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Mystery At Sea

We are now looking forward to reaching our destination which is in sight. We expect to arrive at the west tip of Lombok around 9 am, and then it's just a few hours further to a secure mooring. We can't wait to get some rest and relaxation after this trip. The wind has been light and variable for the last few days, which means sailing was slow and frustrating so we've done a fair bit of motoring.

One of the most curious things we have encountered is the mysterious appearance and disappearance of fishing boats in this area. Yesterday, during the day, we sailed for hours without seeing a single vessel on the horizon. We thought we had the sea to ourselves, enjoying the calm and quiet.

But as soon as the sun set, things changed dramatically. Within minutes, we spotted seven fishing boats around us, all with bright lights and presumably nets or lines. We wondered where they came from and what they were doing. We tried to keep a safe distance from them, but they seemed to multiply by the hour. By midnight, we counted 25 fishing boats in our vicinity, some of them very close to us.

We were baffled by this phenomenon. Where do they come from? And where do they go during the day? I'm guessing these are mostly small-scale fishermen who operate at night to avoid the heat and catch more fish. They use lights to attract squid and other fish. 

We have to be very careful not to collide with them or get entangled in their equipment. It was a bit stressful and exhausting, threading our way through a maze of fishing boats all night. To spice things up a bit there is the added excitement wondering if we are going to run over a FAD which are completely invisible at night time. I managed to creep up on a fishing boat who must have forgotten to hide during day time. 
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Location: 6PMX+8R Muer, Sumbawa Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

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