With beaming smiles and an attitude of ‘nothing is too much trouble’, the fleet have been warmly welcomed throughout their stay in Lombok.
The route from Darwin to Lombok is traditionally a light wind passage and the leg this year was no exception. The feet, however, relished the tranquil sail and were met with winds of circa 12KTS as they neared the islands of Indonesia, and much to the skipper’s delight the big colourful sails had an outing on route. With a passage from Darwin taking around a week, on arrival to Lombok, crews were eager to step ashore and experience a treasure trove of natural wonders and unique wildlife
Time is always precious, so once clearance formalities were quickly administered, it was straight on with the programme of events and the World Cruising Club tour was top of the list. Providing an excellent understanding of life on the island, the tour stared with a visit through the jungle area of Gunung Malang where participants got to meet with the local macaque monkeys. This of course always provides lots of amusement and whoever holds the most peanuts becomes the most popular. Continuing to the main town of Mataram, there is a stop at the traditional food market, Kebon Roek, where stalls are laden with colourful locally grown fruits and vegetables along with many other wears. The tour also includes a visit to the Islamic Centre. Being the largest mosque on the island the architecture alone was a feast for the eyes. The tour concluded with a sensational seafood lunch overlooking Sengigi beach.
Celebrating the leg from Darwin, the programme in Medana Bay continued with the prizegiving dinner. The evening was full of entertainment, commencing with a dramatic display from traditional dance and music from Lombok, Gendang Beleq. In times past, this dance was performed to say goodbye to the soldiers who went to battle fields, and also to welcome those soldiers when they returned so it was a fitting display.
The evening continued with a delicious buffet dinner cooked by the chefs in the marina and the announcements of the winners. Division 1 Cruising Leg Class A was won by James, Mary and Jena on Abide, closely followed by Nicholas and his crew on Brainwave. Class B was topped by double handers, Edgar and Eva on their Swedish flagged vessel, Saphir af Stockholm. Second in the class was another double hander, Chris and Karen on Mistral of Portsmouth. Fun competitions were also incorporated into the prizegiving with The Monty and Abide picking up their second award. A fantastic night was had by all.
Days in Lobok have been busy with boat jobs, replenishing cupboards with food, filling tanks with fuel, and exploring the island. Trips to the famous Gili Islands were organised through the WCC tour representative along with private tours to the waterfalls, wildlife sanctuary and further afield.
After the skippers briefing for the next leg to Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling, the final event in the calendar was a BBQ hosted by the Marina. With 9 boats joining World ARC 2024-25 in Indonesia, it was a great atmosphere with all 21 crews coming together to celebrate their time in Lombok.
Time spent in each stop is carefully organised way in advance, but it is with thanks to the local people and businesses which together make the fleets’ time on land so special. With this, it is thanks to tour operator DIDI from A&T Holidays and his expert guides and drivers for providing an exceptional experience. DIDI and his team could not have been more helpful and supportive during our stay.
Out hosts, Medana Bay Marina, welcome World ARC for the 5th time and it is our sincere thanks to all the hard working team who have been so attentive and always willing to help with jobs, questions and requests both big and small.
All the crews have had a thrilling time in Lombok and in the words of many of the participants, the island has exceeded all our expectations. Thank you Lombok it has been an incredible experience.
Because the next destination is so unique the fleet will sail in 2 groups. Today, Saturday 21 September, was the start for group 1. Unfortunately, the wind didn’t want to wake up this morning so it was a very gentile start but no more less dramatic as the fleet motored across the start line with the stunning Mount Rinjani in the background.
Group 2 will depart on Monday 23 September and the fleet will gather all together again in Cocos Keeling after a stop on Christmas Island. The fleet will cover some 1,200NM on their next leg.