Sailing

I have recounted joyful meetings with new friends made in the exotic places we have journeyed to but I would be remiss not to record fond memories of some of our fellow sailors and adventurers. 

We had people of over 20 nationalities on the Sail Indonesia rally. Many live on their yachts and sail from port to port and rally to rally. Some retain a home base. The siren call of the world's seas, peoples and destinations is powerful. They cope with the wear and tear on their boats and sometimes themselves with a lot of endurance, mutual support and hard learnt skills.  Shared tours, meals and happy hours are a source of fascinating stories about previous lives and tales of the high seas.  We have shared companionable times peppered with hilarity, in sweltering heat, rainstorms, squeezed into small vehicles, in a phalanx of motorcycles far up into mountains and lakes, in local people's homes as honoured guests, at a wedding celebration at very close quarters with the marrying couples. These experiences bind and make for lasting friendships. 

Standing on a stage with a bunch of fellow sailors singing Rod Stewart's "Sailing" to a couple of thousand excited villagers at Beriga village, Bangka ....

The deep, maple syrup mellow gentlemanly tones of Canadian Gary of Inspiration Lady on the Net or giving a speech on behalf of Sail Indonesia participants at Lovina, Bali .......... Sorry Janice but the women of the fleet fell in love with your husband's voice :)

Julian from Tropic Bird (with raunchy figurehead) and his crew of attractive young American couples Omar and Alison, Matthew and Rhiannon backpacking their way and staying onshore at the various destinations. Julian has written a book called "I should have stayed on the train ..." or similar about his travel adventures ...

Lyn and Chris of Out of the Blue ll out of Southport. Known to our Southport friends Lea and Geoff of Nestasea (small world), our hosts for an Equator crossing celebration at anchor at Kentor and fellow diners at our last dinner in Malaysia .....

USA couple Jason and Karen of Yolo often attended tours and events. Tall lanky drole Jason speaking for participants at Bangka striding leisurely down the hill in front of the delighted spectators around him and taking two steps at a time up onto the stage on his long legs clothed in bright yellow shorts - reminiscent of John Cleese moves.  Karen was into everything, especially if it was edible. She accompanied me visiting Sylia the guide's grandmothers house in town at Bangka where she managed to obtain free bananas and a pineapple ;)

Karen enjoying the honey at Bangka

Karen and I trying fairy floss or cotton candy at Bangka

A group of us at Dyak house at Pankalan Bun. Jason talking to Colin. 

Helene and Peter of Vallely (home marina Yuringa, Westernport Bay, Victoria) also diligently attended cultural events put on for us. Peter danced beside Colin at Belitung .....

Janice and Mick of Zoa of Perth WA. Mick's skills were very welcome in diagnosing a thankfully small and easily fixed fault in Delphian's generator (or Geni affectionately called). Mick was an electrician employed at Woodside for years. Janice makes very clever use of discarded sailcloth to make handbags and carry bags.  I will share her website with you. They joined us for dinner at a Danga Bay steamboat restaurant. 

Janice of Zoa

Water Musik's USA family Bill, Becky and three children Joey, Raymond and Melodie, while not officially part of our fleet, were welcome fellow travellers. Bill would swing the spinnaker pole out over the water for his kids, often joined by some local children, to swing out and into the water.  Bill had a three year stint as a dentist in Alaska to look forward to next ....

Young Melanie and

Bill and Raymond at wedding feast

 

Crews of Water Musik and Tropic Bird at Bintan Chinese seafood restaurant

Katrina and Ken of Watusi out of Townsville ... Also not part of the fleet but good company at Belitung and Bintan ....

Dutch couple Yann and Marielle of Avanta have chosen to live in their retirement on Malta when they are not sailing around the world. She is an educator with background working with people with disabilities. He is a highly knowledgable person with a career in chemistry and one of the wiser, more grounded and experienced sailors. We got to know them better on the bus tour at Bangka. 

Yann, Marielle and Lyn feasting at village chiefs house, Beriga

Cheryl and Phil of Adagio endured a broken motor and the stress of being towed through the Singapore Straits, a brave feat successfully undertaken by John and Pam in Allicat. Memories of a dark bar in Lovina and a high school graduate party ....

Gail and Bill on Kularoo were often keen to initiate get togethers and expeditions.  

Jon, Irina and Mark of Footloose shared time in the rain on a public holiday at Belitung. They worried about hatches left open. 

Mick popular with the ladies 

Terry of Sylvia May and his wife Jenny who is a Malay Chinese from Singapore often helped with communication Bahasa Malay being fairly similar to Bahasa Indonesian. Jenny had exacting standards which sometimes caused a smile or two ....

German couple Brent and his wife of Elbe were often on tours with us. We had a near incident when their boat was anchored within our anchor chain range and the weather turned stormy at Belitung. Fast work by all and our up-anchoring and moving avoided a certain collision. 

Canadians Gene and Sheri of Reflections shared a taxi with Cecilie and I at Danga Bay one one of our many shopping sprees. Gene has great skill in sourcing meat and other foods by identifying and visiting restaurant suppliers. Sheri was one of the regular posters on the Sail Indonesia website. 

Others we became acquainted with (apologies for any I have forgotten) included 

- Austrian Christophe of Eva 

- Peter and Lisa of Niccone

- Calypso, a South Africal boat we left Bintan with

- USA Virginia and Denis from Libertad another professional and easy on the ear voice on the daily Net

- USA Mike of Nahanni whose gearbox broke at Kumei meaning sailing only all the way to Danga Bay

- Wendy and Stephan of Juliana ll

- Janina and Dean of Tropic Soul

- Maure and ... of Irish yacht Soal Elle

We were also happy to meet in Bali the former crew of Delphian, Marilyn Graham who lives in Hobart and is author of Coastal Cruising Companion (see advertised on Skipr.net) and Tricia Wallace-Smith who lives Mooloolaba and is occasionally seen at SYC on a Friday night as an ex-member :). 

Last but not least will we ever forget the mahogany brown tanned, fit, brown-eyed John Sloan our host. My companion on watch, happy to share stories of teaching days and Melbourne and country Victoria or to enjoy easy silences in that semi trance like state one feels when no hazards are around and the magic of the movement of the boat through the sea and the night weaves it's spell. John enduring the incredible heat of the engine room when mechanical matters needed attending to. Our hat is off to him as a master sailor. 

And Cecilie who is so nimble and strong, quick thinking and alert to the needs of the boat and of us.  Cook extraordinaire. Making sure we are up with the affairs of the world, the latest books and initiator of many highly stimulating philosophical,educational, technology and political conversations. A source of attraction to people of other lands with her long blond hair, big blue eyes and attractive figure and tropical apparel.  Her never-ending curiosity and energy in engaging locals in conversation - often leading further to visits to schools, homes for meals and the development of deeper understandings of the cultures we experienced.  We were so fortunate to find so much in common and to enjoy the company of these two lovely people and so privileged to be invited to share travels aboad their beautiful Delphian.  

Six weeks flew like Delphian under sail in 25 knots. 

Until next time :)))