Year 2- 27 July 2025 – Kei Kecil -Ngiar Varat Island- Banda Island
The anchor alarm went off in the early hours as we turned 180 degrees again. I checked we were not dragging and then went back to sleep. It was a grey blustery morning and we had a cup of tea and decided to get underway as soon as possible. The next island on the rally is Banda some 190nm away west and we wanted to arrive in daylight so we would leave as soon as we can and go through the night to ensure we arrived before dusk the next day.
As there was only Adam and I it made things more hard work. There was quite a swell and we had to be quick with getting the dinghy up on the davits to avoid the stern bashing down on the dinghy. We managed it and got everything ready. We noticed one of the boats of the fleet Sol Searcher anchored nearby but she had been on the other side of the bay. I heard later that she has struck a rock or coral and must have moved. My guess was that when we turned 180 they did the same and we were too close to the reef.
Once we were ready we upped the anchor and luckily there were no problems with bommies and headed out of the bay. A number of other boats had gone early and we motored initially to charge the batteries. Once we were out of the nearby islands we upped the sails and tried to sail. However, the wind died and so we had to out them in again and motor. The forecast was 10-15 kts but we were having 2-5 kts. We continued and gradually began to catch the yachts we met earlier. There were some warnings on the radio about logs in the water and we began to see a bit of debris – the odd flip flop – rubbish. We then saw a number of large tree trunks and huge branches. Where they had come from I do not know. You can spot them if you keep good look out. However, at night it would be virtually impossible.
A number of boats stopped at Pulau Kur an island some 20 nm from the anchorage presumably so they did not have to continue through the night. The WhatsApp groups said they were welcomed by children there and it sounded fun. However, a few hours later they said they were threatened by some older youths and things got a bit nasty. All of the yachts then left and it was reported to the agent we had who will ensure the chief of the village deals with those responsible. It makes you realise being part of a group and a rally is quite helpful and if you were on your own it could be difficult.
We motored on through lunch and the afternoon. We saw lots of flying fish which launch out of the water and fly for some 40-50m effortlessly until they splashdown. We saw some large fish jumping and then realised why as a hungry pod of dolphins swum by. There was little traffic and no other boats ahead of us in the fleet. We continued on our course and there are no islands in between. We will therefore continue to motor unless the wind comes in which it has not done.
The dusk came and the sun faded away and we prepared for our night. We had been helping each other with each having a little rest. However, we started 3-hour shifts at 6.00pm as it was now dark and I prepared supper of sausages, sweet potato mash and ratatouille which we both enjoyed and it set us up for the night. Adam handed over to me at 9.00pm and there had been the odd fishing boat some way off to port (left). As I started my shift I saw a light ahead of us and sure enough a ferry came on the AIS and it was heading straight for us and gong to Tual on Ngiar Varat. I moved 5 degrees to starboard (right) and it seemed to move to head straight toward us. I thought of calling them up on the radio but I did not think they would speak English. I therefore turned 15 degrees to starboard and that seemed to do it. It maintained its course and it passed eventually about a nautical mile away lit up like a Christmas tree.
The fluorescence in the water is amazing and it looks like fairy dust or tinsel in the water caused by the bow and hull of the boat pushing aside the water. It is pretty and cheerful when on a dark night like this you would rather be in bed. There was no moonlight due to cloud cover so I am writing this in the cockpit doing the odd paragraph, pausing and then keeping a good lookout and checking there are no lights nearby so that I can then write another paragraph. The cockpit has a sort of warmish glow as all the instruments are in their night red colours. It is quiet except for the rumble of the engine. Adam is in bed so you have time to think and just be whilst ensuring you are carrying out all the watch duties. The other interesting thing is the depth. We are passing through depths of 5,000m and further on their is an area of 7,000m. That is quite deep and you wonder what sort of creatures lurk down there!!.
The picture of the day is of a local; boat expressimng interest.
The Banda Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Banda) are a volcanic group of ten small islands in the Banda Sea, about 140 km (87 mi) south of Seram Island and about 2,000 km (1,243 mi) east of Java, and constitute an administrative district (kecamatan) within the Central Maluku Regency in the Indonesian province of Maluku. The islands rise out of 4-to-6-kilometre (2.5 to 3.7 mi) deep ocean and have a total land area of approximately 172 square kilometres (66 sq miles) They had a population of as of mid-2023 of about 21,902. Until the mid-19th century the Banda Islands were the world's only source of the spices nutmeg and mace, produced from the nutmeg tree. At one time a single nutmeg was worth more than a house. The islands are also popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling. The main town and administrative centre is Banda Neira, located on the island of the same name, which is where we are heading.
The first documented human presence in the Banda Islands comes from a rock shelter site on Pulau Ay that was in use at least 8,000 years ago. The earliest mention of the Banda Islands is found in Chinese records dating as far back as 200 BCE though there is speculation that it is mentioned in earlier Indian sources.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Banda had an oligarchic form of government led by orang kaya ('rich men') and the Bandanese had an active and independent role in trade throughout the archipelago. Banda was the world's only source of nutmeg and mace, spices used as flavourings, medicines, and preserving agents that were at the time highly valued in European markets. They were sold by Arab traders to the Venetians for exorbitant prices. The traders did not divulge the exact location of their source and no European was able to deduce their location. However, the Portuguese and Dutch came and occupied the Banda Islands for years exploiting the valuable spices.
We look forward to exploring.
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