The Rally had defined a schedule for several stops between Pulau Weh/Sabang at the north end of Sumatra, and heading into the Sunda Strait at the southern end of Sumatra. We didn't HAVE to make the scheduled stops, but we want to get to the Sunda Strait, 1,030 nautical miles away, by early May when the SE trades start really picking up (wind in our face). Another scheduling factor was that we had to be in the Nias islands, where there is an Immigration Office, in time for our visa renewal. Raymond, the Rally organizer, planned to fly in for a couple of days to facilitate the Visa renewals, so that was a firm date.
The Rally list of boats had 9 officially signed up for the Rally, but due to several circumstances, we ended up with only 4 boats who travelled together as a Rally group. One boat, the captain got COVID and actually passed away in Thailand just before he had planned to set out for Sabang. 2 boats dropped out while in Sabang due to equipment issues (watermaker, etc). A 4th boat never really planned to join the rally, but was "signed on" to get information and perhaps help with visas and check-ins. The 5th boat did participate in the Sabang activities, but declared they weren't "Rally People" and set out for points South on their own. So it was a small group, but for traveling in company, 4 boats is about right. It turned out to be a good group.
Our first stop was supposed to be Simuelue, a lightly-inhabited offshore island with some gorgeous beaches. But we avoid overnight sails as much as possible in SE Asia, due to the proliferation of unlit fishing boats, nets, and FADs. So we spent 2 days coast-hopping south during daylight hours, and stopping in small bays overnight. (Note, our anchorage list, satellite charts, and GPX waypoints are all posted on our website, here: https://svsoggypaws.com/SatCharts/index.htm#indo )
Then we set out for an overnight sail to do the ~120nm to Simuelue Island. Based on the forecast wind and current, it seemed like we could make it in about 22 hours. So we had a leisurely breakfast and got underway aroundn 10am. Of course the wind petered out and the current ended up very strong (2 knots) against us for much more time than we had planned for. By midnight we were worrying whether we'd make it in to any anchorage before dark the next day. Thankfully, the current eventually petered out and we got enough wind that we could motor-sail at a pretty good speed, and made it in to our planned anchorage at Lekon Island by mid-afternoon, right off a nice beach. Following us was Tan and Rose on the 50 ft monohull En Dian. The other two boats had decided to go down the east side of Simuelue, while we opted for the west side (beachier anchorages). En Dian has a ~7 foot draft, so they were really happy to have a ~3 ft draft catamaran as their "look ahead depth sounder".
This picture shows our track into (and eventually out of) the anchorage on the NE corner of tiny Lekon Island--when time permits, we like checking out all the possible anchorages for depth and bottom type. The satellite chart is crucial for cruising in Indonesia, as the available regular charts are not very good--not very detailed, and sometimes off position by as much as a half a mile.
We had a pleasant night and moved further south the next day to another small island off Simuelue coast. We had seen this gorgeous bay with a gorgeous beach and it looked like it was well protected from the SW swell. What we didn't know was that this "uninhabited island" (on the satellite photo) was now an Indonesian Army Outpost.
We went ashore (sending Dave in first to ask permission) and they gave us a quick tour of their small camp. There were a couple of people who spoke pretty good English. They are there to occupy the island to make sure that no one else occupies it (ie like China has done with some Philippines islands), and possibly interdict any people-smugglers. (This part of Indonesia has a problem with human trafficking people from primarily Myanmar, which is only 350 miles north of Sabang).
The officers in charge were curious about what we were doing, and asked to come "check our papers". So we invited them aboard for a look around.
We did get a chance to jump in the water for a snorkle, but were disappointed that the beautiful looking water was not very clear (due to wave action from the large Indian Ocean swell breaking on point nearby).
However, we did manage to send the drone up.
The next day we moved on to Ranu's Surf Camp, another 25 miles south along the coast. The anchorage is a bit sketchy there, unless you go all the way in the bay (way further in than the Surf Camp that's on the point). Then you are almost out of the swell. The shore that Ranu's Surf Camp is on get breaking waves, so it's not possible to land a dinghy there (at least not in the conditions while we were there). Ranu directed us to a small pier on the opposite side of the bay, and came over and picked us up. (He's an official "rally stop"). We had a nice afternoon hanging out, and dinner ashore. Ranu's would be a good stop if you needed fuel or provisions, as he will arrange what you need from the town on the other side of the island.
More in the next installment, as we keep working our way down the West Sumatran island chain...
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