Motoring, motoring, motoring! We are so sick of the sound of the engines! There was hardly any wind the whole trip (7 days). There was plenty of activity apart from sailing though. We saw lots of dophins and Oscar got some good gopro footage. We might try to get the camera onto the end of the boat hook next time and get some underwater shots. huw and Oscar caught and landed a mackerel, tuna and a large Mahi Mahi. We had sushi and sashimi for a few lunches and steaks and curry for dinners. There was a breath of wind one day and we tried out the new whisker pole. It worked really well so we are confident that we will use it on the next leg with the anticipated wind direction to Christmas Island.
We are anchored at Marina Del Ray (run by an Australian named Ray, not sure which came first)on Gili Gede Island. It's very pretty and just a short ferry trip to Lombok itself. We arrived just after dawn and everyone was up to see the sunrise and approach after a great run through the Lombok Straits with the current - some of the other boats had a struggle against it. After lunch Pete caught up on some sleep and Huw, Oscar and I went off in the dingy to a snorkelling spot the ARC guys recommended. It was a fair way off on another Island but was well worth the effort. The most small fish that Huw and I have ever seen on one dive! A great first reef experience for Oscar. He took lots of gopro footage, of course.
Today is Wednesday and we are going on an island tour that the rally has organised. it's a day long with visits to villages, temples etc.