17 Islands to Lombok
This will be a catch up blog, a quick
summary of our sail across the top of Flores and into the charming town of Labuan
Bajo and then through and around the islands of Rinca (pronounced Rincha) and
Komodo and finally across the top of Sumbawa and into the designated rally stop
on Lombok island. It’s about 300 miles
and yet again it’s been some of the best cruising we have ever done. I thought
I’d make this blog a selection of snap shots, brief descriptions of points of
interest we have encountered along the way. But first, it might interest some
of you to hear what a typical day of passage making actually entails on the
good ship The Doctor.
 |
| another day, another anchorage to welcome the weary sailor |
The day starts at first light, that
grey blur you sometimes wake up to really early in the morning. We exit our
cosy aft cabin and get dressed, stagger down the passage way and begin
departure preparations. That means closing all hatches (15 in total although
some we don’t open for an overnight stop). Once hatches are secure I say a
short prayer and start the motor, it starts, I say another short prayer. Diana
switches on the vast array of navigation systems, lap top and chart plotter and
we check all systems are go, they are...another short prayer. We then pack away
the evening dishes, stow any loose items , bring bathers and towels down from
safety lines and do a final look over. Good to go. I go forward to retrieve
anchor and Diana either flakes the chain or motors slowly forward to give the
chain some slack. Anchor is up and secured to bow roller, I walk back to
cockpit pulling up cat lines as I go. (These are old sheets we leave over the
side in case Motley decides on a swim and needs to get back up) Then Diana
motors us out of the anchorage and into clear water where we hoist the main. As
has been the pattern on most mornings, we usually have a mild South East trade
blowing so it’s a sweet beam reach along the coast. Once the main is set, we
roll out the furler and engage the services of Automan. He is happy to oblige
and yes, I say a quick prayer in thanks. Once all the hard work is done, Diana
goes below to make herself brekky, I sit on watch and then we swap over. Once
brekky is done, one of us retires down below to one of the following: continue reading novel, check emails, write a
blog, try and get a score from a recent Wallaby debacle or get the water maker
going. Coffee is served at 10.30, lunch when we’re hungry and if it’s a big
sail afternoon tea around 3. Added to this routine is the constant sail
adjustments, moments of madness when we put up spinnakers and take down
spinnakers, avoiding floating fish traps and nets and general staring out at
the mountainous scenery that floats by.
 |
| Komodo island pink beach dive site, note Indonesian style chater boats |
Anchoring is pretty much the reverse
of the above. We drop sail, motor into the lee of a headland, find a good
depth, 15m max if possible and drop anchor. The anchorages are usually out the
front of small fishing villages and we know when we see those long and sleek
put put boats at anchor we have found the right place. It’s wonderful to settle
back on anchor and watch the life of these simple fishing people unfold in
front of your eyes. Fishing nets are repaired, women walk to and fro with large
baskets on their heads carrying all sorts of things, families wade through the
low tide rock pools picking up octopus and whatever and always, always there
are kids playing and laughing in the water. There’s usually a fire somewhere
and smoke makes its lazy way skywards caught against steep and often wooded
mountains. The cream sands of the bay finish close to high water mark and then
a bamboo paling fence with gate appears and behind sits thatched roof huts and
the occasional brick building. The villages look small from the water but when
you step through the bamboo gate another world awaits. Houses are simple,
usually made from handmade mud bricks or up on rickety wooden piles and
separated by brick paved paths or concrete paths. Living is close but as we
walk through or ride through on the backs of scooters everybody smiles and
waves and these are big open genuine smiles that warm the heart. The sun
finally sets and the mountains stand out in their smoky wash of soft greys and
blues and a few lights flicker on, hidden mostly behind the tall coconut palms.
The day has been pleasantly serene and the finish equally so. (Editors note:
not all passages are like this, but I have to say, most have been along Flores
and Indonesia)
 |
| a perfect bay on Komodo Island |
DIVING AT KOMODO AND RINCA ISLANDS
We had a few days snorkelling around
these stunning islands and they well deserve their status as the best dive
sites in the world. They are well known tourist spots and most dive charters
operate out from the charming town of Labuan Bajo. We holed up there for a few
days to get diesel, fresh veggies, and to avail ourselves of some western
comforts at Indonesian prices. There are many Italian restaurants run by young
Italian men who look as though they commute between Rome and Labuan Bajo on a
daily basis. The food is sensational, both Italian and Indonesian and nothing
over $8.00 for a main. The massages range from 8 to 20 dollars depending on
what you get. A traditional massage for 1 hour comes in at 10 bucks and you go
out 20 years younger. I have damaged my shoulder and so decided to go for a
“remedial” 1 hour at 20 bucks to try and sort the problem. As they say, no
pain, no gain and it did actually help. Just one little anecdote before I get
to the diving.
We had left our washing at the Eco
Resort just in front of the anchorage and they said to pick it up around 4. We
dinghied in and made our way to the reception, paid our 20 bucks (expensive but
worth it) and then wandered up stairs to have a Bintang or three as the sun
set. There was no one anywhere apart from a sign that said help yourself to the
fridge, just write your name and what you take down in the book. We did just
that and after a few coolish Bintangs we fell in love with the colonial charm
of this place. The ceilings were made from bamboo weaving and floor was a crisp
white tile, and everywhere were cane lounges and white balustrades. What the
hell, let’s stay for dinner. We were the only guests and enjoyed a meal of top
class restaurant quality with delightful service and a sun set over coconut
palms and green clipped lawns. If anybody reading this is thinking of a holiday
in Indonesia and would like to combine world’s best diving, Komodo dragons,
fine food and luxury accommodation, Google Eco resort Labuan Bajo. We grabbed
our washing and made our way back to the dinghy down a grass track to the
beach. It was a special experience and as always with this cruising life,
totally unexpected.
Well, dear readers, I return to this
blog some weeks later and I’m trying desperately to pick up the focus I was
getting at when I first wrote it. You see, we are now in Kumai, on the bottom
of Borneo in the state of Kalimantan and a lot has happened since the meal at
Eco resort. I think I was doing snap shots of the sail to Lombok and there was
just one more to do and that’s diving in Komodo and Rinca.
 |
| soft coral |
It’s spectacular. We snorkled every
day on our journey through Flores and onto Rinca and Komodo and every time it
was different, sometimes an abundance of soft coral, sometimes great slabs brain
coral and sometimes great outbreaks of green staghorn. Everywhere fish of every
possible colour combination ducked and meandered among the coral and it was
truly a visual feast complete with aquarium like water clarity and a bath like
water temperature. Enough of the diving, you can’t really use words to describe
it and they fail dismally to cliché an banalities when you try and capture the
sights under water. Suffice to say that as I swam back to the dinghy one time,
having had enough of the landscaped perfection under me, I turned back for one
last look, one final sweep of my eyes over the terraced garden of coral and fish
as it cascaded from the drop off and into a blue abyss of the deep.
 |
| more colour |
So, that’s basically it apart from
one special day at Medang Island very close to Lombok and that I’ll leave to
another blog. Cheers Rob
No comments:
Post a Comment