Uncategorized – Page 2

29 September – Kangean

Wednesday, 29 September

The wind remained steady throughout the night and Shahna Bacal skipped along eastwards, and as the wind veered to the SSE I was heading 100˚M at times. I was expecting to raise Kangean Island light but had not done so as day started to break. I continued on for a while in the expectation of being able to see the island itself but by 0500, with the sun now up, I still could not see the island.

I estimated my position now to be 06˚40S; 114˚52E. I was concerned not to overshoot and pass north of the island where there are several shallow areas, so I tacked even though I was now heading west of south, about 200˚M.

A few hours later, around 0800, I saw a white tower-like structure ahead and sailed towards it with a view to identifying it and fixing my position. Around 1000 as I got closer I saw this tower was on the smaller of two low lying islands which were close together. After a close examination of the chart and chart plotter I identified these as the islands of Pulau Kamudi. This however, meant I was a lot further south than I had estimated which suggested my leeway, set and drift was a lot less than I had allowed for, based on my previous days’ experiences.

I was now shaping up to pass south of these islands and a short while later, at 1030, I took a bearing of the two islands in transit. After plotting this bearing on the chart I was 99% sure they were the islands of Pulau Kamudi. I decided therefore, to lower the main and head sails, start the engine and motor due south. If, as I believed, these were the islands of Pulau Kamudi then this course would take me clear of the reefs and into the open waters of the Bali Sea. If not, I could expect to see other islands fairly soon. Meanwhile, I intended to take a meridian altitude of the sun (at 1150) to check my latitude.

It was a clear sunny day; the wind was still SSE force 4 and the predominant swell was still from the SE, about 1.5 metres in height and of short period. In these conditions Shahna Bacal was very lively, pitching and rolling. I have taken many meridian altitudes of the sun during my career at sea but doing so now from the deck of Shahna Bacal was considerably more difficult and especially as the altitude of the sun on crossing the meridian was more than 87˚. Indeed, it proved too difficult and at 1200 I gave up.

It occurred to me then, to call Rob to find out what was the latest position Phil had for me. Working backwards, I could see how I might be further south than I had estimated, although this would mean light I had seen last night was Pulau Payangan light and not Pulau Sapudi light. I learned from Rob that my position at 0600 was 06˚52S; 115˚00E and that I was indeed a lot further south than I thought. I was now sure I had correctly identified these islands, and I continued heading south, raising the main and head sails at 1400 and motor sailing to make better progress. Thirty minutes later I sighted the rigs in the Joko Tole oil field which confirmed my observations.

I was now in the Bali Sea, and by midnight I had 112 miles to go.

22 – 28 September – Leg 4: Kangean

After Bawean Island my next planned stop was at the island of Kangean. This island is in the Bali Sea, some 100 nautical miles or so to the NW of Lombok. That being so, and as I did not get the opportunity to work on the hydraulic steering in Karimunjawa, I decided I would do so now when I got to the marina in Lombok. This meant I would have to stop and heave-to or lie a-hull in order to sleep, unless I could sail and balance the boat.

Wednesday, 22 September

As day broke I saw a nasty looking rain squall which threatened to pass over me. Fortunately, by motor sailing I was able to manoeuvre around it. When past, the wind freshened becoming SE force 5 by 0800 and remaining so for the remainder of the day and night. With the sunshine these were perfect sailing conditions apart from the swell, or rather swells as there were two swell patterns: a short SE’ly swell with a short E’ly swell, both with waves of about 1.5 metres or so in height. These swells made for a bouncy ride particularly on the starboard tack; and meant progress when motoring would be slow and under 3 knots made good. I resolved therefore, to sail as much as possible when the wind permitted, even though progress was likewise slow because of all the tacking required to make ground to the SE into the wind; and to motor sail when the wind eased.

Thursday, 23 September

I continued sailing through the night sleeping in 20 minutes naps in the cockpit.

As day broke I noticed the metal track slide for the outhaul on the main sail, and the end sail guide had been pulled out of the track on the boom. My immediate short term solution was to put a reef in the main sail so as to be able to continue sailing. Unfortunately, the jammer on the first reefing line kept slipping so I had to put two reefs in the main. I lost some boat speed as a result, but with winds now of about 20 knots, the boat heeled less and pointed a little better so I did not lose much, if any distance. With two reefs, there was also less stress on the main sail, fittings and rigging.

The wind backed round during the day, becoming ESE’ly, then E’ly, then ENE’ly, and I made good progress sailing on the port tack.

All was going well until 2210 when there was a “lost satellite fix” alarm on the chart plotter which was no longer showing my GPS position or any AIS targets, although it still displayed the electronic chart data. My instruments had also now stopped showing any readings. They are all the same network as the GPS and chart plotter, but I could not understand why the loss of the GPS would affect them. I tried re-booting the GPS to no avail. I checked all the cable connections ; they were all tight and there was clearly power to the chart plotter and instruments. I noticed however, that the GPS aerial which normally displays a green light, was now displaying a red light which flashed twice every 5 seconds. This had to be an error code but I could not find anything about it in the manual, whilst the “night sky” display on the chart plotter indicated the GPS was completely down and not tracking any satellites. What to do?

I do not keep a handheld GPS unit on the boat (I will in future!) but I do keep a sextant and had recently reminded myself how to work out sun and star “sights” again. I also keep a hand bearing compass on the boat; and I do not need the windex to work out the approximate wind direction and force. I also trained and qualified as a navigator, and at a time when ships did not have GPS and AIS. Furthermore, Shahna Bacal is a small boat with a draught of 2.0 metres and whilst there are lots of reefs and shallows in Indonesian waters, I was confident I could sail her to Lombok without the GPS, AIS, and instruments. The loss of the speed log would make this more difficult, as I would have to estimate boat speed and distance run. Sailing on would be a challenge but it was one I was up for, and one I would enjoy. It would also be good practice for the Golden Globe Race, should I ever decide to enter!

If I was not so technically challenged, I might have realised (as was later pointed out to me) that my iPhone is fitted with a GPS (although as we shall see, that would not have helped me for long) as too, is my satellite phone. I only thought of using these phones however, to make calls and this never occurred to me – and frankly, I am glad it didn’t as the remainder of the voyage would have been less challenging and less rewarding.

Friday, 24 September

I had decided to remain on the port tack during the night so that come day break I would be able to see Bawean Island. This I could and at 0530 I was able to fix my position by taking visual bearings of prominent features on the island. I then tacked back, now heading southwards again; and fixed my position in the same way at 0700 as 05˚59S; 112˚29E. I got a final position line by taking a visual bearing of the island peak at 0930 as it faded from view. Meanwhile, I had reported my position to Rob and asked him to check with the suppliers of my GPS and chart plotter, to find out how to fix the fault.

I continued southwards towards the coast of Java and the Poleng oilfield. There are several rigs and an oil terminal in this oil field, all marked on the chart, and the area around them is restricted. I planned to continue sailing until I had rounded this oil field, passing to the north of it, and south of the smaller Canmar oil field located further off-shore.

I was looking forward too, to being able to call Sue and Alexandra on my mobile phone as I closed the coast of Java. With this in mind I was charging the phone but noticed the battery power was not increasing. I thought there was a problem at first with the plug, but after testing this and trying to charge my iPad, I realised there was a problem with the Apple charging cable – and no, I did not have any spare cables on board.

This hit me hard emotionally as I would not be able now, to FaceTace Sue and Alexandra until I reached the marina in Lombok and re-charged my iPhone. It also meant I would have to stop now to sleep, as I could no longer use the iPhone as my alarm, and it was difficult to set short time periods on the alarm clock I had purchased in Batam.

I continued southwards and was able to get a good fix at 1600 by taking visual bearings of the nearest visible rig and a large red and white buoy. This put me at 06˚35S; 112˚40E, meaning I had sailed 45 miles since 0530 at average speed of 4.3 knots.

I now tacked and headed northwards again with the intention of carrying on until I had rounded the Poleng oil field, when I would then heave-to and get some sleep.

Saturday, 25 September

I motor sailed throughout the night as the wind eased, becoming SE force 3, before dying away completely at 0200 when I lowered the sails. I was using estimated positions and at 0400 I stopped and lay a-hull believing I was now sufficiently clear of the oil field. I stayed awake until the sun rose, and being unable to see any rigs and as it was all clear otherwise, I turned in.

I slept fitfully until 1015 when I got up . I still could not see any rigs, just a few fishing boats, so I set about transferring fuel from the containers on deck into the sump tank. I then removed the metal slide for the main outhaul from the boom and filed down the damaged edges of the outhaul track to prevent further chafing of the outhaul and reefing lines. Then I carried out the suppliers’ suggestions for fixing the fault with the GPS, all to no avail. The flashing red light on the GPS aerial indicated the “GPS bus” was not connected; that is, a loose cable connection. There were none.

I reported this to Rob who was going to see if the suppliers had any other suggestions. He also gave me an update on my actual position as my friend, Phil Denham in Vietnam (bless him!), was tracking my progress using my AIS transmissions. The latest positions Phil had for me were generally from about 4 to 6 hours earlier, but as I had been lying a-hull now for more than 6 hours, this position was as good as an actual fix. I learned therefore, that I was now in position 06˚23S; 112˚36E – that I was still to the west of the Poleng oil field!

I got underway again at 1400. My intention now, was to motor due east until I sighted the rigs in the oil field, and then to adjust course so as to keep all of the rigs on my starboard bow until I had finally rounded the oil field. The weather and sea were still calm but it was hazy and the visibility was not so good. I didn’t anticipate having any difficulty observing the rigs however.

I sighted the first rigs at 1700 and adjusted course accordingly. Most of the rigs were large structures and brightly lit and I had no difficulty keeping them all to starboard. As I got further north however, I saw several, single flashing lights ahead. In the dark, I thought they were far off and probably fishing boats but as I got closer to the nearest one I saw it was a rig; a small platform on a single tower-like structure and obviously unmanned. By this time, I was committed to passing it to port and I ended up passing briefly through the restricted area.

It had remained calm and I was motoring all the time which meant I could only leave the tiller at best, for one or two minutes at a time. This was particularly challenging, and I developed the habit of slowing down the engine to idling speed and taking it out of gear when I need to be away from the tiller for longer, such as when trying to work out my position!

Sunday, 26 September

The wind and swell started to pick up again during the night and by 0200 the wind was ESE force 4 and the E’ly and SE’ly swells were back up to 1.5 metres. Motoring due east in these conditions was hard work and as I was confident I had now rounded the Poleng oil field I decided to stop. I raised the jib and main and hove-to in the conventional way but the boat continued to sail! I decided to continue sailing therefore, on starboard tack whilst I read one of my sailing books to find out how to heave-to on a ketch rigged boat. In doing so I learned that with a suitably sized mizzen sail ketch rigged boats heave-to best under mizzen alone. Accordingly, I raised the mizzen and at 0500, I lowered the jib and main sails, and tried heaving-to again.

In the prevailing conditions the mizzen drove the bow up into the wind but the swell then caused the bow to fall off until Shahna Bacal was beam on, when the mizzen would again drive the bow back up into the wind.

Day was now breaking and I went about tidying up the deck before turning in. As I did so, I noticed that the starboard grating on the bow sprit had broken loose as a result of all the pounding the boat had experienced during the voyage. I could not re-fix it as the securing bolts and fittings had all been broken; and I could not leave it as it was because it could move and might cause damage to the boat. I considered lifting it inboard but it was heavy and I was concerned again, that in the process it might cause damage to the boat, or worst still, that it could fall overboard and take me with it. I decided therefore, to slide it off the bow sprit and let it fall and sink into the sea.

I took another bearing of the rig afterwards, and realised that, as I expected, Shahna Bacal was being set to the NW; that is, towards the Canmar oil field. Although now very tired I decided to motor sail with just the mizzen until further away from the oil field before heaving-to again. After a couple of hours however, the wind freshened and I hoisted the main and head sails and resumed sailing at 1020. This was better than heaving-to in these conditions, but I needed to sleep so I got out the alarm clock and managed to get a few hours sleep in 30 to 40 minute naps.

I tacked at 1400 to head southwards again and so as to be able to pass to the east of another oil field off the coast of Java, to the east of the Poleng oil field. I was pleased to sight the rigs of this other oil field at 2115, on my starboard side and bearing 260˚. I estimated they were about 3 miles away and my position at this time to be 06˚35S; 113˚22E.

The wind was now dropping again, so at 2200 I lowered the main and head sails and started motoring due east, keeping the rigs astern.

Monday, 27 September

I continued motoring until 0130 when I stopped and hove-to under the mizzen. As when lying a-hull at sea I switched on the anchor light, and the spreader light to illuminate the fore part of the boat, and the cockpit light to illuminate the after part of the boat. I then turned in.

I woke up around 0400, checked all was clear and went back to sleep, to be awakened again at 0645 by the shouts of Indonesian fishermen as they approached on their boat. I went on deck to acknowledge their shouts and we waved to each other as they passed close by. I then called Rob and slept again until 1000.

I spent the rest of the morning transferring the remaining fuel in the containers on deck into the sump tank, and generally cleaning up. I now had 318 litres of diesel on board and some 217 miles to go to Lombok; so enough fuel to motor all the way provided I could be sure of averaging about 3 knots over the ground along my charted courses. To do that, I needed the wind and swell in particular, to die down.

I decided to have a big lunch before getting underway again, and it was 1330 when I resumed my passage. I could tell from bearings of the rigs that I drifted some distance to the NW whilst hove-to, and as it was a bright sunny day and the wind was now E’ly force 4, I hoisted all of the sails and put the boat on the starboard tack, heading southwards towards Madura Island. My intention now was to sail close to the shore and then tack along the coast in the hope of being able to see the two charted lights marked on the chart. The closest of these was a coastal beacon displaying red and green lights, and the other was the lighthouse at Batuputih which displayed a white flashing light.

It was dark when I closed the coast and there were many brightly lit fishing vessels around, all displaying different coloured lights. As a result it was difficult to make out the lighted beacon; and I was not keen to pass through these fishing vessels to get closer inshore. I settled therefore, for tacking along the coast keeping to seaward of these many fishing vessels, hopeful of seeing up the Batuputih light.

Tuesday, 28 September

The wind died at 0100 so I dropped the head sails and motor sailed on a SE’ly course until closer in, when I turned onto a E;ly course to run parallel to the coast.

I finally saw Batuputih light as day was breaking and fixed my position at 0500 as 06˚50S; 114˚01E. I then continued motoring eastwards to get further away from the coast, before heaving-to at 0648. By now the wind had veered and freshened, but I was too in need of sleep to sail.

I slept all morning and resumed passage at 1430. The sun was shining and the wind was now ESE force 5. These were perfect conditions for sailing and I hoisted all sails and set off on the starboard tack in a NE’ly direction. My intention was to follow my charted track and head east to Kangean Island, and to enter the Bali Sea by passing between Kangean Island and Pulau Kamudi. This is the route chosen by most commercial vessels heading to the Lombok Strait. I would have done better however, to have entered the Bali Sea by passing southwards along the eastern coast of Madura Island as this route would have enabled me to fix my position at regular intervals. Hindsight however, is a wonderful thing…

At 1800 I tacked and head southwards towards the islands of Pulau Pulau Sapudi. Several of these islands have lights but confusingly, the lights all have the same colour and characteristics, flashing white every 5 seconds. I was hoping to pick up one of these lights, which I did at 2050; and based upon my estimated position I thought this was Pulau Sapudi light (It was in fact Pulau Payangan light).

The wind was now SSE force 5 so I tacked and headed eastwards. The wind remained steady all night and I estimated my speed to be 6 knots and my position at midnight to be 06˚46S; 114˚35E.

21 September – Karimunjawa

Tuesday, 21 September

I slept well whilst lying a-hull, waking at 0530 to find i had drifted some 6 miles to the west since stopping. As the sun rose I set about transferring all of the fuel in the containers to the sump tank. I calculated that I now had 312 litres of diesel remaining which meant I had consumed 276 litres on the voyage so far; and I was now about half-way into the passage to Lombok.

The weather was cloudy but fine, with light SE’ly winds when I began motoring again towards the main island of Karimunjawa at 0942. I identified the Kura Kura resort as I passed south of the small island immediately to the west of the main island. It appeared to be deserted and was surrounded by reefs, so I decided to proceed instead, into the main harbour. That too, is surrounded by reefs but there are two anchorages shown on the chart plotter, both in about 10 to 20 metres of water, and I intended to anchor in one of these.

I arrived off the main harbour of Karimunjawa at 1400, and stopped outside to plan my approach after checking the anchorages were clear. I then proceeded inwards and let go the anchor in position 05˚53.1S; 110˚26.3E, in the anchorage to the north of the ferry terminal, putting out 35 metres of chain. With the echo sounder not working I had no way of knowing the actual depth of water. It was clearly deep as the water in the harbour was crystal clear and the anchor chain was visible for a long way down but I could not see the sea bed.

Having anchored I was about to make arrangements to launch the dinghy when I saw a local fisherman passing by in his boat and called out to him. He came alongside and although he didn’t speak any English, he understood from my actions what I wanted. He was a real diamond, taking me and my 8 fuel containers ashore in his boat taking special care to see I did not get wet. We had to cross the reef to get to the shore, and he used a long bamboo pole to manoeuvre us over the reef and onto some steps in the low quay wall. Once ashore, he called his brother to help. His brother spoke English and got his small cart which we used to carry the fuel containers up the side street onto a main road, and a 100 metres or so down this main road to the nearest petrol station. There we filled up the 8 fuel containers with 120 litres of diesel from the pump which was metered, so I knew there was 15 litres in each container. During this process my fisherman friend told the manager of the petrol station that my boat was anchored close to the reef. The manager spoke excellent English and informed me of this. I asked how close and learned the edge of the reef was about 7 to 8 metres away. I had planned to spend the night at anchor in the harbour but decided now, to leave as soon as the fuel containers and I were back on board.

The fisherman and his brother transported me and the fuel containers back to Shahna Bacal. I gave them a healthy tip, and showed them around the boat; and they were so pleased they gave me a bucket of fish. I will be forever grateful to them for their help; bunkering went better than I could have imagined.

The wind was now starting to pick up, so I quickly stowed the fuel containers on deck and then started weighing anchor; and at 1800 I was motoring out of the harbour, back the way I had came in. Once clear of the harbour and whilst still in range, I stopped and called Sue and Alexandra using FaceTime on my mobile phone. It was great to be able to see their faces and speak to them both.

By the time I had finished these calls the wind had strengthened and was now ESE force 6. The sun had set and dark clouds were approaching so I motored out away from the island. The first rain squall of the night passed overhead at 1900. With the winds now gusting over 30 knots I was struggling to maintain course and decided to heave-to. I lashed the tiller over to port and adjusted the engine speed so as to keep the wind on the starboard bow whilst waiting for a lull when I could raise the sails. Shahna Bacal is much easier to handle under sail in heavy weather and under sail I could be making progress in these conditions.

It was 2100 before the wind moderated enough for me to venture forward to raise the sails; and 2200 before I had all the sails up. By this time the wind had eased and was now SE force 4, and I put the boat on the port tack heading south away from Karimunjawa towards the island of Java.

A surreal day.

16 – 20 September – Leg 3: Karimunjawa

After Belitung I had originally planned to stop next for a rest at the island of Bawean which is in the Java Sea about midway between the islands of Java and Kalimantan. The crew of Rona however, had told me they would be stopping next for fuel at the island of Karimunjawa, and whilst I was not sure when I sailed from Belitung that I would need to take on any more fuel, after I lost the hydraulic steering I decided to stop there too.

Thursday, 16 September

I got up at 0500, ran the engine to charge the batteries, and then set about preparing the dinghy for lifting back on board. My plan was to recover the dinghy with the outboard engine attached, in the same way I had launched them. This meant the dinghy came up vertical but after a bit of wrestling I was able to lift the stern of the dinghy with the outboard engine over the guard rails and land them on the deck. I then rinsed everything down with fresh water and left it to dry in the morning sun whilst I prepared the boat for sailing. After deflating and stowing the dinghy and launching gear, I tried to grab an hour’s sleep before weighing anchor.

I was underway again at 1342 and sailed out of the bay along my inward courses. As I reached open waters the light SE’ly winds of the morning backed around becoming ENE’ly force 5, and by 1500 I was sailing again. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening tacking my way along the north coast of Belitung making slow progress until 2215 when the wind died. I lowered the head sails and started the engine again, and began motor sailing in a SE’ly direction so as to pass between the islands on the NE coast of Belitung into the Java Sea.

Friday, 17 September

Progress was still slow as the wind freshened from the SE and I had no option but to continue motor sailing into the wind and swell. As a result it was 0800 before I was finally clear of these islands and could resume sailing. Unfortunately, during the first tack I lost all steering at the wheel; and on checking I found there was no hydraulic oil in the wheel pump. I refilled the wheel pump with hydraulic oil which was not easy in the prevailing conditions, and I ended up with quite a bit of hydraulic oil in the cockpit. This seemed to cure the problem but a few hours later I lost all steering again. There was no oil again in the wheel pump. I checked all of the hydraulic pipes and connections for leaks but there was no sign of any hydraulic oil inside the boat. I checked the two steering rams and piping on the outside of the hull, but again I could not see signs of any leaks. I suspected the leak therefore, was at the hydraulic pipe connections at the back of the steering pump inside the steering pedestal. To check however, I would have to remove the compass and engine control panel, which I was loathe to do out in the ocean. As I did not want to turn back, I decided I would stop and do this in Karimunjawa. Meanwhile, as I did not have enough hydraulic oil to keep refilling the wheel pump, I shipped the “emergency” tiller. This tiller is in fact the original tiller as the boat was designed for manual tiller steering; the hydraulic wheel steering system was one of my recent modifications. This did mean however, that I could no longer use the autopilot as this is part of my hydraulic steering system.

With no autopilot I would have to steer the boat, unless I could balance her so that she kept a steady course when my hand was not upon the tiller. Balancing the boat upwind under sail (with or without the engine running) is not so difficult and I was confident I could do so; but getting the boat to steer a steady course when motoring is impossible. At best, with the tiller lashed, the boat will keep a steady course for a few minutes but no more.

I pondered these issues as I continued, now motor sailing southwards on the port tack as the wind had dropped. I decided to continue heading southwards so as to be closer to the land (Java), and to stop and anchor in Karimunjawa to find the source of the leak in the hydraulic steering system and hopefully fix it. As I had caught up on my sleep in Belitung, I decided I would continue motor sailing through the night in the hope that the wind would pick up and I could stop the engine, balance the boat and let go of the tiller, and sleep in the cockpit as before.

Saturday, 18 September

The wind started to pick up in the early hours of the morning and I resumed sailing at 0500. The wind was then a steady force 5, gusting force 6, and remained so throughout the rest of the day. The SE’ly swell had also increased and was now about 2 metres, making for a bouncy ride. I was able to balance the boat however, so as to keep the apparent wind between 50˚ and 60˚ on the bow, and she skipped along with no hand on the tiller making 5.5 knots over the ground.

With no hand on the tiller I was able to grab some sleep in the cockpit, but I had forgotten how tiring it is to do anything with the boat healed over and bouncing along in a seaway. Cooking – and refilling my thermos flask with hot water – were particularly challenging; and to cap it off, the gas in the service bottle ran out as I was boiling the rice. Dinner therefore, was slow in coming as I had to change over the pipe connections to the other gas bottle.

Sunday, 19 September

The wind remained constant throughout the night, and I managed my first full day (24 hours) of sailing. I passed through another rain squall between 1030 and 1230 during which the wind was gusting force 6 (25 knots). As with earlier squalls, the wind backed around to the north, so I tacked and was able to sail in a SE’ly direction for a short while; and then the wind died away and I had to start the engine and motor sail. The wind quickly filled in again however, and I was soon sailing again, heading southwards on the starboard tack. Two hours with a lot of exercise (tacking, head sails down and engine on, head sails up and engine off) in order ultimately, to be in the same position I was before the squall hit!

Not quite the same, as the passing of the squall left a confused sea, and there are now two separate swell patterns: one from the SE, and the other from the east.

The occasional pounding and the seas breaking over the bow are starting to take their toll. The rope rail in the fore peak has broken, and the through deck glands for the wiring to the side lights on the bow, and the anchor controller are both leaking.

My cruising guide suggests it is possible to anchor and obtain fuel at the Kura Kura resort in Karimunjawa. Unfortunately, the resort is not marked on the chart, and the position giving in the cruising guide looks inaccessible. Rob is going to make some inquiries for me.

Monday, 20 September

The wind remained steady during the night and I managed another full day of sailing.

At 0600 the wind died down and I decided I would now motor sail the remaining 20 miles or so to Karimunjawa. By 0820 I could make out the main island to the SE, and was considering steering directly towards it passing between the outlying islands and reefs and through the marine park. As I got closer however, I changed my mind. The visibility was not great; I had no autopilot and would have to steer whilst also keeping a close eye on my position; and I had no echo sounder. In the circumstances I decided it would be safer to keep out of the marine park, clear of all of the dangers. Unfortunately, the wind veered round to the south and slowed my progress, and it was 1240 before I was able to turn east and head towards the island.

It was clear that I was not going to reach the island before the sunset, and at 1700 when 5 miles away from the position of the resort, I decided this would be a good time and place in which to stop. It was a good time because I still had an hour of daylight left in which to lower and stow the sails; and the sky was clear and it would be a moonlit night. It was a good place because it was inside the marine reserve where fishing is prohibited and there are many dangers to navigation, so I was unlikely to encounter any other vessels.

By 1800 I was all stopped and drifting with the sails down. As there was very little wind now, I decided to lie a-hull rather than heave-to. The swell had also reduced in height to about 0.5 metre which meant the boat was not bouncing around anymore, but as she ended up lying beam on to the swell, she did roll noticeably. Not enough however, to spoil my first good night’s sleep in my bunk since leaving Belitung.

15 September – Belitung

Wednesday, 15 September

The island of Belitung is at the southern end of the Karimata Strait, about midway between the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan (Borneo). It is a popular tourist destination and I had anchored in the bay fronting one of its main beaches, Tanjung Kelayang, “known for… rounded granite boulders, fine sand, and calm waters.”

I woke after a full night’s sleep and ran the engine to charge the batteries, and checked the bilges and dried out the cockpit lockers and rope bags after all of the rain I had been through. I then set about launching the dinghy.

I had launched the dinghy before in Singapore but I had crew on those occasions to help me. On my own it took a while longer and was more physically challenging. First, I had to lift the dinghy out of the fore peak locker through the large forward hatch onto the deck, and then inflate it. Then I had to rig and stay the jib pole and use this as a derrick boom for lifting the dinghy up and outboard over the guard rails, for lowering into the water. My 6 hp Yamaha outboard engine weighs a little under 30 kgs, and I decided the safest and easiest way for me (on my own) to fit this to the dinghy was whilst the dinghy was still on the fore deck. As a result, when I lifted the dinghy its bow pointed skywards despite my best efforts to secure the lifting point as far aft as possible. There was no weight in the bow however, and I was able to manoeuvre the dinghy with the outboard attached over the guard rails and down into the water. From there it was a simple matter to bring it aft under the portable boarding ladder I had rigged amidships, and to carry down the petrol tank, anchor and rope, and oars. It was now 1330 however, and I decided to rest up over lunch before venturing ashore.

I had studied the cruising guide and spoken to Rob who had made some enquiries, and knew there was a jetty at the western end of the bay where I could tie up the dinghy and get ashore. I had anchored in the middle of the bay but was able to make out the small jetty with my binoculars, and on looking again I was pleasantly surprised to see Rona at anchor.

I set off in the dinghy at 1430, and on the way to the jetty I passed close by Rona. She had arrived in the early hours of the morning but David was not on board, having disembarked in Bangka for an urgent work matter. It was a long ride to the jetty but fortunately the sea was calm. Even so, the journey took over 15 minutes.

I tied up the dinghy and took the two fuel containers I had with me to the restaurant situated at the end of the jetty, where I met Ming. Ming is a flight engineer with Garuda but because of Covid-19 he had volunteered for and been granted unpaid leave and was now enjoying a long holiday in Belitung. He spoke excellent English. He knew the owner of the restaurant who is a keen sailor and who arranges fuel and provisions for visiting yachts. I told him I had 6 containers like the two I had brought ashore with me, and that I wanted them filled with 100 litres of diesel. [The containers each hold 20 litres but I never fill them above 90% (18 litres) to reduce the risk of leaks]. Ming made all the arrangements with the staff at the restaurant whilst I sat with him and had an Indonesian coffee and plate of fried rice.

At 1630 I returned to the boat in the dinghy. The wind was now E’ly force 4 and the sea was choppy making for a longer and bouncier trip back; and I was not long on board when Ming arrived with the restaurant staff in their supply boat at 1710.

The supply boat was a large wooden fishing boat only a little smaller than Shahna Bacal. It lay close astern on a short bow line, and an athletic member of her crew dangled off her bow to receive my fuel containers which I passed to him. These were then filled with diesel from fuel containers on the supply boat, and passed back to me; and when all 6 of the containers were back on board I passed across the money (Rp 1,400,000 – about S$140). I knew as I stowed the containers on deck that I had been short-changed and that at best I had only received about 80 litres of diesel. I was not going to argue however. I was grateful to Ming for arranging everything and to have the fuel delivered to my boat at the anchorage; and I considered the money to be well spent. These are also hard times and particularly for the restaurant staff as there are few tourists now in Belitung.

With the fuel containers stowed, I decided to relax and enjoyed dinner sitting in the cockpit. I still had to recover the dinghy but that could wait until the morning…

10 – 14 September – Leg 2: Belitung

Friday, 10 September

I didn’t sleep so well with the new routine and because the wind and swell was from the SE which made for a bumpy night. The rocking and rolling also caused the anchor chain to rattle against the inside of the spurling pipe, something I could do little about and eventually learned to sleep through.

The anchorage, whilst generally well protected, was exposed to the south whilst the Neptune Regatta is held in January during the NE monsoon! Rona had arrived during the night and had initially anchored close by, but she had later moved and re-anchored on the northern side of the island to get some shelter from the SE’ly wind and swell.

I got up at 0500 in time for my first rain squall which passed through at 0530 bringing heavy rain and westerly winds in excess of 30 knots. Fortunately, the strong winds died down after 30 minutes or so, but the rain continued for another hour during which time I closed up the boat, showered and had breakfast.

I weighed anchor at 0836. I had initially planned to re-join the Riao Strait by heading SE and passing around the island, but I decided to re-trace my inward passage so as to pass within hailing distance of Rona. I told David over the water that I intended to sail now directly to the island of Belitung, and that I would meet him there; and then continued out into the Riao Strait.

By leaving at this time I was hoping to catch the start of the south setting tidal stream but had not appreciated the tidal stream turns first at the northern end of the strait. As a result I had an hour of N’ly set, making only 4 knots over the ground. At least the wind was light with slight sea and low swell.

I was clear of the Riao Strait by 1100 and as the wind was now S’ly force 4 I hoisted the main and head sails, and turned the engine off and disengaged the autopilot (at 1136). Being a long keeled boat Shahna Bacal can only sail about 50˚ to 60˚ into the wind, and I was now steering about 120˚. This was fine however, as my charted course was 125˚. Unfortunately, as we entered more open waters the wind quickly backed around to the SE forcing me to tack; and then the wind died away and I was obliged to lower the head sails and resume motoring (at 1300). I adjusted course so as to get some drive out of the main sail and so as to keep the swell – now about a metre in height from the SE – at least 20˚on the starboard bow. Any less and Shahna Bacal would periodically slam into a wave and lose all momentum.

When lowering the staysail I lost hold of the end of the halyard which ran up the shrouds for the main mast almost to the lower spreader. Fortunately, I was able to recover it with the boat hook and make it fast again.

As the afternoon progressed the sky cleared and the wind died away completely. I decided to have dinner early so that I could have everything cleared away by 1800 when I was due to report in to Sue, and the sun would be setting; a routine I followed for the rest of the voyage.

I had agreed with Rob and Sue that I would use my satellite phone to report in to Rob every morning at 0700, and to Sue every evening at 1800. In this way they could keep track of my progress; I could get updates on the forecast weather; and if I failed to report in during this 11 hour period they were to alert the Indonesian Coast Guard. I kept these reports short but it was always nice to be able to speak with them both, albeit only briefly. These calls would be my only contact now with the outside World until I reached Belitung.

I encountered a lot of brightly lit fishing vessels during the night, all stationary and fishing for squid I believe. As it was a clear night and the visibility was excellent I slept in the cockpit, getting up every 15 minutes to check around, using the timer on my iPhone timer as my alarm. This sleep routine took some getting used to, but the whole trip was a “learning curve”.

At 2230 I went to transfer fuel from the main (sump) tank to the header (service) tank but the transfer pump was not working. On investigation I found a broken wire connection which I repaired, and then carried out the fuel transfer. The sump tank has a capacity of 300 litres and I fill this first. I then transfer fuel from the sump tank through a Racor filter into the header tank, which has a capacity of 100 litres and which is located on the port side of the engine room at a higher level than the engine. The engine draws fuel from the header tank through a Racor filter. In this way, the fuel passes through 2 x Racor filters and the engine fuel oil filter before use; and the fuel pump on the engine does not have to pull the fuel “up hill” into the engine, being largely gravity-fed from the header tank.

Saturday, 11 September

I motored through the night, sleeping in 20 minutes’ bursts in the cockpit. At 0400 I crossed the equator in longitude 105˚27.0 E; and as the wind was steadily picking up, I raised the head sails at 0500, stopped the engine and started sailing again. The wind was still from the SE so I was not making much speed in the direction of Belitung, only about one knot on the starboard tack. Shahna Bacal however, is a sailing boat and as I did not know how much wind I would get on this voyage I intended to sail whenever I could; and as the wind was steady I raised the mizzen. With all sails set and going to windward, it is relatively easy to balance the boat, and there was no need to keep the autopilot engaged.

During the late morning I noticed that the bottom sail guide on the main sail luff had come out of the track, and I put in a reef so as to free it up for replacement. This took more time than I expected because the screw shackle was seized and I had to use my hacksaw to cut through the pin.

Whilst transferring fuel again from the sump tank to the header tank I noticed the glass on the Racor filter for the engine was full of “weed”. I drained the glass and removed as much of this “weed” as I could, then changed the filter and refilled the filter unit with fresh clean diesel. I then primed the fuel system and re-started the engine at 1630, and resumed motor sailing, now on the port tack. I was not make any easting towards Belitung on this tack, and as the wind had reduced I decided to motor sail, lowering the head sails.

Sunday, 12 September

I motor sailed throughout the night until 0600 when the wind started to freshen and I tacked onto the starboard tack, raised the head sails, fitted the new sail guide and shook out the reef from the main, and stopped the engine.

A rain squall passed over from 1030 to 1130 bringing rain and winds of 20 knots but after it had passed the wind died away and I was obliged to resume motor sailing, tacking onto the port tack and lowering the head sails. The engine was slow to start and I suspect this was a fuel oil priming issue but it is something I will have to monitor.

Of more concern is my lack of progress. In the past 24 hours I have only made good about 30 miles in the direction of my charted course to Lombok. With the short SE’ly swell however I can do no better by motoring. It is clear therefore, that if these conditions continue I will either have to take on more fuel, or be prepared to sail and accept the voyage is going to take much longer to complete. I was always planning to stop at Belitung but was not planning to take on more fuel. Fuel is available at Belitung however, and I have decided therefore, to carry on as I am, sailing and motoring as the wind dictates and to take on more fuel when I stop at Belitung.

At sunset the wind freshened and I resumed sailing on the starboard tack.

Monday, 13 September

I tacked onto the port tack at midnight and continued sailing on port tack throughout the night. At 0500 I saw a series of black clouds approaching and as they passed overhead the wind increased to 20 knots. The wind then died away as the rain came down, and I was obliged to start the engine and resume motor sailing.

I was planning to transfer fuel from the containers on deck into the sump tank at noon but as I was about to do so I noticed another line of black clouds ahead and decided to wait until they had passed. I was very glad that I did. The wind started to pick up at 1230 and was soon gusting of over 30 knots with heavy rain. I still had all of the sails up and the engine running (as a precaution but now out of gear) but Shahna Bacal was comfortable keeping the apparent wind at an angle of 60˚ on the port bow with the starboard gunwale dipping into the sea. I didn’t really need to steer but felt more comfortable holding the wheel!

During a temporary lull, I realised the wind had backed round to the north and we were now on a NE’ly heading. I quickly put in a tack, and eased the sails so as to keep the wind now 60˚ on the port quarter. The wind continued to back finally becoming steady from the NW at force 4; and on the starboard gybe we were making 6 knots in the right direction! My downwind sailing was a welcomee change and lasted for some 4 hours until 2000 the wind died and the swell reduced, the sea become almost calm.

This was my first real squall and I was pleased with how Shahna Bacal sailed through it, although I vowed in future to put one and ideally 2 reefs in the main before going through such squalls in the future. I remembered to close all of the hatches before the squall hit but I did not put the boards in the main hatch and as a result the chart and log book had got very wet; as indeed, had I. My heavy weather gear had spent the past 5 years unworn, hanging up in the wet locker on the boat and was now porous, much to my discomfort.

Tuesday, 14 September

I motored throughout the night making 5.5 knots and at 0415 I raised Pulau Longkaus light on the island of Belitung bearing 165˚M. I began my approach into the anchorage at Belitung at 0730. As the echo sounder was not working I planned my approach so as to be heading due south on a course which cleared the reefs, and which I was able to monitor from the cockpit by observing the longitude on one of the gauges which I had set up to display the boat’s GPS position. I eventually anchored at 0848 in position 02˚32.9S; 107˚41.5E in a charted depth 8 metres with 25 metres of chain in the water.

I was now able to use my mobile phone again and I reported in to Rob and had long chats with Sue and Alexandra on FaceTime.

I was now so tired – I think that having anchored, the adrenalin was gone – that I decided to get a couple of hours sleep. It was a pleasant change to be sleeping in my bunk again, and to not be waking up every 20 minutes.

I got up at 1400 and set about transferring all of the fuel from the containers on deck into the sump tank. This took a good two hours. I then pressed up the header tank (to 60 litres) and sounded the sump tank, and determined that I had 330 litres of diesel remaining on board. This was enough for some 110 hours of motoring which would enable me to cover 550 miles in ideal conditions – and I had some 650 miles to go still, to get to Lombok. I had already decided to take on more fuel here in Belitung; I just had to work out now, how to do so. How to launch the dinghy; get ashore, fill and then stow the containers on deck; and recover the dinghy. I had never launched the dinghy on my own, but there has to be a first time for everything – and this was my project for the morrow.

9 September – Leg 1: Riao Strait

Thursday, 9 September

I woke up at 0500, showered ashore and dealt with emails, then made final preparations for sailing. I decided not to rush and to have a proper breakfast ashore at the resort hotel before leaving, during which I had long chats with Sue and Alexandra who were both quite emotional, being very worried about me sailing Shahna Bacal on my own.

I saw David, the owner of Rona, after breakfast and learned that he would only obtain port clearance in the late morning and was looking to sail now, in the afternoon. His plan was to sail during the days and anchor over the nights, stopping tonight to anchor behind the island of Mududarat, about three quarters of the way down the Riao Strait. This, he said, is where yachts taking part in the Neptune Regatta always anchor at the end of the first day; and I told David I would also anchor there. I was keen however, to sail immediately in order to catch the south going tidal stream for the passage down the Riao Strait.

I left the marina accordingly, at 1000; cleared the entrance channel buoys at 1010; and engaged the autopilot at 1025 with the engine running at 2000 rpm. This is the most economical engine rpm and gives me a boat speed of 5 knots on a fuel consumption of just under 3 litres per hour. The weather was partly cloudy with light airs and a rippled sea – ideal conditions for motoring!

The echo sounder was working when I left the marina but I lost the depth reading at 1040 as air bubbles accumulated again in the recess for the transducer. Very annoying; and as it would be another 3 weeks before I went into the water to clear these air bubbles, I was effectively without an echo sounder now for the remainder of the passage to Lombok.

At 1130 the Karang Galang beacon was abeam to starboard and I turned south into the Riao Strait. I made good progress down the Riao Strait in the favourable, south setting tidal stream averaging nearly 8 knots over the ground at times; and by 1400 I was nearing the southern end of the strait and Mududarat Island.

Mududarat Island is one of a group of small islands on the west side of the strait. I anchored on the west side of this island at 1506 in position 00˚48.6N; 104˚16.5E, letting out 20 metres of chain in a charted depth of 6 metres. Being close to land I was able to use my mobile phone to call Sue and Alexandra, and to report in to my friend, Rob (Captain Robert Walker).

Shortly after anchoring I received a visit from a local fisherman in a small boat. He did not speak any English and I do not speak any Bahasa, but through a series of gestures I understood him to be asking me to move as he was concerned the larger fishing boats in the vicinity and from which he had come, might collide with me as they hauled in their purse seine-type nets. I considered the risk of a collision to be negligible as there was plenty of room for the fishing boats to manoeuvre around me and I decided to stay where I was. I was glad I did as an hour or so later, around 1700, all the fishing boats had gone.

After dinner I cleaned up and at 2100 I started a new sleep routine which involved getting up every 30 minutes to check on the weather and sea conditions and that the anchor was holding. As I turned in I was pleased with my first day’s progress, having covered 30 miles in 5.1 hours at an average speed of 5.88 knots.

5 – 8 September – Nongsa Point Marina, Batam

Wednesday, 8 September

I was originally planning to sail away today but learned on Sunday that Rona – 1890’s built, 90 foot ketch – would be sailing to Bali tomorrow, so I have decided to sail out with her.

I spent these last few days at the marina preparing the boat for the voyage to Lombok, stowing away all non-essential gear and rigging sails and lifelines; cleaning all of the bilges and replacing the gasket on the toilet discharge which was leaking, and tightening the V-belt on the engine which was loose.

I noticed on the voyage back to the marina on Saturday that the stern seal was leaking, and that the tricolour navigation light and echo sounder were not working. The shipyard technicians arrived on Monday and put additional packing in and tightened the stern seal (all with the boat in the water); whilst the problem with the echo sounder appeared to be air bubbles in the hull recess in way of the transducer which they cleared. Then the guys from XSP arrived on Tuesday and fixed the problem with the tri-colour light which was a faulty connection at the masthead.

I took on 163 litres of diesel (making a total of 513 litres) and 17 litres of petrol (for the portable generator and outboard engine) on Monday, and then shifted berth on Tuesday, moving from the fuel dock to a berth on one of the pontoons (C4).

My passport was returned to me on Monday with my new Indonesia visa (expiring on 14 October); and I had a nice farewell lunch at the marina with Paul (CEO) and Adrian (GM) from the shipyard on Tuesday. After this lunch I went to the local hospital for a PCR (Covid-19) test and into Nagoya (the main town) to buy some fresh provisions.

On Wednesday the Marina processed my outward clearance papers, and when my PCR test result came back negative I was now free to sail out! After a last dinner at the restaurant, I studied the charts and planned my first day’s passage down the Riao Strait.

It was late when I finally turned in, excited and also a little apprehensive about what lay ahead.

4 September – In the water again

Saturday, 4 September

After a busy week, Shahna Bacal is finally back in the water again.

The new wires arrived in Batam on Wednesday, 1 September, were fitted on Thursday (2nd), and the rigging was tightened and the spartite poured into the main mast collar on Friday(3rd). The spartite set over night, and the mast boot was fitted first thing Saturday (4th) morning. I attended the immigration office with Livia, from Nongsa Point Marina, on Tuesday and Wednesday, where we submitted my application for a new visa which is now being processed. I spent the rest of the week tidying up the boat, refitting the booms and sails to the masts, and getting everything ready for moving the boat back to the marina.

Shahna Bacal went back in the water at 0900. Paul (CEO) and Adrian (GM) of the shipyard, and Paul of XSP (who did the rigging) came down to see the boat go back in the water and to wish me well for my journey to Darwin. Three of the workers at the shipyard were keen to join me on the trip around to Nongsa, and with Paul and Adrian’s blessing I took them as crew for the voyage back to the marina.

I had hoped to do some sailing on the way around but the wind was light and I ended up motoring all of the way. We made good time with the favourable tide, departing the shipyard at 1040 and arriving at the marina at 1400; and we were all fast starboard side alongside the fuel dock at 1440. My crew left and after a few beers in the bar at the resort, which has now re-opened, I tidied up the boat then enjoyed a shower ashore and dinner in the restaurant.

It is good to be back on the water!

29 August – Still at the shipyard

Sunday, 29 August

The boat is still at the shipyard and I am still at the KTM Resort in Sekupang.

Work has progressed on the boat, and the two masts have been re-stepped, and the bowsprit painted and re-attached. Unfortunately, 3 of the new wires (the 2 x cap shrouds for the main, and the jumper stay for the mizzen) are between 5 and 10 cm too short and these are now back in Singapore to be made up again. They should be back here next Wednesday/Thursday whereafter we will need 2 days to attach them, re-tune the rig, pour the Spartite and seal the mainmast in the collar, and fit the mast boot and reconnect the electrics etc. We are therefore now looking to put the boat back in the water on Saturday 5 September.

Fortunately, this will not delay my departure from Nongsa as I now have to renew my Indonesian visa. This expires on 14 September, and I do not want to risk it expiring during my passage to Lombok so that I arrive at the Marina Del Ray without a valid Indonesian visa. Unfortunately, the authorities here will only process applications for visa renewals within 7 days of the visa expiry date, although because of my circumstances they have agreed to accept my application on 1 September. The renewal process however, takes 4 working days and requires an attendance in person for photographing and fingerprinting, so I will only have the ‘new’ visa on 6 or 7 September.

This will mean however, that I will only have a few days in Nongsa after leaving the shipyard in which to ready the boat for the passage to Lombok. Accordingly, I have started re-provisioning the boat now with help from the shipyard General Manager, Adrian, who kindly took me shopping. I now have all the dry stores I need, and this week I will stock up on the liquid stores ( bottled water, milk, etc).

I have also been working this week on the paper work for my eventual arrival in Darwin, and for importing my boat into Australia. Not a 5 minute exercise!