For the past year we have been limping Nandji with a broken Engine, trying to get somewhere we can replace it. In this episode we depart Belitung, Indonesia and attempt to sail to Nongsa Point Marina where we can check out of Indonesia and head to Malaysia. As we are sailing closer to the equator we deal with heavy 40 knot squalls, strong opposing currents and little wind. A freak accident occurs which causes a fire and then we start taking on water which leaves us convinced that our boat is trying to kill us.  

​We hope you enjoy this difficult episode for us! It was one of our most challenging sails to date and all over the holiday time when we are meant to be having fun! (We still enjoyed it secretly)

The wind disappears and drifting in the current we are heading towards the busy shipping lane... This engine will be the death of us!

This week on Sailing Nandji, we return to the islands of Karimunjawa to fix our headsail halyard and get some diesel so we are able to continue our journey towardsMalaysia. The further north we sail, the closer to the equator we go meaning light calm winds, smooth seas and massive squalls! We battle through relentless strong winds and rain to get the island of Belitung in sight. Needing to now traverse a busy skinny shipping lane through the dark night, we challenge ourselves with one hour shifts to concentrate on the compass as we upwind sail near reefs and islands. As the sun rises on our 6th day at sea, the wind disappears and we try to motor but nothing happens... Slowly in the 1 knot current we drift back towards the shipping lane... Who needs a Gearbox anyway... Ah, We Do!!

What an adventure we have been on to get this far towards our destination of Langkawi. Since deciding it was time we got a new engine, we were in Dili, Timor Leste at the time. Since then we have sailed over 1500nm to this point, spending over 20 days of the month of November at sea. December was something very similar! You could say we are determined or stubborn... Probably a bit of both to get this far! The adventure really begins when things go wrong. Living but that saying, we have been on one hell of an adventure! Hope you enjoy the vid! Yew!

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​This week on Sailing Nandji, putting our exhaust troubles behind us and collecting our new crew, we head to sea on a day sail along the South coast of Lombok, continuing our journey west as we sail Indonesia towards Malaysia. A quick overnight stop off and nice weather we decide to tackle the notorious Lombok Strait. The currents that run between the Southern Islands of Indonesia are strong and unpredictable. We had been nervous about traversing this area for a long time, but with nice weather today was the day we would take it on! Everything was going fine as we found a strong current floating us north until on the horizon we could see white water and waves... White water rafting in a sailboat!

Thanks for watching legends, we hope you enjoy episode 110! YEW!
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This week on Sailing Nandji, with over 1600nm to sail west to reach Malaysia and our new motor, we can not waste time hanging around. It is a massive challenge we have set ourselves to sail this far in the changing of the seasons. We are very determined and stubborn, kind of the traits needed to take in this mission!  Breaking the trip into smaller passages, we leave our overnight anchorage at Savu island and sail 150nm back in time the islands of Komodo, famous for the largest lizards in the world, the Komodo Dragons. These beasts are quite the sight as they let us know who is boss!

We head out diving the pristine waters around the anchorage and are amazed at the vibrant sea life under the water. We had not been diving for months and were excited to have some fun underwater. We had a great stop off at this amazing anchorage, but with many more miles to sail, it is back to sea we go with the remaining trade wind and make some ground towards Malaysia.

We wish we had more time to explore the other islands of this area. The Komodo islands are a national park and marine park, therefore have some amazing wildlife! The area however is plagued with strong currents rushing between the islands, meaning it is not safe for us to try and manoeuvre Nandji around and against these currents with our current injured motor. 

​We hope you enjoy the episode and we are excited to share more of our trip with you legends! Yew!

​In this episode of Sailing Nandji, we clear back into Indonesia after a long time anchored in Timor Leste. It was a good feeling to be off exploring once again. On our previous (very rough) schedule, we had wanted to get to the island of Rote months ago! However as all things sailing, life got in the way! After such a difficult previous month, just sailing this way felt good.
The island of Rote is one of the most Southern Islands of Indonesia and actually the closest Nandji has been to Australia since we left 18 months ago! The island is developing rapidly as it is a popular surf destination during the Easterly trade season. Unlucky for us though, the weather appeared to be already changing and an opposing wind left us sailing upwind to reach our destination. Throw an opposing current and busy shipping lane in the mix, just for some added flavour!
Exploring the island of Rote, we hired the favourite Indonesian mode of transport, the Scooter! Neither Bonita or I are motorbike enthusiasts and Bonita had never ridden a scooter! This made for some interesting bike rides through the free range farm of the island. Pigs, Cows, Chickens and goats frequently decide to cross the skinny roads right when you are scootering on by!
We could have stayed at this beautiful island forever, but with the weather already changing, we head back to sea as it was just before this episode we had made the decision that we would install a new engine and we would do it in Malaysia. With over 1600nm to sail to our destination, we better make tracks!