All systems go

When various systems on the boat haven't been used in a year, one has to wonder which are going to work and which aren't. 

A prime example would be our water maker as the filthy waters within the harbour at Kartini, made it impossible to give it an occasional workout.  Paul had back-washed throughout the year but we were still very nervous about it and the quality of water it would produce.  We needn't have worried.  It worked perfectly even producing a little more than we'd anticipated and the water tasted just fine.   Phew!  Next was the fridge/freezer system.  Again, Paul had switched it on from time to time but there was no guarantee that it would keep our thousands of Rupees worth of meat frozen.  It did hiccough after a couple of days out but Mr Fixit got stuck in, cleaned up the wiring, blew out the filters and Lo and behold, it's behaving very nicely again.

The dinghy outboard was another concern but it started first pull, the navigation lights all worked with the exception of the bow light which was ripped off when a fishing boat hit us in the harbour (we have spare battery operated ones), the dan buoy got smashed and the horseshoe is disintegrating so these will have to get replaced but they were fairly long in the tooth anyway and we have alternatives.  Hopefully we can find new ones in Malaysia where we're also planning on replacing several of our halyards and genny sheets.  

Some serious attention to port lights and valves was needed to get them all opening freely but again, Mr Fixit was employed and all is well.  Sometimes he despairs as there's always something that needs to be fixed but, all in all, we are thrilled that everything essential is working.  At least we're afloat in a primarily operational vessel.

Our SSB radio could well be the exception as the copper ground plate has corroded right through and we'll need to replace that when we're on the hard.  This blog entry will then have to wait to be posted when we're back within 3G or wifi range again.

Our stop in Belitung was fairly brief but wonderful.  Beautiful silky white sandy beaches and clear waters. Can't say the same for the air though as it was extremely hazy the entire time which is why we never saw the 35 rally boats hidden around the corner from where we dropped anchor.  Here we were, having been convinced that we were the only ones there despite initially thinking that we'd be meeting up with some of the rally and they were there all along, just around a small headland but far enough away in the haze that we hadn't seen them at all.  

We had thought about staying for their gala dinner on Monday but discovered that customs and immigration in Batam close early on a Friday and don't open again 'til Monday which would make us too late and incur heavy penalties so Sunday morning, we picked up anchor and set off again.  The usual lack of winds as we cross the equator can make this 320nm a slow trip indeed so it was prudent to move on.

We seem to have got back into the routine of night watches without too much difficulty and with a few pre-prepared dinners, Leonie's Romany Creams (thank you Leonie) and Paul's home made ginger beer, we're well set.

We've booked to be hauled out in Pangkor on the west coast of the Malaysian Peninsula so that we can give our dear girl an extremely long overdue scrape and anti-fouling job.  We haven't hauled out since our first trip to New Zealand which was five years ago.  We'd hoped to do so whilst in Jepara but there are no facilities for yachts whatsoever.  Most cruisers would do this every other year but with Paul continually diving and scraping, we push our luck a bit.  However, with the forthcoming Indian Ocean to cross, a clean smooth bottom can make a world of difference.