Abang Besar Cruising Trip – A Report by Birregurra
Abang Besar Cruise – Birregurra and Skybird
We were keen to get a short cruise in before Barbara and Stuart departed Singapore for Spain, so some serious planning was undertaken by Skybird and Birregurra and crews at CSC.
And so at 7:30am on the 3rd of October, we were lined up at Changi Point Ferry Terminal again. Mayling had done her usual magic to help with the clearance out and the Indo Cruising permit and the Green books and the 1980’s software!
We set off after 8pm and motor-sailed down the channel for a very uneventful trip across to Nongsa. As soon as we dropped the sails to enter the marina, the wind kicked up to 20kn making for a challenging berthing, but we managed to tie up securely and settle into marina life. It’s a somewhat expensive but very smooth check in process now.
A few jobs, a bit of a walk around, and we were in the bar for the 6pm happy hour with Prakash. I’m not sure what it is about this bar, but it’s a very friendly and inviting place, and over the course of the night, you get to talk to everyone in the bar, including the owner of Rona – a 130 year old classic sailing yacht, and a couple of solo round the world sailors with some really interesting stories.
“Rona”
Coffee and breakfast on board, and our Indo clearance came in and we were good to go. As soon as Edwin had organised emergency supplies of Bintan for both boats! We headed out and hugged the Batam coast east then south and after about 18NM anchored at the very south of Batam between Tanjong Piayu and Pulau Piayu.
It’s not a very wide channel but it very well protected. A GnT or two just to make sure the anchor was well bedded in, then into Skybird’s tender and ashore for a fabulous crab and seafood dinner at the restaurant on the water.
I’m not sure if James was worried he might not be fed on Skybird for the rest of the trip, as he loaded up on the chilli and black pepper crab (but at a fraction of the price of Jumbo’s). We made it safely back on board for a great night’s sleep as the boats gently swung around with the tide.
Next morning we headed off after breakfast to the first of the famous six bridges of Batam. It’s quite a story and the first bridge is a quite spectacular cable-stayed bridge 642M in length and with varying clearances listed above highest astronomical tide.
The lowest of these seemed to be 25M, so even with a 19.5M mast we had plenty of room to spare, but it’s always a bit nerve wracking. We must have gone through around slack water so no issue, but we found out in the Nongsa bar on the return that the tide can rip through here at 6-7kn, so if you’re planning to go that way, check the tides!
We tacked across the south west between a Mosque on one island and Christian church on another. Then it was south east for the 34NM sail to Abang Besar, where we anchored opposite Pulau Ranoh resort. Barbara tried to go for a snorkel but the current was a bit much and she wasn’t ready to go back to Singapore!
So we followed the boat’s ritual of a GnT whilst making sure we were securely anchored. Stuart flew his drone which always makes me very nervous (I have seen a drone become a submarine on an earlier trip). He got some great pics and somehow managed to land it on the swim platform safely.
Edwin and James came aboard for drinks and an excellent evening was had by all. And of course, James brought along his music box with all the hits from the 80’s – just fantastic.
The next morning, it was very showery and windy, but we held well in a great anchorage. Breakfast and then we were off with the wind directly astern as we headed east/north east.
We arrived at Pulau Tunjuk late afternoon. We anchored between the distinctive lighthouse and a fishing village on stilts in dead calm waters.
A few more nerve-wracking drone moments but again Stuart managed to safely get it back on board.
The skipper of Birregurra thought it would be a good idea to go for a swim. The current was fairly ripping through but he thought how strong can that be?
As it turned out, very, very strong, and despite my best freestyle efforts, Stuart had to throw me a line to get back onboard. If I’d have missed the line, I would have had to grab Edwin’s anchor chain as otherwise I would have been headed to Johor at 3+kn! We had a great Masaman curry thanks to Barbara and another excellent night at anchor. The light from the lighthouse wasn’t super bright and we had a very calm night at anchor.
After breakfast, we made good use of that north running current and covered the 19NM back to Nongsa in less than 2.5hrs. The skies opened as we came into the marina, but we quickly had the boom tent up and enjoyed the cool conditions.
We’ve got this place worked out now, and it was an early dinner onboard and we were sitting at the bar for the start of the Bintan draft happy hour. More sailing stories with our new found mates in the bar and another cracking night at Nongsa.
After breakfast, whilst waiting for our clearance papers, Stuart helped me download software system updates for the chart plotter and auto pilot. He tried to help update the Triton instruments, but this requires inserting a thumb drive in the back of the device. I have no idea how he got his huge frame into that locker!
We set off about 11am local time, whilst Edwin stayed another day to do some work on a Skybird hatch. As we exited the marina, the clouds filled in behind us, and then down it came, and Barbara wisely decided it was time to make lunch downstairs!
Strong winds, seas starting to build and torrential rain all the way across the channel. Visibility was less than 100M and so we relied on AIS to ensure we had plenty of space between us and the 300M tankers doing 15kn. Back up the channel onto our trusty mooring at CSC around 2:10pm, with a total of 147NM on the log.
Mr. Chua collected us in the bum boat and we checked in at Changi Point, then back to the club and back onboard to clean up, and have a final GnT after we were all packed up. A couple of beers in the bar then we were off home. Skybird came back the next day on the same incoming tide.
It was a great little trip. 6 days, 5 nights, three of which were at anchor, and two in Nongsa marina. No overnight passages so very relaxing and very doable for most yachts at CSC. There is a lot more to explore around Batam and Bintan. We also had a good chat with Warren Blake (Four Friends) in Batam. He is currently surveying Pulau Mapur, which is east of Bintan, about 50NM from Nongsa. Although the charts say the western side is all reef, he has found a navigable channel through the reef. A quick look at Google Earth confirms the possibilities. We’ll have to discuss this one and do some more planning at CSC for a future cruise.
It was a pleasure to sail with Stuart and Barbara, and I learnt a lot from Barbara about provisioning and cooking. Things like Marks and Spencer croissants that just need heating up in the oven. Fairprice pancake mix that doesn’t even require refrigeration. Pre-prepared meals like masaman curry and cinnamon rolls. We were more than well catered for. And of course its always great to sail with Skybird. All the very best to Stuart and Barbara for their big move – they will be missed by all at CSC.
Article by Skipper Basil Byrnes of Birregurra
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