Fai Tira blog Friday 17^th November 2010, heading for

Nongsa Point on the island of Batam, just 15 miles South of Singapore.  00:00.00S 105:02.18E

After what seemed like hours of motoring with little or no wind we arrived at the island of Belitung at first light as planned.  We headed for the recommended anchorage but realised that - without proper pilotage instructions and with shallow water - it was going to be unsafe to proceed. So, we made the decision to carry on to the main town on the west side of the island, the only catch to this being that it was seventy miles and another day’s motoring away. We headed off, disappointed at the prospect of another day listening to the sound of the engine and our poorly transmission grinding away.   After weaving in and out of a fleet of fishing boats with their blinding lights, we arrived outside the port at 1.00am, dropped anchor and relieved at the silence headed for our bunks. 

The next morning saw us continuing into the harbour following a makeshift portside marker system to the anchorage outside the navy base.  We were boarded by the navy who were very friendly and helpful and after checking our paperwork told us to visit the Harbourmaster.  We got in the dinghy and headed to the town quay sitting on our nine empty jerrycans, passing by a flotilla of steel and wooden cargo boats which wouldn’t have looked out of place in a World War Two movie. There were also hundreds of small brightly painted fishing boats moored up, waiting to head out the following evening to make their living.

The first impression was of a friendly, dirty, busy port, and as we walked to complete our paperwork we were greeted by smiling faces on all sides calling out “Ello Mister!”. (Tough luck if you’re, say, a Francophone visitor. Tee hee!). Not only pedestrian passers-by and stallholders, but motorbike and truck drivers also. One simply could not go unnoticed: we were like celebrities and it was obvious that tourism hadn’t yet arrived here.  At the Coastguard/Harbourmaster office much confusion reigned as they spoke little or no English. Eventually we got our papers stamped and I headed off to organise “solar” (diesel). John and J went into town to explore and see if they could get John’s phone replaced.  Apparently the guy in the shop took one look at the sodden device and ripped it apart, with the definite intention of fixing it, which he duly did, only charging a pittance (20,000 rupiah, about £1.50). John was overwhelmed with such a great service. In this part of the world if things break they fix them, unlike the disposable society we live in.

After a lot of misunderstanding and with the help of a local man who also spoke no English, I eventually managed to get the jerrycans filled and back to the boat. I had arranged to meet the boys in the market and took the opportunity to wander around this bustling colourful place.  I love wandering around fish markets and this one had the most diverse specimens for sale I had seen anywhere.  Everywhere I went I was greeted with “Ello Mister!” time and time again. Lots of people wanted their photo taken proudly showing off their last night’s catch.

I caught up with John and J and they relayed similar experiences to me. John kept looking at his mended phone with astonishment and joy. We needed a beer to celebrate so got directions to the beach area (where we’d been told beer was available – we saw no bars as such in the main town area, drinking alcohol is obviously not the norm here being a Muslim society). We headed there and eventually found a bar owned by a friendly guy called Johan who sold Anker beer.  We consumed a couple of bottles before Johan took us to his friends’ eatery where we ate local traditional thick noodles and chicken.  Well, J and I did anyway!

Later that afternoon we headed back to the boat to refuel and catch up on some much needed sleep.  The heavens opened as we snored our way into the evening. We headed back to town about 7.00pm, and to our disappointment most of the market was closed up, leaving the numerous rats to scavenge though the remains of leftover produce.  We headed to the town centre and were pleased to see an active place with shops still open.  We perused some of these and bought some supplies before returning to Johan’s bar for sustenance.  After a while our stomachs were rumbling as food was required, so we said our goodbyes to Johan and headed for the local food hall.  This is not quite like the ones in shopping malls but more like a group of stoves and a wooden tables under an enclosed tin roof.  The food was OK-ish and very cheap, the equivalent of £3 feeding the three of us.  Jeremy even drank the water without subsequent ill effects. .We headed back to the boat as an early start was required the next day to get us to Nongsa Point in time for Rally Support.

We are still motoring without any wind and about 60 miles to go before we cross the Equator back into the Northern Hemisphere again. 

We have had some amazing adventures ‘down under’.   

Photos of Belitung to follow.

Pete, John and J