I checked out of Kudat, Northwest Borneo, after an uneventful trip north from Labuan, checkout was a breeze and free, I topped up with Diesel and at 85 cents nz a litre, who could blame me, I rode my bike from the wharf with my 20L container on the carrier to the bowser, then rode it back to the wharf, then repeat, then out to the boat, on the second trip the owner came out, “where are you from” she said, “NZ” I said, “Oh I have a sister in Auckland” we chatted, she had been down-under a couple of times and loved NZ, then she said “foreigners are not allowed to fill containers here”, her being of mixed heritage, I was tempted, but I didn’t go there, “carry on, I will tell you if someone comes” she said. Three trips and 120L later I was full. I just day hopped from there up to Puerto Princesa, and managed to pick up my fishing line with the prop, while arriving in a little harbour the second night, (the only thing I’ve caught since Indo) yes forgot it was out, HaHa! I’d pulled in here o...

Sadly after a month in the Marina, I left Miri a couple of days ago, 24 hours later Invererne was anchored in Labuan Harbour. Shout out to Big Steve, Susie and Greg, see you in six months, thanks so much for your company, I'll call from Labuan for orders on the way back. Also many thanks to Geoff&Karen, my neighbours for the last month, good luck with the Dutch. Looking back Miri was a breath of fresh air after Indonesia, nice flat city around the size of Dunedin, modern, clean and well organised, with everything you need at the right price, I could live here, with rents being about 75% less than in NZ. Back to Labuan. Its a duty free Island, one of two in Malaysia, Langkawi being the other, so happy days, 1 litre of Jim Beam $19 nz, carried 200 litres of (no not Bourbon) diesel from the Bowser, to the boat today, at 90 cents a Litre who'd blame me. For you wet behind the ears pups, a Bowser is Boomer slang for a service station, not that I claim to be a Boomer, Doome...

Bye Bye Indonesia. Firstly it’s been a wonderful year, many good memories, I hope to explore more of this wonderful country in the future. So after shelling out 2 million Rupiah to the thieves at Nongsa Point Marina (Batam), due to them finding my Medical chest certificate had expired no less (I didn’t know I had a medical chest, and I'm still looking for it), Anyway I cut my losses and ran for the Amanda’s Islands (still Indonesia) with all my stamps. Shook out the Main sail which hadn’t seen the light of day for a while, straight into the shipping lane between Singapore an China, like a freeway on the sea, except I’m only doing 30 kmh, I slipped into the gravel, then managed to catch my first fish in Indonesia (Spanish Mackerel), not counting the one that flew in the hatch above the sink one night, now thats a sound you don't need to wake up too, sailed on a broad reach for most of the trip and made a little harbour called Letung about 28 hrs later. Three weeks later I checke...

There are No Book shops in Indonesia. I was coming back from Mataram with Ardi my driver and we were talking about Ramadan, which we just happened to be in the middle of, when it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen a book shop since arriving in Indonesia, in-fact I’d never seem anyone reading a book, I guess one book is all you need around here. Allahu Akbar! The Visa expired today, again, so was hoping that wasn’t from 00.01 and they would fine me $100 per day for overstaying again, (which is the going rate now since those Ozzy surfers used to overstay for weeks when it was $20), up early and went over to one of the houses built over the water here, old guy sitting smoking out front at 07.00, there was a little floating dock out front, I pulled in and he didn’t seem that happy to see me, pulled the phone out and with google translates help arrange some berthing, tried to give him $10 nz signalling with my fingers to my eyes and to the boat, he waved me off, I insisted and walked up the si...

 Bawean “the Island of women" This little island can be ridden around on motorbike in a few hours, you have to stop every now and then to rest your face, everyone here is so pleased to see you it’s infectious, smiling and waving for hours isn’t easy, I have some sympathy for the Queen now, but not much. " as of the 2010 Census was about 70,000 people, but more than 26,000 of the total (that is about 70% of the male population) were temporarily living outside, working in other parts of Indonesia,  Singapore  and  Malaysia . [5]  As a result, females constituted about 77% of the actual population of the island, which is thus often referred to as "the Island of Women ”   I meet a guy today that has two wife's, he looked exhausted! With the population the way it is it's no surprise, I could live here, but feel about half a wife would do me. I’ve been here anchored in a bay by the Town of Tambak for 5-6 days roughly, there isn’t any tourism to speak of here, so ...

What never ceases to amaze me how the boats change from one area to another here.                Back to the trifecta. Being a Mutant isn’t easy, luckily I was big enough to look after myself most of the time, but there were times of terror while young, when kids older than me took exception to my ‘Red hair’, which is usually caused by a Mutation in a gene called MC1R. I remember being held at gun point when at high school and shot in the back, it was only a slug gun but I had to pick the pellets out, they gave me the option of being shot in the front or back, I went for the back. These same guys where on my tail for some time, later I’d heard they were coming to get me again, so I convinced my friend over the back fence to loan me the barrel from his fathers double barrel shot gun, he was freaking out because I’d asked for the whole gun which was locked away, but he’d bragged he knew where the key was weeks earlier, we negotiated down to the barr...

"Typhoid" Idah said! I’d not long brought my first Android phone, so maybe this was some kind of upgrade package the Hospital was offering after I’d signed in, but my luck had deserted me again. Earlier I’d woken with a very stiff neck and a deep headache, now I've woken occasionally with a odd stiff…. over the years, but never a headache like this, and to be honest I’d been feeling pretty shit for weeks since being struck by Lighting. Maybe I was sulking about not getting any Super Powers from the strike or maybe I was on the way out? I'd better Call Ardi, who drives me everywhere, while I drive him to Religion is seems.  When I meet him he said he was a bad Muslim and after meeting me months later he is now a good Muslim, I’m not sure how to take this, but good is better than bad don’t you think.   I’m not sure if anybody read my blog about Chicken, but suspect my niece Em might be having a giggle about now. I’d once said to her “Life is a Shit Sandwich, Eat it or D...

I’d been on a mooring at Gili Air for a week or so when a storm developed quickly last week, the clouds burst dropping heavy rain then boom 💥 and a flash of light, I rushed up into the cockpit a little dazed rubbing my arm, my neighbours on a Catamaran, who were surfing on the reef close by arrived in there dingy to see if I was ok, they said they saw lightning hit the top of my mast. From left to right Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air where I was anchored. “I’m ok” I said, “just a shock to the arm”, which had been resting on some wood behind the seat in the saloon, while I was watching golf, I’d never thought watching golf on TV could be so dangerous, but there you go guys, the next time she rolls her eyes when you say, “I think I’ll go watch a little golf” just explain that this is dear devil stuff and you could even die while watching and she may regret that eye roll if you’re struck by lightning. The only real damage was to my wallet, I’m in for an electronics upgrade, yacht...