Off to Papua New Guinea

Farewell Jayapura!

We're setting sail to PNG! Off to the Hermit Islands and Ninigo Reef for a bit of diving, exploring and eating crayfish.

We'll be sure to post more photos around Xmas when we arrive in Madang.

To Jayapura

Our trip to Jayapura is colored with village life. We visited island after island of the kindest and most gentle people we have met. A surprise, as at first glance the Papuans dark skin, curly mops and incredibly strong bodies cut an intimidating figure. Wherever we sailed, we were greeted by a dugout with cries pointing to the best anchorage and assurances that it “ Dis ini aman” (Here is safe). Our days were filled with laughter.

Here are a few glimpses of some of the incredibly humble, happy and gentle Papuans we met along the way.

 Above left, Rickson, friends and family farewelling us from PP Mamboor.  Above right, Aba and John trying their first Cheroot.

Above left, John with his daughter hitching a ride - wonder how old she is? Above Right, Mathieus, Aba, friends and family. 

Our days in Kapung Warosa were filled with a steady stream of visitors. Children are the same wherever you go, and they all managed to find small scratches to get plasters.

Incredibly poor, most of the children were running around in 4th and 5th hand clothes, if at all and often gender was difficult to decipher with baby boys wearing pink frills. Max and Nadine’s baby clothes were much needed and greatly appreciated!
Max & Nadine are our lovely previous crew from Germany who brought a huge Maori suitcase all the way from Europe of donated childrens clothes that we’ve steadily been distributing for the last few months – it’s been a fantastic idea – wherever we go and one child gets some clothes, steadily all the children are brought out for a treat too – seeing these children wearing nice clothes is a real pleasure.

One of my favourites was P. Wakde where we were befriended by Macolod, we were all taken in by his gentle manner and tales of the islands history. A colourful history too as we discovered when Macolod and his friend Victoria kindly showed us around the island. We found Japanese gun boats riddled with bullet holes. An old overgrown runway used by both the Japanese and then the allies during the war. They even had a single dog tag from an American soldier. The island has plenty of bird life and even spotted cous cous.

We managed to discover WWII wrecks around the island with the help of drawings in the sand. Unfortunately visibility was poor due to recent rain and even waiting the squall to clear didn’t help so we’ve marked the waypoints and saved these for next time!

Saying farewell to Wakde and Macolod was particularly sad. It marks the completion of a great passage we’ve shared with Jean, and brings closer the end of our West Papuan adventure… I hope we come back this way again and see our newfound friends. On the bright side, at least we a travelling on Thyme and not the well loaded Perentis ferry!

Here's a map of our route over West Papua. I think waiting to later in the season (November being the NW transition) has paid off as we've experienced much better weather and less unfavourable current than normal. Let's hope it stays that way for our journey into PNG.

Whale Sharks in Cenderawasih Bay

We continued sailing south, pausing at the friendly Napenyaur Village where we were welcomed by the elders, loaded up with bananas and introduced to the production of the popular sago dish.
At first light the following morning we were tied up to a nearby bagan  enquiring about whale sharks in between being welcomed aboard, shown around and loaded down with cumi cumi (squid) by the very friendly crew of the bagan ‘Putra Merdeka 03’.
Bagan - a large fishing platform constructed with a central long boat and timber beams floated with bamboo. They are fitted with drop nets, rigging and lighting and crew can stay on these for up to 3 months at a time with a fish buyer coming and collecting the catch daily. They fish at night using the lights to attract their catch. We have seen this style of fishing mostly in Borneo and Indonesia. The Hui Bintang (Whale Shark) is thought to bring good luck to the fisherman, who throw out bait fish to keep them close by.

While there was no whale sharks at our first bagan we enjoyed the visit and departed with big smiles and waves as our new friends took turns at sipping from our gift of arak (rice wine).  It took 4 more bagans using my little Bahasa Indonesia and sign language before we hit pay dirt. No sooner had the fisherman said, “yes, besar ikan” (big fish) and pointed below, before we were jumping in the water.
It was amazing! Not waiting for the ladder, I dived off the side only to have one whale shark gently come right up to my face. At first we were nervous as maybe we could be on the menu, but after a while we realized how gentle these giant fish were.

At one point Simon almost collided with one coming around the side of the bagan net, but it slowly stopped and waited for Simon to move before it continued on it’s path.

Jean was still a little nervous and hung back for a while before we could finally snap a photo of her. She was even more nervous when the Jayapura constabulary pulled up fully armed with machine guns and knives. Turned out they only wanted to swim with the sharks too!

The whale sharks were like babies, coming up to bagan waiting to be fed. They were covered in remoras and had a school of small fish that swum permanently in front of their mouths. It was an amazing experience to be able to spend so much time swimming with these gentle giants. Unforgettable!

With increased popularity and awareness of the Birds Head Seascape more people are visiting the bagans due to the good chance of swimming with whale sharks. While there are no strict regulations in the area that we could see, we respected both the whale sharks and the bagan fisherman. It will not be long before more and more tourists come… With time to reflect in the peace of our surroundings we hope that it can remain an unspoiled paradise in the remotest corner of the world.

The following morning we say one last farewell to whale sharks and fisherman and set sail with the first rays, headed for the east coast of Cenderwasih Bay on our way to Jayapura.

Into the wild, Cendarawasih Bay

Our brief stop in Manokwari was extended as we made the most of the friendly town facilities restocking at the local market, sourcing fuel and getting some locally made Batik fabrics. In between awaiting the delivery of fuel we were accompanied by a steady stream of children who swam out to the boat on various flotation devices to visit. 

Worth mentioning, fuel can’t be purchased from the service station in jerry’s. Locals have devised an ingenious method of getting government subsidized fuel and making a buck by fitting their large 4x4swith an easy access tank taps so you can fill up at the servo for 4,500rp, cross the street and empty it into jerry’s which you can sell to the fisherman and us for anywhere up to 7,000rp depending on your bargaining skills and demand This often means a long wait for fuel as each vehicle is only allowed to fill up once per day.

 The afternoon whiteouts and cloudy skies did not stop us exploring once we reached Rumberpon where our Google Earth images came in handy for finding our way thru reef in the rain squalls. Cendarawasih Bay did not disappoint, with steep jungle clad mountains to our right and countless islets fringed with reef on our left, we found mangroves and deserted white beaches with the odd dugout parked in the trees. Finding water shallow enough to anchor in was the only challenge.

As always there are plans and then plans when sailing and as we stumbled upon a small islet group south of Rumberpon we couldn’t resist exploring. A recon reef snorkel was so surprisingly beautiful we were encouraged to dive the drop off. We also took time meeting the local farmer and exploring the surrounding beaches for climbable coconut trees.

We managed to squeeze in a small hike to the top of a nearby hill, giving great views of the surrounding area. Jean survived the first of our walks, but needless to say returned hot, sweaty and covered in dirt. We thought we had better break out Thyme’s fine Kentucky Bourbon to aid recovery.

Jean must be a magician, as along with the copious amount of boat goodies she carried from the Kentucky in the US for us in her super small bag, she also managed to squeeze in this personalized fifth of Kentucky Fine Bourbon Whiskey.

Continuing south deeper into the remote, Jean and myself explored beneath the water, finding all sorts of interesting fish, sharks and critters while Simon rested, recovering from yet another infected cut, this time with fevers! What are we going to do with him? The locals were so friendly but being this remote we were keen to remain cautious and created a fictitious male, swarmee (husband) of Jean called “George”. Unfortunately when locals visited, big strong George was resting so they couldn’t come aboard. Many ignored this and at times we had over 10 people on the boat at once, all very curious as they never have kapal layer (yachts) visit.

In Nusaneer we met a lovely man who climbed the coconut trees and returned with no less than 14 fresh green coconuts in exchange for a packet of Malboro 20s. He ended up spending the afternoon onboard before showing us the local waterfall and washing area… Jean and I were in hair washing heaven! I’ve included a photo of Simon trying to light a beach fire. As most of you are aware Simon is not renowned for his fire lighting skills. Needless to say he’s pretty handy with accelerants.

Sailing onto Palau Roon we dived a Zero Japanese aircraft wreck one afternoon. We got some great photos with Jean’s new toy – the GoPro underwater camera. She quite cleverly catches Simon giving the wreck a thorough once over, luckily there was nothing he could pry off by hand. I was more interested in the Crocodile Fish sitting in the wing crevice.

It was here we came across the lovely Cedrick and the Black Manta tour boat. Given we had jumped straight in and dived the wreck first with our hookah unit we were quite surprised when Cedrick approached, inviting us to visit, supplies and assistance if we needed anything. He was free with sharing info on the Whale Sharks and I as I write we are headed south ready to look below in pursuit of the big fish – fingers crossed!

The sun is shining - off to Manokwari

The sun is shining in Manokwari… well at least metaphorically if not physically. Simon is getting stronger everyday although small jobs and physical activity still take it out of him. For example the generator which he pulled into a million bits searching for the fuel blockage, only to find the vent on the fuel cap was blocked. Also, while he still can’t climb the palms, he can at least now open the coconuts to keep up the daily supply I’ve become accustomed to. Jean, our new crew from the US is getting into the electrolyte properties of the coconut after scrubbing the bottom of the hull – nothing at all to do with the rum…

With the swell rolling in from the ENE, and the wind on the nose it made for a bit of a slow trip with a shortage of anchorage choices. One good score was the lovely calm anchorage and friendly town in Sansapor where we made it to town in perfect timing for the local weekly soccer match. We were met at the wharf by a million smiling children and a very kind local who became our guide for the afternoon.

 While the passage to Manokwari, and Jean’s first overnighter did include 30 hours motoring into the wind and current, the clear waters, whale, dolphins and huge Wahoo more than made up for it.

Our first stop in Manokwari couldn’t have been nicer, white sand beach, crystal clean water and chilled tunes from the shore welcomed us at the local weekend spot for family picnics. Before long we had many visitors swimming out to the boat – still a bit unsure of safety in Papua, the adults bobbed around in the water clinging to tyre tubes and water bottles for flotation while the curious children poked their grinning faces into every window they could, squealing with delight in between, “shhhh’s, Simon tedore” (Simon’s sleeping).

At our next stop, Mansinam Island we really knew we were in Papua. We followed a bougainvillea lined path and brightly coloured houses to tunes of the singing in church. Slowly the locals began to pass us, dressed in their Sunday best, beautiful Batik dresses and shirts with big betel nut grins.

After a stop in Manokwari town proper for supplies, we’re heading south into the famous Cendarawasih Bay where the underwater marine life is prolific and the whale sharks swim.

Dark Days on Thyme

This post represents our darkest days aboard Thyme. Simon’s malaria had deteriorated to a point where we admitted him to hospital for treatment. We thought he was going to get additional medications… He arrived early in the morning and shortly after was given an IV of fluids, while I stood by swatting the swarms of mosquitos flying around and Simon communicated via hand signals as no one spoke English.

I waited with Simon all day as it was our wedding anniversary and also hoping the doctor would come and give him some medication. Well the day came and went and I had to return to the boat, boarding the dinghy at the public dock – alone, returning to the lone yacht off the pier. All good until just after dark when 4 men approached the boat and tried to board. I told them to leave pretending to call downstairs to Simon. After hanging on and some discussion about money, they finally left, circling the boat for a while. Near hysterical I rang my friends on Ruby and Nathalie in Malaysia. They offered good advice and support and I locked up well to wait out a sleepless night in between regular phone calls and texts – thank you!

I returned to the hospital not long after first light only to find Simon checking himself out. The doctor, who finally arrived at 7pm had the results mixed up and told him he didn’t have malaria and didn’t have a fever, despite no one taking his temperature. He had also experienced a sleepless night wondering if the electrical socket was going to fall on his head, battling with the broken air-con, working up the courage to go to his luxurious private bathroom and keeping the mosquitos at bay. He was kindly awoken when 5 Seven Day Adventists entered his room to give him a plastic rose.
Pictures of the private bathroom…

 When we returned home, Simon deteriorated rapidly to the point where I began to panic. Tired and unsure of what to do I called family & friends who got to work helping us with options of flights home, embassy assistance and most of all love and moral support. Barbara on Ruby was also hard at work, calling her high up official government friends, who then called the Harbour Master. Later that day a Navy ship anchored very close to us – a co-incidence… Our fantastic doctor in Australia, Dr Silvana was amazing making calls to us at night after reviewing Simon’s updates by email.
With Simon refusing to leave on the next flight we waited out another tense few days before he started to improve. He now has a clear malaria bill of health and is quickly developing his appetite – he needs to as he’s lost over 12kgs in the last 6 weeks of being ill. The Zero Gravity chair is getting a serious workout.

For now, we are resting in Sorong, fattening Simon up and letting him regain some of his strength before we carry on. We know our next post will be brighter with new plans and adventures! In the meantime, here is a view from our window. I really can't thank everyone enough for your help and support the past few weeks x.

Here is our route in red thru northern Indo - what an amazing place. With Simon being sick unfortunately we missed quite a bit, but what we did see was truly awesome. Red is our penciled in plan for the coming weeks...

The Chilians in Raja Ampat

Before Scotty continued West on his travels, Simon had one more treat up his sickness sleeve for us. One morning, while eating breakfast outside I saw some bright blue gelly type liquid on the deck. Curious as to what it was, I asked Scotty if he had any ideas. Also curious by nature, he got down on all fours, dipped his index finger in it and took a sniff. It’s of quite an oily consistency he says, yes I agree bending down to get a better look. We put it down to one of lifes mysteries and carry on until shortly after Simon arises from his death bed with a blue stain on his foot. Further enquiries were made and it turns out that the medicine he is taking has turned his urine bright blue.  During the night while shivering and shaking and delirious with fever he must have missed and got the rail. Gross !!!

This is Simons humour in case you can't tell and being sick I've let him have his way - he's re-created it for your viewing pleasure!

Simon’s health was up and down like a yo-yo – dying one minute and feeling ok the next. After talking to our doc in Aus, we headed to the hospital for some tests, fearing the worst. It sounds terrible, but we were almost relieved to hear he had malaria – we could put a name to it, and this is something they treat everyday, being an endemic malaria region. We were anchored right next to the ferry terminal, only a short bus ride to the hospital.

Too late to let our friends Mane and Cristian from Chile know about Simon's health, they arrived and decided to stay aboard and see what happens. With drugs in hand, we headed a short way to an island where Si could take some R&R and we could explore. Sorry Scotty, after you jumped off we seemed to hit the mackerel sweet spot and Cristian was hauling them in – his first pelagic catch!

Cristian and Mane tried Scuba for the first time in the shallows of Palau Yum, before we headed back to Sorong for some more tests.

With Si still positive for P.Vivax malaria, we stocked up on a new course of drugs – supposedly to clear the parasite from blood and the liver stages and we headed back to Waigeo to explore the narrow channel between Palau Waigeo and Gam. We thought we might snorkel the channel so did a bit of a dinghy recon one afternoon – the current was so swift we struggled to get back to the boat.

The next day we braved the current and jumped in for a snorkeling joy ride past bommies and rocks covered with soft corals and sponges, critters, turtle and fish swimming in the depths and caves to explore.

This bay was a karst island fantasy with pinnacles, islets and narrow channels to weave in and out of. Secret bays could be accessed thru small holes in rocks and caves filled with bats abound. You could explore this area for months and still not see it all!

With Si’s health heading downhill despite the new drugs we decided to return to Sorong. Cristian and Mane jumped off and returned to Bali before heading for Chile. It was such a shame their visit co-incided with Simon being unwell – but we still managed to show them some of the beauty of Raja Ampat and even squeezed in some sailing, Cristian taking on role of skipper and Mane first mate. Unsure what to do next we returned to the hospital with Si where we decided to admit him for 3-4 days of treatment.

Just in case you have no idea where we are - that's us on the right hand side of the screen.

Wonderful Waigeo - Raja Ampat

Our stop at the equator involved more diving. This time some high adrenaline dives with swift currents and some big fish – we even managed to spot the Raja Ampat walking shark. Out of the marine park the boys couldn’t wait to get out the spear gun and catch some crays for dinner.

Instead of fireworks, our equator party included a call from Daryl on Metana advising that he had to administer CPR to Toni after she had suffered some kind of fit and could we get some assistance on the radio. Thru the trusty HF, we put out a PAN PAN and got NZ radio, who called Australia, who called Indonesia who sent out their Sea Air Rescue boat to assist. Nice to know someone is out there in emergencies.

Setting sail for Aus, we farewelled Metana and Gadfly for the last time and headed for a leisurely tour of Alyui Bay, sailing between a narrow karst cliff lined channel, diving with hundreds of solar powered nidibranchs at the White Arrow dive, visiting the local pearl farm, navigating through the mangroves to fresh water streams, collecting fresh oysters and checking out ancient rock art. We even squeezed in listening to the Sydney Swans win the grand final on the HF radio.

After a hot tip from the Pearl Farm and keen for some land adventures, we headed further into the bay for a walk up a mountain. We were surprised to find pitcher plants.

Unexpectedly, we've not seen a store now for about 2 weeks. Fresh veges were becoming a memory, lucky we like coleslaw and baking was becoming our favourite past time, homemade crumpets were a hit one morning. We were even resorting to desperate measure with the coconuts – taking from fallen trees!

With Simon suffering from the mystery illness again we made a push for Sorong.  At one point his fever reached 39.8 and he was delirious and shaking. Thank goodness Scotty was aboard, his calming influence was greatly appreciated – Simon spent 3 days in bed, arising only for entering or exiting anchorages or winching the tricky dinghy up before returning to his death bed. Simon awoke on day 4 with no idea as to where the boat was or how we got there! While you were sleeping, we saw no reason not to mix travel and nursing with exploring – Scotty and I dived in mangrove lined reefs, drift dived narrow channels with names like Citrus Ridge & Palau Yum where I spotted a huge sleeping Wobbygong, enjoyed bird watching and forest walking and visited a small island which resembled the south pacific more than Indonesia. Wish we could share the amazing diving but with no underwater camera – you’ll just have to come and see it yourself to believe it!