We are at anchor at Bawean Island in the Java Sea taking a pit stop en route to the mouth of the Kumai River on Borneo. The people here on Bawean are very friendly as they are off the tourist route and do not see many "long noses" as they call us westerners.
We are back into night sailing again as we move from coastalhopping to some longer open water passages from now on through to Singapore. Night sailing in Indo waters is something we wanted to avoid because of the unlit fishing fleets and their FAD's (fish attracting devices).
Well we hit a FAD at 3am yesterday. Black as the inside of a cow hurtling through the dark at 7 knots and bang clunk clunk as we rode onto an unlit bamboo FAD in the middle of the Java Sea 30 miles from nearest land. Luckily it went down the port side and did not foul our keel or rudder as these things are tethered to the bottom in this case by 300ft of rope or twine. The fish are attracted to Fad's by the growth of marine life on the tether and the fishermen simply come out in their boats and circle the FAD with a big net and get all the fish inside the circle. Low tech but obviously very efficient.
We are back into night sailing again as we move from coastalhopping to some longer open water passages from now on through to Singapore. Night sailing in Indo waters is something we wanted to avoid because of the unlit fishing fleets and their FAD's (fish attracting devices).
Well we hit a FAD at 3am yesterday. Black as the inside of a cow hurtling through the dark at 7 knots and bang clunk clunk as we rode onto an unlit bamboo FAD in the middle of the Java Sea 30 miles from nearest land. Luckily it went down the port side and did not foul our keel or rudder as these things are tethered to the bottom in this case by 300ft of rope or twine. The fish are attracted to Fad's by the growth of marine life on the tether and the fishermen simply come out in their boats and circle the FAD with a big net and get all the fish inside the circle. Low tech but obviously very efficient.
FAD's notwithstanding we have only come 200 miles from Bali but had some great sailing as we enter the south east monsoons. Already we have been treated to some impressive sheet lightening at night under clear starlit skies. Not a cloud in sight so that was a new experience. As we near the equator we know we are
going to be in for regular lightening displays but we hope we don't get struck !! It also rained overnight for the first time in months so we really are into a convergence zone as the monsoons arrive this month.
going to be in for regular lightening displays but we hope we don't get struck !! It also rained overnight for the first time in months so we really are into a convergence zone as the monsoons arrive this month.
Last evening we were hosted to dinner aboard the yacht SY 'Dream Weaver' out of Hilton Head, South Carolina USA. A magic roast chicken dinner in the saloon before retiring to the cockpit for a Baileys on Ice. As we sipped our Baileys aboard Dream Weaver, Paul the skipper was extolling the virtues of his night vision binoculars as we each took a turn using them looking around the dark bay.
Next minute a distraught fellow cruiser in the form of our friend Piet Hein SY 'Double Dutch' came onto the VHF radio announcing his dinghy had drifted from tthe yacht he and wife Tory were having drinks on. Now to a yachtie this is equivalent to having your car converted. How fortuitous, Paul and another guest hopped into Dream Weavers dinghy and headed out into the bay to look for the errant dinghy and low and behold within 20 minutes they had found the drifting dink with the 'night eyes'. We are going to purchase a pair saspo as they will be perfect to help avoid FAD's and other things in our path.
Belated Health Story
As an aside we stayed in Bali longer than planned due to a little medical hiccup with P. For some days he was very grumpy with a head cold and backache in the lower left buttock region. Barbara was preaching from "How to Treat Your Own Back" and how to do back arches properly without success whilst P asking where are your kidneys because this is feeling like kidney stones or something very very painful. With P not responding to back therapy and now doing award winning wreathing acts on the cabin sole and passing claret from his waterworks it was time to make a move for professional help. To cut to the chase we got ashore somehow with the groaning P arched over like a broken willow and into a cab to the local quack who promptly jabbed a shot of morphine into his rump and then phoned the hospital to receive him.
Xray, Blood and Urine tests and a course of antibiotics and diagnosed with a water works infection possibly due to bad water. Now a week on he is nearly back to normal and we are sailing again. Whatever they reason we are both going to have thorough medical 'wof' checkup in Singapore.
P and B
Xray, Blood and Urine tests and a course of antibiotics and diagnosed with a water works infection possibly due to bad water. Now a week on he is nearly back to normal and we are sailing again. Whatever they reason we are both going to have thorough medical 'wof' checkup in Singapore.
P and B
