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| Pulau Asu |
We could have stayed endlessly in Pulau Lasia but time marches on and we've still got a lot of mileage to cover to get as far south as possible if we want to get to Cocos Keeling in early June.
Our next stop was a lagoon on the northern tip of Pulau Nias, one of the bigger islands off Sumatra's west coast. This was a well protected lagoon but we didn't want to venture into the town of Lahewe as it has a very prominently positioned harbour master and, as we have already checked out of Indonesia, we're basically flying under the radar and daren't come across any curious officials so we only rested the one night then sailed around the headland and down to the tiny town of Ufulu in another very well protected bay.
As one arrives outside the bay, there is absolutely no evidence of calm waters beyond the humongous breaking waves visible all around. Here, one must trust waypoints given by earlier brave skippers! Lo and behold, eventually an opening appears amongst the surging white waters and beyond that, a very peaceful anchorage. It almost defies belief.
Ufulu was another village that was badly hit by the tsunami and remains incredibly poor. Prior to the earthquake, there was a fringing reef outside the bay but this was lifted a couple of metres out of the water and 11 years of growth have created a substantial protective island with some wonderful surfing waves a regular feature. The sad part was that all that reef was, once upon a time, beautiful coral formations but now is dry land slowly creating its own lush vegetation.
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| Like most Indonesians, the resto owner had to have his photo taken |
We were there for one very rainy day which just happened to be my birthday and, as there was nowhere in the village to have a celebratory meal, we found a chap who would drive the four of us back up to Lahewe to get some fruit and veggies and to find a suitable restaurant for the occasion. We enjoyed a very nice local-type meal, bought a few fresh items (few being the operative word) then had drinks and snacks abroad Calypso that evening along with John, a single-hander on the catamaran Barnacle C. All in all, a very pleasant day.
After a couple of days, we moved on to Pulau Asu, a tiny island with great surfing spots. Mick, from our neighbouring boat Zoa, is a keen surfer and managed a few sessions while we were at Ufulu but they're having to move on too as their visa expires and they need to get to the mainland to extend it. Our afternoon exercise was a stroll through the jungle amid hundreds of coconut palms. Such a pretty spot.
We are now sitting at the south end of Pulau Nias at Legundra Bay. It's a lovely place and is, apparently, very famous for its surfing. From our anchored position, we can see huge waves with plenty of surfing bodies coming down them. Unfortunately, the big negative is that there is nowhere to land a dinghy and we need to get ashore to get some provisions in Teluk Dalam, the nearby town.
The guys did however, manage to organise some fuel. We're only a short distance north of the equator and that means almost no wind and even when there is a bit, you can bet your bottom dollar, IT'S RIGHT ON THE NOSE! Hence, we've been doing more than our fair share of motoring.
Ufulu was another village that was badly hit by the tsunami and remains incredibly poor. Prior to the earthquake, there was a fringing reef outside the bay but this was lifted a couple of metres out of the water and 11 years of growth have created a substantial protective island with some wonderful surfing waves a regular feature. The sad part was that all that reef was, once upon a time, beautiful coral formations but now is dry land slowly creating its own lush vegetation. 
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