As we approached the massive harbor at Singapore (which Aussies call Singers), we could see what appeared to be tall buildings extending across the entire horizon before us. As we drew nearer, what had seemed to be buildings turned out to have been the ramparts of a vast fleet of empty cargo ships lying at anchor […]
From Bali, we cruised for a few days to the south shore of the large island of Borneo, the southern two-thirds of which is the Indonesian state of Kalamantan. There we traveled a short distance up the shallow mocha colored Kumai River and dropped anchor alongside a deserted stretch of beach. […]
After a few days in the Arafura, we detoured slightly to the northwest into Indonesian waters and the Banda Sea, a course change that got us out of head winds and a steep chop. Near the far eastern end of the Indonesian islands we came upon a volcanic cone protruding from the sea. As we drew near […]
As we leave the civilized waters of Australia making for the wilds of Indonesia, thoughts turn easily and naturally to piracy. Brigands of the sea have long worked the waters of the Banda, Flores and especially the Java Sea, though their techniques rise only to the level of the smash and grab and their armaments to the machete. These are not generally the equivalent of those bad guys in Somalia. […]
Cairns is a mostly tourist driven small town though the largest along Queensland’s northeast coast. Its marina, one of the finest we have encountered since leaving the US, is within a short walk of the town center, and dock side facilities include many open air restaurants and bars. As if to underscore the dangers of its sea shore, […]