1.12.458N 104.00.084E  Monday 10^th November – Indonesia - Riau Group, Batam Island.

Nongsa Point Marina is a strange place – departure point from Indonesia – this resort and Turi beside it - were originally built it the 60’s as gambling venues for visitors coming over from Singapore.  When the ‘sport’ was banned some years later, they reinvented themselves as golfing resorts and are apparently busy just at weekends.  However, we have been here for four days, spanning a weekend, and the rental properties stand empty, the golf courses are empty, the enormous restaurants and vast lobbies are empty, the swimming pools are empty as is the smart new marina (apart from the Rally yachts).  I would think the owners are haemorrhaging money just on electricity alone in these two vast complexes.

One of the pools at night…..

The vast lobby area

Dinner with the Zippies

Huge water features 

We have, however, had a welcome stopover; relaxed a little by the pool, eaten well, shopped a lot, erected and sailed our little Aquaglide , met up with friends, enjoyed a ‘Rally Barbecue’, refuelled (we only managed to sail about ten hours on our way here) and today sees us midway to Singapore – again under motor - just 25 miles away…..in pouring rain, with low visibility amidst the busiest shipping channel in the world!

Paul on our new Aquaglide….

We are of course back in the northern hemisphere. Oscar crossed the equator by sea as a small baby so he was already a ‘shellback’ but Vic and Clara lost their ‘polywog’ status fast asleep and in ignorance of the occasion! So no dressing up or shaven heads……