Thursday 24 July 2008

Wetar & Eastern Indonesia

Wetar - Uhak

As mentioned, as far as sailing in Indonesia and in particular eastern Indonesia, we had entered waters not often visitored by yachties. It was a remote part of Indonesia, with poor anchorages and little information to go on. The local population seemed to be living what only can be described as a primitive and rural way of life. Our next stop was the island of Wetar which lies to the north / north east of Timor. Looking at the charts and reading up on the area, we discovered the area was prone to unsettled waters, over falls and currents. I'm not sure as to why the area around Wetar was prone to these types of seas, but it could be due to the various depths surrounding the islands in the area. On the 6th June, my mom's birthday, we left Kawula and headed in a north easterly direction towards Wetar. It was an overnight passage with a distance of about 140 miles. As lunch time approached we entered the over falls and could see the unsettled water ahead. Again nothing dangerous but extremely uncomfortable on Shayile as we slammed into the waves. We were hoping the conditions would improve as we closed in on Wetar, but quite the opposite. My Log Book reads "Beating hard, over falls, crashing! Hate it" The next entry about 7 hours later reads "Poor Shayile! Terrible, terrible crashing!" Winds 15 - 20 knots, nothing tough but just compounds the difficulty of beating into a short choppy swell. These conditions are very uncomfortable, especially on a catamaran, and the relentless inescapable pounding can make life on board quite unbearable! On we went and at about 7am the next morning, with the NW tip of Wetar in sight, conditions improved a bit. Although the wind remained on the nose, the sea calmed down and we motored around the NW tip of Wetar and then along the northern coast. Looking out towards Wetar, we could see no signs of any inhabitants. It was all natural vegetation, rising up from the sea to about 400 meters, perhaps higher. The mountains were coated in green lush rain forest type trees and bush. In places we could see rain squalls pelting the hills and valleys high above us. It was stunning scenery, something out of Jurassic Park! Eventually we did pass what looked like a small village nestled in a bay. Apparently there was a bit of logging in the area years back and small settlements or villages did serve the industry. Although I dug up some crude co ordinates for anchorages, the first one proved impossible. The next one, the co ordinates were way out and not an anchorage at all. On we went and eventually, looking through binoculars, we saw a very small village with 2 fishing boats anchored off it. From the charts, we picked out its name as Uhak.

 




Uhak village with the church and bell tower



Although not keen to anchor off a village, it seemed we had no choice and reluctantly made our way towards it. As we approached the village, from behind us we saw a navy rubber duck heading in our direction. Although only 6 days or so over our check out date, I thought we were about to be boarded and interrogated. However it shot right on by and headed for the village. Both B and I were convinced we saw a white lady in the rubber duck? As we approached the local fishing boats, the men on board pointed out where best for us to anchor. We eventually dropped anchor in 15 meters of water and drifted off into 50 meters. It looked safe enough and Shayile kept her position off the stony beach.

Looking through our binoculars, we discovered there was a white lady ashore, clearly a visitor. I decided to go ashore and introduce myself to the local chief. With my trusty assistant Daniel, we jumped in the duck and motored across to the village. There was no beach, but a coastline covered in cobbled beach stones and some shells. It was beautiful and so different from anything we had previously seen. Waiting for us on the shore were a few kids. We tied up and then walked towards the village where we could see a group of local folks sitting together under a tree with the white lady. We entered the small gathering under the tree and introduced ourselves to the chief and the village folk. The white lady, we discovered, was Mia and she worked for an Australian mining company that was busy with some prospecting in the area. Part of the contract conditions on the mining company was to embark on an upliftment program for villages in the area. Mia's task was to work with the villages, initiating and generating self sustaining projects that would benefit the community over a long term basis.




Mia with Daniel and the villages looking on



Mia was from Belgium and spoke Indonesian fluently so, with her as an interpreter, we all sat around in a circle and I related our travel story to everyone! Along with the chief and his entourage, there must have been no fewer than 40 villages looking on. They were all interested in who we were and why we were in Uhak. They wanted to know where we were going and most could not believe how long we had been at sea, living on a boat, especially with the kids! Someone said that they would like to meet “the lady on the boat”, so I shot back to Shayile and picked up Belinda and Jenna. We arrived back at the village gathering and immediately we were ushered towards the old plastic chairs waiting for us. Surrounded by the villages and with Mia, the village chief and a few elders seated besides us, the interest in us and the questions continued for another hour. They were all Protestants by religion and we really enjoyed their company, made easier with Mia interpreting the conversation. Just before departing we bought green oranges and small yellow lemons. With Mia doing her best to show the villages how to record all transactions, an invoice was made out! We were also given some wild honey as a gift. It was a great end to what was a tough trip across to Wetar, and we returned to Shayile relieved to be anchored off a beautiful island and a great village!

 

B enjoying the kids at Uhak village

Next morning Belinda made 3 big cakes for the villages. We also collected a few odds and ends no longer needed on Shayile and then headed for the village. Again, everyone saw us coming in and soon there was a small gathering waiting for us as we arrived. We were ushered up to the communal gathering point under the tree and all given the old plastic chairs to sit on. B cut up the cake and Daniel and Jenna began handing it out to everyone. We are still not sure if they liked it or not, but everyone tucked in. Perhaps it was their shy manner or perhaps it was the first time they had eaten cake! Who knows, but everyone enjoyed the time with us. Belinda gave away a few kitchen utensils to a lady that seemed to exert a bit of authority. She was a very pleasant lady with a huge smile, which got even bigger when she received the "gifts" from Belinda! The only thing we really wanted in return was some water. Once they realised this, myself and Daniel were escorted off to the well with our water containers. Walking through the village was very interesting. Gone were the dirty streets with garbage and plastic bags everywhere which we saw in Maumere. It was clean. Each house, or hut, was neat and tidy, some even with little vegetable gardens outside. Compared to Maumere and other towns we had previously visited which were health hazards, this little village had a sense of pride to it. Each family was making an effort to ensure their homes were clean and presentable. When we arrived at the well, a bucket was lowered into the water below and a process of filling our water containers commenced. I took the time to walk across to the church. It was more a small hall with a rusty iron bell tower outside. Although very stark inside, every effort had been made to decorate an altar and stage up front. Impressed, I returned to the well where Daniel was now in charge of lowering the bucket into the well and heaving it out.


Dan pulling water from the well

When we returned to B and Jenna, more wild honey and bananas had been given to us. Leaving the village that afternoon, we saw an old man hard at work on the beach. He was busy carving and shaping a sampang (wooden canoe) out of a log. His tools were a very old plain and a small axe. That was it and with these tools, the boats was slowly taking shape. It was a memorable day with the villages of Uhak and we returned to Shayile happy to have shared a day or 2 with these villages.


Pebble beach at Uhak village

B: After arriving in Uhak, I was exhausted and needed a sleep but, whilst doing a quick tidy-up, and was spotted by the village folk who assured Rob that I wasn't asleep like he said! I was reluctant to go ashore but I was so glad I did. These were such genuine people, so proud of their homes, so self-assured. Aya may have been the chief's daughter, but who knows. She was tiny with an enormous smile. She was only 32 but already had 5 children and seemed so normal in shorts and a t-shirt. The next morning her brother paddled her out so she could invite us to join them for mass. We hadn't realised it was Sunday and I had already started baking the cakes so had to decline. She was blown away by the boat but was so sweet and cheerful and she and I clicked straight away. I packed a whole laundry basket of things that I knew would end up being thrown away in Australia. There were plates, bowls, glasses, 2 teacups and saucers, a stainless coffee pot, and some of the kid’s old linen. I also left behind one of the cake tins she had admired that morning.


Departure day, and B with Aya and her 5th child

Well, all Aya's Christmases came that day. She was gracious and thankful and, as we finally left the beach that afternoon, she collapsed back with her head in her hands, as if now that we had left the shore she could believe that all those things were for her and her friends who I had shared them out with. Her home was small and spotless and virtually empty once the plastic garden furniture was out under the tree. It felt great to make such a difference in her life, I hope it didn't cause any jealousy but I'm sure it all worked out. The honey from Uhak was the best we have ever tasted and we ate it on pancakes, with bananas on fresh Shayile bread and I had it in my green tea too. The beach was so memorable too as it was composed entirely of brightly coloured stones. Garden designers would have platzed. It was like a pirate’s chest full of brightly coloured jewels, of course I forgot to get a close up photo, but it was hell to walk on and I felt bad for thinking the guy I saw stumbling along the previous evening was drunk! Uhak was so different from anywhere and so surprising that such nice people live so isolated. This village is completely cut off for 5 months when the N E winds rage, amazing when there were so many children and pregnant women who may need medical care. It proved that you don't have to be wild when you live in the wilds!




Carving out a sampan using an axe



Wetar - "Bliss Bay"

Although the weather was not looking too good, we decided to head on along the coast of Wetar and try look for another anchorage. Being tucked up close to the northern coastline, we were well protected from the SE wind that blew overhead. We had not done more than 20 miles when we realised it would not be possible to head out away from the protection offered by Wetar. Out to sea it was howling and the sea had picked up. I was not interested in slamming into it! We came across a small inlet on the NNE tip, hardly a bay, and decided to try anchor up. The charts showed no sign of it being an anchorage at all. It never even had a name! As we approached the shore we were surprised to discover that it did offer some good protection from the waves and wind and we even managed to find a bit of sand on which to drop our anchor! With the anchor down, we relaxed and took time to look about and take in the surrounding scenery. We were all alone! Not a village nor any sign of human life around. We were surrounded by these high tropical rain forest hills and valleys. The beach looked pristine with the forest vegetation extending down to within 10 meters of the sea. Besides the birds and the Fish Eagle in the surrounding trees, and the wave action of the sea, there was not a sound! It was a little piece of paradise, bliss, blocked off from civilization! "It reminds me of Chagos" said B and she was right. It was a gem of an anchorage and we went on to spend 4 days anchored up, away from the weather, and humans!!




Absolute isolation with not a person to be seen!

Ashore, we spent time collecting shells, and we had the choice of them all to ourselves! We even gave fishing a go and I managed to catch a huge Barracuda. Not our favorite eating fish, and with a risk of Ciguatera poisoning, we retrieved our lure and then released him. You know you are all alone and in a small piece of paradise when you are able to wear no clothes all day! B loves it – that is she has no laundry!! Each day we had eagles visiting the bay, swooping down looking for food, all adding to the natural beauty of the place. We even saw a wild pig running around in the under growth.


Travelly caught on fly 

All good things come to an end and on the evening of day 4, a fishing boat motored on by. Seeing us, he turned into the bay and anchored about 50 meters away from us. I waved to them as they came in, but got no response from these hardened looking fishermen. That night when we went o bed, we set the alarm for the first time in weeks. Far from everywhere and tucked away in a secluded bay, we felt kind of vulnerable with a boat full of surly Indonesian fishermen anchored off our stern! Its amazing how you think the worst in such a situation, but we did, and we did not sleep well that night. Our splendid isolation was now a worry. Next morning we woke up to see them motoring out of the bay, on their way to their fishing grounds some place. With our concerns unfounded, we to upped anchor and headed off in an easterly direction, having enjoyed the solitude of this little bay in Wetar!

B: While the wind howled, we ploughed on with school work and I tried to stretch one packet of bacon into 3 meals. We were 2 weeks behind on our schedule and had left Bali with little meat and hadn't been able to get anymore in Maumere. Fishing was dismal as usual. Luckily we had lots of flour and we ate lots of bread and jam, pancakes with honey and lemon and even powdered milk custard slices with cream crackers were known to pass as a meal. We wandered on the beach each day collecting shells but I was alarmed one night while shining a light into the depths to see what looked like small box-jellyfish! They were active little hunters and I'm afraid that was the end of swimming in that bay.



Wetar - Tg Hatuloi

As we rounded the point heading east we slammed straight into a very strong easterly wind. From the charts, I had identified a bay, about 10 miles away, and we headed towards it. Once in the bay, we realised it was not anchorable and had no option but to slowly make our way along the coast towards the N.E. corner. In the distance we picked up a few fishing boats anchored off and thought it best to head for them as, with local knowledge, they would know the best spots to anchor when looking for protection. With their shouts on where to anchor, we eventually picked a spot and dropped anchor. I put out a second anchor to hold us in position. About 400 meters out to sea the wind was howling and the sea was on its head! From the weather reports I was receiving out of Darwin, Australia, it was not looking good. For the next 3 days it appeared as if we were going to have to sit tight! Again, we were in a protected bay, anchored up with a few local boats, all seeking protection. These were infact not fishing boats, but trading boats, carrying goods from island to island. Although no longer than 45 feet, they were strong wooden boats with a good old diesel engine driving them. Each boat had 3 anchors out with 2 of them tied to trees on the shore. The one anchored up next to us had a goat aboard, which I do not think was there as a mascot!


Dan devouring huge bananas!

For 3 days we remained at anchor off Hatuloi. It was a difficult coral shelf anchorage, but offered some good snorkeling. Besides a few visitors each day, we were left to ourselves. The beach was a treasure chest of shells and coral. We spent hours each afternoon walking up and down the beach looking for shells. No one really collected them, so we had some fantastic finds! Again, we tried our luck at fishing. Trawling behind the ducky was unsuccessful but, with the sea on its head, we could not go too far out. However I did have some luck fly fishing and one evening I landed a beautiful Brassy Spotted Travelly. which we had for dinner, the first real fish in a long time. (Well since my gourmet meal of sardines that is!!)

Again, the mornings were spent with school work before any other activities took place for Daniel and Jenna. When sailing, we found it extremely difficult to try teach and, frankly, gave it up as a bad idea. At anchor, we got stuck in to school work. With Zulu as a subject of Daniels, the whole family was learning the language! Furthermore, the reading bug was now firmly entrenched in both kids and they would spend hours reading. Daniel, having read the first 3 Harry Potter novels, was now re-reading them. I had bought him one of the Hardy Boy books, but it just did not have the same appeal! Jenna was also reading very well and we were pleased with their reading skills. As dinner was quite early, we either had "family video nights" where we would all climb into bed together and watch a kid’s movie. Other nights, B and I would watch a DVD, all genuine copies, obtained in Bali!


Dan & Jenna paddling the ski to shore

We enjoyed the time at Hatuloi, no village, no people and a few boats anchored close by. As time crept on, we were now 2 weeks over on our exit date from Indonesia. I began to wonder what the implications would be if someone questioned our reasoning for still being in Indonesia. Would they ever understand that weather was hampering our progress out of Indonesia? With that at the back of my mind, we decided to head on out towards the island of Romang. The weather was not good, but we decided to give it a go. Early on the morning of day 3, we left Hatuloi and out into the wild sea. Not 5 miles away, we slammed straight into the weather! It was hopeless trying to beat directly into 25 - 30 knot winds with choppy, ugly seas. Surrendering to the pounding, I swung Shayile about and we headed back to Hatuloi. Another day to wait it out.

Next morning we gave it another go and, although still blowing, the wind direction made it easier. With one motor on and reefed sails we were able to head towards Romang, about 40 miles away.


Daniel fly fishing whilst a few local fishermen look on



Romang - Hila village

As we approached Romang, the seas calmed a bit and the last 10 miles were, relatively speaking, enjoyable. We had no idea what to expect once at Romang, but from the charts, I identified the anchorage that offered the best protection. What we could see as we approached, was a huge church, perched high above the village. It looked really big and dwarfed all other dwellings. Closing in on the bay, we could make out a small ship anchored off. It was one of these coastal cruisers, perhaps delivering supplies to the town of Hila. It was tied up at a jetty. Strangely enough, as we approached the jetty, we could see it was not joined to the land! It was still "under construction". How goods were being ferried to and from the ship was unclear but the jetty was not doing the job! We made our way through the fringe reef and into a protected spot. Much to our surprise we found some sand over which to drop the anchor. Once down, the visitors arrived! Besides a few kids on sampans, a bigger boat pulled up and 3 guys climbed aboard. One chap, looking very official and a few years older had a "coast guard" cap on which was elaborately braided in gold thread! Again, very little English was spoken, but he introduced himself as the harbour master! Whilst B made them freshly squeezed lemon juice, he asked for our passports and with that we looked at each other thinking "here we go". He also asked for photos of us all! With this little meeting having taken place, he asked me to come ashore.


Romang’s “Coast Guard”

With my trusty crew Daniel, who is always a big attraction in these villages, we went ashore. We were ushered towards the "harbour masters" office, which was nothing more than a derelict house of sort, the kind you see with wooden planks nailed across the windows and the door half open! We all sat around an old desk with the usual 300 people peering in through every door and window. The atmosphere was quite relaxed and we were all happy. The first thing the harbour master does is pull out an old photo of himself in army uniform with a huge semi automatic rifle across his chest. Proudly he pointed at the picture and then at himself. I acted very impressed by such authority and he seemed to accept my sincerity! Next up was the paper work which must have taken an hour. I did nothing but he never stopped and the dusty old stamp, always a huge sign of importance, did a lot of banging. With a bill of 700 rupee, (R70) presented, I eagerly paid. No mention was made of the now well overdue stamp in our passports!! Before returning to Shayile, we took a brief walk up through the village. B had asked me to try get a few things, if there was a shop. All I did was make a few observations and thought it best to return tomorrow. We returned to Shayile, grateful that no scene was made over the passports! Personally I think he never even noticed the exit date, infact even his literacy was in question!

Next day, Daniel and I went ashore with a shopping list from Belinda. She needed fruit, flour, sugar, oil and milk. She also placed an order for a chicken! Belinda avoided going ashore as she battled with the constant harassment and was also worried about petty theft. Besides this, she also just loved to be alone on Shayile with Jenna, enjoying a peaceful morning! We were met on the beach by the usual entourage of younger folks and then taken, firstly, to the pastor’s house. Here we were invited inside and told to take a seat. (This happens at every home visited. Perhaps the owners like others in the village to see them entertaining a visitor?) I caught sight of a pumpkin in his kitchen and asked if I could buy it. Accepting the offer, the first purchase in Hila was a huge pumpkin, although over priced! We then walked up to where the shop was pointed out to us. The only purchase I was able to make was the flour. The rest was "out of stock". I managed to buy 10 liters of very over priced petrol. Whilst the shop owner was filling my petrol container, I notice a nautilus shell in the shed. It was covered in dust and had no look of importance to it. I asked him if I could have it and he gave it to me! What a scoop! Outside, alongside the village main path, was a huge Pomelo tree laden with fruit. Daniel and I both got very excited, having last eaten a Pomelo in Thailand! Again I asked and within minutes about 6 huge Pomelo were given to us! We were extremely grateful for their generosity. With the pastor guiding us, we now set off up a stairway made of coral and concrete on a walk up to the church. 


Hila’s village square!

We entered another level to the village, coming to more houses lining the pathway. The houses were all neatly laid out with very little litter about. Again I took note of the people’s way of life and attention to tidiness and cleanliness. Then we came to the church itself which was still under construction. Huge bamboo scaffolding covered the outer walls. To its right was the old church and we were taken inside for a look about. One could see that the church, although very poor, was the focal point of the village. There must have been 100 plastic chairs in it and the altar was sparsely prepared for a service. Looking at the few articles available with which to carry out a church service, I could not help but think how far R1000 would go in acquiring further items for a church service. Outside, it seemed as though work on the church had come to a stand still and when I inquired, I was told "money a problem". Clearly these guys build as money is available and, when not, work ceases! I chuckled to myself, hoping the pastor would put the extra money I had paid for the pumpkin, to good use!

On the way down, I stopped at a few more shops. Not "real" shops, as they were really just houses with the front room converted into a shop, with a counter. In South Africa these would be referred to as a Spaza Shop. I finally managed to get some sugar. I also bought the hoards of kids in tow, a whole bunch of sweets. We walked back down to the village below and, just past the Pomelo tree; I was called across to a man sitting on a stilted platform. He sent his wife off and she returned with a bunch of bananas which she gave to Daniel. I thanked her and offered them some money. He refused it and we went on our way. Here was a guy, church mouse poor, and he would not accept a few coins for his bananas. Very humbling and so different to other parts of Indonesia! On the beach, I got the message across that we would like to buy a chicken. I now had an "interpreter". Along the way a guy by the name of Daniel had hooked up with us. He spoke a limited amount of English, but enough by which to communicate. He told us he was a fisherman and farmer. With Daniel we now had a crude means of communicating and, again, I put forward my request for a chicken. With that, we returned to Shayile.


View from the church in Hila village, Romang



Next day, Daniel arrived on Shayile with a chicken; a live one! His English was not that good, and I told him we wanted it headless, featherless and on a plate! He finally got the message and I told him I would meet him on the beach later as I also needed to get water. I returned to the beach that afternoon and there was Daniel, the live chicken under his arm! We reconfirmed that we wanted the chicken, despite the high price of R70. Daniel then handed it across to 2 of his mates. Out came a knife and with one holding the body and the other the neck...... 30 minutes later we had a beach prepared chicken! B was not impressed. Besides still having a few too many parts to it, it had bits of beach sand peppered about! Eager to please, Daniel led me off to get the water. We entered a small homestead on the outskirts of the village and walked into the coconut trees where, amongst the crude wooden structures of a villager’s house, a man offered me vegetables. Not knowing what he had an offer, I accepted and he returned with a basket of leaves! I tried to establish what they were but no one could translate or give me any idea as to what they may be! Expressing my absolute gratitude, I turned them down but did accept a huge bunch of bananas! Up ahead I could see a large blue barrel, with a little stream running on by. Here was the water supply. It was not from the stream, but from a very cleverly devised "water drain" system that brought good clean fresh water down from the hills above the village. Using large bamboo poles that had been split vertically in half and cleaned out, these poles we raised on stilts and, acting as a gutter system, carried the water down to the blue barrel below! It was brilliant and Daniel and I got busy, filling our water containers. In amongst the coconut trees, I expressed an interest in getting coconuts and without hesitating, Local Daniel said no problem. With the water back on the beach, Daniel grabbed a machete and we headed off. Arriving at "his" plantation, he chose a tree and then scrambled on up. Within 5 minutes, we had 10 coconuts! We all headed back to Shayile with water, coconuts, bananas and a readily prepared chicken!


Daniel, not always keen to be in the photo!


 And with a local villager from Romang



That afternoon, Jenna, Daniel and I were back in the village, eager to obtain a few last minute requirements. I needed to get a few more Pomelo's. They lasted well on Shayile and the whole family enjoyed them. We enquired in the village and, again, hospitality and generosity flowed. Within 20 minutes we had about 12 Pomelo. Then a man came out of his little house with a bunch of bananas. I again offered money but he refused, giving them to me as a gift. Again, here was a family with very, very little and yet their generosity was astounding! It amazed me how attitudes and overall village behavior can differ from island to island, and even from village to village. B and I spend many an evening discussing this, trying to establish reasons. The generosity of the people of Indonesia seems wide spread. They are a very generous people, particularly amongst the rural islanders. The predominantly Christian islanders of eastern Indonesia came across as very friendly and perhaps more inviting. Women were seen and were not shy to get involved in discussions with strangers, like ourselves. These villages appeared to take cleanliness of their village and surrounding a lot more serious than those further to the west. Whether they just had less plastic to scatter about.... no, they defiantly took a lot more pride in their homes and surroundings, of that I am certain. Eastern Indonesia was more of a Protestant Christian faith as apposed to the Muslim faith in the west. Was this a factor? We believe it was. Perhaps the old village chief system was a lot stronger and, being so isolated, these islands still lived a traditional lifestyle, not exposed to modern ways and influences as much as those islands to the west. All very interesting when analyzing and interpreting the attitudes of the people we met. Greed appeared to be non existent.






Wooden cargo boats dried out on Hila beach, Romang

With bananas, coconuts, Pomelo, and a sandy, skinny chicken, we had all we needed for the next leg. Each day we would look up at the clouds as they streamed over the top of Romang, coming out of the south east. Each day we watched, hoping for them to "slow down" showing signs of the wind moderating. After 3 days at Romang, we decided to make a dash for it. The next leg was in a SE direction, directly into the wind and we were not looking forward to it. At 1am in the morning of the 17th June, (my brother Donald's birthday) we fired up the motors and pulled up the anchor. Following our track on maxsea, we slowly made our way out passed the jetty. All of a sudden, the alarm on one of the engines went off! It was overheating! I immediately turned it off, furious as to its choice of time and position in which to overheat. With no options, we turned around and headed back to the small anchorage in Romang. B and I climbed back into bed. It was no time to tackle an engine problem. Our departure date would have to wait another day.

With the water circulation issue resolved the next day, we were all set for attempted departure date number 2! Early on the 18th June we motored out of Romang and, with engines purring along, we made our way around the NW tip and out into open seas, on our way to Moa. We got the winds right, or should I say, as best that was on offer. Sailing and motor sailing, we made good progress and that afternoon we approached our chosen anchorage off Moa.





Moa - Tg Seradona

I came across this anchorage in an old article I had on my computer. Despite being some 10 years out of date, the anchorage and co-ordinates would still be the same. In this area, there just were no anchorages to mention. None at all! The old information was all we really had to go on. B and I looked at each other as we approached the anchorage and commented, "back on the shelf!” We dropped in 5 meters and backed off into 500 meters!! We were now getting used to the set up but it certainly did not make us feel any more confident about the safety of such anchorages! Within 5 minutes we had the regular boarding party with us. One of the guys had spent the better part of the day at Solly Kramers, because he battled with mobility, and had a lot to say. He also had a lot to take and went about trying on every thing we had that was exposed to his eyes! On went B's mask and into his alcohol saturated mouth went the snorkel. On went my shoes and demands for fishing rods and sun glasses were expressed. This was the kind of visitor we could do without. Fortunately his mates were not part of the same drinking club and they were quite pleasant. When I enquired on the anchorage, they pointed out further down the reef, where the best place was to anchor. With that we pulled up the anchor and motored on down to the spot they pointed out. A few of the younger guys dived over board and showed me where to drop the pick. Besides "Betel Nut", they were good people and spent the next half an hour with us on Shayile. I took careful note of the one guys diving mask. It was entirely home made. Using 2 pieces of rounded glass and lots of epoxy putty, he had crafted himself a pair of goggles, complete with strap. Giving him credit and full marks for creativity, B went below and brought out her old mask. She handed it across to him as a gift. It was still in 100% working order, although about 15 years old! Immediately the guy put them on and jumped in to the water, swimming up and down. Every breath he would look up towards us and give us a bit thumbs up! He liked them!

We had a quiet night, although an uneasy sleep, and the wind and water held us off the reef. This reef anchoring seemed to be working after all! Next morning, we left at first light and made our way off in an easterly direction towards Sermata, some 50 miles away. Using the same outdated article, I pin pointed 2 possible anchorages. The description read as follows:

Motor sailing most of the time.  Decided to avoid a village. (Elo village)  Anchored at above position in 10m of water.  Large coral heads closer in and drop off 20-30 mtrs further out.  Clear water, 20m visibility.  Up to 2knots of current and swell came round corner of island.  All 3 yachts had to dive to clear anchors.  Some snubbing of chain.  Not recommended

GRINGO moved around corner of next island to west, Kalapa, and anchored in 8m just past Tg Pohehi, which is no doubt a better anchorage.  Did not go ashore.

The first anchorage mentioned was on the island of Sermata, some 5 miles past Kalapa. We thought it best to check out Kalapa before heading on to Sermata.





Pulau Sermata

Up ahead we could see the small island of Kalapa and then identified the bay, not a very convincing, anchorage. We entered the bay and slowly made our way along the ruggered rocky coastline looking for a spot where we could best drop the anchor. The island had no beaches at all, but extending the entire length of the bay was a rocky cliff, about 2 - 3 meters high. Below the cliff was a rocky ledge, extending outwards for about 20 - 30 meters. Again the ledge was anything from 1 meter to 3 meters deep, great for diving on, not that good for anchoring! After scouting the area, we concluded that, it was not ideal. Although it offered protection from the wind, it was a difficult and perhaps tricky place to spend a few nights. In calm conditions, it may be fine, but we were expecting winds in a day or so and decided to head across the straits to the island of Sermata.




Mika from Sulawesi in the sampan he made himself

An hour later we were scanning the shoreline of Sermata looking for a spot, but again, we were stumped by the reef. Furthermore there was a swell running. We made our way towards a village, hoping to find something better. As we approached the village of Elo, a fishing boat came by and we gestured to them where best to anchor. A spot was pointed out but was the good old "drop in 3 meters, drift off into 40 meters"! Now very limited with choices, we dropped the anchor. With the swell running, it was not at all pleasant and I decided to climb on the ducky and go inspect other parts of the reef for a possible spot to anchor. With mask and snorkel, I went up and down looking for an opportunity, but returned to Shayile not having found one. I mentioned to B that it was impossible and perhaps Kalapa was the best option after all. It offered protection from the SE winds and was in a bay. With little options left, we upped anchor and returned to Kalapa.

B: This crowded dirty-looking village was so close to the sea and the tiny anchorage was right next to the low sea wall, that I could hear the children coughing, never mind the delighted squeals and 'Hello Misters." I couldn't wait to leave!



Pulau Kalapa

Back at Kalapa, 2 fishermen in a small boat tried to point out a place to anchor but their choice was shocking! Nevertheless we gave the two well-meaning old guys some new caps.  Eventually we chose a spot and dropped the primary anchor in about 2 meters of water and then drifted off. Not happy with just the one anchor, I got the secondary anchor out and we ran a line from the stern, at a 45 degree angle, back to the reef and dropped the anchor. We now had 2 anchors holding us in position, keeping Shayile into the SE winds and off the reef. We now needed to sit out the winds forecasted for another 2 - 4 days. The wind died during the first night and we had a peaceful sleep at anchor. The next day the wind picked up and blew strong all day. Although it was a very low lying island, we were protected from the brunt of the wind, but got enough to hold us off the reef. Not entirely happy with our primary anchor, which was lying too close to the edge of the shelf, we ran a third anchor to the shore. Climbing up the jaggered volcanic rocks, I positioned the anchor and then ran a line, buoyed with fenders, back to Shayile. In the event of the primary anchor pulling off the shelf, we were still attached. We were now in position!

 

                        Indo winds!!

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