Alcedo's Web Diary - Blog 42. Wednesday 31 July. Banda. 04.17.21S 128.40.41E

Blog 42. Wednesday 31 July. Banda. 04.17.21S 128.40.41E

Alcedo

David Batten

Fri 9 Aug 2019 03:16

The sail to Banda was nerve wracking to start with. We negotiated the passage out of the anchorage by following our track backwards and elected, wrongly as it turned out to go South down the major channel and then north through a deeper channel that we hoped would be free of nets. The northern channel that most of the yachts had gone through was full of nets, but Bounty had already negotiated them coming into Debut with the aid of a local fisherman, so had given the fleet waypoints for getting through them. We were fine in the channel we had elected to take between Pulaus Manir and Warbur and Paula Ur. However, when we bore away to the North of the Islands, we found ourselves in a fleet of fishing boats. They were mostly facing to windward with a long line of what looked like bamboo cages connected by a rope. We steered to leeward of the first one but it soon became apparent that there were so many with such long nets that we could not even tell which net belonged to which boat at times. Happily La Pecadora had overtaken us in the deep channel and told us that she had sailed between the boxes without a problem and when she did catch a line, it broke. We applied the same principle quite successfully until we caught one with a very thick rope that wouldn’t break. So with Alcedo slowed from 8 knots to about 3, towing a line of bamboo cages, we were just wondering what to do when the nearest one broke up and the next in line disappeared under the keel. Then we were free, heaven knows how or why.

After that, no problems and a very pleasant night sail with the sea an eerie milky blue, apparently with plankton. Bill, who is definitely our best look out spotted 2 Whales and we had the company of other rally yachts all night and next morning. Getting into the anchorage at Banda was very easy and we anchored in 20 meters with plenty of swinging space in the channel between Banda Naira and Banda Besar.

The main anchorage at Bandar, with the yachts all off Bandar Besar.

The alternative to the channel between the islands, stern to Med style in the lagoon between Pulau Gunungapi and Pulau Naira. Much calmer but very deep, hotter and more mosquitoes!

We arrived the day before the official welcome and had an explore of the town and an impromptu supper at Cilu Bitang Estate, hotel and restaurant. A really good 3 course meal meal with lots of Indonesian dishes for RP150,00 per head or approximately £8.60. Boat cooks very happy!

The next few days were the usual busy schedule of official welcome, including a canoe race for the three village canoes that agreed to take rally participants for a very wet row. Skipper and wife and Ship’s boy were all on a neighbouring village canoe which, with a small head start, definitely won. Diplomacy to the for, all three were considered winners and prizes given accordingly.

The local drummers who opened the welcome ceremony.

The Banda Naira racing canoe with it’s proper crew.

It rained most of the opening ceremony morning and as we were going to spend the afternoon visiting a spice farm, we elected to buy local T shirts to keep warm. After another excellent meal we went on the Spice Farm tour. This was really worth doing, with a boat ride to Bandar Besar, then a pillion motor bike ride, a first for the Skipper’s Wife and Ship’s Boy who were somewhat nervous. Rather like riding a horse for the first time when you have no idea how to stay balanced and have no control.