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

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

She's One!

Our tiny little wonder isn't so tiny.  She has changed by leaps and bounds over the past year.  From a tiny six-pounder to this bruiser of a toddler.  She is going a million miles an hour and climbing out of the cockpit already!  Everything they say about time fleeting when you have children is true.  We celebrated Dylan Claire's special day in Lombok, Indonesia.  This little girl has covered a lot of miles since we left Brisbane last April. 

Indonesia

Kupang Harbor

We have been in Indonesia for one week, following an uneventful three night passage from Darwin, Australia.  The winds were light, but we still had plenty to sail most of the 450 miles to Kupang, Indonesia. With our diesel tanks full, we arrived in Kupang in the early afternoon.  Dropping the hook amongst fifty or so other rally boats we gathered our paperwork together for check in.  At this time, the VHF radio was humming.  It seemed that some boats had been waiting hours for the officials to show and there was no first come first served here in Indonesia.  Officials were now being ferried between boats by cruisers themselves to make sure they did not get skipped.  Mark quickly offloaded the dinghy and lingered at a nearby boat.  Soon after he arrived with three officials and we were soon cleared for going to shore.  On shore we would finish the real check in process which included a very hot room with literally thousands of sheets of paper.  There was a lot of smiling, stamping , and handing over many many copies of our documents.  With about thirty snaps of Dylan Claire, were fully matriculated into the country.  I must back up and say that we have heard babies, especially the Western variety are popular in Indonesia.  Well that was an understatement! When the officials came on board they collected the documents they needed and then spent the next five minutes asking questions about and taking photos of Dylan.  This continues on shore as we are followed around like Elvis.  I fend off so she doesn’t get pinched.  She is attached to me in the trusty Ergo carrier.  When she is out of the baby carrier there is always someone with their arms out-stretched trying to get a cuddle. 

After we got checked in, it was time to take a breath and try the local Bintang beer.  An open air bar just off the main beach is the cruisers hang-out and rally headquarters.  The first night, although we were all bleary-eyed from sleeping very little we attended the first of two gala dinners hosted by the city of Kupang.  A lot of speeches in Bahasa (the local language), some dancing and a buffet of mysterious food and we were off to Scholarship to get rested up.  We spent the next few days exploring the town, visiting with cruisers and locals alike and getting our phone and internet (slower than dial up) sorted out.  On day six we set off for our first Indonesian passage 105 miles north to Lomblen Island.  The rally festivities will begin in a few days so we are spending a few quiet days in an anchorage around the corner from the village of Lembata.  We will venture there in the morning where we will anchor in sight of a steaming volcano. 

Cold Bintang Beer

happy officials

the politicians

Kupang school girls

baby sunset with Fearless and Wandoo

Great Barrier Reef

While at Lizard Island we took the opportunity to day trip out to the outer reef with friends on their yacht, S/V Fearless.  Just when you think the water couldn't get any clearer, it did, with over 100 foot visibility. After a two hour motor sail, we picked up a mooring ball on the outer reef complete with two welcoming five foot reef sharks circling under the boat.   Included here are a few photos of the underwater delights we saw that day captured by one of the Fearless crew members, Brett, with his underwater camera. A few days later Brett would use the same camera to bop a shark on the nose that came in a bit too close for comfort.

Lizard Island

Lizard Island was the venue for several momentous occasions during the week-long stay.  It was Liz’s birthday which we celebrated on the beach with ten or so other boats. The warmth and variety of gifts she received that evening was a true testament to the ingenious and artistic nature of all those travelers who helped fete her on her special day. Lizard Island will also go down in the "lesser" history books as the place where Dylan cut her first two teeth making her Dentist daddy one proud fellow.

birthday party on the beach

Scholarship in Watson's Bay

Lizard of thee island ( a species of Goana)

Captain Cook did not anchor here, but he did sail the Endeavors' pinnace out from the headland to look for the way out of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Oh the heaviness of heart that must have beat within his chest as he scaled the 500 meter peak (which now bears his name), to look for a break in the seemingly endless trap of shoal waters. The view for us, however, was fantastic but only because we have charts, chart plotters and GPS's out the nose!  The hike was on a mercifully cloudy day.  Dylan even fell asleep in her queen’s conveyance or baby backpack while I tried to tip toe down rocky crags and bushy heath. The anchorage was the first clear waters we've seen since New Caledonia (over two years distant) and the reefs bordering the island were full of surprises. You've seen those giant clam shells in curio/ shell shops all around Florida and Mexico.  Never have I seen a live one, not to mention thirty or more. Gigantic clams the breadth of my arms with colors unimaginable pulsing on the quivering fleshy borders of those undulating shells. 

enjoying the view from on top

amazing reef snorkeling was just a short swim from the boat

giant clam

Lizard Island, made famous by that intrepid fearless pioneering sailor who blazed the path for future generations to follow in her footsteps, cutting teeth and swallowing sand, oh and also a bit by that Captain Cook fellow...

our little captain

.

Over the Top

I am always writing blogs in my head.  It's finding the time to get them down on "paper" that is the problem.  There is also my compulsion to do things in chronological order. I try and and organize all the photos as we travel and write about them accordingly.  Today I am turning over a new leaf and writing about what is happening today.  It is Thursday night in Cairns, Australia.  Outside it's raining lightly as it has for the last two weeks.  Inside, Dylan is asleep in her bunk (scratch that, she is up and continues to be even after fourteen times through "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things) and Mark is in the kitchen making crustinis for our trip.  Well he was , he is  actually finished now and is trying to calm little DC back to dreamland.  You can see why getting these blogs written has got more complicated. We have been in the Marlin Marina for almost two weeks.  The marina is located in the heart of the city and we only need step off the boat to be right in the middle of everything.  The gorgeous Woolies supermarket is just two blocks away and the truck comes in the morning to collect wayward shopping carts so no worries about bringing our trolley right to boat.  We have ticked many things off our too do list, met lots of cruisers who are also heading north and gotten lots of walks in.  I can't imagine having waited through two weeks of rain without a marina berth.  It is very hard to get motivated to get in the dinghy in the pouring rain with a wiggly eight-month-old. 
From here we will sail to Darwin which is 1000 miles or so from here.  After we leave Cairns we will not see another town until we round Cape York.  We will be sailing near the Great Barrier Reef which closes with shore as we head north making navigation a bit more tenuous.  We will make stops at various capes and islets and the famed Lizard Island but we will be out there hanging off the edge of the world as we make our way to the top of Australia.  It will take us about three weeks to reach Darwin.  See you in the Northern Terri-tree (as they pronounce it) mate.  Below, a few pictures from our trip since Hamilton Island. 

Picnic Bay, Magnetic Island

Our first Mother's Day, Magnetic Island

Dylan on her way to town for some groceries

Preening rock wallabies, these guys live in the rocks at the marina breakwater