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June 28, 2005
Xing to Pantar Island
DAY: 14
LOCATION: Pantar Island
NAUTICAL MILES TODAY: 15
NAUTICAL MILES TOTAL TRIP: 119
LATITUDE : 08 degs,13.71'S
LONGITUDE: 124 degs,19.51'E
Well our new paddling partner Adam didn't work out. He came with us yesterday morning to visit some high schools in Kalabahi but decided later in the day that he couldn't come with us to Flores - his family was too sad for him to go and afraid be might not come back. So Adi, our guide and local 'fixer', and I then rode like maniacs on mopeds to another village on the north side of the island to track down another prospective recruit and ask his parents permission for him to come with us. It really was a last minute desperate attempt to find a replacement for Ina so Chris and I wouldn't have to tow the single with the double - an unknown quantity and potentially hazardous, especially in rough seas. Thankfully Jansen's family agreed to our proposal and within 3 minutes his bags were packed and we were all three headed back to Kalabahi on the back of one 50cc moped. Scary stuff, especially when the road is also a thoroughfare for all manner of animals, both four footed and two!
I got a kick out of how little time it took for him to prepare for the trip - 3 x minutes versus my 3 x years!
Jansen is 20 years old and has lived all his life in the village of Seydon, 20 kms from Kalabahi on the island of Alor. He graduated from SMA Kristen 1 Kalabahi (high school) in 2004. This is the first time he has traveled to Pantar - just 10 kms across the water. He speaks a little English, and is helping us learn Bahasa Indonesian. He is also a great guitar player and expert at lighting fires, so I think he'll be a hugely valuable asset to our gathering!
He'll be traveling with in the capacity of guide and youth ambassador as far as Flores where April will take over in a week or so. He'll also help us with visiting some schools in Larantuka before returning to Kalabahi by ferry. Jansen will be writing tomorrow's update...so schools please tune in!
As per usual after a few days off we got a later than intended start and finally pushed away at 8am from the beach outside the Doctors without Borders office where we've been fortunate enough to store our kayaks and equipment since arriving. We were hoping to avoid the strong winds that have been kicking up here mid-morning these past couple of days, enough at least to get out of the mouth of the bay that Kalabahi is at the end of, but by 10am we found ourselves having to hug the coast to avoid being pushed back by 1.6m+ waves and force 4-5 winds. Being Jansen's first day we stopped for lunch a little earlier than usual (11am) at the mouth of the selat and by 12.30 the wind had died down enough to attempt the 6 nautical mile crossing to Pantar were we are now (we're on the east coast of Pantar just above Pura Island). The conditions were absolutely ideal with the tide in slack. We also had the benefit of having the shelter of Pura island to the south of us to paddle in the lee of.
Jeremy, Yung (spelling? - sorry!), Kathy, Dr Hakon and all the local staff of Doctors without Borders - thankyou so much!
Posted on June 28, 2005 1:49 PM