Ntombi

27 September 2023 | Serutu
16 September 2023 | Lovina Beach Bali
14 August 2023 | Rumah Makan Apung Emas Biru
25 July 2023 | Debut anchorage
23 May 2023
09 May 2023 | Port Vila Vanuatu
09 September 2019
29 June 2019 | Denerau harbour Anchorage/Wailoaloa beach/Vuda Marina
25 June 2019 | Beqa island, Robinson Crusoe island, Noisali island

Sail Malaysia - Malacca to Port Dickson

08 November 2023
Johan & Francina Botha
We lifted the anchor early on Sunday morning to motor the last 40 miles to Port Dickson. We tried to make a booking for haul out at Admiral Marina but they could not help us. They, however, referred us to PD World Marina who said they would be able to help us. The captain of Cayenne warned us to be extra careful on the approach to Port Dickson due to the strong current that flows around Cape Rachado and to be vigilant around the Tanjung Tuan whirlpools. We made sure that we stayed well clear of Cape Rachado but the whirlpools were spectacular. There are patches of water that move in circles. It looks very weird as you approach the area. It was not too bad sailing through it because you expect to be directed in the direction of the flow of each of the individual circles. We have tried to steer between them. There were also sand waves but not to the same extent as what we encountered on the approach to Malacca. We followed the waypoints as per the sailing Malaysia guide. It was low tide, still slack tide because we wanted to avoid the strong current. It might not have been the best time to enter PD World Marina. When we came around the breakwater wall the depth dropped to 1-2 meters under the keel. We stayed in the middle of the channel and had 0.4 meters under the keel at one patch. Our draft is 2.4 meters. The depth increases as we enter the big circle in the ground. We took up one of the mooring ball lines and tied ourselves onto it. We were drifting and searched for the stern mooring ball. We tied up to this and the boat was secured the time we spent there.
The shops for fresh produce, eating out, laundry, etc. is a small distance away. Trucks are selling fresh fruit that we supported also. We tried Dokung, a litchee type fruit. I got addicted for a few days absorbing them a kilo a day. I found a small shop selling lamb which was not a common meat in Indonesia and Malaysia up to now. The few places we visited previously that had them in stock was so expensive that they will taste bitter. These were affordable and I stocked up for the next leg of our trip up north.
We needed 80 litres of diesel. The local Petromax only sells 20 liters at a time to a foreigner. Francina used her electric scooter to do the daily diesel run. She went for 3 days because she went in the morning of the last day and again in the late afternoon. She got another jerry can filled with petrol also.
Our one New Zealand LPG gas bottle has rusted beyond safe filling. It is empty, so we shopped around for a new gas bottle. We found one at a corner diary-type shop. Francina transported that to the boat on her scooter too. I bought a regulator to convert to fill the existing New Zealand and South African bottles from a Malaysian bottle. The conversion was not successful. The whole regulator exploded and it meant that I had to buy another regulator to use the Malaysian gas bottle on the boat.
We found a very nice, clean and friendly place to eat. It is ala carte where you dish up the food you like and then pay for each helping. The prices are indicated at the bowl, e.g. 4 potato wedges for RM1, fried veggies for RM1, Chicken price per piece, etc. We ate for RM12 (about NZ$4) for both of us. They also served water with a glass full of ice. That is gold in this heat. Francina found new short pants for me and a carpet for our cabin that shepaid RM4 for. We took the bus to Port Dickson CBD. What a disappointment. Where we were at PD World, there were more shops than Port Dickson. It is also better organized so that you have all the shops together. Not only the supermarket, but also the fresh fruit and vegetables, smaller supermarkets, and even a MacDonalds if you feel like it.
The stay at PD World was memorable. The staff is friendly and very helpful. Clifton is the manager and is trying his best to improve and expand the marina. They need all the support they can get to develop it into a world-class facility. They operate the Dixon Dragon from this marina. It is a sunset cruise boat from Phuket, built by a German. He operated it for a while, but then sold it because of the security risk he encountered with visitors diving off the boat during the cruises. It leaves daily at 18h00 and returns at 19h30. We were invited to enjoy a sunset cruise on the Dixon Dragon. It was interesting to observe the couples on the boat. Half of them were so occupied by their phones that they did not even look up to see the sky, water or anyone else on the boat. Know your prices and make sure you pay the correct amount. It was the most expensive beer in Malaysia @ RM60 for a bucket of 5. I paid only RM50 a day or two earlier.
The marina is well protected against the wind. We had a couple of thunderstorms that came through and we did not move at all. It is because we were surrounded by big buildings, so it is very secure. They also operate a camping ground for those who would like to camp or BBQ at picnic tables away from the boats.
The haul out was first scheduled for the 13th November, 2 weeks after arrival. We were told that they use a crane to lift you out of the water. It is quite expensive, so they try to lift or launch more than one boat on the same day. The lift-out would be shared with another boat that will be splashed on the same day. The quotation for the lift, labour, cradle, etc was RM 3450. They also asked us to move the date to the 14th. If we spend only 1 week doing all the work we would need to carry the full cost of splashing. It could be RM1000 to RM2000 more than the lift. The internet was very bad and Francina’s work commitment was starting on Sunday, 19th. It was too risky for us to stay, so we decided to continue sailing to Pangkor and see if they would be able to lift us out of the water instead.
They waved us goodbye as we left the well-protected little waterholes surrounded by big buildings on our next adventure to Pangkor.

Sail Malaysia - Puteri to Malacca

26 October 2023
Johan & Francina Botha
We are sad to leave Puteri Harbour marina. Another catamaran, Cayenne, registered in Langkawi left a few minutes before us and our friend on Intruder. The supermarket was very close, and we got to know the area. We cooked our food from fresh produce because the eating places were more expensive than what we were used to in Indonesia. The staff at Puteri are amiable and helpful. The harbour is very safe during the frequent rainstorms too.
We left in overcast weather with rain on the horizon. Puteri harbour is north of the Malaysia-Singapore 2nd link bridge (TUAS) with a maximum authorized clearance of 25 meters at high tide. The maximum tidal range is about 3 meters. We passed under the bridge again, and turned northwards towards our ultimate destination, Langkawi, in Malaysia. There are fishing boats dragging nets behind them, there are also boats lying in the water with nets drifting in the current, away from the boat. These nets are held up with floating devices and are very long. Others have long lines with lots of fishhooks. All of these are hazards to us sailors. I believe the ocean is like a desert now. Everywhere we go you get boats dragging nets over the ocean floor. The ocean is not deep, only 20 – 50 meters. We could see the fish shortage in the markets in Indonesia and shops here in Malaysia too. You might find small little fish for sale, but hardly any bigger fish.
We therefore decided to motor sail just outside of the marked shipping lane of the Malacca Straights. It turned out to be a good decision because we did not encounter any problems.
I discovered that you can only sail or motor whilst the current is flowing north. We were moving at 5 knots and the current caused us to drop to a mere 2 knots at times. The wind was very strong, but directly on the nose. We could not use the sails but motored the whole way. When the wind blows against the current, we hit into the waves which is not good for the boat or the crew. After a hard day hitting into the waves, I decided that I did not want to continue in these conditions. I would rather turn back to Puteri harbour and wait for more favourable conditions. Sailing back would be a pleasure, because the wind is always from behind.
In the afternoon, we reached our first anchorage at Palau Pisang. The catamaran, Cayenne, was also anchored at Palau Pisang as we approached the island. Palau Pisang might be named Banana Island due to the shape of the island. It is uninhabited and has no internet either unlike Indonesia where you have internet everywhere. There is a jetty on the island, a lighthouse and a road connecting the jetty with the lighthouse. The lighthouse is owned and operated by Singapore, whilst the island belongs to Malaysia. When Singapore expanded their land to erect solar panels and widened the road leading to the lighthouse, the Malaysian government took them to the international court. The court confirmed Singapore as the owner of the lighthouse.
Late afternoon a thunderstorm came over us, cleaning the boat from all the salt. Luckily the storms do not last for long. We could see lightning the whole night in the direction of Sumatra, Indonesia. After a good night's rest, I decided to continue to Port Dickson at least. That is the closest haul-out facility. We had to haul the boat out so that the cutlass bearing damaged in Indonesia could be replaced. I still need to do the welding of the sleeve on the rudder. Whilst out of the water, we might just as well do the bottom paint.
We continued motoring as soon as the light came through the sky. The next anchorage is at Tanjung Tohor Point which is about 30 miles away. We were able to sail for very short periods. Furling the sails out and taking them in so frequently is good exercise for the arms. Unfortunately, it is not so good for morale. A small fishing boat was blocking our path to the marked anchor spot, so we dropped the anchor a bit further from land than originally planned. The waves were very unpleasant, but only for a short time. We saw lightning and heard the thunder, but only a little bit of rain came over us.
There were thunderclouds all around us when we left the anchorage in the morning. We wanted to go back to the shipping lane but at a gradual angle. We, however, encountered fishing boats with nets drifting about a mile long. And they were so close together that they formed a defence line that we were unable to penetrate. All we wanted was to be let out of this fishing net prison to get to the shipping lane. When we eventually were forced to sail around a net crossing our path horizontally, we managed to move closer to the shipping lane. We only realized then that there was another defence line of nets guarding the entrance to the shipping lanes. We were stuck in the middle of two lanes of fishing nets. One towards land and the other just outside the shipping lane. They would make a very good defence line if they were playing rugby. Luckily the fishing boats became less as we came closer to Melacca. We originally planned to anchor at Pulau Besar, but were able to continue to Melacca due to the good miles with the current with us. It was still a tiring day because the wind was still on the nose at 22 knots.
Pulau Besar was once called Pulau Babi Besar (Big Boar Island) because there used to be many boars on the island. Now, there are no more boars on the island. There are a lot of holiday resorts on the small island. A power line supplying power to the small island connects the land with the island. We were worried that there might be obstacles between Pulau Besar and Pulau Dodo, or Pulau Nangka, so we opted to sail around Pulau Undan. The angle of the wind was also better so that we could continue to sail towards Malacca. As we rounded Pulau Undan, we encountered sand waves for the first time. We saw sand waves indicated on the chart previously but could not understand what it meant. This time, we could see spots of sandy brown water and spots of blue water. When you go through the brown sandy spots it pulls the boat in the direction of the flow of the sand wave. It was weird and exciting at the same time. We were worried about the depth of the water, but it stayed constant at approximately 14 meters.
What a surprise when the catamaran, Cayenne contacted us as we approached Malacca. They warned us that it is very shallow where they were anchored and that we should be cautious because the depth is also much shallower than charted. It is a result of reclaiming land that is currently underway and the sand that they use for filling is washing into the ocean and silting up the entrance to Malacca. We were relieved to drop anchor for a few days to explore the city of Malacca. According to legend, the site that is now Malacca City was named Malaka when Parameswara, a Sumatran prince arrived there. While he was resting under a tree known as a Malacca tree, he saw his warrior's hunting dogs being challenged and kicked into a river by a tiny mouse deer. Amused by this, he chose to name the site Malaka after the tree under which he was sitting. There are at least two other theories on the origin of the naming of Malacca: Tomé Pires explains the name in the Suma Oriental as a transliteration of the term for a fugitive, Malaqa, reflecting Parameswara's history as one, and the Malay Annals themselves suggest that Arab merchants called the kingdom Malakat (Arabic for 'congregation of merchants') during the reign of Muhammad Shah (1424–1444), because it was home to many trading communities.
When the city came under Portuguese administration, its name was spelt "Malaca", under Dutch administration as "Malakka" or "Malacka", and under British rule, "Malacca". The Straits of Malacca were named after the city at the time of the Malacca Sultanate. The Japanese arrived in World War II and occupied the area from 1942 to 1945. During the occupation, many of the city's residents were taken and forced to construct the Death Railway in Burma (present-day Myanmar). After the war, the city was returned to the British and remained the capital of Malacca. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical significance.
We went ashore to explore the famous Jonker Street. It starts from across Malacca River near the Stadthuys, with the street in the area filled with historical houses along its left and right sides dating back to 17th century, many of which are shops selling antiques, textiles, Chinese junk, foods, handicrafts and souvenirs such as keychains and shirts. The area turns into a night market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the evening from 6 p.m. until 12 midnight, with its street blocked for traffic. We visited Jonker Street for the first time during the day. We found an Indian eating place with very reasonable prices. Afterwards, we wandered through the street and visited the Jaya Mata Malaysia Knife Gallery. This is the place to rediscover the history of knives, swords, and scissors from ancient times to the present. Visitors will also have the opportunity to appreciate local knife culture in the knife gallery. It features Malaysia's Biggest Knife (the Malaysia Book of Records) and valuable Keris (RM15,000 or NZ$5120). The one wall of the gallery is built from Laterite stone. Laterite stone is found in historical ruins and some other old historical buildings. In the early 16th century, the Portuguese used laterite stones sourced from Malacca’s Pulau Upeh to construct the forts, houses and city walls along the Malacca riverside. Pulau Upeh was our alternative anchorage if the wind was too uncomfortable at the entrance to the Malacca river. Transport from the island to the city would have been more challenging due to the distance from shore. We were invited to visit the first-floor gallery with different exhibitions but kindly declined the offer due to time limitations. Afterwards, we saw that the exhibition included a Pewter Keris Workshop where you can create your own personalised Pewter Keris in this workshop space. They provide you with all the tools you need to make your own crafted keris which you can take home. This is a great opportunity to learn about the process and have some fun too. The keris is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger from the Indonesian island of Java.
My sailing buddy and I went to the famous Jonker Street night market. The night market is very busy. The whole street is closed off and there are stalls everywhere in the middle of the street, on the pavements, inside the shops. They sell everything from fast food to junk food and lots of Chinese stuff. We compared food and found a very nice place to eat at reasonable prices. They asked if we wanted to take away or dine in. We decided to take a seat. The moment we sat down the waiter was next to me to inform me that I had to order a drink when I took a seat. The food was half the price of the drink.
We would have stayed a bit longer to visit some of the museums, but the clock is ticking and we need to be in an area with good internet reception for Francina to perform some work. We lifted the anchor and continued our journey to Port Dickson.

Sail Indonesia (Batam) to Malaysia (Puteri Harbour)

16 October 2023
Johan Botha
As it started to get lighter we loosened the mooring lines and left Nongsa Point Marina on our 53 mile journey to Puteri Harbour Marina in Malaysia. We decided to clear into Malaysia at the first port of entry so that we can do day sails through Malaysia until we reach Langkawi in the North. It is a 430 mile sail, but there are big ships in the Malacca Straights to deal with. If you stay on the edge of the channel, you have to deal with fishing boats with fishing nets and tug boats and anything else. There is also a warning to Yachties that the fisherman wants you to get caught in their nets so that they can demand that you replace the nets. In Indonesia the government replaces the nets if an accident like a yacht caught in the net takes place. The fisherman in Malaysia will deliberately lay their nets in the path of the yacht to get the compensation, especially when the nets need replacing. Being at anchor at night is not indemnifying you from nets, because some of the fisherman will lay their nets around your boat during the night. But that is something to deal with once we have cleared into the country and leave Puteri Harbour Marina.
The sail across the Singapore straights and the dedicated crossing area of the channel was uneventful. The big ships changed course, or increased or decreased speed to ensure they miss us. There was only one ship that we thought will pass to close to us for our liking (100 meters), so we changed our course slightly to increase the passing distance to 200 meters. Once we reached the Singapore side of the channel, we altered our course westward to stay slightly outside of the channel and sailing along with the traffic.
It was very misty, so it was difficult to make out the seashore of Singapore. There are lots and lots of high-rise buildings, but it is so murky that you cannot see it clearly. We approached the smaller islands off Singapore and the holiday resorts on the islands are only visible when you are very close to the island.
When we were close to Kusu island (Peak Island) or Palau Tembakul, the southern fairway started. It is another channel with traffic in both directions next to the main Singapore channel. This fairway is to help to channel the ships into the Jong Fairway where they mainly deal with Petroleum. This double channel was more nerve recking than the big Singapore Channel. Sailing in these waters is an experience that you cannot put in words. You need to be there to understand how small the yacht is between all these big ships, and some of them are enormous.
We approached the very small Palau Satuma to make the turn north-west where we would eventually sail into the Johor Straight. We saw big ships and also tug boats and police boats. When we turned into the Johor Straight the Singapore Police stopped us. They asked a few questions and the one guy went inside their boat. After a while he came back out and told the other officials that our information checked out ok. They then advised that we could continue again, but we need to move outside of the Singapore waters into the Malaysian waters. The detour added another 5 miles to our route. The police boat stayed very close to us and later backed off to stay in the distance observing our movements. Another police boat was approaching from the direction of Tuas. Once the boat was in full view, the first boat turned around and left us. We speculated that the one police boat was handing over our surveillance to the second boat.
The first time that we had some wind to allow us some sailing was when we entered the Johor Straight. It helped to push us forward, especially in this difficult part of the journey where we were moving against the tide. Luckily the tide was a very short one, so it did not last that long.
We need to sail underneath the Second Link Bridge connecting Malaysia with Singapore. There were lots and lots of vehicles waiting at the checkpoints on both sides of the bridge. The bridge is said to have a 25 meter clearance. It did not look like Ntombi's mast will fit underneath the bridge. We took in the sails, so that we pass underneath the bridge with only the engine for steering. We aimed for the highest point under the 25 meter sign to ensure a safe passing. I know the mast is lower than that, but I was still too scared to look up. Needless to say, we passed underneath the bridge with ease. As we came out on the other side, we observed blue storm clouds to our port side and the wind already starting to shift direction. There were lots of thunder and the next moment the rain came pouring down on us. We do not have an awning to provide some protection, but I asked Francina to bring an umbrella. We were both hiding underneath the umbrella. It provided some shelter against the very big drops of rain. These raindrops can hurt you, especially when it is falling in the wind that were gusting again into the forties. Luckily the rainstorm only lasted 20 minutes or so and we could start to focus on entering the marina. We tried to contact the marina on VHF but struggled to make contact. We phoned the marina office, and they asked us to call again on channel 18 on the VHF. I eventually used the handheld VHF to make contact. They advised the berth number and the side that we need to put the fenders on. Two staff members were waiting for us at the dock, and we were safe in the marina.
We were given an access card to the gate and asked to go to the office to complete the paperwork. Well, that is where the stress began. We entered Malaysia without yacht insurance. The officer told us that without insurance we cannot stay in the marina, nor can we clear into the country. We made a promise to find insurance by the next afternoon. This was a challenge because we were told previously that our boat is too old to be insured, our previous broker refused to insure us because we stayed in Fiji during hurricane season, Australia insurance broker needed a survey of the yacht, etc. etc. Francina went online to the Sail South East Asia facebook group to find insurance companies that were recommended for sailing in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. She started to contact all the companies mentioned on facebook. Some of them responded that they will be in contact others did not respond at all. It was now close to 6 pm and most of the businesses will be closed. One company responded and send a quote. We accepted the quote and made the payment online. We were very happy that we were able to meet the requirements. The following morning the officer did not want to accept the documentation that we provided, because the policy document was still outstanding. The insurance company is in the UK and they were still asleep. After long deliberations, he accepted the screenshot of the active policy after a visible screening of the bank payment on the banking application. It was a stressful morning, but we had an appointment at immigration at 12h15 to be cleared into the country. What a relief.
Wednesday night at 20h00 we heard loudspeakers with lots of announcements and music until 23h30. There were also lots of stalls with food venders. The same thing happened on Thursday and Friday they started at 11h00. Saturday morning at 06h00 the music and talking started and the stalls started operating that early too. There was apparently a marathon at 6H00. There were cruises in the harbour offered as school holiday specials. When the venders started to take down their booths on Sunday night, it was a relief, but also with sadness that we observed the activities. We got used to the noise and the smell of food in the marina. There were also more people moving around in the area than before.
I worked for MTU in South Africa, so when we walked passed a few guys in overalls on the dock, I saw the badge and immediately recognized it as MTU. I started talking to them and discovered that I know their technical training who works in Singapore. He is however retired now, and it was not clear if he was replaced yet. They were on the dock a few days to service the MTU 4000's on one of the multimillion-dollar powerboats.
Our friend and buddy boat Intruder arrived on Monday, almost a week after us. He was held up whilst waiting for a package sent from New Zealand. It was his chartplotter, still under guarantee, that gave up the ghost already in Ambon. It was replaced and sent to Nongsa Point Marina.
We wandered around the shops close to the marina. There are lots and lots of empty spaces and we wonder if it has never been filled, or have they closed during covid. The marina is already in operation for 15 years. We spoke to the captain of Starlight (YouTube blogger) and he told us of a bigger supermarket where we would be able to stock up. We took our scooters and went searching. The supermarket is very nice, and he was right, we can find everything we need. It is however more expensive than Indonesia. We are so spoilt with the time spend in Indonesia, especially the prices of food. On Monday, we used the scooters to visit a shopping mall where we hoped to find a flag of Malaysia and a few other items on the shopping list. This supermarket offered a very big variety of products, but it was a lot more expensive than the slightly smaller supermarket closer to the marina. So we went back to our preferred supermarket, Pasar for our shopping.

Sail Indonesia - Benan to Batam

03 October 2023
Johan Botha
It is Francina's Mother's birthday today, 3 October. She was able to speak to her before we lifted the anchor early in the morning to start our sail from Benan to Batam. When we reached the end of the island, the wind was on the nose, gusting into the thirties. After we rounded the island, the wind was on the beam, and we could continue our sail in low winds. The wind started changing in the afternoon while the crew cleaned the galley. The next moment the wind shifted 180 degrees and I called her to help to change the sails. A storm built and hit us with 47-knot winds. We still had only one reef in the main, but we managed to bring the headsail in completely. I relaxed the mainsail so we continued to sail in the rain and strong winds at a speed reaching 8 knots at times. As always, the calm after the storm required us to start the engine to motor the last hour or two to our anchorage for the night. We found a very nice anchorage at Sembulang on the east coast of Rempang island. Here we enjoyed a beautiful sunset whilst relaxing in the calm waters.
Early morning we used the dinghy to go around Ntombi to clean the green grass growing on the waterline. We did not dive down under her to clean, because the tide was too strong and would sweep us away. I however dove down to check the bolts on the rudder and inspect the cutlass bearing. All looks well for us to continue the sail to Malaysia and beyond. But for now, the aim is to get to Batam for clearance out of Indonesia. We lifted the anchor to continue our voyage to Nongsa Point Marina on Batam Island.
We had a pleasant day sailing slowly to the next anchorage for the night. We left Sembulang at 10h00 and were on the lookout for something suitable for the night. The east coast of Batam is however full of industries and lots of big ships loading/offloading cargo. I saw that the southwest corner of the big ship anchorage has an area that is shallow enough for us to anchor. So I made the decision that this would be our anchorage for the night. It is between Jabi and Kabil on Batam and north of the islands of Tabu, Sau and Tanjungsau which should provide some protection, even if it is just against the swell. We anchored in 7 meters of water. We ran the water maker for an hour to fill the water tanks too. There were several big ships at anchor, mostly tankers. They are at anchor whilst waiting for port clearance and for the pilot to take them into the harbour at Bintan Island on the eastern side of Batam Island. We enjoyed a very good night's rest and lifted the anchor again in the morning to continue our voyage to Nongsa Point Marina.
We arrived outside Nongsa Point Marina around 11 o'clock in the morning. We decided to anchor and visit the marina to find out the procedure for clearance. We also wanted to go to shops to buy some fresh produce. What a disappointment that there is nothing at the marina, apart from a hotel with an expensive restaurant. There is also a very small 'shop' that sells beer, cooldrink and chips. Not much else in that small space. I tried a beer and paid 70 000 rupees, the most expensive beer I ever bought. And that is in the shop, not even at the restaurant or bar. We need to use a taxi to take us to the shops, which is also expensive. We eventually arranged with the hotel to get a taxi to take us to the local fresh produce market the following day. The marina wanted us to come inside, but we could not afford the price of the marina. It is the most expensive marina that we came across in the whole world where we sailed. We stayed at anchor with a nice breeze most of the time to cool the boat down. Ntombi moved in all directions due to the wind and the very strong current. It was however not a problem at all because the holding is very good. We had to take our boat papers to the office on Thursday afternoon for them to prepare the clearance on Monday. On Monday we took the boat inside the marina. The first thing we did was to get the washing to the laundry. The second thing we did was to take a swim in the hotel swimming pool. We also went for a swim late at night before we went to bed. It was such a nice way to cool down and relax a bit. Although the marina is very expensive, it is the easiest clearance in the whole world. We did not have to do anything apart from supplying the papers, boat stamp and passports on Monday. As the light started to come through, we left the marina and Indonesia behind to start the next adventure, sailing through the Singapore straights on our way to Malaysia.



Sail Indonesia - Serutu to Benan

28 September 2023
Johan Botha
The anchorage in Serutu is very gusty. The high mountain deflects the wind causing it to blow into the bay in all directions. Whilst lifting the anchor, another gust into the high twenties came through. After leaving the anchorage, the wind was low for at least the next 6 miles. It is due to the islands blocking the wind. The wind picked up a bit so we were able to sail at 6 knots. The wind was steady through the night. We were bound to arrive late the following day. Unfortunately, everything went pear-shaped. We encountered our first rain in months; if I recall correctly, since Ambon. The water was cool and refreshing, ridding the deck of all the salt. We could enjoy a nice shower in the rain too. No wind and low wind with the occasional few drops of water alternating throughout the next day. We had to run the engine to charge the batteries for 3 hours due to no sun. I know the closer to the equator you get, the less sun and wind you will have. The wind will come from any direction because the Carolis effect does not apply to the equator.
We crossed the equator at noon. I enjoyed a beer at the crossing because it was my third crossing. The first crossing was in the Atlantic Ocean, the second in the Pacific Ocean and now the South China Sea. I think that I qualified to drink a beer, unlike the cool drinks at the previous crossings. On the next crossing, I might celebrate with a whiskey. The cruising guide indicated that if it is your first crossing you need to be on the lookout for the boats who crossed the equator in the past. They tend to anchor and party on the second and more crossings. We did not anchor out, we continued to sail whilst enjoying the usual biscuits with marmite, tomato, and vegan cheese toppings. Danish biscuits made in Indonesia rounded off the sweet celebration.
The rope from the running rigging came loose and ended up drifting behind the boat. We did not see this until we started the engine to get the boat on course after a squall came through. We heard the bang of the rope caught in the propeller. I tried to see if there were any ropes in the water and did not see anything. After the boat was on course again, and the engine stopped we went downstairs. The crew saw that the running rigging was loose. We realized then that that was the rope the propeller hit in the water. We lowered the boarding/swimming ladder at the stern. The crew went down the steps and used the GoPro on a stick to take a video of the propeller. On the 4th attempt, we managed to see that there was a piece of rope tied around the prop shaft. It meant that somebody needed to go under the boat to untie the rope around the shaft. Crew volunteered to go down. The boat was still moving at 1.7 - 2 knots with the 4-knot wind. It made it difficult to go in the water safely. We pulled in the headsail and stopped the boat with the main sail. The crew asked for a rope going under the boat that she could use to pull her down. She also wanted the danbuoy to help her to pull herself, forwards of the boat, before diving down. It was to counter the moving of the boat at 1.5 knots. It was like diving down in a current. It was easy to remove the rope. In the first dive, she untied a small piece and started unwinding the second piece which was twisted around about 5 times. On the second dive, she untied the remainder of the rope. The rope was melted on the cutlass bearing side because of the friction. We hope that the rope did not melt the cutlass bearing on the inside because it is cooled by seawater. A while later the bilge pump went off, so we knew that water was still coming through the cutlass bearing. I will attend to the cutlass bearing when we haul out in Malaysia to fix the rudder and paint the bottom. I was very disgusted because these breakdowns always happen on a Sabbath day.
We continued our trip to Benan in very low winds. The wind changed 180 degrees within minutes due to rain, clouds, etc. The whole night the winds were very low and we almost drifted at 3 knots. We sailed only 35 miles in the 12 hours. We do not complain, because we did not have to slow the boat down, or heave to, to enter in the morning. She did it all by herself.
The following morning, we motored for 1.5 hours through crocodile-infested waters. The crocodiles are the reefs. You see the teeth sticking out of the water. I do not like sailing between reefs. All the charts on board are different, so it is difficult to decide which one to trust. That is the reason why we only enter during daylight hours when we can see the discolouration of the water. We anchored at 11h45 in front of the very small stilt village at Benan Island. The island is only 1.6 miles by ½ mile. Even though Benan Island is very small, it is a port of clearance out of Indonesia. We will find out if that is true when we visit the Harbor Master in the morning.
Whilst sitting outside enjoying a beer, hearing thunder in the north, and clouds in the sky because we are still close to the equator. On the equator, a lot of evaporation of the water takes place because the water is the hottest. It is therefore always cloudy, not much sunshine. It was the same when I worked in Nigeria.
We went ashore to find the Harbor Master in the morning for clearance. Unfortunately, there are no Harbour Master. It is a beautiful small little island. You have to ask yourself how these people live, or how they generate an income on an island with nothing.
We supported the eating place on the pier. It was a very delicious fried rice dish with fried egg on top of the rice. Very plain and simple, but oh, so tasty. And a bottle of aqua to round it off.
We walked through the town to see what the shops had to offer. We found a shop selling beer, and another selling frozen chicken. The chicken shop only opens after school because the owner is a teacher. We walked to the Pantei Benan (Benan Beach), enjoying the beauty of the sea. There is a holiday resort of some sort with a few huts on the beach. Most of the houses are built on stilts. The newer houses are built on concrete stilts, or pillars, whilst the older houses use wooden structures. The houses itself is also built from bricks as opposed to wood as the older houses. The building design is again unique to this island.
Back at the boat, we searched for a clearance port north of us. From the list of ports, we had only two options. One is Nongsa Point Marina and the other is the ferry terminal on Bintan Island. We decided on Nongsa Point Marina because it is closer to Malaysia. We heard so many stories of yachts being sent back to previous ports because the papers indicate a clearance and they have neglected the clearance to the said port. We therefore contacted Nongsa Point Marina with copies of our forms. They confirmed that they would be able to assist us with clearance. We searched all our references of this passage to Batam Island to find suitable anchorages so that we could sail during the day and anchor at night. The reason is that there are lots of reefs on this passage, and we do not want to get caught in fishing nets either. Early morning we lifted the anchor to start the last passage.

Sail Indonesia - Bawean to Serutu

27 September 2023 | Serutu
Johan Botha
We were 5 yachts at Bawean. Sail yacht Daphe left early in the morning and sail yacht Marisol left a few minutes before us. Sail yacht Tanya planned to stay in the anchorage for a while longer. Sail yacht Intruder and Ntombi left at the same time. We were sailing with Marisol for a short while until he set course in a different direction to us. There were barges coming and going to this anchorage all the time, except the barge and tugboat anchored deep inside the bay. We were wondering what their plans were.
We set the sails and followed our route northwest to the very small island of Serutu. It is a small island inside a fauna and flora nature reserve. The island is only 6.6 miles long by 1.5 miles. There is a small village, but the best-protected anchorage is in an uninhabited bay. We will decide on where to anchor when we arrive. The strength of the wind will be the determining factor in the decision.
There is a lot of traffic in the Java Sea. The big squid fishing vessels are at anchor, not marked with AIS, but they at least have several very bright lights warning you of their presence. Gone are the nights of sitting inside relying on the AIS screen with the occasional observance of the horizons. It would be best if you were outside observing all the time. The boats in this area are ignorant of the rules of the road. It seems as if there is no knowledge of Colregs either. We saw a green light on one boat indicating that it was sailing from left to right passing ahead of our boat. It did not appear on AIS so that we could check the speed and direction of the sail. The next moment we saw the boat at anchor, not moving passed us as expected. The big bright green light was at the bow of the boat, visible from all sides, not only from starboard. By quick reaction and maneuvering to the port (left), we were able to avoid a collision. Another boat at anchor used a flashlight to show us that he was there somewhere in the distance. He flashes at irregular intervals so you need to keep on looking towards that area to ensure you know where he is. We passed the one safely but with only a hundred meters or so between us. Other boats have only weak LED Christmas lights flashing green, blue and red at very quick succession. It is even more difficult to estimate the distance between us and them. My crew struggled in any case to estimate the distance between boats. Let alone the lights at night. I had to stand watch for the biggest part of the second night to ensure we stayed safe. It is definitely not a pleasant experience at all. I do not want to sail through this water ever again if I can help it.
The water depth varies from 24 to 43 meters and even 10 at some patches. You are always concerned that there might be unmarked submerged obstructions not indicated on the recent charts and could cause a lot of damage to the yacht.
The wind was low on Sunday and Monday and then picked up on Tuesday. We tried to slow down to avoid arriving at night. We rather stretch our sailing time to ensure arrival during daylight hours. This helps to see the discoloration marking the many reefs around these islands. Tuesday night was bliss without any fishing vessels. We thought we would be able to rest a bit, but Ntombi was like a racing horse. The more we reigned her in, the faster she wanted to sail. The last few hours we sailed at 4 knots without any sails. The size of the Stack pack provided enough force for her to move forward.
The anchorage is not as indicated in the Indonesian sailing guide. The gusts reaching 35 knots were ripping through the bay continuously. On a positive note, the waves were very low even though the wind was so strong.
When we stowed the dinghy away in Bawean, we noticed that one tube had a puncture. Therefore, before we could launch the dinghy, I needed to find the leak and patch it up. The next moment, a gust came through and blew the dinghy over the deck. Luckily, it got stuck between the ropes but unfortunately landed on the lifelines and the stanchion made an L-shape tear in the PVC bottom of the dinghy. Now, I had to deal with 2 holes to patch, the bottom, and the tube. Luckily, we have PVC onboard and a handy heat gun that does the trick. And do not forget the PVC glue bought at the islands we visited. The preparation of the patches took a while and 15 minutes later the dinghy was seaworthy again. Thankfully, we own a PVC dinghy and not a Hypalon like the one we previously owned. It is easier to patch the PVC, and almost impossible to patch the other. Watching YouTube and reading about DIY jobs is not always a waste of precious time.
Whilst stowing away the equipment, we remembered that the stove needed fixing too. The glass of the door fell out previously and my crew used duct tape to hold it in place. The frame of the door is made from steel, with a stainless-steel strip keeping the glass in place. The frame rusted through at the bottom. I removed the glass to clean and to see how everything fits together. I used a piece of aluminium flat bar and bent it 90 degrees and used to strengthen the rusted corner of the door. I used pop rivets to fasten the aluminum and stainless-steel strip in place and the oven was as good as new again. Should probably last another 10 years or so.
The aluminum dinghy oars had a stainless-steel press lock button to keep the 2 sides of the split oars in place. The stainless-steel press lock button rusted through, and the spring lock end stuck out of the hole. This could damage the tube. So, whilst we were busy with repairs, I continued to remove the spring lock and fastened the oar pieces in place with pop rivets.
Our buddy boat bought two different types of fish from the local fishermen. He cleaned and prepared the one for a fish braai and the other for a fish potjie. He even prepared some firewood on the small white sandy beach. There is also a freshwater stream with portable water to use in cooking. Unfortunately, the wind did not play along. The gusts continued and we decided to braai & potjie on Ntombi. Each one of us received a very special beverage from our friend, Giovanni, in PNG. I opened my double black Johnny Walker to enjoy with the potjie and fish braai. I had to fight off the quarantine officer in Saumlaki over this bottle of whiskey. It was the inauguration of the potjie that Giovanni gifted too. We promised to send him photographs where we made a fish potjie on a white sandy beach drinking our special beverages. It was the intention when the wind put a spanner in the works. We decided that it was the thought that we planned the beach braai that counted and that he would approve our decision to use the boat instead.
Whilst enjoying the fish, we decided to leave in the morning for Benan. The wind forecast was showing good winds for another day. The forecast did not look that great for the next ten days after that. My visa expires in 12 days' time, so we would rather get going to Benan. It is preferred to get stuck in Benan than Serutu with another 300 miles to go. The winds are getting weaker and then the northwest monsoon will set in. We want to be in Malaysia before that happens. It is not fun to sail into the wind.

Vessel Name: Ntombi
Vessel Make/Model: Bruce Roberts, Offshore 45
Hailing Port: London
Crew: Johan and Francina Botha
About: Johan is the captain and qualified diesel engineer with experience in MTU, Detroit, DAF, etc engines.
Extra:
Sailing in Mauritius in 2003 changed our perception of sail boats. The focus therefore shifted from motor boats to sail boats. We bought a Holiday 23 after completing our Yacht Hand and Day Skipper licence with Ocean Sailing Academy in Durban in 2006. We sailed her on the Vaaldam and the dream [...]
Ntombi's Photos - Las Perlas
Photo 22 of 76 | Back To Album
Prev   Next
Added 20 September 2012