Read all about Debut on our Blog – Until the Butter Melts

Kai Islands – Debut

Debut is situated in the Kai (Kei) Islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia.  It is a lovely anchorage and we cleared into Indonesia here, but only because we were with the Wonderful Sail 2 Indonesia rally.  Otherwise, we believe you need to go to Tual to obtain clearance.   All the officials came to the boat, asked questions and took photos of the engine plate and the head’s sink. We showed them the alcohol stores and medicines. They just advised us not to give any alcohol to the local people. It took us four days to get our paperwork back; it came back on the third day and was incorrect.

We did a full-day tour with a guide called Kenny, and it cost IDR 300k each [approx. US$19]; lunch was not included, although we thought it was. Part of the tour took us to a co-op coffee plantation, and we were also asked to contribute to the local farmer IDR 500k. These costs, relative to other tours and taxi fares, were high.

Manipa Island

03 15.467 S 127 33.870 E

We anchored near the mangroves in this bay for a few days. It was lovely and calm.

Raja Ampat

West Misool – 03 15.467 S 127 33.870 E

We anchored in this small bay for a night. Anchored in 12 metres in sand.

Wayag – 00 09. 773N 130 01. 930E

We spent nearly two weeks in Wayag, anchored in 14 metres of sand; the first three days were very windy, but then it became flat calm. It is a stunning place to visit and remains one of our highlights.

Other boats anchored around the corner and tied lines ashore.

There are many places to snorkel, and there are enjoyable mini-hikes. The rangers visited our boat, and we invited them onboard for coffee. They were very friendly and just wanted to see our park passes. They were thrilled when we said they could see around the boat and have their photos taken.

Later, we took a dinghy ride to the Rangers station to snorkel with the sharks.  Park passes were organised by contacting Ayu (WhatsApp) at +62 823 99383203. You can pay using Wise or bank transfer.

Khatulistiwa  Kawe – the equator

00 00.851 S 130 07.176 E

We stopped here on our way towards the west. We anchored and took the dinghy around to the equator monument. Anchored in 24 metres.

Gag Island

00 24.356 S 129 52.711 E

We anchored here for the night. It is a nice, quiet anchorage. Anchored in 9 metres in sand.

Anya Island (West Serum)

03 16. 180 S 127 56. 069 E

Ambon

We needed to provision and decided that Ambon was a good place. We anchored here so we could make our way through the pass in daylight. There was no problem with the pass.

Amahusu – 003° 43.592S, 128° 08.491E

The current and the wind made the passage here very long, so we arrived at this anchorage at night. Anchored 16m in sand.

Jefry’s Fish Farm Restaurant – 03 42.066 S 128 10. 029 E

This was our second visit to Ambon City and Jefry’s Fish Farm Restaurant.   We contacted Jefry on WhatsApp at +62 813 43383349; he owns the fish farm, which you can tie up alongside. He doesn’t speak much English, but can translate.  He will help with your lines.  It’s expected that you will have dinner at his restaurant. It is good and inexpensive. He will take you ashore and back for IDR50k (return) per person. There is no need to use your dinghy. We left some old oil with Jefry, and we were able to leave our rubbish with him. He also helped us get diesel, and he has spare Jerry cans. There are also ATMs in town.

These are the names of other people who will help you with things while you are in Ambon:

• Agnes +62 812 48547559, she can speak reasonable English and helped us with a new quarantine certificate (we had to pay IDR 100k for a new one). She also took us shopping and we paid her to do this as well. We later discovered that other people had paid her far less than we had, so I messaged her and asked her to charge everyone a set fee for her services. We really didn’t need her to go shopping with us as we could have got a taxi and gone to the supermarket and the local market ourselves. It was convenient as she had hired a car and a driver.  We had to pay him separately IDR 450k and we paid Agnes IDR 300k.
• We also had a day tour with Jeisen WhatsApp +62 852 80029500. He speaks good English and gave us a great tour around Ambon. Again, we paid him and we paid IDR 500k separately for a driver. We were out from 10 am to 7 pm.

Wakatobi Islands

Wanci – 05 19.481 S 123 31. 919 E

There’s a marina here. There is no water or power, but they have new docks. You need to pay for a park pass, which covers all the Wakatobi Islands, but you don’t pay for berthing.  The officials will come to the marina to speak to you, or you can go to the office not far from the marina. They will give you a receipt and if you go to the other islands, you just need to show the receipt to any rangers. You don’t pay to moor up.

Young high school English course students offer guidance for no charge. They won’t accept money; they just want to practise their English and show you around the island. They will help you hire a friend’s scooter or a car with a driver. If you hire a scooter, they will go with you on theirs and lead you to the places, just like a tour guide.

Prices are:

1. Laundry = IDR20k/kg.
2. Motorcycle rental = IDR100k for standard and IDR150k for a big motorcycle.
3. Car rental = IDR300k for half a day (until 12.00) IDR600k for a full day.
4. Water = IDR10k/gallon.
5. Fuel can be arranged as needed.
6. There are a few restaurants here, each with similar menus and within walking distance of the dock. Some don’t sell alcohol but will allow you to take your own. You can call ahead and ask them.

The local night market opens at 4 pm and closes at 11 pm, selling fresh fruit/vegetables and eggs. Most stallholders mark the prices on their products, but are sometimes open to negotiation. There are ATMs here, but they are a bit of a walk from the dock; you could ask a student to take you and again, they don’t expect payment.

Hoga Island – 05 28.823 S 123 46.037 E

Kaledupa village:  We took the dinghy over, but there is no real dinghy dock; there is a wall you can tie to and put your dinghy anchor out. Be prepared to scramble up the steep concrete wall. It was a nice village, but everything was closed due to it being Independence Day.

Sampela:  Instead of taking our dinghy ashore here, a man called Kundang, who speaks good English, arranged for us to be picked up in a local boat and taken to his house. We paid for the pick up and return which was IDR 100k and we paid for lunch at his home/restaurant.  Kundang’s WhatsApp number is: +62 822 82966768.

Hoga Island:  Anchored 17 metres in sand.  We took the dinghy and used a mooring to snorkel from the dinghy; the coral was amazing.  We pre-booked dinner at the resort. You can tie your dinghy to the main dock and there is a ladder to climb up on. Then, you walk along the beach. The resort has a set menu and plenty of food for your money. Beer is available here.

Flores

Robek – 08 16.615 S 120 24.388 E

Anchored 8 metres in sand.  We didn’t go ashore, but there are a couple of locals that will come out and welcome you. If you want, they will take you on a tour, or you can buy or trade for fruit.  You can contact Arman at +62 813 24359399.

Gilibodo Island  – 08 22 148 S 120 00 956 E

Anchored 8 metres in sand, but watch out for the coral.  It was a very quiet, calm anchorage. We were approached by young men trying to sell us private Komodo tours. They charge IDR1.2 million each and you go in their rather sketchy, leaky boat. Our friends went with them.  They also sold us some pots and bracelets.  About IDR300,000 for two bracelets. We paid way too much for them.

Labuan Bajo – Wae Cicu Bay – 08 27. 671 S 119 53. 149 E

We loved it here. Hotel Sylvia has a plastic floating dinghy dock and you can use the hotel for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just drinks. Tax and service are added to the bill when you go to settle your bill. We didn’t try to use the pool, but I’m sure if you asked, you might be able to. All the staff were lovely.  Breakfast was buffet-style, not very upmarket and the cost was IDR150k pp, so it was quite expensive for what it was. The food was okay, not the pizza.
The hotel will arrange transport for you and tour companies will pick you up from here and take you to town.

We took our rubbish into town at the main dock, and locals sorted and separated plastic bottles and glass (returnable) bottles. This dock appears to be the best place to take your rubbish because there are skips here. Coordinates 8°29.524’S  119°52.560’E for this dock, although it’s a little difficult to get on and off at low tide.

We also went to the floating dinghy dock a little further down: 8°29.750’S  119°52.648’E, but then there was a ladder to navigate at low tide.

There are rubbish bins here, but they are overflowing and are really for passing tourists. The supermarket and the high street are a short walk from here.  We also bought diesel from the petrol station at the end of the dock, which only takes cash. There are some really good restaurants here, including a few Italians, Mexicans, and pizza places. We really enjoyed the Japanese restaurant Happy Banana.

There are a few supermarkets, and they all carry pretty much the same stock, so there is no need to try and go to all of them like we did.

There is also a Deli a little bit of a walk from the dock, and it sells Parmesan and other nice cheeses, a little bit more expensive.  ATMs are available near the main dock.

Trip to Komodo Islands

We did a one-day trip to Komodo, which included six stops :

• A walk up a hill to a fantastic panoramic view
• The pink beach
• Guided tour on Komodo island, lunch on the boat or on Komodo
• Sand bar snorkel
• Manta ray snorkel
• Turtle snorkel

We booked through this tour operator, booking@nagiaflores.com, tel: +62 821 15331266, and went on a boat called Walli 4. Our guide, Carlos, spoke good English. Anchored 15m in sand.

Komodo -Telek Batu Monco – 08 27.037S 119 26.991 E

This was a very rolly anchorage; we only stayed one night. Anchored 11 metres in sand.

Banta Island – 08 260.62S 119 19. 189 E

Anchored 7 metres in sand.

This was a fantastic anchorage, well protected from wind and swell. We stayed here for four days and the local fisherman came over and asked for water, and we gave them some old sunglasses and t-shirts. Once we started giving them things, they carried on asking, but when we started saying no, they realised that they should stop asking. They were all lovely people. We bought a huge squid from them for 50k.

Sumbawa

Bima – 08 28. 200 S 118 42. 813 E

Anchored 6 metres in mud.  We were surprised at how clean Bima was as we’d heard that it was full of rubbish.  There was a huge skip by the dock for us to put our rubbish. The dinghy dock was a plastic floating pontoon on the other side of the main quay.

The local tourist office organised a welcome dance for us and a road trip in vans the next day to visit various places. We paid IDR150k each for the trip, which included lunch. That evening, we had a welcome ceremony, during which some food (snacks) were provided. We were not aware of this, and so many of us had dinner early in the local restaurant. Beer was available to buy at this restaurant on the beach.  There was another restaurant a short walk towards town and on the opposite side of the road. Alcohol was not available.

The local fresh market is open from 6 a.m. until 11 or 12 noon. It is about a 30-minute walk from the main harbour.

Kawienda – 08 06.369 S 118 03.544 E

We anchored here for the night, but it was very rolly. Anchored 10 metres in sand.

Moyo – 08 16.053 S 117 30.278 E

Anchored 15 metres in sand near Sungai Tanewang Kecil. We tried to anchor at Moyo town, but the wind was wild, the sea state rough and it was a lee shore. Two boats dragged anchor when anchored in 23+ metres.

Rakiet Island –  008°37.961S, 117°59.667E

Anchored 15 metres in sand.  We anchored here in order to get picked up for our whale-watching tour. We went in just as it was getting dark and we anchored easily. Outside of the bay, many, many squid fishing boats came out at dusk to fish. It is not safe to sail in this area at night as there are too many hazards. It took 11 hours to get here from Moyo due to the wind angle and the current. The whale shark people picked us up from the boat at 4:15 am, and we were back at the boat at 9 am. They provide breakfast – fruit and bread with chocolate spread and water.  The cost was IDR750k pp.  The contact for whale shark snorkelling was Balong The Explorer: +62 853 37214814.

Badas –  008° 27.878S, 117° 22.209E

Anchored 15 metres in mud.  We intended to anchor here and stay a few days, but we found it noisy with air pollution from the ships in the harbour and the local fires. It was also difficult to anchor due to a few mooring balls.  There were four boats anchored and we left after one night.

The depths seemed to be consistent with Navionics charts. We didn’t go ashore, but friends of ours organised a trip from here to see the whale sharks. You will need to be ready to go at 1 am. From here, it’s a long drive to get to the boat, which will meet you on Rakiet Island.

Potopaddu –  008° 22.873S, 117° 10.391E

Anchored 9 metres in sand. Beautiful, calm anchorage. There were four boats anchored here; I suspect that would be the limit as it is quite small. Look out for the sand banks when you enter. They were building a restaurant here in September 2024; apparently, it will be open in October. There is no dinghy dock, but you can beach your dinghy and tie it to a tree.  We didn’t have any issues with locals asking for things, as cruisers have previously mentioned.

Lombok

Tanjung Kenanga – 008° 18.364S, 116° 40.356E

Anchored 9 metres in sand. There wasn’t too much swell, and we stayed here to rest for the night.  We tried to anchor at Gili Lawang, but it got far too shallow to go into the other spots marked on Navionics, so we anchored off the mainland.

Gili Air

We picked up a black mooring ball.  Contact: +62 812 39319781 and he will arrange for you to make payment to him ashore, although he came in a boat to pick up the money after a couple of days. He said he looks after three moorings here, and another family member owns the other two that are available for yachts.

Many of the anchorage spots on Navionics have now been covered by moorings for local boats. You can still anchor here, but it is 20+ metres. The local boats and ferries come very fast through the moorings and create a lot of wash. The wind can get very bad from 10:30 am and can last all day. We had 30 knots of wind when we picked up our mooring. The best time to come here is probably early morning. The dinghy dock is to the right side of the main pier and is calm once inside. There are small rubbish bins, but nothing is available for cruisers. We took ours to the mainland, or you could take the rubbish over in small bags.  In many bars and restaurants, prices vary. Tax and service charges are added to the bill.  There are a couple of ATMs available near the dock.

Maria did a cooking class with Air Cooking Class. They are on the main street just as you come in from the dinghy dock.  Our teacher was Oka, and he was excellent.  Contact number is: +62 859-6416-5582. Email: air@gilicookingclasses.com

Medana Bay Marina – 008° 21.743S, 116° 07.753E

We picked up a mooring; they are all large yellow buoys with pick-up loops. The dinghy dock is good compared to most.  There is a pontoon that you can go alongside, but I believe it is quite shallow at 2.0 metres. They said if we needed more than 300 litres of fuel, then it’s best to go alongside, and they would dispense it from the drums on the pontoon. They have haul-out facilities and there were a number of boats in the yard. They have showers and toilets, but they are not very clean.  They provide a laundry service which is inexpensive and very good.

The restaurant food is okay and relatively inexpensive. There are also rooms here to rent. At Medana Bay, we received our “green book,” for which we paid 500k. They took our paperwork and then gave us a green book, which apparently you need when you clear out. This book is a mystery because you can get it when you clear out (at certain ports), but it will cost a lot more. Nongsa Point Marina issues these if you intend to clear out there.  Medana Bay Marina arranged a car to take us to the wildlife park. The vehicle costs IDR100k for a return trip.

We went on a shopping trip to the next town, the driver charged IDR300k for the return and another IDR300k to wait for us at the supermarket.

Bali

Ahmed Anchorage – 008° 19.422S, 115° 37.941E

We rolled all night and were glad to leave the next morning. Reports said that it only rolls if the wind is from the north, but this was not true.
Anchored in 7 metres in sand, but as we swung around, the depth was 32 metres.

Lovina – 008° 09.560S, 115° 01.374E

Anchored 7 metres in sand. It is a lovely, calm anchorage near the beach. Beach landing for dinghy or tie up on the red floating pontoon and put out a stern anchor. It does dry out with the tide, so be prepared to lift your outboard.  Friends left their dinghy on the beach near a beach club for three days, and it was okay.

There are general rubbish bins all along the front. Some of them have indicators to help you separate your rubbish, but a local told us not to worry about that.  Many people are trying to sell goods here. You should expect to pay around 50 IDR for a necklace, but he wanted to sell us one for 250k. You should also expect to pay around 2 or 3000 IDR to use the toilet here.

We did a private tour for a day with James Bond (not his real name). It was a really great tour. He picked us up at 9 am, and he was on time, too. It should have been 750k for the tour, but we asked him to add the rice fields and this increased the price a little. We were happy to pay. We should have been back by 4 pm but arrived back at 6 pm, so it was worth the extra. We went to the following places :

• Gitgit Waterfall – Entrance fee of 45k pp. You will need to run the gauntlet of local stallholders trying to sell their products. Just say, “I’m just looking,” and never say, “later.” Apparently, this is seen as an intention to purchase.
• Baturiti Coffee Tasting Shop – There is no entrance fee. I would definitely recommend this. They charge 60k for a cup of Lewak coffee. They explain about coffee and how Lewak coffee is made. You also get to taste many coffees and teas, and then there is a shop at the end where you can buy the products.
• Rice Terraces: UNESCO Heritage Site – Entrance fee to entire site 110k. This was an addition to the normal tour, and we spent about 1.5 hours here.
• Hindu temple – Entrance fee of 75k pp. Very touristy and is more of a play park. It would be good if you were with children; I’d skip this one.
• Buddhist temple – Entrance fee of 45k pp. They will provide a sarong for you. It is a very tranquil place. I would definitely recommend this; it’s not very far from Lovina.
• Holy Hot Springs Baths – Entrance fee 45k pp. It is a 10-minute drive from the Buddhist temple. You need to pay for a locker. The toilets are 3k each, too. We went at the end of the day and we think that this was a great idea as it may have been very busy during the daytime. Bring a towel and a swimming costume.

Our taxi-tour guide was James Bond: WhatsApp +62 877 62685129.
Website: www.007transportbali.com.  James can also arrange to take you to get fuel.

Java

Tanjung Lumut – 007° 45.102S, 114° 21.562E

Anchored 8 metres in mud/sand.  We followed the position markers for the reef on Navionics and all was good — a very quiet night.

Batu Island – 006°58.260’S  114°9.921’E

Anchored 17 metres in sand. The village looks lovely; we didn’t go ashore and just used it as an overnight stop before heading to Bawean.

Bawean – 5°43.843’S  112°40.231’E

Anchored 6 metres in mud. Nice calm anchorage. Beware the large barges that come in and park up with their tug boats.  We didn’t go ashore, but our friends landed their dinghy on the beach and left it overnight. When they got back to it, it was full of sand and they thought the local children had been playing with it.  There is a taxi driver here who will take you around. His name is Wawan +62 821-1158-2844.

Kalimantan

Kumai – 2°44.553’S  111°43.950’E

Anchored 6 metres in mud.  We booked a river cruise for three days and two nights with Jennie Subaru, WhatsApp +62 857-6422-0991, our guide was Sandy.

The cost was IDR8.5 million for two people.  We were picked up from our boat at 9 am and we had a man stay in the cockpit and keep an eye on the boat. This is in case the wind gets up and the boat drags. There is a lot of debris in the water and floating islands of vegetation can get caught on your anchor chain.

The food on board was excellent, and our guide spotted many things. If we hadn’t had the 2-night trip, then we would have missed out on seeing the fireflies. Mosquitoes are crazy, so be sure to take repellent.  We took raincoats, binoculars, and covered walking shoes with us. For the night walk, we recommend taking head torches.  We arrived back at 9 am on the 3rd day.  Many boats that came after us dragged anchors due to changes in wind, currents and foliage in the water.

Belitung – 2°33.523’S  107°40.642’E

Anchored 6 metres in sand.  We went ashore and pulled our dinghy onto the beach. It’s soft sand. Eddie came over and helped us. He took our rubbish, and we went to his place (which belongs to the family) on the right side of the dock. We arranged for diesel to be delivered the next day. They arrived at 7.45 a.m. with 300 litres of polished diesel. Ervan Amir WhatsApp  +62 819 7778 1455 has his polishing machine. You can pay by Wise transfer after he has delivered the diesel. There is a restaurant next door, which also belongs to the family.

Mensu Tunjuk – 0°56.642’N  104°12.016’E

We anchored here for the night before going to Batam, in 15m hard coral/ sand. There are several fishing floats here, but you can anchor between them.
It was extremely calm, but many fishing boats travel backwards and forwards to the islands.

Batam

Nongsa Point Marina

We radioed on VHF Channel 67 when outside the pass. They advised us to wait as they were moving another boat. They then called and moored us perfectly. We didn’t even have to redo our lines. Water and electricity are charged separately to your berthing fee and the water is not potable.  The laundry room is free, but there are only two washing machines and one dryer; it seems to be busy all the time. You can get a car to take you to town to shop and there is also an excellent laundry service.

We went to Singapore on the ferry. The marina will organise tickets for you and there is a shuttle bus that will take you from the ferry terminal. Upon returning to Batam, we obtained new visas – visa on arrival for 30 days rather than the full 60 day visa.  The staff at the hotel and marina are very helpful.

Route Through Indonesia

Our route, including anchorages from Debut to Batam – July to October 2024:

• Debut
• Manipa Island – 03 15.467 S 127 33.870 E
• Raja Ampat – West Misool – 03 15.467 S 127 33.870 E
• Raja Ampat – Wayag – 00 09. 773N 130 01. 930E
• Khatulistiwa  Kawe – the equator  00 00.851 S 130 07.176 E
• Gag Island – 00 24.356 S 129 52.711 E
• Anya Island anchorage (West Serum) 03 16. 180 S 127 56. 069 E
• Amahusu anchorage (Ambon) – 003° 43.592S, 128° 08.491E
• Ambon – Jefry’s Fish Farm restaurant – 03 42.066 S 128 10. 029 E
• Wakatobi islands – Wanci – 05 19.481 S 123 31. 919 E
• Wakatobi islands – Hoga  anchorage – 05 28.823 S 123 46.037 E
• Kaledupa village
• Sampela
• Hoga Island
• Flores – Robek – 08 16.615 S 120 24.388 E
• Gilibodo Island  – 08 22 148 S 120 00 956 E
• Labuan Bajo – Wae Cicu Bay anchorage 08 27. 671 S 119 53. 149 E
• Komodo -Telek Batu Monco 08 27.037S 119 26.991 E
• Banta island 08 260.62S 119 19. 189 E
• Sumbawa – Bima- 08 28. 200 S 118 42. 813 E
• Kawienda anchorage – 08 06.369 S 118 03.544 E
• Moyo – 08 16.053 S 117 30.278 E
• Rakiet Island –  008°37.961S, 117°59.667E
• Badas –  008° 27.878S, 117° 22.209E
• Potopaddu anchorage –  008° 22.873S, 117° 10.391E
• Lombok – Tanjung Kenanga anchorage – 008° 18.364S, 116° 40.356E
• Medana Bay Marina Lombok – 008° 21.743S, 116° 07.753E
• Bali – Ahmed Anchorage – 008° 19.422S, 115° 37.941E
• Bali – Lovina – 008° 09.560S, 115° 01.374E
• Java – Tanjung Lumut Anchorage – 007° 45.102S, 114° 21.562E
• Batu Island anchorage – 006°58.260’S  114°9.921’E
• Bawean – 5°43.843’S  112°40.231’E
• Kalimantan – Kumai- 2°44.553’S  111°43.950’E
• Belitung – 2°33.523’S  107°40.642’E
• Mensu Tunjuk – 0°56.642’N  104°12.016’E
• Batam – Nongsa Point Marina

Read also our report on the positives and negatives of participating in an Indonesian Rally.

Maria and Allen Wadsworth
SV Jamala

………………………………

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.

Follow their voyage at:

www.untilthebuttermelts.com