Location: Bali, Indonesia
We arrived in Bali late last night (finishing docking around 1:30 am, Watch Teams 1 and 3 working together on all of the fenders and lines to make sure we docked safely), so it was fun to wake up in the morning and see what the surroundings looked like in daylight. We are docked between a large, shiny yacht and about seven fairly rundown boats that are part of a fishing fleet. It is quite the contrast, and I think, a fairly good representation of the complexity of Indonesian culture. While we waited for customs to clear us into the country, we started on a BA (boat appreciation). Seeing as we had just finished our longest passage and we had almost reached the halfway point in the trip, it was due time for a good BA. After the regular tasks of flaking the sails and putting the sail cover back on, we started on a soapy deck wash, even moving the emergency life rafts and giving the deck below a scrub. We brushed, scrubbed, shammied, and waxed, and I have to say that I don’t think I have ever seen the deck of Argo so shiny and clean looking. Alec, Kevin, Max, and Jack even got in the dinghy and gave Argo’s hull a clean. Down below, Grayson, Kyle, Hannah, and Corey helped Tor inventory our food and cleaned out the fridges in preparation for our next big provision. After a delicious lunch of potato and chicken salads (which I have to say I am honestly not usually a fan of, but Annie H did an awesome job, and they were delicious), we got to enjoy the circumnavigation cake that was baked yesterday for Leah. Running on a sugar high, we finished up BA by early afternoon. Most of the shipmates took off for their first look at Bali, a few venturing into the beach town of Kuta but most just walking down to the nearby marina, stopping at stalls selling all kinds of things along the way (there are quite a few new pairs of funky patterned pants on board now). Now, we have just finished dinner, and after cleanup, we have an OCE class, which I am excited about class because Laurie is finishing her lecture on waves, getting everyone ready for surf day in two days. As much fun as we had in Australia, I know that everyone is excited to begin the second phase of the trip, as we start to explore Southeast Asia, starting with Bali.