SERANGAN ISLAND, SOUTH BALI TO LOVINA BEACH, NORTH BALI

On Friday, October 17, 2014 we let go the mooring lines on our buoy that we rented from the Royal Bali Yacht Club and headed out into Selat Badung (Badung Strait) and, the adjoining strait, Selat Lombok.  Previously, I have written about the complex currents that exist in these straits and their direction which is dependent on monsoonal season: set South during the SE Monsoon and North during the NE Moonsoon.  At Spring Tides the currents can run at 8 kts or more.  Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to use tidal tables and any other local info to navigate North.  As with any strong setting tidal stream, there is a counter current to be found somewhere near the shore.  This was my main objective and I was successful in finding it and using it to get North into the Lombok Strait.  It actually turned out to be a rather pleasant motor sail right up until we reached the  Eastern part of Bali where the Lombok Strait streams SE and S into Badung Strait.  It was hear that our speed went from 6.8 kts to 2.2 kts in seconds!.  Turbulent water, eddies and standing waves made it quite uncomfortable.   This lasted all the way to Amed on the eastern coast of Bali and then, gradually, eased off as we rounded the northwestern shore of Bali.  Once we were on the Northern coast of Bali, conditions became enjoyable.  We arrived off Lovina Beach (08-06.1’ S x 114-58.6’ E) at 0125 on October 18^th and lay ahull (stop everything and let the vessel drift) until first light.  I, almost, never go into a port or anchorage late in the day or at night.  In this part of the world, the charts are inaccurate and reef uncharted.  It requires eyeball navigation for safety.  Additionally, there are obstructions and fish traps that don’t always show up on radar.

At 0900 hrs on Oct 18^th, we dropped anchor at Lovina Beach on a sandy bottom in 25 ft of water depth with 120’ chain out:  position( 08-09.580’ S x 115-01.336’ E).  In many of the anchorages in Indonesia, there are local boats that will come out and pilot you in to the anchorage.  Additionally, they supply fuel, water and produce or anything else required.  It’s a great service that benefits all.  In this case, we had “Octopus”, a double out rigged canoe hull with a motor leading us in.  These Indonesian outriggers are a wonder to look at:  brightly colored, lateen sails or motor and artistic designs that defy the imagination.  Nowhere have we found a more generous, friendly, accommodating people than Indonesians.  It is a joy to interact with them.  They love t be photographed and will request that you take phots of yourself with them, their children, babies and grandparents.  The country is so vast and has so many different ethnic groups and dialects that it would take a lifetime to exhaust the possibilities.  There are over 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and most are uninhabited.  Need an island to yourself? drop anchor at any of the uninhabited islands enroute.  The only precaution is the surrounding coral but there is always some sandy spot to be found.  The only caveat is that is has to be done during the day when the sun is at an  angle overhead to spot reefs and coral heads.

Lovina Beach is one of the highlights in Bali.  During the SE Monsoon, the waters are calm and remarkably clean.  There is a monument dedicated to the dolphins that frequent these waters.  Every morning, as many as fifty tour boats ferry tourists out to see them.  We were fortunate in having them follow us into the anchorage and the tour boats were following us like a parade with everyone taking photos and movies.  Lovina Beach is pretty much a tourist place so it has all the amenities that cater to that trade:  restaurants, hotels, dive shops, tour busses.  It has a museum where you can see the world’s only library of lontar palm manuscripts.  It’s all here.  As far as sailing yachts go, the anchorage is only tenable during the SE Monsoon.  Once the onset of the NW Monsoon starts, it becomes a windward shore with rain, squalls and big waves.

We friends join us in Lovina Beach for a sail to Karimun Jawa about 325 nm to the NW.  The Regency there was hosting several activities and a Gala Dinner.