Indonesia!!

Indonesia, page 1

Indonesia, page 2: Lembata to Makassar

Indonesia, page 3 - Makassar

Chrissi describes our Indonesia / Malaysia Adventures

After all the fun in Makassar, we were off to the legendary island of Bali.
There were a lot of options on how to get there, and we chose to go the adventurous way,
by way of three very isolated and little known island groups that lie between Makassar and Lombok.
There is no guide book information on them, and all of them are very poorly charted.
Then from Lombok we would sail on to Bali. As it turned out, we had more adventure than we liked.
Here's how we went: from Makassar in the North, then down through the islands to Lombok and Bali.

To give you an idea of the scale:
Each leg of the inverted "V" that represents our course above is about 250 miles.
For example, from Makassar in the north of our trip to the northeastern tip of Lombok is some 250 miles.

Upon leaving Makassar, we sailed to a little island off the southwest tip of Sulawesi, Pulau Tanakeke. It provided an adequate anchorage on its western side and we sailed in like champs, tacking into good depths and dropping the anchor under sail - our usual kind of performance, and one that gives good satisfaction.

Leaving P. Tanakeke at first light, we zoomed off to our first offshore island stop at Pulau Balobaloang Besar. It was a glorious close reach and we sailed mostly around 12 to 15 knots, leaving our friends on monohulls beyond the horizon. We arrived around 2pm in what was still good light for identifying coral reefs and heads. The only place that seemed at all suitable for anchoring was inside a cut between P. Balobaloang and its smaller neighbor P. Sabaru. We had to negotiate around a sandbank and sail cautiously into a relatively clear bottom - coral heads abounded, and it was a bit tricky, but we found a spot in about 12 feet where we wouldn't swing onto anything hard.

Next to us were a couple of island traders that looked ready to sink. They were so overloaded their decks were awash every time they rolled - which they did constantly. We chatted up one of the crew and he said the outrageous loading was completely normal and they were just waiting for smooth water before leaving - presumably so they wouldn't roll over and sink. These boats are owned by very tough bosses who clearly don't worry much about their crews but only watch their sacred bottom lines. . .

Here's a view from Naga's masthead of a very few of the very many
coral heads around Naga in Pulau Sailus - where we came to grief.

We did some snorkeling around in the clear waters around Pulau Balobaloang, but we've been spoiled by much better. The anchorage didn't inspire great confidence either, so we were off again in the morning, hoping again to find a wondrous new island paradise - always the hope in exploring mysterious unknown new islands. This time our destination was Pulau Sapuka Besar, some 50 miles and a nice sail away.

An enormous barrier reef protects P. Sapuka Besar, and you sail around its western end. Once around the reef, you discover that there are huge numbers of large and small isolated reefs that protect the island from the west too. So you anchor almost 4 miles from town on beautiful sand or in a mixed bottom, in either case close to reefs that invite exploration. Unfortunately, the reefs have been fished out quite long ago and hold rather little interest for snorkelers like us. I'm sure real divers could find some fantastic places in this area, however.

So off we went again, in the morning, after having sailed around P. Sapuka Besar's innumerable reefs looking for special places, a clear route in to the town - did't find it - or some super anchorage. This time we were headed for the third and last island group before closing on Lombok. We ended up hitting this place a lot harder than we planned and staying quite longer too.

After sailing some 40 miles and rounding Pulau Saujung, we found no good anchorage at this beautiful little island. It was getting a bit late when we sailed down to Pulau Sailus. Unfortunately we spent a fair bit of time exploring the possibilities at Suajung, and by the time we reached Sailus, the sun was somewhat lower than optimal for reading the water - and its coral heads.

Bombies!! That's what the Ozzies call coral heads that reach straight up from a relatively deep bottom - say 30 to 40 feet - to just below the surface. They can be very dangerous when they surprise you, and they are very well named: bombies! Sailus had plenty. More than plenty. Sailus was a Bombie Minefield.

And we hit one while tacking in toward the town. This village had in the order of 15 traders and fishing boats anchored or laid up on the beach for repairs, obviously an important harbor in the terms of these offshore islands. So, we did our usual thing, sailing in, tacking to windward, with Chrissi keeping close watch on the water for dangers.

Boom! The boat goes from 8 knots to NO knots, just like that, when our daggerboard hits a bombie dead on. Okay, that's happened before. Let's watch out better; it's obviously tricky here. More and more bombies appear and, since it's later than it should be, we can't see well enough to the west - too much into the sun now - to see our way back out of here. Boom! Second hit, not quite as bad. We're going slower.

Okay. Drop the hook. There are so many bombies in this mine field it's impossible to anchor and not swing into these things! We touch one with the rudder - gently. Sails are down now, and we motor very very slowly with the greatest care toward what we hope is the channel into the village.

Local boats are making their way in and we try to find their channel. We can't find it. Finally we anchor in about 5 feet of water. There IS NO CHANNEL INTO THIS PLACE. We discover that the boats proceed with great caution around the heads and bombies, mostly at high tide, and with a careful watch on the bow directing the helm which way to turn. I've never seen an active fishing village with no safe channel into it. But we've found it here in Sailus.

We've also done serious damage to the daggerboard case which is now squirting water into the forward cabin. We spent about a week in Sailus, dealing with our damage - effecting an acceptable temporary repair - and being helped by the local headman and friendly villagers.

My advice to my friends? Stay away from Sailus. Certainly don't try to anchor anywhere close to the village. Or if you really must anchor, it will be uncomfortable because you should stay at least a mile or rather more offshore in quite deep water. Better: try one of the adjacent islands, very carefully. . .

This fishing boat is wending its way at high tide out to sea from Sailus.
The dark spots in the water are a few of the many coral heads in
this area, an area where one would expect to find a channel.

Chrissi got to borrow and paddle our local friends' real outrigger canoe when they came out to visit and see what help they might be able to provide us.

Damaging the boat was a nasty blow, but no one comes here, and we got to explore
a very remote island and to meet some of its very nice people.

Here, like in most of southern Indonesia, the population lives very close to the natural world
- and is, in fact, a kind of extension of it - with houses built mostly in local materials,
local food from the land and the sea, and the stuff in the neighbor's store might very well
come from the neighbor's hearth, and even the boats are made locally of local stuff.

This fella was taking great pride in the boat he was building. It was largely doweled together,
with just a wee bit of some store-bought epoxy which he (incorrectly) applied.

Local fibers are woven into walls and roofs in this man's new house - easily fixed if damaged and easily erected by family and friends. Plus there's all that good pride and satisfaction in a good project put together with one's neighbors.

Sailus was pretty nice but, that said, we were very happy to have stopped the leak and to be gone!

Next stop - quite carefully sailed, with our temporary repair in place - was Gilly Lawang,
a small island off the northeast extremity of Lombok, which is a major island just next to Bali.

Lombok in the distance and Gilly Lawang just visible on the left.

Gilly Lawang had a lovely, well protected and smooth anchorage on
its southern shore. And it had some great views, like this one,
of Lombok and its dramatic volcanic mountains.

Use these Links to Continue:

Indonesia, page 1

Indonesia, page 2: Lembata to Makassar

Indonesia, page 3 - Makassar

Chrissi describes our Indonesia / Malaysia Adventures