Friday 11th  October 2013  Indian Ocean,  10.00.0S 109 00.0E  

Today's Blog by David (Time zone BST +.6.50; UTC +7.5)

“Sailing large” means sailing with the wind behind the beam. We  have been Giving it Large now for two days with 15-18kts of wind from our port quarter in the sunshine. Champagne sailing.

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If checking into Indonesia went like clockwork, then the spring needed rewinding when we came to check out! The Rally team kindly took on the administrative effort on everyone’s behalf but all of the oil in the world did not seem to make the process go any smoother or quicker.  Forms had to be filled in in triplicate – anecdotally without carbon paper – six separate departments had to be visited  -  and these things take time. So it was then, for us,  another record - easily outstripping our experience in Barbados – a process stared at circa midday got all of the relevant paperwork back into our hands by 15.30 the following day. Time enough for another visit to Carrefour for David and Richard to buy all sort of things we didn’t know we needed.  Kids in a sweetshop!

winds was forecast to be light so our plan was to head due west and try to catch the sea breeze along the eastern then southern coast of Java. So on receipt of the paperwork, we decided to defer departure until Tuesday AM.  As it happened though, once we set off there was enough wind once we were south of Bali  for us to sail rather than motor towards Java and then the wind began to build a little and free so we could sail where we wanted to go and do so at a respectable pace. The only problem was an adverse current along the coast of Java which slowed us down (hadn’t taken that into account in our plan).  The further south we have come the current died and now we have found the favourable South Equatorial Current  which gives as a “free” 10 mile lift every day.

Krakatoa, East of Java

Most of our readers will remember this film – perhaps the title if not the plot. Well, we have been keeping an eye out for the volcano lest we might fry or boil unexpectedly,  given that we were east of Java for some considerable time. But the only thing east of Java is Bali – and quite close east at its nearest point. No Krakin’ Toa to be seen.  Now my crew tell me a little known fact – well I didn’t know it – Krakatoa is  in fact West of Java – and is actually called; Krakatau.

It seems that the film makers didn’t like the truth:  “Krakatau, West of Java”  It didn’t roll off the tongue:  “Krakatoa, East of Java”  it was then.

S’funny, that.