One of the things they don’t tell you when you start sailing is that you MUST be adaptable. Along with patience, flexibility in all situations is a virtue when it comes to this cruising life.

Scared of change…?

…embrace the new!

Adapt or die!

As we turned the corner on the eastern tip of central Sulawesi, the wind picked up and hit us straight on the nose. With the waves getting steeper, it meant turning on the engine, the last thing we wanted to do.

Serendipitous anchorage

The continuing rattles from SY Esper’s engine were worrying. Not being able to put it under any strain was causing delays, so with sailing out of the question, we needed to go with the flow and let the engine dictate our progress.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change — Albert Einstein“

The sea state began to build, which meant an uncomfortable 30 mile motor ahead of us. Not good. So we opted to duck in to one of the contingency anchorages Jamie had marked on the charts.

Village Mother and baby

Village Washing up al fresco

We dropped the hook in a deep bay with plenty of room and a sandy bottom. It felt safe and looked like a useful place to shelter from the wind while we waited to leave.

In the afternoon, we took a trip ashore to this tiny settlement and met the owners of the Tompotika Dive Lodge.

And this is where our change of plan paid off. We had stumbled across yet another remote gem in stunning Sulawesi.

For the full scoop, check out our YouTube video below.

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