Author: Salty tales from Bali Hai

There were a few crews still in Maumere when we came back from our epic two-day trip to Mt Kelimutu so it was lovely to have one more evening get together at the SeaWorld Dive Resort before setting off for our next “official” destination in Maurole (pronounced “more rolly”).    Dinner under the coconut palms…

We were amongst the last of 48 boats to arrive at Maumere, on the island of Flores, a place the whole rally fleet had to visit to renew our visas, so the anchorage outside the SeaWorld Dive Resort was pretty full.   SeaWorld anchorage at Maumere filled with rally boats We ended up anchoring in…

Our last stop before our next official stopping place, Maumere, where we had to renew our visas, was Pulau Besar, a small island off Flores where the cruising guide implied there was a stilt village out on the water. The reality was nothing like the rather romantic looking water village in the book – instead…

Distributed lots of chubachop lollipops at the latest stop Tanjung Gudong. From the moment we arrived we were invaded by an army of little rascals – all wanting “candy”.    The boys came alongside in an array of leaky canoes (some with enormous holes in). I think they must have “borrowed” them as they had…

We were staying for a couple of nights at stunning Kroko Atoll and were just contemplating going for a snorkel when we heard that two single handers were on their way into the anchorage.    To get in you have to follow an “S” shape channel – tricky but not impossible, especially as when the…

In company with New Zealand boat Carrie (owners Hildebrand and Mariejka are Dutch born) we had a delightful two nights in Tanjung Suba just 20 nautical miles from Lewoleba.   Kiwi /Dutch yacht Carrie   The contrast could not have been greater – whereas Lewoleba was dusty, dirty and noisy, Suba was a pristine little…

For the first time since we joined the Sail2 Wonderful Indonesia Rally we sailed without the company of other boats on the overnight passage from Hoga Island to Lowoleba on Larantuka Island. A beautiful moon to help us on our way   The passage was mostly uneventful – the seas were gloriously calm, we had…

Buying provisions before setting off for the Wakatobi group of islands was a shopping trip with a difference. First diesel – no going to a garage and using a petrol pump, we bought ours behind a shop from a barrel and the guy siphoned out the diesel by first sucking on the pipe.   Fruit…

The final day of official engagements on Buru Island was a whirlwind tour of potential tourist spots.   This young man was part of the official welcoming party   First we were taken way up into the hills and down the other side to a remote village to attend a rafting festival. The Elders gave…

We were extremely tired after a day of festivities in Namrole which followed an overnight sail the previous night, so we collapsed in bed reasonably early. Unfortunately, a few of the local lads were so thrilled with the Karaoke equipment left out after the welcoming festivities just near the jetty and overlooking the boat anchorage,…

We were enjoying a beautiful day on the water on our way from the Banda Islands to Namrole on Buru Island, when Jonathan turned to me waving his arms in the air and saying “there’s a ….there’s a…there’s a…. ” before blurting out “There’s a whale!” “Oh wow!” says I “Where is it? What direction…

There were many highlights of our stay in Banda – a few lows as well, including the chaotic and high speed entry into the Harbour by a huge ferry/cargo ship that caused havoc amongst the boats tied up to Hotel Maulana with some quite serious damage to one of the yachts. The Captain of this…

During our stay in Banda Neira,  a tiny dot about one thousand miles from the national capital, Jakarta, we were tied up at the Hotel Maulana which only a few years ago, in its heyday, had hosted many of the rich and famous – including Princess Di and Mick Jagger (although apparently not together).  …

We were overwhelmed by the wonderful welcome we had received in Debut Island but by the time our last couple of days on the island approached we were completely exhausted!  Poor Jonathan felt totally washed out after his tummy upset so we had a very quiet day before we set off for our next destination…

Banda Neira in the wonderful, romantic, Spice Islands, is one of those places that gets under your skin. It is enchanting and beguiling and unlike anywhere I have travelled before. Situated in a cluster of six minuscule and isolated islets, in the middle of the Banda Sea, Banda Neira has survived a painful and bloody…

After an exhausting day of dancing, singing, eating and drinking the day before, the second “official” day in Debut Island promised more of the same. We were bussed into Langgur, the “big smoke” over the other side of the island where we were guests at a local carnival From what we could gather, the carnival…

The festivities on Debut Island (part of the Kei group) started on Tuesday 28 July with a splash – quite literally! We had been asked to stay on the water in our dinghies as a “sail past” of traditional boats had been arranged. So there we were, in the middle of the harbour, in dinghies…

We were a little disappointed that we weren’t the among the first boats to get cleared by Customs the day we arrived at Debut Island, in Indonesia, but passing the time while we waited for them the next day was not without excitement. Around mid morning a disembodied and panicked voice suddenly came over the…

Words can’t describe how welcome we were made to feel when we arrived at Debut Island on 26 July. From the moment we arrived in the channel between Debut Island and the other small islands surrounding it, to the day we left, the local people could not have been more delightful and friendly.   Our…

How quickly things can change! We are safe and sound at Debut Island now but on the last night of our passage there we had a couple of dramas, the first being the great difficulty we had slowing Bali Hai down which we had to do so we didn’t arrive in the depths of the…

Here we are at midday, drifting along slowly in light, cool winds on the calm Arufura Sea with no other living thing in sight (not even a bird or two!) and I have just got off the phone from our daughter who is in the middle of getting ready for work in busy, noisy Noida,…

The trip to Thursday Island from the Escape River was exciting, not least because we were arriving at our final destination before starting the Indonesian part of the rally – a real milestone.   The fleet of Rally boats on their way from Escape River To TI It seemed as though there was a whole…

The final couple of days of our trip up the remote northern end of the Queensland Coast was amazing not least for the hundreds (maybe thousands) of tiny black birds that we spotted along the way.    A small flock of black birds. Couldn’t get a shot of them on the water   They were…

Nothing prepared us for the spectacular beauty of the Far North’s coastline as we sailed during the course of a week, from Lizard Island to Horn Island, ready to clear customs at Thursday Island before leaving for Indonesia.   Leaving Ninion Bay in the early morning   On the way from our first anchorage on…

Our trip North from Lizard Island to Thursday Island was a real voyage of discovery.    The anchorage at Lizard Island   It was the first time we had ventured this far North and we were amazed at the rugged beauty of the mainland, the tranquility of its welcoming bays, and the delightful anchorages in…

I’m sitting on Bali Hai in the middle of the Arafura Sea on the way to Debut Island, Indonesia,  watching the flying fish skitter across the water and reflecting on how delightfully slowly everything happens at sea.  One of the yachts in the rally called us up on VHF radio this morning around 10.30 to…

Standing on top of Mount Cook felt amazing. Here we were with our feet planted on the very ground that Captain Cook stood 245 years ago when he was desperately seeking a way through the dreaded barrier reef into the safety of the open sea, after repairing his ship Endeavour at Cooktown.    The rally…

Nearly 30 years ago we spent a delightful week sheltering from the weather in Cooktown after our return on our yacht Rondo from Papua New Guinea.    Sailing into Cooktown   For some of that time we were unable to leave our boat as we hadn’t yet cleared customs but luckily for us, the customs…

A flash of iridescent aquamarine blue darts into the mangroves fringing one side of the tiny island.  Yes, a Kingfisher! Was it a buff breasted Kingfisher (seasonal visitors to this part of Queensland) or a mangrove Kingfisher? Probably the latter we think but it was so fast… We are in the the Low Isles –…

Before we departed Cairns for the first leg of the Sail to Wonderful Indonesia Rally there were a few jobs that just had to be done.  One such task was something Jonathan had definitely been putting off – and neither of us were looking forward to – going up the mast to fix an errant…

Well the countdown begins. All that is left to do is attend the “Parrot Head” party tonight and a sort out a few finishing touches tomorrow and we will be (more or less) ready to leave Cairns on Monday 6 July! We started the customs clearance process en masse at one of the Sail 2…

 We have been in the Cairns river for a week now and what a week it’s been!  A birthday party, a lovely visit from son Ben, partner Sarah and their friend Bec, a visit to Kuranda bird sanctuary (spectacular birds), the purchase of a wind generator and a new iPhone for me (hurray!), a huge…

Our second night at sea and I was in charge again. The moon was dancing on the water, we had light winds and a big swell so I was enjoying the exhilaration of what felt like riding on a 44 foot surfboard.  Sunset just before night watch began Jonathan was fast asleep. I felt really…

Sailing along in winds of around 25 knots with a huge rain cloud completely enveloping Great Palm Island makes us very thankful for our trusty iPad with its wonderful navigation App and as back up, our new chart plotter! Last time we sailed past this beautiful but sometimes sadly troubled Island, the sky was blue…

I was surprised at how emotional I felt leaving Middle Percy Island just as dawn broke on Thursday 4 June. The previous day, like many hundreds of yachties before us, we had hung a sign in the A-frame structure, bearing the name of our boats and the dates we had visited the Island.   The…

Our first day at sea was wonderful -the sun shone and the water glistened as we headed out of dreaded Moreton Bay, so famous for its moving sandbanks and opportunities for groundings. We were not sorry to say farewell to that hazardous but beautiful piece of the Queensland Coast.   Farewell to Scarborough We headed…

Sounds corny I know, but I can’t express the joy that being visited by dolphins brings us. To have them swimming alongside our boat and playing in the bow wave makes us feel totally privileged and really grateful to be alive. What is it about dolphins that incite such intense feelings? Is it their exuberant…

In this world of rapid and constant change isn’t it wonderful that some things stay the same – exactly the same. We are sitting in the peace of Port Clinton, a beautiful natural harbour north of Yeppoon in central Queensland, where 28 years ago minus one day, Jonathan and I, one year married, anchored our…

It was like one of those dreams where you have to be somewhere and although you are running as fast as you can towards your destination, your legs feel like dead weights and you don’t get any closer to your goal. Is it always so complicated getting a boat ready for a voyage such as…

Sadly we’re still here in Scarborough waiting to take off up the coast, heading for Cairns where we will be joining the Sail 2 Indonesia rally. The good news is that thankfully the auto pilot is now working but frustratingly, a leak has sprung – apparently from a valve where our newly furnished prop shaft…

Oh the frustration! We should be enjoying a relaxed “shake down” cruise up the coast from Brisbane right now, as a prelude to joining the Sail 2 Indonesia cruise in Cairns, but the sea gods have dictated otherwise. It has been a question of two steps forward, one step back, since we brought Bali Hai…

Revisiting Middle Percy Island after almost 30 years was a joy and a real trip down memory lane. Yachties have been made welcome there for well over half a century and the place looked very much the same as when we had last visited on our 28 foot timber yacht Rondo, 28 years ago.  …

With the words of the radio operator on customs vessel Cape Byron ringing in our ears to “keep a look out and let us know if you see anything unusual”, we headed for Middle Percy Island, a “must do” for any yachtie sailing the Eastern Seaboard. We had visited this beautiful and much loved island…

We were just casually sailing along on our way to Middle Percy Island from Curlew Island having a quiet read when we noticed a very large vessel speeding along and heading straight for us! Was it cargo ship – too fast! Was it an inter Island ferry – too big! It was getting closer and…

As we continued our way down south we approached Gladstone with our eyes peeled. We had previously seen from the air the vast number of container ships anchored out to sea, waiting their turn to collect their load and sail for foreign ports.  We knew that we would have to have our wits about us…

 Every boat should have a parrot. Meet Claude the cockie who joined us just before we sailed for Brampton Island But then we were alone. Even Claude decided to leave us to sail into the sunset  – just the two of us. Our delivery trip to Brisbane allowed us to revisit some of the…

It was a shake down cruise, a chance to get to know the boat properly, but it turned out so much more than that …… First family time. After Ben’s accident it was wonderful to spend some time together with him and Sarah and their friend Beccy on Bali Hai. Ben, Sarah and Beccy on…

After a break from cruising of almost 30 years, my husband Jonathan and I are about to sail off into the sunset – this time to the wonderful islands of Indonesia. While we do expect dramas, tough times and even moments when we feel it’s all a big mistake, we also know we will learn…