The sail north, from Rote Island to Lembata, was flat at the start, with a nice following sea and gentle breezes. As we neared the passage between Rote & Timor Island, the winds picked up to SE 25 knots, with a 3-6' swell, and Sea Child was soon sailing along at +15 knots, surfing down the waves on a nice reach to the north, course 8 degrees. The winds did not hold, though, and we ended up motoring for the next 8 hours on one engine to conserve fuel. We were able to make water, though, which was needed since the tanks were getting rather low. We had met another yacht in Nemberala, who mentioned the sketchy fuel situation coming out of Bali. A barge delivers fuel to the yachts, with the locals using buckets to transfer fuel. The fuel is watery and dirty, and the better option to fuel up is at Labuan Bajo, where fuel is constantly consumed with the tour boats and dive companies that operate there. The scenery has changed from the flat island of Rote to the volcanic peaks of the surrounding Lembata Island and Flores Island in the distance. Crystal clear water with beautiful fringing reef nearby, its now time to snorkel and take in a stand up paddle!