AMAZING LOOKING BOATS

BOATS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS

As we travelled throughout Indonesia, Malaysia & PNG, we were amazed at the diversity of boats out on the water. With fishing being one of the main industries, there were boats of all sizes to contend with on a daily basis but they never ceased to surprise us with their colour schemes, workmanship & intricacies & all of them being seaworthy!!

BEACH B-B-Q'S ALONG THE WAY

We'd travelled at such a hectic pace once we'd left Sandakan, knowing that we had thousands of miles to cover before arriving back in Australia before Xmas but we hadn't wanted to by-pass everything, so occasionally took time out for relaxation. I think we would've all gone crazy if we didn't have something to look forward to, especially with the long days that we were doing, so every now & then, when we discovered an isolated island with picturesque beaches, we'd drop anchor for a day or two, take the tender ashore to explore & spend some time together. The beach b-b-q's were a great way to relax & even though we quite often didn't have much food left on board, it was fun making do & sharing whatever we could manage to scrape together.

REES'S NEW HAIRSTYLE

It was a scary day when I left Rees to find a hairdresser in the Indonesian city of Jayapura. Normally he'd ask me to be there to offer advice & I knew that I should've been when I saw him sauntering along the street, with a huge grin from ear to ear & sporting a "mohawk". His hair was standing on end, had swirls & patterns cut into the sides & the back looked like a fluffy duck's tail. Apparently the young guy who had cut his hair had asked how he wanted it done so Rees just replied, "Just like yours!" And this was the outcome!

"JACANA ll"

This is a photo of "Jacana ll" under sail. John, who is normally a solo sailor, depended heavily upon the reliability of his 9 metre, Simpson designed, catamaran. They have sailed many thousands of miles together since leaving Brisbane in 2009 to join the "Sail Indonesia Rally" that left from Darwin in July 2009. It wasn't until 2010, that Rees & I really got to know John because of participation in the 2010 "East Malaysian Rally". It was then that we realised that we all wanted to travel back to Australia in the same direction after the rally, so we stuck together from Terrenganu, where we departed for Kuching, to sail across the South China Sea.

"Jacana ll" has proved to be a great little sailing boat, keeping pace with both "Hanalike" & "Windy spirit" during our long voyage from Malaysia, to Australia. John, who lives aboard, found her stable & reliable, only disappointing him over the last stages with the auto pilot failing, causing him to hand steer from the Louisiades in PNG, to Townsville in Australia. At times we all wondered just how he coped with being a lone sailor, especially with the many overnighters that we'd done over the past few months, but "Jacana ll" was always there on our doorstep, ready for the next leg!

OUR CRUISING MATES FOR THE LONG HAUL BACK TO AUSTRALIA

This is "Hanalike", a 43ft monohull from New Zealand with Linda & Mike on board. They had been in Asia for the past 3 years & were at the stage where they wanted to get the boat back to their home country in time for Xmas this year. Although we'd met them on the 2010 East Malaysian Rally, we didn't really have much to do with them until we heard through the grapevine that they'd intended sailing from Sandakan, North Borneo, across to Indonesia, through PNG & then on toward the Louisiades. This was our intended journey back to Australia too, so we soon got together to plan our long trip back together.

"Hanalike" at anchor in Rabaul where we all stayed for a few days to clear into PNG & to restock our boats for the time ahead. After the eruption of the volcano in 1993, half of Rabaul was demolished & covered in volcanic ash which is still a problem to this day. The active volcano smoulders every day, hissing & spitting ash in all directions so we were fortunate that the winds were favourable while we were there, blowing the ash away from us instead of toward us. It certainly was a sight to behold.

After spending nearly 3 months sailing together on a daily basis, Linda & Mike became great friends so whenever the opportunity presented itself, we'd socialize of an afternoon, drinking a gin & tonic or two, or maybe even three, depending on just how stressful our days had been! Having their constant chatter on the radio throughout the long days & nights at sea was a real comfort to all of us, especially with Mike's droll sense of humour when things went wrong.

John & Ayse, who were also our sailing buddies back to Australia, shared the good times as well as the bad, & like Linda & Mike, became very good friends during our voyage from Terrenganu, on the East Coast of Malaysia, all the way back to Townsville, Australia. John, who is normally a lone sailor & who did most of the trip by himself, was joined by his girlfriend, Ayse, for a couple of stints throughout the rally. We first met Ayse when she flew into Terrenganu to do the crossing of the South China Sea, into Kuching, but once she'd departed from Kuching, we didn't see her again until her arrival in Rabaul, PNG, due to work commitments. Anyway, after thousands of miles of John being the lone sailor, you can imagine the excitement the day Ayse flew into Rabaul to complete the rest of the journey with him!

SOME OF THE ISLANDS VISITED WITH CHRIS & ANNE

Langkayan Island, not far from Sanakan, looked promising for Chris & Rees to go spearfishing until they discovered that it was actually a marine park. The snorkelling was supposed to be fantastic but it was a matter of "Look" & "don't touch", so after having a look around the eco resort & having a drink at the bar, it was decided to move on toward one of the smaller islands nearby where the guys could spearfish. However, as we went to anchor in this new location, we were surprised to find a long boat rushing from nowhere to question us. Apparently we'd crossed into Philippine waters & were suddenly faced with 5 angry men who were armed with rifles & small hand guns. With apologies & nervous smiles, we quickly took off & made tracks for Sandakan!! Oh, how scary!

Anne playing on the beach with the local kids from Tigabu Island, a small fishing village a few hours north of Langkayan. The people were really friendly so as soon as we'd gone ashore, we were met by the local school teacher who became our unofficial guide for the short time we were there.

The fishing village on Tigabu Island consisted of stilt houses made from wood & although the houses in this photo weren't painted, quite a few of them were very colourfully painted & decorated, showing a definite class distinction.

CHRIS & ANNE VISIT IN NORTH BORNEO

Chris, Rees's brother, & his wife Anne, flew into Kota Kinabalu just after Kay & Jim had left us, for a week's holiday that would see them stay onboard "Windy Spirit" from KK to Sandakan. Unfortunately though, with the weather being rather unkind with strong winds, bleak skies & rain, it wasn't the yachting holiday that they'd expected. We did get to visit some islands along the way but with it being too rough to get off the boat, snorkelling, fishing & swimming generally went by the wayside. We certainly gave them a holiday to remember though with terrifying sea conditions at times,a pirate attack along the way & our boat dragging while we were all out to dinner!!! A yachting holiday can never be guaranteed as 'SUN, SAIL & FUN' but it can certainly give a life time of memories...good or bad!

"WINDY SPIRIT'S CREW TAKES OUT 3RD PRIZE

The presentation & gala dinner at Kota Kinabalu was certainly a night to remember, for one reason or another, but of course, the highlight of the evening was being presented with our trophies in two events of the multi hull division. We certainly couldn't have done it without Kay & Jim's help & besides that, they made it a memorable week by just being there as they're always fantastic company.

RACING FROM LABAUN TO KOTA KINABALU

Rees & Jim, the racing crew for "Windy Spirit", did everything in their power to sail, regardless of conditions. At times, when the wind had died completely & the sails had sagged, Jim could be found on the bow, physically shaking the headsail from side to side to get enough power to edge a few metres further forward. It became very frustrating for both of them but while Kay & I slept through the night undisturbed, the guys forged on, determined to take out a prize at the end of the rally for the multihull division.

Just after the beginning of the race, when every yacht was flying spinnakers, Kay & I filled in our time on the deck, shaded by our spinnaker until the wind died & the sail collapsed into the water. For some time after, we left the sail hanging as it provided much needed shade & shelter from the sun as we continued playing our board games.

It was a day of spinnaker racing which proved to be a very colourful sight for the race between Labaun & Kota Kinabalu. About 30 yachts, all different sizes & designs, competed in this fun filled event.

THE EAST MALAYSIAN RALLY 2010

The East Malaysian Rally for 2010 was great fun for all the participating yachts & as time went on & we all got to know each other, the gala presentations & dinners were fantastic events as it gave us a chance to catch up with fellow yachties in a very relaxed atmosphere. The beer flowed freely & there was always far too much food but these ocassions were meant for celebrating! What, you may ask?! Oh anything that you could think of!

Kay & Jim, from "Bach & Byte", had flown over from East Malaysia to Borneo to join us for the Borneo International Yacht Challenge which began in Miri, so there was plenty of celebrating to be done that week as we raced from port to port along the Borneo coastline. What an experience!