With the beautiful islands of Sumatra and incredible Krakatoa behind us, we watched Jakarta fading on the horizon. But leaving Indonesia’s capital wasn’t without a big problem to overcome first.

We were all set to leave Batavia Marina, but when Jamie engaged reverse we lost steerage and drifted out towards the other boats around us! With memories of our failing gear box way back in Turkey, Liz sprang into action, fenders at the ready, as Jamie wrestled with the controls. Luckily it was a reasonably calm day and no damage ensued.

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We took stock and came up with a quick solution to the problem. Jamie had to go in the water. Twice. It turned out that the barnacles were so thick with growth from the marina that they were snarling up the prop. Phew.

And while he was down there in the gloomy water, he checked our rope-cutter to confirm that it had been causing the slight chatter we had developed on the shaft. That was a relief to know. We’d sort it out next we hauled…

Just a few miles north of Java there is a little bit of paradise. Well-known to Jakartans, it is a best-kept-secret-from-the-rest-of-the-world. The Seribu archipelago, aka “Thousand Islands”, has desert islands, coral reefs, peace and serenity just a short hop from Indonesia’s capital. We were ready for some of that!

So off we headed, watching the haze recede the further away from Jakarta we sailed.

Many of these islands are private, many are deserted and there are a few resorts. We found spectacular Pulau Macan. And met Johann and Monique who was wearing the coolest rashie we’ve ever seen!

Peace and fair winds!
Liz, Jamie and Millie xxx

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