Our Debut in Indonesia

Casamara
John & Susan Simpson
Wed 10 Jul 2024 00:39
We waved goodbye to Thursday Island on Wednesday 26 June and were propelled at speed away from Australia by the tide rushing through the Torres Strait. We were with a fleet of 21 yachts making up the early departure group of the Sail 2 Indonesia Rally; the later group would leave Australia two weeks after. It would take us four days sailing through the Arafura Sea to arrive at the place where we would clear customs and immigration to enter Indonesia, a town appropriately named Debut. The Arafura Sea between Australia and Indonesia is relatively shallow at 50-80 metres deep because it covers the continental shelf which was a land bridge between Asia and Australia during the last ice age. The shallow water and swift currents made for some rough and uncomfortable conditions. We felt for some of the other boats for whom this would be their first offshore passage and wondered whether they would ever do any more after this! The Arafura Sea is also one of the world’s richest fishing areas and both Australia and Indonesia protect these waters fiercely due to their economic value. We skirted the EEZ (economic exclusion zone) to try to keep away from the fishing fleets, particularly at night, but even so we saw far more fishing activity here than in any other waters we’ve sailed through so far. Fortunately the buoys marking the huge nets and lines had AIS transmitters so we were able to see where they were on our chart plotter but it made for tricky navigation and we had to keep a sharp lookout all the time. Some of the lines of marker buoys were miles long and there was no way of knowing what was between the buoys so we had to skirt around the edge. As we closed in on Indonesian waters the fishing fleet thinned out but so did use of AIS markers and we were watching for lights in the dark. They weren’t always conventional - John saw something marked with a disco light flashing different colours! We arrived in Debut early on Sunday 30 June and anchored a short dinghy ride from the town. Customs and immigration officials came out to the boats in the anchorage to check our papers and inspect the boat. It’s always interesting, when arriving somewhere new, to see what the officials deem to be of interest. This time they checked that water came out of our taps when they were turned on and that our fridge was working. I don’t know why that was so important! There was also an alcohol inspection and we were given strict instructions not to sell or share any of our stash with the locals. I assured him it was all for personal use! ![]() The customs and immigration team Once formalities were concluded we took our dinghy ashore. Debut is in the Kei Islands in eastern Indonesia and not on the usual tourist route, though Indonesia is keen to promote areas other than Bali for tourism and the local officials clearly had aspirations for Debut to be on that list. As we arrived at the village dock the locals were preparing a welcome ceremony for our fleet the following day and there was a feeling of great excitement in the air. The following day there were activities for us to take part in and John was soon whizzing away to explore the island of Kei Kecil (Little Kei), together with Derek from SV Mary Doll whilst I did an Indonesian cooking class with Letitia. ![]() The whole fleet was asked to return at 4.00 pm in their dinghies carrying the flag of their home country. We made a colourful procession as we came in to the dock. ![]() There we were greeted by a ceremonial cord barring the main thoroughfare and a pair of warriors guarding the entrance. A band was playing and prayers offered by the local King to welcome us to the village, before the cord was cut signifying our acceptance as friends. Gifts were exchanged, bangles and scarves from the villagers to us and an array of small gifts from us to them. ![]() The ceremonial cord and warriors Volunteers had been sought from amongst the fleet to give speeches in response on behalf of the visitors and John and I were volunteered! I had been amusing myself over the previous few months by learning Indonesian on the Duolingo app and decided I could probably manage to say a few words of thanks in Indonesian. It was only a few sentences and no doubt sounded a bit weird to them but the local people seemed genuinely surprised and touched by my efforts. English is not widely spoken here so I’m hoping that knowing a few words and phrases will come in handy. ![]() Dancers and singers greeted us before the speeches Once the speeches and ceremonial dances were over we had a little walking tour of the village. Everywhere we went children were coming up to chat with us, clammering to know our names and where we were from. The adults we met were more interested in having photos taken with us. We must have been photographed a hundred times. ![]() John makes two new friends Back in the main part of town a banquet had been prepared and we ate the most delicious local delicacies: beef, chicken, fish and vegetables all cooked in spicy sauces and served with coconut rice. ![]() Good being prepared for us in a local kitchen We joined with our fellow sailors to provide some entertainment for the local people. John and Jim (SV Kalli) played their guitars whilst others of us sang and danced. The locals looked a bit puzzled by our contribution to be honest, but they smiled a lot and clapped politely! We were so impressed by the efforts made to welcome the rally to Debut. It seemed to be a huge community effort and was a wonderful start to our exploration of Indonesia. We’re looking forward to finding out what the other islands have to offer. |