Did I say environmentally disastrous? Did I say dirty water? Are we still talking about the same Indonesia?
We left Bali Marina after a last breakfast at the yacht club on a sunny Monday morning. We had formed a flotilla of sorts with six boats leaving that morning – five of which were German (actually one was Austrian and Rudi and Andi would be devastated to hear me say they were German!) As we sailed along with little to no wind along the east coast of Bali a plan was formed to stop for the next night at a small island directly on the way known as Palau Raas.
The east and north coast of Bali looked remarkably different to the populous southern peninsula. Mountainous slopes were covered in thick green forest with small fishing villages dotted along the shores. The sun set spectacularly behind a large volcano that evening as dozens of small outrigger canoes with bright coloured sails kept us company as we motored along.
After the satisfying sunset I was contemplating life as I gazed out on the ocean from my perch on the side of the cockpit. I then spotted a misplaced small black line on the teak step next to me. “Funny,” I thought, “that shouldn’t be there” and so I went to pick it up. It didn’t take long to feel that the so-called line was actually rather slimy and scaly… a little bit like a snake. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh – Alfred/Steffie/Somebody/Anybody get a torch!!!” I gasped in horror afterwards as Alfred removed a black very poisonous land viper which had been perched on the teak step. We surmised that the little fellow had crawled up one of our mooring lines in Bali and a compulsory check was done of every nook and cranny in the boat. Sweet dreams were had that night as Steffie enlightened me by musing that “it’s really just the right size to fit between the lee cloth and the mattress…”
We are slightly faster than the other boats with which we keep company and hence were first to arrive at Palau Raas early the next morning. We spent a stressful hour anchoring after drawing too close to coral bommies (coral heads close to the surface of the water which randomly appear) three times whilst scoping out the possibilities. Eventually we decided to just anchor in deeper water (25m) just behind the offshore reef. As it was low tide there was a small strip of sand in the middle of the reef and we set off in the dinghy to explore it before the waters covered its hidden treasures. I donned my Crocs (perfect reef walking shoes) and explored the exposed reef feeling like a child again as I discovered electric blue schools of fish and seastars hiding behind small live corals.
The water here was remarkably clean even though the island was inhabited by a fishing village and the first area in Indonesia where the requisite plastic bag was not floating past. So it was back to the boat for our first real swim off the boat since the Louisiade Archipelago and a relaxing lunch while we waited for the others to arrive. As our friends began to arrive in the early afternoon we were visited by several fishing boats. We purchased three fresh wild tiger prawns which were large enough to be easily mistaken for small lobster and chatted with another group of young men about soccer, Islam (the local religion) and the island.
The last boat in our flotilla to arrive was Uhuru (the Austrians Rudi and Andi who I had first met in Rinca.) They arrived just after dark and were shepherded in over VHF. Their boat is only 9m and they have very little anchor chain and so were unable to anchor in the 25m depths of the anchorage. Feeling hospitable and looking forward to a social beer we hung a few fenders over the side and they rafted up to us for the night.
Impressed by the clean water and the present company we decided to hang out at Palau Raas for another day. It was tiger prawn spaghetti Alli Olio on the menu for lunch and more social beers with Uhuru and Phonix the two boats who decided to stay with us while the others headed on. Another few swims off the side of the boat and our impression of Indonesia was improving rapidly. Another plan was formed – nobody’s in a rush here lets stop another night – I know just the island on the way!
So after another overnight sail we again arrived first into Palau Bawean in the early morning. The skies have become gradually more overcast as the wet season approaches and naturally our first tropical downpour occurred as we attempted to go into the anchorage. Hanging outside we waited for the rain to clear before heading into the picturesque bay. Apparently Palau Bawean looks a little like Tahiti according to these seasoned around the world sailors and I must admit the landscape was stunning with thick jungle clad hills topped in white thundery clouds leading down to a sand beach lined with palms and small colourful fishing boats anchored off. Again the water was remarkably clear and the beach itself looked relatively clear of rubbish.
As we arrived and prepared for breakfast Kilian announced that he felt sick, doubtful that it was seasickness seeing as we had just set anchor we checked his temperature and were rewarded with 38.1 degrees. He was nauseous and alternating between hot and cold so we instantly suspected malaria. Alfred and Steffie rushed ashore to see if they could find a doctor while I stayed with Kilian on board. A little over an hour later they returned with a local doctor in tow who after a consultation decided that he did not believe it was malaria. However he thought it was better to be safe than sorry and a blood test could be done in the main town on the island, Sangapura, 25km away. They returned the doctor to shore and came back to the boat to check on Kilian’s progress. At first he seemed to improve but then he took a turn for the worse in early afternoon so Alfred ventured ashore to find a taxi and returned an hour later to pick up Steffie and Kilian. Isabel and I amused ourselves with swimming off the boat in the beautiful water and heading ashore with Uhuru and Phonix for a walk shortly after they arrived.
The people in the village directly inshore from our bay were absolutely lovely. One old lady who did not speak a word of English gestured to Isabel and I to follow her to her house where she presented us with some mangoes as a gift. Everyone driving along the road or sitting on the beach smiled and waved hello – eager to test out the little English they learn in high school.
It was not until after dark that the rest of the family arrived back from the hospital where the test had been completed. It turns out that the roads are so bad it takes 1 and a ½ hours to drive 25km on Bawean island. All of the doctors refused payment for medical treatment and in the end it was only the lab expenses which Alfred had to pay for – an incredibly nice gesture. The next morning we rang for the results and were relieved to hear that Kilian did not have malaria. He gradually improved over the next two days and is back to full health as I write this.
The next day Alfred, Isabel and I ventured ashore to walk to the market in the neighbouring bigger village. We had not gone far when a pair of young boys stopped on a motorbike to talk to us. Alfred was keen to explore the island and asked the boys were it was possible to hire a motorbike. Much to our surprise they immediately got off and handed theirs over! We arrived at the market and purchased some fresh fruit, only discovering afterwards that we may have been a little ambitious in assuming it would be possible to carry several hands of bananas and a watermelon the size of three basketballs combined on the back of the bike with the three of us as well! At this point Andi and Rudi arrived so I decided to wander around a little bit with them whilst Alfred took Isabel back to the boat.
We walked up the main road for a kilometre or so popping into small shops on the way and admiring the well kept, colourful, tiled houses of the local people. Unfortunately as with most of Indonesia there seemed to be no waste collection plan so rubbish was piled up on the side of the road or down alleyways but I had long since gotted used to this sight and smell. On our way back to the boat we stopped at a small local warung for lunch where I was treated to an assortment of goodies served with rice including fried tofu, fried chicken and curried liver… yes liver. Still my stomach held up that day proving that my immune system has adjusted accordingly to Indonesian conditions!!
We spent one more day on Palau Bawean relaxing, swimming, socialising and ensuring that Kilian was back to good health before we headed off on the next leg to Singapore. A 2 night passage came up and after leaving Bawean about fifty miles behind us we declared that in hindsight we probably should have organised some extra fuel as sailing in Indonesia appeared to be IMPOSSIBLE due to the complete and utter lack of wind.
So we arrived at the small island of Palau Serutu late in the evening and enjoyed a nice dinner. We hoped that the huge amount of fishing boats in the bay was indicative of an extensive fuel supply ashore. Unfortunately we were sadly disappointed the next day when the village was literally just that… a village. We were back to the Louisiades way of life with no motorbikes, wooden houses and generally a poor but friendly small population. They could spare 200L maximum (and that was after much hard bargaining at a premium price) which was just enough to get us to Singapore. Minor problem – Uhuru and Phonix also needed fuel…
We enjoyed Palau Serutu for two days in any case socialising with the villagers, the Germans and snorkelling over the reef off the beach. Eventually we refuelled with 60L and decided to head for Bintang just south of Singapore island – a further 2 night sail away. Life was easy as we headed off into the sunshine and calm waters again and we motored crusily for a day. I was happy picturing a sumptuous dinner and a sunset glass of champagne as I went to sleep that night.
The next morning was decidedly jerky and I awoke groggily after my night shift to hear the impossible – silence! What?! No engine?! WE HAD WIND! AWOOOOOOHOOO! Life was looking up but the downside being that the kids crashed out on the couch seasick as the boat struggled with the short sharp seas and my longing for champagne faded into the distance. Still we managed to sail for 130 nautical miles over the next 24 hours meaning we could continue straight for Singapore. It also meant that we entered the Singapore Strait in the middle of the night. Singapore Strait is one of the busiest shipping schemes in the world with over 3000 ships traversing the waterway every week. So we had 2 people on shift at all times, one with the binoculars trying to figure out the direction of boats in the maze of lights ahead and the other on the radar. We had very little sleep that night naturally so we were all relieved to get to Raffles Marina in Singapore in the morning.
Raffles Marina is world famous and won the award for the best marina in Asia this year. It is a huge complex with three restaurants and bars, a resort style pool with free towel service, a small 10 pin bowling alley, tennis courts and a gym. The kids are in heaven! So we will be here for two weeks while we do some repairs and enjoy the benefits of a real metropolitan city.
