Sailing in Gales in the Flores Sea

We had a couple of huge days after leaving Pulau Moyo - in duration, but even more so in weather!
Heading north on Moyo, we’d planned to snorkel at Takat Sagele, but decided it was too choppy to be pleasant, so kept going.

As we rounded the coast at the north end of Moyo, the winds picked up and we were making great time. We hung our laundry out again to finish drying and life was good. Then Dale looked west to see a storm chasing us, so we took in the laundry, closed the hatches, window and doors and donned our harnesses/life preservers just as it hit!

The rain was fierce, as were the wind and waves. The swells were enormous and churning!

I took the helm (steering wheel) while Dale fought with the sails, and between the waves breaking on the boat and the rain, I could barely open my eyes - even with glasses on! We had to perform a couple of manoeuvres while changing sails. Wild!

Dale took over and I braced myself against the cockpit and tried to capture it with the GoPro. The footage is OK but the camera’s inbuilt stabilisation feature smooths it all out on film. The boat was plunging up and down the waves like crazy!
In time the squall passed, and we were left with big seas and good wind, but no rain or gale force winds. At its peak the storm had winds between 36 and up to over 40 knots - (about 75 kmph) - ok on land but a bit too exciting on the water 😬

We were relieved to be able to turn a bit south so we were a little sheltered and moored at an isolated beach north north west of Mount Tambora’s crater. Of course despite its enormous size, we couldn’t see the top due to the cloud. Interestingly the sandy beaches were black, not white or ‘sand’ coloured, due to the volcanic sand.
We didn’t go ashore, but instead Dale lifted the anchor at 5am, and we’d sailed a couple of hours before I surfaced. The conditions were better that the day before, in that there was no rain, but the winds were up around mid 20s knots and the sea was still very rough. We had blue skies which was rather a novelty after the last few days.

I decided to make some roti so we had bread. I figured this would be more manageable that traditional bread in the rough conditions. Even just doing roti was hard enough, swaying and staggering!

I was really excited to know that we’d see Pulau Sangeang, an active volcano in northern Sumbawa. I’d discovered it after I retuned from Indonesia in September and Dale was sailing through this region.
We sailed between the main island and the volcano, so we had a great view. It’s amazing to learn that Sangeang last erupted in May 2014! I remember hearing about it on the news and how it disrupted flights. If I was 25 I might have fancied climbing it. Thankfully I’m not 25!

In the late afternoon the winds escalated again, to the point that we had to perform an emergency manoeuvre and reduce the sails. It was really intense (for me, but much more so for Dale). A bit of teamwork, swearing and stress for 30 or 40 minutes and we were in a more comfortable position.

It occurred to me that I’m thankful that I no longer suffer from motion sickness, and that I’m not anxious! As an aside, during this insane weather we witnessed Brown Boobies diving for fish. They plunge from height, and spear into the water, then launch themselves into the air with their catch.

The rest of the day I spent working on gallery stuff. It’s a bit amazing that we can be somewhere so remote, in these conditions, and still be able to work remotely, and communicate. Thanks Starlink! Though Starlink and bad weather aren’t compatible!

Our anchorage that night was at a spot called Pantai Tengge, on the west coast of Sumbawa. It is sheltered from the wind and waves by a headland, so it was blissful to anchor is this delightful bay. We were treated to a pretty sunset, the Muslim call to prayer, and watching the fishing boats set off for the night.

Dale had a long overdue nap, after 13 hours of intense sailing, while I relaxed for a bit, then cooked. We ate and he was back in bed by 9:30!Read more