Note : Previous World Rally News reports appear in the Reports Archive

Marina and Mountains

Champagne arrival for 'Dutch Link'

Taverna Gathering

Presentation of plaques

Bouzouki Serenade

Dobbie and Master hand out gifts

Having departed Egypt and the Suez Canal, Rally yachts had mixed weather for the leg from Suez to Crete. Luckily the "standard northwesterly" conditions did not set in for the first two days and yachts made good progress towards Aghios Nikolaos. However, the Mediterranean managed to return to normal for the last 36 hours, with yachts experiencing headwinds and large seas over the final few miles.

Champagne Welcome in Aghios Nikolaos

Crews were, therefore, delighted to arrive in sunny Spring weather at the marina of Aghios Nikolaos. The Support Team, in the form of Peter and Annette Seymour, were there to take lines and to greet each crew with a welcoming bottle of bubbly. By the early evening most yachts had arrived and crews got together at the Faros Taverna close to the Marina for a full Greek menu and considerable quantities of local wine.

The next morning (not too early!) crews were exploring the beautiful town of Aghios Nikolaos, with its clean streets, food shops, tavernas, restaurants, jewellery shops, Internet cafés - sophistication that they had not experienced for so long. That evening everyone joined in a dinner at one of the best restaurants in Aghios Nikolaos, The Pelagos.

Make-and-Mend and Tourism

Although Aghios Nikolaos lacks a travelift, a number of yachts overwinter in the marina and "Totem" took the opportunity to be craned out for anti-fouling. Others, including "Aquarius", had spares delivered and work organised through local contractors. "Windfall" even found a new microwave!

Blue Water Ralliers have never been accused of "all work and no play" and crews were soon hiring cars and mopeds to tour the island. Local expeditions were organised to the nearby village of Kritsa, well-known for its lace shops and to the famous 4th century BC archeological site of Lato. At the end of the week an outing was organised to the island of Spinalonga and a seafood lunch at the tiny fishing hamlet of Plaka.

Over the coming weeks crews planned to explore further the beautiful island of Crete and to celebrate the Orthodox Greek Easter with the locals. Aghios Nikolaos is famous for its Easter celebrations, culminating in processions and moving candlelit ceremony around its lake.

Party Time

The stopover in Aghios Nikolaos signalled the end of the 2001-3 Blue Water Rally as most crews will now be staying in the eastern Mediterranean for some months. Ralliers were, therefore, in party mood and celebrated the completion of their circumnavigation in style. It was also great to welcome back fellow Rally owners George and Eve Fasenfeld of "Franz Too" and their crew, Stuart Musgrave and his wife Avril, who had flown in from Ireland for the occasion. ("Franz Too" is now based in Phuket, Thailand.) Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" summarised the event in his final report from the Rally as follows:-

A Fitting End to the Rally

"The End of Rally Party was very good fun and a very fitting end to the Rally. There were several speeches in which toasts were proposed, particularly to "absent friends". Peter, of course, made presentations of our BWR plaques and handed out bottles of wine for the Photo Competition winners. Mike from "Jade Woman" made a great speech caricaturing all the participants.

The star of the show, however, was the "Windfall" act, with Graham dressed in kilt telling jokes and giving presents to all the ladies assisted by his "boat elf" "Dobby" (Paul Hobbs). Paul, dressed in an old sheet, kept up the bent-double obsequious Harry Potter Dobby role all evening, even after his master (Graham) had given him his "freedom" by handing him a pair of old socks! All this together with very energetic Greek dancing to a live trio band made for a hilarious great evening.

Well, that's it from "Dutch Link". Thank you very, very much Peter, Tony and Annette for helping to make the last couple of years the most enjoyable and exciting years of our lives - we certainly "lived the Dream". We look forward to keeping in touch. All the best with the next Rally ………………"

POSTSCRIPT FROM THE ORGANISERS

During the Rally we have greatly appreciated all the communications support and stories we have received from various participants. We are particularly grateful to Mike and Jeannette Priest of "Dutch Link", whose regular reports we have featured on the website. At the farewell party we were, therefore, particularly pleased to present a new logbook to Mike and Jeannette

As always, we have thoroughly enjoyed organising the Rally and being part of the very special camaraderie of the event. Sailing around the world is still a great challenge and a huge achievement. We look forward to keeping in touch and to the reunions that will undoubtedly take place.

Fair winds and good sailing to all those owners and crews who have taken part in the Blue Water Rally 2001-3.

PETER, ANNETTE AND TONY

Wear something bought on the trip!

Dancing Greek-style

Demetrios lifts the table - nothing spilled

Aghios Nikolaos Lake

Tourism - Lato ruins

'Totem' has a liftout

A nearly deserted Abu Tig Marina at El Gouna - like so much of Egypt during the Rally's visit with tourism down by 80% as a result of the Iraq war

Some of the Rally participants during their visit to the Pyramids

THROUGH SUEZ AND OUT INTO THE MED

All yachts except, `Oasis', `Whistler' and `Mon Cheri' successfully transited the Suez Canal by Thursday 3rd April and arrived in Ayios Nicholaos Marina, Crete on Sunday 6th April. Everyone immediately dined out at a local taverna to celebrate their arrival in Greece. Both `Oasis' who had to return to El Gouna within 4 hours of their departure and `Mon Cheri' are delayed through engine problems.

Mike Priest has already reported on the Luxor trip undertaken from El Gouna, which included visits to the Valley of the Kings and to the Temples of Karnack but one very popular excursion has not been mentioned: the Rally Go Kart Championships keenly contested as a follow-on to the Darwin races. This time Simon Mc Goldrick was the winner with James Godwin and Nuno in close contention - everyone really did enjoy the chance to be a `boy racer'.

The Abu Tig Marina at El Gouna just North of Hurghada made an ideal rest stopover after the Red Sea. Everyone agreed that the Red Sea had been in generally benign mood for the 1000 mile passage from Djibouti and were thankful for getting away relatively unscathed by the normally strong Northerlies. The 200 mile trip up to Port Tewfik, Suez from El Gouna was undertaken in light breezes from the West.

Just prior to the Suez Canal transit most people made the day-trip to Cairo to visit the Pyramids and the Egypt Museum and were completely unaffected by any political sensitivities as a result of the Iraq war.

The two-day Suez Canal transit was undertaken according to plan and yachts were considerably helped by a Southerly Force 5 wind through the 95 miles to the Mediterranean - `Dutch Link' actually making 9 knots under bare poles and just cruising engine revs.

The Russian yachtsman Evgeniy Gvozdez visited Suez during the Rally stopover in his 3 metre yacht `Said'. This is his second circumnavigation but his first with `Said' which is now returning to the Black Sea having passed through the Straits of Magellan nearly 2 years ago.

Windfall in Abu Tig marina

Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" has reported as follows on 29 March:-

Port Tewfiq

"Six of us are now safely moored in Port Tewfiq in Suez. Given the reputation of the Gulf of Suez, we have been extremely fortunate with the weather - only had 15 to 20 knots on the nose, so could average about 4.5 knots for the 170-mile trip. The plan is to stay here a few days for a rest and get ready for the Canal transit scheduled for 2nd April. Tony has organised a trip to the Cairo Museum and the Pyramids, which we shall do depending upon FCO advice.

Visit to Luxor

During our stay at the Abu Tig Marina, El Gouna (part of a huge tourist resort area built on a previously barren area of coast) we went on the four-day trip to Luxor (organised by Tony) with several other Rally boats (Hecla, Jade Woman, Oasis, Whistler and Windfall) - stayed in a five-star hotel on the banks of the Nile - bit of a contrast to the hotel in Sudan - even had CNN and BBC World on the TV so we could get an update on what is happening in Iraq!

We visited some of the temples (including Karnak) and tombs (Valley of the Kings) - all dating back to 1500 BC and before. Never realised that Luxor is actually the Thebes of biblical fame. We were lucky to have a very good guide, Adel, who had studied Egyptology and had a very enthusiastic and entertaining way of expressing himself and was able to rattle off a translation of the hieroglyphs on the temple walls.
In the middle of the trip we spent an afternoon sailing up the Nile in a felucca - a tourist version of the traditional ancient sailing craft.

Hit by a Sandstorm

We returned to the boat in a raging sandstorm - visibility dropped to only 50 meters or so - and 30 plus knot winds. The boat was covered in sand. In fact, we had to delay our departure from Abu Tig for a day as the wind was still strong the following day. On the trip up the Gulf of Suez we passed several submarines and military supply ships - a reminder of the Iraq situation."

Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" reports as follows on their visit to Suakin with Hecla and Jade Woman.

FIRST KILL THE SHEEP!

"We had a great time in Suakin. We made a two-day trip into the mountains organised by the two agents Mohamed & Abu Mohamed. We spent the night in a closed hotel in Abu Mohamed's mountain village of Airquit. Quite an experience - no running water, no electricity. The evening meal started with slaughtering a sheep, cooking it in the yard in front of the hotel on a fire on the ground. We ate it in candlelight sitting round a table in an otherwise bare room - strange but fun! After the meal we were invited to the local English-speaking schoolmaster's house. There we all sat cross-legged on the earth floor on grass mats and had a question/answer session about Sudan and sailing with the turbaned schoolteacher, whilst the coffee brewed over a charcoal fire in the middle of the floor. The Chief of the village sat in on the session, but unfortunately could not speak English. Light was provided by a paraffin lamp - a very enjoyable evening we will never forget. Then to bed in our bare rooms by candlelight with the wind howling outside.

BACK TO SCHOOL!

The next morning after finishing off the mutton for breakfast, we went back to the village through the thick mountain mist and strolled around the "shops" soaking in the local scenes - hobbled dromedaries lying around, villagers in their white dishdashes huddled over small wood fires in front of their huts for warmth (pretty chilly in the thick mist). The huts/ "shops" are made of a ring of rough stones on top of which there are placed large branches wigwam-style to make a sort of hive or igloo-shaped room. Plastic bags, and leaves are spread between the branches to make them a bit water/windproof. After visiting the local (ancient) bakery and sampling the freshly baked bread (yummy), we were all invited attend an English lesson at the school.

The teacher started the lesson by writing "The Role of Education" and was obviously talking way over the heads of the kids. After listening for a while sitting with the kids on benches, the teacher handed me the chalk and asked me to carry on the lesson. As it was obvious that the kids hardly knew any English I tried to make it simple and interactive. After 10 minutes the chalk was passed on to Stuart and thereafter most of us had a turn at "teaching", each of us trying to get some involvement from the kids.

Stuart and Jilly tried the picture drawing approach, Mike from Jade Woman asked for the world map, and then we all showed where we came from, and then we ended the "lesson" with each of us using the map with Abu Mohammed as translator to tell the stories of our trip so far. When we finally left for the bus, the whole village ran along with us to see us off smiling and waving - we felt a bit like pop stars! All in all a great experience. We all feel that we have seen a bit of the "real" Sudan.

"MASSAWA AND ERITREA

The Massawa Imigration Officer, Godo, was very cooperative with checking out - instead of making us all re-anchor close to the main wharf and filling in all the paperwork on the morning of departure (normal but very time-consuming procedure) he kindly agreed to do the paperwork the afternoon before departure, and then be collected by dinghy at 0700 the next morning so that he could make the necessary individual yacht visit, but at the places where we had been anchored during our stay there. This meant that our 7 yachts plus two non-Rally boats could all leave by 08.30hrs on Sunday.

We had a great time in Eritrea - much to our surprise, the people there are extremely friendly and very relaxed. Massawa, the port where we anchored used to be very beautiful, but was almost destroyed during the 30 year "struggle", as they call it, for independence from Ethiopia. The ruins are still standing giving an impression of what it was like, but many people are living in shacks amongst the broken walls. Still it is very pleasant to sit under the arches of the buildings, which are still standing, supping tea and chatting to the locals.

We spent two nights in a hotel in Asmara the capital. Asmara is situated on a plateau in the mountains at an altitude of 2350 m (7000 feet). It took 4 hours to get there by local bus for the princely sum of 75 US cents! The road climbs almost continuously from sea level zigzagging steeply upwards with many tight hairpin bends. We saw several trucks which had not made it which had come to rest on the steep slopes below the road. The climate changed rapidly as one climbed higher from almost desert around Massawa to green and fertile in the mountains. However, once over the highest ridge, one arrives in a rainshadow area where the only vegetation is cacti and thorn bushes. Lots of dromedaries, goats and a few thinnish cows were by the roadsides.

Asmara itself is a very pleasant almost modern town - if one sticks to the palm-lined main street with Italian-style cafés, where one can while the day away over coffee and cakes chatting to the locals and watching the world go by. However, in the side roads one quickly enters the more indigenous market and small store areas where horses and carts and the odd dromedary are the main form of transport. We were lucky enough to make friends with Meaza, the lady running the tourist office in the Ministry of Tourism - a very nice person. She spent a lot of time with us showing us the city and introducing us to the local food (one sits around a single tray covered with Eengira (a type of sour spongy pancake) on top of which is placed the spicy food. One eats with ones fingers using bits of pancake to pick up the food - a bit messy if one is not used to it.

PIRACY
We had a good sail on the 270-mile leg from Massawa to Suakin (Sudan) with mainly ESE winds until last night when the wind swung to the north. On the way we picked up the news from another group of yachts that one of them had just been attacked by pirates close to Aden - no one hurt but a lot of equipment, including their radios, was stolen - so the BWR strategy is still valid in those waters!

SUAKIN
Within minutes of anchoring in Suakin, the agent Mohamed turned up with customs and immigration officials. For US$ 28 per person we will be issued with passes enabling us to travel in Sudan for as long as the boat is here. We are told that on clearing out, we will be issued with cruising permits allowing us to anchor anywhere along the Sudan coast. So far so good."

Traders Old and New

View from the old Yacht Club over the anchorage

Djibouti town centre

Provisioning - the local market

RENDEZVOUS MID-OCEAN

Because of the piracy risk Blue Water Rallies always take special precautions whilst transiting the Gulf of Aden between the dangerous coastlines of Somalia and Yemen. Rally yachts are required to sail in small groups along a pre-designated route passing specified waypoints known only to themselves and the Rally organisers. Additionally, communications are limited to specified frequencies and reports are made daily to UK Rally Control and onwards to other agencies.

Rally yachts set off from the Maldives at different times, but were expected to rendezvous at a waypoint position in mid-ocean and not far from the Gulf of Aden. Mike Priest comments, "All BWR yachts passed the RV at the appointed hour today - quite a sight as out of the blue, after 1000 miles of ocean, the whole fleet suddenly appear within a mile or so of each other! "Windfall" (who started out late from Male in the Maldives) pulled out all the stops and made it to the RV smack on time and we are now all sailing in a glorious blue-skyed and sunny ENE 4."

(At this stage "Whistler" had contacted Rally Control in UK to advise that one of his lower shrouds had failed and he was sailing under reduced sail and a jury rig. An exchange of e-mails then took place between "Whistler" and Rally Control to order two new lower shrouds for delivery by hand to Djibouti.)

MID-OCEAN REPAIRS AND THE BENEFITS OF RALLYING

Within a couple of days "Totem" was in trouble with an over-heating main engine. This was diagnosed as a broken impeller, parts of which had blocked the heat exchanger. A rendezvous was arranged and Mike Dawes, the skipper of "Jade Woman", was ferried across to "Totem" to effect repairs. James Godwin stayed on board "Totem" through the next night to ensure that all was working well and in case of any further problems. The breakdown also gave the opportunity for "Whistler" and "Totem" to give spare fuel to "Windfall". As Mike Priest remarked in his report - "All in all a good example of how the Rally concept can turn a major problem into a lesser one."

ARRIVAL IN DJIBOUTI

For the Rally the transit to Djibouti was, in all other respects, trouble-free. Nevertheless it was with some relief that the first group of yachts called up on 14 February to be greeted by Peter Seymour as they turned into Djibouti harbour. The remainder of the fleet arrived less than 24 hours later on 15 February.

Things were not going to be so easy for this year's Rally as the Yacht Club (Club Nautique), which has been a haven to cruising yachtsmen over the years, was closed in 2002. The Club Nautique is now part of the Djibouti Navy facility and a sign of the enhanced military and security situation in the region. However, thanks to the help of the past President of the Club Nautique, Alain Martinet, assistance was available to the Rally Director, Peter Seymour, to deal with the myriad problems of refuelling, immigration, clearances etc. "Whistler" was particularly delighted to take delivery of her new rigging within a matter of hours of her arrival.

SUPERMARKETS AND GOURMET MEALS

Djibouti is surprisingly sophisticated - a consequence of its French colonial past and the presence of large numbers of French (and international) military personnel. Rally crews found a good range of shops and supermarkets stocked with a huge range of quality French foods - cheeses, vegetables and meat. Many also visited the Arab market for fresh vegetables and were fascinated by the colourful scene -and smells! The town is also safe to visit at night and to dine out in French restaurants - ALL AT A PRICE!

Rally crews were also invited to a dinner hosted at the Residence of the Honorary British Consul (and ex-President of the Yacht Club), Alain Martinet. Yachtsmen enjoyed a superb meal, seated around the moonlit swimming-pool at Alain's beautiful home.

REFUELLING AND WATERING

On arrival yachts had placed orders for fuel and water and on Tuesday 18 February a space was made available on one of the new quays of the port for refuelling the yachts. An enthusiastic group of Total Fuel Company employees arrived with a fuel bowser and fuelling was under way by mid-morning. At the same time a special delivery of distilled drinking water was brought in by a second bowser team. Thanks to the cooperation and close liaison with the Rally, immigration and port clearances were completed at the same time - not forgetting the opportunity which many took to take delivery of stocks of duty-free.

INTO THE DESERT

Previous rallies had taken the opportunity to see something of the desert that makes up most of the country of Djibouti. The crews of 2003 were no exception and arrangements were made with a retired Legionnaire to organise visits into the interior of the country. Mike Priest reports:

"We very much enjoyed the 1½ day trip into the interior. After a couple of hours' drive by 4-wheel drive we ended up on a vast dried up desert-like lake, complete with dromedaries. There we jumped into land yachts and were soon reaching great speeds across the lake backwards and forwards to a temporary French military camp. Whilst we were screaming across the desert, we were entertained by fighter jets dive-bombing, dog-fighting, refuelling in the air, chopper rescue demos etc - it seems that we just happened to be there for their 2-yearly air show!"

The next day was spent exploring the moderately active volcanic area - volcanoes/smoking fumeroles/lava tunnels/cracks in the road along the fault plane/Rift Valley and visited the amazing inland salt lake (Lac Assal), where for generations salt has been dug up and transported to Ethiopia.

INTO THE RED SEA

By 21 February Rally yachts had set off for the last stage of their journey - into the Red Sea and onwards to Egypt. En route most had visited the outlying islands of Djibouti or called at the quaint Moslem village of Obock, which provides a useful point of departure for Bab el Mandeb - the entrance to the Red Sea.

Over the next 3-4 weeks crews are likely to face the least pleasant sailing of their entire trip. For the most part the winds in the Red Sea are from the north and yachts will be sailing to windward. However, a number of interesting stopovers will be possible, including Massawa (Eritrea), the ancient fortified town of Suakin (Sudan) and Port Sudan itself, before reaching Egypt and the marina/resort of El Gouna, where they will be met by Tony Diment on 20 March.

POSITION REPORTS

Between Djibouti and Egypt the Rally will be maintaining a daily radio net and fleet positions should be passed twice-weekly to UK Rally Control. We shall try to keep you updated on this website - watch this space!

Taking on water

Alongside the Quay

in the Naval Port

Duty Free Essentials!

Camel train transporting salt in the Interior

Sri Lanka - voted `A highlight'

All yachts except `Windfall' (delayed in Thailand through crew changes) arrived in Galle Harbour, Sri Lanka on Saturday 11th January. Normally a leg with reliable North Easterly trade winds, this year the winds failed to kick-in and resulted in a fair amount of motoring especially in view of the need to get to Sri Lanka in time for the start of 5-day excursions due to commence on Monday 13th January. As it turned out everyone was cleared into Sri Lanka by Saturday evening and was able to celebrate Bill Morton's (`Hecla') Big Birthday in the 200 year-old Closenburg Hotel.

Sunday was officially declared a day of rest prior to the start of the excursion early Monday morning. Just about the whole Rally had signed-up for the trip and when Tony Diment visited everyone sunning themselves on a delightful lawn at the Golf Club in Nuwara Eliya at 6000ft above sea level it was `officially' declared that Sri Lanka was a highlight of the whole trip.

On the previous day the comfortable air conditioned coach had visited Yala National Park where everyone transferred to jeeps for a safari. Apart from the normal buffalo, elk, deer, monkeys, wild boar and peacocks, wild elephants were encountered and very specially, a leopard was also seen - so there were lots of nearly full `I spy' books! Nuwara Eliya and its clear,cool air and almost English scenery was special for both the excellent buffet dinner at the Golf Club ( you could have been forgiven for thinking that you were back in Sunningdale, Surrey) and the fantastic bargains to be had at the clothing shops selling `seconds' from the local garment factories - plenty of `Helly Hansen' gore-tex ocean jackets were bought for give-away prices- I mean under £15!! (normal fleece-lined jackets £3.50).

Next it was the tea plantations and the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, followed by the rock fortress at Sigiryia, the cave temple of Dambulla, the ancient city of Adnuratnupura and lastly the elephant orphange before making it back to Galle. Tired and travel weary there was no let-up - the `jungle barbeque' beckoned at the Unawatuna Beach Resort and amazingly most people made it until well after 1000pm!

With spice gardens, gem stone markets, turtle beaches, stick fishermen and snake charmers still on the agenda the Rally found Sri Lanka a fascinating stop-over. The finale was the Burns Night Supper held at the Closenburg Hotel on Saturday 18th January. Bill Morton and his brother Andrew, just out from UK, presided over the proceedings and complete with `Scotland the Brave' and other stirring Scottish pipe music the Haggis (specially purveyed from Macsweens of Edinburgh) was duly addressed and served with traditional `neaps and tatties'. Together with a couple of wee drams of the `amber nectar' the stage was set for recitals from the Immortal Bard and just about evreyone did their piece.

Special mention must be made of Anna's (`Totem') lovely unacompanied singing in Italian of Auld Lang Syne and Tiki's (Whistler) rendition of `Love is like a red, red Rose'. If Carlos from the Portuguese yacht `Oasis' had been told at the start of the Rally that he would be reciting poems from Robert Burns in Sri Lanka in a year or so's time, he wouldn't have believed anyone, but sure enough there he was reciting for all he was worth - well done everyone, a great night!

All too soon clearances were made and by the 23rd everyone was back at sea heading this time for the Maldives. And, yes, `Windfall' did make it arriving in Galle on the morning of the 19th!

Sri Lankan Snake Charmer

ARRIVAL OF BWR YACHTS AT GALLE

By 11 January all Rally yachts, except for "Windfall" had arrived at Galle in Sri Lanka to be met by Tony Diment, Rally Director for the stopover. ("Windfall" is making a late departure from Phuket after having made crew changes.)

As ever, participants were steered through the administrative maze of clearances into Sri Lanka. Special arrangements had been made for crews to be cleared in by officials, who were waiting at the harbourside for yachts to arrive.

For most of the crews this was their first visit to Sri Lanka and there could have been no better venue for a first get-together than at the Closenberg Hotel. The Closenberg is a classic Somerset Maugham-style hotel overlooking Galle Harbour and retains most of its original colonial features. Crews gathered for pre-dinner drinks with Bill Morton of "Hecla" to celebrate his 60th birthday and this was followed by a traditional curry meal.

As usual the Rally is about seeing countries along the route and this stopover is no exception. Ralliers will be visiting the local market and will see something of the hustle and bustle of Sri Lanka - including snake-charmers (See left). Most crews have trips organised by Tony Diment to visit the main sights of the country, including tea plantations in the highlands and historic monuments.

All is well amongst the crews.

Phuket Yacht Haven Marina

Thai Dancers

Christmas and New Year In Thailand

Having enjoyed the marina facilities of the Yacht Haven in Phuket right up to 23rd December most yachts then rather reluctantly slipped away for Christmas in Phi Phi Island which is about 30 miles East of the main island of Phuket.

`Mon Cheri', `Aquarius' and `Coco de Mer' decided to stay put in the Yacht Haven and reportedly had a very enjoyable time aboard.

The Christmas Day plan was to have a lunch at the `Jungle Bar' Restaurant in Phi Phi followed by cruising amongst the islands of Krabi and Phang Nga before the New Year. It is here that the vertical cliffs and dramatic islands and `Hongs' ( caves without roofs) rise spectacularly from the Andaman Sea and where intriguing anchorages abound.

New Year was to be spent at anchor back on the Southern end of the main island of Phuket at Kata Beach. From here some went ashore to the Boathouse Restaurant and others went to the `Green Man' Pub near Chalong for a traditional Hogmanay-style New Year.

Being in the Southern end of Phuket allowed everyone to get to Customs and Immigration early on the 2nd January to complete departure formalities before sailing for Sri Lanka on the 3rd January. The 1100 mile leg promises to be good sailing with the North East Trade wind already well developed which is unusual for very early January.

Tony Diment will be in Galle to meet yachts when they arrive any time after the 9th January - probably around the 11th/12th for most. Nearly everyone has pre-booked excursions up to the mountain tea plantations and to Kandy which commence on the 13th so lets hope those Trade Winds don't fail the fleet! An update from Galle will be sent as soon as yachts arrive...

Thai Dancers

Thai Dancers

PHUKET 18th December 2002 : All are safely gathered in

Tony Diment, Rally Director in Phuket, has contacted UK Rally Control to advise that all Blue Water Rally yachts have now safely arrived in Phuket.

First arrival was "Dutch Link" (Mike and Jeannette Priest), who have gone to the Boat Lagoon Marina for a lift-out and specialist anti-fouling of their aluminium hull. They have reported that they are very comfortable in a flat ashore loaned by previous Rally participants, Mike and Chris Smither.

However, they comment "Unfortunately ?? there is no cooking on board for a while - we are forced !) to dine out every day on the excellent Thai food for a couple of pounds a meal!"

Rally yachts are all at the Yacht Haven on the NE coast of Phuket and, with the assistance of Tony, have completed all their customs and immigration formalities. It did, however, take some 7½ hours. There has already been a Thai evening at a nearby restaurant with local colour provided by traditional dancers.

Tony reports that all is well amongst the crews, who are now looking forward to cruising amongst the beautiful islands of Phang Nga Bay and to spending Christmas at the most beautiful island of Phi Phi. More details and photographs will follow on Tony's return to the UK.

WORLD RALLY POSITIONS : 4TH DECEMBER

The World Rally yachts are slowly working their way up the Malaysian coast towards Langkawi.Everyone plans on arriving in Langkawi over the weekend and importantly in time for a Rally Party at the Yacht Club on Sunday 8th December. Current positions are:

Dutch Link and Totem: Penang
Aquarius, Hecla, Mon Cheri, Whistler: Pangkor
Coco de Mer, Franz Too and Oasis: Port Dixon
Windfall: Phuket

Most yachts plan to arrive at the Yacht Haven, Phuket, Thailand over the weekend 14th/15th December. The plan is to then cruise Phang Nga Bay to Krabi and then on to Phi Phi Island in time for Christmas. Tony Diment will be arriving on 11th December in order to provide Rally Support.

The RSYC welcome at the door

RSYC Flagstaff

RSYC Marine View

RSYC The Pool

RALLIERS ENJOY THE SINGAPORE LIFESTYLE

Blue Water Ralliers are now well into "make and mend" on their yachts. What has struck the skippers immediately has been the efficiency of the various agents involved in yacht repairs and services. Particularly helpful has been the support of the Marina Manager, Mark Ray, at the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (RSYC), who has provided introductions and also local assistance at the Club itself.

"SHO-PING"
With maintenance going so well, crews are now finding time to sample the delights of Singapore. With long shopping lists (now referred to as "sho-ping"), crews have been returning to the Club with items such as computers, cameras, radios and other hi-tech items - not forgetting, of course, new outfits from the many department stores in Orchard Road to replace worn-out and faded T-shirts and shorts. Getting around has been easy with an excellent taxi service from the Club and the ultra-modern underground system - the Singapore MRT.

RAFFLES AND SOMERSET MAUGHAM
Ralliers have also been sampling the night-life. A "must" for everyone was a trip into the city to the Raffles Hotel on Wednesday. Participants met in the Long Bar for Singapore Slings and enjoyed the Colonial atmosphere of this establishment made famous by Somerset Maugham, before dining out in Chinatown and at Clark Quay alongside the Singapore river. This weekend many will be back at Clark Quay to view the River Festival, which includes a million dollar duck race!!

There is much to see as well. Crew members are visiting some of Singapore's tourist spots and high on the list are the Botanical Gardens, Sentosa and the famous Night Safari.

OFFICIAL WELCOME AT THE RSYC
On the evening of Thursday 21st Blue Water crews were hosted by the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club at their Boaters' Night. As the sun set Ralliers and Club members assembled on the verandah in front of the flood-lit swimming-pool. The Club flagmast was decorated with the flags of the participating nations and Ralliers were officially welcomed to the RSYC. Mementos were then exchanged, marking the first of many such visits by the Blue Water Rally to Singapore and the RSYC.

The Blue Water Rally starts its departure preparations on Monday 25th November and the first departures are expected on Tuesday 26th.

RSYC Reception

Presentations

Reception Group

Whistler gets a new radar

AFTER NEARLY TWO MONTHS IN INDONESIAN WATERS THE WORLD RALLY ARRIVES IN SINGAPORE

"Everyone has found the Nongsa Point resort on Batam Island in the very North of Indonesia extremely comfortable and have enjoyed the facilities. In particular, there were 2 outings to the Turi Resort next door for dinner - on the second occasion the whole Rally sat around the pool enjoying an Indonesian BBQ/buffet and a traditional dance display.

The practical arrangements for check-in/out went very smoothly. All the yachts checked out on Monday 18 November and by mid-morning were heading westwards along the Singapore Straits to the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (RSYC). In the meantime Peter Seymour crossed by fast ferry and reached the RSYC by taxi just in time to meet the first 2 yachts arrive at the RSYC Marina. The crews had been well briefed on keeping a good lookout as they crossed the separation lanes, but were still extremely "impressed" by the huge amount of shipping traffic heading both east and west.

Met by the RSYC Marina Manager, Mark Ray, yachts and crews were soon settled in with shore power and water and Immigration was completed by late afternoon. Everyone is busy taking advantage of the good maintenance facilities in Singapore and various jobs are being done aboard most yachts with specialists arriving on a number of them. Work ranges` from radar repairs to electrics and "plumbing". "Mon Cheri" is being lifted out at Keppell Marina nearby in the next few days.

Despite the monsoon conditions, morale is extremely high, particulary due to the wonderful facilities at the RSYC. The pool is already being well-used, as are the gym and bars and restaurants.

However, the stopover social scene was not all about visits to resort restaurants. Owners and crews from the first group to arrive were taken "down town" to a local massage parlour. No, not for a "special" massage, but a real Indonesian one nevertheless! Thanks again to Francis' local knowledge, crews went out on two occasions to the local fish restaurant, made of wood and jutting out over the muddy river. Well off the beaten track for the normal visitor to Batam Island, ralliers found themselves amongst local Indonesian families enjoying the most antastic selection of seafoods freshly caught that day. Pepper crab, jumbo prawns, squid, seabass etc. were cooked in the local style with plenty of spices and eaten in a similar local style, largely without the aid of knives and forks. Washbasins were installed at regular intervals around the restaurant to provide a reasonable level of hygiene! The copious quantities of seafood were washed down with equally copious quantities of Tiger beer and "BYO" wine making these outings some of the culinary highlights of the circumnavigation."

Sundowners at the RSYC

Mike Priest of "Dutchlink" has reported the visit of the crews of "Dutchlink", "Hecla" and "Totem" to the Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan ……………………..

"KUMAI - BACK TO SCHOOL
As soon as we had anchored in the Kumai river opposite the town of Kumai, a canoe motored up full of kids. We thought - here we go, another bunch of unruly kids that want anything we can give them. But no, much to our very pleasant surprise, the adult who was with them politely asked if it would be possible for some of the kids to come on board to practise their English! They were, of course most welcome and we had a most enjoyable hour chatting to them on our yachts. They were from an English Learning Centre, which had been set up specifically to improve the English of the local people, both kids and adults. The next day, on the request of the kids and teacher , we all visited their school room in the town and sat on a terrace alongside the main street chatting away to about 20 highly enthusiastic polite teenagers. Everyone we met in Kumai was very pleasant and friendly despite this being the first day of Ramadan and most being Muslim.

OFF TO SEE THE ORANG-UTANS
The next day we were collected by Mr Yatno in his Klotok (locally made iron wood boat) and headed up river to the Dr Birute Galdikas (ref her book "Reflections of Eden") Orangutan Rehabilitation/ Research centre, Camp Leakey in the Tanjung Puting National Park. A fantastic experience. We saw lots of Proboscis monkeys, some jumping from the trees into the narrow river as we passed, gibbons, crocodiles (no swimming - a lady had been killed by a croc close to the camp!), majestic hornbills, brightly coloured kingfishers etc, etc as well as, of course, the orang-utans themselves.

MAKING FRIENDS
On leaving the feeding area a couple of kilometers from the camp, we (Mike & Jane ) were "taken in hand" by the beautiful Siswi - the favourite girl friend of the King, the huge dominant male orang-utan for this area. It seems that Siswi spends most of her time around the camp and, instead of having to support herself on her front knuckles on the long walk back, found hanging on to a supporting hand either side a better option - just like parents taking a young child for a walk - except that this "child" weighed about 50 kilos and walks by leaning forwards putting half her weight on her arms! It was quite difficult to release ourselves from her gentle but firm grip. Bill Morton had his bag taken off him by another orang-utan and only got it back after she had satisfied herself that it contained no food. The 6 of us spent the night sleeping under mosquito netting on the top deck after a delicious Indonesian meal provided by Azie, our superb cook. To make life easier for us, Mr Yatno lent us his speedboat the whole of our time in Kumai, which made getting to the town much simpler. He and his staff (Captain Maslian, Cook Azie, and boat man Sally) were extremely pleasant and helpful, spoke very good English and did all they could to make this a superb trip.

Mr Yatno sat on the front of his Klotok most of the trip pointing out the animals we passed (there are so many, there was no time to read a book on the 4 hour trip up river!) and generally made the trip extremely worthwhile. He has been used by various celebrities in the past, including Julie Roberts, who used his services to make a BBC film, and Dr Galdikas herself uses him regularly. One of his boats, Garuda III, is on permanent charter to the Park authorities and is moored up river to help in the fight against illegal logging."

Rally Control comments: This is the third time that Blue Water Ralliers have visited the Tanjung Puting National Park and always it has been a highlight of the Blue Water Rally. Part of the ethos of the Blue Water Rally is getting off the beaten track and meeting local peoples. This is nowhere better illustrated than here in Kalimantan.

In his regular position report to UK Rally Control Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" has reported that the Blue Water Rally fleet has called at Bali Marina for re-fuelling. Whilst at Bali Marina the Rally was treated to a Welcome Party at the Marina Club and crews enjoyed a superb multi-course meal to celebrate Anna of "Totem's" BIG BIRTHDAY.

Based on local advice most crews have enjoyed trips to the interior of Bali - seeing temples, museums, craft villages, spectacular terraced padi fields, volcanoes and crater lakes. As expected, they met with no hostility - quite the reverse - and those who visited some of the large hotels were just about the only guests. As Mike remarks, "It is all very sad for the local people".

Rally crews remain in close contact with each other and with the general security situation.

BEN HUR STILL LIVES - 25 OCTOBER REPORT

Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" reports that Rally yachts continue to enjoy their sailing in Indonesia and that a number of them have recently made a trip ashore to a local town, where they hired 4 horse-drawn carts and enjoyed the "Ben Hur Experience"! They visited local shops, market and museum and had a Rally meal at a local Chinese restaurant.

The fleet is maintaining good communications between themselves and Rally Control in UK is aware of their positions.

RALLIERS GO DRAGON HUNTING - 22 OCTOBER

Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" has reported to UK Rally Control that all that Rally fleet has now been dragon hunting. Participants have been out with their cameras and, from their reports, have sounded somewhat disappointed that very few of the Komodo dragons were actually moving. Apparently they were being extremely lazy waiting for their prey (deer, monkeys and wild boar) to come to them!! Apart from this particular highlight, crews have also found the local snorkelling around Komodo to be excellent - in Mike's view the coral is almost as diverse and colourful as the Tuamotus atolls of French Polynesia.

The Rally yachts are in good contact with each other and morale is excellent. Only "Windfall" is separated from the rest of the fleet as she is planning an earlier arrival in Singapore. We shall report details of her cruising experiences later.

Regular reports to UK Rally Control all speak of enjoyable cruising by Blue Water Rally yachts. Most Rally participants have now reported sightings of the Komodo Dragons and fascinating trips ashore. Local peoples have proved to be as friendly and as welcoming as ever.

THE RALLY ENJOYS PEACEFUL CRUISING IN INDONESIA

Despite the tragic circumstances of the Bali bombings, Blue Water Rally fleet crews are enjoying their cruising along the Spice Islands of Indonesia. The fleet is sailing in two groups, separated by a day's sailing, but in contact with each other on a daily Rally SSB Radio Net. Most of the route involves short, day sailing between beautiful anchorages.

As with past Rallies, crews are enjoying meeting the local people in their small fishing villages. A few days ago the two groups went together to a local village, where they were entertained with local dancing, local dishes and a demonstration of batik weaving. The crews watched the process from spinning the cotton thread from raw cotton through each stage up to the completion of a sarong (the traditional local dress).

Some crew members took an 8-hour car ride through the stunning countryside of Flores up to the famous coloured volcanic crater lakes. These are truly amazing colours - one turquoise blue, one chocolate-coloured and one black. The trip from sea-level to the top of the volcano (at 2600 m) as described to UK Rally Control as "a journey through luscious, green, terraced paddy fields, traditional villages, via steep hairpin bends and precipitous ridges".

The most recent report includes a story of some reasonable winds and 4 of the yachts had a splendid spinnaker/cruising chute reach along the north coast of Flores. Mike Priest on "Dutch Link" reported being approached by an old boat "chugging up to them full of local divers - they held up what seemed to be their only flipper - torn and patched. They were so grateful when we gave them our spare pair of flippers - one of them immediately donned them and swam around with a delighted look on his face - a reward to see!"

The crew of "Oasis" have reported seeing dragons (the Dragons of Komodo - MORE LATER!)

Most people were apprehensive about the entry into Indonesia. The administration necessary to obtain cruising permits and visas, customs, immigration, quarantine, Port and Navy clearances is daunting. So it was with some relief that the first arrivals at Kupang on Friday 4th October were greeted by Rally Control and a local Agent.

This was to be the first time that the rally had returned to Kupang in West Timor since the internal unrest which had resulted from East Timor establishing independence from Indonesia. Kupang had certainly suffered from the experience and sadly the traditional centre and meeting place for yachtsmen at `Teddy's Bar' ( just above the steps used by Captain Bligh when he stepped ashore after his momentous voyage in an open boat following the famous mutiny) had been `blitzed'. Fortunately, the resourceful Teddy is rebuilding his bar and there are now two things within the circular brickwork of the original bar - a fridge and cold Bintang beers. It is with some considerable pride that we report that everyone was cleared into Indonesia and, most importantly, refuelled within 48hours of their arrival. The Australian yacht `Whistler' had to return to Darwin with autopilot problems after their first day at sea and after achieving quick repairs then put to sea again. They managed to catch-up with everyone else while they were still in Kupang and with a record arrival clearance and refuelling all achieved within the same day were able to continue with the Blue Water fleet. There was even time for a rally `Welcome Feast' at the Ponduck Alum restaurant that Rally Control remembered from 6 years previously and with everyone crammed into one local coach the 8 mile trip along the coast to the restaurant offered the first glimpses of Indonesia which will be thoroughly explored by the rally over the next 6 to 7 weeks. Incidentally, the menu was carefully chosen to avoid the alternative which read: "hen foot, clean fish belly with frog on top" !!

All yachts, except `Windfall' that is going ahead of the fleet in order to participate in the Raja Muda races starting from Selangor Malaysia in November, are now cruising in close company through the Spice Islands. As we speak (11th October) - the fleet has just arrived in `Sea World' on the north coast of Flores. Everyone plans to arrive in Bali by the 26th October where they will be hosted by Dick Mc Cune at the International Marina for one week.

"GOODBYE OZ HELLO INDONESIA"

The cruise from Cairns to Darwin was immensely popular with everyone. The sailing was great with 15 to 20 knot breezes on the quarter but always with flat seas protected within the Great Barrier reef. Day sailing and island hopping all the way up the Queensland coast to the Torres Strait at the very northern tip of Australia was the order of the day. This was followed by a straight forward reach to Gove across the Bay of Carpentaria, a dash through the `Hole in the Wall' passage saving a long detour around the Wessel Islands and then a cruise round to Darwin completed the passage. For most, Darwin provided another centre for exploring Australia. This time rather than the rainforests of Queensland it was to be the `outback' of the Northern Territory south of Darwin. Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks were the destination for intrepid Ralliers in their hired 4 x 4 vehicles. The temperatures were an unrelenting 35 to 40 degrees Celsius but everyone marvelled over the stunning landscapes dotted with waterfalls and billabongs. Croccodiles and wallabies, parrots and eagles were plentiful. Fresh with the experience and excitement of off-road driving the Go Kart track at Darwin seemed a natural progression and while at the Mendil Markets ( an evening local arts and crafts market with every type of food and live music ) Graham Dimmer and Tony Diment signed up the rally for a Grand Prix meeting for Saturday afternoon 28th September. It was fantastic! Real aggression and not a quarter given especially by the lady drivers! All of the `Windfall` boys did well and Steve Dimmer was the eventual winner. The smell of burnt rubber, thrill of the chase and roar of engines were all there and this has to be a permanent rally fixture for the future!

By the last week in September it was sadly time to start thinking of sailing from Australia which had been home for the Rally for over 2 months. A series of Rally dinners at both Cullen Bay Marina and at the Darwin Sailing Club brought everyone together once again after their various wanderings and after the Rally Briefing on Saturday 28th everyone was ready to start another adventure...this time to Indonesia.

All yachts departed Cullen Bay through the lock gates early on Tuesday 1st October and with cloudless skies, soaring temperatures and only light breezes made one of the very few motor sailing passages that the rally has so far had to make, arriving in Kupang West Timor, Indonesia by early morning Friday 4th October.

CAIRNS STOPOVER - "NO WORRIES MATE!"

As ever the Cairns stopover proved to be a great success. Hosted by the Yorkeys Knob Boating Club just outside Cairns in North Queensland Rally participants received the warmest of welcomes and enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle of this part of Australia.

Arrival at Yorkeys

Because of the strict quarantine regulations the importation of certain foodstuffs into Australia was strictly prohibited. Crews were warned in Fiji that pork, in particular, could not be imported and a feature of the arrival of several yachts was the heavy breakfasts that had been consumed in the early hours as they approached Yorkeys and their clearances into Australia. "Windfall" and "Blackwater" claimed to have had at least three breakfasts during the last two night watches!!

Despite their concerns crews found the officialdom of Customs/Immigration and the Quarantine Service (AQIS) to be both helpful and professional. A number of items had to be removed for disposal, but there were no problems. Nuno on "Oasis" was somewhat concerned that his bongo drums made from animal skins would be confiscated, but they were placed "in bond" and will next be seen (and heard) when the Rally reaches Indonesia!

New Arrivals

We are pleased to announce the arrival of the yacht "Whistler I" and owners Robert and "Tiki" Findlay, who joined the Rally at Cairns. Robert and Tiki have sailed from Tasmania and will be staying with the Rally until the Mediterranean. They were given a warm welcome by fellow rally participants at Cairns and are now very much part of the event.

Marina Berths and Make-and-Mend -

Following clearances at the Waiting Pontoon at the Yorkeys Knob Marina Rally yachts moved into berths allocated individually by the Club. Met by Marina Manager Jim Downes and Rally Director Peter Seymour crews were soon into make-and-mend and preparations for local tourism.

The Club provided a considerable amount of local assistance and in downtown Cairns owners found no lack of technical support and chandlery. Mike Priest of "Dutch Link" was particularly impressed with the service provided by a local workshop, which manufactured a specialist stainless steel bracket for his Iridium aerial, and there were lift-outs for "Coco de Mer", "Mon Cheri" and "Totem".

For more general shopping the Club provided a daily free bus service to the local shopping mall and most crews hired cars for trips into Cairns.

Social Events

Soon after their arrival Blue Water Rally crews were hosted by the Commodore of the Yorkeys Knob Boating Club, Don Cortis, at a Cocktail Party. Wine, beer and champagne flowed freely and there were speeches of welcome from the North Queensland MP and the Deputy Mayor of Cairns. There was also a wine-tasting and the first opportunity for crews to stock up with some excellent wines.

The final social event of the week was a beach BBQ organised, as in previous years, by club member Phil Dry and his team. A heavy rainstorm just as a bonfire was lit at the beach did nothing to dampen the spirits of the participants and the many members of the YKBC who joined in the event. Large quantities of barbecued food and even larger quantities of beer and wine were consumed and the party continued later that evening in the Club itself.

Local Tourism and Further Afield

The rally programme allows for a long stopover of several weeks in Australia. As one participant said, "There is a feeling of disappointment when one arrives, having finished the crossing of the Pacific, but Australia makes up for this - and more." Cairns is, of course, a major Australian tourist centre, with the Barrier Reef just off the coast and a hinterland full of possibilities for adventurous travel.

Many participants joined an outing on the spectacular Skyrail through the rainforest to the delightful town of Kuranda in the Atherton Tablelands.  Kuranda, with its market and picturesque frontier-style buildings, made a pleasant lunchtime stop before the descent on a scenic rail trip back to Cairns.  Many also visited the Djabukai Aboriginal Experience and returned to Yorkeys as qualified didgeridoo players, boomerang throwers and fire-makers! 

Those with hire cars visited the Atherton Tablelands and the picturesque town of Port Douglas. The more adventurous headed further north to the Daintree River, where they first saw crocs in the wild.  Others flew to Sydney and Melbourne to get an even wider taste of Australia.

On to Darwin

On the morning of Saturday of 10 August Peter Seymour and Doug Wood (Torres Straits Pilot) briefed crews on the leg from Cairns to Darwin. "Aquarius", with a "passage crew", will arrive earlier than the rest of the Rally as they have a lift-out planned and work to be done at Sadgrove's Quay. The rest of the Rally now look forward to a gentle cruise northwards to Cape York, across the Gulf of Carpentaria and an en-route stop at the ever-welcoming Gove Yacht Club. From Gove crews will take the interesting (and sometimes exciting!) passage through the "Hole in the Wall" - a narrow passage of some 100 metres between rocky outcrops and with very strong tides. Then it is on towards Darwin, where they will be met by Rally Director Tony Diment on 24 September.