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.

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