Through the Telo Islands, to Siberut Island, and back to Sumatra

Being "canoed" in Patsi!

Scenic trip up the Tabekat River

Carol and Alicia  and drying spices

Local boys preparing coconuts for us

A big send off from the villagers

Maggie at anchor off the beautiful Cubadak Resort

Through the Telo Islands, to Siberut Island, and back to Sumatra

May 3 2016

Since May 1 we have been anchored off the small island of Cubadak, which is near Pedang on the Sumatra mainland. This is the first place that we have had internet access since leaving Lehewa on April 19. Time to get caught up the blogs! Today is Lauren’s birthday and May 1 was Ben’s 11^th birthday. We are certainly thinking about them and wishing them well.

From Sipika we followed a narrow channel through the islands in the Telos group down to a spot on the south end, Pasti’s.  A scenic trip but one that required motoring.  We anchored off another surf resort but did not go ashore. There was a  big surf running that day. We were “canoed” there quite a few times. This is a new verb for us. The locals come out in their canoes and try to sell you something or get a gift. Many are quite persistent. The guide book will tell you if you are likely to be canoed in a particular harbour.

The next day it was a long trip to the first of the Mentawai islands, Siberut. The anchor went down in a protected bay near the mouth of the Tabekat River. No Regrets was anchored there also but were leaving the next morning. It was good to have a chance to catch up with how their trip has been going, and also to discuss our ongoing plans face to face instead of by email. They are picking up a crew member May1 from the next Mentawai Island, Sipora. He has flown from France and they found his name from a crewing website.

We stayed an extra day so that we could take the dinghy up the river. We had heard from Gaia that it is a scenic trip and it was. Alicia and Alfredo (On Verra) came along. It is a narrow river with many side branches and overhanging vegetation. We were trying to find a town up river, but got on 2 wrong turns before finally finding it. But it was worth seeing, very clean and well kept, despite the poverty. There was a small store where they treated us to bananas and coconuts. We attempted a conversation, with many hand gestures, with a small gathering where one person knew a few English words. Alfredo lent a hand fixing a motor bike. Many of them followed us back to the river to see our dinghy. They were a friendly group. The islanders are mostly Christian compared to the Muslim mainland. They have a different ethnic background as well.

It was time to leave the islands and get to Pedang for our visa renewal. It is good we left lots of time as we have just found out that Thurs and Fri are holidays there. The visa expires on Sat but tomorrow is the last day the offices will be open until Mon. It was another overnight trip to get here.  Except for lots of lightening and fishing boats it was uneventful. We managed to sail slowly for 4 hours, but mostly motoring again. We are getting tired of the windless days, and there is no wind in the forecast for the next week either.

Instead of spending too much time in a commercial port, we are staying 15 miles south, off Cubadak Resort until Wed. It is a very beautiful area, clean water, and a resort that welcomes you to their grounds and dock. We still have a healthy list of boat chores that need going and it is a pleasant place to work. We took the dinghy several miles into a small town where we could get much needed cash, a cell phone top up and gas for the dinghy. In the evening we have gone in to dinner at the resort. Besides great food, it has been fun to talk to the staff and some of the guests. It is good to see a resort doing well. They are full this week.

Tomorrow morning we’ll get to Pedang, and hopefully finish with Immigration.

Sipika Island

Just across the Equator - for the third time

Carol - mastering the paddleboad at Sipika

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Sipika Island

April 26, 2016

On Sunday we had a great day of sailing for a change. We had a 60nm trip to this anchorage which is really stretching it under motor, but had a backup at 50nm. We got a 6am start and by 10:30 could sail. With flat seas and a beam reach and only 11 to 15 kn of wind, we could do between 6 and 8 knots which got us in early. In the afternoon we crossed the equator for the 3^rd time. This time we passed the scotch through us into the sea. The second time, in the fall, it was so stormy that we missed the actual crossing until someone called on the VHF. No Regrets was anchored one night in a bay they dubbed “equator bay” as they said they had one pontoon of their cat in the northern hemisphere, and the other in the southern.

Sipika is one island of many close together small islands called the Telos group. This is a favourite of cruisers and there were 4 boats here Sun night. There is a good surf break along the side of the bay, but it is very flat in the anchorage. The surrounding islands protect you from any seas that may build up. There is a nice beach ashore and a sand bottom for the anchor. Hardly anyone lives here so not many people trying to get something from you. There is a surf resort run by an Australian, but there are no guests this week, so not running the restaurant.

No Regrets was here working on their fresh water pump. Without it they can't use their watermaker. They finally got it started by turning it upside down! They ordered a new one that Bob will bring from Canada. Bob’s suitcase is getting heavier all the time as he is bringing a new bilge pump for us.

Yesterday we both got some practice on the paddleboard and a good swim. Today it has been raining all morning. The rain is welcome since it has been so dry and we were planning on staying another day anyway. I’m reading a book by Bernard Moitessier, a well known French, single handed sailor and writer. “Sailing to the Reefs” is his first book and part of it covers his trip across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town. It is either inspiring or frightening, depending on your mood!

Lahewa Lagoon to Pulau Asu to Lagundri

Purchasing vegetables in Lahewa

We are the curious attraction!

Unloading mattresses from the supply ship at Mama Sylvie's

Pier on Asu - nees some work!

Mama Sylvie and Carol

Surf break at Lagundri

Lahewa Lagoon to Pulau Asu to Lagundri

April 23 2016-04-22

We spent a day in Lahewa provisioning and getting diesel. This town is another that had extensive tsunami damage. One church is still being repaired, but the 3 mosques were functioning. We felt like a pied piper with many children following us around. Tourists are a curiosity here. Although many ask for handouts, we prefer to pay well if someone does a job for us. Whenever there is a port, you are to contact the harbourmaster. Most of us have been avoiding those spots as you never know what the rules and charges will be. We were asked for a tip for delivery of the diesel which seemed fair. No Regrets, instead, had to pay a fine for not listing that port as their next destination after Sabang.

On the day’s trip to Asu we finally had a chance to sail for a few hours which was a welcome treat. The small island was a delightful stop for an extra day. There are a few simple surf resorts ashore and Mama Sylvie cooks for anyone around. With family, staff and a few tourists there were 19 meals Wed. We had dinner there Wed and preordered chicken curry and lobster for 6pm Thurs. To my surprise, I received a plate with 4 grilled lobsters- a rare treat and not expensive. We also ordered a few loaves of bread, something we have not had for days. The Indonesians don’t eat bread so couldn’t find any in town. I had checked all 3 containers of yeast on board and they were dead. The same for the baking powder, and out of eggs so nothing to make flour rise. Hopefully I can find baking supplies in Padang for the ocean crossing.

We walked around to the island’s north corner to watch the surf. We didn’t catch anyone out but had a chance to talk to a few tourists about surfing, like what weather and land features produce a surfable wave. It is certainly not something we are familiar with from growing up on the prairies. One Australian family has been coming to the same place for 10 years. They have to fly into Sumatra, then fly or take a ferry to Nias, and travel to its west coast. Then a boat from the resort picks them up for the crossing to Asu.

The same boat also delivers all supplies and takes children to school on other islands. Where they go depends on where they have relatives they can live with during the week. Just after we arrived we watched a supply of new mattresses being delivered. The larger boat can’t get to shore so is on a mooring ball. Then a dinghy is used to get onto the beach through the surf.

Today, Sat, we are in Lagundri, a bay on the south coast of Nias. This is a famous surfing destination with breaks along both the west and east entrances to the deep bay. There are quite a few more upscale resorts, and we can watch people surfing from our boat. The swell doesn’t make it too far into the bay, so although it is rolly, it’s not too bad. There is north wind in the forecast so this is a more sheltered spot than Asu. The swell is also forecast to be growing over the next few days. The surfers are looking forward to that. Tim and Josephine on Revel have been here for a few days as they are surfers. They and Alfredo and Alicia from On Verra were over for drinks last night. Although we have been talking on the net, we don’t often get a chance to meet.

We hope to get to shore for a bit of sightseeing, but mostly it is another boat chores day. The next group of islands to pass through have no internet access. Rob hopes to get off some orders for parts today. He can have them delivered to Bob in BC and fly with him to Padang, May 8. Our biggest concerns at the moment are the bilge pumps. Neither the primary or backup is working. We have had them repaired twice before, but the access is terrible. Not a job to look forward to. The heads have issues but not a safety problem. Rob has been up the mast replacing the wind indicators, something that light winds have been good for.

A cyclone, Fantala, has been off the coast of Madagascar this week. It was the strongest storm ever recorded in the Indian Ocean. El Nino and continuing climate change are causing later and more violent storms. This is why we have not left on that crossing yet.

A Week of Traveling Lahewa Lagoon, Pulau Nias

Kilometer 0 monument under construction as we left Pulau We - this is the most westerly point in Indonesia

Fishing "houses" at Pulau Raya - they were towed out to sea each night for squid fishing

Wonderful anchorage at Pulau Lasia - beautiful water and sand

Beautiful sunrise over Sumatra

Maggie at anchor at Pulau Lasia - crew of Convivia in their dinghy

Hiking on Pulau Lasia

Harbourfront at Lahewa

April 19, 2016 

A Week of Traveling

Lahewa Lagoon, Pulau Nias

We left Pulau Wei last Monday and arrived here yesterday, Monday the 18^th. There have been 5 passages, only one of which was overnight. None of the stops had a town, so no internet, food or fuel. We have had to motor almost all the time. There is a small town in this harbour, where we hope to replenish the fresh food and find some diesel. We are getting cell phone coverage so will be able to send this as well.

The cruising is considered “idyllic” in this area. It certainly is from the scenery, clear water and space point of view, although it is isolated if you have a problem. We are enjoying a morning SSB net to hear where other boats are and to get suggestions. Convivia ran out of fuel before reaching their destination in Nias, and Gaia could give them some info on getting into the harbour. Helen also had researched info on Sumatran anchorages from other cruisers over the years and printed copies for us. Those notes have been invaluable. The only disappointment has been the lack of wind. It is typical of April weather by the equator. It is also typical to get severe thunderstorms, but we haven’t had much rain either. At least when you motor the seas are fairly flat.

Now for a short list of the stops. The first day’s trip was to the west coast mainland of Sumatra. We had been planning on getting further than the 35 miles, but had a chance that day to sail with a squall towards the coast. The bay at Seudu was well protected. The next day was also a short one to Raya. There we shared the anchorage with many local fishing boats. They go out at dusk and return at dawn. Some of these were like a floating house on stilts that were pulled out by a smaller motor boat.

There are not many anchorages along the west coast as there is a constant SW swell rolling in. The only ones are along this NW section.  After that you go out to the off lying islands, 75 to 100 miles away. These islands stretch in a chain for 400 miles. We are cruising through them until we go back to the mainland at Padang to check out. Wed am to Thurs pm we travelled to the west coast of the first one, Simelu.

These islands are most famous for surfing as there is that constant SW swell. It will be increasing starting next month. Our first anchorage was between Simelu and the smaller island of Simelu Cut to the west. You could see the surf wrapping around the corners but it wasn’t too rolly in the anchorage. Next day we stopped at the small island of Lasia. Convivia and Onvera were also anchored there. We could see why they had wanted to spend a few days there. Peregrine also arrived just before we left. We decided to spend Sat and Sun there. We were close enough to shore with a sandy, instead of, coral bottom, to just use the paddleboard to go in. The dinghy and motor are on deck for the trip.

The surf along the shore was a challenge on Sun, but Maggie wasn’t rolling. We did some hiking along the sandy beach and along a trail inland. We could hear the monkeys but didn’t see them. The snorkelling was very good. We especially enjoyed the coral colors as so much of the coral worldwide is fading. There are always boat projects to be done and this was a clean, quiet pace to get at some.

Monday we came across 55nm to the next large island of Nias and the northern port at Lahewa. I’ve rarely seen an ocean as flat as yesterday. Even before we finished anchoring kids were out in their canoes saying hi and wanting drinks. Later some swam out and climbed on to the deck using the anchor chain. No Regrets had sent us an email warning us to keep the boat locked up when we go ashore. We will be doing that later this am and seeing what is in town.

Back to Boat, and Moving On

Setting nets in Sabang harbour

Local fishermen

Provisioning

Ruby and Miles delivering fish

BPO features on many large banners around Sabang

Back to Boat, and Moving On

April 10, 2016

Yesterday, after checking out, we traveled a short distance to the small island of Rubaih. This is the tourist/diving area that we visited previously. It is a park so we paid $5 for a mooring ball in the narrow channel between the island and Pulau Weh. It is deep with strong currents so well worth it. Gaia left this am but said that this was the best stop for them in Sumatra and they could stay a month. (This is their second visit.) With that recommendation we have decided to at least stay the day and go tomorrow. The water under the boat is 50 feet deep and we can see the bottom. The shore line is rocky so I'm sure the snorkeling would be good. The internet is not working from the boat so need to find a restaurant ashore to send this and download weather forecasts.

Several more sailboats have arrived here-most going west via Africa. Surprisingly, the more common choice of route is to the north of Madagascar. Jimmy has suggested that we should go south of it. We had a good visit with the family on Convivia with their 2 children, Ruby and Miles. They are outgoing and competent as many boat kids are. Gaia has set up a SSB net for any boats wanting to stay in touch. We will do that in addition to keeping in touch with No Regrets.

No Regrets started off on their exploring a week ago. Zeke has been good enough to email back about anchorages. Revel is doing the same. Helen gave us some notes from their last trip and we have read articles on Noonsite and SSCA. The charts are not very accurate or detailed. We finally got our letter from Chagos declining our request to stop there. To cover the distance to our check out spot in Padang in good time we need to average 25 km a day. We'll probably need to do some overnights.

Not everything is paradise here, although the scenery looks it. A young tourist died snorkeling alone over the underwater volcano. Another person was in a motorcycle accident. There is talk of raising the minimum wage above $300 a month. There is a half finished commercial dock in Sabang. The last 3 company heads are now in prison on corruption charges. Rob is working now on a blocked head and scraping barnacles off the bottom of the boat. His hands are getting well scraped as well. The heat is brutal. But we enjoyed seeing the photos posted on facebook of the snow at home!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

National Palace in KL

Old style buildings mixed with the new

Petronis Twin Towers

Looking down from the 88th floor of the Petronas Towers

Looking up at the Skybridge

Eating on the street

272 stairs leading up to the Batu Caves

Lots of monkeys

Spectacular caves

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

April 5 to 8, 2016

Another holiday within the holidays! We didn't have a chance to visit KL as we passed it going through Malaysia. It seemed a shame to be so close and not visit. On Tues we took the early ferry again to Banda Aceh and got a flight for $105 each return with Air Asia. (Not counting taxes etc) The boutique hotel was right next to all the shopping, eating, nightlife etc. For $55 a night, it had all we wanted as well as breakfast. Mind you, the closest we got to the night life was a 5 am cab to the airport. The streets, cafes, message parlours still had quite a few people from the night before.

The city is a real mixture of the old and the new, as were Bangkok and Singapore. We didn't find it as organized as Singapore so it was a bit harder to get around. It had an elevated train from the airport that took us to a central city stop. From there, there was an extensive train and bus system.  As we only had 2 days, we spent Wed traveling on the "hop on hop off" bus and listening to the commentary, a relaxing way to get your bearings. As most cities, there is a China town and little India and a central market. Although a democracy, there is a huge palace with extensive grounds for the monarchy. The local government offices like to have lavish spots, also.

We took a stop at the Petronas Twin Towers, which, when they were finished in 1997, were the world's tallest office buildings. They are linked at the 42nd floor by a skybridge. We took the tour to the 86th floor to enjoy the view of the entire city. They have a labelled diorama to help you identify spots. The towers were designed according to Muslim geometric principles and are quite beautiful-mostly glass, and well lit and sparkling at night.

On Thurs we took a commuter train to the hills outside the city. It was a highlight of the visit to see the Batu Caves. There are several huge limestone caves that have become places of worship for Hindus. The main one has 272 steps to climb to reach the entrance. Once a year pilgrims come to climb, and then pour milk on one of the goddesses at the top. We were happy it wasn't that crowded. We already were sharing the space with tourists, birds, chickens and monkeys. The scenery did put you in a worshipful mood. Another cave was filled with statues depicting stories from Hindu epics. A third cave was being protected for science research. It was kept dark for the animals who make it home. The first section can be toured with a guide, but the rest is only for the researchers.

We had to fit in some shopping but didn't buy much. There was a 7 story electronics mall, Low Yat. Rob bought some more chargers, and a GoPro knock off, and a back up smartphone. Two things need repairing on the current one-but repair estimate was more than the phone cost.

The trip cost more than anticipated, however. We didn't pay the $30 for a checked bag online as we did carryon going. When we decided to check it on the way back, we found out that the price is $100 if done at the airport. Also found out that the 90 day visa that we took so much time and money to get in Penang is a one time use visa. Therefore, it expired when we left the country. As we had gone to Singapore from Batam in Indonesia in Nov we thought it wouldn't be a problem. But they have different rules there! We landed up paying an extra $100 to get a 30 day tourist visa. The trouble is we can't leave until Bob arrives in 31 days. They assured us we could pay for an extension in Padang but we aren't convinced Padang will have the same rules.

Today, Sat, we checked out of the Sabang harbour which involved two hours visiting the harbourmaster and quarantine. We had to pay for a health booklet-the first place to require it on the  Indonesian stops. Also the harbour masters' fee to pay which has been different for each boat. We only moved a few miles to a mooring ball in the tourist/diving area of the island. We weren't planning on staying but may do one more day as it looks really nice.

Banda Aceh

Riding in a Tuk Tuk with driver Jack - air conditioning was great!

Helen, Jim and Carol outside the Tsunami Museum

Electric power generating barge which came to rest 4 kms inland

Fishing boat ended up on top of a house

Banda Aceh

April 2, 2016

We are taking advantage of this good anchorage in Sabang to do some extended sightseeing. After a week for the anchor to set well, not much wind entering the bay, contacts with locals for help, other boats in the bay, and a secure place to leave the dinghy all made us feel ok about leaving the boat. We don't know what we will find in other places in Sumatra.

The first place we wanted to visit is Banda Aceh, where the most severe damage was done by the tsunami in 2004. It is only a 45 min ferry ride to the mainland. Jim and Helen from Gaia also wanted to visit. So Saturday, April 2, we got Hasan to drive us to the ferry, along with Luc who was catching a flight home. Hasan arranged with friends of his, Herry and Jack, to take us around in their tuk tuks for the day doing chores as well as visiting the tsunami museum. Gaia ordered a new dinghy motor, and Rob replaced a watch and bought a portable charger.

The museum was worth the visit! There was info on the geology of the earthquakes and tsunami, and many photos and stats on the damage done at their location. 150,000 of the victims, one third of which were children, were from this one city. It is a large, low lying area susceptible to flooding. At the ferry dock, the wave was 18 meters high and traveling at 700 km/hr. By the time it reached the city core it was 5 m high. It was, by then, carrying much debris and bodies. Chinatown on the northern flats got the worst of it. That morning there were at least 6 earthquakes along the fault line. The closest and largest was a 9.3. There was already a lot of damage from the earthquake. The wave, 45 min later, was mostly unexpected. Our driver lost his wife and mother. Most families lost someone. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like!

As well as the museum, we visited a power generating barge that was in the harbour but is now 4 km inland and being used as another museum. There is another vessel that ended up on the roof of a house and is still there, and a coast guard boat tipped between a few houses. They have built a memorial park around one of the mass grave sites near the water for 45,000 people. The museum has a detailed accounting of the donations and type of work that has been done in the last 11 yr. They even were using elephants to help remove the garbage. It was a major effort to help people find their family members. Those involved in the planning are now consulted on disaster preparedness for other countries. It was good to see that Canada was one of the more significant donors.