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Java Sea

Last night went pretty smoothly, mainly due to the absence of rain, giving us visibility. The familiar display of flashing green and blinking red lights – the local interpretation of navigation lights – filled the night sky. Interestingly, the number of flashing lights often hints at the size of the fishing boat. Vessels with three or more lights might even boast an AIS (Automatic Identification System).

One encounter particularly raised our interest. A massive bulk carrier shared our course, with four fishing boats ahead. Two of them, thankfully, had AIS. The situation became a tense game of "chicken." The ship steadily approached the cluster, its bearing line seemingly targeted right through one of the smaller boats. We anticipated the AIS signal to vanish at any moment. 

Surprisingly, none of the parties flinched. The fishermen continued their activities seemingly oblivious to the approaching doom. With the ship's deep draft hovering around 10 meters, we made a calculated move. Figuring it would clear any potential nets or lines, we tucked in comfortably behind the giant, effectively piggybacking its course.

So far, the weather has surprised us on the positive side. Despite a slight chop in the sea with a light breeze, things are far better than anticipated. Lombok beckons, with only 160 nautical miles remaining and just a couple of islands to navigate between later today. Everything aboard remains shipshape, and we're making steady progress towards our final destination.

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