Yacht Tientos: Banta Island to Palau Lawang

“I feel we are all islands – in a common sea" - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

We departed Banta on Sunday 3^rd September as the anchorage was starting to become uncomfortable with strong winds and swell (and we needed a change).

Wera was the intended anchorage to see the home of the master shipbuilders. An amazing sight and Keith would have liked to go ashore but the kids started the minute the pick was down…demands for money, swearing and generally being abusive. Time to go…

Building the Phinisis

As luck would have it, this turned out to be one of our best sails goose winged along the coast to Teluk Bima, along with "Harrier". We then motored to the Port of Bima anchoring in a little bay opposite the wharf. Although it was Father’s Day, all that could be concocted for this special dinner was Bruschetta’s.

The next day, we took Patsy ashore whilst Dennis watched both yachts. We had an exciting motorbike trip into the city, where a policeman stopped traffic to enable us to cross to the supermarket. There were obviously not a lot of westerners visiting here as we were all followed around the supermarket watching to see what went into the trolley. It actually wasn’t much as the supermarket was more of a dry goods store, but we did manage to stock up on chocolate and Tim Tams! Our friendly policeman arranged a horse and cart back to the wharf, where we found the veg and eggs. Asparagus and Crab Quiches made up for the lack of attention on Father’s Day and we enjoyed a sundowner with the crew of "Harrier" aboard Tientos.

The next anchorages were overnighters only due to the unsettled conditions: Kununga and Seringitt, where sailfish were everywhere. No lack of fish in this area, which might explain the numerous nets and boats.

Palau Lawang was an amazing anchorage. You have to arrive early enough to see your way in among the reefs, but a very calm and quiet anchorage. After defrosting the freezer, we bottled another batch of wine and of course had to taste our product.