Thursday 24 July 2008

Shayile almost lost! And leaving Indonesia

Shayile almost lost!

Throughout the day the wind increased, and even in the protected bay, we received gusts of up to 30 knots. It was blowing out at sea! That night it did not stop and B and I went to bed rather apprehensive! I could not sleep as I began to feel the first effects of a ground swell developing. From the increased winds over the past 24 hours, the swell had picked up out at sea and was now wrapping around the point and rolling into the bay. At 2am, we both got up and sat in the saloon, glued to the instruments and, in particular, the depth gauge. There was nothing we could do but sit it out, vowing to leave the anchorage at first light. Outside it was pitch black. With our hand held beam light, we were able to shine on the shoreline and reef every once in a while. Unfortunately the swell picked up further and soon Shayile was starting to lunge forward as each swell went under her, pushing her towards the reef. I started the engines to ensure they were ready to move at any moment! Anxious we sat and waited, hoping the dawn would arrive before we needed to take any action. This was not to happen.

At about 3am a big swell came through and we watched our depth gauge go from 40 meters, to 15 meters, to 7 meters, to 3 meters!! Shayile was being pushed onto the shelf!! B pulled up the slack on stern line then ran for the spot light and I jammed the engines into reverse, doing all I could to back her off the ledge. B was shining the light over the side shouting, "We're over the reef Rob. Get us off, reverse!!" With the engines in full reverse and the depth gauge shallow alarm going off continuously, we were going no where. I dashed up front to discover the anchor chain was snaggered somewhere below Shayile, not allowing us to back off the reef. With Shayile being pitched backwards and forwards, I was just waiting for that terrifying feeling below our feet as she touched reef and rock and began ripping her bottom to shreds!  I shouted to B to release more anchor chain whilst I reversed! She did and with chain pouring off the front, I was able to reverse and soon Shayile entered 20 meters of water. We were now just off the ledge but still way too close for comfort!

We were off the reef, but not out of danger. Being pitched about dangerously close to the reef, we were still in trouble and immediately the 2 of us went into "evacuation mode". Preparing for the worst, we went about grabbing what was needed should we need to abandoned ship. I grabbed the passports, computers, radios, flares, computer back up system and a few other things. I also got the life jackets out. B grabbed warm clothes for us all, water and small amounts of food. She took down the IPERB, whilst I put the remaining fuel into the ducky. We worked as fast as possible, going about the task as calmly as possible, at the same time casting an eye on the depth gauge, waiting for the alarm to go off again! With preparations to abandoned done, we began plans on how to get out of the situation. No sooner had we started discussing it, Shayile was back on the reef, the alarm screaming at us! This time we were sideways on! Again I put the engines in reverse but again we were held tight, now with 2 anchor chains snaggered! Having discussed it, B made a call to drop all anchor lines. It was the right call. We needed to get the hell off the reef and out of the bay! Careful not to snag any lines in the propellers, which would have been disastrous, we cast off the anchor lines and released the anchor windlass, allowing all the chain to run off over the bows of Shayile and into the deep water below. Still reversing, we clawed our way off the reef again and back into deep water, I spun her around and headed out into the bay! We were now without any anchors, but Shayile was safe and, more importantly, so were we! I could hardly swallow as my mouth was bone dry! We had come so close to losing Shayile! Feeling quite naked with no anchors on board, we motored up and down outside the bay for 90 mins until it got light and then, despite being exhausted we would try make an effort to retrieve the anchors....if possible!

B: It was amazing that the anchors that had made us feel so safe and secure were what almost caused us to lose everything. I can honestly say that if we weren't both awake when the chain snagged we would have lost Shayile. We worked really hard and managed to communicate well under extreme stress but it was terrifying. My mouth was so dry that it was hard to talk, never mind scream over the howling wind. Twice I scooped day-old rain water, usually used for laundry, up out of a bucket and into my mouth, just so that I could talk! My biggest concern was if we fouled the props we would be powerless and would grind up over the reef. At one stage, Rob queried if we should wake the children and put them into life jackets. I refused as I thought it would be too traumatic for them and we really didn't have time to keep them calm and hold and slip ropes and keep tabs on what was going on. We were close enough to the shore to swim but the thought of climbing the sharp, jagged volcanic rocks leaves me cold, even now.

B and I just stood in the cockpit going over the situation again and again. We had not picked the best spot to anchor, but it was all we had. Besides Romang, 120 hard won miles away, all anchorages in the area were off ledges. Finding one would be a nightmare. We were well anchored, but the developing swell as a result of the wind and possible tide changes, had compromised our position. Although the SE wind was holding us off, the increase in the size of the swell wrapping around the point and entering the bay, had literally lifted us up and dumped us on the ledge. With the anchors snagged below us, we could neither go forward or backwards! We had done the right thing and now we just had to salvage what we could. 2 hours later it began to get light and with sufficient light, I woke up Daniel. The plan was for Daniel and me to go and try salvage the anchors whilst B stayed on Shayile, motoring up and down, waiting for us to return. Young Daniel was great and, although complaining about the cold, we managed to drop the duck in a big swell and motor off towards the rocky coast. There was no way Daniel would be able to drive the ducky up to the rocks whilst I jumped off. It was just too dangerous. He had to go! I told him what to do and then edged the ducky up to the jaggered cliff face. Timed correctly, he jumped off and scrambled up over the thorny bushes and sharp rocks towards the anchor. Heaving, he lifted it up and virtually just dropped it off the cliff face into the sea. To climb back down was too dangerous so I shouted to him "jump into the sea!" Realizing he had no other option, he did, and I motored across to him and pulled him on board. He was freezing cold but had done the job! I was so proud of how maturely he behaved under such dangerous conditions. I then pulled the anchor up by hand. We now had our Bruce anchor back and all the line! Next I went to where the secondary anchor was positioned and, with Daniel driving the duck; I jumped over the side and began looking for it. Finding it, I detached the anchor from the chain and using a rope, hauled it on to the duck. We now had 2 anchors. The primary anchor was not where we had dropped it and although part of the chain was visible, it had disappeared over the ledge down to where it was snagged. We returned to Shayile, relieved to have 2 anchors and all the rope rode back on board. All we could do now was return in a few days time, where the waves and wind had calmed down and retrieve the anchor and chains. 

B: My relief at seeing Daniel throw the anchor down and Rob retrieve it was indescribable....a boat with no anchor is like a car with no brakes, maybe worse. If we had to just sail we would have to go backwards and our eastward progress had been so difficult. I was so proud of Dan. Jenna was still soundly asleep... luckily. My Darling Husband was a star, he was so tired that his eyes were black and sunken and he still jumped into cold water and dug about in the coral to save the day. I did remind him that as much as I loved him, this adventure was getting a little too adventurous for my liking! That said we were so happy to still be safe and undamaged and that the children would not have to witness Shayile breaking up on the rocks and all our possessions floating in the wash. I had even planned to take the closed cell foam seat cushions from the cockpit as the rocks were too sharp to sit on! The financial loss of the chain was so small compared to losing the whole craft that we didn't even care if we never saw the chain ever again.


Our guide to the safety at Uhak - William

As we were lifting the ducky we heard an engine, a fishing boat loomed out of the morning gloom. We waved them over and after a garbled conversation about a safe anchorage we motioned one of the guys aboard. He was thrilled but later we realized he thought it was just for a visit! With him on board, we motored out of the bay, not having any idea as to where we were heading. The fisherman’s name was William and, although he spoke very little English, we managed to communicate. B fired up 3 great cups of coffee and we followed William’s directions back down the coast to the island of Luang, about 3 miles away.
Now 3 weeks over our check-out date, and still in Indonesia, I was worried about the consequences of being caught, possibly by the navy. We were now "pushing our luck" a bit. Having said that, we did not want to be in Indonesia. Australia was calling and all we wanted was to get there but the weather was holding us back, not giving us that window to head towards the Tanimbar Islands, or south towards Darwin. An hour later we drew level with a beautiful but barren looking high, volcanic island. We had passed it on the way through but it was surrounded by a large, very shallow reef and looked quite impossible to enter. However, enter local knowledge!


Luang village with the church in the foreground

Pulau Luang

Running parallel with the island of Luang with its fringe reef of 1 mile surrounding it, B and I wondered just where this guy was taking us. Local knowledge is a wonderful thing and at a given point, he told me to swing in between two sharp rocky outcrops and go across the reef. Now committed, I did and with B and a very enthusiastic William up front watching for bommies, we crossed onto the reef and proceeded in towards the island of Luang. At times it looked shallow, frightfully shallow, and B kept asking me how our depth was going. It all looked good my side and showed up as 4 -7 meters deep. B could not relax and for half an hour we made our way over the reef towards the protection of Luang. Up ahead I could make out a village with a big church evident in the center of the village. We made our way across towards the village and about 200 meters out, William told us to drop anchor. Manually, I picked up the Bruce anchor with its rode and tossed it off the front. We were over sand! We were off a beach! Behind us extending out for some 5 miles was the outer reef with waves crashing onto it. We were now in its protection. The wind was still blowing over 30 knots but the sea was flat and we were anchored over sand in 3 meters of water!! Such relief at such a time is hard to explain. Although exhausted and emotionally drained, we were now safe. I took William ashore, paid him for assisting us and told him we would see him later. B and I needed to sleep!


Rob & William



Next day was spent on Shayile. We had many visitors popping in to see us, one of them William and another guy by the name of Leo. William began to bug us a bit as he wanted everything! Each time he came out, he would want a mask for diving, then my sunglasses, then shoes! It was very irritating but I managed to put him off. However young Leo seemed a lot more pleasant and spoke a fair amount of English. He asked for nothing but just wanted to help us in any way. We liked him and the way he respected our time and did not harass us for anything! He told us an interesting story on one of his "fishing trips" to Australia. Apparently local divers from these islands regularly go on boats to Australia to poach fish, lobster and shark fins. They are also caught regularly by the Australian Coast Guard. Young Leo and his fellow "fishermen" were nabbed and their boat confiscated. It was later burnt and they were jailed. Sadly Australian jails offer a higher standard of living than most Indo homes so Leo and team didn't seem to upset by being incarcerated. He explained to us that they even get fruit in jail and "spring mattress"! "Indonesia jail very bad, Australia jail very good" he proudly told us!

We spent the day, between visits, cleaning up and organizing Shayile. That night, the tide went out and Shayile sat down on the sand for a couple of hours but it was better than sitting on a reef. We realized that our depth gauge was definitely malfunctioning, needing re-calibrating and we had been in much shallower depths than we though. B was vindicated in saying that it was much shallower than the depth gauge had shown as we had crossed the shallow atoll at a spring low tide.

B: I felt completely drained for 2 days and spent as much time in bed as possible, usually holding very tightly onto one or both children. I had awful dreams, even while awake as I played out the possible end scenarios. I spent lots of time thanking God for keeping us safe and for giving us the strength and calm when I had asked for it the night before. The loss of an expensive, un-insured boat would have been a small price to pay for the safety of our family. After explaining everything that happened to Daniel and Jenna, they queried what we had packed to leave with. Dan was pleased with the snacks and canned Coke but they both asked about their Cuddlies, had I packed their favourite soft toys? No, I hadn't. That realization sent me off into a huge sobbing cry.... they have so few possessions, all of which are here on the boat and we could have lost it all and it would have been an awful end to a wonderful adventure. We wouldn't have died, the local villagers would have rescued us at some time during the morning, but we would have had a nasty time getting back to an airport and would have flown home with no luggage!


Local children tied up behind Shayile



Visiting the village on Luang

Next day Daniel and I went ashore as I needed to introduce myself to the village elder or chief. We were met at the small jetty by half the village! As we tied up, they all gathered around with more and more arriving! We walked off towards the village and met up with William. He took us and introduced us to 2 older men. It was difficult to try work out just who they were, but it was later established that the one guy was a "businessman" and the other a retired army officer. There was no sign of any "chief"; perhaps there was not such a figure head at this village. (We later learned that he was “out of town”) With the population in tow, we were taken to a modest house and ushered into the living room. There we sat down with everyone. A few ladies came out and together we all exchanged pleasantries, doing our best to communicate. It usually consisted of names, where we were from, where were we going, and so on. Everyone was very friendly and over a few homemade biscuits, we got to know each other. I asked if we could see the church and, eager to show us, they agreed and off we all went again. The church was big, complete with bell tower and huge front doors. Inside, I was taken by surprise of what was called the altar. In front of me, up on the stage, was this enormous structure made up of 2 fish! This massive Grouper had its mouth open, with access through the back to the pulpit standing between its teeth!! Incredible stuff! The church accommodated about 200 people complete with choir balcony and a mezzanine type floor. Besides this, it was very bare of Christian artifacts associated with churches as we know them.



The church with the “fish” altar

After a few photos and a bit of video footage, (I needed to record the fish!) we took a walk around the village followed by the entourage of kids and adults, all eager to touch us and watch our every movement! Again, it was a very neat and well laid out village compared with the squalor of, say, Maumere! Having said that, it was a poor village with no one standing out as having considerably more than anyone else. Besides the church, there was no sign of any money circulating on the island. These were a simple subsistence people, living primarily off the sea. With a very arid and rocky landscape, crop farming was limited to a very small area and certainly not enough to support the small population. Once finished with our tour of the village, we returned to Shayile.

Unfortunately visits to Shayile became a hit! Every few hours another sampan would pull up and tie on. However by now, we were wise to their advancements and politely refused most any access onto Shayile. Those like William and Leo came aboard for a while, but we had to limit the visitors as everyone wanted to climb on board. With "visiting hours" greatly reduced, we were able to carry on with our lives on Shayile. B was still a bit shaken and not yet keen to go visit the village, so she remained aboard, enjoying her time relaxing and carrying on with "Shayile work".


Typical house in Luang village



B: I don't recall much time spent relaxing.....especially as I had to conjure meals out of the strangest leftover ingredients....which was why they were left over! But we did fine on the fruit we got in Romang, especially the lemung or pale pink grapefruit and lots of pancakes, breakfast or dinner and even powdered-milk custard slices on cream crackers were known to pass as supper. Luckily the children had learnt to love rice in the time we have spent in the East as fried rice with a bit of this and that and 'maybe you didn't notice there was absolutely no meat in there' was always well received. I did spent days on end on Shayile but I refused to lose anything to petty theft so close to the end of the trip and there were always people paddling silently up to the back of the boat so I remained on Shayile to 'keep guard'.



"Officials" arrive on Shayile

The wind continued to howl from the south east, but with the sheltered anchorage, all was well. Until we had our next visitors! Early one morning, I awoke to Daniel saying there was a boat pulling up alongside Shayile. I got up, put on some clothes and went upstairs. There, at the doorway, was a young, good-looking Indonesian about to step inside! I was furious and, putting my hand on his chest, told him "Get out! This is not you home! Why do you enter our home?" He backed off to where his 2 companions were now sitting in the cockpit. He looked rather embarrassed and apologized. I had had it with these guys just invading our space as and when they wanted to, stepping into our house without knocking or asking!! Being on board was bad enough, but stepping into our saloon was unacceptable! Once we all settled down, he introduced himself as Jimmy, a member of the military (complete with dog tags around the neck!) and that the elder gentleman with him was "an official". After strained introductions, he asked to see our passports. I went downstairs to get the passports and explained to B, how after having hundreds of un-invited visitors on board Shayile, the one I get mad with is in the military! I took the passports and handed them over. After having examined the passports for about 5 minutes, I could see "concerned" expressions on their faces. Clearly they had focused in on the 2nd June checkout date and it was now the 24th June! "Military man Jimmy" spoke quite a bit of English and I went about explaining the situation, the weather and our plans to head for Australia. With Jimmy interpreting, the message was passed on. I was then told that I needed to bring Shayile around to the other side of the island, where there was another village and more "officials". I flatly refused saying I was happy this side, with protection from the wind and an established relationship with the local villagers. It was not a pleasant meeting and eventually they left, not happy with my response to them on wanting us to move. (At this stage I must note that they must have had my anchor and chain and wanted me on their "turf" to start negotiations!) I now started to stress a bit about the possible implications. Were these guys for real? Why did they want us on their side of the island? The military? Possibly other officials involved in immigration? Sleep would not be easy that night.


Dan, always required in a picture


Augustina and Shirly were regular visitors on Shayile



Conflict on Luang!

Later in the afternoon, I decided to take Daniel and Jenna for a run around at the village. We motored ashore and were soon met by the Shayile Fan Club. We took off along the beach and played about. Soon the retired army man invited us into his house, surrounded by about 50 villages! We all sat about in his house and, as no one spoke English, we were all stared at and poor Jenna was touched, especially her hair! With that visit finally over, we walked back towards the jetty and our ducky. On route I was confronted by a very aggressive man, the same "business man" George, who had taken us around the village. George called me across, waving his hands, raising his voice and making a big scene for all to see. I was completely stunned by his behavior! From churchman, showing me his wonderful creation to Mike Tyson at a bout weigh in. He shouted and went on about "Passports!! Need passports!! Now!! Now!!" Gesturing to him I said I would go get them, but he continued with his aggressive motions. Now we were in trouble! What was going on? From this peaceful villager, to raw aggression, and the need to see our passports. All the villages seemed to be cowering away and not one approached. I even tried to ask Mr Retired Army Officer" what was going on but he just looked away, saddened by the whole scene. He did say Mr Businessman was "Security"! What the hell was "security"?

We returned to Shayile and I grabbed the passports, telling B that something was going down and it did not look good! I returned to the village, with Daniel and Jenna, and proceeded to the house where "Mike Tyson" was waiting. He ushered me inside and closed the doors, and even the windows. (This was to keep the onlookers out, but certainly not a good feeling) I produced the passports and, taking out a small note book, he began writing down all our details. A young lady was brought in to do a bit of translating but her English was very poor. I kept asking for Leo who spoke English a lot better, but no luck. Although difficult to outline the details of the discussion. it was established that, on hearing that the villagers over the hill (Luang Timor) wanted us their side, this village became angry. They then suspected that we wanted to leave! When I finally got the message across to them that we had no intentions of leaving and wanted to remain anchored off their village, the mood changed 180 degrees!  They WANTED us their side, for whatever reason. I reconfirmed my decision and smiles broke out all round. With the situation now "understood" they were happy and even gave me a packet of biscuits, perhaps embarrassed at the way they had behaved.

Outside however it was a different story with a few of the younger ones where many of them were quite militant. William, looking very stern, walked with me saying, "We fight, I kill! Timor no good!" Finger across the throat and crosses on the temple, it was all aggression, and it was aimed at Luang Timor. However it did not make me feel any easier and I returned to Shayile not knowing what was going on and anxious about the pending civil unrest about to go down. On Shayile, I told B that we should leave in the morning. Things were getting out of hand with a faction fight brewing and our passports being scrutinised by "officials".




Entrance to Luang village 

Time to leave Luang

Next morning, with the weather looking reasonable, we decided to head on. Although we got Aussie weather forecasts daily, there was no indication as to how long the weather was going to remain unstable and with no 3 to 6 days forecasts, it was difficult to make plans. I quickly went ashore and told the powers that be that we were leaving for Australia. I did say that, if the weather got bad, we would return to their village. They all seemed happy with our decision and within an hour they were waving us on our way. I had asked Leo to accompany us and assist with retrieving the anchor and chain. He readily accepted and by 9am, we were motoring out of Luang, on our way back to Kalapa.

At Kalapa, just off the reef where we had anchored, I lowered the ducky and Leo and I motored towards the reef whilst B and the kids waited on Shayile. At the reef, I dived over and began searching for the anchor and chains. However they were gone! Clearly they had been removed by local fishermen. Pissed off that I had not returned earlier and tried to retrieve them, we returned to Shayile. I asked Leo if he perhaps had any idea as to who might have them. He immediately pointed towards Luang Timor! (Did he know something?) I was convinced the village on Sermata had it, but Leo adamantly pointed towards Luang Timor. Resigned to the fact that the anchor and chain was gone, we headed across to Sermata where we were going to drop Leo off. He would hitch a ride back to Luang on a local fishing boat. When I took him ashore, we asked a few local villages on a sampan, if they knew the where abouts of our anchor and chain. The reply was a firm no. I gave Leo money for the return trip to Luang, along with a fishing rod, and dropped him off on the beach. He was a good guy and had been a friend whilst we had been at Luang. As I was on my way back to Shayile, I was called across by the same fishermen on the sampan and was confidently told that they had our anchor and chain! One jumped into the dingy and directed me towards the village. Why the sudden change? Now they tell me they have it? He told me we needed to go ashore and visit his brother at his house. I smelt a dirty big rat! At the shore I told him to get out and, if my anchor was there, they must bring it out to Shayile. I was not going ashore and I was not entering into negotiations. I returned to Shayile and, suffice to say they did not bring the anchor out. There was no way they had our equipment and all they wanted was for me to go ashore. We motored away from Sermata and put up the sails. Whoever had the anchor and chain could keep it. We wanted to get to the Tanimbar Islands or, better still, Australia!

It was not to be! As we got closer to the end of Sermata, (the eastern side) the wind picked up straight out of the south east, and the sea picked up. Doing everything, we changed course and tried to pick an angle on the wind where we could make progress in the right direction, as well as be comfortable into a big sea. 2 hours of pounding into 30 knot winds and going in the wrong direction, we decided to call it a day and return to the shelter of Luang. We had no idea for how long these conditions would last and we would be very uncomfortable, going nowhere at 2 knots!! We turned and ran with the wind and weather. As we ran comfortably down wind, I commented to B that this is what we should be doing! Running with the weather! It was a great sail and for the next 2 hours the water swished on by as Shayile rose and fell with each swell, riding them without a vibration or a slam. It was bliss!


Leo and Rob



Back at Luang - the anchor saga!

We arrived back at Luang that evening, to be greeted by Leo. He had hitched a ride back from Sermata and joined us on Shayile with his brother and a friend. He kept telling us "No good, weather no good, must wait 3 days!" B and I just looked at each other, resigning ourselves to another few days stay at Luang. We just hoped that the "civil unrest" between the 2 villages had calmed down and that we could just be left in peace out at anchor.

First thing next morning, we had our first visitors. Military Man Jimmy was back with 2 of his side kicks. This time there was no talk about passports, but about our anchor chain! The story passed on to us was that a certain "Peter the fisherman" had our equipment. Not showing too much interest, I thanked him for the information and asked if he, (Peter) was willing to sell it back to me. Considering he had gone out there and retrieved the equipment, he was entitled to compensation. I had no problem with this and understood that money would need to change hands. Jimmy told me that Peter wanted 1 million Rupee (R1000) for the return of our anchor and chain. Not having that kind of Rupee on me, and only a few large US $ bills, I had to offer 100USD. The price was provisionally accepted. With a price set, Jimmy said he would return in the morning and let me know what the answer was. However he kept on telling us that we had to stay until Sunday? Why he wanted us to stay, I had no idea, but I suspected the anchor was not with him! We went off to bed that evening, not entirely confident that our equipment would be returned. I just did not like the "feel" of it.


Landscaped water garden – Luang village

Next morning Jimmy was back. However there was a complication. As he climbed on board Shayile, I could see there was a problem, as he looked kind of bleak. Things had changed and the good fisherman Peter (not related to Peter from the Sea of Galilee) now wanted 10 million Rupee! The price had now gone up from 1 million to 10 million!!! I was furious and told Jimmy, in no uncertain terms, what I thought of Peter. He could keep the equipment as clearly he needed it more than I did, but I told Jimmy to tell Peter that, from one man of the sea to another, he was greedy and that he was now stealing from a fellow man of the sea. He was not a good man and that one day he would not return home from a fishing trip. He was dirty, he was not a man for the church, (as I pointed towards it) and that I would have nothing to do with him. Jimmy left Shayile looking very sorry for himself. I must say I felt for the guy. Caught in the middle (or so it seemed!!) he was just a messenger, able to speak English and assisting with negotiations. B and I looked at each other almost to say "We told you so!"




Villagers seeing us off on the pier at Luang

With the anchor saga now "over" and us resigned to the fact that we would not see it, we settled back into life at Luang. Belinda, the kids and I did another tour of the village. William was eager to show me his house and he had a coin that he thought I may be interested in. At his house I was ushered inside and given a plastic chair to sit on. Clearly William was a man of means. There was an old TV in the corner, a hi-fi, and a few pictures on the wall. He disappeared and later returned with a few old plates and coins. He went on to tell me that up in the hills above the village were ruins from long ago, and that he had found these artifacts up there. I tried to get a date out of him, in order to establish just how old the coins and plates were. I then discovered that most of the coins were dated and were about 70 years old. Nothing to get excited about, but again, he stressed that the plates were very old. He then unwrapped a coin and handed it to me. It had a VOC stamp on it and was dated 1790! This looked interesting and asked him what he wanted for it. He told me 1 million Rupee! I laughed, stating this was too much and that I would give him 50 000. (R50) Negotiations continued and I finally gave him 100 000 Rupee, a pair of old sun glasses and a snorkel. The coin looked authentic but, without professional advice, I had no idea. It was a chance buy, but I believe it is authentic!! (Will keep you updated!)

Outside we walked along the shoreline where literally hundreds of huge clam shells had been placed. When B enquired on the reason for it, it was explained that sea water was put into the shells and, when it dried, the salt was collected for use by the villages. Very novel and the first time we had seen this type of "farming". We were invited into a house for tea with some ladies and really had an enjoyable walk around socialising. No sign of Mr Security or any of his cronies. That afternoon Leo did come out to Shayile and, again, discussed the whole anchor saga. I told him I was through with it but he insisted on telling me that he would get it back and it would only be 750 000 Rupee! Where this came from, I had no idea but I told him that if he could do this, I would reward him.

Enter another chapter to the chain and anchor saga! Next day Leo comes out to Shayile, telling me that he and My Security are going to go get the anchor and chain from Timor Luang! He could give no details, but all was in hand and that George was "a good man, a powerful man". He was going to help and would get the anchor back! It all sounded very encouraging!  All he needed was a few liters of diesel for their little wooden fishing boat and that they would return in the afternoon with the goods. I was quite excited and almost confident that they would return with it! Later Leo, Mr Security and one other, headed off towards Timor Luang, off to get our anchor and chain! B and I spent the rest of the day, preparing Shayile for the trip towards the Tanimbars.


Clams used to collect salt



Weather forecasting by friends

Just after we had lost the anchor and chain, I decided we had to get a 3 - 6 day weather forecast from somewhere. We needed some accurate predictions off which to base our next decision about leaving Luang. Sailmail grib files were extremely vague and Darwin weather was only giving a 24 hour forecast. I had no indication of just how long the weather would persist. Don and Jeanne Pickers were the first to be contacted! Our "parents away from home", we knew we could get assistance from them, either directly or indirectly. We sent them an email, outlining our predicament. Within 2 hours Jeanne had written back, offering encouragement and telling us to hang in there. She was working on a solution. I also contacted Steve off Damai who was now back in Bali. Our third contact was Gary and Libby. I knew all 3 contacts had access to the internet and weather forecasts and were cruisers. We needed to know how long this weather would be around and when best to head on. When was that weather window? The response blew our minds. Jeanne contacted Richard who broadcasts the morning South East Asia weather net. Richard offers all sailors with access to his broadcasts, weather reports. I had tried to listen in to him but could not receive his broadcasts. Richard then emailed Jeanne the weather for our area and Jeanne forwarded it on to us. This was weather report number one. Next Steve sent me a brilliant 7 day weather report that he picked up off the net, outlining the weather in the area. It was a great weather report and proved very accurate indeed. Number 2. Then Gary got on to the net and downloaded the buoy weather forecasts and sent them on to me. I now had 3 great sources of the weather conditions in the area. Jeanne also put me on to Kim Grey off the yacht Savant. Kim had great info on weather and kindly forwarded me his predictions. From the 4 sources, I could put together something off which to base a decision about leaving. However it was not good, and would remain that way for a few days to come. An extremely high, high pressure system (1042hpa) was moving slowly across the southern part of Australia, creating extremely vigorous SE trade winds across our area. Further to this there was a huge typhoon in the South China Sea, creating havoc in the area. A passenger ship went down off the Philippines, along with many hundreds of lives. Off southern Australia, there was a hurricane! It just seemed the weather was extremely unsettled and would remain that way for a good few days. We needed to wait it out. Every day, I would get 4 weather reports and it was fantastic! To Don and Jeanne, Steve, Gary, and Kim we say "Thanks a ton for all your emails, weather forecasts and encouragement! It was fantastic and really lifted our spirits during that terrible time. Further more, Richard apparently upgraded his equipment and I received the news from Ian off Sabi Star. He told me that Richard was back on line and that I should give him a go. Within 5 days, I had made contact with Richard, who had been trying to contact me each morning. It was a relief to be able to speak to someone on the radio and get up to date weather predictions first hand. Its difficult to convey the appreciation we sailors have of such a service offered by guys such as Richard. He is not paid for his services, but is out there each morning, talking to yachts, tracking their movements and giving weather forecasts. At times, just being able to communicate verbally with someone, although thousands of miles away, can offer a sense of security, well being and a confidence booster. Fred (Peri Peri net in Durban) was another one. What great guys. To Richard, a very big thank you for your services and I'm sure I speak for all yachties out there, that we really appreciate all the effort and time you put into your communications with us yachties out at sea. Well Done!!

B: Rob's talked about the weather but even more important was how these emails lifted our spirits! We didn't want to alarm our families at how "Out There" we were or how close we had come to losing the boat but knew that our sailing friends would understand. Wow...they blew us away with their love, hugs via email, detailed information but mostly they got us laughing again with their humour. Jeanne was so kind and motivating and Gary was his usual teasing and funny self and we loved it, I could almost see his blue eyes twinkling as he teased us back on form. Steve from Damai sent the weather report that gave us hope, he reported a small decline in the wind which gave us hope that it could drop further and Lucy followed with news from Bali which gave us some distraction. Thank -you so much for 'Being There' for us and I hope we will one day be able to 'rescue' someone with words and advice like you did. We realised just how alone we had been, it had become a way of life, in fact we strived to get away from humanity for some peace but we missed the support, chat and comradely of fellow yachtsmen. Going it alone is hard and for us.......lonely.


Big smile from Max, Daniel’s mate, at Luang village



Leo and Mr Security return

As we waited for our anchor and chain to return, I still had my doubts. When the anchor was back on board, then we had it. Until then, I was not too optimistic about getting it back! I just could not bring myself to trust these guys! That afternoon at about 4pm, we saw the wooden boat slowly making its way back to Luang. On board I could see Leo and Mr Security, and a few other passengers. Without coming to Shayile they went directly to the jetty where they all climbed out. B and I were watching their every move through the binoculars! Then Leo and his brother made his way across to us on the boat. It looked good! However as soon as he pulled up to the back of Shayile, I could see by his expression and body language that something was not right. Solemn faced, he climbed aboard Shayile and as I looked down into the wooden boat, I could see no anchor and chain. Leo then went on to give me what was perhaps the saddest story of his life. Well, perhaps he thought so, but I would have none of it.  He tried to explain how, when they got there, the fisherman with the anchor and chain was not there but would only return tomorrow! He went on to explain how he had contacted the local authorities, the police and government were mentioned too (whoever they were??) and that it had been taken up by them. Just what we didn't need was meddling officials when we were overdue in a order less country. Leo's sad story went on and it got sadder by the sentence! I stripped! Firstly why motor for 2 hours around to Timor Luang not knowing if the chain was even there? A 15 minute walk across to Timor Luang would have been sufficient to ensure the anchor was there. No, the whole thing was a big scam and poor Leo, and his brother, got the brunt of my frustration. I'm not sure if they understood the purest form of expressive Anglo Saxon that exists, but they got it! With that I chased them off the boat telling them to keep the anchor and chain and not to return to our boat! I reiterated the bad omen of stealing from another sailor and that there would be consequences! I was mad, not with losing the anchor and chain, but for being lied to, extorted and jinxed into believing they would get our equipment back.

The only possible good news was an apparent window in the weather. It seemed as though it was going to moderate and, with that, B and I prepared for departure early the next morning.  I sent an email off to the Australian customs and Immigration, informing them of our pending arrival. (96 hours notice is required by the Australian government for yachts entering the country) With that done, we were ready to leave!



Across the Timor Sea to Darwin Australia

At 5am, we were up. There was a breeze out of the SE but conditions looked good. B pulled in the anchor as I motored up and within 15 minutes we were on our way across the reef towards the open sea. As we motored away, we were anxious that someone in authority would make their way out towards us, halting our exit with passport and other issues. It was an apprehensive few hours as slowly Luang was left behind and we crossed the top of Sermata. The wind continued to pick up all morning and soon we were pounding into the good old SE wind. Fortunately they were not too strong and we managed to motor sail to wind. I had to fall off our intended route, the Tanimbars, and now we headed in a NE direction towards the island of Babar. It was extremely uncomfortable and B was adamant that we were “not going there!” We have no (reef or rock) anchor and we will run into more officials there!" I had to agree with her but I just wanted to get as far away from Luang as possible! Then we got our break!

The wind slowly moved around and within an hour, it was blowing directly out of the east! I tacked Shayile and we went onto a southerly bearing, directly towards Darwin!! I was not sure how long we would be able to maintain this course but it felt good to be heading away from Indonesia and towards Australia! We were still beating into wind and sea but we were heading in the right direction. B was ecstatic and that evening we had a glass of wine to celebrate the change in winds and that Indonesia now lay 20 miles away, behind us! Again I must stress that we had some unbelievable times and adventures in Indo. It was fantastic. Yes, like all adventures, it had its moments, but our relief at leaving Indo revolved around us now being almost a month over our check out date! Once checked out of a country, your passport stamped, you need to leave. We were pushing our luck, and the possibility existed that, if we had been caught, we would have been in the dwang! Our yacht could be impounded and large fines levied! We had seen it happen before and it is not a nice feeling being vulnerable to possible arrest! I would not like to be in this position in a 3rd World county like Indonesia! Best we leave, and that we did!

The first night in the Timor Sea was dark, very dark! With no moon, and clouded skies, it was pitch black! However the sail was good and we made good ground through the night. As if luring us on towards Australia, the wind and seas slowly improved. We got hit by a few rain and wind squalls but, being prepared for them, all went well as they screamed over us.


Relieved to be out in the ocean again – Timor Sea

For the next 24 hours we beat our way in a SSE direction towards Melville Island, the first land fall of Australia. Although beating to wind, the weather slowly improved. With the weather abating, so did the sea conditions and during day 2 at sea, Shayile began to sail a lot more comfortably. The constant slamming to wind eased up and began to enjoy our time at sea once again.  B and I wondered if this would be our last passage of 3 days or more and perhaps our last night passages. It was a bitter sweet call as sea passages can be very enjoyable and others can be stressful and nerve wracking!! At about 11am on day 2, the first signal of "Australia just ahead" turned up. We were all sitting inside the saloon when all of a sudden we heard a loud aeroplane go flying overhead! It was very low and buzzed over the top of Shayile. It was the Australian Coast Guard! I must admit, I was a bit choked up, so excited to be "on the home straight". Just over 3 years of sailing as a family was drawing to a close and we had all traveled so far and were safe! I reflected back from those dreadful days going up the South African coastline towards Mozambique and the terrible weather we had. With Cyril on board, we had got through it. Then the crossing of the Indian Ocean, a total of 34 odd days at sea. Almost 5 months in Indonesia and the reef episode. We had made it through the lot and I had a lot to be thankful for! Australia felt like "being home" and I smiled at the prospect of entering Darwin harbour!  I turned the radio up and soon we got a call from the Coast Guard. We passed on the required information, telling them we expected to be in Darwin late the next day. Wishing us all the best and a welcome to Australia, they flew on towards Australia and we continued on our way.

B: The only sad thing about our arrival in Australia was that we didn't catch a fish! Sadly our timings were such that we passed over the best fishing shoals in the night when we do not troll a line. Its hard enough in the daylight to drop the sails and fight a fish but in the dark, while one of you is asleep would be madness. We were so excited to be in a country that followed rules and regulations, ie... you knew what to expect and weren't expected to offers a bribe! But we had a surprise waiting and, after a couple of years in the East, we were astonished at the cost of living in Australia! 



The visa saga!

Having sent an email to the Australian authorities informing them we were on our way, I received one back. They asked a few questions and asked us to provide visa details, if we had visas. I wrote back informing them that we would apply for visas on arrival. Somehow I had got it into my head that, like almost all of our previous countries, Australian visas were issued on arrival!! Now why I was of that opinion is difficult even for me to reason. We had plenty of time to apply for them in Singapore and Bali, but with an "understanding" that they were easily obtainable on entry, I left it! It now appeared to be a big mistake! We got a return email informing us that our circumstances would be considered on arriving at Darwin, but with the understanding that a possible fine of 3000AUD ( R22 000) each could be applicable. Hanging on to the "your circumstances considered on arrival", we sailed on. However I was now worried that we would be fined or, worse, turned around!!

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