Yacht Delivery Blog

We had a pretty good run yesterday at 176nm in 24 hours, but unfortunately not in the right direction due to the wind angle.  This afternoon, however, the wind eased off until it was blowing directly from behind at about 10 knots, and it was just not enough to make steady progress. We decided to drop the sails and start the engine, as we did not want to waste any more time. We had a taste of what's to come across the Malacca Strait when we passed Jakarta with a fair few ships all heading in and out. We had to keep a close watch on the radar and the AIS, and avoid any potential collisions. It was quite a busy and stressful passage, but we managed to get through it safely.  Currently, we are making miles in exactly the right direction thanks to the trusty Yanmar pushing us along. We are gradually knocking the miles off and in a few days it's going to be only a few days until we get to Sabang. And then it's only a few days more to Phuket. 

It's been another challenging night on board as we make our way to Phuket. The wind has been playing tricks on us, changing direction and speed without warning. Sometimes it dies off completely, leaving us with a sluggish sail and a quiet engine. Other times it picks up suddenly, filling the sails with a gust and pushing us along at a brisk pace. We are currently sailing at 7 knots with a little over 15 knots of wind over the quarter. That's not bad for this time of the year, when the monsoon season is starting to kick in. But for now, we have to head a little further west than I would like, to keep the apparent wind up and avoid banging sails. The sea state is moderate, with some swell and chop. Nothing too uncomfortable, but enough to keep us alert and on our toes. The boat is handling well, with a balanced helm and a steady course. The autopilot is doing most of the work, but we check it regularly and make minor adjustments as needed. The night sky is clear, with a bright mo...

We had a record night last night, getting AIS signals from vessels that were as much as 115 nm away. That's a lot farther than the typical range of 15-20 nm for an AIS-receiver. It must be due to some atmospheric phenomenon.  As we sail along the coast of Java, we can see the distant glow of fishing boats off to our starboard side. They are everywhere, like a swarm of fireflies on the horizon. I can't quite make out the individual lights, but we sailed past them all night, so I'm going to say there were at least 200. It's sad to think that they are fishing with no regulations or restrictions, depleting the marine life and harming the ecosystem. 6500 nm seemed an almost impossible distance to sail when we left NZ, but now we have only 1500 nm left as we keep chipping away at the miles. I'm guessing we'll reach Sabang in 9 days, clear out in 2 days, and then head to Phuket in another 2 days. That's exciting.  The wind has been up and down for the last 24 hours...

I think this is the fourth day since we left Marina del Rey. The days tied to the dock and sleeping all night seem like a hazy dream. Now, we are fully immersed in the rhythm of the sea and the sky, sailing towards our next destination: Sabang. The wind picked up at sunset to a very appreciated 16 - 21 knots and I guess you can see the bump in the boat speed - the extra couple of knots of breeze makes a huge difference. We are making good progress, averaging about 7 knots over the ground. The boat is handling well, with a reefed main and a full genoa. The autopilot is doing the steering, and we take turns to keep an eye on the instruments and the horizon. We have around 1200 nautical miles until we get to Sabang, which is located on the northern tip of Sumatra. It is one of the main ports of entry for Indonesia, or in our case exit, and a popular stopover for yachts cruising in Southeast Asia.  We have settled into our watch system of 3 hours on and 3 hours off, with some flexibili...

It's been a calm 24 hours on the high seas. We've managed to do a bit of sailing despite the light and at times no wind. The moon is gradually illuminating our path like a silver highway.  The fishing boat scenario has taken a turn for the better as we are now farther offshore. I suspect the commercial shipping is also hugging the coast to save time. An interesting phenomenon we've observed is the reception of AIS signals from over 90 nautical miles away. This is quite unusual and likely due to atmospheric conditions causing signal reflections. We even received a return signal from the other side of an island, defying the typical line-of-sight range. Apart from these intriguing developments, life on board has been relatively quiet. However, I've established a bread making department in the cockpit, and I must say, the results have been nothing short of spectacular! The tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread wafts through the air, ensuring Rhona is up on time for her w...

Marina Del Ray was actually named after a guy called Ray who is the owner. Yes, that's right, it's literally Marina of Ray. How hilarious is that? Anyway, we had a nice time there catching up on some sleep. You know how it is when you sail for a long time, you get used to the watch cycles and you wake up every few hours. It was great to have a few uninterrupted night's but after sailing for long the watch cycles have become a habit so we'd still wake up occasionally. We also managed to get some projects done on the boat, like fixing the rudder that was giving us some trouble. I came up with a very high tech solution involving 2 blocks of wood. Don't worry, it's totally safe and reliable. Trust me, I'm a professional. Besides the rudder, we also worked on some other things, like changing the oil in the engines, changing the filters, checking the rigging, and topping up the water tanks. Nothing too exciting, but necessary to keep the boat in good shape. Like w...

I'm happy to report that we've had a reasonably relaxing time at Marina del Ray in Lombok, where we've been resting and getting ready for the next leg of our yacht delivery to Thailand. We've changed the engine oil, filters, topped up with diesel and water, and enjoyed some well-deserved sleep. The marina staff have been very friendly and helpful, and the scenery is stunning. We're about to set sail for Sabang and will leave first thing tomorrow morning. Sabang is about 1800nm away. We're hoping for a smooth and uneventful journey, with less or no fishing boats to dodge. They can be quite a nuisance, especially at night, when they don't always show their lights. I've decided to try heading further offshore, where there might be less traffic. If that doesn't work, we might have to stop for a night or two somewhere along the way. I'll keep you posted on our progress and any interesting sights we see. We should have fair winds and following seas! ...