bottom was extremely irregular and to add evidence to it, in the running tide we could see a swirl in the water with muddy variegation. What we learned later was that this area has been dredged for tin leaving an unnatural irregular bottom. But we felt secure, and once anchored (S02°04.723' E105°09.494') at 18:00 on January 14th, relaxed with a good holding bottom.

Just before leaving

Still nestled in the group of Karimunjawa Islands of Indonesia, we once again went ashore to check internet as we waited for our weather window. Through several online sources, Jordan determined that we should leave today.

We walked past several large quacking ducks with weird bumps on their beaks and children gleefully yelling out "Hello Mista" and giving the high-5 as we passed the ubiquitous mounds of refuse on our way to market with our trusty guide Hussein.

No smiles today for the camera

Regrettably, this was the poorest market we have ever been to. There was a severe lack of products and what was available was old, wrinkled, and shrivelled. Several pared down heads of cabbage full of worm holes and 1 bunch of ripe bananas covered with unappetizing white spots were a couple of the few choices. No fruit was available but Hussein had given us 8 Jambu that he'd picked from a tree earlier...

Local fruit: Jambu

Jordan didn't care for them as he found them to be bitter tasting but I enjoyed them with a texture and taste similar to a pear.

Wood carving is a popular pastime at Karimunjawa with many beautiful samples displayed. There are 3 local types of wood and the people believe that each has a different symbol and meaning. Hussein's family sold me a very unusual wooden ring with an inlaid shell.

We pulled anchor at 14:00 as we motored once again. During our brief stay, we were disheartened that we did not have time to explore the white sand beaches, blue lagoons, and nearby islands. But being here during the off season means we must take advantage of every available weather window.

Hussein's pink boat in the foreground as we leave...

Karimunjawa

We had successfully made our 2nd attempt to escape beautiful Bali and were just about ready to anchor at Karimunjawa (Indondsia) on January 8th, when a young man named Hussein approached Sea Turtle as we scouted the area and directed us to a free-standing wood pier across from the long and large 1-year old concrete main pier that was too high for Sea Turtle's bumpers. He was a very take-charge kind of man but also very obliging as he became our guide.

The wooden pier was ramshackle with boards lying atop but no longer nailed down and with big gaps between many of the boards. The supporting structure seemed sturdy and safe enough. (As instructed by Hussein, we tied alongside but Jordan later Med-moored/tied us stern-to at S05°52.709' E110°25.805')

Flimsy surface but solid piles

We went to town with Hussein and were shocked at the non-stop profuse layers of garbage right behind the shore homes and throughout the town. How could they stand to live next to smelly garbage? Hussein's care-less-attitudinal-response was that it would all 1 day be covered with soil. It was such a pity that the locals abused the otherwise pristine archipelagos. This beautiful group of 27 islands is a National Marine Park.

Nice backyard??

Our goal during our brief sojourn was to take on fuel and check the marine weather forecast, but everywhere we asked, we were told "No internet." Fortunately, Hussein's friend (wearing a cool sea turtle T-shirt!) offered his computer for a fee as he could receive Wi-Fi with his plug-in USB stick that connects to the cell phone system. This is what we had used in other places such as New Zealand and Vanuatu for internet.

Next we had to refill our tanks with diesel (called solar here). We have done so much motoring and will probably continue to do so before reaching Malaysia. Hussein put Jordan in touch with a woman that he could purchase the required fuel from. She sold it out of big plastic jugs of suspect cleanliness.

We visited with a vacationing couple from Jakarta (Indonesia) at a restaurant and then walked over towards the sounds of loud music and singing from a visiting pop music band. The area was filled with parked motor-scooters, stalls selling cheap toys and trinkets, and locals sitting on the road from 1 edge to the other in front of the stage.

The stage was full of bright flashing lights and the Asian singers wore very short miniskirts and very high stilettos. Sadly, the singing was pretty atrocious so we did not stay long, much to Hussein's disappointment. We made our way over to an internet shop that is only open at night as that is when the electricity was turned on. The man at the shop took pity on us and kindly gave us the password and let us check weather and email.

We then returned to Sea Turtle for a quiet night's sleep.

2nd attempt

For our 2nd time in Bali, it would be to regroup before we would make our 2nd attempt to run northwest to our Indonesian checkout point just beside Singapore.

A problem we were now facing was the seasonal persistent northwest winds were filling and beating into headwinds for the distance we needed to go and would be too much. Winds would be NW the next few months with some rare short spells of light winds. We had to wait for the latter. We consulted with Bob McDavit, a weather guru based out of New Zealand who would give us weather window predictions for departure.

We also had to address the failing backstay problem. Bali harbours a service a wide area of marine commerce where rafts of mainly large fishing boats offload and do repairs. But we soon realized that sophisticated and advanced rigging technology in this neck of the seas consisted of lengths of cable, galvanized if you were lucky to find it, looped back on itself, and secured with a couple of bolt clamps.

So Jordan bought a length of cable that was claimed to be stainless steel (but soon as sea proved otherwise), and some bolt clamps and a turnbuckle that were in fact stainless steel, and installed a supplemental backstay that would to the trick until we could get a real replacement for our backstay.

A nice interlude was a surprised dinner visit with our Bali friend Joel.

Beautiful Bali? Yes, Bali is indeed beautiful, but why does the dinghy dock have to be such a disaster, falling apart and littered with garbage...

After 5 days in Bali, Bob gave us a "go", predicting about 5 days of light winds for the area we needed to head into. Another dilemma. Our visitor's visas at that point would expire in about 2 weeks and it would be highly unlikely that we could expect 10 days of light winds needed to make it all the way. So we were faced with the decision of renewing our visa while in Bali, at least a week-long process (which would give us another 30 days) but would mean missing our weather window and then having to wait who knows how long for the next light winds, OR, making a run for it and paying whatever penalties for the overstay.

We were all fueled up and ready except for a quick prop cleaning dive and a last minute run to the supermarket. Go? Stay? Go? Stay? We decided to go. (Note to the uninitiated: Always leave with a clean prop because the slightest growth will drastically disrupt the aqua-dynamic flow over the blades which significantly reduces your "speed" for lack of a better word and which is not really an appropriate word to use to describe sailing progress!)

So our 2nd departure from Bali was at 16:00 on January 3rd. Choosing a different route this time, our route took us around the south tip and up the west side. We were motoring in calm seas when we rounded the point. A good start. In the middle of the night while Jordan was on watch, he heard a thump and detected a momentary slowing of RPMs. Something solid enough to feel it and contact with the prop makes one anxious.

In a moment, he had the powerful handheld searchlight on and didn't have to scan far to realize there was a massive collection of flotsam on the tide line that stretched along our course. The rains wash all sorts of debris off the islands including natural and manmade. There were trees, the ubiquitous plastic garbage, and Jordan said he even saw about a 2-metre long dead alligator.

After a course alteration, it was back to a relaxing watch. Well, for a short time that is. Soon we encountered 1 of a few faintly lit small open fishing boats at the end of nets that stretched across our path. There was a predictable maneuvering pattern. Spot the lit boat and pass to the right, because the nets stretched away in the other directions. We would close enough to exchange a friendly "Hello Mista" to break up the lone fishing boat's monotony.

Bright and colourful!

As soon as the sun was up, Jordan stopped Sea Turtle and drifted while he dove on the prop to clear a bit of plastic. It's always a strange feeling to be in the water drifting along with your boat while out in the open seas.

We then were approaching the narrow pass between Java to the west and Bali on our starboard. Our tide table indicated that our timing was good, but it could be out as much as 2 hours, and if we hit it wrong, full power wouldn't yield us any progress. But as it was, the tide was in our favour and the only concern was the busy commercial traffic that was transitting the pass and the 2 ports on either side of the channel.

The 2nd day was pleasant motoring, as much as motoring can be pleasant that is, in clear skies until evening when the convection clouds developed into thunderheads that turned the skies dark, producing copious amounts of rain and dire lightning displays.

On the 3rd day, January 6th, we motored past oil well platforms. At night, the lights of these goliaths can be seen for many kilometres away.

The winds, on Sea Turtle's nose of course, gradually picked up by the afternoon so we started to sail. As we made long tacks, we kept passing a tug with its barge that was heading in the same direction. It became a game in our minds to see if we could gain enough ground to make the next pass in front of him. Eventually we did!

As we approached the islands of Karimunjawa at nightfall, the winds died. We needed to make a stop here for fuel and check our weather guru on the internet to see what we could expect for the next few days. but the village anchorage is reef strewn and entering at night too dangerous so 5 nautical miles off, we turned on our anchor light and drifted, occasionally checking for traffic and our position to make sure the tides weren't taking us too far.

The tempest transit

We hoisted our anchor on December 21st to leave Kumai (Indonesia) where we had spent 3 fabulous days with the orangutans, an experience we will never forget!

It took 2.5 hours to motor down the long river before reaching the expansive and shallow bay. About 3 nautical miles offshore under a brisk sail, we heard a solid thump. Jordan immediately thought it was a log from the river. But no log was visible. Then again, a thump, thump. He rechecked our electronic charts which showed extreme shallows a half mile to our starboard. We knew then that the charts were off that much and we were bouncing off the rubble bottom. We immediately turned away and escaped a grounding!

Once out of the bay, the light was fading and the wind was building. We were on about a 500-nautical mile (925 km) passage to Batam Island, our Indonesian checkout point, just across the channel from the Island nation of Singapore. The route would first take us along the south coast of Kalimantan (Borneo), then out to the open waters of the South China Sea.

The first night, the seas were implacable. We were fighting strong winds mostly on the nose and intense squalls and lightning from storm cell after storm cell. We were making maybe 1 knot to the good and paying the price for it.

As we were approaching the last point before open seas, we decided to take refuge behind the point but still somewhat exposed. We anchored (S02°55.268' E110°30.250') at the southwestern end of Borneo in the inky black of the night to wait it out.

By dawn, we had a few hours of peace and sleep. The winds and rain seemed to have died a bit so we pulled anchor at midday and started our tacking out of the expansive bay. Soon we came upon rows of fishing boats with nets stretched across our path. The first boat frantically waved and directed us away around his net line which lost us valuable distance-made-good.

Then another fishing boat's line required us to tack. After about 4 of these encounters, Jordan said "The heck with it. I'm going right over them." Our hull shape is cut-away, transitioning into a full keel with an attached rudder so we knew the line would slide over the bottom and out the back. Still a nervous move not only for us but you should have seen the excited waves and shouts of the fishermen! We just waved back and continued. "Crazy sailors!"

Once around the point and heading out to the South China Sea, the winds picked up to a full gale, again right on the nose with short steep waves. To get a good angle, we motor-sailed with tight reefing. But the bashing was taking its toll. Finally Jordan said to me "This is really not a good decision."

We were just starting the open waters and this weather could last for days. At that rate, it would take us 10 days of bashing. We decided to turn around; a move that proved even wiser when soon after Jordan looked up and saw a broken and unravelling strand of wire at the top of our backstay. He relieved the pressure of the vulnerable stay by affixing the running backstay with a strong cinch and kept the reefed mainsail in a bit more. We were still in a gale but running with the wind and waves made all the difference in the world. Things calmed down and we could semi-relax a bit.

The next morning at one point, we heaved to for about 15 minutes till a tempestuous squall passed before continuing our downwind run. We were heading back to Bali. It was a 4-day backtrack and a tough but only option as we had to regroup. At this point, we also had to address our soon to expire Indonesian visitor's visas and Bali was the closest practical place to do this.

Around 10:00, we could see a freighter coming up from behind and it became evident that we would be on converging paths. Our sail and rigging were set so Jordan made calls to the freighter to change course. No reply at first but finally in broken English "I see you. No problem. I change." We could see Barent Sea change course slightly to pass behind us and the Captain came on the radio "Sea Turtle, can I take a picture?" Jordan replied "Of course!"

That was an unusual request we thought. A sailboat is common in these waters and not that much of a novelty. But then we realized we must look pretty vulnerable in the gale's high seas. When we stood in the cockpit and watched as at some points our line of sight to the freighter bridge disappeared behind the height of the waves, it gave us a gauge at just how big the seas were and it must have been impressive to the freighter observers. But Sea Turtle was handling it good and we felt safe running downwind.

As we approached the big Island of Bali from the north end on December 26th, the winds died. So we started the Perkins at 10:30. Our destination was around the far south side of the Island and our course would take us through a pass between Bali and Lombok Island to the east. These passes between islands here are notorious for strong gap winds and very strong currents. Add to that, this particular pass is on a main path for international sea traffic. We saw a number of behemoths transitting past.

At midday on the 27th, we came to the east point of Bali. Our destination was almost in sight. Close, but it would prove to be far. As we rounded the point, we were hit with winds from the direction of our destination and an opposing current. We motor-sailed into very short waves that stopped us abruptly. The GPS ship on our electronic charts showed 0 knots. We spent a frustrating 14 hours making about 9 nautical miles (16.6 km), bashing and tacking.

The one pleasant thing was the beautiful sunset. For the last couple of hours to the entrance of the harbour of our destination, the winds and current died to give us a final relief. In front of the harbour's tricky entrance, we drifted for an hour or so until the sun came up for a safe entrance.

Finally we picked up a mooring ball at 05:45 on December 28th (S08°43.185' E115°14.434') back at the Royal Bali Yacht Club (a malapropos misnomer). These weary sailors were so relieved to have this arduous passage behind them. "Tell me again, why are we doing this?" But we knew the next day would put it back in a balanced perspective!

Making our way back

On the final of our 3 days at Tanjung Puting National Park (Indonesia) visiting orangutans, it rained during the evening and a bit again in the morning. As we now made our way downriver, we were fortunate to see a rare species of Kingfisher, the ones with bright colours, and only seen in this area. We also saw several hornbill birds with long down-curved bills. Between Joel, Jordan, and I, we had spotting of the avian kind that included eagles, parakeets, parrots, hornbills, kingfishers, and more.

A couple of hornbills

On our return, we stopped yet again at the 2nd feeding station but this time I stayed on the klotok riverboat as I was not better yet. Joel and Jordan saw the large dominant male named Dayuk that wasn't present the 1st time. We had a photo of him in National Geographic sitting on the same bench that we sat on as we watched all of the orangutans!

Back off dude

Further along down the river on our way back, we stopped at a small resettlement village (Sungai Sekonyer) and I joined Joel and Jordan for a stroll where we were caught in a warm downpour.

Meager homes

We watched as a couple of naked kids joyously played ball in the pouring rain and then visited with a couple of others who had chosen to be sheltered instead from the downpour. As usual, everyone waved and greeted us.

We're dry!

Once back at the riverboat, our guide Hunsi showed off a talent of his and made each of us a woven ring that we proudly wore. Thanks Hunsi!

Back at Kumai and Sea Turtle, we and our guest Joel spent the evening digesting the extraordinary experience of visiting our distant (actually, not so distant at all) relatives of the last 3 days. What made the experience poignant was knowing that these majestic and endangered "people of the forest" are losing their habitat and lives through deforestation of which much is done illegally.

The next day, we said our goodbyes to Joel.

Close encounters

Day 2 to spend with the orangutans at Tanjung Puting National Park (Indonesia) started early when our friend Joel, Jordan, and I woke before 06:00. Our hired riverboat, Bain's Yacht Services, motored upriver for about 2 hours to the next feeding station.

Once ashore, our first curious sight of the day was the carnivorous pitcher plants which are also known as monkey cups (monkeys have been seen drinking out of these plants after a rainfall, hence their nickname). Insects become trapped in the pitcher of the plant and are then broken down by digestive juices. Good thing they don't absorb fingers!

Peculiar pitcher plant with speckled interior

After a 20-minute walk, we came upon the feeding station, much like yesterday's, where the orangutans were gathering for their 09:00 feeding. Orangutans here were a little friendlier than yesterday. Here, they ignored the ropes that were meant to keep us away and moved right through us as if we weren't even there.

Only a few metres away

This young male named Copra ignored us as he moved past, preoccupied with getting a bright red flower (apparently its black seeds are a delicacy for them) which he spotted on the ground next to the spectators.

This 1 is MINE

The babies never let go of their mothers. Whether standing, sitting, eating, etc., they always have a hold of at least a chunk of their mother's hair.

We then proceeded upriver for another 2 hours to the 3rd station, Camp Leakey, for the 15:00 feeding. After about an hour, the water changed from muddy brown to clear but looked black (due to dead non-decomposing vegetation on the bottom). By the time we arrived at Camp Leakey, I was not feeling well. I believe the use of river water for cooking and cleaning dishes caused Montezuma's Revenge to set in and felt the need to stay aboard while Joel and Jordan went ashore with the guide.

The staff was so nice to me. They asked several times how I was and even offered me a massage!

As I waited for the boys to return, I watched the antics of a few cheeky, long-tail macque monkeys in the bushes, but the second I turned my back, 1 of them instantly jumped aboard and grabbed the bunch of bananas on our table right from under my nose! It was both surprising and funny. He shared (unwillingly) with his friends and seemed quite proud of his accomplishment.

Sneaky and swift

But more exciting (for Joel and Jordan) was a close encounter with a friendly young orangutan named Atlas. As Joel and Jordan walked down the boardwalk with their guide, Atlas approached Jordan. When Jordan reached out his hand, Atlas took hold and then walked partway down the path with him!

Atlas walking with Jordan

For the most part, these people of the forest are quiet in comparison to their human cousins...

What is he thinking?

This dominant male of the group appeared and he put on quite a mating exhibition with a female right in the midst of all the onlookers. Her baby was smack in the middle of the 2 lovers - no romance there!

A little privacy please

As we made our way down the river, we would get the odd glimpse of a shy semblance of human river life.

Jungle homes

Nocturnal sounds came from croaking frogs and the droning din of cicadas. Did you know cicadas make their sound by a complicated procedure of sucking in and relaxing the muscles of their ribs 300 to 400 times per second?