One Life

A Tricky Sail along the Javan Coast…

The two-hulled adventure continues for Leena and Stéphane, who this month are writing to us from Indonesia. They are discovering the island of Java, the most densely populated island in the world.

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Published on 26/09/2024

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 198

Published: Nov. / Dec. 2024

Discover this issue

Who: Stéphane and Leena
Where: Along the coast of Java, Indonesia
Multihull: Lagoon 440
Facebook : @Onelifecatamaran

Since entering the Sunda Strait, we’ve covered around 800 miles along the east coast of Java. The island is 100% volcanic and is renowned for its many volcanoes, some of which are still active. We can only view them from a distance. However, the scenery from the sea wasn’t always so enchanting, with lots of oil rigs, industrial sites, coal-fired power stations and muddy water. Fortunately, we had the smiles and greetings of the fishermen. Java is the most densely populated island in the world, with 156 million inhabitants. It also has a rich cultural history, with mythical places like Yogyakarta and Borodur. During these three weeks, sailing proved to be complicated. Steph’s challenge was to optimize upwind sailing. In particular, it was a question of anticipating the tacks so that we could arrive in the evening, (i.e. before sunset), at a decent anchorage. Night sailing is strongly discouraged along the Indonesian coast, as fishing activity is intense. There are traps everywhere, marked on the surface by bamboo and flags planted in a polystyrene block. Fishermen set nets in circles marked with small bottles, and many boats dredge the seabed with long nets. During the day, with a good lookout, everything is fine; but when it gets dark, there is a real risk of fouling your rudders and/or propellers. You should also be wary of the powerful tugs towing huge barges filled to the brim with coal. As you pass certain villages, you will have to weave between the bamboo fishing platforms known as bagan, to (hopefully) find enough space to anchor. These lightweight structures include a small hut, (anjang), and a simple but effective net system that is lowered and raised to collect the catch. Most of the bagan are unlit. In the golden light of sunset, hundreds of them stand like sentinel guards watching over the villages. During our stopover at Jepara, Chris and his team were invaluable in helping us restock our food and fuel supplies. The restaurant is very pleasant, with some incredible dishes. The village is famous for its wooden furniture, which is exported all over the world. Steph was able to go wing fishing every afternoon and was even chased by a big fish! A few days ago, we crossed the strait between Pulau Madura and Surabaya to pass under the Suramadu bridge. It was an intense and memorable experience, albeit a little stressful because of the heavy cargo traffic. In the distance, the skyscrapers of Surabaya could be seen in the mist. The anchorages offered little protection from the south-easterly wind, so there was quite a bit of swell. Every night of this Javanese cruise was pretty choppy... Then came our last stopover on Java, at Pantai Bilik. We particularly enjoyed it after a rather vigorous sail, with around twenty knots of wind. The water was finally clear again, and we were able to anchor between a small islet and Baluran National Park, with a breathtaking view of the volcano. We took advantage of this calm anchorage to rest, wash down the catamaran and carry out some routine maintenance on the sails and engines.