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  • HELLO from Isolation Bay, Indonesia

    HELLO from Isolation Bay, Indonesia; home for a while. It’s been over a month since we first dropped anchor in the bay; the longest we have stayed in any anchorage, ever. Florence, crew and our new community of stationary sailors are safe, well and grateful to be provided with a safe place to stay by […] More

  • Oh Ship! The Malacca Straits

    Florence is in Dire The Malacca Straits Filthy water, no wind, squalls, horrendous lightning storms, an overhanging yet no longer prevalent risk of piracy, problematic fishing boats, nets and rafts, all in what is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. Just a few of the reasons we have been dreading these congested, […] More

  • We are Back! Returning after 2.5 years

    After many months, countless miles, and multiple countries, Florence and her crew are back…. Back in the Northern Hemisphere that is. An invisible line has been crossed, Neptune has been toasted and we have been left reflecting on the last 2.5 years spent in the Southern Hemisphere. Anchored at exactly 0°00.000 we were struck by […] More

  • Boulders of Belitung; the Seychelles of Indonesia

    From the crocodile infested, tea stained waters and dense jungle of Kalimantan, a 280nm, 2 night sail transported us into a different world. Florence was now floating in turquoise waters, opposite bright white sand beaches and towering granite boulders. Despite the total change in environment, we had in fact not even changed country; the granite […] More

  • Sailing to Krakatau – Yachting Monthly Exclusive PREVIEW

    This article will be appearing in Yachting Monthly  in 2020, but we thought you might like to read the writer’s cut here first… Words: Liz       Images: Jamie Lightning struck the sea next to the boat as we made slow going in a 4m confused swell on Click here for full post: https://followtheboat.com/sailing-to-krakatau-yachting-monthly-exclusive-preview/ Twitter: […] More

  • Sailboat vs TUG! Anti-collision tactics

    Sailing 180 miles from Belitung to Lingga in the Java Sea was a first, made more interesting by the anti-collision tactics we had to employ for the fishing platforms, floating debris and crazy tugs in the water. We had checked out of Indonesia, but there was still a long way Click here for full post: […] More

  • Busting 4m waves and tropical island-hopping in the Java Sea

    Three or four metre waves hitting your sailboat beam-on doesn’t always make for the most comfortable of overnight passages. But we were sailing, and that’s what it’s all about! We left the comfort and shelter of Tiger Island (Pulau Macan) on a 180 nautical mile trip north-east to Pulau Belitung Click here for full post: […] More

  • How to use a hookah (not a hooker!) at anchor

    Just yer average life at anchor next to a tropical island: boat work, beach walking, beer drinking… using a hookah (that’s hookah, not hooker!) for boat maintenance. White beaches, gin-clear water and thriving coral fringe this green and lush island, while granite rocks straight out of a Henry Moore sculpture Click here for full post: […] More

  • Meeting the Forest People of Borneo

    ‘Borneo’. Just the name conjures scenes from BBC nature programs with Sir David Attenborough’s soothing voice narrating lush scenes of the life filled rain-forest. Yet here we were; no longer sitting watching a screen from our sofa but about to take our home into this mystical place. Sailing up the Kumai river to the Tanjung […] More

  • I See Fields of Green; The Rice Terraces of Bali

    It’s a common misconception that Bali is a separate country, independent from the rest of Indonesia, yet arriving after two months sailing through Indonesia it feels as if it could be. Gone are the groups of curious, grinning, innocent children running to greet us as we row ashore. In their place appears a sole 8 […] More

  • Chasing Waterfalls in Lombok

    Our time so far in Indonesia has been spent away from the major tourist areas, but now we are approaching the holiday hot-spots of Lombok and Bali. Apparently you haven’t been to Lombok unless you have been to the Gili’s; 3 small islands that form part of Lombok, but are a boat ride from Bali. […] More

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