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.
