2^nd May 2026 – Batanta Island - Secluded Anchorages, Islands and Manta Rays

In the end we spent a couple of days at Ayemi Island.  It was a nice spot with a reef which we had a look around but again there was too much garbage floating around which kind of spoiled the location.  It depends on the tides and the local currents as to how much garbage you see.

While we were here I took the opportunity to put on one of the scuba tanks we have onboard and once the tidal current relented, to go in and clean the hull from a fairly decent covering of barnacles which had been there since Darwin.  Luckily they come off pretty easily with just a hand scraper, however, to do the whole of the hull plus all the appurtenances takes a good hour. 

The next morning (Friday 24^th April) we decided to push on to the North side of the Batanta Island.  We went to retrieve the anchor and after recovering about 10m of chain the windlass stalled and nothing we could do would dislodge the chain.  Clearly we were snagged on something.  It is one of the many anchoring perils here – you anchor and put out sufficient chain to hold you, (typically three times the water depth), but then as the tide and currents swing the boat about the chain is dragged around the seabed and can get wrapped around coral or rock bommies on the seabed.  We were in 15m of water which is too deep for me to free dive so I put the tank back on and went in.  The chain as suspected was wrapped securely around a coral head.  Once you can see it, it is relatively easy to unwrap  it and then recover the remaining chain and anchor but without the ability to dive we would have been in a real fix.

Batanta Island forms the southern side of the Dampier Strait, the body of water running through Raja Ampat and named after the English buccaneer William Dampier who sailed here in 1699.  The north side of the Strait is bordered by the island of Gam/Waigeo.

Batanta is roughly 30miles long running east/west and about 5 miles wide.  It is densely wooded/jungle and the terrain consists of a ridge of high hills running along the length of the island and attaining a maximum height of 1180m.  The hills fall steeply to the shore on all sides and the seabed rises just as steeply for most of the coastline.  As far as I can tell, there are no roads and very little in the way of infrastructure.  All transportation to and from the island is via speedboat.  The northern shore is riven by short fjord like bays and there are some islands offshore.

We started in a secluded bay at the NE just around the corner from our last anchorage which we had been told about by an Australian couple we had met.  Even though it was a short transit we threw a line in and managed to catch a decent sized fish – unfortunately it was a barracuda which we threw back as I have a dread of ciguatera - a toxin that builds up in reef fish and which causes really serious effect on humans if ingested.  The bay we ended up in was completely secluded.  We anchored up and took a line to shore secured to a tree to hold the boat in position about 10m from shore.  The bay looked a little croccy so there was not much in the way of swimming but we had a look around in the dingy and generally relaxed onboard.  It is so peaceful with no noise and no one about.  We had a couple of really heavy falls of rain during which I introduced Nicole to Sea Otters’ outdoor shower.

Secluded Bay on Batanta

After a couple of days we headed offshore to a group of three small islands approx. 5 NM off the coast in the Dampier Strait one of which disappears at high tide.  We anchored off the north side of Palau Tapok and essentially had the island to ourselves.  There were a couple of visits from day tourists but they did not last long and we had the islands to ourselves at night.  It’s a spectacular setting – small white sand islands with minimal shrubbery and a couple of small trees clinging to the surface backed by the turquoise waters of the Strait and the green skyline of the main island beyond.  The anchoring is marginal at times but given the general benign weather patterns its usually safe enough.  We spent the days swimming, snorkeling, lounging around the boat and dreaming up ever more interesting dinner concoctions using the same ingredients that we have onboard,

Palau Tapok

Next stop was back on the main island of Batanta and down one of the fjords.  We anchored in a relatively small bay and went ashore to a small wooden jetty located up a mangrove lines creek.  From there a path took us through the mangrove swamps and into the forests where there was a waterfall.  Diving into cool fresh water after so long on the boat and swimming in salt water was an absolute treat.  Again we were the only ones there.  We stayed for a while enjoying a number of dips and then returned to the boat.  The bay where we had anchored looked like it might get a bit buggy so we moved to anchor off a small village with a big church called Yensawi about 3NM away. 

Making our way to the waterfall

Batanta Waterfall

At Yensawi we put the anchor down on a steep slope in approximately 10m of water.  As we swung in the tide we went from 5m water depth to 28m.  The situation was not comfortable and so we moved just before sunset to another location which was marginally better.  That night around midnight I was awakened by the grating of the chain which signalled the anchor moving.  I got up and when I got on deck was horrified to see that we had dragged and were now bow onto a pontoon which was moored in the bay.  All hands were called and we proceeded to recover the anchor and back away from the pontoon.  Luckily our anchor did not foul the pontoon mooring which could have made the situation a whole lot worse.

We motored out into the bay to get some room and then rather than try and anchor again we shut off the engine to drift.  The plan had been to head west towards a place called Palau Dayang about 13Nm away in the morning.  Given where we were, we decided to just drift through the night and let the currents push us towards our destination.  There was some wind and so we put up sails and made a comfortable average 2.0kts – 2.5kts towards our destination throughout the night and during which Nik also baked some fresh bread.

Palau Dayang Homestay

The reason for coming to Palau Dayang was because it is a recognized cleaning station for manta rays. There is a channel between two islands and the mantas swim down the channel and cavort in the bay.  It’s a beautiful spot with a couple of homestays located around the periphery.  Homestays are local low key holiday accommodation usually comprising a few simple thatch huts built over the water which offer diving and other excursions.  They seem to be quite minimalist and rage from a couple to a dozen huts.  If you want to see Raja Ampat you either stay in one of these or join a liveaboard boat.

We anchored up and then visited the nearest homestay to say hello and to confirm that we could join them for dinner that evening.  There were only two other guests and they were happy to accommodate us.  Next we jumped into the water and started looking for the mantas which had been spotted earlier.  After an hour or two with no luck we called it a day.  That night we had a delightful dinner of fresh fish (speared that afternoon) with rice, salad and other veggies at the homestay and chatted to an American couple who were staying there.

Next morning we watched the mantas splashing about from the boat but once again when we got in the water we did not see them – this time we even had a local guide with us!  We resolved to get into the water earlier and so the next day at 0730 we were again in the water looking for the elusive mantas.  We had seen one from the dingy as were drove to the site but alas again there was no joy seeing them in the water.  There are a number of places where mantas are common in Raja Ampat so hopefully we will still get a chance to see them in the water.

Our timetable at the moment is dominated by an appointment with the Indonesian Immigration Authorities.  I have to renew my C1 visa which means a trip to the nearest immigration office which is in Sorong.  The date of the appointment is May 6th.  We have decided to put the boat into a marina for a few days in a place called Waisai which is on the island of Waigeo across the strait from Sorong.  We can then take a fast ferry to Sorong and save us the transit across the strait in Sea Otter.  Waisai is about 25NM away from Palau Dayang and so on Friday (1st May) we started back towards Waisai.  To break the journey we pulled in at the island of Kri and picked up a mooring off one of the resorts which allowed us to go ashore and enjoy a couple of beers on their deck in the evening.

We plan to have one more stop before Waisai and arrive at the marina on Tuesday 5th May.

 

23^rd April 2026 – At last we arrive at the first Raja

As predicted this post is from the first Raja.  Raja Ampat means four kings and relates to the four main islands which are Batanta, Waigeo, Kofiau and Misool.  We dropped anchor off Batanta yesterday afternoon behind an island in the middle of a large bay.

The last week has been a bit busy.  I went into the Tampa Garam Marina as planned on Thursday.  As mentioned, it is very basic.  I believe it was originally built as a kind of resort and not a marina.  The marina basin was not built for yachts but as some kind of seawater type park which activities could be used for different activities.  The basin is ringed with chalets and there is a large central building at the end on the other side of which is the biggest fresh water pool I have seen.  All around there are remnants of theme park paraphernalia, a flying fox, pedalos cabanas, etc, all in an advanced state of decay.  Surprisingly the pool looks immaculate but unfortunately is only luke warm.  An enterprising guy here in Sorong called Wick Alliston has leased the basin and provides the marina services along with his other businesses.

Tampa Garam Marina

The amount of rubbish in the marina depends on tidal flow, rains etc, and the day I came in it was particularly bad.  I was really worried about getting garbage into the cooling water intake.  The marina wall is crumbling away so you “med moor” stern to i.e. come in and drop the anchor and then reverse onto the marina wall and lay out two stern lines.  You then need to use the dingy to get to and from the shore.  There were probably about a dozen boats already in the marina when I arrived.

The first task was to refuel.  If you want high spec diesel the only way to do this is by taking jerry cans to the normal filling stations in town.  Given I was after 250litres that was 13 x 20litre jerry cans.  Luckily Wick apart from being an extremely nice guy and helpful also knows his way around this place.  He put me in touch with a driver called Pak Berty and loaned me the jerry cans then it was off to the ATM to get cash, then to the filling station, filling all the cans, back to the boat, unload the cans into the dingy, ferry to Sea Otter, unload onto Sea Otter, empty into the vessel fuel tanks and then shuttle all the containers back to shore.  All in all it was about a three to four hour process all done in pretty hot conditions.

The next day after a very hot night I hired a driver called Pak Nedy and we went to numerous stores around town to complete the provisioning of all the non-perishable foods.  I also had to buy some alcohol for the next part of the trip.  When its just me onboard I do not generally worry about alcohol but once there is two of you its sometimes nice to have a beer or two or a glass of wine.  That night, an Australian couple on a boat near me came over so I could pick their brains on anchorages.  They have been in Indonesia for almost a year and so had a lot of useful information.  One bit of local knowledge was that one of the smaller but iconic islands called Wayag is closed.  It seems the government closed a nickel mine nearby which upset the locals who have taken to hurling rocks at any visiting boats.

Given that I had completed the fuelling and provisioning and that it was very hot staying in the marina, not to mention the garbage, I decided to leave the next morning (Saturday).  I slipped the moorings, retrieved the anchor and went to anchor just outside the marina for the afternoon and night.  It was a relief to get a cooling breeze across the deck.  Next day I motored down to Sorong and picked up Nicole from the airport and got her stowed away onboard.  We treated ourselves to a pizza and beer ashore for dinner.

Fishing Boats at Sorong

We were off early morning with our driver Iky to stock up on fresh food and to clear out with the local quarantine office.  Iky took us to some really interesting fresh produce markets, helped us buy eggs and, after a quick stop at the supermarket, we were back onboard ready to depart Sorong……again.

 

Nik in her element

The days destination was Yefman Island approx. 8NM away which we made by mid-afternoon.  We anchored in a protected small bay where there was a settlement onshore and a jetty.  The idea was to relax here for a couple of days before pushing on to Batanta.  Whilst we did stay for a couple of days most of the time was spent pulling the watermaker apart.  The HP pump of the unit has sheared some bolts so I had to remove the pump unit and the membrane housing.  We toyed with the idea of returning to Sorong to get it fixed but in the end decided to push on, be careful with our water use and start catching rain water.  Luckily the boat has water tanks with over 400litres capacity so we should be OK.

Sea Otter Anchored Off Yefman Island

I did manage a wander on the island to look at some old WWII Japanese bunkers on the beach and some crazy rock formations.  Back at the boat we had a visit from a two local kids who brought us a couple of coconuts and I regaled them with knot tying demonstrations.

Wyner - our local visitor

The next day (Wednesday) we crossed the 15Nm to Batanta managing to sail for half the time.  The lack of wind here means that there will be an inordinate amount of motoring to be done but given the difficulties of obtaining fuel we will sail wherever possible.  We headed for a large bay called Teluk Marchesa with Ayemi island sitting in the middle fringed by reef.  Its getting more and more peaceful the further we get from Sorong however unfortunately there is still a lot of garbage in the water.  The bay is lined with hills covered in dense forest/jungle.  There are a couple of small settlements and a few pearl farms strung out in the water.  The only noise is the lapping of the water and occasional small boat going past and in the morning the pretty loud calls of the forest birds.  We will hang here for a couple of days and have a look around before pushing on to the north side of Batanta.

 

 14^th April 2026 – In and Out of Sorong

Last blog was almost a couple of weeks ago but there really has not been that much going on as I wait for Nik to arrive.

I managed to hold out in the peace and quiet of Matan island until Wednesday the 9^th April then decided to make the move into Sorong.  It was an easy 3hr motor across to Sorong and I was anchored up by late afternoon just off the main harbour.  First impressions is its very busy, noisy with a lot of trash in the water, making for an altogether unattractive destination but I was determined to give it a go. There was one other yacht also anchored up and I went across to get some local information from them. 

Sorong is the principal town in Western Papua with a population of over 250,000.  Apart from being the jump off point for the Raja Ampat tourist scene it is also an administrative centre for the region and logistics hub for the oil and gas industries operating in the vicinity.  As with most of these places there is a major road running parallel with the coast which most shops and businesses are located on.  The waterfront area has businesses all the way along it from major logistics operations such as a container terminal, fuel receiving terminal, a general freight wharf and a ferry wharf. In between these are a myriad of smaller waterfront service businesses.  All day long and into the night vessels are moving around either arriving/departing the port/anchorage or servicing vessels at anchor or zipping between Sorong and the settlements on the nearby islands.

There is a mooring area further out in deeper water and that is used by all the “live aboards” – a term for the Raja Ampat tourist charter vessels which are mainly decked out Phinisi’s (traditional local vessels) with a couple of modern small diving charter vessels.  There must be around thirty of them at anchor so am assuming this is the off season.

Phinisi "live aboard" vessels anchored off Sorong

I stayed onboard for the first night and then headed out mid-morning the next day.  My objective was to get some food and to get some laundry done.  First stop was directly opposite the anchorage where there were a few wooden shacks and a landing area.  Here I found a laundry service run by a lovely lady by the name of Elka who promised to have the washing done by Saturday.  After that I pressed on into town and had a look around.  The town is typical Indonesian i.e. infrastructure crumbling away, lots of Gojeks and minibuses whizzing around, stray dogs and cats wandering about, churches and mosques dotted here and there and litter everywhere.  Given the size of the place I believe you could get most of what you need here.  There is a big supermarket called Saga which stocks all food items – there are ATM’s (limit of Rph 1,000,000 or AUD90!) and a number of hardware / marine stores.  There are a couple of malls and all the other normal shops you would expect in a decent sized city.

One thing that I have found wherever I have gone ashore is how friendly the locals are – always smiling at you and eager to help.

I loaded up on some fresh food and a six pack of beer and then headed back to the boat.  That night I took the dingy into a boat landing near the commercial jetty where there was a restaurant and had the first dinner I have not had to cook for about six weeks.

Remu River in Sorong

The next few days I took care of a number of issues.  I had to get park passes for the vessel and for Nik and I.  Whilst it was pretty straight forward there are always some issues which means it invariably takes longer than expected.  After visiting the park office I eventually completed the application and payment online but had to re-visit the office to get our passes.  I also went out and hunted down 150m of rope plus chafe protection which we will need to moor the boat in some of the more deeper anchorages in the islands.  I made arrangements to fuel up which is a bit of an exercise here - primarily they supply whats called bio diesel which is diesel containing 30% palm oil.  It can be used but there are issues with moisture.  For proper diesel you need to visit a filling station - more on this later.  The biggest highlight was the pick up of my laundry.  Its amazing that at home the washing machine runs two or three times a week whereas here I get laundry done once every few weeks - admittedly due to the weather the amount of clothing you wear is pretty minimal.

The anchorage location was wearing a bit thin by the end of the weekend.  The constant stream of traffic around the boat which has no concept of a “no wake” zone makes it a rather lumpy experience plus the amount of garbage flowing past the boat was really disgusting.  There is a very basic marina about 3NM to the north, and I have decided I will put Sea Otter in there for a few days around the time Nik arrives.  This will be quieter, cleaner and should be quite efficient to fuel up the boat and carry out the last shop before heading to the islands.

I made a final run into town on Tuesday during which time the outboard propellor was fouled by a used disposable nappy – which just reinforced my decision to leave Sorong.  So Tuesday mid-morning I retrieved the anchor and moved three miles up the coast to a spot which seems very pleasant even if I am anchored off a small shipyard.  There is very little traffic, almost no garbage and only a gentle swell rocking the boat.  I will look to go into the marina on Thursday 16^th April and then Nik arrives Sunday 19th. 

Fingers crossed the next post will be from Raja Ampat.

2^nd April 2026 - Arrival in Raja Ampat Area

I had just finished my morning coffee when I heard shouts near the boat.  I came up on deck to see a local craft with two older women in it paddling in towards Sea Otter.  I could see fishing equipment in the boat and thought “Great they are coming to sell me some fish”.  Once alongside however it became clear that rather than a bit of trade this was a shakedown for some anchoring fees. 

I had struck out from Teluk Ingelas on Seram island early Saturday (28^th March) under power as there was almost no wind.  Apart from the forecast being light there is also a wind shadow in the lee of the island.  I dislike having to run the engine for extended periods of time but need to get used to it here as light and variable conditions are a prevalent.  After five hours of motor sailing I decided to shut the engine down and wait for the wind which came in – almost as expected about an hour later.

The wind was light but enough to get us moving.  I generally consider the boats speed in the following categories: 2kts – what’s the point, 3kts - acceptable, 4kts - reasonable, 5kts is the target average and good and anything above 5kts a bonus.  On this sail we were anywhere from 3 to 6kts depending upon the wind and direction.  I set the auto pilot to follow the wind and as such the course took a bit of a hit but we maintained a fairly constant 4kt average in 6kt to 8kt winds.

Last Leg - Teluk Ingelas to Selat Sele

I was not to worried about the speed as I did not want to arrive at my destination during the early morning.  The total crossing is about 90Nm and at about 55Nm in, around midnight I had to navigate through some very narrow passes formed from the myriad of offlying islands of Missol.  It is pretty straightforward with modern navigation aids but caution and attention is still required as the charts for this region are notorious for being incomplete or or just wrong.  An incredibly bright near full moon with what looked like a halo around it also helped to outline the dark shapes of the rocks.  Once through the islands it was the early hours of the morning and there was a bit of traffic coming across the stretch of water between Misool and the Selat Sele which resulted in me not getting much in the way of sleep.

Approaching the outlying islands of Misool at sunset

Halo Moon

The Selat Sele (or Sele Strait) is a 35Nm stretch of water which separates mainland Papua from an island called Palau Salawati.  It is a short cut to Sorong when approaching from the South.  The passage is narrow in the south and opens up after about 15Nm into a myriad of islands and channels not too dis-similar to a river delta.  At its narrowest it is still 1 NM wide but it sees quite a bit of passenger ferry traffic and bulk marine vessel traffic serving the industries around Sorong.

I reached the southern end of the strait around 0900 with a bit of a tide against me so found a suitable spot and put down the anchor to wait for the tidal current to change.  This also allowed me to get some sleep.  Around midday I awoke and checked the current which had turned and so continued up the Strait under power.  My goal was to find a nice quiet anchorage just past the narrow part of the Strait.  After three hours motoring I set the anchor in 17m of water up a narrow waterway with jungle and mangroves all around, not a soul or or even signs of any human activity in sight and just the noise of birds in the trees.  I spent three days here just relaxing and doing odd jobs on the boat. Occasionally a local boat would speed by shouting out to me and I would oblige by going on deck to wave and shout back.

The Jungle Anchorage

Sunrise 

Whilst this location was very peaceful – there was that little motion it was as if the boat was on dry land – it was not really conducive to swimming.  The water was murky and there are saltwater crocs in some of the mangrove areas and I was not willing to risk it.  So I moved on out of the Strait and anchored off a small island call Matan about 8NM from Sorong where I am now and where the shakedown occurred.

I arrived yesterday passing a number of squid boats also anchored just off the land.  These are strange looking contraptions and from a distance look like they have wings but they are huge outriggers to hang the high powered lights from which they attract the squid.  Needless to say it’s very much a nocturnal occupation.  I put the anchor down in 7m of water on a sandy bottom about 0.5NM off the island and immediately was visited by some dolphin – always good to see.  The water is now clear and conducive to swimming.

Matan Island

So back to the ladies and the transaction.  I was told it is 500k rph (about $50 Aud) to anchor here.  After a bit of negotiation I got that down to 200k and after paying them suprisingly was given an official stamped receipt showing it was for anchorage fees at Matan.  Have read that at some of these places there are fees payable and others are just locals trying to make a buck.  Regardless as long as it is not every time in every anchorage and not ridiculous its probably fair enough.

Squid Fishing Boat

I am in a bit of a holding pattern now with me being so close to Sorong and waiting for Nik to arrive in mid April.  I have read that Sorong whilst having good amenities such as supermarkets and restaurant is not that pretty or enjoyable and the anchorage is questionable at times.  As such am trying to stay out of Sorong for as long as possible however my food is running low and my clothes are getting smelly so will probably have to make a run in after Easter.  In the meantime I will hang here having paid my dues (hopefully the local maritime mafia will not be back tomorrow) and get on with jobs on the boat, reading my books (I am trying to get through the classics), writing the blog, watching a bit of Netflix, swimming and attending to other administrative and household chores.

Nik has booked her flights and we will meet up on the 19^th April in Sorong and the tour of Raja Ampat will start.

 

27^th March 2026 – Seram Island

Another 2 day / 2 night sail followed my departure from Saumlaki.  Winds were again far more northerly than expected but lighter so the sailing was not too uncomfortable but a bit longer in duration and it did mean that there was a few hours of motoring towards the end.

Route Saumlaki to Tk Ingelas

I was aiming for the south east point of the island of Seram.  I had identified an anchorage just on the northern side as that would provide some degree of protection from the prevailing weather.  To get there necessitated passing through a narrow channel between the main island and an outlining smaller island.  This channel has significant tidal currents given the constriction it presents which unfortunately can generate very rough, but very localised conditions when there is a wind against tide situation.  Unfortunately I hit this at the wrong time and endured about 15mins of rough seas which was not too bad apart from just before the end where one wave reared up over the stern quarter and dumped itself into the cockpit soaking me at the helm and taking out my Ipad which I was using as a secondary navigation tool.  I was so close to coming through unscathed.

I dropped anchor for the night around 1700 in a small exposed bay just off Seram.  In reality the anchorage was too shallow and i only managed to scrape in due to Sea Otters very shallow draft, but I wanted to set down and get a decent nights rest.  Anchorages here in Indonesia are tricky as many are just too deep or they shelve very quickly leaving little swing room.  I carry about 75m of chain and so anything over 20mwater depth is a challenge.  Next day I moved north about 10Nm to a more suitable location just off an island called Pulau Akat to wait for a favourable weather window.

Next few days were spent relaxing on the boat and doing odd jobs.  There was a small village/town on the shore but it was a bit too far in the dingy given the weather.  I was anchored between the mainland and a small island and each night I would watch from the deck as hundreds of large bats took off from the island and made there way to the mainland presumably to feed.  These were big, some with wingspans not far off a meter.  Very spectacular.

I left the anchorage heading for Sorong on the Tuesday 24^th March however contrary winds again forced me back to Seram about 50Nm further up the coast in a place called Teluk Ingelas.  This is quite a nice anchorage and have now been here for the last three days.  I will try and strike out for Sorong again tomorrow.

Teluk Ingelas is a small village/town.  The main focus looks to be around a large ferry terminal which has had a number of vessels arrive and depart while I have been here.  I went ashore the first day and had a look around.  It looks typical provincial Indonesia – primarily wooden houses, crumbling infrastructure hewn out of the lush vegetation and most people looking pretty poor.  Chickens roam everywhere and many cats lounge around between the buildings but interestingly there are no dogs here - could be because its a predominantly muslim?  Any pools of water look pretty disgusting and are covered in garbage .  The people however are extremely friendly and polite  - unfortunately there is the language barrier but have been making great use of Google Translate.  

Ashore I was a huge hit with the kids as I doubt very many foreigners visit these places.  They mobbed me and then followed me around town shouting meeeester, meeester and trying to scrounge some money.

The kids in Tk Ingelas

Alem - my go to man for veggies

I managed to get some fresh vegetables but no fruit so next day I went further afield to Bula, a larger town about 10Km down the road and was more successful bagging watermelon, bananas and a pineapple.   I also bought a small fresh tuna for dinner – the first protein In have had for quite a while.

Bula was an interesting place – not pretty by any stretch of the imagination but it used to be an oil producing area and all the old “nodding donkey” pumps are still there on manmade sand spits off the shoreline.

Bula Oilfield Equipment

One thing that is endemic here is garbage.  It is everywhere.  I guess when every day is a personal struggle, cleaning up rubbish is pretty far down the list of daily priorities but it is a real shame to see the scale of it.  Some areas along the coast have plastic bottles and other detritus covering the ground almost 100% and others are clear and you can see how beautiful it can be.

Beach off Tk Ingelas

Early tomorrow morning I will head off again and try and make it across to Sorong.  Winds are light but may just be able to sneak through.

 16th March 2026 - Darwin to Indonesia

Upon reaching Darwin last year around late August I left Sea Otter at the Cullen Bay Marina supposedly for only two to four months.  I had a number of things to do onshore not least of which was to visit my aging mother in Denmark with Nik.  Nik came up to Darwin to help me mothball the boat and we had a very pleasant couple of weeks taking it easy on the boat and slowly packing all the gear away, decommissioning and making safe the various onboard systems and enjoying Darwin sights in the evenings

Back in Perth a number of events conspired to delay my return to the boat – we had a longer than expected, although most enjoyable, trip to Denmark, then I had a run in with prostate cancer which had to be addressed immediately.  Christmas and post op recovery followed and then early in 2026 sadly my mother passed and a return trip to Denmark was necessary to attend the funeral.  Given all this Sea Otter sat securely in her berth in Darwin even surviving tropical cyclone Fina unscathed.

I returned to the boat in Mid Feb and started to get her ready to sail again.  There was quite a list of work to carry out.  Nothing major though. I spent 10 days ticking off the items from my to do list and slowly melting away.  The heat and humidity in the top end is constant and I was living onboard the vessel in the marina so there is no respite.  In addition to that it was very wet just to compound the misery.  The marina is sheltered so even any breeze is mitigated by the marina surrounds.  My favourite time of the day was when I had knocked off in the late afternoon.  I would wander across the road from the marina and sit in a small park on the shoreline and bask in the cooling onshore breeze while reading a book.

I flew to Perth for a quick visit with the family and then returned to Darwin on March 4th.  This is not the season to be doing a crossing to Indonesia but I wanted to get the boat back out sailing and up to Irian Jaya to start cruising.  The North West monsoon winds have kicked in and there is a steady north westerly flow across the top of Australia and Arafura Sea which is far from ideal given that I need to get North.  There was a weather window coming up where the winds were more westerly than norwest and that I hoped gave me an opportunity.  Monday March 9^th was set as the departure date.

I scrambled to get the last of the onboard preparations completed including stocking up with foodstuffs and essential spares.  In addition I have bought all the antifouling paint for the next haul out which only just arrived in time given the flooding in the NT.  Also had to complete the departure formalities from Australia which were pretty straight forward and the arrival procedures for Indonesia which are a bit more involved.   I hired an agent in Indonesia to assist in preparation and submission of all documentation,

The immediate plan is to sail up to Raja Ampat – an area of Indonesia near Irian Jaya which has some spectacular scenery and marine life.  Once at Raja Ampat Nik will join the vessel for a couple of months as we cruise the islands.  First though I need to get the boat across to Indonesia and will sail initially to a place called Saumlaki on the island of Tanimbar directly due north of Darwin.

On Monday the 9^th March I threw off the mooring lines and moved out of Cullen Bay Marina onto the customs quay outside the marina lock gates.  The Australian Border Force officials visited the vessel, had a quick look around and then presented me with my outward clearance documentation.  Once formalities were complete they waited on the dock for me to leave.  I cast off around 11:00am on a grey showery day and headed out into Beagle Bay making for the Dundas Strait between Melville Island and the mainland.  That in itself is an 80NM sail through waters which are beset by strong tidal currents running up to 2knts to 3 knts at times.

Darwin to Saumlaki Route

 I am conscious that this is only the second time I have sailed the boat solo and so decided to take things really easy.  I anchored around 10:00pm on the mainland to get some sleep and then continued early Tuesday passing through the Straits late in the afternoon and into the Arafura Sea.  I set a course for Saumlaki and then settled down as best I could.

The next couple of days were pretty taxing being on my own and the fact that the weather was slightly more northerly than expected which meant I had to sail closer to the wind which exacerbates the movement of the vessel and makes it quite uncomfortable.  Not having been on the boat for a while I was also seasick – not debilitatingly so but enough to make you wonder why you do this.  Overall apart from being uncomfortable the crossing was pretty uneventful – had consistent 12 to 18knt winds from the north west with gusts to 23kts, a 2m sea and little rain.  I sighted Tanimbar late on Thursday afternoon and found a sheltered cove to anchor in overnight.  It is rare that I will anchor in a new location after dark but I just made it in using the last of the dusk light.  On the way in there were unlit fishing boats which I could not see and only knew they were there when they shone a flashlight at me.

The next morning I moved around the headland into the bay and motored into the Saumlaki Port anchorage just as a number of squalls moved through.  Got the anchor down on the second attempt and it held. 

Saumlaki town consists of buildings lining the shore and the sloping low hillsides behind the shoreline.  It is home to around 50,000 people.  There is a large passenger ferry jetty and an obvious church and mosque.  The island is predominantly Christian and Saumlaki is the major town on Tanimbar island.  It is also a dedicated port of entry hence why I chose to arrive here. I am the only yacht here – apart from it being out of season most yachts go to Ambon or Tual to clear in.

Saumlaki Waterfront - North side 

Saumlaki Harbour - South side

Once I got the boat squared away I launched the dingy and headed in to meet my agent Ken at the Malabar Indah Hotel.  Once there we met the quarantine guy at the hotel and handed over some papers and got some stamped papers in return.  Then it was off to immigration to hand over some more photocopies of passport, vessel registration, visa documents etc.  Then we broke for lunch and Ken took me on the back of his scooter to a local place for some Mee-goreng.  After lunch we met with customs and I had to ferry the customs officer to the boat where he had a cursory look around before deeming everything satisfactory.  Back to shore we went finished for the day but still having a couple of official things to do before I am good to push on which would not be completed until Monday.

Ken insisted on taking me to his local village called Wodondo down the coast.  We sped off on his scooter for the 30min journey which gave me a chance to see some of the island.  Its very lush and green and forested.  The village was pretty big and was all brick houses..  We met Kens' brothers and his father, sat and had some coffee and then sped back to the harbour where I got back onboard the boat for some rest.

Ken works for a shipping agency based in Tual.  He is a really nice guy - super helpful -  and I am glad I decided to use him.  He was telling me that he recently helped another sailor called Aaron Carrotta – this guy is rowing around the world if you can believe that.  So no more whinging from me about sailing being tough.  The locals seem very friendly from my brief walk around the town.  The infrastructure is all there but pretty badly in need of maintenance.  It reminds me of the streets of Samarinda when I was working in East Kalimantan but there are plenty of shops, stalls selling most of what I guess you would need.

I spent the weekend on the boat relaxing and doing boat things – there are always jobs to be done.  I had to get in the water and clean the hull and prop which had picked up some marine growth from the time in Darwin.  On Monday I met up with Ken again and finished the last bit of official business with the harbourmaster.  I was given what is called a green book which needs to be carried by the vessel whilst in Indonesian waters and was then all good to go.  There was time for a final lunch with Ken, some shopping for fresh vegetables and then I returned to the boat ready for a departure the following morning.

Waiting with Ken in the Harbour Masters Office

My plan evolves as I go.  Initially I had hoped for a big push to Saumlaki and then easy hops along island all the way to Raja Ampat.  Given the prevailing winds and forecasts though I have decided to make another 250NM push to the next staging point on the island of Seram. 

Hopefully the seasickness will abate.

FAD - Fish Aggregating Device - unlit and strewn all around the coastal waters