20.08.12 - Megan's newsletter

“Is it a ship? Is it a wreck? Oh! It is a boat! They are anchored!” As we sail closer to Palau Pisang (pulau means island in Indonesian), through the whirling currents and cascading cliffs, Kenneth is counting the people onboard our newly neighboring boat, 13… 14… 15… 20…  “Are they travelers? Clearly they are Indonesian. Is that tuna they are holding?  They must be fisherman!” And a LOT of them on one boat! We had not seen anything other than small, local, wooden canoes, powered by weed-whackers since we left Saumlaki. We are all very curious about this boat and this new destination. The stop here was a gamble.  It is a tiny, isolated, uninhabited island in the middle of the Molucca Sea.  The island is stunning, dripping in vines.  The terrain is steep, thick and very green.  Unfortunately, the water is murky, the seas and winds are not fostering the best anchorage. Not exactly the stop we were hoping for.  We decide to drop anchor and stay long enough to eat dinner.  With just about an hour of daylight left, Pil and I decide to swim ashore and go for a hike.  We find our way up an old landslide, the only passable hiking into the island. It is a dense rain forest. Everything around us is straight up and really beautiful.   When we got back to the boat Captain Ken informs us that it is possible to stay until dawn and get some sleep, rather than sail into the night.  Team Orbit decides to stay!  We end our day of sailing.

4:45am Tuesday, Team Orbit is suddenly woken by a big bang up on deck.  Instantly we are all moving, our heartbeats racing, what is going on?! Is someone boarding our boat (Always a slight worry, as locals are always curious about our big fancy yacht)? Ken is the first on deck with the rest of us close behind to see what is going on. Ken’s voice is booming, ‘what are you doing?!’ The giant local fishing boat we were so curious about has crashed into us.  It is dark outside. No communication is possible.  Nobody knows exactly what is happening.  Minds are racing. Are we safe? Is the boat okay? Apparently we find the pulpit and lifelines knocked loose. We are running around on deck, they are running around their deck. What I saw and experienced was a frightening scenario.  I was one of the last up on deck.  What I saw was the fishing boat immediately on us, many men on their deck, lights on everywhere. No one is saying anything, Ken, Sofie & Kenneth are up at the bow assessing the damage and pushing the fishing boat off. Pil, Kai and I are at the stern, ready to maneuver. I have no idea what is happening.  I look over to the fishing boat and see 2 men putting dark ski masks over their heads.  Instantly I am shaking.  I alert anyone who can hear me what I am seeing. They see it too.  This can’t be good. In fact, it was terrifying.  Why would anyone be putting a mask on in the pitch black, when it’s so hot out? Kai says to me, get ready to jump off the back and swim to shore.  I am scared, I’m ready, and thinking if I see guns I’m getting off this boat!  We need get out of here! As the fisherman back their boat away, thankfully we decide it is best to pull anchor and sail away. We pull away and re-group in the cockpit. Although un-nerved and tested, we are in good shape. The physical damage is minor. We are finally able to discuss the details of what just happened. When we piece everything together, it all becomes very clear.  The fishing boat ‘s anchor had dragged on the bottom; they were just as asleep as us.  When Ken arrived on our deck no one was up on the fishing boat’s deck yet.  We were all surprised together, and there were no bad intentions.  The team morale is positive. Orbit is a tough old beast, and her crew has recognized the quiet trust we have been building in these few short weeks. The moral of this story, instead of anchoring really far away from local fishing boats, anchor really, really, really far away from local fishing boats. And make sure the crazy Americans didn’t jump off the boat!

We set out for another day of sailing. The rest of our day was filled with nature’s delights… our second fish of the journey is on the line. Kenneth reels in a Mahi Mahi.  Unfortunately, Mr. Mahi is a bit too young and small.  We snap a few photos and send him back to sea.  Not long after we spot a pod of Pilot whales.  Our next stop… Palau Doworalamo Dowora.  We pull in with the sun shining, and anchor right in the middle of a huge submerged reef, very unusual from our normal anchorages in the protection of shore.  Team Orbit is in the water exploring the reef almost before the boat stops moving.  We end this day with a cheers of a beer and hopes for sweet, uneventful slumber.

Wednesday rolls around. Time to relax! Kai sets off on another attempt to conquer a Dogtooth Tuna with his spear gun. The rest of us have a leisurely morning on the boat.  We enjoy a visit from a local fisherman.  He is pleasant and not aggressive.  I would guess he was just looking for some protection from the dark clouds moving into the area. All through drawing and hand signals, we learn from him about the local fishing.  In a few days, he tells us, there will be some special mating in the area, of 2 different species.  Turtles and whales?  We are not exactly sure.  He shares some information with us about his family and his village.  This experience was really nice. We send him off with a new fishing lure and some fishing line, and let him know that if he sees any rain, he can send it our way.  Our resources are growing sparse.  We are really low on fresh water, and fresh food.  We rig up the rain catcher hoping the dark clouds move our way. We are digging deeper and deeper into our right brains to find creative and desirable ideas for food. Thankfully Kai comes back with a small rainbow runner, dinner is saved! Our fisherman delivered too… it is starting to rain!!  And it rains, and it rains, and it rains! We are ecstatic.  The feeling of loving rain is a new one for me. Our water tanks are filling up. We are washing clothes, getting ourselves clean.  This is the closest thing to a real shower since we left Darwin 26 days ago. Pure bliss! It’s amazing how you really appreciate the simple things.  With clean everything and a fresh supply of water, we head to bed thankful for a great day.

Time to move again.  Our search for the perfect dive spot continues.  We rise before daybreak with a long journey ahead of us. 82 miles to Pulau Siko.  Unfortunately, the last thing we needed before a long trip, doldrums, and no wind.  We start the engine & pull away.  We had no idea what would be in store for us today. Almost immediately we spot a pod of dolphins.  A short while later we are making our way through a pass between two huge islands and we spot something off the port bow, a whale!!  Ken changes course and heads over to it, and announces it’s time to get our snorkeling gear ready.  Yahoo!! We are going to swim with whales! Kenneth, Pil, Sofie and I get ready.  Ken cuts the engine and we jump in.  It’s a sperm whale!  Unfortunately, before we see him, his fluke raises and he descends down into the deep sea, nearly 6000 feet at this spot.  We decided to wait. Maybe he will come back.  We climb aboard and a few minutes later we spot another whale up ahead to our starboard! Once again, Ken heads straight for it.  We jump in again.  It’s another Sperm whale and he is heading straight for us, a bit scary, but so thrilling! He swims right past. Incredible! We try our best to stay with him as long as we can.  And just as he is almost out of sight he lurches up, I pull my head out of the water and watch his fluke rise and fall into the glassy ocean.  The four of us enjoy a moment of thrill in the water.  We can’t believe it, so AWESOME!  Just when the mood is so high… the engine alarm sounds.  Oh no! We are overheated, on the hottest day of our trip so far.  Captain Ken heads down to have a look.  The impeller has busted, the engine has not been cooled.  We float for the next 1.5 in the middle of the sound, no wind, blazing sun, not a cloud in the sky.  The deck is burning our feet.  It is too hot below.  Poor Ken. We seek any shade we can find.  All this action, and it is not even lunch time yet! We are so relieved to finally get moving again.  Ken saved the engine, and there is a breeze! The excitement is not finished yet. We sail through another giant pod of dolphins.  They are jumping, splashing and riding the bow.  This is the most wildlife we have seen all month.  These are the adventures we have all been longing for. Due to our whale chasing and engine troubles it is clear we are not going to make it to Pulau Siko today. 

Ken decides to start looking for a closer anchorage.  For the next 2.5 hours we search and sail.  We find beautiful landscapes, some peaceful villages and even a wild monkey, but no anchorage.  Dusk is approaching and we finally find a gorgeous anchorage at Nusa Babi, a small island off of Pulau Bagan. As if we haven’t had enough, the fishing line starts zipping.  Fish on the line!  Pil reels in a Barracuda as we pull in to anchor. Ken looks at me at the end of dinner and says sluggishly, “This was a really long day”.  He must be exhausted.

We have been counting down the next day since we left Darwin.  Friday August 17, we crossed the equator!  This day brought lots of fun. We saw more pilot whales! The girls dressed up as pirates, with tattoos and facial hair! Very authentic! The Danish girls made fiskefrikadeller (fish cakes for the English speakers) for lunch from Pil’s Barracuda.  We realize how far we have come.   

The water is warmer. The sun is more intense.  All our mothers would be happy to know that we are repeatedly checking to make sure that we all have sunscreen on. We finally make it to Pulau Siko.  The diving is fantastic.  Stunning corals, big hump-head parrotfish, giant moray eel, pelagics that Kai has been dreaming to spear and lots of jellyfish.  We are happy, to say the least.  Our final stop for the week after an overnight sail is Pulau Tifore. Another isolated island in the middle of the Molucca Sea, our last stop before Sulawesi.  This is it! We have big hopes for this as a dive spot.  The conditions are perfect. This has to be it! This week has been hugely eventful. Days filled with emotions and experiences I will absolutely never forget.  I am still wondering… what was the deal with those ski masks? Thank you Team Orbit for an amazing ride.