Year 2- 12 September 2025 –Pulau Moyo – Badas Town – Sumbawa
It was a pleasant morning but there was some wind which had caused a bit of a swell. We had our usual tea and then coffee. Breakfast was fruit – mango and orange and cereal.
We tried the outboard again without success so we decided to get it up on to the back of the boat using the crane. This is a bit of a procedure but we managed it. We then got the old the smaller engine down and she started well and I took her for a couple of spins around the boat. We decided to stay for the morning and then due to the outboard issue head over to the anchorage outside Badas Town Sumbawa. We needed to meet new crew on the 14th anyway. Mark read and I did emails regarding different marinas ahead etc. This took me a couple of hours and then I read for a bit.
At about 11.45am we got the dinghy up on the davits and prepared to leave. We upped anchor and headed off. There was some good wind so within about 20 minutes we put up the genoa and sailed well out of the bay. We continued and the wind varied from 11 -20 kts with most of the time it being 15-18kts and this pushed along nicely at about 7 plus kts. It was a sunny day and there was little traffic. All seemed good.
It was good to be back on the move and there were white horses here and there. We saw some fish jumping and fish are clearly abundant here. We did not fish as we still had plenty of food to eat. It only took us a couple of hours to come into the large bay where the town lay. Some dolphins came to say hello and played around the boat. The wind continued into the bay and then once we were some way through the wind seemed to do a 180 and started coming from the opposite direction. We tried to sail this for a bit but as it was all over the place so we decided to bring the sail in and motor. I had found helpful advice from No Foreign Land which is a good app which has lots of helpful information. I got the coordinates for the anchorage and we motored in and found it and anchored.
It was clear that the main town was a little to our left but that there was a fuel dock nearby where we could go. Once we anchored we got settled and Mark cooked spring rolls for lunch with chilli sauce which was nice. As we were about to have lunch a man came by in a dugout and offered help and we discussed with him what we wanted to do. This was to get our laundry done, have the outboard taken to a repairer again and to provision in preparation for 2 new crew joining on the 14th. We had some rubbish to get rid of as well. We negotiated with Boridge as he was called and came to an agreement so that he would help us with all this.
He took our laundry away. We agreed to meet him tomorrow at 8.30am with the outboard at the fuel dock. We then had our lunch which was a little later than normal. We then chilled for a bit. We needed to change the oil in the main engine again as it had reached nearly 200 hours. This meant removing the oil and changing the oil filters of which there are two and then putting in new oil. This time I decided to use jubilee clips on the pipes to prevent air entering into the pumping. This worked very well and we pumped out almost 30 lts of oil. The oil was hot and the engine room was like a sauna. We then set about removing and changing the two oil filters which went well without too much spillage and then put in new oil. We cleared up and the exercise was not more than about an hour and a half. We ran the engine for a few minutes to check that there were no leaks and I will check the oil level tomorrow and make sure the right amount of oil is in the engine.
This was a hot and messy job and good to get done. When Mark moved the pipe from the removal pump it broke off from the pump. It must just be old and we will just have to replace it. By the time we had finished and cleared up we deserved a cold beer. It was then time for a cold shower.
Sumbawa Besar is a town on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, and is the second-biggest settlement on the island after Bima. It is the administrative capital of the Sumbawa Regency within the province of West Nusa Tenggara, and has a population of 62,753 at the 2020 Census but the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 64,936. Public transportation in Sumbawa Besar may include bemo, dokar (a traditional horse-drawn vehicle). Sumbawa Besar has a few historic buildings from the Dutch colonial period.
The former palace of the sultan, the Istana Dalam Loka, was built in 1885 with 99 columns, and without the use of a single nail; well-known Sultan Jalaludin III reigned in the area from 1883-1893. The palace, renovated in the 1980s, is today used for various cultural events. The largest mosque in Sumbawa Besar, Masjid Agung Nurul Huda, was built beside the palace. The Dutch Reformed Church of Sumbawa Besar was founded around 1900, and still holds service
In 1932, the Dutch constructed the Balai Kuning, a tall administration building in a European half-timbered style. The foundation stone from 11 February 1932, with Dutch inscription, is still visible on the northern wall. The building houses various weapons and clothing used by previous sultans, and is surrounded by a park, with two canons dating from colonial times.
We had a shower and then had supper which was the rest of the Mahi Mahi with red cabbage which was enjoyable. We hopefully are aheard of the curve and are well organised. As we were having supper about 40 little boats came out with lights on their front and I assume they are fishing for squid. It looked like Christmas lights on the water.
The picture of the day is the viewpoint of our anchorage and the shore at dusk.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Chagos, Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. I am looking for crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town and from Cape Town to the UK. If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com