Fun and Chaos - the Sail Indonesia Rally
by Nancy Knudsen on 15 Aug 2009
Sail Indonesia - the 2009 route SW
As 132 yachts in the Sail Indonesia Rally left Darwin at the end of last month it was a slightly overcast day, with a light south easterly pushing the boats north.
But they had no idea what was in store for them, and it was nothing to do with the weather.
They were all heading for the town of Saumlaki on the island of Yamdena, in the Tanimbar Islands.
Even before they left they were celebrating some light hearted competition to get into the spirit of things. The first yacht under sail to cross the start line was an Australian yacht, a Beneteau called Sea Life. The award for best dressed yacht was won by another Australian boat, a Grainger 45 called Windy Spirit and, lest anyone thing that the Australians could have it all to themselves, the best dressed crew was awarded to the British crew on a Najad 490 called Kalypso.
As usual with this rally, yachts from almost every sailing nation in the world was represented, from Sweden to South Africa, from New Zealand to Malta. Another 25 yachts are scheduled to joing the fleet from Kota Kinabalu, for the Sail Bunaken celebrations which will take place a the end of the rally.
On departure, the fleet of yachts was accompanied to Saumlaki by the two Indonesian Fisheries patrol boats, Hui Macan Tutul 001 and the Hui Macan Tutul 006. The short 290 mile leg was uneventful with the first yachts arriving in Saumlaki late on Sunday night.
However, the arrival of a fleet of over 130 yachts was unlike any event seen before by the people of Saumaki and the facilities in the usually sleepy town were overwhelmed to chaos point.
A team of Customs Officials had come from Jakarta to process the incoming yachts and to give each skipper the all important Customs Bond Exemption Certificate.
However, the fleet were soon informed that in true Indonesian style there were no Immigration Officials in Saumlaki to process the passports and visas for their crew, and that the yachts had to go 200 miles north to Tual to complete their incoming paperwork.
This was naturally not unacceptable for most people concerned, and after several long phone calls and discusions , the following day one lone Immigration Official arrived in Suamlaki to process all the incoming 350 crew members.
After this initial hiccup, things began to get back on track but the procedures and interpretation of the regulations were changing on an hourly basis, with some yachts being asked to remain on board their yachts for 24 hours and others being asked to come to shore immediately after arrival.
A number of tours of the island were on offer for Rp100, 000 (AU$12) but after some crews had paid to go on the tour, they were offered to others free of charge. The Rally Notice Board was being constantly erased and re-written which only increased the amount of confusion among the participants with one crew member checking the notice board for details and a second crewmember checking 20 minutes later and reading a totally different set of instructions.
The banks in Saumlaki do not change money and the Autmatic Teller was often out of service, and when it was working, it would not accept many common debit cards. The only option was to change banknotes at a Chinese owned shop, at about 85 percent of the published bank rate.
The Rally presentation was held at the Hotel Galaxy. The participants were collected from the Ferry Terminal and taken in large busses to the event, where they were entertained by local dancers, cultural shows and a gala dinner featuring local dishes and delicacies.
Banda:
After Saumlaki, many yachts decided not to make the 150 mile upwind leg to Tual and headed direct to the beautiful underwater coral gardens and the rich history of the Banda Islands. For several days, participants enjoyed small-scale tours of nutmeg and almond plantations, visited the sixteenth century Dutch fort that is well restored and open to the public, enjoyed local cuisine including the beautifully cooked eggplant with almond sauce, spent time exploring the coral gardens at the foot of the lava flow of a nearby volcano and walked slowly around the local fish and vegetable markets, sampling the various baked goods, yellow rice and fried bananas, while mingling with locals.
Ambon:
After leaving Banda, the next stop was Ambon. The people of Ambon gave a very warm reception to visiting yachts, providing an outdoor feast for participants on their day of arrival, despite the onset of rain. Participants watched as the ‘ikan bakar’ or ‘barbequed fish’ was prepared, with several locals expertly fanning the embers of coconut husks, as prawns, squid and fish cooked on the grill set on top. In the following days, visitors to Ambon enjoyed tours of villages, walks through the extensive local markets in town and used Ambon’s facilities as a major port to take on cheap fuel, food and water. The final event was the farewell dinner, which was attended by the Minister of Fisheries, the Governor of Maluku and the Mayor of Ambon. The food was excellent and everyone had a great time. Participants of the Rally were extremely grateful and appreciative to the people of Ambon for the generosity and warmth.
Sail Bunaken
At time of writing fifty two yachts have arrived in Bitung, and this story is to be continued. It's never dull when you sail through Indonesia!
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