The overnighter to Lombok was fairly uneventful, just one large local sailing vessel flashing their torch frantically at us during my watch. We were unsure whether they had lines out but we gave them a wide berth anyway. It was any easy sail and relatively flat but I don't think Mel enjoyed it anyway, when I think back to when I first got on the boat myself I'm not sure I would have coped as well as she has so far! We were coming into the anchorage at Ekas just as some yachts that are also on the rally were leaving, I was trying to get some shut eye as it was Jay's shift but awoke to hear them telling Jay how great it had been there and that they hadn't been hassled. What a relief! After the problems at Sumbawa we really wanted to be able to relax and enjoy our time with Jlow and Mel on board. They did warn us however that we may receive a visit from the local policeman who came to see them for a chat, he arrived at their yachts by canoe wearing a balaclava and carrying an AK-47. I quickly relayed this information to Mel when she woke up so she wouldn't panic if she saw him. What a holiday! First we're chased out of Sumbawa and then we're approached by armed men wearing balaclavas! What the hell sort of holiday had we invited her on!

The other problem we had while we were in Sumbawa dealing with all the nonsense was that our desalinator blew up. Also not the kind of thing you want to happen when you have visitors coming on board but these are the sorts of things that happen when you are on a boat. The guys were great about conserving water. Jay wanted some peace and quiet on the boat while he went about trying to fix the problem so, although in need of some sleep, I went ashore with Jlow and Mel to check out the resort. The resort, called Heaven on Earth, is owned by New Zealanders and unlike a lot of resorts throughout Indonesia is built to blend with the surrounding environment. It was up on the hill overlooking the anchorage but on arrival there it is not easily spotted. The guy who owns the resort was involved in creating the artificial reef on the Gold Coast and is doing something similar in this area. A lot of the reef has been destroyed here, much like other places throughout Indonesia, by dynamite fishing. We were welcomed into the resort and sat overlooking the surf break enjoying a cold Bintang while below us Jay worked hard to fix the desalinator. Later that evening, torches in hand, we ventured back to the resort (this time with Jay) to enjoy a meal together. This was more like it!

Not a lot of swell while we were here but had a few fun rights on Ekas itself. But had the best waves outside Ekas which is a big left, had a couple of fun days there. Ian and Jay ripped the bag out of it while Jlow did a lot of shoulder hopping and face planting (Jay's words).

We returned to the resort around lunchtime to take advantage of the restaurant and their pool, although swimming in the pool was like swimming in a lukewarm bath. Mel took the opportunity to use the shower there, Jay had no luck with the desalinator and so it seemed we would have to be fairly conservative with our water use. But all in all it was starting to feel like a holiday.

We ventured into the village by inflatable with Ian and Michelle and set about trying to get some fresh Udong Besar (lobster). The locals all stopped to chat as we passed by and it wasn't long before someone took us under their wing and helped us get some supplies and found some fresh lobster for us. The lobster weren't very big but we got about 8 of them for about $35. That night we had a BBQ on the boat, lobster and an array of salads, life's hard isn't it?

With not a lot of swell around we decided to keep moving towards Bali, we figured there would be a lot more for us to do together when we got there. In the meantime we were enjoying the relaxing, reading (Mel brought me some glossies!) and eating (which our day seems to revolve around!). The next anchorage we are heading for is only a couple of hours away and from what we've read is very safe. A thief was beheaded there not so long ago and the memory lingers with the locals...