I spent weeks at Kanawa's charming budget resort where I developed a taste for the spectacular diving in the area. A holiday enlivened by a visit of the Hullett family and several diving and sailing and delivery trips in the Komodo Archipelago, but now Tribute is underway again and approaching Maumere.
Kevin & Kate are crewing and we've been following the N coast of Flores Eastwards for the past five days while slowly getting into a groove of sailing and anchoring, cooking, playing guitar and chess. Available charts are of too large a scale to be useful and what books I have on anchorages leave nearly all our sailing as a voyage of discovery. The winds have generally been light and the engine's been on half the time.
Because we are sailing into the sun we can't really leave all that early- the low sun reflecting off the the morning seas' mirror surface makes it impossible to see any shallows. And likewise, we aim to find a likely place to anchor by 4 pm. We discovered some excellent spots on the way but tonight's a pretty but shitty one surrounded by coral, I haver a stern anchor out and all alarms are set for depth and drift. The coastline has been beautiful and interesting, with lots of reefs and shallows and islands.
K&K went ashore at a small muslim fishing village called Rutang. They returned saying there'd be a wedding the next day and we were very much invited for the party that night. Ashore, a marquee had been built containing a small stage with three ornate chairs on it. A generator was humming and a wall of sound equipment was set up. Mind you, the village was otherwise quite threadbare with some 50 simple weathered wooden houses, unpaved paths, and no telephone or other signs of modernity at all.
There were about a hundred people of all ages gathered under the marquee who cleared a circle into which 5 chairs were lifted- for us and the two young men who spoke a bit of English. All watched intently as we tried to communicate, later some simple food was brought to us and on my request- the bride, who joined in our staged dinner with everyone watching and commenting on our every move or word.Later the Indo pop music was cranked up and feeling indebted we created much merriment by dancing-just us and the two young men.Everyone else watched.
Later we found Tribute had been burgled of cash and phones, but leaving cameras and computers.The remains of the satphone's credit was used up cancelling accounts. Everyone was apologetic, police arrived in force and for hours we sat through procedures before heading East again, penniless and incommunicado. We are heading for Maumere where I hope to procure a
phone, restock and to pick up Peter and Arnar. The struggle continues in high spirits!
