Australia – Bali

2008.10.6 – 26

(translated by Laszlo AA7UY)

There are two recommended routes for the Darwin – Bali leg:

1. Direct, or outside the Indonesian islands, avoiding a few shoals and oil drilling platforms. This route is

960 nm with many calm periods. There are frequent headwinds during the first 500 miles.

2. Inside the Indonesian islands. This route is longer, some 1100 miles, but there is always some weak wind near the islands in the evenings and mornings, and there the SW current is somewhat stronger and more calculable.

Weather map information:

The possibility of calm is 25% until Timor, 33% near Flores Island, and 15% just before Bali. The current in

this area is 0.5 – 0.8 knots from the west. Westward sailing is further hindered by the 10kt westerly winds between Darwin and Timor that can be expected 66% of the time, though the current is helpful.

Afterward E and SE winds dominate (trade wind effect).

My route plan: WP1(11-53S 129-51,9E); WP2(08-16S 127-32.3E); WP3(07-19.1S 126-59.8E);

WP4(07-36.6S 125-54.3E); WP5(08-06.3S 124-17.4E); WP6(07-59S 122-52E); WP7(08-10W 120-46E);

WP8(08-03S 119- 05E); WP9(08-01S 117-56E); WP10(08-04S 117-23E); WP11(08-10S 116-17E);

WP12(08-31S 115-39E); WP13(08-45.7S 115-14.6E);. I estimate this route to take 25, max 30 days).

Mooring: I expect tying up in Bali to be difficult, because of the heavy ship traffic and strong currents. The wind is SE and current is S here, exactly head-on, so there’s rather unpleasant wave action in Lomok Strait. I heard about a 33ft steel boat that keeled over to a great extent, so that’s another thing to watch out for. For me the real hardship will be the motor’s speed limitation, I can’t move forward in opposing currents over 4 knots. Mooring will have to be planned for daytime because of the nearby shoals.

Currents: It’s important to know the times of ebbing tide on arrival, there’s no ebbing tide current one hour prior to flooding and ebbing tides that can be strong in the harbor. The ebbing tide is weakest after half-moon. Furthermore changing of the tides in the straits can be computed from the tables that indicate moonrise and moonset. This too is important to know in my case. If you have a powerful engine, it isn’t so important.

2008.10.06 (day 742)

http://www.biggestdrawingintheworld.com/drawing.aspx

Bought a mosquito-net in the afternoon against mini-mosquitoes.

Had a few beers in the Club with Bruno and his buddies. Saw and took a picture of the legendary 19-foot

Russian boat’s anchor (LENA). It was in Darwin on 1995.04.22. He was the one that sailed around most of the Globe after 2000, but there’s no information of his whereabouts or what he was doing during the past 5 years…

Afterwards continued drinking beer with Monty, Tin and Debbie. Struck up conversation with a stranger sitting across the table and it turned out he was of Hungarian descent (József Révész). He could still speak some Hungarian and it was good to talk the language again.

2008.10.7 (day 743) (Half moon)

Morning: bought fuel (144- ) and two-stroke oil (3-l). Found two good 25-l tanks in the trash a few days ago, so my max capacity is 150-l. There isn’t going to be much wind in the Indonesian islands and afterwards (plus heading current sometimes) during the next few months.

Departed the harbor at 11 o’clock.

1004 mB, 41°, variable Bf.1, later headwind (of course). Motored out of the harbor (with the outboard), at 3-3.5 knots.

Lunch: Salad greens with bread, then mango.

What are my souvenirs from Darwin? A paddle and a steel grappling hook from the trash. Easier to lift larger fish from the water with this grappling hook, recommended for all sailboats.

Drank 2 liters of water during the first two hours. It’s very hot, over 40°! One of the autopilots (Simrad TP10) doesn’t work again. It’s motor is faulty, I took it apart and saw that the motor was slightly rusty. I have plenty of experience in taking the Simrad TP10 apart, I had the motor in my hands in 5 minutes.

Sailing in Beagle Bay by afternoon.

A few large ships, then a large French sailboat passes me, we talked a little by shouting across to each other.

15:00 shut down the motor (Just left Darwin harbor at 14:00.) Steering 300° in ¼ wind. (Bf.2/030°).

The sun is burning me, hardly a cloud in the sky. Sunbathed on the bow taking salt-water showers all afternoon.

Late afternoon the wind weakens and veers east.

Dinner: instant cream of vegetable soup, spaghetti with vegetables (mushroom, salad, pepper, onions, basil).

Evening: wind Bf.1-2, N

I found a good looking 8 foot dinghy in the trash heap of the Yacht Club, wanted to bring it, but was simply unable to mount it on the ship. Still don’t have a dinghy.

19 LT POS(10-10S 130-33E), making 2-2.5 knots on 280°. Wind Bf.2 340°

Got ‘stormy’ after 20LT. Lightning all around me for 5 hours. The wind gradually increased to Bf.2-3-4-5, so lowered the main sail for an hour. The rain lasted only 20 minutes, but the lightning strikes were very frightening. Sometimes it struck nearby. If it struck the ship, some of my electronics would’ve been destroyed. There is no Faraday shield in the ship. During a month in Darwin it only rained a little twice. This is the start of the transition era, the rainy season begins in December. The wind died out completely by 0100, so motored a few hours. The wind has stopped but not the waves! I want to get out of the shipping lanes so motoring.

2008.10.08 (day 744)

1000 mB, 29° in the morning then hot again after 9.

Wind Bf.1 SW since dawn, ‘coastal effect’, making 1.5kts on 280°

Breakfast: dinner leftovers and vitamin.

Replaced the anchor chain bucket on the bow, it broke last night, due to fatigued material. Then replaced the jib’s bottom point hold from chain to shackle and rope.

9LT POS(11-56S 130-10E)

Wind weakening, Bf.0-1, SW, sailing 270, 1-2 knots.

The new solar panel is charging very well!

Lunch: apple. mango, power bar and ginger nut biscuits.

There’s no ‘happy hour’ on CARINA’s deck! Sailors in the old days used to get their share of rum and rest at the same time daily.

I’m drinking too much water, should reduce it somehow. Figured on 2.5-l daily, which I used until now, but now I’m over 4-l/day!

Afternoon: passed by Afghan Shoal, then Bathurst Island (Tiwi). Presently using the #1044 map.

Sailing 310° 3 knots, followed by dolphins.

Adjusting the mast while under way: had no time for it in Darwin.

Supper: mackerel with vegetables, spaghetti.

Ship traffic is still great at evening time, Darwin is nearby and many shipping lanes are near me.

Slept through the radio schedule (14290 kHz at 13:30 UTC), the telephone didn’t wake me up.

Woke up at midnight, then half-hourly to check the traffic. I still saw large ships in the vicinity. Motored again at dawn to get out of the shipping lanes.

Sails for ocean sailing:

1. Yankee: storm jib for strong winds, the jib’s bottom is cut upwards at a steep angle. Easier to handle, can see underneath and the sail is getting less water. It’s like a larger jib, usually there is a selection of 2-3 different sizes on board, like for 30,- 40,- or 50 knot winds.

2. Staysail: a second jib, hoisted between the main sail and jib.

3. Tri-sail: a small storm sail substituting the main sail.

4. Spinnaker: in general not essential for most touring sailors, recommended for the real calms, like the doldrums across the Equator.

Roll-up reefing is not recommended for ocean sailing in my opinion, it’s perfectly OK for coastal sailing though. I don’t have these because CARINA is small and simple. Even this way, I have 8 different sails.

2008.10.09 (day 745)

1012 mB, 35°, Bf.0 in the morning.

Breakfast: dinner leftovers, vitamin.

8LT POS(11-27S 129-23E)

Typically, most will sail the Darwin-Bali section during Sept. and Oct. Now there’s no wind here, and very little even at other times. I don’t have enough fuel for motoring through, so I’m waiting for the wind and plan my route through the islands. There’s no wind until 10S, it’s like the doldrums.

The book I read today: At One With The Sea (Alone around the World) by Naomi James. I liked it very much and recommend it to every sailor. She was the first woman to sail around the world alone. 1977 Sep. 9 – 1978 Jun. 8, Darthmouth, England. Her ship was Crusader, a 53 foot sloop. Stopped only twice: 3 days in Cape Town to repair the wind self-steering and 5 days in the Falklands for mast repairs. 273 days was then the record for fastest round the world sailing. The book is full of humor and substance. The author is very feminine and lucidly relates just how she lived through this adventure.

Atlantis Found, by Clive Cussler. I finished this bestseller before departure, but it isn’t in my style.

It was hot all day in the burning sun and had to drink lots of water!

Calm in the morning. The ship is standing still.

A meter long shark is circling the ship, then a sea snake and fishes everywhere. The ocean is alive! Took out the spear gun but unfortunately it didn’t work. The air pressure is there but the spring mechanism isn’t ok.

Complex systems are hard (not possible) to repair.

The calm continues. Mirror sea all around me, nowhere a ripple. Like oil. Motoring a little then waiting. Generally Bf.0-1, making 0.5 knot in very weak winds, at least I’m not using fuel.

It is hot. Sweating. Worried about sunburn and sunstroke. I have no bimini (tarp over the cockpit) and the cabin is small without any air.

Late lunch: vegetable salad (tomato, lettuce, carrots, onion, basil, olive oil, salt) with bread, tangerine, apple.

It’s good that the solar panel is charging well. The batteries are over 13V. There will be plenty of sunshine in the coming days – at least now that’s OK..

Basically keeping the 000-330° course because the current keeps carrying me west with 0.5 to 1 knot.

Waiting for the wind. Waiting for the wind. Waiting for the wind. Waiting for the wind. Waiting for the wind. Waiting for the wind.

It came after 6 p.m. Bf.0-1 E, so making 1-1.5 knots. Propped the jib with the handle of the grappling hook

And secured the boom aft with a rope (preventer). This is the usual method to keep the sail from flopping.

I have a ‘stowaway’ again. A bird landed on the on the ship’s anchor. This bird could’ve been on the afterdeck yesterday evening or was it its tattoo only?

19LT POS(10-52S 129-17E). Making 1-2 kts on 340°

Today’s book: Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane. The theme is the South African apartheid, or how the whites oppressed the blacks until the end of the 80s.

13:30 UTC (23:30LT) POS(10-45S 129-12E)

Feri HA3MQ, Siklós, gave 5x6 report; Tibi HA5APK, Budapest

Weak winds all night Bf.0-1, Spd. 1-1.5 kts on 340.

2008.10.10 (day 746)

1012 mB, 30-45°, Bf.1 SE

07LT POS(10-35S 129-07E)

Spd. 2-3 knots on cse. 350. Heading more northerly to find wind.

This section has very weak winds. An Australian sailor, Chris took 3 weeks in September to reach Timor from Darwin with sails only (has no motor). Those departing in September motor through the whole section.

I do have some, though very little, wind sometimes.

Breakfast: salad, bread, apple, cocoa, chocolate biscuit, vitamin. Last night’s dinner was a piece of chocolate, so now I have compensated.

Today: Bf.0-1 wind, I’m happy: yesterday there was none! At least I’m making headway, though slowly.

Lunch: noodles.

Today’s book: King of the Golden Valley, by Alan Scholefield

P.m.: Bf.2, my speed 2-3 knots.

A dolphin swam by, was possibly attacked by a shark.

I don’t enter the water here on account of the many jellyfish The sharks don’t bother me. Here they are not

large and aren’t dangerous for humans. Generally, the islanders always say, that sharks aren’t dangerous as long they’re left alone.

Started learning Indonesian words in the afternoon.

Dinner: fried eggs, onion, bread.

My present situation could be considered lonely, yet it can also be looked at as totally peaceful solo sailing on a calm sea.

Checking the battery potential daily: shows between12.8-13V. Only the solar panel is charging, but real well.

Repaired/cleaned the autopilot connection at night, the ground-lead wasn’t making good contact.

19:30LT POS(10-08S 128-49E)

Sailing at 3-3.5 knots.

Good news: my masthead light is now operating.

The cable of the autopilot is faulty, so connected it directly to the battery with a new cable.

13:30 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(09-53S 128-48E), spd. 3-3.5 knots on cse 340.

Karesz, Budapest, HA5CAR gave me 5x5 report, Tibi, Bp., HA5APK

Anticipate 5-10 knot SE winds in the next few days.

2008.10.11 (day 747)

Books: The Impossible Voyage, by Chay Blyth, Along the Clipper Way, by Sir Francis Chichester.

1010 mB, 30-45°, wind 5-10 kts SE, making 2-3 knots in ¾ winds on cse. 340.

Breakfast: power bar, chocolate biscuit, vitamin.

The autopilot is hooked directly to the battery with an independent cable. My main power feed is faulty, somewhere in the rear (at the end of the port side coffin-bunk), where the voltage regulators and other, engine connected wires are. Could it be just a contact problem?

Re-packed practically the whole ship to access it but couldn’t find the problem.

10LT POS(09-22S 128-19E), spd. 3 knots on 320°. This is the Timor Sea already.

Temp. is over 40° all day, no shade, but at least there’s a light breeze.

Yachters with more time to spend in Indonesia, stay in Kupang, Timor.

Lunch: noodles, apple, tangerine.

15:30LT (09-09S 128-09E), spd. 2-2.5 knots on 330°

Today’s book: Deep Lie, by Stuart Woods.

Dinner: the usual salad with bread.

19:30LT (09-00S 128-09E). sailing at 3 knots.

Two fishing boats were near by in the evening , so turned on the navigation lights. The masthead light isn’t always sufficient.

1330UTC 14,290 kHz POS(08-50S 127-59E)

Karesz HA5CAR, Bp. Shifted frequency to 14,275 because of contesters.

The night went by quietly.

2008.10.11 (day 748) (Sunday)

Sailing in the 21^st century: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z5YDhT5UOE&NR=1

Knockdown: (wave keels the ship over so mast touches the water, or goes deeper)

1010 mB, 30-45°, Bf.1 SE, 2.5 knots on 330°

The sun was very hot even in the morning.

Breakfast: power bar, apple, vitamin.

Today is Sunday, so better meals and more rest.

I think if you are alone a lot, years, there should be a day in the week when the mood is looser and there’s rest. For me it is Sunday.

09:40LT POS(08-28S 127-45E), spd. 2.5 kts 340°

The first Indonesian islands appeared: Leti, Moa, Lakor.

A large freighter passed me very closely at noon, 0.5 mile away. I also changed my course. This strait is frequented by large vessels. I expect continually more ships in my vicinity. Banda Sea comes after the strait.

Several large ships passed by me early afternoon.

Maps here: INT 721, INT 3244

Lunch: instant French onion soup.

15LT POS(08-18S 127-34E) Can see the mountains of Timor already.

Dinner: curry chicken, rice and a mouthful of Shiraz Merlot (Aussie wine).

Tried fishing again but a fish broke my leader so I gave up.

By evening I can see Kisar.

The wind strengthened to Bf.3-4 and the waves increased as well, so the autopilot is having a hard time holding course, so reefed in the mainsail (2/3) and it improved. A few ships nearby in the evening.

Today’s book: An Ark on the Flood, by Anne Knowles.

1330 UTC (07-56S 127-27E) Feri, HA3MQ, Siklós, I heard him well, he just barely.

Romang Island appeared in the moonlight, the peak is 747m easily detectable.

2008.10.13 (day 749)

1010 mB, 28-40°, Bf.1-2 SE, making 2-3 knots on cse. 300

Romang and nearby islands still visible.

Breakfast: salad, bread, vitamin.

Changing direction more westerly toward Wetar Island.

Morning: engine test. Didn’t start. Checked voltage in a few places, the problem was in the grounding of the starter. Fixed and started it. I like to start up the built-in motor every 3 weeks, it’s a must under the salty, wet

Conditions. Fuel started to leak from under the carburetor. Did the gasket dry out? Shall repair in Bali if I can find a good quality gasket.

Then checked my vegetables and fruits, I do that weekly. The carrots begun to get moldy, somehow they got wet. They’d last for months in a cool, dry place.

The mountains of Wetar Island appeared early morning. This island is famous for it’s semi-precious stones found on its beaches.

The batteries are holding well: 12.6-13V, generally measured morning and afternoon.

10LT POS(07-41S 127-01E)

Steering a lot morning and afternoon to maximize my speed. Speed her up!

Lunch: noodles, chocolate biscuit, pineapple.

Sailing at 3-3.5 knots on 290° in Bf.3 winds.

18LT POS(07-30S 126-27E)

Finally some wind! Bf.4-5. Steering constantly, every mile counts!

Sometimes adjusting the autopilot to 6-7 if the wind/waves are higher.

I reef in the main sail sometimes, even around Bf.4-5 if the autopilot has difficulty keeping course.

Today’s book: I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven.

Dinner: fried eggs with the last of my bread.

My recent ear infection was cured by the applied cotton and cream

Evening: the wind weakens.

Bf.0-1 all night, so steering 270 at 1-2 knots.

My alarm clock didn’t ring, so slept through today’s radio sked.

The wind has completely died out by dawn.

2008.10.14 (day 750)

1010 mB, 30-40°, Bf.0-1 W (headwind).

08LT POS(07-34S 125-57E)

Breakfast: chocolate biscuit, tangerine, vitamin.

Total calm in the morning. Brief motoring. Sighted Indonesian fishing boats for the first time. I like the traditional shape of the ships, their style and attitude. Weak winds and a lot of calm is expected for the next 250 miles, mostly near Flores Island.

Slowly passing Wetar, also the nearby small Reong Island. Speed 1-2 kts on 270° after noon. Finally making progress!

It’s important to have everything in the ship multi-functional, in case of a very small ship it’s almost inevitable. An illustrative example:

1. pot and cover 2. cutting board 3. candlestick 4. table/workbench 5. seal plate for the motor opening

Lunch: biscuit, canned chicken, onion.

Afternoon: the wind has died. Reading, meditating, and thinking about my age group, our civilization and other schemes.

Some would say I’m ‘vacationing’, but I prefer the word ‘adventure’ for it. Dolphins following again.

Steering, 1-2 knots on 270°, in Bf.1 wind.

The sun is setting ahead and the almost full moon is rising behind me. It’s like having two suns.

23LT POS(07-34S 125-25E) shifted from 14,290 kHz to 14303 because the freq. was crowded again.

Feri, HA3MQ, Siklós; Karesz, HA5CAR, Bp.; Tibi HA5APK, Bp.

Heavy ship traffic at night. I’m at Ombai Selat (the strait connecting to the Sewa Sea) thus the traffic.

Book for today: Joy in the Morning, by Betty Smith.

At night the wind gradually diminishes, then dies out completely yet large swell remains. The ship is tossing-, sails flopping back and forth.

2008.10-15 (day 751)

Ships inventory: CARINA has one, but alas, I don’t keep it up. Usually there is an accurate one on precise ships, but almost all ships have some sort of inventory. In my case it’s easy to remember what I have and where things are, because the ship is small with few compartments, and my equipment and tools are minimal.

1008 mB, 30-40°, Bf.0. Waiting for wind.

07LT POS(07-33S 125-09E)

Then motored a few hours, 2-3 knots on 270°

Late breakfast: noodles, coffee (didn’t sleep much last night), vitamin

Sorting maps, INT722 from now on.

Bf.1 SE after 8, making 1-2 knots. Pulan Alor’s mountains are well visible in the distance.

Could be 25 nm away.

Steering a lot in the morning. Later water transfer from the 15-l tank to small flasks during the past 2-3 days for easier handling. For cooking I use the older, forgotten 3-4 month old water.

Lunch: chocolate biscuit, canned peaches and lots of water!

The weak wind died out after 16:00. The current is S-SE, 0.8 kts near the islands. In reality, sometimes less, even none, and sometimes from the south, depending on the inter-island currents.

Today’s book: Godplayer, by Robin Cook.

Dinner: spaghetti with mushrooms.

Motored a few hours in the evening to pass through the strait and leave the shipping lanes.

Closed my eyes 25 minutes before the radio sked and woke up with fright two hours later.

Slept through it again. Weak winds at dawn, then died out and I motored a little.

2008.10.16 (day 752)

1008 mB, 28-38°, Bf.0-1, E

07 LT POS(07-33S 124-28E)

Breakfast: dinner leftovers and vitamin.

Got into a counter-current, must use the motor, otherwise would be drifting backwards.

08 LT. Stopped the engine, no more opposing current.

Sailing again: 0.8-1 kts, 280°. I’m happy even for this little speed!

Yesterday I couldn’t even make this much in 10 hours because of the counter-currents.

A large freighter passes nearby again. Reading and resting then steering.

Sailing by Pantar Island, clearly visible.

Total calm again at noon. Motoring a little.

Lunch: apple, canned pineapple, the last tangerine, biscuit.

P.m.: a few freighters passing by, many birds and dolphins around.

Weak wind, making 0.3-0.7 knots.

Battery potential: 12.65V

Today’s book: If We Could Hear the Grass Grow, by Eleanor Craig.

Dinner: boiled potatoes, last of the carrots, onion, oysters, salmon.

1330UTC 14,290 kHz POS(07-34S 124-01E); sailing at 1-1.5 kts, 270°

Feri, HA3MQ, Siklós gave me 5x5 report. Generally, I see the signal strength meter as 0, but the readability is maximum, 5.

Forecast: weak winds are expected on Oct.20, very weak winds and calm forecast for the following few days.

At night: sailing at 1 kt on 270° in Bf.0-1 wind. There were also a few large ships in my vicinity.

2008.10.17 (day 753)

1005 mB, 35-40°, wind Bf.1 E.

Breakfast: peanut butter, biscuits, apple, vitamin.

Large vessels around me again.

09 LT POS(07-35S 123-50E) Adunara, Kawula islands are nearby, and the magnificent Komba Island volcano. This is the Flores Sea already.

Sighted two traditional Indonesian sailboats at noon. Fishermen that fish, but have little money and no engine.

This is a fantastic, beautiful sight for me. Here the price of the fish does not depend on fuel, but on how much wind was there during the week.

Lunch: tomato soup, walnuts, biscuit.

P.m.: large freighters nearby again. There’s no wind, my speed is around 0 – 0.5 kts on 270°

Komba Island is an active volcano that I’ve been sailing by since morning. It ‘erupts’ that is belches smoke every half-hour. I don’t think it’s serious, but looks frightening.

Today’s book: Run before the Wind, by Stuart Woods.

Dinner: rice, peas, onion, tomato, fried pork patties (Bipont).

Evening: Bf.0-1, trying to butterfly, it’s hard, there’s no wind.

1330 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(07-33S 123-34E) sailing with 2 knots on 270°

Feri, HA3MQ, Siklós, gave a 5x9 report. He said my signals were strong.

At night: large ships in the vicinity. Bf.0-1 E winds. I can hear the rumbling of the volcano and see the red

lava! Earthquakes and volcano eruptions are frequent in Indonesia, therefore tsunamis too.

2008.10.18 (day 754)

1005 mB, 35-40°, Bf.0-1 E, sailing @ 0.5-1 kt, cse. 280.

Breakfast: dinner leftovers, vitamin.

Morning: fuel & water transfers and packing, the daily routine. Used 44-l of water and 50-l of fuel in 13 days.

09:30LT POS(07-29S 123-18E), sailing @ 1 knot, 270°

This morning met an Indonesian sailing freighter. We both altered our courses a little, so we could shout over to each other. ‘Selamat Pagi’.

Charging the GPS and the new AA batteries.

Later a freighter went by me, even a whale. Whales are easy to spot because of their loud and unique sounding blows. Unfortunately they’re far more difficult to photograph.

Lunch: apple, power bar.

Weak Bf.0-1 winds all day. Perhaps only the weak current is carrying me forward.

I can still see the Komba volcano late afternoon – showing how slow my progress is.

Dinner: macaroni in tomato sauce. Evening: the increasing swell, but the wind is still only Bf.0-1.

1330 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(07-34S 122-59E), making 1 knot on 270.

Karesz, HA5CAR, Tibi, HA5APK; Unfortunately I could barely hear HA5KID Angela and Márti.

At night: a brief increase in winds to Bf. 3-4.

2008.10,19 (day 755)

1008 mB, 32-40°, Bf.0-1, sailing @ 1-1.5 kts, 270°

Battery: 12.44V, by noon 12.67V, the solar panel is charging well.

0930 LT POS(07-32S 122-36E)

Shoals ahead, I must watch and avoid them! The Kanna Islands to the north will also be near.

A.m.: reading a 3 week old ‘The Australian’ newspaper and steering.

Bf.2, making 2-2.5 knots on 280. Drinking coffee because went to bed late and am tired. Another Indonesian sailing freighter and a large freighter pass nearby.

Lunch: power bar, apple, canned pineapple.

Afternoon: slept an hour in the cabin (‘sauna’), then steering.

A strong current is carrying me westward @ 1 knot.

Dinner: rice, beans, pork patties, onion, tomato, eggs, draught of wine.

Evening: sighted Klaotoa Island nearby. A fair number of ships too, must keep watch at night.

1330 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(07-36S 121-53E)

Karesz HA5CAR; Laci, HA8RD, very weak, I could barely understand him.

Forecast for the next few days: 5 knot winds E-SE.

2008.10.20 (day 756)

1008 mB, 32-40°, Bf.1-2 E, sailing 2-3 kts on 270°.

Cloudy sky, rain-clouds in the distance.

Islands appear again north of the ship.

Breakfast: dinner leftovers and vitamin.

Trying to angle again.

10:00LT POS(07-34S 121-17E)

Battery: 12.65V

Counted 10 freighters in a few hours during the morning. Ship traffic is increasing!

Lunch: noodles, power bar, apple, canned pineapple.

P.m.: Bf.3 strengthening to 4 by evening.

At night: many ships in the distance, one with blinking red and green. Lightning all around me for hours.

Butterflying 3-4 knots on 270°

13:30 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(070-43S 120-38E) Karesz, HAS5CAR; Tibi HA5APK. Noisy frequency but we can hear each other well.

Forecast: 5 –10 knot SE winds for the next few days.

Couldn’t sleep much at night because of the increased traffic of large ships. My masthead light and VHF radio are switched on all the time.

2008.10.21 (day 757)

1008 mB, Bf.3-4 E, spd. 3-4 kts, 270°

Breakfast: ginger biscuit, vitamin, coffee (am tired, didn’t sleep much last night)

0930LT POS(07-41S 119-59E)

A.m.: rough sea, steering and reading the newspaper.

Passed Flores Island at noon and heading into the strait before Sumbawa Island. (Sealant Sumba). Next after Flores Island is Komodo Island, that I can see well. Famous for its dragons. These rare and interesting animals live only here and are dangerous even to humans. The typical anchorage here is (08-35S 119-31E).

Large vessels passing back and forth, wind Bf.3-4.

Lunch: apple.

Pleasurable sailing!

Dinner: noodles, canned peaches, power bar.

Wind weakens to Bf.2 by evening.

At night: lightning all around for hours. Saw the navigation lights of a few large ships.

1330 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(07-43S 119-15E), making 1-2 kts on 270°

Laci, HA7RW, Budakalasz, good quality contact.

2008.10.22 (day 758)

1008 mB, Bf.1E, spd. 1-2 kts, on 270.

Breakfast: ginger biscuit, cocoa (w. milk), vitamin.

Pocolikang (2382m), the tallest mountain on Flores Island is clearly visible in the distance.

A.m.: steering near Sumbawa Island. After 8 LT the wind Bf.3-4 SSE, steering 260° with half-wind.

Unpleasant, wet run because of the large waves on the beam, CARINA yawing.

Indonesian fishing boats, birds, shark around me, the wind strengthening sometimes.

Can see the mountains of Maria Island (1479m)

P.m.: wind lessened to Bf.0-1, trying to butterfly.

Evening: fishing boat nearby. Easily noticed because of her noisy engine.

Dinner: boiled potato (last portion), onion, canned pork (last one). There isn’t much food in the ship, enough for about 30 days. The ideal would be a 90-120 day supply for me. There will be a great deal of shopping in Bali!

Today’s book: The Boys from Brazil, by Ira Levin.

1330UTC 14,290 kHz, POS(07-50S 118-19E) Karesz, HA5CAR; Laci, HA5RW.

Forecast 10 knot SE, then more southerly.

At night: large ships around me, lightning for a few hours, the wind stronger at times.

2008.10-23 (day 759)

1009 mB, 30-40°, Bf.1 SE.

Breakfast: dinner leftovers and vitamin.

08 LT POS(07-47S 118-00E)

Fishing boats around me. Passing by Tambora (2935m), Sumbawa Islands tallest mountain.

Batteries about 12.35V. There is a small problem with the voltage regulator that’s why it doesn’t charge. Made a direct connection and it’s charging 12.5V again!

Wind died after 9, the sun is hot!

Passed by a fishing marker-buoy and net at noon. The local fishermen use motorboats.

Lunch: biscuit, cocoa.

P.m.: Bf.1 E, spd. 1-2 kts, 270

Book of the day: Jedder’s Land, by Maureen O’Donoghue.

Dolphins playing around CARINA in the evening.

Dinner: noodles.

20 LT POS(07-53S 117-48E). spd. 1 kt on 300, the current pushes me north a little.

At night: lightning for several hours again and fishing boats around me.

Bf.0-1, very poor visibility, sky’s cloudy, I can’t see a thing. Deep darkness everywhere.

Shoals ahead of me. 1330 UTC 14,290 kHz POS(07-50S 117-46E), Laci, HA7RW, shifted to 14,294, 14,290 was occupied. Forecast 10 kt SE-S winds for the next few days.

Late night suddenly Bf.5 wind comes gradually strengthening.. What’s going on? What’s going to happen?

Downed the jib and reefed the main sail. Dark clouds behind me and started to rain.

This phenomenon is frequent among these islands, strong winds blow from the tall mountains, it’s like “gerenda” on the Balaton.

2008.10.24 (day 760)

1010mB, Bf.1 SE, 32-45°, the sun is very hot even early morning.

Bf.2 S after 08:00.

Breakfast: chocolate biscuit, power bar, cocoa, vitamin.

After 9 the wind dies. Standing still.

Reading, waiting for the wind. There’s even no current here.

Evening meal: rice, moong, pork patties, tomato, onions and a mouthful of the usual wine (opened 4 weeks ago, so it’s getting a little ‘vinegary’.

Total calm. The sky is full of clouds but nothing stirs. Then a weak E-SE current pushes me backwards. Shoals nearby.

18LT POS(07-55S 117-12E)

1330UTC POS(07-56S 117-07E) Karesz, HA5CAR.

Raining at night, wind Bf.4 SW, then S later SE.

2008.10.25 (day761)

1011 mB, 29-36°, Bf.4 SE.

06 LT POS(07-55S 116-39E) drifted a little northward, so steering 240, ‘pressing” toward the south.

Breakfast: fried eggs, fried flying fish, vitamin.

08 LT: total calm. The ship is standing still but the swell remains, tossing her.

Sailing by Lombok Island. Rinjan, its tall mountain is clearly visible.

Calm all day. The current carrying me toward SW. Raining again in the distance.

14LT POS(08-05S 116-28E)

15LT: started engine, 3.5 kts on 260°

16LT POS(08-07S 116-24E)

19LT POS(08-12S 116-13E)

Today’s book: The Devil in Harbour, by Catherine Gavin.

21:30LT POS(08-17S 116-02E) 14,290 kHz, can’t hear anybody, the frequency is crowded.

21:30 shut down the engine. The wind’s blowing again.

01:30 POS(08-20S 115-47E) raining and strong wind. Sails down and started the motor. Wind blows from Bali – headwind, couldn’t make headway with sails.

2008.10.26 (day 762)

Pacific Ocean Tsunami Alarm Center: An earthquake shook the Indonesian Sulawesi Island today! Tsunami warning was not necessary. 6.4 on the Richter Scale, the quake’s epicenter was 91 kilometers southwest of the town of Gorontalo, at the depth of 32 km. The American Geophysical Institute announced a 5.5 quake.

Earthquakes and volcano eruptions are frequent among the many thousands of Indonesian islands, because this country lies on the Pacific Ocean’s ‘firing line’, where colliding continental plates cause strong seismic activity.

04:00 POS(08-29S 115-43E) 3.5 kts, 260°. Fishing boats around me. The traffic is growing!

05:00 POS(08-33S 115-40E). Shut down the engine, sailing toward Bali.

06 LT Bf.1-2, quartering on 270

The horizon is full of little Indonesian sailboats in the light of dawn. There may be hundreds. A very beautiful sight! These sailors are real water people, they understand the sea. They go out fishing every day and are very experienced. Now visibly racing, I’m sailing among them, so I too take part in the race a little.

They’re winning, because the wind is weak, their ships are lighter, CARINA is heavy.

The fishermen’s regatta is very interesting and very natural.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs, biscuit, vitamin.

09 LT Badung Strait, Nusa Peninda Island on my beam. Motoring in total headwinds.

The wind weakens then dies. The current is helping and pushing me southward, sometimes at 2-3 knots.

Ship traffic is increasing, small fishing boats, yachts, police cruiser, freighters, Navy.

I’m tired, slept very little last night, 1 hour.

12:00 LT POS(08-39S 115-19E). 8 miles to the harbor.

Lunch: cocoa.

15:30 POS(08-44S 115-12E) dropped the anchor in the bay, the marina would be a little too expensive, 12USD/day. At first I anchored in a small fishing harbor, but later found the large one. ‘Check-in’ tomorrow, (weekend check-ins always cost extra money). The anchorage is crowded, hard to find a good place. The current is strong here, must keep enough distance between boats to avoid collisions. Got acquainted with Glen and his girlfriend from the neighboring catamaran (surfers), then went to town (Kuta) with them in the evening to get to know the nightlife. Got acquainted with a few Australians that lives and works here, or just resting only, this is some company.

Found acquaintances in Bali Marina from Fiji and Vanuatu. Acquaintances, tour-people everywhere J

My few days in Bali

2008.10.27-11.02

2008.10.27 (day 763)

Two other Hungarian sailboats also departed:

Epiphany and Melamphyrum. (http://www.melamphyrum.hu)

Bali is one of the best known tourist spot, it’s capital is Denpasar and the nearby tourist town Kuta is full of tourists. Expensive, and the mood is a little subdued. Taxi: Kuta-Benoa 50,000 rupiahs.

The local mini-buses (bemo) are cheaper of course.

A.m.: a local motorboat took me to the marina, where my check-in wasn’t very simple. Had to visit five offices: Harbormaster, Navy, Customs, Immigration, Quarantine. They wanted photocopies of all papers everywhere, so I had to make those as well. (The generator at the photocopier broke, so waited another 20 minutes for the repair). On the other hand, there was no corruption – they never asked for money without giving a receipt.

An agent would’ve charged $60 US.

Afterwards everybody was very kind. Tried the local cuisine. They’re cheap and tasty!

Later walked about town: Taman Puputan Badung Square.

A memorial to the 1906 Dutch bloodbath, where the Dutch shot more than a thousand locals fighting for their independence. The natives had the traditional bamboo spears against the ‘whites’ firearms.

Afternoon went to the Museum (Koperasi Pegawai Negeri), which basically represents the history, culture and religion (Hindu) of the old- and new eras. See pictures in the Gallery.

Interneted all night in town, 14 hours for 34,000 rupiahs. Uploaded pictures and videos to my page.

Didn’t sleep today.

2008.10.28 (day 764)

The average salary in Indonesia is 30,000 – 100,000 rupiahs, equivalent to 900-2,500 Ft.

In Australia it was 200AUD/day, equivalent to 35,000 Ft) (at the time of trans.: $1US = 11,111 IDR/tr)

Early morning walked over to see the town’s famous marketplaces: Badung Market, Kumasari Market, Bird Market, Kreneng Market.

Afterwards at 10 a.m. a small scooter took me to look at the Indonesian dances Catur Eka Budhi (The Barong & Kris Dance). The music and dance were traditional Indonesian and told the story of the fight between Barong, the good-, and Rangda, the bad spirit, where man is there on both sides. The cast: Dewi Kunti, Paith, Sadewa, monkeys, tiger, Kalika. Tickets cost 50,000 rupiahs.

Then walked a lot about town, later a local buddy took me back to the harbor on his scooter. Finally had a good night’s sleep!

2008.10.29 (day 765)

Global Weather Data: www.ugrib.com

Indonesia’s best known food is the Sate, Lawar (5,000-10,000 rupiahs). Everything is in it, served with rice. The chicken-, fish- and pork pieces are recognizable, but most of the vegetables and seasonings are not known in Europe.

The other known street foods:

Lotong, Bakso (4,000-5,000 rupiahs): a soup with rice-noodles, pork balls, special dumplings and seasonings. You can buy it at the ‘bicycle kitchen’.

Pork soup (5,000 rupiahs), served with rice (2,000 rupiahs). Plenty of fats and pork in it with seasonings.

Biasa (10,000 rupiahs): a wide, circular dough fried in oil, contains eggs, onions, sugar, salt and special ingredients. Spectacularly made and is very tasty!

Basic foods: ayam, telor, tahu, skundeng…

I especially like that they use their hand to put the food on the plate (but not the rice). Why complicate things?

A few local eateries provide no tableware, but they provide water to wash your fingers..

There are an infinite number of foods here: timus, krupuk, krum, tempi, roti goreng, cakwe.

Checked the ship over in the morning (i.e.: compartments) and did minor repairs, like tightening motor mounts, varnishing, cleaning battery cables and covering them with silicone.) Also my Tohatsu 9.8 HP outboard: replacing sparkplugs, greasing, checking anode, propeller and changing gear oil. Jock, the captain of the neighboring 32 foot ship came over to help repairing the inboard engine, the carburetor was leaking fuel and Jock gave me a good gasket.

Afternoon I bought 20-m of two-conductor cable (45,000 rupiahs) at the nearby shop, then a small scooter took me in town, where I walked and visited some souvenir shops. Then took a ‘bemo’, the local bus, to the town center, where interneted until 3, but had to quit because of power failure. I’m well known there and they took me back to the harbor by scooter.

2008.10.30 (day 766)

Bought leader (damil) and hooks in the morning.

Lunch: at the local eateries as usual.

Took the faulty autopilot to a mechanic, perhaps he can repair the electric motor.

Had coffee and talked with Jock in the afternoon. Then small repair jobs in the ship and went to bed early because tomorrow will be a long day. Going on a 3-day tour of Bali.

2008.10.31 (day 767)

A.m.: rented a scooter for 4 days for 35,000 rupiahs/day (700 Ft; $3.15/tr). Here in Kutan the fuel costs 6,000 rupiahs/l (1230 Ft/l; $2.06/gal/tr). There is no public transportation, so that was my only possibility.

Denpasar-Gianyar-Semarapura, temples and souvenir-shops everywhere, there’s also a souvenir factory. A few interesting marketplaces.

Bukit Jumbul – Rendang - Menanga smaller and smaller settlements in the mountains.

Then arrived at Besakih Temple in the evening (Karangasem Regency). This is the oldest and most interesting temple in Bali. Consists of 52 smaller temples. You can enter in skirts only, called sarung in Bali. After visiting the temple, almost everybody rushed me to buy this or that. Declined as usual. So it worked. Cap Cay dinner at an eatery.

Evening: found a homestay, that’s the cheapest available lodging here, 40,000 rupiahs (800 Ft),although it had no towels, bedding and no water in the nearby lavatory. Putu, the owner wanted 70,000 rupiahs at first!

I was hearing the profoundly spiritual music of the monks through the evening until dawn.

The temple is located at about 3,000-m height on Agung mountain (3142-m). The lodging is located next to the temple. So I felt the spiritual ambience all night along with the cold!

2008.11.01 (day 768)

At sunrise went into the temple, in the dawn light and first rays of the sun, the mood was quite different from that of the evening or night. There are many barking dogs that follow me, it’s the same all over Bali.

In the morning: took off toward Batur Lake on the scooter. Breakfast in Suter for 2,000 rupiahs (40 Ft) at a roadside eatery.

After Buahan village started driving around the lake. The Batur volcano is 1730-m high and would’ve been a 2- hour climb! Bathed in the hot spring in Toya bungkah with the locals and in the lake as well.

Then motored further along the lake to Songan, where I had lunch for 5,000 rupiahs.

From there motored though the mountains over very bad roads to Penulisan, then to Sanbiran, next to that was a small, traditionally built village, then to Singaraja, Lovina. The latter is a tourist place, has a nice, large beach. Naturally, there aren’t many tourists at the beginning of November. Late afternoon I went to the Banja Buddhist monastery, where I bathed for 2 hours (2,000 rupiahs).

The place has a strong Buddhist spirit, the monastery baths are aesthetically good looking though not very clean.

Here I got acquainted with a few young travelers, David (USA), Melissa (England), Helen (France), motored with them to the nearby Buddhist Temple, then to Lovina.

Stayed at the Sandre Hotel here for 50,000 rupiahs, it was very classy. Evening: we had a few drinks with the hotel owner and his friends and got acquainted with some of the local nightlife as well. To me the local roulette - played on the beach – was boring. 12 numbers, a large ball and a funny table. Has nothing to do with the traditional roulette J Their other kind of entertainment is the cockfight – for betting of course.

(Drove 170-km today, which seems almost impossible on this little island.J

2008.11.02 (day 769)

Walked to the nearby Singsing waterfall in the morning, then motored to the lakes through Banja-Asah and Gobleg villages. There are many friendly monkeys on the streets here, the lookout was full of them too!

Tambligan Lake, Buyan Lake, Bratan Lake. This is West Bali National Park.

Visited the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple on the beach of Bratan Lake. I spent an hour here because of rain, the mood of the place was dense: looking at the mountains through heavy fog in the rain.

Lunch on the beach, bakso 5,000 rupiahs. Everybody is fishing here, the fishes are pretty small though!

Motored to Kebunraya botanic gardens for a walk: fern-, bamboo-, palm collection, orchid park, tropical forest…

Afternoon in Pacung got acquainted with a few locals and we drank a few Araks (local rice liquor, 15,000 rupiahs for ½ liter) until evening.

Then, at night motored back to Kuta. The motorists are all crazy here, they don’t observe the rules, yet it seems to work well enough!

Walked about a little in Kuta, then motored to Denpasar for dinner. Fried rice with fried eggs for 5,000 rupiahs. Here I met Igo, student at the local university and learning English. We talked about the collegiate life.

Arrived in Benoa at night, and my loaned dinghy wasn’t in its place. Looked for it to no avail. The captain of the Navy ship offered that I could sleep in his ship. Lots of mosquitoes, but a roof over my head! My blanket was wet, but being tired helped me to sleep.

Basic information about Indonesia

230 million people, 300 different ethnic groups, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. 54,370 km of coastline, 1,919,317 km² territory, 13,677 islands, they use 580 different languages, the official language is Bhasa Indonesian (Malay).

History:

The Portugese arrived in the 16^th century in Spice Island, then in the 17^th century, the Dutch East India Company established a Commercial Trade Center in Java Island.

There was a strong independence movement from the 20^th century, then during the political and economic chaos of the Second World War President Sukarno led the country into an independent “Guided Democracy”, then in 1965 the Army took over the control of the country in a coup d’etat.

Book: Cruising Guide to Southeast Asia, Vol.I, by Stephen Davies and Elaine Morgan.

Money: Rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen.

Time zone: UTC+8h in Bali.

The 5 pillars of Islam:

Shahadah - ‘There is no god, but God’; ‘Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God’

Salat - prayers after washing 5 times a day

Zakat - helping the poor

Sawm - fasting, Ramadan

Hajj - must try to visit Mecca once in a lifetime.

Yacht cruising permit:

Clearance approval for Indonesian Territory (CAIT) can be obtained through an agent only.

One of the least expensive agency: the Bali Marina: www.balimarina.com

Tourist Visa: a non-renewable tourist visa is obtainable on arrival for 2 months.

Police Permit: Necessary to visit Irian Jaya, East Timor, Sumatra and Aceh Province.

Buoy system: IALA A

HAM radio: Rowdy’s net 14,320 kHz, begins at 0000 UTC, I hear they’re very helpful.

Dangers:

Smuggling: Very dangerous. Mainly drug, gold and weapons, but also alcohol, cigarettes, cars. Main routes: Hong Kong – China, Balabac Strait, Sibutu Passage, Alice Channel.

Corruption: Nowadays lesser among officials. Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand reported no corruption lately, (Corruption in this case means that they ask extra money from Yachtsmen without giving a receipt or bill for it).

Political Problems: One of the ‘hot spots’ of the World. Perhaps enough to remember where the bomb exploded last year. The people are friendly and nice regardless.

Piracy: The number of pirate attacks increased during the past year in the area. The most dangerous places: Sulu Archipelago, South China Sea, (Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Balabac Strait, Thai/Cambodian and Vietnamese territories, Singapore Strait, Malacca Strait, Anambas Is., Approaches to Hong Kong and Macau.

The IMO Piracy Countermeasures Centre (Kuala Lumpur) works around the clock and issues and Daily Situation Report (SITREPs) and Piracy Attack Warnings on the Safety Net System (GMDSS Maritime Information Service).

Health: Danger of malaria (p.falciparum or vivax), and the dengue fever is rather serious here. One can pick up other, seemingly ‘unknown’ illnesses here, because of the dirty water. There is also Hepatitis A, from either dirty water or food. Japanese encephalitis and AIDS are also significant here.

Basically you can contact any of the world’s illnesses, even the very rare ones here…

Dangers of the sea: poisonous coral, jellyfish, stingrays, cone shells, sea snakes. Must be careful of the poisonous reef fishes, that you mustn’t eat, like for example the ciguatera, putterfish, box-fish.

Shark and crocodile attacks are not rare here, even the giant catfish attack humans sometimes. I’ve read, that here the moray eel and octopus are very aggressive – which I can hardly imagine, but who knows?

Fishes poisonous to the touch are: scorpion fish, stone fish, lionfish in this area.

Monsoons in the area:

Northern Hemisphere

Mid Dec. – mid March: winter, NE

Mid March – mid June: spring transition

Mid June – mid Sept.: summer, SW

Mid Sep. – mid Dec.: autumn transition.

Southern Hemisphere

Mid Dec. – mid March: summer, NE

Mid March – mid June: autumn transition

Mid June – mid Sep: winter, SW

Mid Sep. – mid Dec.: spring transition

That’s when the direction of currents change.

Special local fruits: breadfruit, carabola (starfruit), chico, custard apples, durian, guava, kalamansi, litch’, magosteen, pomelo, rambutan, salak, soursop, water apples…

General Yacht route: West Timor, Kupang – Savu – south Flores, Ende – Maumere – Labuan Baju – Sumbawa – Lombok – Bali – Surabaya – Semarang – Jakarta – Thousand Is. – Singapore (www.one15marina.com, www.rafflesmarina.com.sg, www.rsyc.org.sg, www.csc.org.sg) – Malaysia (Royal Selangor Yacht Club, Royal Langkawi Yacht Club) – Thailand (www.phuketboatlagoon.com, www.yacht-haven-phuket.com, www.royalphuketmarina.com).

Some sail direct from Darwin to Bali (Benoa Harbor), in this case must put up with a lot of calms, that most yachts motor through. The other problem is, that before Bali (next to Lombok) you can count on very unpleasant counter-currents, could easily be 6-7 knots. Benoa Harbor entrance is very narrow, so daytime transit is recommended for newcomers. Benoa Harbor is 10 km from the capital, Denpasar.

Some are sailing from the Philippines (Manila Yacht Club, Subic Bay Yacht Club, Puerto Galera Yacht Club) toward Indonesia, in general they don’t wish to stop in Australia. Perhaps a cheaper and more interesting route.

Indonesian language lesson:

Danger – Darurat

Go away! – Perigi

Enough! – habis

Forbidden – oilirang

I love you – Aku Cinta Kamu

Good Morning! – Selamat pagi

So long! - Selamat yalan

Thank you! – Terima Khashi (suksma)

Please – Sila, Tolong

No – tidak

Yes – ya

Open – sila

Closed – tutup

Benzin (gas) - bensin

Water – air

Ship – parahu, kapol

Excuse me – maaf, permisi

Fish – ikan

Fruit – buah

Food – makan

Very good – Enak!

Good - bagus

How much (cost) – bearapa?

Sea – laut

Today – hari ini

Town – kata

Village - kampang

Beard – keren

Woman – wanita

Man – pria

Boss – mas, bli

Where is it…? – dimana

I like (i.e. food) – mau

Hungry – lapor

Good appetite! – Selamat makan!

This – kemben (super important word!)

Year - tahun

Saying good bye: with closed hands, and you must say: Om suastiastu

1 – Satu

2 – dua

3 – tiga

4 – empat

5 – lima

6 – enam

10 – sepuluh

20 – dua puluh

30 – diga puluh

1000 – seribu

100,000 – seratus ribu