Personal Experience of a Rally

This article is formed from our experience sailing as part of the 2024 Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia rally. It incorporates feedback from other participants and includes clarifications from John and Lyn Martin, who market the rally.   There may be some repetition, but that is to accommodate anyone searching for information about a specific topic.

The Basics

The rally’s name is engineered by slotting “Sail 2” in the middle of “Wonderful Indonesia,” the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism’s slogan for this lovely country and its beautiful people.

Essentially, the rally is split into two sections: The Australian part begins in Cairns and the Indonesian part starts in Debut. Most participants joining the rally clear out from Thursday Island and then head straight to Debut.

Before getting into detail, here are a few key points to note if you are considering joining the rally:

• The rally cost of approximately US$850 in 2024 covered the fees for the rally organisers in New Zealand, the rally agent Raymond Lesmana, and a rally pack (two rally flags, a pen with a USB drive, two poor-quality t-shirts and paper booklet put together by Raymond).
• There is an additional fee of US$250 per person for the e-visa application.
• Visa extension fees (beyond the initial 60 days) were supposed to be US$52 per person, but we found them to be US$194 per person after agency fees.
• When the rally arrives in Indonesia, the rally organisers’ involvement effectively ends and the rally agent, Raymond Lesmana, is the contact point.
• Raymond is the Indonesian half of the team and is hands-on throughout the rally. He helps organise welcome events in the various towns in conjunction with the Indonesia Tourist Board. He is not a sailor.
• The rally organisers, John and Lyn Martin, do not have extensive personal experience sailing around Indonesia.
• It is not necessary to join the rally to attend the scheduled events. The events in Indonesia are open to any sailor, not just those in the rally.

Because the rally information is overwritten each year, we were not able to see any previous fees. The prices below have come from other cruisers’ websites.

• Fees 2018: $400 USD
• Fees 2019: $595.00 AUD (although I suspect this should say USD)
• Fees 2024: $795 USD for C&OC International members. Or $850 for non-members. The C&OC is an organisation created by Lyn and John Martin for which there is an annual fee.

Positive aspects of the rally

We joined the Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia Rally for several reasons, one of which was to help with clearing in and obtaining visas because we’d heard there could be issues with the process. We liked the idea of the organised events and the security of cruising with other boats in remote locations. We also thought it would be great to see other rally boats on the tracker and see their routes. But mainly, although we are experienced cruisers, we thought it would be nice to have someone else do the bureaucratic heavy lifting.

The following is what we felt were the good things about the rally:

• After you’ve completed the forms and sent them to Raymond, you don’t have to chase anyone or worry that you’ve not completed the forms correctly. Raymond will deal with any issues. We found him to be very responsive.
• Lyn and John seemed to have a lot of knowledge about the processes in Indonesia and about the places we were going to visit. As we had never been, we thought they were talking from first-hand experience.
• Some of that information was very useful.
• Lyn and John kept the webinars to the point and on time.
• The WhatsApp group is great, as this is how you find out what is happening from the other rally boats and Raymond.
• The tracker was partially useful for seeing the location of other boats, but not all boats were on the tracker.

Things that could have been better

Content and administration

• The app, which contains all the information about the rally, did not have an offline option. It is also not very user-friendly; the layout is poorly structured, and we struggled to find information easily.
• Some of the spelling and grammar on the presentation slides and the app made the content hard to understand.
• Some of the recorded seminars/presentations were of poor quality and inaudible.
• When we left Australia, not all boats were on the tracker. We asked John to help and he said he would sort it out. We ended up liaising with PredictWind ourselves, as did many other rally boats.
• Not all members of the WhatsApp group were added at the same time, so not everyone could see the earlier useful information posted on the group.
• Lyn was not as responsive to WhatsApp messages as we expected. This may have been because she and John were in Europe during the rally when we arrived in Debut.
• The fees are not totally clear. We had to pay more than expected (in addition to the published rally fees).
• While we were in Indonesia, boats joined the rally along the way. Some people paid Raymond a fee, while others were added to the WhatsApp group by the rally organisers without paying any fee and simply followed along.

Rally fees

We emailed Lyn and John to ask them to explain the fees and why people were able to receive similar benefits without having to pay the rally fee.
Here are the key messages from their response:

1. Participation and Inclusions: Participants in the Sail 2 Indonesia Rally are informed that the details about what is included in the Rally Fee, as well as exclusions, were clearly outlined in the S2I Introduction PDF.
2. Visa Extension Information: Updates regarding visa extension costs were provided on the S2I App whenever changes occurred.
3. Event Schedule: The scheduled events in Indonesia are collectively referred to as Sail to Indonesia and are open to all boats in the region. S2I participants can choose to engage in the full schedule or select specific destinations.
4. Agent Responsibility: Raymond is designated as the Sail 2 Indonesia Rally agent in Indonesia. He is responsible for assisting participants with clearance into the country, handling visa extensions, and providing other necessary support, all of which are included in the Rally fee.
5. WhatsApp Group Additions: Other participants have been added to the S2I WhatsApp group. The sender is not aware of any specific S2I information provided to these new boats and assumes information is being shared among participants.
6. Concerns About Costs: If there are any concerns regarding visa extension costs or other expenses related to the schedule of events in Indonesia, participants are advised to discuss these issues directly with Raymond.

We asked Raymond about his fees. He said that the cost of the visas for rally participants is 3.75 million IDR per person, and this includes his fee as the visa agent, guarantor and sponsor, making it an extra 2.5 million IDR per person for his fee.

Extending your visa through Raymond costs an additional 1 million IDR per person, but it makes it a simple process.

Organisation

1. Because we were sailing from Vanuatu, we did not attend the events in Cairns. We cleared in and out of Australia at Thursday Island.
2. When asked questions about visas or vessel declarations at the last seminar, the standard response was, ‘It’s a question for Raymond’ (the agent). We felt there should have been one person to go to for answers and that Raymond should have been invited to attend the seminars.
3. No rally representatives were present at Thursday Island (TI).
4. We received no weather routing from TI to Indonesia. The waypoints we received were “aim points”. These may have been out of date because some of them took us through a fleet of fishing vessels, so we all altered our course. Staying close to the Economic Exclusion Zone seems to work well. You can pay John an additional fee for full weather routing.
5. When we left, not all boats were on the rally tracker. John advised everyone to contact Predict Wind themselves.
6. Regarding the Park Permits for Raja Ampat, the rally organisers couldn’t figure out how to organise them for us without us physically going somewhere to pay and collect them. Fortunately, another cruiser found out how to get them electronically and shared the information with the WhatsApp group.

Clearing into Indonesia

• No rally organisers were present in Debut, but the welcome ceremonies organised by the Indonesian people were very well put together, even in remote places.
• Boats arriving in Debut on the first part of the rally had issues with their paperwork; some boats had incorrect crew recorded by the officials, and some had their nationalities and names spelt incorrectly. It took four days for us to get our paperwork back and for us to be able to leave Debut.
• Rally participants felt that Raymond, John, or Lyn should have been there to help.

Rally Schedule

• All of the events we attended were excellent.
• Although the rally literature states that you can attend as many or as few events as you want, there is some pressure to join them. Some of that is peer pressure (for some participants, it became almost a religion). More understandably, the people putting on the events want people to turn up, and they pressure Raymond to encourage people to attend.
• The schedule for getting to some of the rally points is, however, quite tight, and the anchorages are unsuitable for a lot of boats. So, it’s necessary to choose wisely. When the wind changed, many vessels dragged anchors in more than one anchorage. And because Raymond is not a sailor, he cannot be expected to select anchorages suitable for lots of boats.

Indonesian Procedures, fees and changes

The Health Certificate

• We were unaware of the requirement to renew the health certificate until we had been in Indonesia for a month.
• Raymond told us that we must go to Bau Bau to renew this certificate, but some boats had already sailed past that location. One boat that did make it there had a full inspection of their boat before getting a sanitation certificate.
• We messaged Raymond and told him we were unable to get to Bau Bau, but we were going to get our new certificate in Ambon, and he said that was fine. The cost in Ambon was 100k to a local agent. No inspection was needed.

The Green Book

When we got to Lombok, we were told that we needed a green book before we could check out of Indonesia. Raymond told us we could get one in Benoa, the next rally stop. It would cost IDR 1.2 million to get the book there.

Fortunately, the marina in Lombok told us they could do this for IDR 500k each. So that is what we did, and it was painless.  We don’t know why the green book wasn’t issued in Debut, but here are the key points:

1. You should get a green book when you clear in.
2. You need to get a sanitation certificate after you have been there for so long, and this is part of the green book.
3. You need the green book to clear out.
4. You can get a green book at different ports.
5. The cost of the book is different depending on where you get it.
6. Some boats had to have a boat inspection before being issued one.

Crew Changes

Shortly after we arrived in Indonesia, the law regarding crew changes on boats changed. This change meant that the same crew had to be onboard when clearing out as when clearing in. This didn’t affect us, but the rally organisers didn’t inform anyone about this until it became an issue for the boats on the rally.

[Editor’s Note: See Indonesia Immigration for more details on the new crew change regulation.]

In Conclusion

We felt that while the 2024 Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia Rally provided valuable logistical support and cultural experiences for sailors exploring Indonesia, particularly through the assistance of agent Raymond Lesmana, it was not without its challenges.

The key positives include the ease of handling paperwork, engaging events, and the sense of community enabled by the WhatsApp group.

However, organisational shortfalls – such as unclear fees, inconsistent communication, gaps in support during key stages and usability issues with the app – detracted from the rally’s overall smoothness.

Additionally, some participants felt misled by the unequal benefits received by paying and non-paying sailors. Bureaucratic procedures, such as obtaining the Green Book and visa extensions, proved to be more complex than initially expected.

Overall, while the rally offers a good stepping stone for sailors unfamiliar with Indonesia’s systems, its administration and clarity could be improved to better meet participants’ expectations.

Other Comments on the Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia Rally

Here are some links to reviews by other cruisers who have previously sailed in Indonesia with the Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia rally:

• Catamaran Impi: Sailing Indonesia
• Out Chasing Stars: Cruising Indonesia

Maria and Allen Wadsworth
SV Jamala

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Footnote:

Noonsite contacted Rally organisers John and Lyn Martin for their comment on this report – which is provided below;

I did respond to their email on September 14 so I presume that is what is quoted in their report. My response is below.

The Sail 2 Indonesia Rally is a partnership with Raymond Lesmana, our Rally agent and co-ordinator of the Schedule of Events through Indonesia. Each event is organised and run by the different stops and open to all, not just Sail 2 Indonesia participants.   All included fees are clearly stated in the Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia Rally Introduction PDF and App as well as exclusions. (Copy Provided.)

What’s included in the rally cost?

• All rally build up information and briefing papers.
• Administration of all entry applications, Sponsor letters, & arrival documentation.
• Compiling of e-Visa documentation for Visa Application & Sponsor Letter for your initial Visa,
• Co-ordination for C I Q P process at Entry Point,
• An invitation to attend webinars, Q & A sessions, and courses to prepare both the boat & crew.
• Sail 2 Indonesia Rally Battle Flag x 2.
• Rally Satchel for all your paperwork and briefing papers.
• Special Discounts on all Merchandise relating to the areas visited by the rally and access to all S2I Rally Exclusive
• Offers from respected Industry Providers plus as much support as needed while in Indonesia, either through Rally
• Admin, rally sponsors and nominated support personnel in Indonesia.
  Plus Much More… for a full description of what’s included click HERE. Not to mention the tons of information and the experience of a lifetime. It’s our Aim to make sure you get the most out of the Indonesian Experience.

Costs Additional to the Rally Fees

• Australian & PNG Entry costs (if coming from overseas.)
• Indonesia Arrival and Departure costs (At ENTRY and EXIT Point CIQP)
• Visa Application fees for e-Visa – USD$250 per person (based on 2023 fee & may be subject to change)
• Additional charges related to clearance outside the designated clearance period or port. (between US$200-600)
• Visa extension fee – Special 60 day extension, government charge IRD 750,000 (approx US$52) per passport (subject to change).

Lyn Martin
Email:  rallyadmin@sail2indonesia.com

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For more details on SY Jamala’s route, anchorages and experiences through Indonesia, read their report: Kei Islands to Riau Islands and Stops Along the Way

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About the Authors

When we set off from England, we genuinely thought we would be back home after five years with our feet up and the telly on – adventure done and some salty yarns in our repertoire to share with anyone with open ears. So sure were we of our timings that we drew up our expected dates in each country on a world map for everyone to see at a party at our home six months before we left. According to that map, we should have been on our sofa glaring at a widescreen in 2022.

Six years on we made it halfway around the world. We have been idling along at less than half speed. If we carry on at this rate, we won’t be back until 2029. But who knows? We certainly don’t. There could be another pandemic; it might be challenging to transit some areas because of political instability, or the weather could become even more unpredictable. Or it might be that we like somewhere so much that we want to stay longer, as with French Polynesia. Or we might get a move on.

We have met people who have taken 20 years to complete their circumnavigation and some who have whizzed around in three. We stand a fair chance of being somewhere between the two. But as long as we enjoy it and can do it, we will continue blundering our way around the world.

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Follow their voyage at:

• www.untilthebuttermelts.com

Other Noonsite Reports from SV Jamala:

• Australia, Torres Strait:  Entering Australia at Thursday Island
• Fiji:  Anchorages Update from SV Jamala
• Fiji, Savusavu:  A Relaxed and Friendly Bula Welcome
• Tonga, Vava’u:  Local Customs, Laws and Cruising Options
• Niue:  Visiting the Biggest little Yacht Club in the World
• Pacific Crossing: Farewell to French Polynesia and Bora Bora
• French Polynesia:  Tuamotus, Tahiti and Gambier Islands

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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