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.

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