Another day crossing the Java Sea. We've got a full moon at the moment, which definitely makes me feel a little more comfortable, although I'm fairly sure it doesn't actually make much practical difference when it comes to spotting FADs. If they're difficult to see during the day, they're not exactly going to stand out at night just because there's a full moon.
One thing that has improved is the amount of traffic. Last night was noticeably quieter and instead of a constant stream of fishing boats, they seemed to appear in "clumps". I'm not sure what the collective noun for fishing boats is, but clumps seems about right.
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| When they get close we get flies on the boat |
Stocking up in Indo was a struggle as I had to stay on the boat as we were anchored in the middle of a channel. Between the crew and I we have zero words of Indonesian so purchases were approved by photos sent over whatsapp. This is, admittedly, coming from the same person who once bought L'eau Gazeuse in French Polynesia and didn't realize it was sparkling water until I made coffee with it.
This time we've somehow ended up with a bag of artificial rice made from cassava and "porang", whatever porang is. I suspect it roughly translates to "cheap stuff no one actually wants to eat unless it's mixed with cassava," which, if we're being honest, isn't exactly high on anyone's list either. When cooked it turns into a huge soggy pancake.
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| I would have presumed this was rice as well. |
Other than that, everything on board is going well. We've settled into a good routine with the watches, meals and daily checks, and the boat continues to make steady progress.
It's a shame we'll have to stop in Nongsa to clear out of Indonesia. It'll break the rhythm we've settled into, and in my experience it always takes a couple of days after a stop to get everyone back into the flow of life at sea.