08:22.200S 120:00.936E

Friday 1^st September 2017

Distance run: 38 nm

After a very calm and peaceful night, we lifted the anchor at 0630 and headed out of the bay.  There was very little wind once again, and we motor-sailed pretty much all the way to the anchorage at Gili Bodo.  This is an island off the north-west end of the Flores coast, surrounded by reefs, and we made a careful entry into the anchorage around lunchtime.

A local ferry came close to have a look at us, waved and went on its way.

Our first attempt at getting the anchor down ended up with getting it hooked on a rocky outcrop about 12 metres down.  It didn’t want to come up, so Bob and Sue jumped in the water to have a look.  The water was very clear and they could see the problem.  Under their instruction we motored forward and then to starboard, and the anchor came loose.  When we pulled it back up, we found that it had scooped up a large piece of (fortunately dead!) coral on the way.  So we called on Bob and Sue again, who were still in the water, and between them they managed to wrestle it free and it plopped back into the water.

Sue needed Bob’s help to budge this heavy lump from the anchor.

Thanks guys.

Our second attempt was more successful, and we settled back in clear, but shallow, water.  We were almost at low tide, and we kept our fingers crossed it would not get much lower.  For the first time in ages I was keen to go snorkelling.  The water was clear and flat with little current, and we swam from the back of the boat.  The coral here has obviously suffered in recent times, but there was lots of new growth.  Best of all, I saw my first clownfish – first a small, brownish one, then one after another much bigger orange and white ones appeared, poking their noses out from the anemone, then emerging completely.  What a treat!  I stayed for ages just watching them wiggle in and out of three clumps of anemone.

Later we went for sundowners on Nauti Nauti with Bob & Sue and  Niels & Mayte from Muskat.  The sunset was stunning, but not one of us had a camera to hand!