Kate Ashe Leonard finds peaceful anchorages, exciting wildlife, and human connection while exploring the Indonesia islands onboard her catamaran Polaris. Photo: Kate Ashe Leonard.Fleeing bait fish ping against our hulls while troops of shrimp crackle like frying bacon as they drift past. A red painted fishing boat is anchored among the shallow reefs up ahead, its skipper dozing in the gentle dawn.
\nDiving in off our back step, I swim against the current, grabbing hold of our anchor chain. Polaris\u2019s twin hulls frame a white sandy spit topped with three leaning palm trees, shelving into light then dark blue sea.
\nWe\u2019re cocooned off both port and starboard by two bigger islands cloaked in lowland forest and surrounded by twinkling ancient granite boulders.
\nThese are the Anambas islands, Indonesia\u2019s northernmost sea border archipelago. They are dotted with traditional villages suspended over water on wooden stilts, gushing waterfalls, silica sand beaches and empty, well-protected anchorages, making them a dream destination.
\nPolaris on a slow passage to Kupang. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nBetween Peninsular Malaysia and the island of Borneo, only 25 of these 255 islands are inhabited.
\nWe arrived in Indonesia on our Catana 47 Polaris 10 months ago and, although it\u2019s not the easiest place to cruise, the 1,900-miles we\u2019ve explored in the country has been an unforgettable chapter in our circumnavigation so far.
\nIndonesia is spread across more than 17,500 islands that stretch between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and surfers can ride long, consistent swells formed from both oceans.
\nLocated within the Ring of Fire, it has the highest number of active volcanoes in the world, and the multitude of habitats \u2013 from savannahs and tropical rainforests to mangrove swamps and coral reefs \u2013 are home to fascinating wildlife; from Komodo dragons to critically endangered tigers, elephants and orangutans endemic to Sumatra and Borneo that roam in the wild.
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\nThe weather while cruising in Indonesia
\nKomodo Island \u2013 and others within Komodo National Park \u2013 turns spectacularly green during the wet season. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nIndonesia is out of the cyclone belt and its proximity to the equator means light wind is normal year-round; all but the most patient sailors tend to burn lots of diesel.
\nHowever, there are two monsoon seasons to factor in.
\nFrom June until September, dry season conditions with south-east winds cover much of southern Indonesia.
\nAt the same time, north of the equator parts of Aceh, Kalimantan and Sulawesi are in their south-west wet season.
\nThen between December and the end of February the southern wet season brings stormy weather with north-westerly winds, while the northern regions experience north-easterlies and drier conditions.
\nTransitional weather with light wind in the months between seasons can provide windows to make way in directions otherwise untenable due to the monsoons.
\nLand and sea
\nPadar Island in the Komodo National Park. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nDeparting Darwin we\u2019re on a broad reach. Out of the lee of Bathurst Island the wind accelerates and has us speeding along at eight knots, but it\u2019s short-lived and by day two we drop our sails and motor through glassy water.
\nWhen we arrive at Kupang, our port of entry in Timor, our plan is to make our way west using the last of the south-easterlies as far as Lombok, where we\u2019ll stop for the southern rainy season.
\nBy contrast to our year spent sailing Australia with clear and strictly enforced regulations, we\u2019re expecting unmarked fishing vessels, lots of plastic pollution and lengthy officialdom clearing in.
\nBut on this sweltering three-night passage, the number of obstacles in the water are few and far between until the last 50 miles. The plastic, however, is heartbreaking and checking in does take two and a half days.
\nSpinner dolphins guide us south-west towards the powder white sand of Rote Island. Wooden villages fringe the coast en route to the town of Nemberala where uncrowded breaks attract surfers from all over the world.
\nLike many Indonesian coastal communities, though, Rote is still reliant on agriculture and fishing. We squeeze in among about 30 enormous fishing trimarans and for three weeks we rise at dawn and paddle out to the nearest break.
\nIndonesian fisherman raising their anchor at Rote Island, part of the Sunda group where fishing is still a primary source of income. Photo: Jim Hooper.
\nAfter our fill of surfing, we set a course north-west while the winds are still pumping. Keeping at least 50 miles off the north coast of Sumba to avoid fishing vessels, we spend the 300-mile passage reaching under mainsail and genoa.
\nThe heat of Indonesia is tough but the wind fills our sails and helps keep us cool.
\nUsing PredictWind forecasts and gathering local knowledge before our departure, we manage to pick up favourable current as we continue north towards Rinca island, our first stop in the Komodo National Park islands.
\nApproaching Rinca Island in the Komodo National Park. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nIn this area there are dozens of breathtaking anchorages at the foothills of sloping savannah-covered islands, hemmed by colourful, thriving coral reefs. Ashore we spot monkeys in the trees, deer in the shallows and water buffalo grazing on the hills.
\nThese islands are both a terrestrial and marine park \u2013 the same day we visit the ferocious Komodo dragons, a resting sperm whale exhales just outside our anchorage.
\nOur time here is blissful; mornings are punctuated by hikes up scorched brown hills that will slowly turn green when the rains come, and afternoons drift snorkelling in the current with sharks, turtles and dozens of manta rays beneath us.
\nThe fearsome Komodo dragon is not present on Padar but is found on other islands within Komodo National Park. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nManaging the tropical heat while cruising Indonesia
\nThe humidity rises as the seasons transition and we need to keep moving.
\nNext, Sumbawa beckons, its moody volcanic craters smouldering to the west. With our sails full we race past Mount Tambora, whose eruption caused a global cooling event nicknamed the \u2018Year Without a Summer\u2019 in 1815. Today, it appears reassuringly sedate.
\nContinuing west, Satonda island, with its volcanic crater lake interior, has a unique anchorage with access to a hike around the crater\u2019s edge, while Moyo island offers excellent diving.
\nBut perhaps the biggest highlight is Saleh Bay, where enormous Whale sharks congregate around fishing platforms for an easy meal.
\nAnchored off the pier giving access to the volcanic crater of Satonda Island and its lake within. Experienced hikers can traverse the whole crater rim on a dirt path.Photo: Jim Hooper
\nGili Islands
\nAfter several day-hops, we reach the brilliant blues of Lombok\u2019s famous Gili islands.
\nIt\u2019s late October and the heat forms a giant thundercloud above Rinjani, the second tallest volcano in Indonesia. When the storm hits it\u2019s sudden and violent: the wind shifts and climbs to 30 knots.
\nAt anchor, Polaris\u2019s bows gallop over a growing swell while lightning flashes ever closer. Waves pound the beach and two fishing boats break free.
\nWet season comes early this year and the north-west winds will soon prevent sailors from safely continuing west.
\nBut our desire to explore Indonesia slowly, plus a family holiday on board, means we pause our journey in Lombok. With an international airport, a boatyard and a good marina, it\u2019s convenient.
\nCruising past fishing platforms as Polaris heads to south-west Lombok. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nAt this time of year, the best shelter is in south-west Lombok. The wind hasn\u2019t quite switched north-west yet and so the passage south along the west coast is very sheltered by the main island.
\nStill, a large swell generated in the Lombok Strait repeatedly smashes against our starboard beam as we raise our mainsail and motor-sail for 40 miles, passing dozens of wooden fishing platforms decorated with lights and draped with fishing nets that are hung out at night.
\nA little archipelago known as the Secret Gili islands is sprinkled along this coastline, still untouched by mass tourism despite being a mere 90-minute speedboat ride away from neighbouring Bali. This area becomes our base for the coming months.
\nTraditional daily markets are the beating heart of village life across Lombok. Women sit arranging buckets of silver fish while other vendors sell chicken, tempeh, vegetables, stacks of fruit and heaps of grains and nuts.
\nFlexing our basic Bahasa, and with a little help from local people, we gather what we need each week.
\nLighting disaster while cruising Indonesia
\nNight watch under sail. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nMonsoonal deluges of rain and thunder and lightning storms are almost daily occurrences by November, when our boat sustains an indirect but damaging strike.
\nI was standing in the saloon area when the front window filled with purple and green light.
\nThe flash and almost simultaneous bang were terrifying, and Jim and I lunged to disconnect our lithium batteries in time.
\nIn the weeks that follow, we notice our instruments are malfunctioning and Polaris\u2019s depth sounder is completely dead.
\nLocals tell us this is the worst rainy season in years. Low pressure systems spin up from northern Australia and on a few occasions our instruments read over 40 knots. Rivers flood, breaking their banks, spilling debris that poses a serious risk to yachts.
\nMoving between anchorages after a storm, we dodge huge floating logs and are confronted with the worst plastic marine pollution we\u2019ve ever seen \u2013 many islands have little to no waste collection or processing facilities.
\nThe Java Sea
\nStill waters for Polaris in the Anambas archipelago. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nThe seasons are slow to transition and it\u2019s early May by the time the north-west winds finally peter out enough to head west. Timing the crossing of the strait that separates Lombok from Bali is crucial, as it\u2019s known for strong currents and high waves.
\nWe motor-sail across the widest, northern part on a light wind day without incident.
\nBali\u2019s volcanic north coast is striking and has good holding in black sand, although inlets and coves are lacking. Nets marked by flags set sometimes hundreds of metres apart, interspersed with dozens of FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices), mean this area requires close attention.
\nWe are on a tight schedule, but before crossing the Java Sea, visits to Banyuwedang\u2019s hot springs and diving off Menjangan island are exceptional experiences.
\nNext, we head north-west towards Kalimantan, Borneo.
\nStilt house on Bawean Island. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nThe Java Sea is Indonesia\u2019s maritime highway and an intimidating body of water to navigate; a major fishing ground and shipping artery, it connects Indonesian ports and also intersects international shipping routes.
\nAs the sun dips below the horizon, fishing fleets (with no AIS) glow like a city in the distance; their white, purple and green lights initially appear blindingly close, but in fact we motor towards them for hours.
\nSmaller vessels, barely visible by comparison, flash torches to signal their presence. In the dead heat of a windless passage, we meander between vessels like this for two days straight until, exhausted, we reach Bawean island, a welcome halfway stop in the middle of the Java Sea.
\nDawn breaks as our bows cut through shallow aqua water, dodging reefs off Bawean\u2019s east coast.
\nReminiscent of some Pacific islands we\u2019ve experienced, Bawean is mountainous and covered in rainforest. From the northern anchorage, minarets and the domed roofs of mosques are visible.
\nAshore we hike past glistening rice paddy fields, and a school where the children run out from class and follow us playfully up the street.
\nBack on board, we plan our onward route and prepare to depart. The CAPE index is extremely high from here to Kalimantan and as far as Singapore with lightning forecast for the next ten days.
\nBut as we approach the equator unstable weather is an unavoidable characteristic year-round and we leave feeling somewhat apprehensive.
\nOrangutans up river
\nOrangutans at Tajung Puting National Park. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nThe south-east winds are not yet fully established and our angle is tight on the wind for 180 miles, until the muddy mouth of Kalimantan\u2019s Kumai river comes into view.
\nWe are tense as we enter the river: we replaced our depth sounder after the lightning strike but haven\u2019t calibrated it correctly and depths of 5m read as 2m.
\nAs well as being a shipping terminal, the town of Kumai is well known for its \u2018bird\u2019s nest hotels\u2019. Dwarfing the once quaint village, tower blocks fitted with speakers play bird song all day long to entice the birds to nest in, the nests are then sold into the lucrative Chinese bird\u2019s nest market.
\nAcross the river lies Tajung Puting National Park, an area of rainforest home to the largest population of wild orangutans in the world. This is the reason we came here, and we\u2019ve booked a two-day river boat tour.
\nFrom a traditional klotok riverboat I look up as the sun casts splinters of light through the trees while our captain navigates up the narrowing river. A semi-submerged crocodile disappears into tea-coloured water, hornbills glide above the trees and proboscis monkeys scuffle along the banks.
\nWe whizz by crooked, stilted fishing huts until we reach a pontoon. We follow our guide along a rickety bridge, then he stops abruptly and points.
\nBurnt orange shaggy hair emerges from emerald foliage: the wild female great ape swings towards us, then positions herself upside down and gazes approvingly at the juvenile she is nursing, tightly gripped to her side. Not far behind a larger male is climbing up into the swaying canopy.
\nAs the end of May nears the wind blows more consistently from the south-east. Back on Polaris we unfurl sails as we exit the Kumai river, passing barges piled high with timber.
\nOur next stop is Belitung island, off the east coast of Sumatra, 300 miles west.
\nAnchorage at the island of Belitung on the east coast of Sumatra, Java Sea. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nThe current accelerates fiercely and the wind too is strong at the southern tip of Borneo. We need to avoid shallower water off this coast otherwise the wind over tide effect will make for very rough conditions.
\nWe put a reef in both the mainsail and the genoa, and for the next 24 hours average 10 knots of boat speed until the wind gradually reduces.
\nGranite boulders worn smooth by the elements sit clustered around Belitung\u2019s headlands and little islets. With a clearance port, a busy town and exceptionally beautiful sandy beaches this is a favourite stop for cruisers.
\nA week is hardly enough to explore but, with just a month left on our visas, we\u2019re keen to get to the Anambas islands \u2013 we\u2019re told one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world.
\nAs we leave Belitung thunderclouds follow us and the squall clouds have joined together until they\u2019re over seven miles long.
\nFinally a downpour washes through, the wind increasing to 30 knots, but it clears the air and we\u2019re back under blue skies.
\nColourful Anambas fishing boats. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nAmazing Anambas
\nArriving in Anambas after this 340-mile passage, what we find is even better than we imagined; the water is inviting; the beaches clean and villages dot the shore of just a handful of islands.
\nWe head to the outer eastern islands first and work our way back west. This is a place with nothing much to do but snorkel and marvel at the pristine, protected anchorages we find ourselves in.
\nOne evening at an bay known as Moonrock we watch the full moon rise while someone plays saxophone on the beach. It\u2019s a difficult place to want to leave.
\nSiantan, one of the larger islands in the Anambas Archipelago. Photo: Jim Hooper
\nTen months in and we\u2019ve only just begun to get the hang of cruising this vast archipelagic nation.
\nIt\u2019s true there\u2019s bureaucracy, and destinations are so spread out that \u2013 with two monsoon seasons \u2013 it\u2019s easy to get stuck waiting for a weather window.
\nSafe places to leave the boat with access to airports for visa runs are few and far between, and importing spare parts are expensive. But these hurdles pale in comparison to the incredible experiences we\u2019ve had.
\nFor the self-sufficient and adventurous, Indonesia offers thousands of undeveloped, stunning islands inhabited by exceptionally kind-hearted people.
\nKate Ashe Leonard has now sailed more than 30,000 miles almost seven years after moving on board the Catana 47 Polaris with her partner, Jim Hooper. They are currently cruising Indonesia and in the coming year they\u2019ll continue their circumnavigation west through the Indian Ocean. Follow on Instagram @sv_polaris and at svpolaris.com.<\/p>\n
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The post Island nation: Cruising the Indonesian islands on a catamaran appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kate Ashe Leonard finds peaceful anchorages, exciting wildlife, and human connection while exploring the Indonesia islands onboard her catamaran Polaris. Photo: Kate Ashe Leonard.Fleeing bait fish ping against our hulls while troops of shrimp crackle like frying bacon as they … <\/p>\n