LABUAN BAJO FOR RESUPPLY

16 November 2023

We departed Toro Baso without regret, not much of an anchorage and not much of interest.  Our direction today is towards Labuan Bajo and it looks like it will be another hot windless day.  There are a couple of stopping off points along the way and I will see how far we get before I turn off the motor.

I was right, another hot day of motoring, we dodged inside some reefs and I now have the echo sounder running all the time.  The fishermen tend to line themselves alongside the reefs, that gives a good indication of where they are. 

By mid afternoon I had had enough motoring and went to anchor in a bay on the south side of a small island called Gilibodo.  It took a couple of attempts to find a good spot to anchor, eventually finding a spot in 25m of water just off the fringing reef.

Gilibodo turned out to be a pleasant anchorage, no pesky insects and nice and calm.  In the late afternoon I sat in the cockpit, having a cold one.   A large family of monkeys came out of the trees for an evening stroll on the beach.  After about thirty minutes and the sun was going down, they retreated back to the trees, presumably to bed down for the night.

The following morning the monkeys were out in force on the beach, about fifteen or twenty of them with lots of young ones.  They were far more active than last night, the young ones running around and playing while the adults spent more time scavenging on the beach.  As the sun rose higher the monkeys took to the bush.  Interesting to watch as I had breakfast in the cockpit.     

I don’t have far to travel today, just a short hop to Labuan Bajo.  No need for an early start and I want the sun to get a bit higher to make the identification of shallow water easier.  After an easy run in calm water we anchored off the Silvia Resort in 15m of water.  There was one other cruising boat at anchor, an Australian yacht.  This is the first cruising boat I have seen since departing Saumlaki almost a month ago.

The Silvia resort has a plastic floating dinghy dock, very convenient for getting ashore.  The main town is a couple of miles away with a very crowded anchorage, local boats, fishing boats and numerous tourist boats running diving trips and ferrying tourists to the Komodo National Park to see dragons. I had sundowners on the beach and an evening meal at the hotel, very relaxing.  

The next morning I had to take a trip into town to buy some fresh provisions and top the diesel jerry cans with fuel.  Mr. Yanmar is very economical with fuel but all this motoring is really getting through the stocks.  In one month we have consumed as much as we would usually use in six months.  The trip into town was good.  I had morning smoko at a coffee shop on the main drag with some lovely fresh fruit.  There are numerous cafes, bars, tour shops and restaurants.  It’s not too busy like Bali and feels quite relaxed.  I found good provisions in the Roxy Supermarket, they even sold beer. 

The town is undergoing a tremendous amount of development, buildings are shooting up everywhere.  There are a number of big hotels under construction along the coast, brands like Sheraton are popping up.  Well, with the airport close by its likely to become a bigger tourist destination in future. 

The Silvia hotel is convenient when visiting on a boat, there is a good anchorage and shore access is easy.  The hotel and staff are looking a bit tired, a spruce up and some motivation are needed I think.

Now I am stocked up again its time to move on, next stop Komodo Island.  I have just realised I forgot to get any fresh bread, very annoying.  Its way too hot to be making bread, I will just have to do without for a few days.  As they say, ‘worst things happen at sea’.

Next stop is Komodo Island.