The Maiden Voyage ....Darwin toTimor....
11 August 2016 | Nemebrala, Rote
Fine, sunny and in paraside!
We set sail from Darwin on the 23rd July 2016 with hardly a zephyr around the sails!..
The motor was flicked on and the sails hosted as we crossed the startiing line for the "Sail Indonesia Rally" departing from Fannie Bay...
It was a special day as it was our madien voyage across the deep blue together and onboard our boat....Angel. It was essentially our first "sea crossing"...
With our salty hearts, sailing dreams and hard working hands we set a course for around 290deg, heading NW towards Timor!
In total the crossing took us a 101hours of which we only sailed for a few .... However, we still found magic in those hours crossing from the Darwin Harbour, skimming across the Arafura Sea and then out into the Timor Sea...
The first sunset was a beauty and we found some comfort in sailing arcoss with the not so close fleet of sailors and their boats all heading for Kupang, Timor.
Under the light of a just waning full moon the surface of the ocean shimmered and the phosporescences swired in the jetstream of Angel as she cut through the water at a steady 4knts..
A group of 15+ Pantropical Spottered Dolphins joined in the cruise on the second day ...bow riding, spinning and swirling with us throughout of the hours from dusk till dawn and later joined us again with their compainonship at intervals throughout the star filled nights... little ones took tiny leaps along the boat as the bigger more robust adults raced against the bow....birds where few while flying fish plentiful...
On a late evening we saw an incredible red moon rising over our shoulders... this was huge and hung low to horzion for what seemed a really long time...
Between naps, sails changes and adjustments, a rolly few days, some fine sunny weather, plotting our route and hanging out with dolphins on the bow spit, taking bucket showers or Timor Sea swims... which ever way you look at it...creating food from pancakes, hot chips and yummy salads along with the morning ritual of a cup of coffee....
We can came to sight Timor...Land Ahoy! on the 27th July....