Tuesday 24 June 2008

Bali to Sumbawa (Indonesia)



10th May 2008 - Lombok

With Bali to our stern and the wind on the beam, we flew easterly across the Lombok straits at up to 10 knots!!) It was another exhilarating sail and Shayile responded well delivering some of her most enjoyable cruising to date!

As we closed in on Lombok, the wind picked up further and we decided to reef the sails. Reefed, and still speeding along, the wind was not finished and a further increase to over 30 knots had us reefing again. With short sails, we entered the bay of Teluk Kombal on the NW tip of Lombok. As soon as we entered the lee of Lombok, the wind dropped off and, noticing a few other yachts anchored in the bay, we made our way towards them avoiding the pearl farms on the fringes of the bay. Spotting a vacant mooring buoy, we motored across and picked it up. Now secure in the bay and out of the howling wind and waves, I lowered the dingy and we motored ashore. There I met Mohammed, a young guy who is a kind of self appointed yacht services supplier! He was a likable chap and we got on very well as he explained to me his services and a bit about his history as a service provider to other yachts anchored in Kombal. It was his mooring we were on, supposedly! After telling me all about Lombok and all there was to see there, I agreed to a day tour the following day.


Local fishing boats on the Lombok Straits

Lombok has both the green lushness of Bali and the stark landscape of the Australian outback's! The indigenous Sasak people make up 90% of the population and follow the Islamic religion. Something we found quite fascinating about Lombok, setting it apart from Bali, was the Wallace Line. This "line" was named after the scientist who came up with the theory that Bali and Lombok were never joined. The flora and fauna differ considerably on these 2 islands, although they are less than 15 miles apart. It was concluded by Wallace that both islands belonged to separate land masses; separate continents, but moved closer together through land shifts over millions of years! However this theory has been questioned and even rejected but, none the less, "The Wallace Line" theory is there!

A tour of Lombok

The next morning early, after……. another great cup of home brewed Indonesian coffee, we went ashore. There waiting for us, was Mohamed, a vehicle and driver. We set off up into the surrounding hills where Mohammed did a fine job in explaining all he could to us about Lombok. After driving through some rice paddies we stopped to watch a family harvesting and threshing their rice. They even invited us down onto the paddies to give it a try. It was hot, dusty and messy work and very labour intensive. Daniel and I took a walk towards other paddy fields not too far off. There, amongst the paddy field, I watched the local men and women at work. It was not easy work as the men ploughed the paddy fields using old machine driven devices based on the Ford Model T design! Very physical! After some chat and photo's we set off up a steep mountain road to Monkey Forest.


Local farmer ploughing the paddy fields

We steadily climbed up from the coastal road and entered the surrounding hills where the landscape turned to lush forest. Soon we entered the Monkey forests, Taman Wisata Tetebatu, where hundreds of monkeys have made a living out of impressing the tourists with their antics, and in return getting fed with peanuts!

B: The families of monkeys gathered around us and reached up with their soft leathery hands for peanuts. If you tried to hide any behind your back they just jumped up and snatched them. The mothers held their babies close to their chests with one arm and cracked and chomped peanuts with the other hand. The babies had to make do with the fall out as I was never quick enough to sneak one down to the little guys. The only mature alpha male put on a good display. He wasn't aggressive, the kind I was afraid of, but just mounted a female and gave her a good seeing to right next to Robs left ankle!

Once the monkey display was over, we went on our way down towards the town of Mataram. Just on the outskirts of town, we stopped at a ceramics factory. Lombok has become widely known for its pots and they certainly were spectacular; burnt sienna coloured and embellished with beautiful rattan weaving. Lombok's crafts are nothing like Bali's. They are all rustic, organic looking and usually have a purpose, not purely decorative. Although keen to buy a few items, we were worried about getting them into Australia, with its tight laws on bringing organic items into the country. However, we decided to take a chance, and bought a few small pots!


Pottery shop with Rob outside

Once done at the pottery shop, we proceeded on our way to the weaving village. We pulled up outside the village and were met by the “managers”, locals from the village who ran the management of the weaving operation. Again, this hand weaving process is world renown with the art handed down through the generations from mother to daughter. The weaving process is known as ikat and songket weaving. After a short introduction and a chat about the village and the weaving, we were taken on a guided tour of the village where the women did the weaving. Although not a particularly clean village, it was a happy one with children running about and women at work in most of the stilted houses. These women, most of them young teenagers, were at work on old hand and foot operated looms, sitting with legs out stretched and weaving away. Some of the fabrics can take up to 6 months to complete and are certainly spectacular! Just watching the process was very interesting, but the poor women must have very sore backs after a long days work. They sit on the floor; legs stretched out in front of them and weave away on these hand operated looms! As mentioned, the village was rather dirty and we wondered why, being such a great tourist attraction, no effort was made to clear away garbage and other trash in and around the houses. We returned to the retail outlet where Daniel, Jenna and B were dressed up in traditional outfits. They looked great! Belinda then looked around the shop, did a bit of negotiating and was “forced” to buy a few items. Yea right!

With a few garments and pots in the back of the van, we motored off towards Mataram.


Lady weaving with the kids looking on

B: Rob forgets that the men also weave and their weaving has its own name, which gives them something to do other than play soccer when there is a drought and no rice can be grown. Sadly there was quite a lot of shocking pink and lime green interspersed with the black and more traditional colours. The best weavings were with natural organic dyes and were therefore in more 'autumn' colours with flower and animal motifs. I did get a couple to make into cushion covers. Of course, they were fairly pricey but still cheap when you consider how much uncomfortable effort goes into them.




Dan & Jenna in local dress code!

Having driven through and seen a few of the attractions Lombok had to offer, we went off for lunch at a local restaurant, a rather disappointing Chinese spot. We were dropped off at the restaurant by Mohammed, who then went off to a local eating house for lunch. If we had known this we would have joined him at a more traditional spot than a Chinese restaurant in Lombok!

Last on our list was a small shopping expedition for some food and a visit to the internet cafe. Mohammed took us to the local market (pasar) where we roamed the many stalls selecting piles of lovely fresh fruit and vegetables required for the ongoing leg. With all done, it was back to Shayile.

Back on the beach, Mohammed had quite a selection of pearls for sale and was keen to sell us a few. Eager to look, see, and decide, we took them back to Shayile and began a rather long negotiating process. Again we bargained hard and eventually settled on a price for a few strings of pearls. Once all done, B and I went on to assisted Mohamed with ideas and plans on what yachties require and how best to assist them when they arrive. He was a very motivated guy and eager to develop his business, both in tourism and yacht services on Lombok.

The next day I caught a ride on the back of Mohammed’s motor bike and we hit the local clothes market which was full of wonderful fabrics and outfits which B had requested but I didn't dare let her go there. I picked up a few choice items of traditional dress code and returned to Shayile.


B & Mohammed shopping for fresh chicken!

The Gili Islands

The Gili Islands lie about 3 miles to the north of Teluk Kombal and we had been told quite a bit about them. Gary and Libby off Yacht Aquarius had told us not to miss them and other reports told us that they were a must. With provisions aboard, we said goodbye to Mohammed and motored the short distance across to the Gili's. The Gili's comprise of 3 low lying islands, each with a character of its own. Gili Trewangan, the larger of the 3 it renown as the "party island." Here one can enjoy company with restaurants, night clubs and bars lining the beach. Now nothing compared to the likes of Phi Phi in Thailand, or even Bali. This was small scale but, none the less, the party scene was available, at a price. The second island, Gili Meno was known as the Robinson Crusoe island. One or 2 small seasonal resorts, with not much else but nature. The third island, Gili Air, was a place to relax, snorkel, eat at the few restaurants and enjoy the stunning beaches and horse rides! The kind of place to retire to after having partied hard at Gili Trewangan.


Shayile anchored off Gili Trewangan



With the 3 Gili's ahead, we decided on Gili Trewangan to start with and motored across to the anchorage. Again being volcanic, the water around the islands is very deep, with small coral ledges protruding from the shore. We tried to anchor on a ledge just off the main beach but realised it was not going to work, should the winds change. We did go for a quick snorkel and the underwater life was amazingly good. With the snorkel complete, we eventually motored towards the area where other boats were moored and I asked another yacht if I could pick up a mooring. One was pointed out and we tied up. Unfortunately it belonged to a charter boat and when they returned, I had to move. The skipper of the charter boat kindly gave me a name of a guy on shore who had a restaurant called The Beach House, and had a few mooring buoys available. Within an hour, the owner of the restaurant, a really friendly and accommodating Englishman called Mathew, had pointed out the mooring buoy and we were safely tied up for the night. That evening we all went ashore and had a few sundowners at The Beach House restaurant. Later, whilst about to go to sleep, we realised why it was the party island as the bands and parties started up at about 10pm. With 15 parties within 2 miles, we could not really enjoy and appreciate any talented bands. The noise went on until about 4am. 

The next day was spent walking the village and exploring a bit of the beach front area. We stepped around the odd prone body that had only passed out a few short hours before. Yes it could be fun on Gili Trewangan, but with 2 kids we don't do late nights too often and soon we were eager to head across to Gili Air where horses carts toured the island, and the scene more relaxed. We upped anchor that afternoon, and motored across to Gili Air.

The anchorage was inside a reefed area with a surf break off to the left. We found a vacant mooring buoy and tied up! For the next 4 days, we enjoyed all Gili Air had to offer!


Horse and cart ride on Gili Air

B: On the beaches at Gili Air, there are these square pagoda-type thatched, open-sided platforms on stilts. They have a low table in the centre and are covered in cushions for lounging around on. Absolute paradise! We chose the yellow and green cushions place which was virtually indistinguishable from the Blue Bar next door with the blue cushions of course. We ordered large beers and lounged around while the kids raced up and down on the white sand and splashed about on their boogie-boards in the turquoise sea about 10m from where we were sitting. Lunch was a very generous chicken curry for Rob and a sweet soya sauce Kecap Manis chicken and rice for me. The children shunned burgers etc and opted for fried rice with chicken!! Think we may have been in the East too long! It was paradise and we had a repeat performance the next day at another venue. It was so nice to be comfortable on the beach and we didn't even feel we needed to order drinks to secure our spot. The only freaky thing was that after a wonderful deep and cool swim on returning to Shayile, I stepped back out to throw some biodegradable stuff overboard and was shocked to see an absolutely massive barracuda rise up to snag some! He returned for photos and was lured in by dropping some weet-bix in as they were the only thing we had that sank. Barracuda's are known for attacking humans, especially if you happen to be wearing shiny jewellery...needless to say we never swam off the boat in his turf, sorry surf again.

Just outside the anchorage on Gili Air, there was a great surf break. One morning whilst pondering the day over a terrific cup of coffee, I saw a local guy paddling out. Tempted, I grabbed my board and jumped into the water. Within 3 minutes I was in the zone and paddling across to the break. With only the 2 of us in the water we got chatting in between waves. For the next 2 hours we surfed up a storm, perhaps my best surf session ever! It was fantastic, with the waves consistent and well formed. Looking back, I appreciate these moments in the surf more and more, and respect those “surfer dudes” out there that spend hours on end enjoying great surf and the company of others passionate about this great sport. Later we were joined by a surf charter of guys and then B came across and picked me up. The Gili’s certainly provide great surf!




Surfing Gili Air

On one of the days we all went ashore and hired the services of a horse and carriage. The trailer was rather uncomfortable with padded seats with no padding and the poor horse made Don Quixote’s look like a steed! With the driver and Daniel up front, and the rest of us in the back, we went on an hour’s tour of the island. With the horse plodding along wearily we hung on to whatever we could, and enjoyed the scenery of Gili Air. On route we stopped off at a small shop where we bumped into a Danish couple, Gieta and Michael, and their 3 little boys. After introducing ourselves and chatting away with them for a while, we fired up the transport and went on our way. With the horse and carriage ride done, we returned to Shayile, grabbed our snorkel and beach gear and then headed of to the beach. Sitting on the beach was Gieta and Michael! We pulled up some shade and spent the next 4 hours or so snorkeling, swimming and relaxing on the beach with them. It was great chatting to the Gieta and Michael, who had taken a 8 week paternity break and escaped to the islands with their kid’s .Although pretty adventurous themselves, they were envious of our travel adventures and discussed the possibility of one day embarking on such an adventure. We then invited them back to Shayile and we spent the rest of the afternoon socialising over one or three sundowners.

Anchored not too far off was another yacht and that same afternoon we had gone by on the ducky and introduced ourselves. On board was Steve, an ex South African guy, his Australian wife Lucy and their 2 year old son Tenzin. They lived and worked in Bali and both Steve and Lucy spoke fluent Bahasa. (Indonesian) That same afternoon, they too joined us on Shayile, along with Michael and his family. Steve told us that they to were heading east to the Komodo Islands and that it was their first ever cruise on their yacht Damai. (Indonesia for Peace) With little cruising experience, they discussed the possibility of them traveling along with us, and we readily accepted. Sailing together in company and enjoying the experience is always great.

Karang Kates - N.Lombok

With a traveling companion for the next 2 weeks or so, Steve and I spent the next morning checking routes and anchorages for the trip eastwards. Once everything was set, we upped anchor and headed off towards our first anchorage, only some 15 miles away. B had read in the Lonely Planet that there were fresh water springs at Karang Kates where freshwater spurts out from the sea bed some 400 meters out to sea! Apparently the local folk collect their drinking water from the sea? Later that afternoon and eager to see this phenomenon, we anchored off some pearl farms in the facility of the mentioned springs. Steve and I then motored across to a local fisherman and enquired on the whereabouts of these springs. They were nowhere to be seen! Fortunately, with Steve speaking Bahasa, directions were given and we set off again. Arriving at a small village we again enquired on the where abouts of these springs, obviously not easy to spot in the sea. A man and his son jumped into our dingy and took us out to where the springs were, however it was bit of an anticlimax. We did find one, apparently the biggest, but not what we expected. Water was welling up from the sea bed, only just visible, but on tasting the water it was salty. The report that locals collected fresh water from the sea seemed unfounded and was backed up by the local man. No fresh water was collected here that is for sure and, besides diving down and tasting it, we would never have known this spot was a fresh water spring. We returned to the yachts with no hope of collecting fresh water from the sea! 


B paddling the ski around Shayile



Gili Lawang - N.E. Lombok

Next morning we were all up early and motored out of the anchorage, heading off in an easterly direction along the north coast of Lombok. The weather was calm with very little wind and we had to motor the whole day. Both yachts stayed within 300 meters of each other and we settled into school work and other small boat chores. That afternoon we motored into the overnight stop. Off the N.E. tip of Lombok are 2 islands surrounded by reef. At the one island, Gili Lawang, there is a small break in the reef where a channel leads to a very small beach, tucked in between the mangrove trees. Very carefully, we motored in between the reef with B up front looking out for bommies and coral reefs. I kept a careful watch on the depth and slowly we entered the anchorage. We dropped anchor in 5 meters of water and shortly after, Damia dropped their anchor close by. It was a very small area and not much room in which to swing. We were surrounded by reef and mangroves, but it was stunning! I did a quick swim around, checking out the reef situation and then, satisfied all was well, we took down the ducky's and went ashore. The afternoon was spent with the kids on the small beach. I noticed a group of fishermen working their nets close by and went across to watch them as they gathered up the net, catching a good haul of fish. An interesting little outing. Back on the yachts, we were "cozy" in the anchorage and that evening we all got together on Shayile and enjoyed sundowners and snacks!


Small beach at Gili Lawang



Potopaddu - N.W. Sumbawa Island

We left Gili Lawang early and set off for Pulau Medang some 35 miles away. What should have a beam reach across turned into a beat into wind! As the morning progressed, the wind did its thing by picking up and then turning onto the nose! Eventually we made a call that Medang was not possible and we fell off, now heading down to the coast of Sumbawa towards another anchorage. It was a hard days sailing but we made distance and that afternoon, we found ourselves off the entrance to our selected anchorage. Potopaddu is a small estuary and appeared on the charts to look like a well sheltered spot. We slowly made our way into the estuary, avoiding the reefs on either side and praying that the depth was sufficient. Up ahead we could see a few local guys signaling to us on where we should be going! Although quite intimidating as we approached the entrance, all went well and, with B up front, we rounded the sand spit and entered the shelter of the lagoon. Inside the calm shelter of the lagoon were groups of fishermen in their dugout canoes. Most were fishing (netting) whilst others were more interested in our arrival. Soon we had 3 or 4 boats tied up to Shayile. An hour later Damai entered the anchorage and anchored up close by. We were surrounded by tall hills and below, mangrove trees lined the waters edge. Again, we did a quick exploration of the area, going to the beach and then trying out best to go as far up river as possible. It seemed there was a village up ahead, but eventually it got too shallow, and we had to turn around, having to hand paddle our way back down to the estuary. That evening we watched the fishermen at work, netting the whole estuary. Again we wondered how any fish manage to survive the total onslaught against them in such a confined area. This estuary had the appearance of one of the many rivers on the Transkei Wild Coast (Eastern Cape) and was an ideal spawning ground for many of the fish found out in the ocean. With the 24 / 7 netting and fishing taking place there, little would grow to escape the estuary. Kind of sad. Anyway, Potopaddu was a great spot and well worth the visit for cruising yachts.


Local kids paddling past Shayile inside estuary of Potopaddu

B: Rob is being very generous here... we virtually had to beat the fishermen back. When they weren't hanging off Shayile's rails, watching and commentating on our every move, they were out netting every fish that so much as move, breathed or was so unfortunate to be hatched in that inlet. With so many people netting such a small area, which was a natural breeding ground, it’s no surprise that there are no fish to be caught in Indo. Little white blonde and curly Tenzin was an even bigger draw card, especially as Dan and Jenna were now wise and head below deck, shutting all the hatches and making only forced cameo appearances when they have to. Tenzin wooed the crowds with his cute baby Bahasa and had grannies and children rowing out to see him. One lady brought us 2 melons, rather yucky things as it turned out but I gave her some goodies and she paddled off wearing one of my old hats. Funny how the women know how to make the first generous gesture, rather than demand cigarettes and booze and look amazed when you decline.


Local villages with lady paddling wearing B’s hat!!

Bali to Sumbawa (Indonesia)



10th May 2008 - Lombok

With Bali to our stern and the wind on the beam, we flew easterly across the Lombok straits at up to 10 knots!!) It was another exhilarating sail and Shayile responded well delivering some of her most enjoyable cruising to date!

As we closed in on Lombok, the wind picked up further and we decided to reef the sails. Reefed, and still speeding along, the wind was not finished and a further increase to over 30 knots had us reefing again. With short sails, we entered the bay of Teluk Kombal on the NW tip of Lombok. As soon as we entered the lee of Lombok, the wind dropped off and, noticing a few other yachts anchored in the bay, we made our way towards them avoiding the pearl farms on the fringes of the bay. Spotting a vacant mooring buoy, we motored across and picked it up. Now secure in the bay and out of the howling wind and waves, I lowered the dingy and we motored ashore. There I met Mohammed, a young guy who is a kind of self appointed yacht services supplier! He was a likable chap and we got on very well as he explained to me his services and a bit about his history as a service provider to other yachts anchored in Kombal. It was his mooring we were on, supposedly! After telling me all about Lombok and all there was to see there, I agreed to a day tour the following day.


Local fishing boats on the Lombok Straits

Lombok has both the green lushness of Bali and the stark landscape of the Australian outback's! The indigenous Sasak people make up 90% of the population and follow the Islamic religion. Something we found quite fascinating about Lombok, setting it apart from Bali, was the Wallace Line. This "line" was named after the scientist who came up with the theory that Bali and Lombok were never joined. The flora and fauna differ considerably on these 2 islands, although they are less than 15 miles apart. It was concluded by Wallace that both islands belonged to separate land masses; separate continents, but moved closer together through land shifts over millions of years! However this theory has been questioned and even rejected but, none the less, "The Wallace Line" theory is there!

A tour of Lombok

The next morning early, after……. another great cup of home brewed Indonesian coffee, we went ashore. There waiting for us, was Mohamed, a vehicle and driver. We set off up into the surrounding hills where Mohammed did a fine job in explaining all he could to us about Lombok. After driving through some rice paddies we stopped to watch a family harvesting and threshing their rice. They even invited us down onto the paddies to give it a try. It was hot, dusty and messy work and very labour intensive. Daniel and I took a walk towards other paddy fields not too far off. There, amongst the paddy field, I watched the local men and women at work. It was not easy work as the men ploughed the paddy fields using old machine driven devices based on the Ford Model T design! Very physical! After some chat and photo's we set off up a steep mountain road to Monkey Forest.


Local farmer ploughing the paddy fields

We steadily climbed up from the coastal road and entered the surrounding hills where the landscape turned to lush forest. Soon we entered the Monkey forests, Taman Wisata Tetebatu, where hundreds of monkeys have made a living out of impressing the tourists with their antics, and in return getting fed with peanuts!

B: The families of monkeys gathered around us and reached up with their soft leathery hands for peanuts. If you tried to hide any behind your back they just jumped up and snatched them. The mothers held their babies close to their chests with one arm and cracked and chomped peanuts with the other hand. The babies had to make do with the fall out as I was never quick enough to sneak one down to the little guys. The only mature alpha male put on a good display. He wasn't aggressive, the kind I was afraid of, but just mounted a female and gave her a good seeing to right next to Robs left ankle!

Once the monkey display was over, we went on our way down towards the town of Mataram. Just on the outskirts of town, we stopped at a ceramics factory. Lombok has become widely known for its pots and they certainly were spectacular; burnt sienna coloured and embellished with beautiful rattan weaving. Lombok's crafts are nothing like Bali's. They are all rustic, organic looking and usually have a purpose, not purely decorative. Although keen to buy a few items, we were worried about getting them into Australia, with its tight laws on bringing organic items into the country. However, we decided to take a chance, and bought a few small pots!


Pottery shop with Rob outside

Once done at the pottery shop, we proceeded on our way to the weaving village. We pulled up outside the village and were met by the “managers”, locals from the village who ran the management of the weaving operation. Again, this hand weaving process is world renown with the art handed down through the generations from mother to daughter. The weaving process is known as ikat and songket weaving. After a short introduction and a chat about the village and the weaving, we were taken on a guided tour of the village where the women did the weaving. Although not a particularly clean village, it was a happy one with children running about and women at work in most of the stilted houses. These women, most of them young teenagers, were at work on old hand and foot operated looms, sitting with legs out stretched and weaving away. Some of the fabrics can take up to 6 months to complete and are certainly spectacular! Just watching the process was very interesting, but the poor women must have very sore backs after a long days work. They sit on the floor; legs stretched out in front of them and weave away on these hand operated looms! As mentioned, the village was rather dirty and we wondered why, being such a great tourist attraction, no effort was made to clear away garbage and other trash in and around the houses. We returned to the retail outlet where Daniel, Jenna and B were dressed up in traditional outfits. They looked great! Belinda then looked around the shop, did a bit of negotiating and was “forced” to buy a few items. Yea right!

With a few garments and pots in the back of the van, we motored off towards Mataram.


Lady weaving with the kids looking on

B: Rob forgets that the men also weave and their weaving has its own name, which gives them something to do other than play soccer when there is a drought and no rice can be grown. Sadly there was quite a lot of shocking pink and lime green interspersed with the black and more traditional colours. The best weavings were with natural organic dyes and were therefore in more 'autumn' colours with flower and animal motifs. I did get a couple to make into cushion covers. Of course, they were fairly pricey but still cheap when you consider how much uncomfortable effort goes into them.




Dan & Jenna in local dress code!

Having driven through and seen a few of the attractions Lombok had to offer, we went off for lunch at a local restaurant, a rather disappointing Chinese spot. We were dropped off at the restaurant by Mohammed, who then went off to a local eating house for lunch. If we had known this we would have joined him at a more traditional spot than a Chinese restaurant in Lombok!

Last on our list was a small shopping expedition for some food and a visit to the internet cafe. Mohammed took us to the local market (pasar) where we roamed the many stalls selecting piles of lovely fresh fruit and vegetables required for the ongoing leg. With all done, it was back to Shayile.

Back on the beach, Mohammed had quite a selection of pearls for sale and was keen to sell us a few. Eager to look, see, and decide, we took them back to Shayile and began a rather long negotiating process. Again we bargained hard and eventually settled on a price for a few strings of pearls. Once all done, B and I went on to assisted Mohamed with ideas and plans on what yachties require and how best to assist them when they arrive. He was a very motivated guy and eager to develop his business, both in tourism and yacht services on Lombok.

The next day I caught a ride on the back of Mohammed’s motor bike and we hit the local clothes market which was full of wonderful fabrics and outfits which B had requested but I didn't dare let her go there. I picked up a few choice items of traditional dress code and returned to Shayile.


B & Mohammed shopping for fresh chicken!

The Gili Islands

The Gili Islands lie about 3 miles to the north of Teluk Kombal and we had been told quite a bit about them. Gary and Libby off Yacht Aquarius had told us not to miss them and other reports told us that they were a must. With provisions aboard, we said goodbye to Mohammed and motored the short distance across to the Gili's. The Gili's comprise of 3 low lying islands, each with a character of its own. Gili Trewangan, the larger of the 3 it renown as the "party island." Here one can enjoy company with restaurants, night clubs and bars lining the beach. Now nothing compared to the likes of Phi Phi in Thailand, or even Bali. This was small scale but, none the less, the party scene was available, at a price. The second island, Gili Meno was known as the Robinson Crusoe island. One or 2 small seasonal resorts, with not much else but nature. The third island, Gili Air, was a place to relax, snorkel, eat at the few restaurants and enjoy the stunning beaches and horse rides! The kind of place to retire to after having partied hard at Gili Trewangan.


Shayile anchored off Gili Trewangan



With the 3 Gili's ahead, we decided on Gili Trewangan to start with and motored across to the anchorage. Again being volcanic, the water around the islands is very deep, with small coral ledges protruding from the shore. We tried to anchor on a ledge just off the main beach but realised it was not going to work, should the winds change. We did go for a quick snorkel and the underwater life was amazingly good. With the snorkel complete, we eventually motored towards the area where other boats were moored and I asked another yacht if I could pick up a mooring. One was pointed out and we tied up. Unfortunately it belonged to a charter boat and when they returned, I had to move. The skipper of the charter boat kindly gave me a name of a guy on shore who had a restaurant called The Beach House, and had a few mooring buoys available. Within an hour, the owner of the restaurant, a really friendly and accommodating Englishman called Mathew, had pointed out the mooring buoy and we were safely tied up for the night. That evening we all went ashore and had a few sundowners at The Beach House restaurant. Later, whilst about to go to sleep, we realised why it was the party island as the bands and parties started up at about 10pm. With 15 parties within 2 miles, we could not really enjoy and appreciate any talented bands. The noise went on until about 4am. 

The next day was spent walking the village and exploring a bit of the beach front area. We stepped around the odd prone body that had only passed out a few short hours before. Yes it could be fun on Gili Trewangan, but with 2 kids we don't do late nights too often and soon we were eager to head across to Gili Air where horses carts toured the island, and the scene more relaxed. We upped anchor that afternoon, and motored across to Gili Air.

The anchorage was inside a reefed area with a surf break off to the left. We found a vacant mooring buoy and tied up! For the next 4 days, we enjoyed all Gili Air had to offer!


Horse and cart ride on Gili Air

B: On the beaches at Gili Air, there are these square pagoda-type thatched, open-sided platforms on stilts. They have a low table in the centre and are covered in cushions for lounging around on. Absolute paradise! We chose the yellow and green cushions place which was virtually indistinguishable from the Blue Bar next door with the blue cushions of course. We ordered large beers and lounged around while the kids raced up and down on the white sand and splashed about on their boogie-boards in the turquoise sea about 10m from where we were sitting. Lunch was a very generous chicken curry for Rob and a sweet soya sauce Kecap Manis chicken and rice for me. The children shunned burgers etc and opted for fried rice with chicken!! Think we may have been in the East too long! It was paradise and we had a repeat performance the next day at another venue. It was so nice to be comfortable on the beach and we didn't even feel we needed to order drinks to secure our spot. The only freaky thing was that after a wonderful deep and cool swim on returning to Shayile, I stepped back out to throw some biodegradable stuff overboard and was shocked to see an absolutely massive barracuda rise up to snag some! He returned for photos and was lured in by dropping some weet-bix in as they were the only thing we had that sank. Barracuda's are known for attacking humans, especially if you happen to be wearing shiny jewellery...needless to say we never swam off the boat in his turf, sorry surf again.

Just outside the anchorage on Gili Air, there was a great surf break. One morning whilst pondering the day over a terrific cup of coffee, I saw a local guy paddling out. Tempted, I grabbed my board and jumped into the water. Within 3 minutes I was in the zone and paddling across to the break. With only the 2 of us in the water we got chatting in between waves. For the next 2 hours we surfed up a storm, perhaps my best surf session ever! It was fantastic, with the waves consistent and well formed. Looking back, I appreciate these moments in the surf more and more, and respect those “surfer dudes” out there that spend hours on end enjoying great surf and the company of others passionate about this great sport. Later we were joined by a surf charter of guys and then B came across and picked me up. The Gili’s certainly provide great surf!




Surfing Gili Air

On one of the days we all went ashore and hired the services of a horse and carriage. The trailer was rather uncomfortable with padded seats with no padding and the poor horse made Don Quixote’s look like a steed! With the driver and Daniel up front, and the rest of us in the back, we went on an hour’s tour of the island. With the horse plodding along wearily we hung on to whatever we could, and enjoyed the scenery of Gili Air. On route we stopped off at a small shop where we bumped into a Danish couple, Gieta and Michael, and their 3 little boys. After introducing ourselves and chatting away with them for a while, we fired up the transport and went on our way. With the horse and carriage ride done, we returned to Shayile, grabbed our snorkel and beach gear and then headed of to the beach. Sitting on the beach was Gieta and Michael! We pulled up some shade and spent the next 4 hours or so snorkeling, swimming and relaxing on the beach with them. It was great chatting to the Gieta and Michael, who had taken a 8 week paternity break and escaped to the islands with their kid’s .Although pretty adventurous themselves, they were envious of our travel adventures and discussed the possibility of one day embarking on such an adventure. We then invited them back to Shayile and we spent the rest of the afternoon socialising over one or three sundowners.

Anchored not too far off was another yacht and that same afternoon we had gone by on the ducky and introduced ourselves. On board was Steve, an ex South African guy, his Australian wife Lucy and their 2 year old son Tenzin. They lived and worked in Bali and both Steve and Lucy spoke fluent Bahasa. (Indonesian) That same afternoon, they too joined us on Shayile, along with Michael and his family. Steve told us that they to were heading east to the Komodo Islands and that it was their first ever cruise on their yacht Damai. (Indonesia for Peace) With little cruising experience, they discussed the possibility of them traveling along with us, and we readily accepted. Sailing together in company and enjoying the experience is always great.

Karang Kates - N.Lombok

With a traveling companion for the next 2 weeks or so, Steve and I spent the next morning checking routes and anchorages for the trip eastwards. Once everything was set, we upped anchor and headed off towards our first anchorage, only some 15 miles away. B had read in the Lonely Planet that there were fresh water springs at Karang Kates where freshwater spurts out from the sea bed some 400 meters out to sea! Apparently the local folk collect their drinking water from the sea? Later that afternoon and eager to see this phenomenon, we anchored off some pearl farms in the facility of the mentioned springs. Steve and I then motored across to a local fisherman and enquired on the whereabouts of these springs. They were nowhere to be seen! Fortunately, with Steve speaking Bahasa, directions were given and we set off again. Arriving at a small village we again enquired on the where abouts of these springs, obviously not easy to spot in the sea. A man and his son jumped into our dingy and took us out to where the springs were, however it was bit of an anticlimax. We did find one, apparently the biggest, but not what we expected. Water was welling up from the sea bed, only just visible, but on tasting the water it was salty. The report that locals collected fresh water from the sea seemed unfounded and was backed up by the local man. No fresh water was collected here that is for sure and, besides diving down and tasting it, we would never have known this spot was a fresh water spring. We returned to the yachts with no hope of collecting fresh water from the sea!


B paddling the ski around Shayile



Gili Lawang - N.E. Lombok

Next morning we were all up early and motored out of the anchorage, heading off in an easterly direction along the north coast of Lombok. The weather was calm with very little wind and we had to motor the whole day. Both yachts stayed within 300 meters of each other and we settled into school work and other small boat chores. That afternoon we motored into the overnight stop. Off the N.E. tip of Lombok are 2 islands surrounded by reef. At the one island, Gili Lawang, there is a small break in the reef where a channel leads to a very small beach, tucked in between the mangrove trees. Very carefully, we motored in between the reef with B up front looking out for bommies and coral reefs. I kept a careful watch on the depth and slowly we entered the anchorage. We dropped anchor in 5 meters of water and shortly after, Damia dropped their anchor close by. It was a very small area and not much room in which to swing. We were surrounded by reef and mangroves, but it was stunning! I did a quick swim around, checking out the reef situation and then, satisfied all was well, we took down the ducky's and went ashore. The afternoon was spent with the kids on the small beach. I noticed a group of fishermen working their nets close by and went across to watch them as they gathered up the net, catching a good haul of fish. An interesting little outing. Back on the yachts, we were "cozy" in the anchorage and that evening we all got together on Shayile and enjoyed sundowners and snacks!


Small beach at Gili Lawang



Potopaddu - N.W. Sumbawa Island

We left Gili Lawang early and set off for Pulau Medang some 35 miles away. What should have a beam reach across turned into a beat into wind! As the morning progressed, the wind did its thing by picking up and then turning onto the nose! Eventually we made a call that Medang was not possible and we fell off, now heading down to the coast of Sumbawa towards another anchorage. It was a hard days sailing but we made distance and that afternoon, we found ourselves off the entrance to our selected anchorage. Potopaddu is a small estuary and appeared on the charts to look like a well sheltered spot. We slowly made our way into the estuary, avoiding the reefs on either side and praying that the depth was sufficient. Up ahead we could see a few local guys signaling to us on where we should be going! Although quite intimidating as we approached the entrance, all went well and, with B up front, we rounded the sand spit and entered the shelter of the lagoon. Inside the calm shelter of the lagoon were groups of fishermen in their dugout canoes. Most were fishing (netting) whilst others were more interested in our arrival. Soon we had 3 or 4 boats tied up to Shayile. An hour later Damai entered the anchorage and anchored up close by. We were surrounded by tall hills and below, mangrove trees lined the waters edge. Again, we did a quick exploration of the area, going to the beach and then trying out best to go as far up river as possible. It seemed there was a village up ahead, but eventually it got too shallow, and we had to turn around, having to hand paddle our way back down to the estuary. That evening we watched the fishermen at work, netting the whole estuary. Again we wondered how any fish manage to survive the total onslaught against them in such a confined area. This estuary had the appearance of one of the many rivers on the Transkei Wild Coast (Eastern Cape) and was an ideal spawning ground for many of the fish found out in the ocean. With the 24 / 7 netting and fishing taking place there, little would grow to escape the estuary. Kind of sad. Anyway, Potopaddu was a great spot and well worth the visit for cruising yachts.


Local kids paddling past Shayile inside estuary of Potopaddu

B: Rob is being very generous here... we virtually had to beat the fishermen back. When they weren't hanging off Shayile's rails, watching and commentating on our every move, they were out netting every fish that so much as move, breathed or was so unfortunate to be hatched in that inlet. With so many people netting such a small area, which was a natural breeding ground, it’s no surprise that there are no fish to be caught in Indo. Little white blonde and curly Tenzin was an even bigger draw card, especially as Dan and Jenna were now wise and head below deck, shutting all the hatches and making only forced cameo appearances when they have to. Tenzin wooed the crowds with his cute baby Bahasa and had grannies and children rowing out to see him. One lady brought us 2 melons, rather yucky things as it turned out but I gave her some goodies and she paddled off wearing one of my old hats. Funny how the women know how to make the first generous gesture, rather than demand cigarettes and booze and look amazed when you decline.


Local villages with lady paddling wearing B’s hat!!