Bali to Kuching (Orangutans and a poop story)

Fishermen (in their underwear) taking pictures of
 us (in our underwear--well, Matt and the boys anyway)
 taking pictures of them

Our passage from Bali to Kuching, Malaysia took about eight days and included a couple of nights of anchoring in shallow areas along the coast. Underway, we saw more boats than we have seen in awhile thanks to some narrow spots between islands that brought shipping traffic leaving or bound for Singapore into relatively close quarters.

Thankfully the AIS was spot on and we zigged a bit, and some of the supertankers zagged a bit, and everyone was happy.  But the AIS didn't help once we closed on the Borneo shore and encountered a lot of small fishing boats (we counted 49 boats in a one mile radius around us), most trawling the shallow water, but some with very hard-to-spot nets strung between the boats and shore.  These kept us on our toes, but were pretty easy to avoid as they were chugging along at only a knot or two.

Forgetting the cardinal rule: Do not make eye contact with the monkey.

The wind was flaky, but it was good enough to sail over half the time. The engines decided to misbehave a touch and Matt replaced a belt on the port engine (at 2 AM--it's always at 2 AM) and a bad relay on the starboard engine fuel pump. Compared to when we first bought the boat, these engine malfunctions are much less stressful. Matt and the engines have become like old friends (in a somewhat codependent relationship).

Edwin--not the biggest male but big enough for us.

Our first day in Kuching started out smoothly enough. We were anchored at the Santubong river, which was about a 40 minute drive outside of Kuching.  After we waited awhile at a bus stop (which turned out not to be serviced by any actual buses), a random Grab driver (the local version of Uber) came by and picked us up (since we had just arrived in the country, we didn't have a SIM card to hail one through Grab). The first order of business was to hit Customs, Immigration and the Harbor Master.  Checking in with the officials was a cake walk compared to Indonesia and only took a couple hours. 

Mama and baby

We headed to the Semenggoh Nature Reserve, an orangutan rehabilitation center where they release orangutans back into the wild but set up feeding stations to encourage them to return so tourists can see them. There is a big sign up front that says that because it is the fruiting season, there is no guarantee that the orangutans will come to the feeding stations. There are two feeding times and the morning group that day had not seen any. When the workers put out the food and called the orangutans (to us, it sounded kind of like a cross between a call to prayer and something from the Lion King), nothing happened for a long time and the waiting group of about 30 tourists started to get a little restless. 

Finally, we caught a glimpse of a mother with her small baby as she swung in and climbed down to the platform. She grabbed some bananas and climbed up to the safety of a nearby tree. Later we were able to see a big male from just a few feet away, as well as (possibly) his lady and her baby. It was thrilling to see these powerful and strangely human-like creatures so close, with no barriers.

#25 at Top Spot

Later, we walked around scenic Kuching and enjoyed dinner at TopSpot, where all the locals go (Trip Advisor is worth its weight in digital gold). There are independently-run stalls filled with fresh seafood, meat and vegetables, cooked to order. We ordered way too much food, gorged ourselves, and still had leftovers enough for two more meals. We were a little worried about how much the bill would be, but it turned out to be about $30 US (for a family of four). Everything was delicious but somehow most of the food ended up being fried (we knew the calamari and soft-shelled crab would be fried and that the sweet and sour chicken might, but didn't realize that the oyster pancake was also). The waiter asked us twice whether we wanted any vegetables. I think he was concerned for our health. We ordered some mushrooms and garlic-sautéed fiddleheads as an afterthought.

The giant oyster pancake was over a foot in diameter.

WARNING: This is where it gets a bit ugly. Skip the next two paragraphs if you are squeamish or if you will be eating anytime soon. After dinner, we decided to do some grocery shopping since the anchorage in Santubong is a bit far from the stores. While there, all the fried food from dinner started to do a number on my insides. There were toilets (even the kind with seats, not the Turkish toilets that are common). But like most of the toilets we have encountered in Malaysia so far, there was no toilet paper. Instead, there was a spray hose next to the toilet. I would have used it but there was no soap at the sink and it seemed a bit unsanitary so I decided to wait.

As it turns out, I should have used the toilets when I had the chance. The 40-minutes from Kuching to Santubong was the cab ride from hell as too much fried food fought its way out. When we got to our destination, let's just say I barely made it out of the taxi and into some nearby bushes. My underwear is still in those bushes along with about a pint of my blood in the bellies of the mosquitoes that live there. Did I mention it was raining?

Not a croc from the Santubong River, fortunately.
This guy lives at the Semeggoh Nature Reserve.

When we made it to the dinghy, it was about 9 p.m. and still raining, with mosquitoes galore swarming around us. Tired after a long day, all we wanted was to get back to the boat and into bed. That's when we found that low tide had put our dinghy, which had been left happily floating at the end of the dock, squarely on the ground, with the outboard propeller stuck in the thick mud. The muck under the dinghy was too squishy to stand on, and a probing oar seemed to meet with no resistance.

With low tide still an hour away, our choices were to wait several hours (in the rain with the mosquitoes) for the tide to come up or to try to figure out a way to get the dinghy floating. As if we needed more motivation, the greasy food was starting to affect Matt's system, too. After Conrad had bailed the water out of the dinghy (it was filled with gallons of water from a storm earlier that day), Matt decided to take the plunge and stepped off the dock into the muck. He sank down to his knees, but no further. Eventually, after one tense moment when he wasn't sure if he could dislodge one of his feet, he was able to push the dingy into the water and get the dinghy floating and everyone into it.

At least no crocodiles came by. The other boats from the rally had told us that a large crocodile had taken an adult or two within the last year or so (one of said adults was severed into two parts and his head found up the river). We were told that most of the large crocs were shot but later someone said that they had seen a small one across the river. So things could have been worse.

Still not sure exactly what this was. Something
palm-tree related.

Back at the boat, we saw a huge mountain of something caught on the bridle of our anchor chain. Matt dislodged a large clump of Nipa Palm and sent it on its way.

Later, when I mentioned that I shouldn't have foregone the bathroom at the store, Matt informed me that I actually did have toilet paper. It is the paper that I carry all the time in case of emergencies but apparently forgot about in my addled state. The boys, who were fine because they did not gorge themselves (yes, we are supposedly the adults), laughed at our weak constitutions.

We have joined up with the Malaysia rally and are headed to the next meet-up spot in Miri. At Pulau Lakei, the water is a bit clearer than in the river at Santubong. We even spotted some proboscis monkeys. 

The following pictures are from the Cultural Village in Santubong. Because this blog is many-faceted. We bring you both poop and culture.

Mark trying a blow dart gun. Practice makes better...

...but not quite ready to kill their own dinner.

Paradise Flying Snake. This guy was about the
diameter of a pencil and disconcertingly fast.

Reunited

My family on Perry.

My cousin Eugene and his new wife Rebecka just got married in Bali. They were kind enough to invite us and it became the perfect opportunity to see my parents and some extended family. We have many blessings in this life but being so far from family and friends that we have left behind is the biggest void in our lives.

Eugene, Rebecka and the Perry crew

The wedding itself was out of a fairy tale. It was centered around an infinity pool with waves crashing in the background and sparkling lights everywhere. The amount of labor involved was mind-boggling, including a very professional photography staff worth of a celebrity affair.

The minister conducted an entertaining ceremony and the wedding and reception were filled with humor and fun. You have to love a bride that doesn't take herself too seriously. Conrad and Mark pronounced their first wedding 'great', which is a pretty strong endorsement from boys their age.

My parents and Mark with Mt. Batur

Pura Tilta Empul--Holy Hindu pools

Tegallalang Rice Terraces

Kuta Beach is perfect for novice surfers

Before and after the wedding, we did some touring with my parents, including a trip to the Ubud and Kintamani area and a brief trip on Perry to Nusa Lembongan. Mostly though we hung around the pool at the Marriott, where my parents were staying, and enjoyed time with each other. Matt and my Dad managed to squeeze in a couple massages and we got plenty of beach time. Of course, to our boat kids, beaches are par for the course. A pool and Internet--now that was their idea of a treat. Then, way too quickly, it was time for my parents to head home. It is always hard to say good-bye.

A civet whose poop contains the precious Luwak coffee
beans. The caging of the animals probably defeats their
ability to select the best beans (which was kind of the whole point)

Beans covered in Luwak poop

This kid already loves coffee.

My Dad enjoying a nice cup of
poop coffee. Only the best.

After my parents left, we checked out of Indonesia. It only took a few hours, which is still a long time in many countries but less than half the time it has previously taken us in Indonesia. In southern Bali, all the officials are relatively close and only Customs wanted to visit the boat. Also, they are used to cruising boats. The only minor hiccup was the Hari Raya Puasa holiday (marking the end of Ramadan), which lasts over a week and means that most government offices are closed. We had to make an appointment with Immigration but were able to get our clearance papers and there were no overtime charges.

A parade for Kuningan, the Hindu holiday that just occurred.

In general, Bali is as advertised: beautiful seaside scenery, swarms of tourists, and crazy traffic (of the lanes-are-optional variety). Other than the swarming mopeds and disorganized traffic, Kuta resembles Miami. Even Darwin didn't have a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts (yes, we went there--shut up, we needed Boston Creams...for the children). Most Balinese seem very friendly (one taxi driver matter-of-factly informed us that Balinese people have to be nice because tourism is their main industry) and honest. We did encounter a few crooked money changers (they are wily--even after counting your money, you have to count it again if an underhanded changer as much as touches the pile).

And the monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest are seasoned thieves. One snatched my mother's water bottle, dropped it in the process of trying to open it with its teeth, and, screeching, bared its teeth at a woman who put her foot down to stop the rolling bottle. Overall, we enjoyed southern Bali for a limited time but are ready to escape the craziness. Next stop--Malaysia...

That's why they call it sailing...

The terrain of the Komodo islands is a bit desolate
during the dry season.

...and not getting places. Cause just getting places is easy.

Based on the wind predictions, we left Kupang in the late afternoon so we would get to Komodo during daylight hours after a couple of overnights.

Beach near Teddy's Bar in Kupang

But before we left, we got to try the famous local smoked pork (babi se'i). Which we found interesting as it was the first day of Ramadan. Indonesia may be the world's most populous Muslim country, but there are certainly non-Muslim pockets here and there. Kupang, for instance, is primarily Protestant. The smoked pork was super yummy as was the crispy pork belly.

Good pork or not, we were not sorry to leave Kupang because the anchorage continued to be uncomfortable the whole time we were there. A side swell originating from who-knows-where kept the boat rocking non-stop. Also, there is no good place to leave a dinghy. The beach near where we anchored goes completely awash at high tide and the next beach over is frequented by touts who demand a high price to "watch" your dingy. There were even some reports of dinghies being damaged if the "watching" fees weren't paid.  Luckily, a gentleman named Lambert lives on the beach and for a small fee will watch your dinghy, including taking it out to a mooring and swimming back in (which he manages pretty well considering he only has one functional leg).

With Kupang in the rear view mirror, we started on a nice downwind run with 7+ knots wing-on-wing (main triple-reefed again because the winds were strong once again). The strong winds lasted until the following day and we expected we would need to slow down in the evening to have a first light arrival.

Around dusk on the second day the winds started to moderate.  Forget about slowing down, it was looking like we might be in for a late morning arrival. Finally, after losing even more steam, the wind went completely AWOL in the evening and died. From 25 knots to nothing in the span of about 4 hours. Because the waves were still up and banging the sails around, we turned on an engine and motored until the wind decided to reappear a few hours later and picked up to a brisk pace that got us to Komodo in the early morning after all. We picked up a mooring (made challenging by the howling wind) and the wind has been blowing like stink ever since.

On the plus side, we saw our dragons. When Matt was little, he saw Komodo dragons on Wild Kingdom (the original one with Marlin Perkins--yes, we are old: there aren't reading glasses everywhere on our boat for nothing). He was very disappointed to learn that they were on the opposite side of the world because it seemed impossible that he'd ever get to see one in real life. And yet here we are. So touching--excuse me, I have something in my eye.

Do they look nervous? Yes, yes they do.

But for real, Komodo dragons are very cool, in large part because you know they could kill you with one bite (in the absence of good medical care, which around here is scarce). We stayed in our dinghy when these guys came swaggering out of the undergrowth at the sound of the engine ('Um, Dad, maybe we should back the dinghy up...' was heard more than once). Anyway, they are huge, menacing and prehistoric-looking. The non-stop drooling and tongue flicking doesn't make them look like puppy dogs, either. And it turns out that they can swim, which we didn't realize until we read more about them later because they gingerly avoided the water's edge like they didn't want to get wet. Fortunately they hadn't felt like spanning the three feet of water between us.

It's crowded here. Two Phinisis tied to the back
of our moored boat.

Fast and hard or slow and easy?

Matt and I sometimes talk about whether we would prefer fast and hard or slow and easy (Talking passages here. What did you think I meant?). What we got for a passage from Darwin to Kupang was fast, hard and a bit uncomfortable. The wind prediction wasn't wrong per se. There was just a lot more of everything.

The direction was downwind, so that part was good. We were wing-on-wing pretty much the whole way (our whisker pole has certainly earned its keep). The speed was much higher than predicted, reading 30 knots apparent on our instruments. The waves also couldn't make up their mind. We spent a lot of the voyage on a relatively shallow shelf that extends a long way out from Darwin and seemed to make the seas confused. We had 8-foot waves hitting us every which way.

It felt like we were in the heavy-duty wash cycle on a washing machine, with a little less water and more banging with what felt like a giant sledgehammer on the bottom of the boat. But what we lacked in comfort, we made up for in speed. We averaged over 7 knots the whole trip (even with a double-reefed main and jib) and at one point we saw 17.5 knots as we surfed down one wave.

As we got closer to Kupang, we started to slow down the boat so as not to arrive in the middle of the night. We triple-reefed the main and put out a tiny scrap of head sail for stability. The wind responded by picking up and we continued to go over 7 knots. We finally took down all the sails and the boat finally slowed down to 5 knots. It is amazing to me that the boat could go that fast with no engine or sails.

Even after slowing down, it was dark when we reached the channel. It's a big, wide open channel but we were worried about FADs and unlit bagans. However, we didn't have a lot of options, so we turned on the radar and made our way forward, keeping a close watch on the water. There was no moon but the lights from the city helped and we had a big spotlight. Other than a couple fishing floats with tiny flashing lights that were towards the edges of the channel, we didn't see anything. The easy to see bagans were lit up like Christmas trees and were anchored along the side of the channel.

We finally made it to the anchorage. We didn't get the nice calm conditions we were hoping for and are rocking and rolling as we speak. But a good night's rest cures a lot of ills. We spent yesterday checking in (we have found that checking into or out of Indonesia takes a whole day). You have to take taxis to navigate the process in sprawling Kupang, so there were many taxi rides to Immigration, Quarantine, Customs, and the Port Captain. Quarantine and Customs also wanted to visit the boat, which meant more travel back and forth (they couldn't go at the same time, of course--there's a process). Quarantine got to the beach where we had our dinghy, looked at the waves and wind and our boat bobbing around and decided not to actually go on the boat ('tidak mau'--Bahasa Indonesian for 'don't want').

Kupang is the biggest Indonesian city we have visited so far. It is packed full of people, cars, ojeks, and merchandise. Charming, no, but there is an energy and at least an effort to keep garbage off the streets. Plus, we saw a troop of monkeys crossing the street (they live in a nearby cave). Matt's busy reinstalling the port rudder quadrant, which came loose during the passage (that's what that banging noise was...). And thus start the, 'If we were in Darwin, this would be so much easier' conversations. We'll leave soon for Komodo. There be dragons.

Ooroo Australia

Apparently Ooroo or Hooroo is Aussie slang for goodbye. I haven't actually heard anyone here say it though. G'day, on the other hand, is common. And 'mate'. That part is satisfying, as is the occasional sight of a man (usually an older gentleman) dressed in a Crocodile Dundee hat, safari shirt, and very short shorts. It reminds me that I'm in Australia and not the U.S.

Just when we're getting the rhythm of the way people talk here, it's time to go. We sold our car (we did much better this time by not wrecking it at the last moment like we did the one in New Zealand). We've checked the engines and performed a myriad of last minute fixes (such as unwrapping a huge tangle in the anchor chain caused by a broken shackle, bleeding air from the fuel line, and fixing the stop solenoid).

Our boat is again stuffed with First World provisions, including a freezer full of meat. Matt had to bleed some coolant from the freezer, re-add some, and then bleed it again to get it back to its old self. On the plus side, messing around with refrigeration is one more aspect of boat life that he's become comfortable with. The last few trips to the store to pick up specific supplies also devolved into the familiar "oh, maybe we need just one or two more of [take your pick]."  And that's how we now have enough tortilla chips and Whittaker's chocolate bars to last a lifetime or two.

Part of our check-out procedure with the Australian Border Force involved handing over a big stack of receipts. Australia is one of the few places that make it relatively easy to get back local taxes paid by tourists for purchases made within the 60 days before departure. Of course, some countries make it even easier by not charging visiting yachts the tax in the first place (at least on yacht-related purchases).

Hopefully this tax refund will help to defray some of the massive bleed out of funds from our bank account. Unfortunately we couldn't get back all that we paid since some of the parts we had imported were over $1000, had a 10% import tax imposed, and there is no way to recoup it (we paid several hundred dollars just in taxes to bring in our engine radiator assembly). I feel sorry for the poor Border Force representative that has to enter all the amounts though.

We're headed for Kupang, Indonesia to check-in. It should take us 3 or 4 days of sailing to get there. The forecasts predict a pleasant downwind sail. So we are hoping for a gentle transition to getting our sea legs back. Obviously, our weather and sea condition predictions are never inaccurate. As our friend Mark (previously of Amelie IV) used to say, 'What could go wrong?'

Back in the wattah

Perry with nifty new shades done by
our friend Rachel. The old ones were disintegrating.

Perry is back in the water. After a fitful night of sleep with rabid nooseeums attacking and the noise of the boat lift groaning at random intervals, we got up bright and early to be launched at high tide.

Our new strut and shaft decked out
in PropOne antifoul 

We got the rudder back in place the night before, which is why we spent the night in the lift. We are still floating and the port engine seems to be running well (knock on teak). We plan to do a shakedown cruise in the area before leaving for Indonesia.

Because it is so like the US here in many ways, we sometimes forget that Australia is actually a much smaller country in population. Like small enough where the national news broadcast on the radio does a traffic report for the ENTIRE country.

We managed to visit Kakadu National Park, which was a very long drive to do in just one day, but well worth it. We swam in beautiful waterfall pools (that had just opened the day before after being closed for the season) and saw interesting Aboriginal rock art that is thousands of years old. We finished out the day with dinner at the Mindl Beach Sunset Market. It is the place to be on a Thursday or Sunday evening. There were food stalls with almost anything you would want, craft vendors, and street performers.

Lightning Man (on the right)

We have mint again. Mojitos anyone?

Watcha doin'?

Our new strut/P-bracket

Since we arrived back in Darwin after our awesome road trip, we have been busy trying to get through our checklist of boat fixes. Matt's been making impressive progress on the 'Big 3' Projects that we need to get done while out of the water. He is also sweating an impressive amount (as are we all). Warning, boring boat work blah blah blah ahead.

Our new counter top (not even one of the
'Big 3' but it had to be done)

The critical projects were/are:

1. Replacing the bent/broken strut and remounting the engine.
2. Replacing the windlass.
3. Repairing the generator engine.

Old windlass carcass. Rest in pieces.

New windlass--ooh, aah

Let's start with the one that is done. The windlass has been replaced but it was more complicated than we expected. Of all the boat work we have done over the years, 99% of it seems to be more complicated than expected. Just getting the old one off was a chore. We were hoping to simply replace the seized bearing that was causing the grief, but getting to the bearing proved impossible.  The entire upper unit had basically corroded itself into one single piece--no amount of heat or penetrant would get the lock-nut to move. In the end it literally had to be sawed in half to get it out. 

OK, out with the old, in with the new! We purchased a newer version of our old Lofrans windlass specifically because it is supposedly a 'drop-in replacement'. Our definition of 'drop-in' is a bit different from the manufacturer's. The holes for the four bolts that hold the windlass in place line up, so that's good...but that's about it.

New windlass base that Matt had to fabricate and
drill and epoxy and paint

Everything else was different: the way the wiring is routed (requiring new, longer wiring to reach the motor), the footprint of the windlass (requiring a new, bigger base and another hole or two), and the profile of the windlass (requiring that we grind out the lid--that one was easy). Also during the process, which involved Matt pretzeling himself into the tiny anchor locker with a big comfy pile of chain to sit on, the up and down buttons decided to stop working. So we got to add rewiring the buttons into the mix. Anyway, we have a new and improved windlass and can go back to anchoring in deep water without holding our collective breaths. Anyway, now we're selling a perfectly good windlass motor that we don't need anymore.

The next big project and the whole reason we're in Australia, was repairing the mayhem caused by that Indonesian log. Speaking of holes (sorry, we're doing homonyms in school), this is the hole that the strut came out of. The original strut was fiber-glassed into place with a ton of epoxy and fiberglass, unlike being bolted on as with some boats. It is very strong but also not so easy to replace.

We found a strut that looked mostly like our old strut and the various measurements seemed pretty much the same. Since the supplier is in England, we couldn't easily compare the two, so we ordered the new one and took our chances. The new strut is very similar but just a bit bigger...unfortunately different enough that the existing hole in our boat needed to be ground out by a few millimeters. Normally this would be no big deal with a grinder, but the hole is small and enough and deep enough that you can't get a grinder in there.  Matt spent several days covered in a cloud of fiberglass dust as he ground out the hole (by hand mostly) bit-by-bit to Goldilocks proportions (not too small, not too big).

Same hole from inside the boat ('the top')

 After getting the hole to the right size and cleaning it up, Matt, with Conrad and my help, got the strut into place (lining it up with the new propeller shaft we had made along with a special collar to help with alignment) and re-glassed the whole thing. The fiberglass skills he honed throughout the islands came in handy.

Matt doing more boat yoga.

Voila! A newly glassed in strut. And
a really grody toe. Pedicure time...

So for that part of the project--yay! The part involving re-seating the engine is in progress. Matt had to harass the metal fabrication guy (both before we left and after we got back) to get the engine brackets done. After two months of having the specs, he finally delivered brackets that, of course, are not exactly right. Right now, Matt is in the engine compartment, swearing a lot, while the engine is suspended from the boom over the hatch in Conrad's cabin.

Finally, that brings us to the generator. As usual, the project turned out to be a bigger deal than we originally expected and we had to pull the whole thing out of the engine compartment to allow the mechanic to work on it. The thing weighs hundreds of pounds and is wedged into a tiny area. Miraculously, we were able to get it out with the help of the trusty boom, a large amount of pulleys and only minor injuries.

The generator mechanic finished work on it while we were away. He actually called us to say it was done (you don't know how rare we have found that here). It turns out that the seal that Rudy said was okay actually did need to be replaced. The fly in the ointment was a new drip tray we were having fabricated. It took over a month and lots nagging for the fabricator to finally get it done (are you seeing a pattern here?). Now we just need to put it in and hook it up, which I'm expecting will be pretty straightforward. You can predict how this will turn out.

The Spectacular Jumping Crocodile
Tour was spectacular