Sailing South East Asia during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Our latest yacht trip, sailing SY Nomad, began in Thailand, took us through Malaysia, Indonesia and on to Australia during a time when the world became paralysed by fears of coronavirus. Due to limited outside contact, we were a little behind with the actual state of affairs. But not for long. It was soon to become apparent to us that getting out of Indonesia and into Australia looked very tenuous, to say the least.

Everything seemed as per usual when we cleared into Indonesia at Batam. However, once we arrived in Belitung for fuel and groceries, things started to spiral out of control. By the end of our five weeks in Indonesia, we were unable to anchor anywhere, and we had warning shots fired, in anger, at us. Strewn throughout our stressful and sometimes scary time were some fabulous highlights including catching fish, fantastic snorkelling and swimming with a dugong. The story takes a nosedive and ends with a storm, loss of gearbox, damaged sails and 14 days quarantine in a secure location.

We left Phuket mid-February 2020, slowly sailing south to Indonesia. Things were going well. While still in Thai waters we caught a wahoo and topped up the freezer with fresh fish. We stopped in Langkawi for a few days as we had a few things to do, i.e. refuel, clear into Malaysia, re-register boat etc. During the next leg, between Langkawi and Port Dickson, we encountered our first small setback.

All in a days work!

We were approaching Port Klang, and as we were about to cross the busy shipping lane, we suddenly lost our engine. It just stopped and would not start again. We had just dropped the sails as we were planning on anchoring, so we quickly raised the mainsail and put out the headsail once more. Unfortunately, there was little wind, and we were still drifting towards the shipping lane. We quickly lowered the dinghy and Dwayne towed Nomad slowly away from the shipping lane and to a nearby place to anchor. It took over an hour, at roughly 2kts/hour, but we secured the boat not long after sunset. At 2100 we ate our dinner and went to bed.

Dwayne was up at 0500 the next day and in the engine room working out the problem. Two hours later, after Dwayne had changed the fuel filters, we were on our way. We arrived at Port Dickson early that afternoon. We spent the next few days fixing the engine problem, which involved Dwayne making a fuel polisher, using what he could find from the local hardware stores. We also stocked up on coolant, oil and other items that might come in handy on the trip.

Sailing Indonesia

Our next leg took us down the coast of Malaysia and to Batam in Indonesia. We stayed at Nongsa Marina (costly). Once again we worked on getting the engine up and running after a coolant hose ruptured as we entered Batam. We also serviced the main engine and generator. We cleared into Indonesia there and, as far as we knew, everything was as per usual. We had no problem entering the country (this was on the 5th of March). We were able to get the washing done, swap some books, get a sim card and go to our favourite seafood restaurant. The day before we were to leave, we refuelled and returned to the marina berth. It was then that Dwayne discovered we had another problem. In the end, Dwayne decided that the engine would be ok with the snapped-off bolt to the timing gear cover and we decided to keep moving.

Coronavirus starts interfering with our plans

Finally, we were once again on our way and sailing through Indonesia (some of our favourite cruising) towards Belitung. We had in our possession a couple of names of people that would be able to help us to get fuel, transport etc. So when we arrived, we went ashore to find Ringgo. We found him, organised the fuel to be delivered the next day, hired a scooter and went to town to change some money. The next day Dwayne went to shore to pick up the fuel, and Ringgo told him that Belitung had just issued lockdown orders – shit was about to get real. He said to us that visitors were no longer allowed and schools had closed for two weeks etc. Dwayne organised to purchase extra fuel containers from him so we would be able to carry more fuel in case getting fuel became an issue. Once we had the diesel loaded on the boat, we headed to shore and went shopping before picking up the anchor and leaving.

Our next populated stop was at Karimunjawa. We soon found out they had just gone into lockdown – hotels closed etc. However, we were still able to go ashore for a meal, to grab a few things from the store and get some extra fuel for the dinghy. We then left there and sailed to Lombok. We now realised that our hope of actually visiting some parts of Indonesia was going to be a non-event. We stopped a Lovina, in the north of Bali, for a night, and had a couple of boatloads of people come out to tell us that because of the virus we cannot come ashore. We ensured them that we only wanted to sleep for the night and would be leaving before the sun was fully up. They were very friendly and agreed to let us stay.

DO NOT GET OFF YOUR BOAT!

We sailed on to Lombok. We were in contact with Soyraya at Medana Bay Marina (not really a marina as such, but an area where you can pick up a mooring). Here we organised fuel, water and groceries, got our washing done and did the formalities to clear out of Indonesia all without leaving our boat. Originally we were going to clear out in Maumere or Kupang; however, we had heard about sailors stuck in Sabang as they were not able to clear out. So we decided to clear out while we could.

At Medana there is an offshore reef, and being the water lovers that we are we got in the dinghy and went out to it to have a snorkel. We were approached and told we could not snorkel and had to go back to our boat. We thought this was ridiculous but did as bid. Another couple of boats on moorings (Evolution NT and Manatee) were also going to Darwin. We had been in contact with each other over messenger as we travelled through Indonesia, but of course, were not able to formally meet each other.

We sailed on to the Komodo Islands. We anchored in the afternoon, put the dinghy in and went over to the pass between Komodo and Lawa Darat Gili islands where the current is fast, and manta rays are known to swim. We couldn’t believe our eyes – we saw manta rays yay! We gently slipped into the water, hoping to swim with them. The manta rays took off, but it was a beautiful snorkel nonetheless, and we were glad we took the time to stop here. The next day we did three more snorkels, seeing heaps of sharks, turtles, clownfish, huge barracudas, trevally, sweetlips and more. The snorkelling was stunning.

At the end of the day, we went back to Nomad, stowed the dinghy and prepared to leave early the next morning… then we were visited by Park Rangers. They informed us that the national park was closed and we would have to go. We told them we just wanted to sleep and would leave early the next morning. In the end, they agreed to let us stay but said that we were not allowed in the water, no recreational activity was allowed. So we thanked our lucky stars that we didn’t know this earlier and was able to get some exercise by swimming and see all the superb marine life.

So this is where things began to get a little crazy. We heard from the girls on Manatee that they were yelled at and told to leave one of their anchorages and we soon experienced it ourselves. But as the situation deteriorated, we felt ourselves enter the twilight zone. We had been in contact with Ridwan at Larantuka at the east end of Flores. He had informed us that he could organise fuel for us. If we didn’t get fuel, we would not have been able to get to Darwin as there was very little wind at this stage.

When we arrived at Larantuka, we contacted Ridwan on the phone. Once we picked up the mooring, he asked Dwayne to put his dinghy in and go ashore to see quarantine. We were not expecting to go to shore, but there was nothing we could do about it, so Dwayne did as was asked and took our paperwork and passports over to the officials. Once there, he got out of the dinghy but was not required to go any further thank goodness. The quarantine officers looked over the paperwork and then sprayed Dwayne, the paperwork and our dinghy with disinfectant. Once that was over Dwayne organised for our fuel containers to be taken and the fuel delivered. An hour later, and in the middle of our lunch, Ridwan called to say the fuel and water had arrived.

… and then I heard gunshots! 

Dwayne went back to shore and stood by the dinghy while Ridwan had it loaded with fuel and water. In the meantime, a small military boat came up to Nomad and a guy holding a gun yelled out aggressively, “missus, you go!”. I said I couldn’t, my husband was getting fuel and pointed to where Dwayne was, standing next to the dinghy. They motored over there and the yelling started.

I thought, oh shit, what is happening and then I heard a gunshot! I could not believe my ears. I heard more yelling as I stood, a little shaky, watching from the boat. Dwayne told me later that the guy with the gun was yelling to Dwayne, “Corona – you go!” And Dwayne was saying he was not leaving without his fuel. Then I heard another gunshot and could hear that Dwayne was losing his shit. Dwayne started yelling back, “who do you think you are? Your government has said it is ok for me to get fuel” and other things I prefer not to write. I seriously began to think I was going to see my husband get gunned down on shore! I was repeating to myself, “shut the fuck up Dwayne, just shut up”. Unbeknownst to me at the time Ridwan and many of the nearby locals were also telling Dwayne to say nothing. Dwayne finally shut his mouth, the dinghy was loaded, and he slowly made his way back to the boat, with the military following. During this small lull in the proceedings, Dwayne had a chance for reflection and thought maybe he had handled that wrong.

We quickly loaded 500 kgs of diesel and water onto the boat, dropped the mooring and began sailing away. The military boat followed us closely for over an hour. I will admit to being a little concerned that they were going to try to board us and was very relieved when they left. After the adrenaline rush of gunshots and aggression, we were both beyond tired, so once we reached the next island, we decided to anchor for the night. As we approached the shoreline, we had people on the beach yelling at us and waving their hands telling us to go away! We left. Seriously not in the mood for more confrontation we moved on until we found somewhere else to stop as the sun dropped below the horizon. As neither of us was hungry, we had a fortifying drink and went to bed.

Close encounters of the dugong kind

The next day we anchored at Lapan, next to a reef well away from land and people, and therefore encountered no problems. We left Lapan early the following day and arrived at Pulau Sika. As soon as we set the anchor, we had a visit from a dugong. I was so excited. I have never seen a dugong up this close before. Unbeknown to me at the time, I was going to get a visit from this dugong very, very, much closer! We had anchored between two islands, not close to the shore of either of them and we had a nearby coral reef to explore. We geared-up and jumped into the water. The dugong had left by this time, but I was still hoping I might see him. We snorkelled for about half-hour before slowly making our way back to the boat.

We were watching a couple of turtles when the dugong surprised us by swimming right up to us. Yes, I was hoping to see to dugong but had no idea he would be comfortable coming so close to us. We were amazed and totally overjoyed! I had the GoPro and was filming. He started getting right up in our faces and even tried to grab us with his fins. It got a little scary, so we swam towards our boat. Once near the safety of the ladder, we relaxed a little and enjoy watching him, patting him and gently pushing him away when he started making moves on us. It was unbelievable, so exciting, enchanting… just the best thing ever! It was so nice to have something to smile at and was a great stress reliever.

YOU MUST LEAVE NOW!

Once back on the boat, we poured ourselves a sundowner and prepared to rest for the night. At 1730 we were visited by a couple of canoes full of officials, including military and police. They told us, and Evolution NT who had come into anchor a couple of hours after us, that we had to leave. We explained that we only wanted to have a sleep, would be leaving before sunup and had no intention of going ashore. No luck. We had to leave, so we picked up the anchor and continued sailing into the night.

We sailed through the night and the next day before arriving at Timor Leste, we decided to anchor for the night before we began to cross the Timor Sea. Not long after we anchored we were visited by a couple of men and a boy in a canoe. They kept their distance but said hello and we had a chat. I had a heap of stuff that I had been planning to give away in Indonesia, including children’s books and soccer ball etc. I grabbed a bag and filled it for them before we heard the police arrive.

… and then the police arrived.

Sirens blaring and lights flashing the police pulled up on the beach. We asked our new friend to explain to the police that we just wanted to sleep, would not come ashore and would leave before the sun rose in the morning. Off they went. After about 10 minutes, the police started calling out for us to come ashore. There was no way we were doing that. For one thing, we had not cleared into the country, and that was illegal. So we pulled the anchor up and began sailing to Australia.

Engine stops, storm hits!

So started our crossing of the Timor Sea. Luckily I had taken advantage of the calm conditions to cook a couple of curries for the coming sail. We were on our way on the night of the 9th whether we wanted to or not. That night and the following day things went smoothly. We were making good time and would arrive in Darwin late on the 11th. However, things changed for the worse later that night. At 2230 we saw a front coming, and even though it was my watch, Dwayne stayed up to keep an eye on it. Then the motor lost forward gear, Dwayne went to have a look and then at 2245 we were hit by the storm.

The sea soon grew to around 5 metres, and the wind was 30 plus knots. Without the motor, we had little option but to heave-to. At 0200 on the 11th, the mainsail clew gave way, and we had to go up on deck to bring the sail in. Dwayne then tried to put out some headsail to stabilise the boat only to discover that both roller furls were not working. We were getting knocked around pretty bad, shit was flying everywhere, and it was not safe to try to fix anything at that time so just had to flounder around. Meanwhile, I am slumped on deck, throwing up overboard.

Sleep was impossible, and so was eating. On the morning of the 11th Dwayne manually got some headsail out and we hove-to. Later that morning, we had contact with Australia Border force. We were 200nm from the coast, and it was good to know someone knew we were out there and having problems. They asked us about being in distress and abandoning ship, but we told them we were not ready to make that call yet. They said that they would fly over each day to check on us. That morning we put the mizzen sail up. We hadn’t used it before because the mizzen mast had had some problems and we were not sure about how well repaired it had been. Now we had to give it a go.

The seas had calmed a little, so Dwayne climbed onto the boom and jury-rigged the main. He used a couple of vice-grips to attached the clew to the sail. This temporary solution lasted for nearly 6 hours. But with the boat rolling heavily in the swell there was little more we could do.

Fixing the issues

With the mizzen sail and storm-jib up, and the seas slightly calmer, we finally got a little sleep that night. Early on the morning of the 12th Dwayne was rested and ready to tackle the problems. He found that a wire had come loose on a fuse cut out switch for the furler and fixed it. Hooray, we had both roller-furlers working. By this time we had drifted a further 30 nm from Darwin. Later that morning, Dwayne discovered the problem with the engine, found some transmission oil and was able to get the motor going. We only had the tiniest amount of trans fluid, so we motored cautiously, at low revs, towards Darwin.

Our boat speed was less than 3 knots, but as the seas were calmer, Dwayne once again climbed onto the boom to jury-rig the main. This time he sewed what he could and used the vice-grips to strengthen it. The new set-up lasted almost 24 hours. With the mainsail up, we managed to reach speeds of 4- 4.5 knots and began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dwayne found the forward bilges were filling with water and he bailed the water out several times before working out the problem. Another day was coming to an end, and we actually had something to eat and got some sleep.

On the morning of the 13th, we were close enough to Manatee and Evolution NT to see them on AIS. Even though they left a day after us, they were now ahead of us. We were able to contact them on the radio and explain our problem with the transmission fluid. Manatee had some extra fluid which they offered us, and they slowed down so we could catch them. Increasing the engine speed, we rendezvoused with Manatee midmorning and topped up our fluid as it was well below empty. We were finally on our way and knew the ordeal was soon to end.

Finally Australia!

At 1940 we arrived in Darwin. It was awesome to be back in Australia. We had spoken to Coast Radio Darwin, and they had directed us to anchor in Fanny Bay. The next day we were contacted and told to go to the dock outside Cullen bay Marina. Once there, we had a visit from Australian Border Force and Biosecurity (more about that below for those interested in the formalities).

Enforced Quarantine.

After finishing the formalities of clearing into the country, the NT police came to tell us that we had to go into a hotel for 14 days quarantine. We had booked Nomad into Cullen Bay Marina, but they informed us they would not let us in until we had finished our 14 days quarantine. Instructed to go back out and anchor in Fanny Bay, we packed a few things, prepared Nomad and were picked up by the police. We were then dropped off at the Mecure Hotel near Darwin Airport where we will pay $2500 each for our stay. We were disappointed to discover that we were not given a self-contain apartment with kitchen etc. but just a small room. So for 14 days we sit in here, watch Netflix and eat. We do have a small patio, and we go out in the afternoon to play cards. However, we are not allowed to step foot off that verandah and have security guards outside to make sure we don’t leave. Our meals are delivered. Luckily I have a sister in Darwin who purchased a few things for us, including wine. She also dropped off some playing cards and some plates and cutlery, so we don’t have to eat out of takeaway containers. Sometimes it is the small things in life that make a difference.

We have been in Quarantine at the hotel for over a week now. I think we get released on the 29th of April and can go back to the boat. As for what comes next for us… we really don’t know. Like many millions of people, we are in limbo. We are supposed to be taking SY Nomad to Sydney, but at this stage, we are not sure if that is logistically possible. We will just have to take life as it comes and deal with it the best we can. I hope you are all doing well and keeping yourselves safe.

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