Meeting up with old friends

Calypso in the setting sun

06° 32.398' S

110° 39.615' E

Rob's house

We've arrived back in Jepara, a town on the north coast of Central Java where, this time last year we anchored in order to travel inland to visit the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan.  Back then, we just happened to drop anchor right outside the house of a Welsh chap, Rob, who works at the nearby power plant.  We met him and he, in turn, introduced us to other expats living and working in the area, all of whom were members of the small local yacht club.  

Most of the chaps were either involved in the power plant or in the manufacturing of export quality teak furniture and one, Peter a German, was also building fibreglass boats on a small scale.

The factory

A year later, this part of his business has escalated tenfold with Rob involved as well, and they're now producing much larger vessels for the dive and pleasure industry.  

They've also obtained a huge contract to manufacture fibreglass water slides for the massive water park that is going up nearby and have all sorts of ideas for expanding.  We just happened to arrive for the opening of their small marina where they will be building a new factory and showcasing their products.  All very exciting for them.

They were so pleased to have us visit again, so it became a whirlwind of activities from the moment we got there.  This time we won't be trekking off to see temples but simply to catch up with friends and do a lot of socialising.

Peter's house

Paul and Paraic were taken on a grand tour of the power station which impressed them no end while Myra and I enjoyed a morning of relaxation around their swimming pool followed by a fabulous dinner with Peter and his wife.

Rob and his wife, Alia, and Peter and his wife, Siti, have been phenomenal to us, entertaining us, organising provisioning trips, fuel, laundry, wow, a host of things.  How can we ever repay their hospitality?  

The blessing of the new marina

And the food served