There’s just 100 miles to go on this long trip from Anambas to Borneo. When we arrive we’ll be starting work on upgrading and general maintenance to SY Esper.
But first we must navigate for the next 22 hours through oil and gas rigs. And we need to time our arrival at Miri Marina just right because the sand bar in front of the entrance is a mile wide and treacherous in any kind of swell. That means sailing nice and gently to arrive at the precise time we have in mind…
With the transitional monsoon period now in full flow, it was essential that one of us remained on watch at all times to deal with any sudden changes in wind direction. But we had left the worst behind us and finished the 500-mile passage with a slow daytime sail and gentle motor-sail overnight.
At a mile and a half out from Miri Marina, the depth drops to 8m, shelving to 3m. Our plan to arrive on a rising tide worked out just fine, and as it was a spring there was enough depth. The water was like milky coffee as we approached slowly.
We settled into our new home for the next month by dumping the rubbish we’d been saving on board and by getting our folding bikes back up and running.
Then we began preparations for the hike to Japan and PNW next year. Of course, one of the main jobs is going to be installing a heating system. But of immediate importance was to seal the overhead hatch in our saloon which has been leaking on and off for ages.
As always, thanks for supporting us and allowing us to share our adventure with you.
Peace and fair winds!
Liz, Jamie and Millie xxx
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We also had a diesel stove on our boat, but in the end we replaced it with a Planar diesel heater. After two winters living on the boat we are still nicely warm with little effort. The stove, on the other hand, spewed ashes on our deck and cockpit (resulting in black spots), and with storms/heavy winds the flame would blow out, even with a proper hat on the chimney. This resulted in a cabin full of stinky exhaust fumes, terrible.
One other question… Is the cat ‘Stropple’ still in Miri? In 2015-16 she was living in the harbour, on whichever boat gave her the best food! She jumped in and slept with a different sailor every night! Maybe a good friend for your cat 🙂
We love your Sunday posts, which we watch in bed when we wake up here in cold, rainy Belgium…Helps us to continue to dream!
Een zilte groet,
Cara & Jacob
Thanks, Jacob and Cara. Not sure about Stropple. There was a tom cat causing a nuisance and the guys that run the little cafe have three cats now, but we didn’t meet Strobble. Interested to know more about the Planar diesel heater. How was it on battery consumption?