Position: 10º 53.172’ S 98º 31.272’ E Standing, one foot on the weather deck and one foot in the cockpit, staring out over the bow and beyond, I am reminded of all the times in my youth when I stared over the deck of our Luders, out past Louds Island, to the deep water. I remember the sense of awe and fascination, the mystery of the ocean. I remember wondering what it would be like to cross one someday. ...
Position: 7º 10.278’ S 101º 17.28’ E When I hired Bob Perry to advise me on which boat to circumnavigate on, he hammered into me that “seakindly” was not a word, and that it was too ambiguous to be used in serious discussions about a sailing boat’s qualities. I accept the venerable man’s critique, but today, crossing our first segment of open Indian Ocean, with the wind crossing our bows at 12-15 knots I thought “to be close reaching in 15 knots in open ocean, and to say ‘I love sailing’ must be the definition of sea kindly.” ...
Position: 5º 33.828’ S 102º 26.31’ E Enggan pitstop successful. We had the anchor down just after sunrise. After breakfast and a 15 minute “power-nap” (power nothing, I promise) we were loading the dinghy for a shore trip. We found the local business man, and arranged for diesel to be delivered, or maybe we would go pick it up, or maybe it would come in a hundred gallon sized plastic bags, details are hard to follow in a foreign language. 5 hours later we were loading up the dinghies with jerry cans and heading for distant shores. ...
Position: 5º 33.828’ S 102º 26.31’ E Enggan pitstop successful. We had the anchor down just after sunrise. After breakfast and a 15 minute “power-nap” (power nothing, I promise) we were loading the dinghy for a shore trip. We found the local business man, and arranged for diesel to be delivered, or maybe we would go pick it up, or maybe it would come in a hundred gallon sized plastic bags, details are hard to follow in a foreign language. 5 hours later we were loading up the dinghies with jerry cans and heading for distant shores. ...
Position: 4º 55.128’ S 101º 59.418’ E We had a nice day of sailing today. Winds aft of the beam most of the day at about 10 knots meant less roll and less noise. Eventually, just as the GRIBs predicted, the fun was over, but we were pleasantly surprised that our misbehaving engine belt, behaved! We charged and made water while making great time. Tomorrow we will make a quick stop for fuel and then continue on to Cocos Keeling. ...
Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E We are underway!! We are heading towards Cocos Keeling, with a possible refueling stop on the way. It’s been a rolly start with a lot of motoring (which we expected). Unexpected was the new new belt that I installed in the final hours of our last passage, loosening up so much that our engine overheated again. It’s under control now, and we are wallowing along, hoping for wind! ...
Position: 3º 30.09’ S 100º 47.148’ E Last position was incorrect. This is our current position. All is well.
Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E We are underway!! We are heading towards Cocos Keeling, with a possible refueling stop on the way. It’s been a rolly start with a lot of motoring (which we expected). Unexpected was the new new belt that I installed in the final hours of our last passage, loosening up so much that our engine overheated again. It’s under control now, and we are wallowing along, hoping for wind! ...
Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E Still waiting for wind. There is little to do but swim and catch rain water. We were visited today by a couple of local kids about the same age as Ruby. They spent hours jumping off Convivia with our kids. They left as the sun started setting. I could tell the kids were glad to have other kids their own age, even if they only shared a couple of words between them. We are thinking of leaving tomorrow, whether or not the weather cooperates. ...
Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E Moved anchorage this morning to a less rolly spot. This anchorage is closer to a little village as well. At one point in the afternoon we were visited by a group of local kids in dugout canoes. One of them was leaking pretty seriously, but the kids were having fun bailing it, flipping it over, and bailing it again. Olive, little cruiser girl that she is, jumped right in and started trying to plug the holes. She started with paper towel, then a piece of rope. They used various items to shove the rope into the hole, and perhaps even had some success. These kids didn’t speak Bahasa Indonesia (some local language) so we didn’t even have the barest communication with them. Watching Olive help out fellow mariners filled my heart with pride. ...
Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E Moved anchorage this morning to a less rolly spot. This anchorage is closer to a little village as well. At one point in the afternoon we were visited by a group of local kids in dugout canoes. One of them was leaking pretty seriously, but the kids were having fun bailing it, flipping it over, and bailing it again. Olive, little cruiser girl that she is, jumped right in and started trying to plug the holes. She started with paper towel, then a piece of rope. They used various items to shove the rope into the hole, and perhaps even had some success. These kids didn’t speak Bahasa Indonesia (some local language) so we didn’t even have the barest communication with them. Watching Olive help out fellow mariners filled my heart with pride. ...
Position: 3º 9.69’ S 100º 25.62’ E Arrived at our launching off point. Now we will wait for weather and try to find someone to sell us some diesel (in case it doesn’t come in time). We are anchored behind a spit of lightly vegetated sandbar in a horseshoe shaped cove. The break curls around the edges, menacingly, but where we sit the water is smooth and calm. This should be a nice spot for the night, tomorrow we’ll likely find something with better shore access. ...
Position: 2º 59.55’ S 100º 31.548’ E On passage. Our first night out was a bit rough: engine overheated, alternator stopped working, VHF/AIS/Radar voltage drop (overheated). We did get the sails up for a few hours and that’s been pretty nice. I’ve managed to solve everything but the voltage drop and I think that’s immanently solvable. Landfall this afternoon. We will wait for weather for the big jump. All is well.
Position: 1º 12.918’ S 100º 24.09’ E At Anchor for a couple of rest days. Waiting for wind to head W on. All is well.
Position: 1º 0.21’ S 100º 22.746’ E Safe and sound in Padang after a lightning (& cake) filled passage. It will be an interesting challenge to find our way around, as this appears to be the commercial port. We have five days until checkout though, so I’m sure it will be fine. Tomorrow is Convivia’s sixth birthday. All is well.