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
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