A huge pearl farm extends well into in the waters off the north-west coast of Palau Gam in Raja Ampat. I had seen other yachties on YouTube mentioning this maze of black buoys that they had to negotiate a long detour around. We found instead a nice passage along the beach, between the shore line and the offshore buoys.

These buoys appear to be randomly stacked for miles in all directions, but are actually in long strings with a passage between for the workers in their long boats, but not for strange yachts.

Conditions were calm as we motored slowly along the shoreline of the island to our anchorage around the corner.