“So, if you had a sailboat and a few months to spare where would you go?” The Indonesian tourism official looked up with a puzzled look. It took some explaining but finally he got it. As an Indonesian, where would YOU go for holiday?
brian-trautman
The team’s been working hard to get all our favorite photos from the last few seasons online! Take a look at the Facebook links below. Enjoy!
Just keep breathing, just keep breathing. In, one two three. Out, one two three. Relax, relax , relaaaaax.. And all of a sudden your mind becomes empty and you have entered into the NOW.
The Delos crew departs Bundaberg to begin the 700 mile cruise North to Cairns.
The thought of having to wake up at 4 am didn’t sound too appealing, but the thought of what we were going to do was very exciting. So when the alarm beeped, something that doesn’t happen very often on Delos, we awoke in the pitch darkness and prepared a cup of tea.
We’d spent the last week at the Raja Ampat Dive lodge, tied up at their secure mooring and enjoying the beautiful scenery. We went on a expedition into the jungle to see the Red Bird of Paradise and did a few dives at the amazing Cape Kri.
We found ourselves anchored in the bull’s-eye of the bull’s-eye of the coral triangle- a massive area that extends from Singapore to South Japan to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
It usually starts out with a brave soul approaching us and asking “Hallo MiIister!! Foto Foto??” We smile broadly and nod emphatically. Yes, of course!
Stepping off the plane I was confronted with a gush of hot sticky air and a smiling face holding up an umbrella. “Welcome to Sorong!” I said excitedly to myself, almost in disbelief.. Hallelujah!!!
It seems like a lifetime ago when Delos was in the cool, calm waters of the Pacific Northwest. I remember sitting on the deck layered in my Patagonia thermals and wearing my smart wool socks with sandals.
It’s 4:30AM and I’m on night watch. Only we’re not sailing- we’re at anchor in Sorong, Indonesia. The weather is calm and it’s a pleasant night. Why would one be on watch then you ask? Shouldn’t I be cozy in my bunk resting?
Our first taste of a bustling Indonesian city came in form of Ambon, Indonesia. After having to motor the 120 miles from Banda Naira (yep, 0-2 knots of breeze) and dodging fishing huts we arrived in the early afternoon and set out to explore the city and check in with Immigration and the Harbor Master.
Three years ago I met Brian, Brady and Erin, while sailing in Tonga. My crew and I had hired a Sunsail Cat for 10 days, and had run out of water (long showers by the gals). Brian came to the rescue with water from Delos’ water maker.
I have been to Indonesia quite a few times so I like to think I’ve got a good knowledge of the country. I know their customs, daily routines, the fact you need a VPN if you want to access porn sites (more info on this here), and that there are certain dress codes that need to be followed. But one thing I’m never prepared for is the amount of effort you need to put into actually getting into the country!
“You need an agent.” seems to be a common term here in Indonesia. My reply was always the same. I do have an agent. That’s how I got my Indonesian Cruising Permit and Social Visas. This would always be followed by hushed conversation in Indonesian.
We were greeted by a smiling man who directed us to stern-tie to the village wharf. He eagerly tied up our lines to various trees and posts buried in the grass. He climbed aboard with a loaf of fresh bread in hand and introduced himself.
“THE ISLAND CAN BE SMELLED before it can be seen. From more than ten miles out to sea a fragrance hangs in the air, and long before the bowler-hat mountain hoves into view you know you are nearing land.”- Nathaniel’s Nutmeg
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not absolute lushes but Delos does enjoy our daily sundowner, or two, or three… We were provisioning in Cairns to take us to Darwin, a trip of about a month in length and did the calculation. Alcohol here in Australia is stupidly expensive.
Even though we had to wait a few extra days for “The Beast” ( Maggie, our new dinghy) to arrive, Cairns kept us busy before we started sailing north.