Docking in Bali
Location: Serangan bay, Sanur. Bali
At 01:30, I was woken up by watch team three to check on another ship on a collision course. After clearing it, I went back to bed until we reached the Traffic Separation Scheme in Lombok channel. It‘s kinda sea-highway with separate two-mile-wide lanes. The Northbound lane was quite busy, and we had to let three cargo ships pass before crossing.
After breakfast, while sailing down the Lombok channel, I noticed two things:
First, a counter-current is slowing us down. So we altered course and got two miles closer to shore. That alone increased our speed from 5.5 to 8.2 knots.
Second, my mobile network has service from shore, so I used the time to coordinate a diesel barge for re-fueling in Bali, as well as the entry formalities to Christmas Island, our destination, next week.
After lunch, as we approached our destination, we had all hands on deck: striking the sails, preparing dock lines and fenders, briefing the team, and getting ready for a complex docking exercise. We will have four dock lines holding Argo at 45 degrees to the little dock, while a sand line and two anchors will hold us away so Argo doesn‘t kiss the dock or the nearby reef.
Team One is the Anchors Wizards. Team Two is the Dinghies Gang. Team Three, the Dock Lines Masters. We enter the Serangan channel into a shallow, crowded bay. Everybody is ready. We launch both dinghies. Let the adventure begin!
I steer the boat towards the dock and take a sharp turn right. Engine in reverse. Hand signal to drop starboard anchor. Another hand signal for the dinghies to push our port stern like tug-boats, so the Southerly wind doesn‘t blow us onto the reef.
Hold dingies. Hold starboard anchor. Reverse to stretch the anchor chain. Dinghy push port midship. Starboard anchor down. Reverse. Hold anchor. Hold dingies. Helm to port, engine forward, Argo now moves gently forward and closer to the reef.
Drop port anchor. Reverse. Dinghies push stern. Hold port anchor. Reverse to stretch anchor chain. Ready on dock lines. Port anchor down. Reverse. Hold anchor—the stern line to the dock. Hold dinghies. Dock line made. Helm to port, engine forward. Sand-line to starboard midship. Starboard anchor up. Sand-line made. The engine is in neutral. Port dock lines on. It may sound easy, but it took three-quarters of an hour and incredible teamwork to be finally docked.
Anchors secured. Engine off. Generators and hydraulics off. A sigh of relief. Debrief in the cockpit. That was awesome!
Time for class: Oceanography, then Marine Biology. Then showers and going ashore for dinner in a super-cool beach restaurant. We danced to the live music and laughed a lot. The squeeze question is heart-warming: what do you most appreciate about the person to your right?