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Firefly - The Monsoon begins



Its Halloween and Firefly is anchored in the small channel off a village called Puneba in the Lingga Regency. We are only 20 miles south of the equator and its hot and humid.

The trip from Belitung took 5 days as we completed the 200+ miles in day hops, avoiding being at sea at night and sailing most of the way. We stopped at Gelasa Island and twice on Bangka. Peckacang Island was spectacular so we had a lay day there before finishing the trip in a thunderstorm of 'biblical' proportions. Clearly the monsoon was starting as we left Belitung and we could see heavy rains forecast over Borneo in particular. It did not actually rain on Firefly until we reached Peckacang and despite some thunder and lightening on that occasion it was not that heavy.

The visibility as we sailed to Gelasa and Bangka was terrible - the smoke haze and air pollution being the worst we had experienced so far. However, as predicted with the start of the monsoon rains, the fires must have started to go out and the rainfall is clearing the air. On reaching Peckacang there was a short period in the late afternoon when the sun managed to break through the gloom and cast a shadow on deck! Since then its got increasingly clear and the sun is now out although there is still some haze.

The trip north was interesting both in terms of the visibility and because at each stop we managed to find some reasonable snorkeling. The coral was very good in most places and the only disappointment was the lack of fish - there are small fish but very few bigger species. Its no surprise as there are so many fishermen everywhere and nowhere is regulated as a marine park in this part of Indonesia - the good news is that the larger fish that we did manage to spot are extremely timid so somehow they know the risk!

Arriving in Puneba we have joined about 20 other boats from the Sail 2 Indonesia Rally - most have done the trip from Belitung in one go and motored all of the way - Firefly has therefore done well to have sailed the majority, mostly with the gennaker set. Luckily the sails were all stowed as Firefly was approaching Puneba, motoring into a foul current with only a limited time left before dark and with some very dark clouds over the land we were heading towards....

Very quickly Firefly was engulfed with cloud and being pelted with torrential rain. Although not very experienced at using the radar to spot rain, it was clear that we were right in the center of some heavy cloud. Motoring against the current Firefly's speed over ground was only about 4 knots and this seem to correspond to the speed and direction the huge squall was traveling at. Visibility dropped to less than 50 metres and lightening was flashing every few seconds. Thunderclaps were incredibly loud and the boat was shaken each time - fortunately there was always some gap between the lightening and thunder so we were never directly under a strike. The decision was taken to pull in behind an island which offered good shelter and an easy anchorage. In driving rain the anchored was dropped down and held well.

It rained most of the night but by this morning the sun was out. Penuba was less than an hour away and our arrival was just in time for the welcome ceremony. Penuba is a bustling town with many of the buildings jutting out over the sea on stilts. The architecture is best described as 'organised chaos', there is a great deal of litter but fortunately the rainforest vegetation vastly improves the overall appearance. Despite the state of the village the locals who lined up for the event were immaculately dressed in traditional clothing and we walked together to the main square where seating was arranged under cover. Paul was delegated to make a speech on behalf of the rally participants and this followed the Indonesian address by the head man of the village. Coconut milk to drink and some tasty local snacks were followed by a village tour which included the school, clinic, new fish market and even the prison. Tonight its the Rugby World Cup final and with lots of Aussies and Kiwis in the fleet a satellite TV is arranged at the bar at 2300.

Tomorrow there are plans for an equator party and a longitude has been given for an island anchorage where a BBQ will take place. We will stay there for a night before moving onto Benan the penultimate rally stop. Tanyang Pinang is the final destination and is where we will check out of Indonesia, sometime before next weekend. Firefly will then be heading across the Singapore Straits and berthing at the One Degree 15 Marina.

Paul and Susie

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