Pulau Keling aka Neptune Island
Digiboat's "Product Testing"
Simon Blundell
Fri 14 Feb 2014 05:26
00:07.77N 104:13.69E
0503z 14/02
All according to
plan with a nice starboard tack leg N up the W coast of Borneo which provided a
perfect sailing angle across to the Riau Islands. Unfortunately the wind didn't
quite hold for the close reach across to the W, so a combination of motoring and
motorsailing for the first 150 nm of the 250 nm leg. The wind shifted and filled
to the N for the final 100 nm and brought us back up to our usual speed of
9-10kn with all sails flying. Well except for a heavily reefed main due to a rip
in the leach and another in the foot forcing us to hide the tears away in the
furl.
Arrived at Pulau Keling early this
morning for half a day at anchor for a swim and clean up session before
returning to civilisation at Singapore. Bligh is certainly enjoying the chance
to swim and run on the sand ashore after being couped up onboard for a week!
Keling is the "base camp" for the Neptune Regatta each year in February (we must
have just missed the fleet), which includes the Race to Zero, a 20nm mile race
from the island 10 nm S to the Equator then back, and includes some passage
races down from and returning to Nongsa Pt Marina in Batam. One of the highlight
events on the SE Asian annual race calendar.About an hour after
sending the last blog entry we caught a decent sized Spanish Mackerel which Sam
made short work of filleting before Lu baked it to perfection in the oven.
Actually only half of it - the second half we ate the next night as fish and
chips. No more fish since, and little chance ahead as we just have a 100 nm of
motoring up the straight W of Batam to the Johor Straight and Raffles
Marina.
After many false
starts and empty promises, Ryan and Bligh finally had a work-out session
yesterday with a game of 21. 1+2+3+4+etc up to 21 alternating with pushup, dips
or situp repetitions for a total of around 260 each!
Retrieving the
anchor mid afternoon today for an overnight put up to Singapore and likely
several beers in Raffles' excellent pool just before lunch
tomorrow.
SJB