2024 Cruise, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and back to Indonesia

Well its a New Year and time for another New Years resolution. This year the resolution is in recognition that I am no longer a spring chicken as my family seem to take pleasure in pointing out. They are of course correct, I no longer bounce and rebound like I did back in the day. So, this years resolution is to : –

“Try and avoid doing stupid and dangerous things“

LEAD CARBON BATTERIES – ONE YEAR ON

3 January 2024

Surprisingly, more than a year has passed since I installed Lead Carbon batteries on board Truce. I only realised this as when I opened the battery locker to check all was well inside and saw the date stickers on the batteries.  Since switching to lead carbon batteries my inspection regime has slipped from twice a month to every couple of months.  The new batteries are sealed and maintenance free, removing the need for electrolyte level checking, specific gravity checking, topping up cells with distilled water and cleaning.  Life is simpler now the distilled water and hygrometer have been discarded. On a boat a simple life is good.

So, what has life been like with the Lead Carbon batteries?  Well, the fact that a year has passed without any incident or concern shows that the new batteries are pretty much fit and forget.  The batteries are under a constant load of some sort 24 hours a day.  They receive a charge either from the solar panels or engine alternator.

There are four solar panels on Truce, 3 x 100w and 1x 50 watt giving 350 watts total.  These panels are fed through three Victron smart solar controllers to the batteries.  I am pleased with the performance of the Victron solar controllers and particularly like being able to monitor performance, historical data and settings via Bluetooth.  Victron is expensive equipment, but I cannot fault the real life performance. With Victron it seems you get what you pay for. 

Alternator charge to the batteries is supplied via a standard 55 Amp alternator belted to the Yanmar 3GM30F engine.  The alternator feeds to a Victron 12 volt, 30 amp DC/DC charger linked to the start battery and house battery.  My thinking is that the 30 amp DC/DC charger will reduce the load on the alternator to a maximum of 30 amps, thereby reducing engine load and alternator belt wear.  The DC/DC charger also serves as a smart battery charger, giving bulk, absorption and float charge. If the engine is running and we have high solar input the charging amps to the batteries could total just above 50 amps for a short period of time.

The battery status is monitored through a Renogy battery monitor which has proved to be reliable and accurate to date. I also have a Victron smart battery sense to provide the solar controllers the actual voltage at the batteries and battery temperature to ensure the correct charging regime. All of the Victron equipment is smart and talks to each other via Bluetooth.

Charging the lead carbon batteries appears to be faster that the previous lead acid batteries, particularly the last part of the charge cycle to achieve a float charge.  I don’t have a way to measure this but it just seems faster.

Maximum current draw from the house batteries is very occasionally around 40 amps when the big consumers such as fridge, rice cooker and water maker are running.  The batteries handle this load well, usually without the voltage dropping below 12.3v.  Generally, the voltage may drop to 12.5 when loads are applied but will soon recover to 12.7+ when the load is removed.  By contrast the previous lead acid batteries would have a significant voltage drop under load to 12.1v and take longer to recover. 

Here in the tropics the batteries are operating at high ambient temperatures.  The water sea water temperature has been above 30 degrees for months and with the engine running the temperature inside the battery box reaches 43 degrees. The lead carbon batteries have not shown any noticeable drop in performance due to high temperatures.  I feel sure the old lead acid batteries would have required more frequent topping up with distilled water.

Is there a downside to Lead Carbon batteries?  The only negative thing I have found in comparison to lead acid batteries is weight.  The Lead Carbon batteries are considerably heavier.  I have needed to redistribute some weight on the boat to compensate.   

Another thought.  Should I have changed to Lithium iron phosphate batteries?  This is something I gave some consideration to before opting for lead carbon batteries.  The high cost of lithium was a factor but overall didn’t factor into the decision as you get what you pay for.  There were two distinct advantages for selecting Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.

1. Light weight.
2. Deeper discharge ability.  Meaning I could run for many days with poor solar input without resorting to engine charging.

On the flip side, I could slot in the new Lead Carbon batteries into the existing on-board electrical installation and space without any modifications whatsoever. To get the full benefit of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries a high capacity charging alternator is needed and I was reluctant to change the engine alternator, belting and power take off.  

Finally, it was another factor that led me to select lead carbon batteries.  Truce is primarily a sailing yacht and often cruises to remote places away from any shore support. The cruising philosophy has always been to keep it simple and repairable without outside assistance.  I know I can manage the existing electrical set up. However, I was not so confident of managing failures on Lithium BMS systems or the added complication of protection and shut down systems. But, if I was installing batteries on a new boat, Lithium would be the only way to go.   

So overall, I am pleased with the lead carbon battery installation, it has become one less thing to worry about.  There are many articles and videos online about lead carbon batteries including all the usual well informed and not so well-informed opinions.  But, hopefully, if the manufacturers datasheets are correct about the lifetime and charge cycles of Lead Carbon batteries, I may never have to buy another house battery – ever.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS IN LOMBOK

10 January 2024

What a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

For a brief few days we managed to get a Christmas family get together – at the same place and time.  It wasn’t easy, like herding the legendary cats at times but the persistence of Ngozi paid off.  We all had a good time, it was relaxing, laid back and stress free, just what a holiday should be. 

Ngozi came out first mid-December, we stayed on the boat for a few days on the marina mooring.  It was hot, I had asked Ngozi to bring out a 12v fan from Burnsco in Auckland.  Unfortunately, she didn’t, we had a very hot few days on the boat.  I am sort of used to the heat now but Ngozi suffered until we moved ashore into an air conditioned room. 

Next out was Steven who turned up on December 18^th and then finally Jessica arrived on the 23^rd.  Unfortunately, Jessica only had a few days with us as she had to return to new Zealand for gigs she was booked into.  But we made the best of the time doing fun stuff.

Our first outing was to the wildlife park.  What a wonderful place, it exceeded all our expectations.  We had great interaction with the animals and the lunch served in the restaurant was superb.  We thought it was a bit expensive at first, but it proved to be excellent value for money.  The stars of the show were the young female Orang Utan and the elephants. We came away with some great memories.

Our next outing was a sail from Medana Marina just around the corner to Gili Aer.  We didn’t do any sailing, just motoring on a calm sea.  Gili Aer was great, its so quiet as there are no motorbikes on the island, just electric bikes, pedal bikes and horses.  Took a bit of getting used to, being in Indonesia without the constant noise of motorbikes.

We had Christmas lunch on Gili Aer, nothing great and more designed for transient tourists.  But we enjoyed our day and the few hours on the island before heading back on Truce to Medana Bay where cooled off in the luxury of air conditioned hotel rooms.

The following day we took a day trip to visit a waterfall and a visit to Sembalun village for lunch. 

Sembulan Village is situated at around 1,100 meters above sea level and is noticeably cooler and less humid than the coastal strip.  The village would be a nice place to chill out for a couple of days and luxuriate in the cooler climate.  There is a tremendous amount of farming going on all around, I suppose the fertile volcanic soil and climate make things grow well.  We saw all kinds of crops being grown including coffee, strawbwerries, onions and apples. 

After Christmas we swapped out Jessica for Stevens girlfriend, Felicia.  Then we had a New Years barbeque at Medana Bay to take us into the New year.  Now it is 2024 and time to formulate another plan.

1,000 MILES INSIDE THE BARRIER REEF

15 January 2024

Sailing northward up the east coast of Australia has always interested me, the idea of sailing up inside the Great Barrier Reef seemed an interesting thing to do.  Also, being an admirer of the skills and genius of Captain Cook, I find following in his track interesting.  I have reflected on the trip and will share some thoughts and observations with you.

Of course, the reality of cruising an area or coast is often different from the perceptions.  This was very true of my cruise inside the Barrier Reef.  I started the voyage in Gladstone, Queensland and finished the Barrier Reef section In Siasea, just around Cape York in the Gulf of Carpentaria, amazingly still in Queensland – Australia is a big place.  The distance I sailed from Gladstone to Seisia was around 1,100 miles, of course not always in a straight line, that’s just not allowed in sailing.

Since completing the trip I have spoken to other of single handed sailors who have completed the same route and found their experiences almost identical to mine.  Most mentioned how much harder it had been than they expected.  Without exception, every single-handed sailor I spoke to said they are glad they did it but would not do it again.  Comments focused on three main points: –

1. The relentless trade winds that were so wearying day and night
2. The lack of protected anchorages to facilitate a proper rest
3. The swell that persisted against all expectations and rolling at anchor

When going northward in the SE trade wind season (most of the year) the trades blow almost constantly and occasionally they blow strongly.  When planning the route northward it is easy to underestimate the winds, despite the facts being clearly shown on the pilot charts.  With such a solid and dependable wind sailing is fast and easy, often with just headsails set.  In fact, due to an injured left arm I sailed all the way from Percy Island to Cape York with headsails only.  It was easy sailing and some days we covered astonishing distances between anchorages.

In Gladstone I was given an old cruising guide by Alan Lucas.  Although old and out of date the anchorages haven’t changed, it was full of good advice and assisted my trip north greatly.  Anyone doing this route would be wise to invest in a copy of the Alan Lucas Cruising Guide.

The coast from Gladstone to Cairns is well provided with islands and bays to anchor and there is no need to do anything but day sail between anchorages.  Bearing in mind most anchorages are fair weather only, it pays to keep a good track on the weather forecast and plan to be somewhere more protected if a blow comes along. 

When progressing North of cairns and Lizard Island most of the recreational sailors disappear.  The Australian recreational sailors seem to get as far as Cairns and then wait for the trades to slack off before heading south again.  After Lizard island I was surprised by how few boats were around.  Between Lizard Island and Cape York the number of other sailing boats I saw could be counted on one hand, almost exclusively there were no other boats in the anchorages I visited.  Its quite a lonely stretch of coast.

North of Lizard Island there are not any all weather anchorages for keel boats until Escape River is reached.  Shallow draft vessels may have the option of entering shallow rivers and crossing bars to find shelter.  However, such is the reliability of the SE trades most anchorages providing some protection from the SE will be satisfactory, although some rolling can be expected in many anchorages.

Also, north of Lizard Island civilisation takes a back seat.  Marinas, reprovisioning and shore facilities are non-existent, for the next three hundred miles to Cape York there is nothing.  Surprisingly the mobile phone signal also disappears for most of that distance.  There is plenty of high ground ashore so it should not be that difficult to position a few cell towers and repeaters along the coast.  If countries like New Zealand and Indonesia can do it why not Australia?

The swell is a surprising element that was not expected.  I had assumed (and others I talked to) that inside the barrier reef there would be no swell.  The fact is that the swell invades just about everywhere to some extent.

Another surprising thing is that you don’t see much of the barrier reef.  Its almost like a desert.  There are some sand cays dotted around, they may look inviting but in reality they are hot, sticky and often bug infested.  If you are into diving and underwater stuff no doubt the reef is magical but for a sailor passing by there is nothing to see.  This was a bit of a disappointment to me but what did I really expect to see?  Not sure really, maybe I was too influenced by the ‘where the hell are you?’ adverts.  The truth is that I am not a water person, I dislike getting into salt water and usually only venture in if it’s warm, shallow and involves cold beer.  In Queensland its foolish to go swimming (my opinion) as there are countless creatures in there that will take any opportunity to sting, bite or devour a human.   

I was most impressed with some of the large catamarans that the Australians use for cruising the coast.  Obviously, a lot of thought had gone into the specification and design of these craft to make them the ideal platform for this particular coast.  A whole heap of money is involved as well.  The advantages being: –

• Large living area for outdoor living in a warm climate
• Protected cockpits with sun and mosquito screens
• Great all around visibility for watching the world go by.
• Shallow draft to maximise the options for anchoring in rivers and shallow spots
• Ability to take to the ground in shallow rivers and mooring to shore with stern or bow anchor.
• They can carry a large strong croc proof dinghy for exploring and longer trips inshore.
• Stable platforms in swell anchorages
• Good speed under engine for windless days
• Great trade wind (downwind) sailing with large easy to manage headsails.    

During my passage up the coast I used the following anchorages.  I have made a brief comment on each anchorage based upon my experience. 

Turtle Island, Gladstone                                 Good, moderate weather

Rat island, N. Channel Gladstone                  Fair Weather

Hummocky Island                                          Fair Weather, OK in SE’ly

Kepple South, Long Beach                             Fair Weather, OK in N’ly

Kepple North                                                  Moderate Weather, OK in SE’ly

Pearl Bay                                                        Fair Weather, OK in SE’ly

Hexham island                                                Fair Weather, OK in SE’ly

Middle Percy, West                                        Fair Weather SE, Roll

Middle Percy, Rescue Bay                             Fair Weather, OK N’ly

Digby Island                                                   Fair Weather SE

Brampton Island Fair                                      Fair Weather SE

Happy Bay                                                      Fair Weather SE

Nara Inlet                                                        Moderate Weather

Greys Bay                                                       Fair Weather SE, Roll

Cape Upstart                                                   Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Townsville Duck Pond                                   Shallow, Fair Weather

Magnetic Island                                              Moderate weather, OK SE’ly

Great Palm island                                           Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Orpheus Island                                                Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Hinchinbrook, haycock Is.                              Moderate Weather

Hinchinbrook, Sunday Creek                         All Weather

Hinchinbrook, Gayundah Creek                     All Weather

Dunk Island                                                    Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Mourilyan Harbour                                         All Weather

Cairns River                                                    Moderate weather

Low Island                                                      Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Cape Bedford                                                  Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Lizard island                                                   Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Stokes Bay                                                      Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Morris island Fair Weather                            Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Night Island                                                    Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Portland Roads                                                Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Schelburne Bay                                               Fair Weather, OK SE’ly

Escape River                                                   All Weather

Seisia                                                              Moderate Weather

Sailing inside the Great barrier Reef single handed is not the easiest trip.  Sailing with a crew would make it much easier. 

Am I glad I did it, of course. 

Would I do it again?  Not on a monohull or single handed, unless you paid me.

HAUL OUT AND A RED BOTTOM

January 21 2024

Christmas and New Year are over, its time to get industrious again.  I hauled out at Medana Bay Marina on January 2.  Truce isn’t due for a new antifoul yet but I have been experiencing some knocking from the shaft at certain engine revs.  I am sure its nothing too serious but as a precaution I want to inspect all the running gear and find out what the problem is – and rectify it.  At the same time I will take the opportunity to give Truce another coat of antifoul, that should last us for another year. 

The haul out at Medana is done with a tractor and Roodberg type trailer/cradle system.  I have never used this system before and was interested to see how it worked.  On the day we didn’t have any problems and Truce came out the water nicely, well supported by the big landing pads on hydraulic rams.

I was quite happy with the old antifouling that Steven and I had applied before leaving New Zealand, It looked good and still had a few months life left.  However, I know from experience, if you bring a boat out and put it back with the same old antifoul on it won’t be long before you have to haul out again.  There was no option but to put another coat of antifoul on the hull. 

The antifoul here is very expensive.  The cost of the antifoul pain for Truce would run to about $1,500.  Wandering about the local hardware store I came across some Nippon Antifoul that is produced in Indonesia and widely used by the local fishing boats.  The jaw dropping price of about $12 per liter was very attractive. 

I did some google study and asked around the locals to get their opinion of the paint.  Google opinions varied, I couldn’t find anybody who had actually used the paint on a yacht to give an opinion.  Nippon said that the paint was good to keep the hull clean for a year, which is about what I would expect of any antifoul if the boat is spending the majority of the time at anchor, as most cruising boats do.  So, I spent very little money on the Nippon antifoul and put on three coats.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months, fingers crossed.

It turned out that the nasty noise coming from the shaft was the propellor shaft hitting the side of the log at low revs.  The Yanmar engine shakes alarmingly on its mounts at certain low revs and this was causing the shaft to hit one side of the log.  The tolerances are quite tight and the shaft has to be aligned central to the log.  When I changed out the engine mounts I realigned the engine and shaft.  I also put on a new cutlass bearing at the same time.  It seems that a period of settling in has caused the mounts, engine, cutlass bearing and shaft to take up a slightly different line.  I shifted the engine slightly over to starboard, realigned everything and now all is sweet again. 

If I had known it was just a case of misalignment I would have not hauled out and left it for a few months, but I didn’t know for sure so its best the be cautious.  Haul out facilities are few and far between in Indonesia and a shaft failure would be difficult to manage in the light and fickle wind conditions we get here.  I am happy its all good again and am now confident using the motor.

When hauling the boat out I cut my thumb on a shell clinging to the propellor.  It was just a small cut and I thought nothing of it.  Unfortunately, after a few days the cut became infected and within twenty four hours it went ballistic.  A trip to the doctor ensued and he drained and dressed it.  This was a real setback as it was my right hand and exactly where it gets the most use.  I was unable to sand and paint the hull as I usually do and had to hire labour to get the job done.  Fortunately, I had completed the shaft alignment before the infection took hold.  Due to my infected thumb the haul out took a couple of days longer than expected and I spent considerable time in my air conditioned room resting my hand. 

With the antifouling complete and the engine realigned we splashed back in the water on January 15 and did some sea trials.  All is sweet again, the knocking at low rpms is gone.  I have applied cross check to all the engine mounting bolts, that will provide a quick visual check that nothing is moving.

From Medana Bay Marina I am going a few miles down the coast to the southern Gili islands of Lombok.  There are supposed to be good, protected anchorages down there from the northerly and westerly  trades at this time of year.  First I have to top off with fuel and buy a few groceries and beer before we can head out. 

SAILING TO SOUTH LOMBOK

30 January 2024

It took a couple of days to finalise the storing and fueling, at a leisurely pace.  The weather had changed and the mooring at Medana was not too comfortable. With food and fluids on board we let go from the Medana Bay Marina mooring and headed out to sea.  Well, that sounds dramatic, in fact we only motored around to the next bay, Tembobor Bay, where we anchored for the night.  I was happy to get away from the marina and rely on the anchor for a while.

Tembobor bay is a good anchorage but also subject to a northerly swell, the same as Medana Bay.  I would have liked to stay longer in Tembobor Bay but after so long in Medana I was eager to move along.  Also, the northerly wind was good for sailing south down the coast.  At first light the next morning I was up and about and we were soon on our way south past Gili Aer and then Senggigi with a good wind helping us along towards the South Gili Islands. 

This is another new area for me, I am not certain what I will find.  I have heard good things about the south Gili islands and am looking forward to exploring them.  As we progressed south the wind played fickle tricks and the tide and currents toyed around with us.   With no firm destination planned in the South Gili islands I just went with the best wind angle. As we made our way south the wind selected Gili Sudak as our destination.  I decided to tuck in around Gili Sudak, through a reef fringed channel.  There we would be protected from the north westerly winds and in calm water.

The anchorage at Gili Sudak was in 20m water and quite affected by strong currents running through the channel.  I let out all the available anchor chain, ensured we were securely anchored and relaxed.  This was an interesting spot with large floating fishing traps dotted around the bay on anchors.  A short dinghy ride away were a couple of small islands with warungs on them catering to tourists, both local and foreign.    

Gili Sudak was a good anchorage but after 2 days the wind swung west and increased.  Nothing serious but the wind against tide built up a bit of a chop and became uncomfortable, even more so when we had the dreaded wind against tide anchoring scenario.  I decided to move around the corner into Lembar anchorage and anchored off the small village of Telagalupi in 11m water, a mud bottom and flat calm.  The anchorage at Telagalupi turned out to be very protected from both the north and west.  Although not a ‘pretty’ anchorage I was happy anchored with the commercial ships in the bay.

One of the ships at anchor was the ex Cable and Wireless cable repair ship ‘Pacific Guardian’.  This ship was built at Swan Hunter in the UK in 1984 at a cost of £18m, very expensive at the time and a state-of-the-art cable layer.  She is now under the Indonesian flag and will be engaged in laying inter island cables within Indonesia.  Good to see the old ship still working for her living when most modern ships are obsolete after 20 years.

The village ashore was small with just a track from the village leading to the main road.  The locals were very friendly and helpful.  For some reason they seemed to be extremely keen on volleyball which they played each afternoon to big crowds.  They play the game on a very rudimentary soil court by the beach.

After a few days my Telkomsel phone sim card started playing up and the internet was dropping out.  I was told that the phone problem could be fixed in Lembar, so I got a water taxi across from Telagalupi to Lembar.  At the phone shop in Lembar I was told that my phone could only be fixed in a Telkomsel shop in Mataram.  So, I got a car from Lembar to Mataram.  In Mataram my phone problem was fixed and I did the return journey, the water taxi man was still waiting for me when I arrived and we returned to Telagalupi in the pouring rain in the late afternoon.     

After four calm nights at Telagalupi the weather was back to normal.  It was time to head back around to Gili Sudak and plan to move further west along the island chain to fresher spots.  I have enjoyed my time in Telgalupi, with easy days and good walks ashore. When walking in Indonesia the locals are always eager to say hello, especially the children who find great delight in interacting with a Bule (foreigner). Many times when walking people stop and offer me a lift, a really kind gesture. I feel guilty refusing sometimes as they may not understand that its therapy for me to just wander around and take in the local sights and sounds.

My next stop along the way will be Gili Gede where I am told there is a marina and more cruising boats.  Its always so interesting meeting new people and I am looking forward to some different company.    

SOUTH LOMBOK AND NO HURRY

12 February 2024

The trip around from Gili Sudak was just a twelve mile hop and as there was only a slight breeze from ahead we motored all the way. It was an easy motor in calm seas, I took care to keep well away from the reefs which can be seen on the satellite images but not necessarily on the charts. We arrived at Gili Gede and anchored off Marina Del Rey just before ten in the morning.  

With Truce securely anchored I went ashore to visit the marina. Its a spiffing place, nice bar with a view, swimming pool and all clean and tidy. The floating dock has some lovely big boats lying alongside, most of which seemed deserted.

I went to the marina office and introduced myself and asked about mooring rates, availability of fuel, water, gas, laundry etc. The lady in charge showed me the rates and informed me that I would have to pay to anchor. Well, paying to anchor is against my religion and the rates for services seemed on the high side. For those with deep pockets this place would be a wonderful stop, for a budget conscious cruiser it does not make sense. Clearly, this marina is a huge honey trap and I departed before temptation for ‘just one cold beer’ could lure me in.

From the marina I took the dinghy across to Tembowong on the mainland where there is a floating dock to make dinghy access easy. From the dock I walked a couple of kilometers into the local village of Pelangan where there is an Alphamart. All along the road into the village I could hear the sound of small trundlers rotating away to process gold in peoples back yards. There are numerous small gold mines scattered about doing small scale mining and the processing seems to be a cottage industry. In the village I found a cash machine, unfortunately it was for local banks only and just spat my card out. At the Alphamart I picked up a few supplies and wandered back down the road to the dock, it was quite hot in the midday sun.

Just across the water from the Marina Del Rey is a small (five bungalow) resort called Palmyra Indah Bungalows, here I had an excellent (late) lunch in a beautiful relaxing setting for a very reasonable price. I like this place and plan to return.

With a good lunch inside me I returned to Truce, picked up the anchor and headed around to Gili Goleng where I was told there was a good anchorage to the south of the Island. Once again there are reefs about and I took care entering around the Island where I found good holding on a mud bottom in 20m of water. With the anchor well dug in and the engine off it was time to relax in the cockpit with a cold one. What a beautiful quiet and calm place. I had a second beer and took in the view of Bali in the distance, just perfect, I am lucky to be here.

The next day I took the dinghy across to Gili Asahan and had a walk on the beach part way around the island, its a lovely place. Then I headed to the Eco resort for a coffee. On the menu I noticed they had English Breakfast, could it be real I thought. I placed my order and was pleasantly surprised to receive an English breakfast with real pork bacon! It was delightful, the only thing missing was HP sauce. So, I seem to have landed in paradise. There is no hurry to move on.

VISA RENEWAL AND TOILET MISHAPS

18 February 2024

Life continues nicely in South Lombok.  I am happy anchored at Gili Asahan, a wonderful relaxing place, there are no roads on the island and the constant invasive noise of motorbikes is absent.  I have taken to early morning walks on the beach before the sun gets too high and then a Lombok coffee in the shade of the trees, and chat with the locals, very relaxing.  I was reflecting a couple of days ago that this is the first time in my life that I don’t have somewhere to be or a schedule to keep.  An unusual feeling and for a while I felt guilty, its hard to dismiss a lifetime of arrivals, departures, ETA’s, appointments, meetings, deadlines and commitments.  Now, I am adapting to a manana state of mind, just need to be careful not to slip too far onto the easy side – although if I do, how will I know?

Where I am anchored there are many fish and paddle crabs living under the boat.  I am quite happy for them to be there if they are keeping the hull clean by eating anything that tries to attach itself to the bottom.  Unfortunately, when I flush the toilet, some of them get sucked into the toilet bowl where they swim around unaware of the nasty fate that awaits.  A couple of days ago a paddle crab got sucked in.  Being crab shaped and not streamlined like a fish he had a hard time in the narrow salt water inlet hose and arrived at the toilet with atomic force,  a completely decimated mess.  The destructive suction power of a Lavac toilet is truly amazing.

Anyway, with paddle crab splattered everywhere, I decided that it was time to give the toilet and surrounding area a deep clean.  I removed the toilet seat and lid to the cockpit for further attention.  As I put the toilet seat onto the side deck it caught on a rope and the little plastic seat hinge thing pinged out and flew in a graceful arc over the side.  Desperately I looked over the side to see the small plastic fitting disappearing out of sight, in 22m water depth, it was gone forever. 

The emotional distress suffered when something valuable goes over the side (nothing of inconsequence or low value is ever attracted over the side) can only be understood by other sailors.  It is a feeling like no other human emotion, complete helplessness as experienced in an earthquake, coupled with this are the emotions of futility, incredulity, disbelief, frustration, dismay, shock and anger.  Anything destined to go over the side can defy the laws of physics and gravity in finding a path to Davy Jones locker down in Bikini Bottom.  In my early days at sea anything lost over the side was said to be ‘in the Bendix’ by the knowledgeable seaman, a reference to both the ocean and early Bendix washing machines that had the mythical ability to disappear clothes without trace.

Anyway, I had a cup of tea to steady my nerves and considered my toilet plight.  I then turned the boat upside down looking for spare toilet parts. I found many things I had forgotten about but no toilet seat hinge.  The Lavac toilet works by creating a vacuum when the seat and lid are closed to suck nasty stuff out of the boat and replace it with fresh sea water which is sucked in.  Without the hinges the lid and seat will not align to creat the required vacuum.  All I had to do was get some metal worker to make up some new hinge supports from some threaded rod, should be easy and work until I can get replacement parts.  It’s a work in progress.

To make getting ashore easier I have moved Truce around to Gili Gede and anchored off the Marina.  Taking care of course to anchor outside the mooring field and avoid the anchoring charges that the marina apply.  There is easy dinghy access to the shore and a floating boat dock at Tembowong Harbour.  Where I am anchored is also close by Palmyra Indah Bungalows.  This is a great place to chill out and take breakfast.  They also have bikes available free of charge, very handy to use as transport into the local village for the market.  It’s a nice ride into the village, mostly flat, all the kids greet me with ‘hey Mister’ and some of the older ones have learnt to ask for money.

Its visa renewal time again, I made the trip into Mataram to the immigration office and handed in my passport, a sheaf of paperwork and two million Rp.  The process of giving me a new stamp will take a few days.  Then its another trip into Mataram to pick up the passport.  The visa thing is a real chore and expensive to boot.  Everyone complains about the onerous, tedious and expensive visa process.   The only people who seem to benefit from this rigmarole are the agents and sponsors, no doubt the money they receive also helps others as well.  Hopefully the Indonesian Government will listen to the complaints and make the process more transparent, simpler and ideally online.

With the Immigration out the way it was shopping time.  Hardware stores, engineering workshops, food markets, chemist and phone shop were all on the list.  To my delight I was also introduced to the Bintang Beer warehouse, trade price for beer, what a win!  It was a long day but successful, I got everything I needed, the toilet seat hinge support should be fabricated in a week or so.   

FIXING THINGS

25 February 2024

Last week I took a trip into Mataram to pick up the replacement toilet part which was being fabricated for me.  The workshop said it was ready for collection so off I went.  How stupid of me, I should have known better after all the time I had worked in Indonesia.  Of course, when I arrived the part wasn’t ready! 

Indonesians are always eager to give you good news but reticent about giving bad news.  In this case the guy in the workshop was optimistic that the part would be delivered before I arrived. Until the last minute he irrationally wished for the part to magically arrive so he wouldn’t have to disappoint me. It didn’t and he did.  My fault I should have asked for a photo on WhatsApp (everyone uses it here) to verify its existence before setting off. 

My trip to Mataram wasn’t a completely wasted day, I did some shopping and stocked up on some dry provisions and fresh fruits.  I also stocked up on some mini bread puddings from a bread shop at the Epicentrum shopping mall, I am sort of addicted to them.

Eventually I received the toilet part a few days later, it was sent down to me at Gili Gede by motorbike from Mataram.  It looks OK and the critical dimensions are the same as the original plastic part. 

A short time later I had fitted the new part and the toilet was fully functional again.  I had two spares made up from stainless steel, just in case the remaining plastic one fails in the future.  I am not certain about the quality of the stainless steel and no doubt it will want to weep rust at some time in the future, I will monitor it. The cost for the two spares $30 NZ, actually cheaper than ordering new ones from Lavac in the UK.

On board I carry an electric scooter.  I wanted to bring my folding bike but unfortunately its just too big to fit comfortably into the cockpit locker.  The scooter is Ok when the roads or paths are smooth which isn’t too often where I am cruising.  Around the area where I am now the roads are ok and I decided to get the scooter out and take a trip into the local market. 

When I tried to start it up it failed.  Nothing working and as dead as a Dodo.  I took the floor cover off it to check the battery and reset switch.  All good down there and the battery was charging ok.  Then I took a look under the dashboard.  It was nasty, looks like salt air and moisture has got into the electronics and buggered up the circuit board.

I have tried cleaning it up but the corrosion is too far gone, I will need a new circuit board.  Salt water is a killer.  Just another thing to fix.  Someone once said that cruising consists of fixing things in exotic locations.  There is certainly a lot of fixing things involved in cruising.   

WIND, RAIN AND REPAIRS

3 march 2024

The weather is changing. The seasonal westerly winds have kicked in, much later than usual but they have arrived bringing overcast and cloudy conditions with rain.  The rain is most welcome, apart from cooling everything down a bit we now have full freshwater tanks again. All this water is great, I can do laundry on board and take nice long cool showers at night in the cockpit before slipping into my pajamas.

I have been moving about a bit, mainly between Gili Gede and Gili Asahan.  My favourite spot is Gili Asahan where it is sheltered and protected from the swell and seas coming down the Lombok strait.  I can see the waves breaking on the reefs off Gili Asahan but only a low swell gets into the anchorage where we are moored south of the island.

There are no roads on Gili Asahan, the only access is by boat.  There are a few small resorts on the island and one in particular where they serve an English breakfast with real pork bacon, That’s a special treat.  As there are no roads there are no cars or the infernal motorbikes that populate all of Indonesia.  It’s beautiful and quiet, I am usually awoken by birdsong in the morning.

A couple of days ago we had some very strong winds come through with torrential rain.  Of course, it all happened at four in the morning when it was pitch black.  It was hard to see anything through the driving rain, I was concerned about the boats around me dragging in the heavy winds.  I had everything ready should we break loose from our mooring as I tried to monitor the boats around us.  I saw forty-five knots on the anemometer and suspect we had a couple of fifty knot gusts at the height, but I wasn’t watching.  The village ashore took a pounding, I could see lots of flashlights through the rain as the locals tended their houses and boats. There is a rain radar on Bali and by logging onto the Indonesian BMKG app I can see the rain coming, usually from the North West.

The height of the storm only lasted for twenty minutes and by daybreak the wind had moderated to around fifteen knots.  One of the boats astern of me dragged the mooring close to the shore but fortunately didn’t go aground or hit the boats moored either side.  All the other boats remained secure.  In the morning light I can see the shore is a mess.  There is some erosion where water has flooded from higher ground and the rest of the beach is covered in wood and vegetable matter that must have washed out from the streams and rivers.  The plastic pollution is worse than ever. The villagers said it was the strongest wind they had ever seen, I am not sure that is correct but it certainly was strong for this part of the world.

The storm also damaged the Bimini cover over the cockpit, breaking one of the plastic tube supports.  It was bound to happen, any plastic fitting on a boat is going to fail – it’s just a matter of time.  After some thought I decided the best repair would be to apply a splint which would still allow the bimini to be folded when at sea if needed.  I cut up a spare (high-density polyethylene)  cutting board I had on board, they really come in handy for all sorts of repairs. Then I drilled through the aluminum tube and fitted stainless bolts through the plastic board either side of the tube to form a splint. Mindful that the stainless bolts will cause the thin aluminum tube to corrode I lathered on plenty of Duralac on the stainless bolts to hold the corrosion at bay. The finished result looks tidy and should last for a while until I can get a replacement plastic tube end fitting to replace the broken one.

I am checking the forecast every day, the wind is still constantly from the NW at the moment and looks set for a while.  I expect the season will start to change early next month when I can start moving on again.  I have so many options for a route out of here, although I am favouring one particular route, subject to weather of course.  In the meantime, I am happy with the chilled life at Gili Asahan.

HAVE I SWITCHED TO ISLAND TIME?

3 April 2024

I have been at Gili Asahan for a while now.  The seasonal wind is not in my favour yet so there is no incentive to sail on.  The anchorage here is super calm and well protected. Ashore there are some small boutique resorts serving good food and drinks.  There’s also some other cruisers on boats waiting for the season to change, providing social interaction and coffee mornings.  The locals and children are always up for a natter and have a million questions as to where you come from, where you are going and everything in between.

I had my birthday a couple of weeks ago.  Not that I really celebrate birthdays anymore, they are sort of running out.  As a treat I went to the Eco Resort for breakfast and I tucked into an English breakfast with real pork bacon.  Jamie and Liz from SY Esper kindly gave me some vacuum bags for my new toy. Yes, I have just bought a vacuum sealer machine.  I don’t have a freezer on board and the vacuum sealer will allow me to keep food in the fridge for a longer period.  Its is also handy for sealing up bulk foods to prevent insects etc from eating them. 

My days are flying by and all is peaceful in my life.  I fear I am becoming lazy and in discussion with another single handed cruiser moored here he has the same concerns about himself.  Of course, I have my ‘to do’ list and every day I endeavour to check at least one item off the list.  Very often, I will check an item off the list and add two more – that’s the way of cruising.  In reality, if you keep a well run boat the repairs and maintenance will keep you occupied and its impossible to be classed as lazy.  Maybe just operating at a slower pace, Island time maybe.

Despite my slower pace of life, I am still managing to carry out maintenance and upkeep on the boat.  A recent job entailed some minor repairs and touch up painting.  Of course, this required multiple tools, epoxy glue, paints etc. (stuff)  All this stuff is from lockers, boxes, drawers and storage spaces in different locations within the boat.  Getting access to all this stuff involves moving even more stuff that is stowed on top of the stuff you need.  I am not exaggerating when I say it’s exhausting to be constantly moving stuff.  Anyone who has a boat will instantly recognise and understand the issue.  Fortunately on Truce we have a large chart table that makes for a great work table and can accommodate a huge amount of stuff.

There are a couple of online shopping sites in Indonesia.  The one I use is Tokopedia as it takes my credit card.  In such a spread out place as Indonesia the delivery of goods must be a challenge but they manage it with surprising speed and accuracy.  I have now received a few items and am really impressed with the service.  The latest purchase was three new country flags that I hope to put to use in the coming months of travel.

We are now well into Ramadan and I think the locals are looking forward to Eid.  The mosques are active into the early hours of the morning and can be heard across the water from both the mainland and the islands.  It’s the sound of this part of Indonesia. 

The local boats are interesting, single lateen sail, surprisingly fast and easy to sail with one person.  Construction is amazing, the outriggers are secured by lashings which makes them strong and flexible.  Seeing a flotilla of these boats sailing at speed back to shore after a nights fishing is impressive.  But, they don’t obey the rules of the road, it can be hair-raising trying to avoid them as they seem to enjoy changing course at the last minute and entice a collision with a cheery wave. 

VISA RUN – TIME TO MOVE ON

10 April 2024

The month of Ramadan is past and the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr have just concluded.  During this time I took the opportunity to make a visa run to Kuala Lumpur.  My Indonesian visa was running out, so I had to depart the country and re-enter on a new visa.  A costly exercise but no other option and thank goodness the airfares in Asia are reasonable.  On my return from Kuala Lumpur, I made a provision run into Mataram to stock up on items for my upcoming trip.  Unfortunately, due to holidays the beer warehouse was closed but I managed to get some reserve stock delivered a few days later.

The propeller has been growing crustaceans at Gili Asahan and needed cleaning before going anywhere.  A fouled propellor is a horrible thing, not only does it slow the boat down but it can set up nasty vibrations in the drivetrain.  After Eid the divers were working again and one came out to clean the propeller and look at the hull for me. Hull is still clean after antifouling in January, just a slime covering that I hope will wash off as we sail

Another item on the repair list was a weeping fuel shut off valve.  The existing valve has been leaking very slowly since I inadvertently stepped on it a few months ago.  Just a small weep of about a cup of diesel every two weeks.  Nonetheless its annoying and the last thing I need is any diesel spilling into the bilge.  I managed to get a replacement valve but could only guess if the size, thread and flare would be correct.  By a miracle (this rarely happens on a boat) the valve fitted and we now have a non leaking system.  I am very happy.

In Indonesia all the local boats use coloured flashing lights at night (some don’t use any lights at all).  These lights can be any colour or combination of colours, its up to the taste and artistic desires of the skipper. They are very bright LED’s and powered by D cell batteries.  There are some solar powered ones around but more expensive.  As the local boat drivers are used to seeing and avoiding the flashing lights, I figured the high up mast head anchor light may not be of much use.  I had a low-down anchor light to suplement the mast head light but unfortunately water got into it, its now dead.  As a replacement I decided to get an Indonesian flasher.  I bought two, one flashes plain white and the other alternates between green and red flashes.  The light fits nicely into a standard rod holder.  So far, its worked well and as they say, When in Rome do as the Romans do.  I suppose the boaters in New Zealand would take a dim view of a flashing red and green lights at anchor.

For my upcoming trip I have bought four large Jerry cans to carry additional diesel.  I dislike carrying Jerry Cans on deck and certainly would not do so on an ocean crossing.  But, in the equatorial latitudes there are fickle winds and more motoring than usual can be expected.  Having a larger reserve of fuel on board reduces the chore of running a dinghy ashore to find fuel and fill jerry cans.  In some of the remoter places in Indonesia its not always easy to find the good quality Pertimina Dex fuel that small boat diesels like, so better to keep a reserve on board.  

My next move will be to return to Medana Bay Marina where I can refill the gas bottles on board. Medana Bay is one of the few places in Indonesia where bottles with the Australian/NZ fitting can be refilled.

SNAKE ON THE BOAT

17 April 2024

The time has come to depart Gili Asahan.  I have been in South Lombok for two months now and really enjoyed my time here.  But, all good things must come to an end and I feel the season is changing.  Its hard to depart.  I have said my farewells and let go the mooring that has been my temporary home.  My plan is to make my way up to Medana Bay to refill my cooking gas cylinders, stopping off at two or three anchorages on the way.  However, fate chose to throw a spanner in the plans. 

After departing Gili Asahan I headed down to Gili Gede where I planned to anchor for the night.  An attractive proposition as I could breakfast at the Palmayra Indra beach bungalows and maybe go for a bike ride to town in the morning. After anchoring I came down the companionway and from the corner of my eye noticed a flicker of movement by the quarter berth.  Was it my imagination?  Maybe the wind? Maybe nothing? I pulled the rubbish bag aside that was on the quarter berth, I didn’t see anything.  I then removed the cushion from the quarter berth and coiled up behind it was a snake!

Both the snake and I did double take for a fraction of a second then things got a little wild.  The snake shot out from the quarter berth towards me, I simultaneously sprang up the companionway.  The snake was moving fast and headed up to the forward cabin, it reared up and headed back towards me at speed as I retreated to the cockpit.  I last saw it slithering down by the engine cooling water seacock and into the bilge.  Brilliant, I was in the cockpit and the snake was hiding somewhere in the bilge.  I confess, I am very scared of snakes and realised I needed help.

I abandoned ship, jumped in the dinghy and headed ashore to find someone who could hopefully do something about the snake.  Thirty minutes later I returned with Ardie (the local Mr. Fixit) equipped with a forked bamboo stick and a rag.  On the dinghy ride back to Truce Ardie happily told me nonstop snake horror stories, telling me gleefully that the sea snake was 10 x more poisonous than the deadly king cobra. 

Back on board we tried to find the snake.  Bilge opened up, lockers, cupboards and drawers opened, lazerette tipped out.  The snake could be anywhere, once it got into the bilge it could make its way behind lockers and furniture and remain hidden.  After a couple of hours we found nothing despite liberal use of fly spray which Ardie reckons is good for flushing out snakes.  I returned ashore with Ardie and had a local coffee to steady my nerves.

That night I went to bed late, sleeping fitfully on the settee in the salon.  Awaking early the next morning to see fresh snake poo on the carpet in the forward cabin freaked me out.  The snake must have been slithering around right past me as I slept. 

I weighed anchor and headed direct to Medana Bay,  booking a mooring and hotel room on the way.  Arriving at Medana Bay just after lunch I put Truce on a mooring and went ashore to drink beer.  That night I slept in the luxury of an air conditioned hotel room complete with shower. 

The snake is most likely a Sea Krait, very common around these parts. I had a good look at it and it matches with the pictures.  They are air breathing snakes, they come ashore to digest their food, drink fresh water and lay eggs.  Local advice said the snake would not stay more than a couple of days on board as it needs to return to the sea to feed.  They are not aggressive and only bite when threatened.  The next day I gingerly returned to Truce and made sure the boat was open so the snake could find its way out, I even left a thick rope by the companionway ladder so it was easy for it to climb out.  Then I returned ashore again and left the boat for 24 hours.

On returning to Truce I started a spring clean.  Starting in the forward cabin, I tipped everything out, cleaned up and then restowed everything.  Next it was the salon, then the galley, then the quarter berth, then the lazarettes.  How can I get so much stuff on a boat.  No sign of the snake so I have to assume it’s gone, but still have a lingering doubt in my mind.

An awful experience.  Got to man up and get a grip of myself.

ONWARDS TO BALI

1 May 2024

After four days in Medana Bay there is no sign of the snake.  I didn’t see it leave the boat, but I have to assume it’s gone back to where it came from and carry on with my life.  Truce is full of fuel with some extra on deck, we have full cooking gas cylinders and a good stock of noodles and beer.  Time to move on.

I have had a great stay at Medana Bay, so good to have an air-conditioned room for a few nights.  The treat is over, I am on my way again, departing in the morning after breakfast and heading out through the outlaying reef into clear deep water, Bali visible ahead.  The sky was overcast with rainstorms away to the north.  Once in clear water a light breeze drifted in, we sailed slowly in occasional light rain showers. 

We crept across the shipping lanes and by early afternoon were still ten miles from our anchorage for the night off Ambat.  Eventually I started the engine and motored into the anchoragebefore sunset to make use of a sundowner.  There was a swell coming into the anchorage which fortunately died down later in the evening to make for a good night’s rest.  It had been a slow day taking about ten hours to cover thirty miles.  But we have now moved on and have made it to Bali. 

The next day we were underway again, this time headed for Lovina.  The wind was soft, we made headway slowly towards Lovina, anchoring just after five in the afternoon in time for sundowners again.

 Lovina turned out to be a good run ashore with a super supermarket.  Here I found Weet-Bix which I had been on the lookout for since arriving in Indonesia.  Weet-Bix is an excellent sailing food and my existing stock from Australia had almost run out, in fact I had been rationing it. 

At the supermarket I stocked up on a few other items.  As usual whether I needed it or not, it’s the sailors squirrel syndrome, we always need additional stores ‘just in case’. 

Lovina was a nice place, very chill, I enjoyed my time there.  It has all the facilities of Bali but without the frantic hustle, bustle and crazy traffic of the south.  After three days in Lovina, I moved on again further west.  I had a couple of possible anchorages marked out along the way but a swell from the Northeast didn’t make them too inviting.  I pressed on towards Teluk Banyuwedang that looked to be protected from the swell.

On the way there was some coastal shipping, fishermen and FAD’s to dodge around.  There was a tug and tow going the same way as me and it took a few hours for us to overhaul him.  For the final hour into Banyuwedang a strong wind headed us and a current sprang up.  It was slow going for a while until we entered the reef fringed channel into the inner bay. 

Teluk Banyuwedang is a nice protected anchorage fringed on one side by the national park.  There are some moorings in the bay for visitors to use but they looked a bit sketchy.  I opted to anchor and found a clear spot in seventeen meters of water just off an expensive looking resort.

The place is a bit touristy and they even have hot pools.  Well, I love hot pools but not in this climate, could be a route to a heart attack.  The tourists are a mix of local and foreign, good for keeping the prices in check. 

The anchorage turned out to be a windy place during the day.  Not super windy, maybe about twenty knots maximum and giving a nice cooling breeze before dying away at night.  I took a walk into the town where there is a good fruit and veggie market.  Interestingly, in the market, fruit and vegetables seem to seen as different commodities.   Stalls don’t generally sell both, you need to visit different stalls to get both fruit and vegetables.  Fortunately, after arriving late I was able to pick up some good vegetables, the fruit was all gone.

I cut myself with a Stanley knife, nothing serious but it sliced through my fingernail.  Its just the small type of finger injury that could turn nasty in this climate if not treated properly from day one.  I did the first aid stuff and will have to keep it protected for a few days.  Very inconvenient as its my right hand and good arm.

My stay in Teluk Banyuwedang lasted three days, a nice place and a good anchorage.  But time to go again, tomorrow Bali will be astern, my next stop will be on Java. 

ONWARDS TO JAVA

7 May 2024

My stay in Teluk Banyuwedang has been enjoyable.  I have had a good explore around the place, been ashore for a few beers and picked up some fresh provisions.  I gave the hot pools a miss, can’t think I would enjoy them in this climate, the aim is usually to cool down and not heat up.  Now its time to leave Bali.

We departed at a reasonable time in the morning after a proper breakfast.  Once we passed through the entrance channel and were clear of the reefs a welcome breeze greeted us.  The breeze became fresh from the SE, we romped along with just the yankee working well, no need to break out the mainsail.  I was a bit concerned about the currents in the strait between Bali and Java, I know from experience they can run strong to the south.  But today for some reason they were pushing us north, such luxury.

Across to the west I could see Mount Ruang standing proud in the distance.  The sail across to Java was splendid, with a good breeze, favourable current, wonderful visibility, scenery and Micky in control of steering, nothing for me to do but enjoy.  Mount Ruang is just behind Banyuwangi where I once worked.  I was always too busy to spare the time to make a trip up the volcano, some of my coworkers did and said it was a fantastic experience. 

 In the afternoon we entered between two reefs into the anchorage for the night.  The outlaying reefs reduce the easterly swell coming into the anchorage so its quite peaceful.  The scenery is magnificent, the anchorage is inside the Baluran National Park.  The anchorage was so peaceful and scenic I stayed for two nights.  Unfortunately it was a bit too windy to go ashore in the dinghy, there is a nice looking beach and some mangroves to explore but just too distant and windy for my little dinghy. 

The anchorage was completely deserted apart from the occasional fisherman passing by.  On the second day I decided to make some fresh water.  When I turned on the water maker seawater started pouring out of the filter housing.  I removed and disassembled the housing to find that two small ‘O’ rings had perished on the vent caps.  Marvelous that they had both decided to fail at the same time.  Anyway, I found a fix for the problem and after a few hours work had everything back in place.  When I restarted the water maker I discovered that one of the high pressure hoses was spraying out a fine seawater mist.  Nothing I can do about that, it needs a new hose to be made up by a hydraulic shop.  In the meantime I have tied a rag around the leak to stop the spray and use a bucket to catch the drips.  There is always something…

My next stop was Kutupat island where there is an anchorage behind an offlaying reef.  The sail up was good but took longer than anticipated due to the wind going light in the afternoon.  As I approached the south of the island we encountered strong tide rips with standing waves, that delayed us further.  This delay resulted in arriving at the reef entrance just on sunset, really too late.  I entered through the entrance slowly with the motor running and using a satellite image as the Navionics chart was not accurate.  Eventually I passed through into deeper water, the shallowest point being 4 meters.  By the time I anchored it was pitch dark, I was ready for a beer. 

The anchorage was not too restful, being open to the wind, although the swell didn’t enter too much.  It was a jiggly, joggley night and I was quite happy to depart in the morning.  This time we took the longer northern route through the reef and the shallowest point was 10 meters, much better.  

The next stop was Gili Ijang.  Although only thirty miles distant it was an all day sail in very light winds.  The anchorage looked quite good on the chart, protected from the prevailing winds.  I thought I may stay a couple of days and get ashore for a wander around.  We arrived late afternoon as the sun was going down.  Firstly, I anchored in 10 m but the anchor would not set.  Then I moved out a way and into 14 m and found good holding.

Unfortunately, the anchorage turned out to be a disaster, the environment was awful.  The mosques started up with the loudest speakers I have ever heard, headachingly loud. After the mosques finished the dance music started, it was almost like they were using the same speakers.  Then it was fishing boats, shouting, industrial noises, burning rubbish fires and continuous disturbance during the night.  Added to this disturbance was a roll coming into the anchorage from the south. 

At first light the anchor was aweigh and we were on our way without a backward glance. 

STRESSFUL NIGHT SAIL TO BAWEAN

14 May 2024

After the noise and restless night at Gili Ijang it was calming to be at sea and on my way to somewhere new.  Shortly after leaving the sun popped up over the horizon and another good day seemed to be in the offing.

My first obstacle of the day soon popped up in the form of fishing boats and nets.  It is often difficult to ascertain which direction the nets are laying as the buoys may only be empty water bottles bobbing about in a sea of other trash.  The fishermen will wave frantically as an indication to turn one way or another.  Unfortunately, some will wave in the direction that is clear of danger while others will wave in the direction the net is lying.  This morning there were four fishing boats waving me around.  It took a while of weaving through the nets to get clear, quite annoying. 

Once clear of the inshore fishermen we had a great sail, the yankee poled out to port and full main to starboard.  At sunset I took a reef in the main and we sailed happily along in the direction of Bawean Island, A gentle south easterly breeze pushing us along comfortably.  As the sun went down two things came out, the stars and the lights of fishermen.  Just below the horizon I could see the looms of bright lights.  I knew these were the squid boats with lights bright enough to melt your eyeballs.  I usually try and avoid these fishermen but the lights extended across the whole horizon, there was no way to get around them.  As we came closer the lights popped up above the horizon, somehow we had to get through. 

Squid boats can switch off their lights and disappear, only to reappear somewhere else, usually ahead of you, at the flick of a switch.  One such incident happened, we were passing one boat and it suddenly went dark, all the lights were off.  I struggled to locate it and suddenly realised it was turning and heading our way.  I immediately started the engine and went full throttle hard to starboard, still with all the sail up.  The squid boat missed us by only about fifty meters, he was large and doing about ten knots.  I don’t think he saw us, maybe he was blind after working in the bright lights.  Anyway, we avoided disaster, I was angry and shaken by the event.

A few hours later we had another incident with a tug and barge.  The tug was approaching from our port side and should keep out of our way.  However, some of the tugs here are underpowered for the large fully loaded barges they are pulling, they cant really manoeuvre with any kind of alacrity, they just pull and guide as best they can.  I lit up the sails with the stern floodlight and made an alteration of course to pass astern of him and the tow.  It was almost impossible to see the unlit tow hundreds of meters astern.  I gave it a wide berth, the barges here can be swung out at an alarming angle from the tug and I didn’t want to get anywhere near the towline or between the tug and barge.   

Only a few fishermen more and the sun rose as we closed the coast of Bawean.  By nine in the morning we were anchored in Teluk Promahan, a bay sheltered from the SE trade winds on the north of the Island.  It had been a long, busy night and no rest.  I was happy and relieved to be safely anchored and cracked a breakfast beer.  Well, it was five o clock somewhere.

Bawean turned out to be well worth the effort of getting here.  What a wonderful anchorage and Island.  The people here must be the friendliest and welcoming I have met in Indonesia – that is really saying something.  Everyone wants to chat and ask questions and of course have selfies taken.  People on motorbikes pass but then turn around for a chat.  Nobody walks here and going for a walk means being constantly being asked if you want a lift.  They didn’t understand that a seafarer needs to walk occasionally.

The town of Tambak is about a thirty minute walk from the anchorage.  The walk is nice along a well made road and the absence of rubbish littering the place is noticeable, its clean and tidy.  The relative affluence of the place struck me, good quality housing and modern motorbikes.  I spoke to a number of people and they said many of the men were employed overseas and particularly as crews on MSC cruise ships.  There is also a small airport with three flights a week to Surabaya.  In Tambak there are a variety of shops selling all the basic food items as well as a fresh market each morning.

I stayed a few days at Bawean.  I found it a very chill place.  A perfect island paradise with mountains, lakes, sandy beaches and hot pools, Only the snakes and millepedes need to be removed to make it habitable for me.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

THINGS GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

22 May 2024

Time to move on from Bawean and I had a few options.  At the forefront of my mind was to reduce the amount of night sailing.  Its potentially risky and can be stressful, so the less sailing in darkness the better.  This tactic was sound but unfortunately didn’t save Truce and I from a nasty early morning encounter – more later.

We departed from Bawean at two in the morning, the plan being to clear the island by dawn and sail down to the Java coast during daylight and arrive before sunset.  Then we could day sail hop along the coast to the west.  The plan failed, once clear of the anchorage the expected wind didn’t arrive and we ran amongst fishermen.  We ended up further north than I wanted and the possibility of making Java by sunset disappeared.  I decided on plan C which was a day and night sail to the Island of Karimunjawa where we could arrive in daylight. 

The sail towards Karimumjawa was a slow affair but we had just enough wind to keep us going through the night.  The sun went down and the fishermen came out as usual but this night was not too bad, they were well behaved and the dreaded squid boats were to the south,  just below the horizon.  As we approached Karimunjawa ugly dark storm clouds built up bringing squally rain and breeding waterspouts.  I was juggling the need to sail away from the waterspouts while also being able to reduce sail quickly in case we were unfortunate to get tangled up with one of them.

The wind blew all night at the Karimunjawa anchorage only dying out in the early morning.  As the weather seemed unsettled I decided to stay at anchor for the day.  It was still breezy during the day and there was a little chop at the anchorage, this deterred me from going ashore.  Getting the dinghy in the water and retrieving it later just seemed too much trouble.

From Karimunjawa to our next stop on the island of Belitung was about three hundred miles, this would mean two nights at sea.  Not what I really wanted but there is no choice if you want to make progress.   Fortunately, the wind had sorted itself out and we had wonderful sailing all the way.  The wind held steady at between twelve and twenty knots and Truce ate up the miles, averaging over six knots for the first twenty four hours.

On the second day out just after midnight I had reduced sail, we were going too fast, the breeze had picked up and we were doing over seven knots.  With Truce doing a more reasonable six knots I was dozing in the cockpit when I was awoken by a clattering and banging on the hull.  My fears were realised, we had run over some floating bamboo contraption all lashed together with bits of rope.   Part of whatever it was became wrapped around the skeg ahead of the rudder.

Well, it took awhile but after some effort the whole mess was released from around the skeg in front of the rudder.  I had checked the hull external as best I could and the bilges were dry and the shaft was still in place.  It looked like we had escaped without damage.  A closer inspection at anchor is needed when all is calm again.  Why does everything happen at two in the morning?

I decided to approach the anchorage at Belitung from the west side of the island.  There are numerous islands and reefs on the east side and navigation would be easier on the west side.  For the last ten miles of the trip the wind swung around to the north with rain and we had to beat into it, an uncomfortable couple of hours.  We were rewarded with a nice calm anchorage, interesting rock formations, sandy beaches and the promise of cold beer and tasty food ashore.

THE LAST TEABAG

29 May 2024

There it is, the last Extra Strong Breakfast Tea Bag.  Before leaving New Zealand I took a good stock on board and then managed to top up my stock in Australia.  The last couple of months I have been on rations and today, early morning, I enjoyed the last Bag.  Some people drink coffee to get going in the morning, but for me it’s a strong tea with milk and honey that does the trick. 

I have been trying to find a substitute in Indonesia with limited success, the best I have found is Sosro Heritage Black Tea, a good tea, grown in Java, that will keep me balanced until I can get a restock of the real stuff.

The anchorage at Belitung is good but subject to a bit of swell and the winds swirling around the top of Belitung.  Big turtles regularly swim around the boat and seem happy here despite the boat traffic. It seems to rain here a lot as well, often massive showers in the afternoon and evening with lightening and thunder as the warm air flows over the island and deposits rain at the NE end where I am anchored.

The beaches here are pure powdery sand and the cleanest I have seen so far in Indonesia.  There is not much pollution here and the villages ashore are also very clean and mostly free of the plastic pollution you see in many other places.  Most interesting here are the rock formations, huge rocks and boulders strewn about the place all worn smooth by the weather. 

One of the small islands is called Garuda Island due the rock perched on the top looking like the Garuda bird logo of the Indonesian National Airline.

Drinks, snacks and cold beer can be found on the small island next to garuda rock, a very popular place for the tourists.  Most of the tourists here are local Indonesian, mainly from Jakarta it seems.  The Warungs on the island have plastic bins with baby turtles swimming around in them.  I am not sure but it seems that for a small price you can release them into the sea.  There is both a positive and negative in that idea.

At the anchorage on board Truce repairs are ongoing to the spinnaker pole as stress cracks were appearing again.  I have applied epoxy and glass fiber wrapped around the pole in the areas showing stress, soon the pole will be more repairs than original  pole. It appears that once carbon fiber is compromised it affects the whole structure.

Then it was the turn of the water maker.  The needle valve on the water maker has been playing up and not holding a constant pressure. I decided to change it out for a new one that I managed to find online in Indonesia.  Unfortunately there is a mix up with the thread.  On the box it says NPT thread but the valve is actually NPTF thread.  It should work but when I fitted it there were big leaks even before any pressure was on the system.  I then put the old valve back in place but now it seems that valve wont work properly anymore.  Oh, what stress, working in tight spaces in a hot climate is not fun!  Now I am trying to get another NPT valve and hope it will fit, otherwise I will be without a water maker and my nice cool showers will be less frequent.

There are a couple of other cruising boats here.  One I have met before in Lombok and the other I met at the island of Bawean.  Nice to have other cruisers around to have a social with and continue life’s education.

PREPARING TO DEPART INDONESIA

7 June 2024

Belitung is a really nice place and I have enjoyed my time here.  But, good things must come to an end so you can go and find more different good things.  I have used my time here well and am happy to report the spinnaker pole is repaired and ready to be used in anger again.  I also received a new needle valve for the water maker, fitting was a bit tricky and required some improvisation.  The pressure gauge is now upside down, but the good news, there are no leaks this time, is its working as well as ever.  Once the pressure is adjusted by the needle valve it stays constant.  Unlike previously, when the pressure would fluctuate and almost constant monitoring was needed.  The water maker is a real bonus in the tropics where a slightly cool shower is very refreshing, no towel is needed, just dry off in the breeze to get cool.

Social life on Belitung  has been good with a few hardy cruisers passing through to have drinks, food and conversations with.  The local village has an excellent coffee shop and café serving delicious Indonesian food.  The girls serving were surprised when I ordered ‘local hot’ as they are used to serving bland mild food to non-Indonesians. The staff were very kind, helpful and interested in what I was doing. They sort of adopted this old man, on one visit they made me a special soup, it was delicious. I even left a tip which is usually against my religion.

In preparation for sailing again I enlisted the services of the local diving contractors who have a dive support boat. The guys turned up and cleaned the hull which had grown a grass skirt at the anchorage.  Underwater the hull was slimy and crustaceous creatures had taken up residence on the propellor.  The dive kit consisted of a compressor on the boat with a long air hose stuck into a face mask, it worked. It seemed an inconvenience that they couldn’t smoke underwater. They did a great job of cleaning, blooms of red antifoul paint could be seen in the water.

More stores had to be loaded on board for the voyage ahead. I have cupboards full of food but can never decide what to eat, I am completely lacking in imagination when it comes to cooking. Like a lady who stands in front of the wardrobe and declares ‘I have nothing to wear!’ I visited the local shops and bought some provisions.  For some of the  bulkier and heavy items like bottled water, box of noodles, cases of soda water etc.  I arranged with a local store owner to deliver the stores to the dinghy on the beach.  Helpfully, Mr. Chandra did his stuff and I received my boxes delivered as promised.

On the 4^th June I had a visit by the Indonesian Customs.  They wanted to check Truce over and satisfy themselves all was in order for the clearance out of Indonesia.  The Customs officers did a good job of checking I hadn’t changed out the engine and the drugs (medical) on board were as listed.  With the customs clearance complete they lightened up and we had a good chat and laugh on the way back to the shore in the dinghy.

The following day I headed down to Tanjung Pandan to complete the rest of the clearance with Immigration, Sanitation (Port Health) and the Harbour Master.  All went extremely well and my helper Mr.  Ervan was indeed a good helper.  With my clearance papers in hand I was all set to sail onwards.  However, not so quick.  When I arrived back on the boat I checked all the documents.  I know from experience that Port Officials the world over are looking for anything out of place on a document to cause trouble and start the ransom process.  I noticed that the Harbour Master had entered the wrong month on the outward clearance papers.  A quick call to Ervan confirmed that the papers would have to be changed in the morning.  So, another day in Belitung.

Truce and I are all ready to go again, the new clearance document is on board.  We are sailing in the morning and heading across to the west coast of Borneo.  This next part should be interesting, I am looking forward to it.

INTO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA – OVERHEATING ENGINE AND ROCK DODGING

14 June 2024

Goodbye Indonesia.  Thank you for your hospitality, interesting times and your generous and friendly people.  I have enjoyed my time in Indonesia and will no doubt look back with fond memories.

Truce and I sailed from Belitung in the morning after a good breakfast, the sea was calm and hardly a breath of wind.  We quietly motored out of the anchorage and in anticipation of the SE trade winds, I set up the spinnaker pole to starboard, fully expecting winds aft of the beam.  As it turned out once clear of the land mass of Belitung, a light easterly wind filled in and we were close hauled heading towards the Borneo coast around the zero latitude.  Now I usually dislike going to windward but today it was an excellent experience, flat seas, a nice cool breeze over the boat and bright sunshine, I was enjoying myself.  We were heading to the west of our intended track, but I wasn’t concerned, the sailing was good and I was sure the wind would swing around at some point.

We have now left the Java Sea behind and are in the South China Sea.  I have travelled this sea many times in commercial ships.  The last time in 2016 when I took a new build ship from a shipyard in China for delivery in the Arabian Gulf.  Its not a place that I have any fond memories of, often squally weather and lots of traffic.  Maybe it will be an easier place cruising on a yacht with time to pick the weather windows.

From midnight we had the squid boats and the wind increased for a few hours making for a bumpier ride but still within the comfort zone.  The logbook entry for midnight reads “Too many fishing boats”.  It is certainly challenging trying to figure which way they are heading, dodging through them under sail is a great mental exercise.  We sailed well throughout the following day and in the evening crossed the equator into the northern hemisphere. 

By the following morning we had closed the Borneo coast and before sunrise I anchored off the island of Pulau Temaju for a rest stop.  On the run into the coast the wind died, I started the engine to take us the last few miles.  I noticed that the engine was getting hot.  I have no way of measuring the engine temperature but just know from experience, its hotter than usual.  I started looking for possible causes, most likely on the cooling water side of things.  Taking the simple things first I checked the cooling water reservoir, strainer, water pump and inlet valve and hoses.  All was clear and working well, However I found that one of the clips holding the raw water inlet hose onto the seacock valve had split.  I replaced the broken clip and length of hose. Lucky that I had found the broken clamp as it was not visible until the hose was removed from the valve. 

The engine is still overheating at higher speed but if I keep the rpm below two thousand it’s not too bad.  I am now almost certain the exhaust elbow is partially blocked with carbon build up and is restricting the cooling water flow at higher RPMs.  I will investigate further when I get to a safe harbour.

The trip up the coast towards Sarawak was a slow affair in very light winds and an adverse current, sometimes sailing forty miles to make fourteen miles progress.  I even anchored to stop us going backwards.  Fortunately, the coast here is shallow and in calm weather you can drop anchor almost anywhere offshore.

Approaching the Cape which marks the border between Indonesia and Malaysia I was motoring in calm weather and eager to get around the cape to an anchorage before dark to rest.  I had identified a bay that looked suitable and calculated I could just make it by sunset.  I checked the chart carefully for any off lying danger off the cape (Tanjung Datu) and thought I could safely round it half a mile off in safety.  As I approached the cape a favorable current was carrying us along nicely.  I noticed what I thought was a tide rip ahead, but it looked out of place with the surrounding water.  Through the binoculars I saw a low brown object in the water.  For a moment I thought it was a whale, but there was no movement, the water was rushing past and over it.  Woa! A rock awash!

 I immediately hauled off away from the coast into deeper water.  This was a really scary moment.  The rick passed fairly close to starboard with the current pushing us down onto it. The tide was rising and soon when I looked back the rock was almost covered.  I was shaken after such a close shave.  If I hadn’t of looked forward at that moment or if it had been half an hour later with water covering the rock, we would have grounded in a nasty way. 

We rounded the Cape three quarters of a mile off as i kept a close watch on the water ahead and the depth sounder. Eventually anchored safely in a small bay after dark.  Safe, sound and very thankful to be in one piece. 

The following morning we had an early start for the passage down towards Kuching.  Thankfully nothing eventful happened apart from dodging a few fishing nets.  By late afternoon Truce was anchored in the Santubong River under the impressive Mount Santubong.  Now time to relax, clear inwards into Malaysia and enjoy the pleasures of Kuching.

DRAGGING ANCHOR, SQUALLS AND SAIL DAMAGE

30 June 2024

I arrived at Kuching on a Friday afternoon, too late to start the clearing inwards process.  However, the Harbour Master’s office was advertised as being open on Saturday until noon.  As this is my check in port for Malaysia, I took a grab into town on Saturday morning the complete the formalities.  I arrived at ten in the morning and of course the office was shut.  The Immigration and Customs would not process me without the Harbour Masters paperwork being completed first.  Monday is a public holiday, it will be Tuesday before I can clear in.  The Immigration lady said I should stay on the boat until Tuesday, yeah, right, that’s OK.   

The anchorage at Santubong is in the river.  It’s a lovely anchorage with Mount Santubong as the backdrop.  However, the holding is notoriously poor in the river as I and other cruisers found out.  In the early hours (as usual) a squall came through and we started dragging.  I picked up the anchor and in the pouring rain and howling wind made two unsuccessful attempts at re-anchoring.  On the third attempt I anchored in the middle of the river and the anchor held.  Later in the morning I picked up the anchor and re-anchored close to the shore where the bottom seemed to be more mud than gravel.

Leaving the boat unattended in the river when going ashore is always a concern, I constantly keep one eye on the sky for signs of dark clouds. I really enjoyed looking around Kuching town.  It’s a nice clean place and reminds me of Singapore of many years ago.

One place to visit on my bucket list was the Cat Museum.  Kuching of course means cat in Bahasa.  So, Kuching is cat town or cat city.  There are various explanations for how Kuching got its name but none of them seemed really convincing. 

The cat museum is a quite bizarre place and really holds nothing of real interest for the non-cat lover, just hundreds of different cat displays, stuffed cats, plastic cats, plaster cats, glass cats, cat dinnerware, cat teapots, cat clothes, cat food, cat stamps, cat paintings, cat art, cat lights, famous cats, celebrity cats, famous people with cats and everything associated with cats.  A cat lover would love this place.  I found it made me thirsty. 

Shopping is good in Kuching, shops for just about everything and air conditioned shopping malls to cool off in. I found a Berger King and treated myself to a Whopper. First one this year and most likely the last, I seem to average one per year. The covered open air market was enjoyable. so well organised and nobody shouting ‘Hey Mister’ at you, trying to make a sale. This was no pressure and relaxed.

Truce and I departed the Santubong anchorage at Kuching early morning, taking advantage of the ebb tide to carry us out the long entrance channel into deeper water.  Our next stop is in Miri where there is a marina.  I need some marina time to catch up on maintenance in a secure environment as the engine will be disabled for a couple of days.

My plan was to day sail the couple of hundred miles to Miri and anchor overnight where possible.  There is oil and gas activity offshore plus numerous floating logs not to mention fishermen.  Day sailing is the safest option.  There are no sheltered anchorages along the coast and the water is shallow a long way out from the shore.  This generally means closing the coast late afternoon and when the depth is 4 meters stop and drop the anchor.  At this time of year the winds are generally light and anchoring off the coast is safe.

On departing Kuching there was no wind, we were under the wind shadow of Mount Santubong. After a couple of hours motoring the wind filled in from the east, not the direction it was supposed to be. But it was a good wind and we sailed close hauled on flat seas making great time for about three hours. By five in the afternoon the wind disappeared and we were becalmed, just bobbing around on a glassy sea. As the sun went down a light wind sprang up and we started sailing again.

The sky to the south was becoming darker and at ten in the evening we were hit with a violent squall, it was ferocious. Even as I watched it coming there was no real indication that it would be super strong. Unfortunately, I was unable to furl in the yankee fully before the wind hit, the sail clew flogged like a demented demon and I could clearly see there was some damage to the clew but it would have to wait until daylight for closer inspection. I struck the mainsail and we sailed on with just the staysail, Mickey doing the steering.

The squalls continued on and off through the night until eight in the morning. By midday the wind had reduced to six knots and shortly after we were becalmed again. The sea was still rough from the strong winds and we rocked and rolled fantastically. Later in the afternoon we motored in towards the shore to find an anchorage and were met with another fierce squall on the nose.  The wind was so strong I had to hand steer and forward progress was less than two knots.  We anchored in the dark just before eight in the evening in six meters of water with a strong current ripping past us and thunder and lightning all around.  I was tired, soaking wet and bedraggled.  Later that night, just before midnight yet another squall hit us. Wow, it has been a difficult trip overnight from Kuching and only 130 miles sailed. Both Truce and I are beaten up.

The following day we sailed and motored before anchoring for the night off the fairway at Mukah. It had been a couple of trying days but we managed a further 62 miles to Mukah, so there is progress. The following day all was calm with a strong current running against us down the coast. There was no point in trying to sail and the yankee is so badly damaged I cant use it. Motoring into a persistent current is miserable so I remained at anchor for the day and rested and enjoyed the settled weather.

The following day there was a light breeze against us. We motor-sailed, tacking up the coast in an annoying short and low NW swell. Late afternoon we anchored, the anchor didn’t hold. We tried anchoring again a couple of miles up the coast, this time the anchor held in mud. For the next four days we crept up the coast in contrary and variable winds, mostly motoring and only averaging about thirty five miles per day. The engine is still getting hot at higher rpm and I will investigate further when we get secured in the Marina at Miri.

The remaining trip up the coast to Miri was uneventful, mainly motoring in calm seas. We arrived in the Miri marina on Saturday morning. I have got an insect bite on my leg that I must have picked up in Kuching. It has been troubling me and has turned nasty with Cellulitis (I will spare you the photo). So, my first priority upon arrival in Miri was to find a doctor and medical treatment. A short walk up the road I found a clinic and the doctor had a look at my leg. She prescribed a cocktail of antibiotics and some magic cream to put under the dressing. She said that if it shows any sign of getting worse go directly to the hospital because it will be serious. Quite scary the way she said it, I am taking it seriously.

I am resting in the Marina. Until the infection in my leg shows signs of improvement I am not going anywhere and following doctors orders.

MIRI TO LABUAN AND NEAR DISASTER

25 July 2024

The Marina at Miri was good despite poor facilities, management obviously don’t care about customers.  Toilets shitty (literally) and showers rudimentary and dirty.  On the positive side there were no busybodies patrolling the docks and trying to enforce nonsensical rules.  The tranquility and lack of bureaucracy was welcome.  To be secure alongside a dock was good with easy access to the shore and the town.

My first priority was to get the infected insect bite on my leg treated.  The doctor prescribed an antibiotic cocktail and I made sure the wound was well dressed.  After a few days the swelling had subsided and the worst was over.

I made good use of my time in Miri, ticking off maintenance items from my never ending list of things to do.  Engine oil and filter change, removing and cleaning out the exhaust elbow (nasty), emptying and cleaning the fresh water tanks, checking and adjusting the engine valve clearances, topping up fuel, cleaning, provisioning and a hundred other little jobs. 

The exhaust elbow was quite blocked with soot and carbon build up.  This was as I had expected and was leading to the higher than normal engine temperatures.  I have been running the engine at reduced revs to keep the temperature down.  Of course the reduced revs have been making the build up of carbon worse.  Anyway now it is cleaned up I hope the overheating problem will be gone for a while.  The exhaust elbow is due for replacement, its quite pitted inside although it looks new from the outside.  Another expense that I will try and put off for a while but it’s a ticking time bomb.

Miri has good hospitality with bars and resturants galore, I sampled some of the delights.  After eight days in the marina it was time to move on.  All my maintenance was done and Truce was stocked with fuel water and provisions.  No excuses to linger longer and my funds were at rock bottom.  Marinas are great but always turn out expensive.  I did my clearance out with the Harbour Master, Immigration and Customs and made an early morning departure from the marina, heading up the coast towards Labuan.

As usual for this trip the wind died and sailing was a slow slog.  In the afternoon I ran the motor for a while, at four in the afternoon closed the coast and anchored for the night.  Its quite tiring motoring and slow sailing.  The presence of logs and floating debris requires constant vigilance, also tiring.  We only made twenty miles progress for the day.

The next day was more of the same with light winds, ghosting along and then motoring, progress was a little better with forty seven miles covered before anchoring for the night.  This night I was sick.  I had a fever, headache, body ache and chills.  To cap it off I have stubbed my big toe and split the toenail which seems to have partly buried itself in the flesh of my toe.  A good excuse to have a good tot of rum.  The following morning I felt better and got underway early with light winds again and a mixture of sailing and motoring until a few miles from labuan when a large squall sent us racing into the harbour in heavy rain and poor visibility.  By three in the afternoon we were anchored off the yacht club, rolling around in blustery weather.

After an uncomfortable night, first thing in the morning we moved to the inner anchorage where there was better shelter and no swell.  The water here was horribly polluted and didn’t smell too pleasant.  Labuan is a duty free port and the prices of everything are very good.  There are excellent shops and a wonderful variety of products on sale.  The Indian restaurants are excellent.  Labuan is a major port for the offshore industry and every type of engineering service is available, a great place to stock up and get things fixed if needed. 

However there is one drawback, the lack of safe anchorage for small boats.  The marina is run down and I was advised to keep clear of it.  I had a difficult time at the anchorage with poor holding.  The bottom is severely fouled with plastic bags and sacks, these wrap around the anchor preventing it from getting a hold on the thin mud of the seabed, it just skids along collecting more plastic.   One afternoon I returned from shore to find that Truce had dragged anchor in a squall and was in danger of grounding on a lee shore at the ferry terminal.  With the aid of another sailor we were able to get Truce back to the anchorage but could not get the anchor to set.  Three times we tried but each time the anchor became fouled with plastic and skidded.  I fished out a spare anchor and a length of chain from the aft locker and attached it to the main anchor, piggyback style. With this arrangement she held, of course by now the strongest of the squall had passed. 

This incident left me battered and bruised and a little shaken (but not stirred).  This had been a very scary incident, we had come within a few meters of the shore and without the assistance of a fellow single handed sailor, could well have resulted in disaster. 

The following night, at midnight,  another squall came through and we started to drag anchor again.  I didn’t hesitate, I wanted out of here. I heaved up the main anchor but in the confined space of the port with the wind blowing I was unable to retrieve the back up anchor.  I moved off under motor into deeper water with the piggyback anchor hanging down from the bow, then, under bare poles we were blown out of the harbour.  Once clear of the harbour and anchored ships, I was able to retrieve the piggyback anchor.  Not wishing to return to the anchorage I sailed up the coast and anchored at the north end of Labuan Island in a place called Chimney Bay.  Here the weather was good and I stayed for the weekend before returning to the inner harbour.  The reason I went back was to receive a second hand sail which was arriving by courier.

I am looking forward to departing Labuan purely due to the squalls and poor holding at the anchorage.  Labuan itself is a good place, if the marina was functioning it would be a great stopover port.  Anyway, my leg is improving and the dressing is off.  My big toe is not looking too good and I visited the doctor in Labuan who said its also infected (more antibiotics) and will take time for the nail to join up and grow out.  In the meantime I take the medicine and soak it twice daily in warm water.  During the dragging anchor ordeal I also suffered some cuts and bruises that I need to dress as well to prevent infection. I am feeling a bit sorry for myself and still shaken by the dragging anchor ordeal.  

BORNEO – LABUAN TO KUDAT

8 August 2024

Finally, after many days of waiting the sail I had been expecting turned up at the courier’s office.  Why the courier in Malaysia is so slow I have no idea, they don’t seem to understand that a courier should be a fast service – especially at the price they charge.  The waiting at Labuan has been so stressful,  If the anchorage had been safe and secure I would be in a completely different state of mind.  Anyway, eager to remove myself from this place I bought a few last-minute fresh food items and without regret sailed out from Labuan.  Both Truce and I happy to be back in clean waters and heading northwards up the coast.

Our next destination was Kudat around the top of Borneo.  I was looking forward to this part of the trip as there seemed to be some decent anchorages and a more interesting coastline.  Along the way there was an opportunity to stop at Kota Kinabulu, a large city with a good marina.

The wind went light as usual, but we managed with a combination of sail and motor to cover forty three miles up to Tiga Island where we anchored for the night.  The night was peaceful with a slight roll as the ever-present low NW swell came into the anchorage.

The next day started with a soft easterly breeze and soon we had full sail on, making good progress.  This wonderful state lasted for about thirty minutes, then the wind died.  We ghosted along northward making slow progress towards Kota Kinabulu.  By midday it was stifling hot on board, I put the engine on to move us through the hot, sticky air.  We alternated between motoring and ghosting along for the rest of the afternoon. 

Late afternoon I pulled in behind a small island and anchored about ten miles south of Kota Kinabulu.  Very slow going today, only twenty-one miles covered.  The coastline is getting more interesting now with high land and mountains visible in the distance.  The night at anchor was peaceful with a slight roll.  All night there was the unpleasant smell of burning tyres coming from the shore. 

The next morning I was away at first light, happy to get away from the burning tyre smell and thinking of the stop at Kota Kinabulu.  There was no wind today, we motored up to Kota Kinabulu and through the dredged channel in the outlaying reef.  The water was extremely polluted, a nasty soup of plastic and garbage.  The city looked huge with an imposing skyline.  The marina appeared to be quite full, I saw a couple of superyachts inside.  At this time I decided not to stop.  The thought of dealing with a marina, with its rules, regulations and paperwork then the process of checking in with customs, immigration and the harbour master – it all seemed too daunting.  Then having to do the process again when departing became a challenge I could do without. I could not face the bureaucracy.  I motored past the town and was soon heading north, the sea was still flat calm.  I must admit to glancing back a few times and pondering a run ashore.

Later in the afternoon I anchored off the small village of Kampong Ambong.  A beautiful peaceful anchorage with good holding on a mud bottom and quite sheltered.  Turtles were swimming around the boat with birdsong from the shore.  This was far better than a marina in the city.  Although a run ashore and a few beers in KK would have been nice. 

This anchorage turned out to be the first sheltered anchorage with good holding that I had since departing Indonesia.  A relaxing place to be after the stress of Labuan, I stayed for three nights at this anchorage.  The walks ashore were great and all the people I met were very friendly.  As usual when walking a lot of people in cars stop and offer a lift – thank you for the offer but I am going for a walk – they drive off with a puzzled look, why would anyone walk when they can ride?  Birdsong, verdant jungle vegetation, butterflies and millions of creepy crawlies, I enjoyed my walks.

My next stop was Usukan Cove, just a few miles around the corner from Kampong Ambong.  This was a lovely anchorage off a nice clean beach, wonderful to get away from the pollution further south. On the beach there are two restaurants, the more expensive one even having the luxury of air conditioning.

Whilst at Usukan cove I mentioned to one of the girls in the restaurant that I wanted to go into the local village and get some fresh provisions.  She said that the following day she was going into town and I could ride along.  Great, a lift into the local village so I thought.  The next day I turned up and off we went in her little car, she was a good driver but didn’t have the formal qualification of a licence, she said it didn’t matter as she only drove locally.  The trip into town turned out to be a full-blown family shopping trip.  Along the way we picked up and dropped off sisters, mothers, cousins and a whole tribe of assorted children.  All good fun although conversation was a bit limited.  The children were at first gobsmacked and then relished the presence of a white man the car, such a novelty.  It turned out that we went to the town of Kota Belud and not the local village.  The shops and local market here were fantastic.  If I had known in advance I could have done a full restock, the variety of produce an goods on sale were first class.  My day out was very interesting and enjoyable.  Thank you very much to the kind people who looked after me. 

Time to move on again, we headed north and had a mixed bag of a day, rain, squalls, lightening and calm periods.  There was no rest, constant sail adjustments and engine off and on in the calms. After a run of fifty-one miles we anchored in Kelambu Bay.  This is a stunning anchorage with a beautiful beach and some cafes ashore.  Unfortunately, the weather was unsettled and a swell was coming into the bay making life uncomfortable.  As much as I wanted to go ashore, I could not leave Truce unattended in those conditions on a lee shore.  The following day the weather was still unsettled, I decided to spend another day at anchor and let the weather pass over.

The following day the weather was calm again, we had to motor around the tip of Borneo and down to the port of Kudat on the eastern coast.  Just before noon we dropped anchor off the town of kudat. 

This is my last stop in Malaysia, I will clear out here for the Philippines.  Kudat turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for me.  I don’t know what I was expecting but it just seemed a bit grotty and worn out.  The shops didn’t seem to have the items I was shopping for, a bit frustrating.  Maybe I was not in the best of spirits, I had picked up the flu of something, most likely from the little germ carriers I shared the car with in Usukan cove.  Anyway, having the flu in the tropics is no fun.

The check out formalities in Kudat were straightforward and professional.  All the formalities in Malaysia were good, just as well because you get to do it in every port.  So, we are now checked out of Malaysia and ready to head up to Palawan in the Philippines.

SAILING FROM KUDAT TO PUERTO PRINCESA

14 August 2024

The next step of the journey, sailing from Kudat in Malaysia to Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. This will be my first visit to the Philippines and I am very much looking forward to it. The departure from Kudat was promising, for a while we had a tail wind until it disappeared mid morning and the sea went glassy, leaving us bobbing around, going backwards slowly. The engine had to go on, otherwise we wouldn’t make any progress and the tide would take us back to Kudat.  As the sun was going setting, we anchored for the night in a bay on the north side Pulau Banggi.  The night was quiet, this was a good anchorage in calm conditions. 

The next morning we picked up anchor and headed out towards Palawan.  The day was just the same as the previous one, no wind.  I hoped to pick up wind offshore but it didn’t happen, the latest forecast update failed to show any wind either. It seemed pointless to continue without the prospect of wind, After a couple of hours I returned to the anchorage and had a peaceful afternoon making water and another good nights sleep. 

The following day we tried again, this time, once clear of the land, we had light airs to take us northwards slowly across the Balabac Strait.  The strait was interesting with a few ships transiting and the occasional fishing boat.  There is a Philippine Coastguard station at Balabac, they called me on VHF and I passed over my details, we were in Philippine waters. By evening we were clear of the strait and making slow easy progress northward. 

My plan was to head across the strait and into deep water about thirty miles off the Palawan coast where there was supposed to be a steady breeze and a good northerly setting current.  Whatever I tried I just could not get to the east, the wind was just too light, every time we caught a puff it would tease for a while and then either head us or die away.  Slowly we continued clawing our way northward.

The second day saw us mostly becalmed, all was not so bad, we had progressed eighty miles towards our destination.  By the third day we had only made another forty miles and endured long periods becalmed.  Being becalmed by itself can be tolerated if there is no sea or swell running, but the lack of any breeze made the heat onboard uncomfortable.  Having suffered enough I decided to take advantage of the afternoon sea breeze to head inshore and find an anchorage for the night.  I wanted a good sleep, the constant efforts to catch the wind and oppressive heat have been tiring.

The afternoon sea breeze kicked in as expected and soon we were sailing well towards an anchorage among a heap of local fishing boats.  We sailed into the anchorage and didn’t need the engine at all.  The fishermen were surprised to see a yacht sailing in and anchoring in their midst, they gave lots of greetings, thumbs up and waving. Once anchored I had a couple of beers and some food, then I slept soundly until the early hours. 

The next day we picked up anchor and were heading north again.  The path along the coast now was littered with fishing stakes and local fishing boats darting around erratically as usual.  constant vigilance was required, the fishing stakes were hard to see and seemed to spring up from nowhere. Everyone seemed very happy and waved as they passed by.  Sailing inshore along the coast at night is not an option here, there are just too many hazards to run into, the only safe option is to daysail.  We had a steady relaxing sail with a light breeze and covered thirty miles up to the next anchorage behind Malanao Island.  Once again, the afternoon sea breeze set in, the twenty knot breeze giving us an exhilarating ride between the outlaying reefs to the anchorage.    

From Malanao Island it was a short hop up the coast to Puerto Princesa.  There was no wind at all in the morning, I decided to motor the last twenty-five miles to get the trip finished rather than mess around for another day.  We arrived and anchored off the Abanico Yacht club just after noon. It was hot, overcast and not a breath of wind.    Now for the onerous paperwork and clearing in process.

3GM30F FUEL INJECTOR PUMP LEAK REMEDY

25 September 2024

The engine on Truce is a Yanmar 3GM30F.  A very common and popular engine on older small cruising boats.  Although they are not very powerful they are renowned for their reliability, simplicity and ease of maintenance, there are no puzzling and delicate electronic bits to go wrong.  The Yanmar spare parts are however notoriously expensive.  Cheaper aftermarket parts can be found online at sites like amazon, Ali express, eBay etc.  I am of the opinion that aftermarket parts are OK for non critical functions and spares but when sailing in areas remote from shore back up support, quality and reliability can’t be compromised.

Over the last few months I have been noticing a slight trace of diesel around the top of the injector pump where the fuel lines come out and up to the injectors.  The trace has only been slight and not enough to grab my attention as the engine was running fine.  However, I had that nagging feeling that something was not right.  Engine problems don’t heal themselves, they only get worse. 

Over time I started to have some slight starting hesitation after the engine had been off for a while, it got me thinking.  I concluded that the fuel in the injector lines from the injector pump top was dropping back by gravity due to the seepage I could see at the pump.  So, when I started the engine the air in the lines had to clear first before a good high pressure flow of diesel could be established.  My theory could be wrong but it seemed logical as this was a new problem and the leakage was not getting better.  I know from experience that a pin hole and suction in the fuel lines can cause starting problems and be hard to trace and resolve.

It was time to take action.  Now, injector pumps are scary and expensive things and I was reluctant to mess around with it.  If something went wrong it would (undoubtedly) be costly and I was not confident I could find support locally in the Philippines.

After reference to the engine manual and the parts catalogue it became clear that each outlet pipe from the injector pump (Delivery valve) had an ‘O’ ring on the retainer, called the delivery ‘O’ ring.  This is the link to the parts catalogue, https://j109.org/docs/Yanmar-3GM30-parts-catalog.pdf page 52 gives the details and parts numbers.  This ‘O’ ring is specifically there to seal the delivery retainer and prevent leaks.  I thought about the problem and solution for a few days and then went ahead and ordered three new Yanmar ‘O’ rings.

As I said above, the Yanmar original part ‘O’ rings are expensive.  However, on such a critical part of the engine I didn’t want to take the chance of fitting non Yanmar parts.  On inspection there does not seem to be anything special about the Yanmar ‘O’ rings and I am sure they could be substituted with similar sized good quality ‘O’ rings.  Certainly, if coastal cruising I would not see a problem using aftermarket ‘O’ rings to save a few beer tokens.

The first plan of attack was to disconnect the coolant hoses to allow clear access to the top of the injector pump.  When I disconnected the hoses I was surprised at how much coolant came out, it was all nice and clean.  I used paper rags to catch and divert any residual drips from the disconnected pipes.  Once I had good access to the top of the injector pump I cleaned everything multiple times with degreaser and copious amounts of fresh water.  I wanted the area to be free of any debris and foreign bodies before removing the delivery valves.  Dirt in the pump or delivery lines could be disastrous.

To remove the delivery valve retainer a couple of 17mm and 19mm wrenches are needed.  First removing the outermost injector line and then the retainer.  I was very cautious removing the first retainer, half expecting an explosion of small parts.  In fact, I need not have worried, retainer came off easily and the spring beneath was not under any compression.  Easy to remove and lay to one side, careful not to drop anything into the bilge.

Working inwards towards the engine I disconnected the fuel lines and removed all the  retainers.  It was apparent that the existing ‘O’ rings were in very poor condition.  The rubber was hard, brittle and two of the rings actually split as I removed them.  I then cleaned the retainers and springs fastidiously before fitting the new ‘O’ rings, giving them a bit of lubrication before fitting everything back together again.  I wasn’t sure how tight to fit the delivery valve retainer as I could not find any torque settings.  As they were tight when they came out, I fitted them back tight again with a touch of mechanical sympathy.

Once everything was back up and connected, I topped up the coolant system with new coolant.  After a double and triple check of everything it was time to start up the engine.  I opened the compression levers and gave the engine a few turns on the starter motor to get the fuel back in the lines to the injectors.  Then I reset the compression levers and turned over the engine.  It started first time and ran as normal.  A great relief.

In hindsight, its not a difficult job and could be performed by any amateur mechanic.  Its just the thought of messing with the injection pump that is scary.  I am happy to report that the diesel leak is gone, the top of the injector pump is clean and dry.  The engine now starts immediately as it did before the leak.  Happy days.

PUERTO PRINCESA – HAPPY DAYS

2 October 2024

Arriving in Puerto Princesa was easy, just motor up to the anchorage off the yacht club, drop anchor, launch the dinghy and go ashore to a warm welcome and a cold beer at the yacht club. 

Checking in with immigration, sanitation and customs was also an easy affair.  The various authorities came to the Abanico yacht club to undertake the paperwork with customs and sanitation needing to visit Truce to check everything was in order.  Once the formalities were complete I moved onto a mooring the following morning.  I feel more relaxed leaving Truce on a mooring when I am ashore for extended periods after an incident where Truce dragged anchor with almost disastrous results. The mooring field is fairly sheltered, we have had a couple of squalls come through, the worst was about 35 knots for a short period of time. 

One of my gas cylinders ran out in Malaysia. I tried to get it refilled there but ran into a bit of negativity, the can do attitude of Indonesia does not seem to extend to Malaysia. Things are possible in the Philippines and I was able to borrow a local gas bottle and decant it into my New Zealand bottle. It took a while, no problem crack a beer and let it happen.

The main item on top of the repairs list for Puerto Princesa was the sails.  My yankee had some serious damage to the clew and had split along the line of the Ultra Violet protection strip.  This needed some heavy duty repairs that were beyond my ability to undertake with hand stitching, it would take forever and not be very pretty.  Fortunately Ana on one of the other boats has a sailrite heavy duty sewing machine and can manage sail repairs.  I needed sail cloth and spectra webbing which I was able to procure from Hyde sails and get sent down to Puerto Princesa by courier from their production facility in Cebu.

The only clear space available to spread out sails locally is the Horizon Sun Charters seaplane hanger close to the yacht club.  There the owner and pilot, Raymond, most kindly let us use his hanger space for a few days.  In all we repaired three sails and hopefully they will get me back to New Zealand.  The mainsail is full of patches and looks a bit like a baggy patchwork quilt, not much use in light air but pushes us along when the wind picks up.

Ana spent long and hot days in the hanger making repairs. I am very pleased with the end result, its as good as I could have hoped for.

The big treat for me at Puerto Princesa was a visit from Jessica for a couple of weeks and also Steven and his girlfriend Felicia turned up for a few days later.

After a couple of days chilling Jess and I set off in a mini bus to Sebang. Unfortunately, the weather was not the greatest with many rain showers and mostly overcast.  We stayed in an interesting hotel in Sebang for a couple of nights.  The hotel had maybe half a star as the roof didn’t leak and the air conditioning worked slightly. 

Our visit to Sebang was to see the underground river, a big tourist attraction.  We arrived at the assigned place to board the boats taking us to the beach landing further up the coast where the entrance to the underground river is situated.  At first it seemed like chaos and I became slightly frustrated, but I need not have worried, it soon became obvious that there was a method to the chaos.  Soon everybody was herded into groups to board the various boats and we were on our way.  The visit to the underground river was great, we boarded small boats to enter the river and had individual recordings of the narrative as we passed through the underground system.  Bats and swallows fluttered overhead as we glided along in darkness, the lights from the guides picking out points of interest.  Everything was well organised and a good experience. 

That evening we tried to get some good food, a challenge that we failed.  Eventually settling for some concoction that the hotel produced.  My experience of dining out in Palawan has not been great, this aligns with comments I have heard from other visitors.  I am sure there is good food available, I just haven’t found it yet.  Fortunately the food in the Yacht club is good.

Steven and Felicia arrived, Jess and I met them at the airport. We organised a tricycle to take them to their hotel. After the novelty wore off I don’t think they were too impressed, Steven is quite large to fit into a tricycle comfortably. Great to see the children after so long, Steven shouted Jess and I a hotel room in their hotel for 3 days – luxury. In the air conditioned room we both marveled at the clean crisp beds as though it was something we had never seen before. I spent hours in the shower, so good after all the water conscious showers on truce, let it run!

As Steven and Felicia only had a few days we didn’t have enough time to explore further afield, we spent time in Puerto Princesa and did the shopping malls (air conditioned), parks and other attractions, dined out with mixed results and generally chilled.

Raymond was doing a tourist run and had seats for Jess and Steven on his seaplane. They went up for a ride, their first ever on a seaplane. A good experience and a lasting memory of Puerto Princesa.

Eventually it came time for them all to depart. So sad to see them go.  I am back to being alone again. There are plenty of repairs and maintenance jobs to get on with to keep me occupied.  The maintenance never stops on an older boat, thankfully the boat systems are simple and most repairs fall within my limited level of competence.

Repairs and Maintenance in Puerto Princesa

2 October 2024

Arriving in Puerto Princesa was easy, just motor up to the anchorage off the yacht club, drop anchor, launch the dinghy and go ashore to a warm welcome and a cold beer at the yacht club. 

Checking in with immigration, sanitation and customs was also an easy affair.  The various authorities came to the Abanico yacht club to undertake the paperwork with customs and sanitation needing to visit Truce to check everything was in order.  Once the formalities were complete I moved onto a mooring the following morning.  I feel more relaxed leaving Truce on a mooring when I am ashore for extended periods after an incident where Truce dragged anchor with almost disastrous results. The mooring field is fairly sheltered, we have had a couple of squalls come through, the worst was about 35 knots for a short period of time. 

One of my gas cylinders ran out in Malaysia. I tried to get it refilled there but ran into a bit of negativity, the can do attitude of Indonesia does not seem to extend to Malaysia. Things are possible in the Philippines and I was able to borrow a local gas bottle and decant it into my New Zealand bottle. It took a while, no problem crack a beer and let it happen.

The main item on top of the repairs list for Puerto Princesa was the sails.  My yankee had some serious damage to the clew and had split along the line of the Ultra Violet protection strip.  This needed some heavy duty repairs that were beyond my ability to undertake with hand stitching, it would take forever and not be very pretty.  Fortunately Ana on one of the other boats has a sailrite heavy duty sewing machine and can manage sail repairs.  I needed sail cloth and spectra webbing which I was able to procure from Hyde sails and get sent down to Puerto Princesa by courier from their production facility in Cebu.

The only clear space available to spread out sails locally is the Horizon Sun Charters seaplane hanger close to the yacht club.  There the owner and pilot, Raymond, most kindly let us use his hanger space for a few days.  In all we repaired three sails and hopefully they will get me back to New Zealand.  The mainsail is full of patches and looks a bit like a baggy patchwork quilt, not much use in light air but pushes us along when the wind picks up.

Ana spent long and hot days in the hanger making repairs. I am very pleased with the end result, its as good as I could have hoped for.

The big treat for me at Puerto Princesa was a visit from Jessica for a couple of weeks and also Steven and his girlfriend Felicia turned up for a few days later.

After a couple of days chilling Jess and I set off in a mini bus to Sebang. Unfortunately, the weather was not the greatest with many rain showers and mostly overcast.  We stayed in an interesting hotel in Sebang for a couple of nights.  The hotel had maybe half a star as the roof didn’t leak and the air conditioning worked slightly. 

Our visit to Sebang was to see the underground river, a big tourist attraction.  We arrived at the assigned place to board the boats taking us to the beach landing further up the coast where the entrance to the underground river is situated.  At first it seemed like chaos and I became slightly frustrated, but I need not have worried, it soon became obvious that there was a method to the chaos.  Soon everybody was herded into groups to board the various boats and we were on our way.  The visit to the underground river was great, we boarded small boats to enter the river and had individual recordings of the narrative as we passed through the underground system.  Bats and swallows fluttered overhead as we glided along in darkness, the lights from the guides picking out points of interest.  Everything was well organised and a good experience. 

That evening we tried to get some good food, a challenge that we failed.  Eventually settling for some concoction that the hotel produced.  My experience of dining out in Palawan has not been great, this aligns with comments I have heard from other visitors.  I am sure there is good food available, I just haven’t found it yet.  Fortunately the food in the Yacht club is good.

Steven and Felicia arrived, Jess and I met them at the airport. We organised a tricycle to take them to their hotel. After the novelty wore off I don’t think they were too impressed, Steven is quite large to fit into a tricycle comfortably. Great to see the children after so long, Steven shouted Jess and I a hotel room in their hotel for 3 days – luxury. In the air conditioned room we both marveled at the clean crisp beds as though it was something we had never seen before. I spent hours in the shower, so good after all the water conscious showers on truce, let it run!

As Steven and Felicia only had a few days we didn’t have enough time to explore further afield, we spent time in Puerto Princesa and did the shopping malls (air conditioned), parks and other attractions, dined out with mixed results and generally chilled.

Raymond was doing a tourist run and had seats for Jess and Steven on his seaplane. They went up for a ride, their first ever on a seaplane. A good experience and a lasting memory of Puerto Princesa.

Eventually it came time for them all to depart. So sad to see them go.  I am back to being alone again. There are plenty of repairs and maintenance jobs to get on with to keep me occupied.  The maintenance never stops on an older boat, thankfully the boat systems are simple and most repairs fall within my limited level of competence.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• LinkedIn

10 November 2024

Here I am, alone again.  Steven and Jessica have returned to their busy lives in Australia and New Zealand.  Its been wonderful to have them visit but now it’s time for me to get going on some outstanding maintenance and repairs. 

The big item on my repair list was the sails, fortunately that job is now complete and hopefully the sails will now take me back to New Zealand without too much additional stitching. But there is more, there is always more maintenance and repairs vying for my attention. Cruising is not always beach, bikini and cocktails, not on this boat anyway.

I have made the horrific discovery of some wet wood in the rudder.  The rudder construction is a sandwich with red cedar on the outside and laminated ply in the center.  Water has got into the central ply section from the tiller pocket and travelled, as it does, down through the ply.  Luckily, I have discovered it early and after extensive prodding and digging around I can see the end of it.  I have removed the wet section and thankfully the red cedar sides of the rudder are all sound.  After removing all the damp wood I have left it for a couple of weeks to completely dry out before treating all the exposed timber with Norski epoxy wood preserver, luckily I had some on board.

To replace the ply that was removed I have made laminated marine ply inserts, glued together with west epoxy.  Its rather like a three dimensional jigsaw getting the inserts shaped and fitted together.  The inserts were fitted and bonded in place with thickened epoxy.  The repair looks good and strong now that the epoxy has set.  To complete the repair I made an epoxy bandage and wrapped the first meter of the rudder with the bandage, two layers on the lower part and three layers on the top with some heavy glass mat.  Everything was then faired and painted.  Unfortunately, I have run out of good quality paint and had to use some local stuff.  It doesn’t look too flash cosmetically.  Well truce is a work boat and as long as it works that’s all that matters.

Fortunately, the rudder is transom hung and not subject to any great force in normal sailing, when sailing with the windvane it just trails along directed by the trim tab.

The actual repairs only took a few days but this was extended waiting for the timber to dry and the various epoxy layups and layers of epoxy bandage, filler and paint. 

I also changed the injector delivery valve O rings and fitted a new exhaust mixing elbow.  The replacement elbow casting is of a different size to the existing elbow.  This needed some work with the grinder to reduce the size to fit the existing hoses.

The three lead carbon batteries that I was previously so pleased with decided to fail all about the same time.  I am really upset about this and have been having some correspondence with the supplier in Auckland. 

The short story is that I have purchased three gel batteries as replacements and will be bringing one lead carbon battery back to new Zealand for inspection.  The new replacement batteries are of a smaller capacity so I have to switch the fridge off at night sometimes if they are not fully charged. 

The NASA Clipper wind instrument has decided to stop working.  I think it’s a battery problem and the guys at NASA have sent me out a new battery to fit.  I got the local phone repair guy to solder in the new battery and it seems ok now, I will test it in anger when we get back to sea.

Apart from the above jobs I have been busy every day doing other small jobs.  Its like all the maintenance and repairs have been mounting up and have burst out in Puerto Princesa.

I have the awful feeling that the longer I stay here the more problems I will find, preventing me from sailing.  I really have to get going soon or I will miss the seasonal winds to take me to the Solomon Islands. 

Working on the boat in the heat in Puerto Princesa is a hot sweaty affair, its exhausting.  I am looking forward to some sea breeze.  A cold shower at the end of the day is life saving.  A cold beer helps as well.

CROSSING THE SULU SEA TWICE

14 December 2024

Six hundred miles and across the Sulu Sea twice to end up where I started.  An unusual trip.  I departed from Puerto Princesa headed towards Bonbonon on Negros Island, a trip of about 270 miles.  This was to be my stepping stone for sailing east through the Philippines and then down the East coast of Mindanao to Davao where I intended to check out of the country. 

I let go from the mooring in Puerto Princesa and started heading out under motor. After a couple of minutes the cooling water stopped coming out of the exhaust.  Immediately I turned off the engine and dropped anchor, then set about finding the problem.  Turned out the seawater inlet was blocked and a quick squirt of the shower hose down the inlet valve cleared the blockage. 

I picked up the anchor and set off again, hot and sweaty from clearing the seawater inlet valve.  As I increased the engine speed I noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust.  This is something new, I reduced speed and the white smoke disappeared.  Everything on the engine appeared perfectly normal so the white smoke was a mystery.  Anyway, I continued on the way, just motoring a bit slower than usual.

Once clear of the harbour a nice breeze appeared, we were on the way.  Unfortunately, the breeze was short-lived and was the last we saw of any real wind for the next four days.  Truce and I drifted about twenty miles off the Palawan coast, the current taking us south and away from our destination.  On the fifth day the wind returned, not a big wind, just enough to get us moving in the right direction.  Oh, so nice to have a bit of breeze to cool the boat down, it has been so hot.

Finally, we made Negros Island and I anchored for the night for a much needed rest.  The next morning we set off towards Bonbonon, only about thirty miles away.  I had high hopes of making it through the narrow entrance channel before nightfall.  As we rounded the bottom of Negros Island the wind in the channel picked up and was gusting thirty knots on the nose, compounding this a strong current was flowing against us as well.  I could see the entrance to Bonbonon just about six miles away.  To have any chance of making it in before nightfall I had to use the engine.  It was very slow going, I gave the engine maximum beans and we were barely making headway.  Then I noticed black smoke coming out the exhaust, the engine wasn’t happy, I shut everything down, immediately being pushed back the way we had come.

At this time I had some decisions to make.  I was concerned about the engine, first the white smoke and now the black smoke.  To retreat to an anchorage and try for Bonbonon tomorrow was an option but the forecast was for strong headwinds for the next couple of days at least.  Once in Bonbonon I was not sure that I could get support for any engine work I needed to undertake.  The engine was really bothering me, its so important to have a working engine as the wind can’t be relied upon in this area.  After a cup of tea and mulling over the problem I decided to head back to Puerto Princesa.  The wind was in the right direction and I knew I could get a safe berth and support to fix any engine issues. 

So, I turned around and sailed two hundred and sixty miles back the way I had come.  What a wonderful sail it was, the wind blew steadily from the Northeast giving us a nice beam reach all the way, a couple of days later we were back on a mooring at the Abanico Yacht club.  We had covered six hundred and thirteen miles since departing Puerto Princesa but zero miles progress.

I got to work on the engine but could not find anything obviously wrong.  I think the problems were several small issues combining together.  The primary Racor fuel filter has a two-micron filter, I think this filter is restricting fuel flow and has been changed out for a new ten-micron filter.  I checked the fuel lift pump, it was in poor condition so I changed it out for a new one.  Then I went through the fuel, water and air systems, cleaning and making sure everything was perfect before checking the valve clearances etc.  I also noticed that the propellor was heavily fouled again (only cleaned a month ago) which would also contribute to the engine loading.

I also took the opportunity to order some spare parts in Puerto Princessa.  Unfortunately, the delivery of the parts was delayed and I was going slightly crazy at the delay and waiting.  My window of opportunity for heading east through the Philippines is rapidly closing as the North Westerly winds are setting in.  To take my mind off the delay I got stuck into boat maintenance.    

I pulled a couple of bolts from the backstay chain plates as I noticed the paint around the plates is cracked, it could indicate movement.  The bolts were still in good condition and no sign of any movement inside the boat.  Looks like the paint cracking is due to heat and expansion of the metal.  But good to check for peace of mind.

The wooden oars for the dinghy have suffered in the heat, the timber drying out and starting to split along the glued seams.  I stripped them down and applied a couple of coats of epoxy followed by an epoxy glass bandage around the blades.  The whole thing then given seven coats of varnish (thin local stuff) to protect the epoxy coating.  They don’t look like new but they are as good as new.

I have a NASA clipper wireless wind instrument.  This has been giving me some problems and there has been a few emails back and forth with Nasa Marine.  I was convinced the internal battery was not charging from the solar panel.  Nasa Marine didn’t think so but agreed to sell me a new battery.  I fitted the new battery and everything went well for a while and then the problems started again until the unit stopped working completely.  More emails and testing from my end followed.  As a last resort I charged the battery with a 5v USB cable and the unit came to life again.  Not sure why this has worked but fingers crossed for the future. 

The chain stopper on the foredeck sits on a timber block through bolted to the deck.  I have noticed that the block was becoming worn and water was starting to enter at the forward end where the chain has been chafing.  I decided to use some local hardwood and make a new block.  It turned out really well and I used the last of my Sika sealant to bed it in place. 

On board I have a small Ozito vacuum cleaner, a dust buster type of thing.  It is really handy and battery powered.  When cleaning up from my timber work the battery failed.  When I tried to charge the battery the fault light started flashing.  I decided to have a look inside and see if there was any obvious problem.  I couldn’t see anything wrong so just gave it a good clean and bingo it came back to life.  I was pleased about that.

Eventually the spare parts arrived and I am ready to go again.  The engine seems to be running perfectly so fingers crossed that my work has cleared all the problems.

I have decided to do the outward clearance from Puerto Princesa.  As I am so delayed now I don’t think I have time to visit Davao to clear out.  I am also considering sailing via Zamboanga and into the Celebes Sea as that will give me a better wind angle from Palawan.  I will check with the Philippine Coastguard on the current security situation on the route before I make the decision.