Year 2- 2nd October 2025 –Benoa Marina -Bali

We had a leisurely start bearing in mind last night and we had a slow breakfast. Mark, Janet and Ruth went off for a swim and I did some jobs.

Mark came back and he and Steve had to try to get out the front pin which was holding the front bow roller which was almost eaten through. They had to remove the prodder and then bash through with a pole to drive out the pin. Mark was thinking we may need to angle grind the pin out if this did not work. Luckily the pin came out and then we were able to put the new pin in and the new bow roller. The split pins were challenging but they managed it. We therefore have two new brass rollers and we tried them out The chain seemed to come up and down with a lot more ease with the rollers spinning. This was all very satisfying and a much-needed job which was required and we hope this will make ensure the anchor windlass works well.  

Keith arrived about 11.00am so we were now a crew of 6. He sorted out his stuff etc as he is sharing a cabin with me. Ruth and Janet went off to the dive shop to get themselves a mask and snorkel and then they went on to the beach locally. We carried on doing jobs and sorting things out. I then went through the boat internally and externally with Steve and Keith which took a while. When we were ready we got a Grab. Grab is the equivalent of Uber in the UK – a cheap taxi type service. We got a Grab to the same dive shop. I got a new mask and two snorkels as I have lost two recently. Mark, Steve and Keith also got their own masks and snorkels as well. We then got a Grab to Pantai Mertasari -which is a beach not far from Serangan which we had anchored the night before we came into Benoa Marina. The beach was quite nice and there were flags flying on the beach and lots of kites in the sky. The beach had lovely white sand. It had lots of restaurants and bars along the strip and we met Ruth and Janet in the Genius Café which was right on the beach. There was a live singer playing which was enjoyable.

We sat on the beach at a table with our feet in the sand and there was a lovely breeze blowing through and cooling us. We then had some food and a local craft beer and chatted away and put the world to rights. The afternoon wore on and we chilled which was nice to do and just enjoyed chatting and watching the beach and activity on the water. Ruth and Janet went off to have a snorkel. We thought about it but the water was not that deep. I had a paddle which was nice but it did not look a good beach to snorkel at. We therefore decided not to and when we were ready we walked along the beach to a car park where a lot of kites were being flown. Ruth and Janet went off for a massage so we got a taxi back to Stormbird which took some time due to the traffic which is quite bad here.

When we got back the sun was going down. As the girls were having massages I got on and made some more red cabbage and then converted a spaghetti bolognaise into a chilli which took a little adjustment. We therefore had a nice meal on board being serenaded by the band in the local restaurant. It had been a good day. We were now a crew of 6 and look forward to moving on tomorrow.    

The picture of the day is the beach.

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