TANJUNG PINANG TO BANDAR BINTAN TELANI

On November 21, 2014, we heaved up anchor at the inner harbor of Tanjung Pinang (00-56.168’ N x 104-26.321’ E) and got underway for Bandar Bintan Telani (01-10.295’ N x 104-18.561’ E) which is about 32 nm to the North.  This will be our last stop on the Sail2Indonesia Rally 2014.  We are being taken under tow by “Honey Bee”, a Van de Stadt 12 m steel hull sailboat, because we had a low pressure oil alarm go off on our engine and I did not want to take any chances with an engine failure.  The tow went very smoothly and we dropped anchor about one half mile off the port of Bandar Bintan Telani in 18’ water depth with 100’ of chain out (01-10.295’ N x 104-18.561’ E). 

The northern part of Bintan Island is being developed for tourism from Singapore and other SE Asian countries.  We were given a tour by the local tourism office to a resort in the nearby town of Lagoi.  It is a gigantic resort complex with everything in place for the expected rush of tourism.  There is a luxury housing project being undertaken by some Russian magnate or mafia don.  All expectations are there and waiting but no one has occupied any of the facilities yet.  Being so close to Singapore, this part of Indonesia is far more expensive and has the luxury items that foreign tourists want to buy.

The local tourist office arranged for several tours around the island.  The most interesting one was a river tour into a mangrove swamp area.  The tour guides pointed out several yellow banded mangrove snakes sleeping on tree limbs above our heads and one small python doing the same.  We saw a small monitor lizard swimming across the river in front of us.  This is the same family as the giant Komodo Dragons we saw at the Komodo National Park.  There were a few Kingfishers flying around.  It was an interesting trip.

More fascinating to me are the nests of the edible Bird Nest  Swiftlet.  This bird makes its nest with its own saliva.  After the young have hatched and flown away, the nests are collected and hygienically processed for making bird’s nest soup – a Chinese specialty.  For the first time, I saw the nests being sold in packages in some of the upscale shops on Bintan.  They are very expensive and bought mostly by Chinese tourists.  More interesting is the manner in which they are harvested.  Large condominium type structures are built on higher ground in many of the seaside communities.  These things are hugh and may have a false painted fronting similar to a big business building.  When they are looked at in more detail, one sees hundreds of small holes all around the upper levels.  Each hole is to attract a Bird Nest Swiftlet.  Music is played continuously to attract them.  This has to be maddening for anyone living close to the bird hatchery.  Originally, the nests were taken from caves in Java and Sumatra but the demand exceeded the supply and threatened the extinction of this special bird, hence, the origination of these special birdhouses.  The color of the nests, after being processed, is an off white color.

On another tour, we visited a small village on the eastern side of Bintan Island where an expat Frenchman was trying to revive an ancient form of building small model “Jongs”.  These model boats have the outrigger weighted to windward and balanced with weights.  The size goes from 1-4’ ft and is considered a sport by the locals.  They walk the models out to the sea as far as they can go and then release them to sail towards the beach.  It’s a complicated process which requires balance and steering precision.  Competition is lively and betting makes it even more challenging.

The “Last Supper” of this sailing rally was provided by the tourism office at one of the seafood restaurants.  Right to the end, the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Development, with its local tourist officials were hospitable, gracious and welcoming hosts. Four months of sailing up the Indonesian archipelago have been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives.  Keeping on a schedule and dropping anchor, heaving anchor and motoring with little wind have left us tired and needing a break.  The fact that our engine might not make it to Phuket, Thailand,  means an even harder sail against swift currents and little wind as we go NW up the Straits of Malacca.  We will be towed across the Singapore Strait by our friends on “Southern Star” – a Nordhaven 47’ motor boat.  This is one of the busiest waterways in the world and I don’t want to risk engine failure in trying to cross it alone.  Once across, I’ll have a Volvo mechanic check things out in Singapore.  We have a berth at One Degree 15 Marina.