Shootin Through

So we decided to splurge and book a night at a lovely respite with our own private plunge pool. Thinking we needed some time off the boat we were all extremely excited by this, however as it turns out, there is no place like home. None of us had much sleep, but we did make the most of a pool and endless hot showers and even a sneaky bath. Time to get the boat clean and ready be or our next adventure.

We are official one step away from Del Ray Marina which will be our home for a week to reset and clean.

We made it Lombok… What a milestone for us. We will basically make our way around to Del Ray Marina, do some cleaning, minor boat jobs, planing, reset and off we go again. We have been blessed with some very calm conditions lately, touch wood it stays this way.

After a refreshing swim and calm night on anchor we decided to head off again. We chose the shorter option today as we were awoken by a boat yelling “Hey Mista” at 1am, not once but twice. So needless to say we are a little tired. I can never seem to get back to sleep after something like that. One more day and we will be at Lombok, finally. I am hoping we become one of the masses and go unnoticed, rather than the novelty we have been for the last 4 months.

Another peaceful nights sleep and off again for the next stop. We are getting closer and closer to Lombok.. This stop was not planned as we were expecting horrible weather and intending to tuck down a little inlet further away. However with the current conditions being so calm and the fact we are leaving first thing tomorrow, this spot was much more inline with our route. Clear water, nice sandy beach, I think it’s time to make some water and have a swim. Until tomorrow….

What a glorious week we had in Bima. Which was not on our original itinerary. With a cyclone in Australia causing a mess up here we had to detour and find a safe haven. We had beautiful markets and supermarkets, where we stocked up on all the fresh fruit and veg and mainstream stuff. Now we make the trek to Lombok with a few little stops along the way.

After a few days tucked away hiding from the wind we started seeing fishing boats emerging so we decided it was calm enough to head off. We were right. We had a lovely 8 hour passage to a little fishing town called Bima. I am mainly excited as they have a massive Pasar right on the water. Oh and the fact we are now on the last island before Lombok, Sumbawa.

Just a quick trip to another protected anchorage. Trying to keep moving daily but also not blow ourselves so and also avoid these predicted weather systems. Protected little bay that we can actually see the anchor and swim, winning.

We enjoyed a few wonderful days at Komodo Ranger Station. Funnily enough the wind in this bay is pretty full on and not a good reflection of what the actual weather is going. We had storms and 20 not winds but no swell on the water and boat barely moved. Go figure. We went ashore to see the Komodo Dragons and were not disappointed. The biggest beasts were all laying around on the beach and shoreline, so really we didn’t need to go any further. However to support the local community we did a guided hike with a local ranger, who was super informative. Hudson slept the whole walk and rather than doing it in her hiking pack she required Mum to hold her. So basically Jess hiked 3 km holding a heavy dead weight. What a workout. This morning we decided to potter around the corner to what appears to be a beautiful little anchorage with Manta Rays and surrounding reef. Captain Craig may even get in the water and give the bottom a scrub.

After enjoying the perfect blend of traditional Indonesian culture and Western ammenities, as well as the worst storm to hit this gorgeous little island in many years. We set sail to the World renowned Komodo Island in search of the Komodo Dragon. Whilst we are both fascinated and terrified by these beast, it will totally be a highlight of our time in Indonesia. Labuan Bajo, is one of a kind, with some of the most well presented and clean ammenities we have come across. Super friendly locals and very accessible for the sailing community. We enjoying pub style meals, amazing Italian, oh and Jess going Cheese and Cacao. We have relaxed at one of the local resorts that welcomed day visits. We also had to endure a harrowing 12 hour storm, that ravished the town and had our boat thrown around. 40 knot winds sustained, 4 metre swell and a lot of rain. The devastation on shore for the locals was far worse. Several smaller vessels were capsized and destroyed and left in pieces floating around the bay. The floating docks were all destroyed and the locals said 4 large majestic Phinisi’s were also lost. Such a sad sight, however these locals are a force of their own, they all band together to rebuild, clean up and accomodate. We love Labuan Bajo. On our journey over we encounter the worst currents we have come across, with 2 engine and full throttles we were barely reaching 1.2 knots and were getting spun around. Even though it was only a short section it felt like eternity. Safely anchored now in amongst a bunch of liveaboard an and near the Ranger Station. Time to suss out this place.