2:50 AM Fri 28 Nov 2008 GMT
For the last three months the round-world Blue Water Rally, which departed Gibraltar in November 2007, has been cruising from Darwin to Phuket. Now boosted by four new entrants from 'Downunder' the rally left Darwin in late September bound for the new cultures and countries of the Far East.
Indonesian Bureaucracy and an Agent to pay:
What a transition it has been, too! The first 'issue' was the imposition of the Customs 'bond' for the importation of Rally yachts at Kupang at our port of entry in West Timor. After frantic exchanges of emails from the UK HQ, it was established that crews had two choices - either to engage a guarantor in the form of an agent or miss out Kupang altogether.
Faced with a mountain of bureaucracy, including photographing each yacht's interior and a heavy agent's fee, several Rally yachts chose to avoid Kupang. However, around 20 yachts decided to clear in at Kupang and were glad they did so. The Rally Support Team and our agent did an excellent job and within a few days over 20 yachts were cruising (well, motor-sailing!) through the islands towards Komodo, Lombok and Bali.
Dragons and Orangutans:
Komodo has always been high on the list of 'must do' destinations for circumnavigators and Blue Water Ralliers were no exception. The monster dragons did us proud by turning up on the beach and were all around the Park, enabling plenty of 'close encounters' and photography. But it wasn't just the visit to Komodo that made the cruise through Indonesia so enjoyable - what struck our crews most was the friendliness of the local peoples they met. Bali was, of course, a mix of 'Sunset Strip' and real local culture and then it was a cruise north to South Kalimantan and the Kumai River and its orangutan sanctuary.
 | ED CROSSES THE LINE - BLUE WATER RALLY - Peter Seymour |
Talking of up-close, all our crews met these amazing animals and recorded their experiences. For all it was a most moving encounter and a salutary reminder about the risk to the habitat of this endangered species. The wife of one of our skippers was mugged by an orangutan, who snatched her make-up bag and proceeded to test its contents.
Perhaps these creatures have got too close to human beings - this particular animal knew how to unscrew tubes and put on lotion, but didn't find the taste of mosquito cream particularly to its liking! This leg to Singapore also involved Crossing the Line for the second time and the first time for the skipper of Prew of Holland, who was subjected to a traditional makeover!
Out of Indonesia and on to Singapore:
Clearances out of Indonesia were at Nongsa Point Marina, Batam Island opposite Singapore. We have now visited Nongsa on 6 previous occasions and felt it was becoming rather 'tired'. However....... both the Marina and the Resort were in the final stages of a multi-million renovation. All the pontoons and marine facilities are now new and so are the shore-side facilities. We had a great welcome, cleared the bureaucracy, including the 'bond', without difficulty and had time to enjoy a Rally dinner under the stars.
From Nongsa it's a 23-mile crossing to the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club(RSYC). Sounds easy, doesn't it? But navigating across the Straits, the busiest shipping lane in the world, concentrated the minds of our skippers wonderfully! Nonetheless, everyone arrived safe and sound and by early November 27 Blue Water Rally yachts were safely berthed at the RSYC.
Our host is a prestigious 5-star yacht club and it was a great privilege for our crews to be afforded membership and use of its facilities. Its restaurants and bars were kept busy throughout our stay and our fitness fanatics made plenty of use of the gymnasium and pool. But we weren't in Singapore just to relax at the RSYC - everyone was out and about for 'retail therapy' and enjoying the nightlife that is so special in Singapore.
Cruising to Phuket for Christmas:
After a leg briefing by the Support Team in mid-November crews set off in their own time, cruising independently up the west coast of Malaysia to Phuket. They are currently enjoying visits to Port Dickson (Malacca), Port Kelang (for Kuala Lumpur), Penang and, finally, Langkawi from where they will depart for Phuket, arriving there during the first week of December.
by Peter Seymour
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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