Saturday 26 September 2015

Remarkably good and totally unpredicted breeze from the north allowed the operation to beam reach at often over 7 knots nearly all afternoon. Then, after nearly zero wind obliged motoring through early evening, it blew up to occasionally over 20 from the south for excellent sailing until late morning. Just when we anticipated early arrival, of course, it died and we plowed on slowly into an adverse current. Still hoping to arrive Medana Bay by 1600.

Sunday

Unable to get into marina until Monday (only one we'll see in Indonesia and only to top up batteries and wash deck) we continued to one of 3 nearby islands, Gili Air, the compromise between party central, Gili Trewangan, and the more bucolic Gili Meno. Chockablock with hotels, bars and restaurants, Air is calm at night and, notwithstanding all the carousal amenities, quiet. During the day, all day, however, ferries with 7, count them 7, 250 hp outboards strapped to the stern roar in and out at full speed bringing in large wakes with a riot of fun seekers from the mainland.

Following excellent drinks and dinner with numerous like-minded degenerates, a lovely, peaceful catch-up sleep and customary Sunday banana pancake breakfast (with real Canadian maple syrup which I am continually reminded is much better than the stuff made across the border) we decided that rather than be surprised and slung about periodically by boat wakes we would anchor in Medana where the swell makes it rolly all the time. Displaying a chronic and perplexing tendency toward hope over experience, we contemplate that the welcome and dinner beginning around 1600 in this comparatively metropolitan setting will prove more entertaining than that which has come before.

Jack