Mangrove island anchorage

Wow what a fabulous cruising ground. Calm protected water with little or no swell, dotted with islands with gentle sloping beaches, with a huge variety of bays, passages and inlets giving an almost infinite variety of anchorages. Now if only someone could organise consistent wind it would be perfect...

This morning I made my way from another stunning anchorage between mangrove covered islands, waving to a couple of early fishermen in their beautiful wooden boats. A bizarre long, thin fish (pipe fish?) jumped out and skimmed along the surface of the water using its tail to keep airborne, until almost out of sight. I drifted past a couple of small villages whose stilt huts overhung the water, imagining the scene before me might have been unchanged for hundreds of years. However Indonesia is a land of contrasts and as soon as I was in open water I was passed by two ultra modern hydrofoil ferries racing north.

Squid for breakfast this morning, which I exchanged for some clothes Ina accidently left onboard - I'm sure she'd approve.

Slowly and surely I'm making my way northwards towards Singapore. Tomorrow, assuming no mishaps, I'll end up in Nongsa Point marina opposite Singapore Island where I'll check-out, refuel and prepare myself for the crossing of allegedly the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Don't the Dover Straits also claim the same title and I'm sure other waterways as well? We'll see...

16:00, 25/10: N00 58.01 E104 10.94'