TELL-TALES

Rod Heikell's very informal site on sailing around bits of the world and an eclectic collection of things nautical or nearly so.

From Skylax blog 25-03-09

Passage Weather

Can't think why I've left this out of useful weather web sites as we use it all the time when we have a broadband connection. So go to

www.passageweather.com for what it says it does: PASSAGE WEATHER

For more on Weather go HERE

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Minerva Reef

MINERVA REEF

Morth Minerva Reef is a useful anchorage to get a 250 mile start on the Tonga or Fiji to NZ passage. The passage through the pass on the NW side is straightforward by day although there can be up to 3 knots of current. Most of the reef appears to be free of coral heads inside the reef but procedd with care. Anchor on sand and coral in 8-15 metres under the reef depending on wind direction. Good holding on sand and coral. Good protection although at high tide there can be some slop from the swell washing over the top of the reef.

The following waypoints should be useful but use with care.

Approaches: 23°37’.00S   178°56’.20W

                     23°37’.28S  178°56’.00W

Pass:            23°37’.33S   178°55’.85W  

 

South Minerva Reef can also be used but is a little more tricky to enter with a dog-leg entrance through the coral.

 

 

For more annotated Google Earth maps go HERE

 

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Protecting yourself from UV

Skylax blog 28-04-09

Skin cancer and protecting yourself

These has been a good thread running on scuttlebutt about skin cancer and protecting yourself from the dreaded UV. I know a bit about this from an early scare when I was 23 and from recent biopsies and having suspicious bits cut out of me. The scuttlenutt thread is well worth a visit. There are three articles on recent scuttlebutts (24th,25th & 26th April) and some good forum posts on recommending types of sun block. Go HERE for the forum

The following is from my Adlard Coles Book of Mediterranean Sailing

Skin cancer has increased dramatically in recent years, mostly because of the fashion for sunbathing on holiday and returning home with a tan. On a yacht you are at an increased risk of skin cancer because ultraviolet radiation is reflected off the water. Ultraviolet rays in sunlight increase the production of a protective pigment called melanin which gives the skin its brown colour. However, even with the temporary increase of melanin, the tan does not prevent penetration of the skin by UV rays which can be extremely damaging.

There are three types of UV radiation: UVC, UVB and UVA, but it is mostly UVA that we have to worry about. UVA is largely unaffected by the ozone layer and penetrates deeper into the skin than UVB.

The main risk factors for skin cancer are over-exposure to UVA and skin colour. Individuals with fair or freckled skin burn easily. Dark skins are at lower risk although they are still in danger from skin cancer.

There are a number of things you can do to decrease the risk of skin cancer. The Australian slogan 'Slip, Slop, Slap' encapsulates the best advice:

            Slip on a shirt. It is important to know that a lot of fabrics like white cotton do not stop all the UVA hitting you. Darker fabrics and some specially designed shirts will cut out a higher percentage of  UVA.

            Slop on sun-block or sun-tan cream. Depending on your skin colour this should be a high factor SPF cream (at least factor 30 and preferably higher). For areas commonly exposed like the face and hands, use total sun-block.

            Slap on a hat. Wearing a good sun hat with a wide brim should become second nature. There are plenty of hats around with a good brim and a strap to hold it on when there is some wind. Baseball-type caps give some protection but not as much as a proper brimmed hat.

In addition to this advice think about the following:

           On a boat, a bimini protects you from a lot of UVA although some is still reflected off the water. A permanent bimini will radically decrease exposure to UVA in the cockpit.

           In harbour or at anchor an awning cuts down on UVA exposure.

           If you are snorkelling, wear a T-shirt and waterproof sun-block, or your back and the backs of your legs will be grilled. With the water lapping over you and cooling your body as you swim along the surface, it is easy to underestimate how burnt you are getting.

           Stay out of the sun between midday and mid-afternoon. This is the period when UVA radiation is highest. If you are going ashore try to time it for after 1500.

          Some UVA penetrates cloud so even on overcast days there is a risk of UVA exposure and you should 'Slip,Slop,Slap'. 

 Get a good bimini that can be left up when you are sailing as well as in harbour.

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Passage maps

Passage maps

Before leaving Lu makes up passage maps that we can use to plot weather, other boat positions off a radio net, dangers to navigation. We use Virtual Passage Planner to work up the scale of map we need and then put a VPP track on it for Skylax, but you can use whatever map you can get hold of as long as its got lat and longs on it. We then print off half a dozen or so on A4 sheets to use on passage. It saves drawing over charts, lots of rubbing out, and you can just use a new map when you need it.

For this trip we chose the area for the SW Pacific and printed them off (in B&W).

Passage map for SW Pacific

For more on Weather go to Weather

For more on Getting Weather at Sea go to Lu's Radio Page

 

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NEW CALEDONIA

09-07-09

Isle des Pins

New Caledonia

New Caledonia along with French Polynesia is the other French Territoire autre Mer in the Pacific. It is something of a question mark for many cruisers though not to Australian and New Zealand cruisers who regularly use it as a stepping stone around the SW Pacific. Although in the Tropics it is some 20 degrees south of the equator so has a slightly cooler climate than islands closer to the equator though its seascape conforms to ideas of the Tropics: coral reefs, coconut palms and white sandy beaches with temperatures in the low 20’s C.

New Caledonia also has a large resident population of yachts and the best yacht repair facilities outside of New Zealand and Australia in this part of the world. If you have problems around the islands or en route to them then New Caledonia is the place to head for. Add to this French patisseries and baguettes, some half decent restaurants and French supermarkets with a selection of French cheeses and other goodies and New Caledonia takes on a whole new perspective.

Cruising Strategies

 

Yachts that have spent the summer in New Zealand will often include New Caledonia as part of a tour around Tonga, Fiji, and Vanuatu before heading for northern Australia. Some yachts will head directly for New Caledonia from New Zealand and then cruise around the island before heading for Vanuatu and then on to Australia.

There are various passes into the lagoon inside the barrier reef extending some 40 miles south of the island. Most yachts will use Passe de Boulari on the west side which has the iconic lighthouse Phare Amedee (53 metres high) with a leading mark in front showing the way in on 050° true. If you are late getting in you can anchor off under the islet Phare Amedee is on. The lighthouse was designed by Eiffel: he of the Parisian tower. Passage through the lagoon should be made in daylight and although electronic charts are reasonably accurate they should not be relied on absolutely. You will need a detailed paper chart as well. You can also use the main ship pass further up from Boulari, or Passe de Sarcelle on the east side or between Isle des Pins and the reefs to the west. Again you must have good detailed charts and transit the lagoon in daylight. All yachts must first go to Noumea to clear in although the authorities helpfully give you three days to leave New Caledonian waters so you can do a little cruise around the lagoon before setting off to Vanuatu or elsewhere.

There are ample cruising opportunities around New Caledonia, which is the fourth largest island in the Pacific after North and South Island in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. A barrier reef encloses most of the island encompassing a large body of water to the south. Its said it is the largest lagoon in the world though bit of PR is difficult to reconcile when you have huge lagoons in the Tuamotus and the body of water enclosed by the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia. There are also lots of bays and harbours along the west and east coast of the main island and also good cruising around the Loyalty group to the east. There is enough here to keep many occupied for a season or more.

Seasons and weather

 

New Caledonia conforms to the seasons for the other South Pacific islands with the cyclone season running from November to May in the southern hemisphere summer. A lot of local boats stay in New Caledonia for this season with pretty good shelter in the inner harbour at Port Moselle and a possible hurricane hole at Baie de Prony. Most yachts will be cruising New Caledonia in the southern hemisphere winter from May to November.

Although the trades blow over New Caledonia in the winter, you also get a fair number of westerlies. You also get small depressions (yes, you do get depressions outside of the cyclone season although they do not develop into Tropical Storms) which can bring gales and rain to New Caledonia.

Ashore

 

Noumea has several large supermarkets and an excellent local market with fresh fruit and vegetables and good fish and prawns close to Port Moselle. There are other smaller shops and all the infrastructure you would expect of a small city of 100,000. There are laundries nearby and internet cafes in Noumea. You can refill gas bottles (including Camping Gaz). There is a large hospital and good local clinics. New Caledonia is not a malaria area.

There are flights from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to New Caledonia and flights to Paris.Port Moselle Marina Photo Lu Michell

Market near Port Moselle Photo Lu Michell

Facilities

Good yacht repair facilities and a yard at Noumea. You can get stainless steel welding done, engine repairs and sail and canvas work. Good chandlers in Noumea and at the boatyard and also good hardware shops. Spares can be quickly flown in from NZ and Australia. Outside of Noumea there is a large Zone Industriale where there are a whole range of services and shops including large hardware shops like Mr Bricolage. Here you source hard to get items although you will need to take a taxi or get a hire car or use the local bus service.

Isle des Pins - the tall thin pines like telegraph poles are the ones referred too)

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Vanuatu

From the Skylax blog 07-08-09

Vanuatu

Also called ‘The Great Cyclades’ (Bougainville in 1768), ‘The New Hebrides’ (Cook in 1774) and the Sandwich Islands (by Bligh on his epic small boat trip). This chain of islands is something of a crossroads in the SW Pacific with boats from New Zealand on the Barefoot Circuit coming across from Tonga and Fiji before curving down to New Caledonia and then back to NZ and boats en route to Australia and SE Asia leaving from here to Cairns or up to the Solomons.

The island chain has never been a homogeneous group and although basically Melanesian, different languages were spoken on different islands and even between different villages. The islands had a reputation for cannibalism and savagery right up into the 20th century, but today the inhabitants of the different islands are a remarkably gentle and approachable people.

The recent history of the islands was a bizarre rule by both the French and the English who established different institutions to govern the islands in a complicated bipartisan way. The islands became independent in 1980 and the establishment of a common language, Bislama, a variation on Pidgin English, united the villages and islands under a common thread that soothed over old feuds and disputes. The language is quite easy to get a handle on once you hear it and I include some of my favourite phrases below.

Thank You   Tankyu tumas

To hit   Killem

To hit and kill something   Killem ded finis

To ruin   Baggerap

Piano   Wan bigfala bokis, I gat tith, sam I waet, sam I blak, taim yu killem I singalot.

Cruising strategies

Yachts on the Barefoot Circuit will often head for Vila on Efate from Fiji or Tonga. Yachts heading up from New Caledonia will often clear in at Tanna to see the live volcano there before heading on up to Vila.

Yachts must clear in first at a port of entry which are currently Lenakel on Tanna, Vila on Efate, Luganville on Espiritu Santo and Sola on Vanua Lava in the Banks Islands. If you are heading for Tanna then you can go to Port Resolution and a pick-up truck will take you over the island to Lenakel (for a fee). Outside of Vila and Luganville ensure you get receipts for all transactions to present at Vila or Luganville. Yachts must also clear out from a Port of Entry and also get permission to cruise in the different groups of islands. Clearing in and out and permits cost close to $US200 in 2009.

Despite these costs these islands are a huge cruising area and most yachts will be lucky to see a tenth of the anchorages in a cruising season. These are places that take you back in time and the heavily wooded islands and outlying reefs are just stunning. Many of the villages are isolated places where the locals welcome any cruising yachts and will want to trade for fruit and vegetables. Trading goods vary from place to place, but exercise books and pencils, T-shirts, oil, fish hooks and line, balloons (for the kids) and just about anything you have will be welcome. The villagers are not offended if you don’t have items.

Seasons and weather

It's the Tropics so it rains...OK

Weather patterns here are much as for New Caledonia except being further N temperatures are more tropical. The islands lie in the cyclone belt and are hit by cyclones so most yachts leave for the cyclone season from November to May, although the boatyard in Vila has tie-downs and is reported to be a secure place to leave a yacht in the cyclone season – check with your insurer.

Like New Caledonia you do get depressions producing westerlies in the normal cruising season and you need to plan ahead to find shelter if westerlies are forecast.

Ashore

Port Vila on Efate has by far the best shopping and yacht facilities in Vanuatu. There is laundry, wifi, supermarket and fresh fruit and veggie market, yacht repair facilities and a boatyard. There is also a fuel dock and a gas filling plant. After that Luganville is virtually the only other place where you will be able to get provisions and fuel and water. Around the islands you can always find fruit and vegetables and the locals will often row out in their outrigger canoes to trade. There are a few local shops in places, but don’t count on getting too much in these.

Facilities

Vila is the centre for yacht repairs and also has the only viable yard for hauling. In Luganville basic repairs can be made and there are a few hardware shops. Spare parts can be flown in from NZ or Australia.

Reading

Rocket Guide to Vanuatu (CD)

Yacht Miz Mae’s Guide to Vanuatu Nicola Rhind

Vanuatu Bob Tiews & Thalia Hearne South Pacific Cruising Series

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Port Vila Vanuatu

07-08-09

Vila. Yachting World moorings behind Iririki Island.

Formalities  

Once in the approaches to the harbour give Yachting World on Ch 16 a call. They are open 0830-1200 and 1300-1700. Anchor off near the very small quarrantine buoy in the outer harbour. Yachting World organise the quarrantine officials to come out to you. You can then come into the inner harbour behind Iririki Island and go on a mooring before completing immigration and customs.

Immigration is in town and customs are at the commercial wharf in Pontoon Bay. The easiest way to get to customs is by the share taxis (mini-buses) that run everywhere (150 Vatu per person). Costs in 2009 were around $US40 for Quarrantine, $US40 for Immigration and $80 for customs if you are clearing out of Vanuatu. To visit the other islands you need to get permission and the paperwork from customs which will usually be in a sealed envelope with lots of stamps on it.

Yachting World

Yachting World have moorings ($US12 per day), a quay where you can go stern-to with a mooring ($US18 per day), a dinghy dock, rubbish disposal, laundry and an excellent restaurant and bar.

There are around 4 metres least depth through the passage over the reef and 30 metres air height under the overhead power cables to Iririki. (If you are near the limit call Yachting World).It is very deep for anchoring here (arounf 30-45 metres) except close to the northern reef. Yachting World will usually send a boat out to guide you in over the reef and help you tie up to a mooring.

Vila town has ATM's, supermarkets and smaller shops, fresh fruit and veggie market, restaurants and cafes. You can get gas bottles filled at Origin Gas in the S of Paray Bay. The easiest way is to take the bottle down in the dinghy where there is a rough pontoon to tie up to off the gas refilling plant.

The boatyard, 17 44S Boat Yard, is in Pontoon Bay past the commercial wharf.

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Clearing into Australia

From the Skylax blog 19-08-09

A lot has been written vilifying Australian customs and quarantine officials. Well they have been to charm school and my experience of customs and quarantine in Cairns and lots of other peoples’ experiences in other Australian ports of entry is that they are affable and helpful with the whole process of clearing in.

They are still thorough. You need to have given 96 hours advance warning, preferably by email to email to

yachtreport@customs.gov.au . For more information go to www.customs.gov.au .

From the website the information required is:

There are several agencies interested in your arrival - principally Customs, Quarantine and Immigration.

96 hours notice may be given by either;

* Sending an email to yachtreport@customs.gov.au

* Sending a fax to +61 2 6275 5078

* Phoning the Australian Customs National Communications Centre on +61 3 9244 8973

You will need to provide the following information

* The name of your craft

* Craft's Country and Port of Registration

* Your intended first port of arrival

* Your estimated arrival time

* Your last four ports

* The details of people on board including name, date of birth, nationality and passport number

* Details of any illness or disease recently encountered

* If you have any animals on board

* If you have any firearms on board

On Skylax customs knew we were coming and had all the forms already printed off. Quarantine searched the boat from stem to stern, but in the nicest possible way. The cost of clearing in is now $AU330 which you can pay by credit card.

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Clearing into Indonesia... The CAIT business

09-10-09

Doing the paperwork in Napa's garden in Kupang

Before anyone gets to Indonesia the worries begin. Wherever two or three cruisers are gathered together there will anxious conversations about the latest rumours on the formalities involved for cruising Indonesia. In NZ, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Australia worried cruisers mutter amongst themselves and quiz any newly arrived yachts on the ‘Indonesia question’. ‘Who are using to get a CAIT?’ ‘What about this bond which I’ve heard can be XX% (insert any number here) of the boats value?’ ‘Social visa or not to social visa?’ The cruiser rumours rattling around the anchorages and over the ether and around internet forums are enough to make you miss Indonesia altogether. Which would be a pity.

Indonesia is a huge diverse country made up of hundreds of islands. Thousands if you count the smaller ones (some estimates run to 17,000 islands but that is counting some very small ones). The combination of the ethnic and cultural diversity through the islands into the Republic of Indonesia means that there is a lot of local variation between the major islands and the law-makers in Jakarta. The rules for yachts are that you need a CAIT before you enter Indonesia and a social visa if you are staying longer than 30 days but less than 60 days. To get a social visa you need a special sponsor letter.

All good and straightforward you might think. The problems in the past have arisen from a local interpretation of the rules that Jakarta makes by the officials (principally customs) in the other islands. This, shall we say, flexible interpretation has led to the ‘bond’ question, though in some ways that is a bit of a red herring that has been amplified out of all proportion by cruiser rumour and a bit of bad faith by cruisers who have cruised Indonesia in years past. Most of the rumours about the ‘bond’ question have come from Kupang where the whole problem has been magically solved with a contribution to the ‘retirement fund’ for customs officers. More on that later.

Its important to know that, to my knowledge, not one yacht has had to pay the temporary import bond (variously calculated at 20/30/40/50% of the boats value) which is then repaid when you leave Indonesia. This bond is ONLY payable after a yacht has been continuously in Indonesia for one year.

To get a CAIT realistically you need an agent. We used Rachel who actually uses Lytha in Jakarta to get the CAIT. When Rachel and her family were not off cruising she answered any enquiries promptly although in fact you can find most answers to your questions on her website:

http://cruisingindonesia.blogspot.com/

In Rachel’s absence Lytha answered questions and replied quickly and comprehensively. There are other agents as well and you can pretty quickly find them with a quick search on the internet. Rachel’s blogspot has probably the best information on Indonesian regulations and the ins and outs of cruising the archipelago and should be your first stop when researching what is going on in Indonesia.

 

Getting a CAIT

The procedure for getting a CAIT goes something like this…

  • You need to apply at least a month and preferably two months before you plan to sail into Indonesian waters.
  • You need to pick up the original CAIT somewhere it can be posted or couriered to. Most agents will email you a digital scan of the CAIT, but you still need the original. Darwin is by far the best option. The staff in the Indonesian Consulate here are used to holding a CAIT for yachts until you arrive and you can also get a social visa here with your sponsor letter which will arrive with the CAIT. There have been problems getting the CAIT sent to your arrival port in Indonesia with some messy consequences. You could also get the CAIT sent to somewhere like Cairns, Thursday Island or Gove.
  • The details you need to put on your CAIT will be provided by your agent. Rachel or Lytha will tell you what they need for the CAIT. Most of the info is to do with crew, passport numbers, boat details including registration number and port, insurance, dimensions and tonnage etc. and all the islands/ports you intend to visit in Indonesia. It’s best to put as many islands and ports as possible. It doesn’t matter if you don’t visit them all, but it can matter if you visit a port not listed on your CAIT.
  • You then send all these details off to your agent along with the CAIT fee and the agents fee including any costs for postage or a courier. In total it cost us $US280 plus $US20 to post the CAIT and sponsorship letter to Darwin (2009). For some reason Western Union seems a favoured way of sending money.
  • You collect the CAIT at whatever address you have had it posted to or at the port of entry in Indonesia if you have decided to go down that route. The CAIT is valid for 90 days from the DATE OF ISSUE. The social visa is valid for 60 days from your first port of entry in Indonesia. The social visa cost $US60 per person in Darwin (2009). You can obtain a normal tourist visa on arrival in Indonesia valid for 30 days. This normally costs $US25 though that depends on where you get it.

 

Clearing into Indonesia

There are three ports of entry that are popular with cruising yachts. There are more, but these three are the ones commonly used when on passage from Australia and Papua New Guinea/Lousiades to Indonesia.

AMBON

The Sail Indonesia Rally (formerly the Darwin to Ambon Rally) goes direct from Darwin to Ambon. This is a passage of nearly 600 miles. The rally organisers process all the paperwork for the CAIT and social visa as part of the fee for the rally ($Au500 in 2009). The rally leaves Darwin around mid-July so you need to get a wiggle on to get there in time if you are coming from NZ or the more easterly islands in the South Pacific.

In 2009 there were 130 odd boats in the rally so not surprisingly clearing into Ambon took around three days for the over-pressed officials in Ambon. As the rally progresses there are similar traffic jams at any other ports where large numbers of rally boats arrive at the same time. For those who like cruising in company and want to take any hassle out of getting a CAIT then this is the way to go.

You don’t have to be on the rally to clear into Indonesia in Ambon and to date this has been relatively hassle free for individual cruising boats at a cost of around $US5.

BALI

From Darwin to Bali is around 950 miles. Yachts will often break the passage with a stop at Ashmore Reef. Yachts go to Benoa, either to Bali Marina or to the moorings off the Royal Bali YC. Here you can get cleared in for around $US50 or do it yourself. Half a dozen yachts I know of have cleared themselves in at Denpassar with no hassle, no mention of the bond, for a total cost of around $US5. Despite reports of the ‘bond’ issue here, in 2009 no yachts I know of had a problem here. There has been some muttering about bad faith and conspiracy theories by websites that have lumped Bali in with Kupang as a port of entry where 'the bond' issue is raised. To date it has NOT.

KUPANG

From Darwin to Kupang is around 460 miles. This used to be the popular route until there were ‘problems’ with the local officials for clearing in here. Yachts still use Kupang as we did although you must be prepared to pay the local ‘tax’ to customs. This is facilitated through Napa at Kupang Yacht Service, the most used agent here, and basically you hand your papers and passports over to him, pay $US250, the ‘tax’ for customs, and get your paperwork back some time later.

Kupang Yacht Service Napa Rachman kupangyacht_service@yahoo.com When you are off Kupang town just call him on VHF Ch 16.

If you don’t want to pay the tax then be prepared for customs to start quizzing you about the value of your boat and requesting some fairly large percentage of that value to be lodged with a bank as the ‘temporary importation bond’. I will reiterate here that no boats I know of have paid the bond and all choose, for pretty obvious reasons, to cough up the $US250. Some boats have spent days trying to do it themselves, arguing about the bond, and eventually going to Napa and coughing up the $US250.

There have been a number of yachts on the way to Bali and running low on fuel that have stopped at Kupang to get fuel. This entails a small ‘fee’, usually around $US50, and the yachts have then continued on to Bali where they have cleared in, probably without mentioning the unscheduled stop at Kupang.

NOTE

This can all change in subsequent years, but I do counsel caution on advice and paranoia that has spread like wildfire around various internet sites. I talked to Aussie Dean in Nongsa Point who has been cruising these waters from Darwin for some 20 years. 'Its always been like this', he said, '...in some places you need to pay out a little local tax, some years you don't, but hey, none of us should be too precious about cruising around in what to the locals are luxury items'.

So relax a little. And maybe you need to cough up a bit, maybe you don't. It's a great country, lovely people, for most of us a once in a lifetime experience. Don't sour it with your own mean minded boat economics.

After the Port of Entry

Most yachts will not have to show anyone the CAIT if they do not go to any other large ports with harbour officials. We didn’t show anyone the CAIT until we went into Nongsa Point Marina to clear out of Indonesia for Singapore. Other yachts that have been in larger ports have had to go to the harbourmaster and do some paperwork. In a few cases and a few places here have been requests for ‘fees’ of one sort or another (i.e. ‘retirement funds’), but most of these have been resisted.

None of the above should be read as some sort of judgmental tirade against cruising in Indonesia. It is not intended to be. Local corruption is a fact that all Indonesians have to live with and the actions of corrupt officials affects all in Indonesia. And they have to live there all the time while we are just passing through. Witness the following extract from the Straits Times on the devastating earthquake in Padang in Sumatra…

The government has pledged six trillion rupiah (S$892.4 million) for reconstruction efforts, but many fear the money too will be lost to corruption as it flows through the local government… "It gets thinner and thinner and then just the mouse’s tail comes out the bottom. That’s Indonesia," said housewife …who lives on the outskirts of Padang.

This is an amazing country to cruise peopled by softly spoken and generous individuals (with only a few exceptions including customs officials). The paperwork may be a bit of a hassle, (though it is really not that bad), but that should not deter you from cruising this huge archipelago of amazing islands.

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