Wednesday 24 August 2016

Shorter, but rougher passage to Tarakan, more wind and sea to pound into after a rolly night. It's in an estuary like Tawau, so expect same sort of conditions.

Took ten hours to go 37 NM.

Thursday

If inbound clearance is a total goat rope this must be Indonesia - like a circus without the fun. Although (after hearing for a couple of hours that they were on the way) watching a wee Coast Guard runabout jammed to the gunwales with 10 or 12 CIQPs (customs, immigration, quarantine, port) ricocheting around the anchorage looking for a cruising yacht and only occasionally finding one was entertaining, waiting all day for them to locate our boat just at dusk kept the jubilation in check. Others were not so lucky. Too late to go ashore for ATM, sim card and to locate laundry and diesel we fixed pizza aboard, watched the last episode of Game of Thrones, season 6 and went to bed. This was the smoothest government operation yet for Indonesia.

Friday

Rest lasted about 3 hours until the customary post midnight, 35 knot squall hit open roadstead off Tarakan Island at the mouth of a large river system to enliven our night for a couple of hours. Anchor held, but has proven a bit whimsical is its inclination to do so and must be carefully supervised. Sleep is probably over-rated. Hatches on a boat are typically left open to catch breeze, but there isn't any in this area and they must be closed during a storm to prevent getting soaked. We don't glass them over to prevent leaks however as they are helpful in other areas of the world and provide light for the interior.

Delayed going ashore this morning for necessities as 0900 meeting with agent was delayed to await pratique for numerous crews. There are around 15 clearing in. Many are heading for Raja Ampat, some going south through the Makassar Strait toward southern Indonesia and most returning to Australia. These, as you might expect are mostly Australians who fancy they have a way upon return to survive the concomitant high cost of living. Perhaps officials are on a roll now and will finish their work quickly, but this imposes an unfair burden on credulity.

- Later

Finally proceeded ashore where we tied dink to a police boat, clambered over it and another to a rickety ladder then walked a long commercial pier to go through another round of bureaucracy with CIQP. Got a ride into town for rupiah, sim and a few tomatoes then returned to port office to pick up a piece of paper that will allow travel throughout Indonesia without checking in with anyone.. theoretically. This is a major improvement over previous operation. Particularly as Jan is already over the delights of Kalimantan in general and Tarakan in particular expect to blow off additional diesel and laundry and depart as soon as possible for Sulawesi.

Saturday

After sailing down the coast to find shallower (yes), clearer (no) water with little current (yes) we anchored to service Max-Prop using air tank hookah, recharged same with now properly functioning compressor, had dinner and then napped until 2300.

Sunday AM

Got far enough from coast to avoid previously mentioned, wee hour storm then, contrary to forecast, had usable south wind all night. GRIB (Good Report If Bungled) erred in our favor this time. These things are sometimes helpful in determining future sailing conditions. They are predictions of wind and other weather phenomenon from a model that depends on weather pattern observations, the puckish caprice of programmers and the arrangement of scattered chicken bones.

Jack