08:17.642S 118:58.872E
Lombok Wera
13/09/13
Anchor up 0620, anchor down 1715
An interesting day, one way and another. I was able to start the engine again and the house batteries were well up so no emergency elektrikery.
Not much wind so I thought I'd put the main up to assist with the inevitable motor sailing. You would think that I would have learned by now. Anyway, I did a dog-leg to the north of Gili Banta and encountered the first cross-current. WOW! OK used the motor to get out of potential trouble, I could have gybed and sailed but hey, places to go and batteries to charge you know.
Across the top of Gili Banta was a pleasant sail and once clear and into the channel between Pulau Sangeang and Kombing the sailing was brisk. At one point we were doing 8kts over the ground then I remembered the sails were a bit shagged, so reefed down. Then the tide turned.....
I spent a fairly tiring couple of hours gybing backwards and forwards across the channel. The wind backed of course so the main was blanking the gennaker. Take the main down I hear you say. Indeed, but there was a fair old breeze and quite a swell so I didn't fancy rolling away the gennaker and turning into it to drop the main. In the end, when it was really obvious that I just wasn't going anywhere, in a lull I dropped the main downwind and was able to make better progress.
This anchorage is one to tuck into your back pocket on the rally. Good holding, I know because there was at least a 2kt current in the anchorage plus about 15kts of wind. Although not shown on the Navionics charts there is a large but poor fishing village. The local kids wanted anything going, well don't we all. They got 2 litres of drinking water and a pen on it's last legs.
The port officials came out and wanted the equivalent of $10. They got $2 which is virtually all the cash I had. They took it in good heart then went off to bother the other boats in the anchorage.Oh yes, they did say to come ashore tomorrow for the market but I explained I would be away first thing. I don't blame them for trying it on, the place does not have a prosperous air about it.
So, 8/10 for the day and of course there is 3G coverage here, so maybe that should be 9/10.
