Our arrival in Indonesia in October was late in the season of SE trade winds. After arrival, we have been moving each day that there was suitable wind, with the objective of getting north to Raja Ampat before the calms of the doldrums crept south with the sun.

All the way from Tual and the Kai Islands, we have had light winds and struggled to keep the spinnaker flying. Along the Seram coast, we had a number of days of no wind, and remained at Bula waiting for the opportunity to make the last 50nm just north to the southern islands of Misool, the south most part of the Regency of Raja Ampat.

There was only the one day of wind in the 14 day forecast window, so with no backup plan, we left Bula early in the morning, before sunrise, under motor, to ensure we arrived at the difficult anchorage at Pulau Wayilbatan with plenty of daylight to get set for the night. It was calm when we left, but within a hour of sunrise, the breeze built from the SE, and we were able to carry the spinnaker and mainsail all day, arriving about two hours before sunset.

The number of islands standing vertically out of the sea created a maze that required our satellite navigation to negotiate. Even while approaching, it was clear to us that we were approaching a jewel of nature.