Sunday, October 28, 2012

Keep a Watch On Deck

another behemoth ship
DC gets ready for some pool time at Raffles Marina
The Raffles Marina brochure reminds you to keep a watch on deck while in Singapore waters.  As the busiest port in the world, there is said to be a huge tanker every twelve minutes.   If you ask Mark he might say there are more.  It was a hectic trip but we made good time. We arrived four days ago after a thirty-nine mile jaunt from Nongsa Point Marina on the island of Batam at the tippy-top of Indonesia.  We spent a week at Nongsa Point fixing our steering which we found out wasn't a steering issue, but an auto-pilot one and relaxing by the pool.  We find ourselves in Singapore for two weeks of sightseeing and draining the cruising kitty.  Man it's expensive here. This is saying something after having just spent two plus year in exorbitant Oz.  But with the philosophy of, "hey when are we gonna be in Singapore again?",we are having a great time! 
the Raffles Marina pool did not disappoint

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Bali to Batam

Dylan and Daddy heading off for a play date on s/v Wandoo

Fishing hut, Kuriman Jawa
Let's face it, October was kind of a slog.  We left Bali in early October and spent almost three weeks just making the miles to reach the top of Indonesia.  Long HOT motoring and a few over-nighters.  This is the not the fun part of cruising but it is necessary if you ever want to get anywhere! We did cross the equator for the first time since 2007.  Great to be back on our side of the world.  Our destination was Nongsa Point Marina on Batam Island.  This is where we would check out of Indonesia and head onward to Singapore.  Below, a few pictures from the trip.
Friendly Indonesians, Kuriman Jawa
slim pickins' at the market
white and sandy
swimming at Belitung Island
Liz and Bev beating the heat
We made time for a play date on Scholarship, these girls are very busy
Mark sails his "Eliza Frasier" at Nongsa Point
DC dolled up for Sunday lunch at Nongsa Point