Lombok to Singapore

Digiboat's "Product Testing"
Simon Blundell
Fri 7 Feb 2014 03:33
08:21.62S 116:07.76E
 
0300z 07/02
 
After a month lay-over at Gili Trawangan, it's time for the crew to depart before they are held accountable for too many late night promises that may been made in a fit of passion.
 
My 9 yr old son, Bligh, and I flew back to Aphrodite from Aus to rejoin for the final leg of the Spain-to-Singapore delivery. Lucian and Ryan still onboard and rounded out by Sam and Will who are en route to Singapore for various reasons. Unfortunately, Robbo is still on leave form the boat and wont be completing the Odyssey with us but will join again in Singapore. We are sure to take advantage of this lack of military discipline he instils when aboard. There's likely to be all sorts of conflicting stowage and using the wrong tea towel for hand drying, and wrong bucket for deck swash etc.
 
After a couple of days at our mooring off the Beach House Resort on Gili Trawangan, taking on final fuel, water and provisions, we managed to drag Bligh out of the swimming pool ashore and headed around to Medana Bay to collect our Clearance papers, then loaded the duck aboard and headed NW under motor.
 
A slightly depressing start as we punched into a small, but steep, wind chop and head winds and contrary current which knocked our speed back to embarrassingly low values.
 
The outlook is for consistent headwinds up to max about 15kn. The NE trades are well and truly underway in the South China Sea and wrap around the SW corner of Borneo into the Java Sea. Our game plan will be to close reach N, with as much W as possible across to the Borneo S coast and then motor, with a chance of nightly land breeze on the beam, to the W edge, then hope for a favourable sailing angle across to the S Riau Islands and then it's just a day motoring up to Singapore through the Riaus.
 
SJB