08:21.70S 116:07.78E

Tuesday 12th September 2017

Distance run: 93 nm

Another passage of sails out then in, and engine off then on again, as we went from no wind to lots of wind, from behind then on the nose then on the beam...

As we crossed the Alas Strait, the gap between Sumbawa and Lombok, the wind picked up to 20+ knots from ahead, and we had to bear away north of our rhumb line in order to sail.  It was a lumpy, wet ride for several hours, and we were glad to get into the lee of Mount Rinjani on Lombok.  At 3726 metres high, it is the second highest volcano in Indonesia and affects the winds for miles offshore, and as we got closer the seas calmed and the wind dropped and moved aft.  The ride became much more comfortable and we arrived at Medana Bay on Lombok’s north-west coast in time for breakfast.

There were quite a few boats in the anchorage, and we were just beginning to think that our chosen spot was a little too close to the surrounding reef when we got a call from Richard on Por Dos to say that a mooring buoy had just become free near them.  So we lifted the anchor and picked up the buoy.  It was the closest one to shore, and we wouldn’t even need to put the outboard on the dinghy as a couple of pulls on the oars would get us to the dock.  Perfect.