30/7-31/7 We left Debut and sailed to a little island Tayandu at 7:10. Not much wind so motor until later when we set jib and sail fast. On the anchorage at 13:20.
For anchor at Tayandu. Lars shift out old leaking cool water pump to Yanmar with a knew from the spare part inventory. Wau, no water leakage any-more. Sun-downer at blue Roger but I stay home because sour throat coming up, bad stomach and leg that hurt. Could it be worst. Later on I found out that almost everybody in the rally had sour throat at that time. I enjoyed reading Elisabeth Pisani´s e-book Indonesia Etc.
1/8-2/8 2018 Sailing to Banda Neira. The spice islands. Anchor up 09 hour. A fuse goes when there are 10 meter anchor chain left. Lars have to fix it and of we go.
Arrive in Banda Neira in the afternoon the second of august after seeing several whales and especial one beside Alexandra when we drop anchor.
3/8 Banda Neira. Feverish night! Woke up at 5:30, at a Mullah´s sung from the mosque, and made tea with honey for my sour throat. I had feather all day and was coughing. Laundry, three IKEA bags, was picked up by a local boat with man, wife and daughter. We by papaya and carrots for overprice and later more fruit. Lars check out the town with Lisa and went in in, the evening, to see a movie at a hotel that Abbas, local guide, owned.
4/8 Banda Neira. To the colonial hotel and Spice Island tour on Banda Besar. We were all packed in a local boat and sailed over to the neighboring island for to see were the spices trees grow. The village were very clean and with beautiful houses, schools and mosques. We went up a long stare-way to reach the inner island with the big trees. There were big high old almond trees protecting the nutmeg trees from the sun and there were also cinnamon and clove trees. It was a wonderful forest to walk around. We could rest in a house and was served local coffee and fried bananas etc. I was very happy to manage to go the long tour with my troubled right leg/knee.
5/8 Lars on diving tour with Susan Eri Spirit. I was resting my leg.
6/8 Banda Neira. With the dingy to the hotel and a tour around the town. We went up to the old Dutch fort from 1600. Everything seemed to be closed but the Chinese shop were open so we could by a bred, cinnamon roles, Pringles, dried bananas and cola. At the old colonial hotel we got a beer and freshly made pineapple juice.
7/8 Banda Neira Lars was sick but fresh enough to take me to the reef so I could swim for a short while after Ross´s instruction. It was a beautiful reef. We left Banda in the afternoon for sailing to Tifu making a pit-stop at Palau Ambelau the 8/8. After safely anchored we had a lot of teenager boys climbing up the platform and looking inside the boat threw port-holes in the hall. They wanted books in English and we had only some brochures to give them. Al literature is electronic on Alexandra. We were exhausted and had not much patient to deal with them. Some of the boats had problems with the anchor holding and did not sleep so well.
