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

12/08/2025 Back to Oz.

As I write this I am approximately 150NM out of Darwin.  It is a clear clear night with a full moon and Sea Otter is running before a 20Kt wind on a calm sea doing up to 7.5kts.  I am very nearly at the end of this first excursion for the boat.

I left Gizo as scheduled on Saturday 26^th July.  The immigration guy came onboard early morning and carried out the necessary paperwork, slugged me a couple of hundred dollars for outboard fuel as he had to come out on a Saturday from the main town of Noro on a different island and then issued us the relevant approvals.  I made a quick trip into the markets to pick up some fresh provisions and finalized our outbound clearance with customs and then returned to the boat and weighed anchor.

The planned route was to head south west to round the Louisiade Archipelago (part of PNG) which would take approx. 2 days and then turn due west towards Australia for another five days to arrive at the Great Barrier Reef.  From there it is another day to navigate through the reef system and the Torres Straits to arrive at Thursday Island off Cape York which was the planned Port of Entry.  Once cleared I intended to push on immediately for Darwin.

The weather forecast we had was favourable for the most part.  After leaving Gizo the wind was very changeable and it was necessary to motor for extended periods of time between the wind dying and then filling in again.  The good news was the repaired autopilot worked faultlessly much to my relief.  Having the autopilot makes the passages infinitely more enjoyable.  Near the turning point at the Louisiades there was a patch where the boat motion got very uncomfortable but that only lasted for 6 to 12 hrs.  Rounding the Louisiades I poled out the jib and set the main on run – and that was how the sails stood for the next five days.  This was perfect trade wind sailing conditions and it was magic – following seas of 1 to 2m and constant winds between 15 to 20 kts.  Every now and then I had to take a reef or adjust the trim but apart from that the boat just sails quietly along.  Sea Otter is very impressive and was easily doing a constant 6kts with bursts of 7kts in the stronger wind.

View from the helm

The Great Barrier Reef is a pretty amazing natural wonder.  When you look at it on a chart you realise how huge it is and the vast area it occupies stretching not just 1,430NM north to South but also up to 150NM east to west.  I had to negotiate the reef to get access to the Torres Straits and spent a considerable amount of time prior to departing Gizo  looking for the right route.  Eventually I picked a lesser used route starting at an island called Raine Island and then weaving through the inner reefs.  As usual I was pretty wary of this stretch of the passage in part because, given the length, I would have to do one nights sailing in the reef.

Raine Island came into view as planned at dusk on the 1^st August after an uneventful sail for the previous 5 days.  We entered the reef as night fell and followed the route I had mapped out.  There were some very shallow patches but generally given the modern navigational aids I have on the boat it turned out to be a relatively straightforward passage albeit one which required pretty constant focus.

By mid morning on the 2^nd I was through the reef and sailing off Cape York and the outlying islands that make up the Torres Strait in near perfect conditions heading towards Thursday Island.   There were a couple of other sailing boats around but by and large we were on our own until Thursday Island came into view.  We announced our arrival to the port authorities and as anticipated were instructed to anchor and await the arrival of customs/immigration and biosecurity personnel which would not be until Monday morning.  Until then we were instructed to remain onboard the vessel.  We dropped anchor off the town in the afternoon in a windy anchorage and settled in to wait for the authorities.

Thursday Island is an administrative centre for this area.  The Torres Straits are a major shipping thoroughfare and given the environmental sensitivities marine pilots are mandatory for much of the commercial shipping and these are staged out of TI.  There is not much to the town but from the anchorage it looked very neat and orderly after having been in the islands for the last three months.

We were cleared in on Monday morning by very efficient and courteous Australian Border Force personnel.  They looked the boat over, took away some remaining fresh food which was still onboard and then gave us our clearance. 

Free to leave the vessel I went ashore and bought some food.  There is only one supermarket on TI but this was like a mega store to me having left the shops in the Solomons and Vanuatu.  The shop was airconditioned and the selection of food whilst standard for Australia was really novel for me.  It was great to be back in Australia seeing familiar signs and hearing familiar accents.

Once back onboard we set sail for Darwin, another 7 days away from where I will write the final chapter in this trip for this year.

25 July 2025: A Quick Passage through the Western Provinces

I sailed the 30NM from Honiara across Iron Bottom Sound to the Florida Islands on Tuesday the 16^th July and it was as if I was transported to a whole other universe.  The Honiara traffic, noise, dirt and chaos was replaced by peaceful, remote island solitude.

I pulled into a place called Roderick Bay which I had read about during my limited research.  An enterprising local had stuck down a couple of moorings for use by visiting yachts and as I entered the bay a young guy in a dug out canoe waved me toward the mooring and helped with securing Sea Otter.

Roderick Bay is a fairly large bay at the northern end of the largest island in the group called Nogella Sule.  As usual the entrance is lined with coral reefs and there are more inside.  The moorings are opposite a small one family (extended) village but you would hardly know they were there.  The main claim to fame of Roderick Bay is the wreck of the expedition cruise ship World Discoverer which now lies at one end of the bay and which is something of a tourist attraction.

Roderick Bay

Sea Otter Moored in Roderick Bay

Once settled on the mooring we were visited by a couple of locals in dug outs trying to trade food for any useful items we had such as food, batteries, clothing etc. This would be ongoing not just here but other stops in the Solomons.  I had read about the trading and so had some items already set aside.  The main articles for trade  from the village were food i.e. bananas, pomelo, eggplant, coconut etc however we also got a couple of crayfish while we were there.  In return we traded fish hooks, soccer balls, pens, notebooks, batteries, sugar, rice etc and paid cash for the seafood.  I am not a very good trader as even if they showed me items that I did not want I would still go ahead and hand over stuff they could use.  One elderly man had his grand kids paddle him out to ask for some teabags – really little things to us can mean a lot to them.

Trading Teabags

The second day on the mooring we went ashore and spoke with Joseph and Robert Ruka who were the sons of the headman John Ruka.  They then took us on a tour of the village and down to the wreck site of the World Discoverer where we were narrated the story of its demise.  The tour was really interesting and especially to see how these people live.  Their life is a very simple one and they do not have much but most prefer to live in the villages than in a place like Honiara.  There are schools for the kids maybe not in each village but certainly within the area, there is a medical clinic and they can trade some of what they produce in the markets of Honiara when required.  Their food is simple and at hand either in their gardens or in the sea.  

The two days we spent here were for me idyllic – life really slowed down.  There was not a lot to do apart from swimming and snorkeling (which was fantastic) or visiting the village.  During the day it was hot with occasional brief showers and at night it cooled off and an inky black quietness descended on the bay.  The night skies were amazing given the lack of ambient light and the water around the baot was often full of different types of luminescence.  The occasional chats with the villagers during the trading bouts or when we had to go to get water ashore were always really interesting.  The people are so friendly.

The Cooking Hut

One of the sleeping huts

The wreck of the World Discoverer was quite an amazing sight – the hull is in very shallow water close to the beach and has rolled onto its port side.  The jungle is starting to take it over and it looks like a film set from Jurrassic Park.  When it hit the reef about twenty years ago it had over 200 people onboard who were all evacuated.  Salvage attempts were hampered by political tensions in the country at the time and so the decision was made by the insurers to abandon the hull.

The Wreck of the World Discoverer

Sadly after a couple of days at Roderick Bay we had to keep pressing on.  It was sad to leave even though we had only had a brief visit.  We sailed overnight to the Morovo Lagoon and found an anchorage just inside the fringing reef.  There was already a small catamaran anchored there.  We have seen very few other cruising yachts since our time in the Solomons.  There were not that many in Vanuatu either but here I think we have seen three including this cat.  It was not long before we had some locals around us looking to trade.  This time it was wood carvings.  The main island of Vangunu is famous for its wood carvings and I was happy to find a few pieces which I liked.  Some were paid for with cash and for others it was a trade.

Morovo Lagoon

I should have spent more time looking around the lagoon – it is a designated World Heritage area - but I was eager to get to Gizo and so next day we motored around to the other side of the lagoon. Really interesting journey as the lagoon is full of small islands, coral reefs and the seabed can go from 50m to zero in a heartbeat.  We spent the night just inside the western side of the fringing reef and next day motored to Rendova Island about 35NM North and the last stop before Gizo.

We anchored in Rendova harbour in front of another village of about 400 and again had a warm reception from a number of canoes with lots of kids.  Managed to speak with a couple of the older men about the history of Rendova Harbour which was fascinating.  It was an American base during the war and its main claim to fame was that this is the area that JFK had his exploits with PT109.  He was in command of a PT boat and was out one night nearby in Blackett Strait on a mission and to cut a long story short his boat got rammed by a Japanese destroyer and sunk.. He managed to lead the survivors to a nearby island and over the next few days he swam to other islands to get food and water and eventually help.  Two locals had been dispatched to try and find him and after a few days they were located, rescued and brought back to Rendova harbour.  Apparently he later visited and met the two guys who had found him.  I think they were boy scouts.

Warm Reception at Rendova

The next day we motored another 35NM to Gizo the final stop in the Solomons.  Once again we were the only yacht in the harbour.  Gizo harbour is well protected by outlying islands and reefs and we dropped anchor towards the head of the harbour off a premises called PT109  which is a bit of a well known hangout. 

I went ashore immediately to check out the town and to get started on some of the chores I had to do.  We took Wee Otter into the PT109 wharf and tied her up at the rough quayside.  PT109 has obviously fallen from its prime.  It’s a restaurant/bar but the decline in the Gozo based tourist trade has taken its toll.  But you can still get a meal and a beer here and there are a couple of really helpful ladies who run /own the place.

Gizo Main Street

I paid a visit to the customs office and after some dialogue managed to organise for our check out to be carried out on Saturday (26^th July) morning immediately prior to our departure.  Next I headed to the Solomon Airlines office to track down the autopilot which was being uplifted from Honiara for delivery to Gizo.  A nice man called Greg said he would text me once it arrived.  Finally I visited Dive Gizo and organized a dive trip for the 24^th.  I had dinner and a couple of beers at PT109 and then called it a night.

On the Thursday as arranged I joined a coupe of other people and took off into the nearby Vona Vona Lagoon for a days diving.  We dived on a couple of reef walls which were pretty spectacular with lots of marine life including rays and sharks.  We also dived on a Hellcat fighter aircraft from World War 2 which sits on the bottom the right way up.  In between the dives the guides took us to visit a place called Skull Island.  As the name suggests the island was used as a ceremonial place for local chiefs and warriors and some of their victims.  There is a large coral mound /altar which is covered in skulls.  Its pretty interesting.

Skull Island

So its Friday night now and I am all set for the 1400NM passage to Darwin which we will start tomorrow morning.  We have a favourable forecast for the first leg to Thursday Island where we will carry out the check in procedures with the relevant Australian authorities.  I fitted the repaired autopilot today and it seems to be working but need a sea trial to confirm.  We fuelled up today and topped off the water tanks so will run out to the market tomorrow and get some fresh fruit and veg and then depart.  Next stop Australia.  

The Solomons has been a fantastic experience and I cannot recommend it enough.  I think the only way to see it is by boat though.  The scenery is spectacular and the people are freindly and genuine - its a shame it cannot capitalise on more tourism.