Island(s) in the sun. apologies to Weezer

The Indian Ocean.  5,000 miles of sailing to get to Durban South Africa.

Indonesia was still having earthquakes and aftershocks so we weren't too sad to be leaving, especially since our next destination was Cocos (Keeling) Island which is part of Australia.  Or otherwise known as Paradise! Then again the next three legs of our journey were going to be in the Indian Ocean which can be rather “boisterous”.  That said we were now on a boat with 5 total crew so watches would be shorter and easier.   Funny how after cruising for a while an 1100+ mile passage seems like No Big Deal. And it really wasn't. Made it to Cocos in a little over 6 days with a couple of 200+ mile days underway.

Australia doesn't stamp passports anymore but I talked them into stamping ours! Because how many people clear in to Cocos? 

Cocos was everything we had heard. Stunningly beautiful beaches and clear water.  We anchored just off of Direction island which has a beach listed as Australia's best beach.  Home Island has about 500 residents and is mostly Muslim so no alcohol but there is a ferry to West Island.  There is where the airport and several small resorts and bungalows are, as well as about 100 full time residents.  My crew mate Glenn even got a round of 9 hole golf in on the course that CROSSES the airport runway!

Glenn standing by the tee box for the first hole. The second and ninth fairways CROSSED the runway .

Running between Direction and Home islands was a body of water known as The Rip.  Basically a fast moving current that flowed past a reef with lots of fish. Big fish, little fish, red fish, blue fish.... okay you get the idea.

Um, sure we want to do this?

One of the quirky things about cruising is that in some places it is customary to leave a sign or other momento of your visit.  Here are some from past visitors to Direction island and here is the one we left.

We had a few parties/cookout on the beach with the other Oysters and enjoyed perfect sunsets and beach time.

One of the tiny clumps of sand and trees was called Prison Island.  Of course Glenn and I had to pay a visit.

You can probably tell from our attire that it's very windy and thus the dinghy ride was quite wet.

Leaving Cocos we had the longest passage of our trip ahead of us; 2350 miles to the island of Mauritius.   A few days out the boat RED CAT had a malfunction with their furling main so we decided to buddy boat with them JUST in CASE... Which turned out to be a good thing as they loaned us some fuel filters with a mid-sea transfer.  Seems when we took on fuel in Gilli Gede we got the last delivery and the dregs in the bottom of the tank with water and grit mixed in.

RED CAT under Genoa only.  They still were as fast as us.

Mauritius is home to some very beautiful and endangered species.  We went to Ile aux Aigrettes, now a wildlife preserve and saw huge Aldara tortoises, pink pigeons and lots of other critters.

Other sights around the island.

Leaving Mauritius we only had to sail 136 miles to the island of Reunion, ONLY but 20 hours of the roughest passage we've had the past 6 months. Reunion is an "Overseas Department" of France.  Meaning 1st world everything AND great food.

I have become hooked on the croissant du chocolat aux amandes!

ELISE, a sister boat to our ride on TRUE BLUE and homeported near us in Deltaville, VA!

RED CAT,  our sailing buddies.

Lineup of 11 Oysters as we arrived in Reunion. 

So we've traveled around the island a bit and tried to see the volcano (fogged in) and enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Le Roland Garros restaurant.   Confit de canard pour moi! Was very tasty.   And actually quite reasonably priced.

In case you're wondering....

Because everyone takes their rooster to the bakery in a backpack.

Cascades everywhere. Too many to count sometimes.

Carol modeling the latest in Palm tree bark clothing.

Check out the size of the bamboo behind us!

Yeah, we're not going to see much up here.

Standing on the edge of a very high cliff.

Several places this is how you had to go up the trail.

Just a taste of the scenery.

So now we are waiting to see what the weather is going to do. We have a 1400+ mile passage to Durban ahead of us and it is not an easy trip. Plans to leave in 2 days on Fri are on hold. Looks like Monday or Tuesday now.  Oh gee, you mean I have to stay on a tropical FRENCH island? Quel dommage!

Indonesia, or how to eat out for pennies

Off to Indonesia

We left Darwin and its  crocodile infested waters that kept us on shore.  Lack of wind had us motoring for the first two days in companywith TRUE BLUE.  At one point we even stopped on a perfectly flat sea and jumped overboard for a quick refreshing dunk in the Timor sea.

Floating in the middle of the ocean. Despite hearing from other boats that they saw hammerhead sharks! 

Finally the wind filled in and we had a great sail into Kupang.  That was interesting as the fishing boats were out and they have no concept of proper lighting according to COLREGS!  Instead they have a little multicolored LED light that flickers (dimly) in red/blue/green/yellow.
Going ashore in Kupang was interesting; Oyster had hired a guy and his buddies to assist us getting the dinghies in and up the beach and the  relaunched when we were ready to go back to our anchored boats.
One of the guys had some green mossy stuff GROWING  on his leg.  Not sure what it was, but I stayed clear!

These guys brought 6 Jerry cans of fuel to us.  Got a ride with them over to another boat in the fleet so I could check out their traditional craft.

We also found out how true our new friends in Darwin were about eating out in Indonesia; that first night I had a big plate of fried rice and meat for 38,000 Rp  (Rupiah). With the exchange rate that worked out to about $2.65!
Clearing in to Indonesia was a frustrating paperwork exercise for Don that took 2 days and two visits to the boat from officials and a couple of stops in town for Don. As we saw later they love their paperwork and rubber stamps!


One  night Carol and I went out with another crew our age and 3 20-somethings from other boats. Stopped by the outdoor fish market and then a partially open air karaoke bar along the beach and yes we sang along with the Indonesians.  Leaving we asked how to find this restaurant we had heard about and the bar owner said no problem, I take you. So we pile in the back of his pickup and off we go. Carol, riding in the cab, sticks here head out and asks one of the crew how much this ride is going to cost.  His answer? Just one kidney!

Steven provided lots of entertainment! 

All kinds of fish and they would grill it for you right there.  No thanks.

Kupang itself was a pretty disgusting place; trash everywhere, including in the sewers that ran under the sidewalks, sometimes visible where the sidewalk was broken. It was interesting tho when all the sidewalk shops and street vendors were out.

This is not Kupang, but looked exactly like this.

Leaving Kupang we sailed to the island of Alor encountering a current that sometimes exceeded 5 knots against us as we neared the island.  Here we got our first taste of being in a Muslim country. At various times of the day, and particularly at FOUR AM, the mosques turn on a LOUDSPEAKER and call the faithful to prayer.  Loudly.

We went to Kalabahi and hired a guide for the day who spoke surprisingly good English and he took us to some traditional villages and to a guy who took us out in a typical Indonesian boat to see a dugong.

Despite looking a bit tippy, These boats are pretty seaworthy.

Our dugong "whisperer".

Finally saw a dugong!

Clothing made from tree bark. You just can't see the Velcro tab on his purse or ankle bracelets.

Preparing a palm leaf cigarettes

Next we went diving and saw an incredible reef wall teeming with coral and plant life.

Leaving Alor we worked our way westward stopping at various coves and anchorages.   One thing we noticed was the huge amounts of plastic on the beaches and even more if there was a village there. Flip-flops, bottles of every size and shape,  plastic water cups and bottles, you name it.
Kroko Atoll was one of the prettiest places as the tide would cover and uncover a really nice beach that had no plastic on it.

So many of the isolated beaches looked like this as well as the water.

Kroko Atoll did NOT have plastic because the tide washes it away. Loved this spot.

Sea urchins. Do not step on them!

Stopping just outside of Labuan Bajo we had a few days to kill before our next dive day was scheduled.  The resort we anchored in front of specifically wanted cruisers to come and use their pool, restaurant and other amenities.   How about a 1.5 hour massage for the equivalent of $16?
Giving around Komodo Island was pretty good and we saw a manta ray, moray eel, sea snake and tons of other fish.  NO sharks tho.

One day Carol and I were in town eating lunch on the 3rd floor (which overlooks the harbor as well as the mosque next door) and the building shook. Twice.  Turns out the island of Lombok 200 miles away had just had a couple more quakes.

Notice the LOUDSPEAKERS! 

Labuan Bajo was somewhat nicer than Kupang but it did leave Carol and I with a case of food poisoning that showed up 2 days later. Ugh. Not sure of the root source but ...
We then went to Rinca Island in the Komodo National Park and saw Komodo dragons.  One male was positively huge; the females smaller but still pretty big.

In the town of Kilo we were visited by 6 boys in a canoe who enjoyed the OREOS  as well as the notebooks and pens we gave them. This played out in a few other places as well.

Eventually we ended up on Gili Gede island at the still under construction Marina Del Ray where 16 other Oysters are meeting up in preparation to clear out of Indonesia and then sail across the Indian ocean to S. Africa or head north to Thailand.

Because I always seem to end up going aloft, this is the view from 90', probably the tallest mast I've done.

16 of the Oyster fleet.

Native demonstrations of stick fighting.

Mariusz, one of the owners we've had a good time with.

Native band. Love this guy's expressions.

Tooling around in the dinghy!

In other news, Carol and I gave notice to Don that we'd be leaving at the end of Indonesia due to many different reasons and things going on at home.  Over the past few weeks some of those things resolved themselves and another boat asked if we would want to sail with them.  Knowing Don had lined up crew and ready to try another boat we said sure!  So  now we are on an OYSTER 66 called TRUE BLUE.  Total of 5 crew now and Carol is not the sole female!

Our new ride, TRUE BLUE. 

So twice in the past few days Carol was in Mataram at the mall when there was a small earthquake!  I was also there the first time; all of a sudden people started running out but it was just a little tremble.  No big deal!
To get to the mall we have to take a local boat to shore about a mile, then an 80 minute car ride with a driver you hire.

The past two nights while we changed boats we have spent in a little BnB run by a Frenchman.   2 nights, dinner and 2 breakfasts for both of us were 1,433,000Rp.  How much is that you ask? About $99!

So after working and getting ready to go we're spending our last 2 nights at the Kokomo Gili Gede resort we had booked 3 weeks when we thought we'd be flying out tomorrow.  We have a nice high wall around our courtyard and 20'×8' private pool.

Off to Cocos/Keeling island, Mauritius, Reunion and Durban and Cape town S Africa .