Voyage from Thailand to Bali
November 2001

Nov 8              depart Phuket                                    (2200 miles)
Dec 5           arrive Bali Marina      08ƒ44.40íS            115ƒ12.81íE

A voyage of beauty, excitement, drama and encounters.  Pods of spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales greeted the ship at various points along the way.  The wind took a while to pick up for us but once we had it with us, it just wouldnít stop.  We hit some squalls, strong enough to tamper with our rigging.  The mainsail snotter line broke causing Captain Eibes to clamber the rigging in high swells.  While up there, a block crumbled and flew into the sea.  We become aware that we have weak spots.  Internally too, a bilge line is blocked and we anchor to repair it off the coast of Sumatra. 

We meet fishermen, following dolphins to find their catch or out in the open sea, 15 miles from shore in just a canoe.  They are successful in their work, we are sadly not so lucky and loose lures rather than gain sashimi.   We exchanged an old diving mask for twelve coconuts with the chief of an island.

We cross the equator - a Heraclitus ritual taking place in the bosunís locker for the new crew members but they are wise and strong and escape the tortures planned for them. 

Weíre hit by temperamental gusts and a double jibe knocks a cowl-vent clean off the starboard upper deck.  We spend an evening reminiscing about sailing the old-fashioned way, learning superstitions of the sea.  We drift at four knots in absolutely the right direction.  There is no stopping us.  Despite having anchored twice along the way, we are still ahead of schedule.  Bali is reeling us in.