We’ve had some interesting trade wind sailing in the past: the Arabian Sea was slow, and the Indian Ocean was feisty. But this was just about the most perfect trade wind sailing we have ever had. Strong, constant wind, current on our side and clear skies was bliss!
Up until this moment it felt like we had been bashing against current and waves since we left northern Sabah several months ago. But now that we had reached the south east trades in the Flores Sea, we began to feel the benefit of dependable wind and swell.
And guess what? Trade wind sailing can be PERFECT!
We carefully navigated through the Taka Bonerate National Park to find our first anchorage. It was behind a reef, and with limited chart information, we conned our way in to safety.
Sailing through reefs.
The best time to enter a reef is between 10am and 2pm, with the sun behind you. If it’s too low or in front of you, the light reflects across the surface. This makes it difficult to navigate because you can’t see what lies beneath.
During the midday period the sun’s high enough to make out the reef through the water, especially if you’re wearing polarised sunglasses.
So this is why we time our passages to arrive during the optimum time frame
For the full episode click episode 335 on our sailing channel.
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