Non Stop !
Position 04:31.19S 111:09.10E We anchored off Bawean around 9.30am and got a few hours
catch up sleep. The anchorage was very rolly and a trip ashore would have meant
getting very wet in the dinghy, for sure, so, after much discussion and
studying of charts, we decided to set sail again. With a lack of information about the islands on our way,
which are surrounded by rocks and reefs, we are going non stop to the Riau
islands. The trip is over 600 miles and we are hoping to arrive in
four days on 15th November to give us a couple of nights to explore
the islands, before meeting up in Nongsa Point for our clearance out of Can you believe it – we are moaning because we don’t
get enough time in each place before having to move on ! It is hard work keeping up with this circumnavigation schedule
! The sailing in this area requires a good look out day and
night with hundreds of fishing boats to dodge, lots of main shipping and
numerous floating rafts and buoys, not to mention the rubbish and debris in the
water. It appears that the Indonesians dump all their rubbish,
completely unprocessed, into the sea and so the accumulating, non degradable
items are forming piles of floating debris around their beautiful islands –
such a shame. It will be a refreshing change when we get to Singapore with
it’s reputation of being spotlessly clean. |