Batam to Singapore crossing - delayed

Visibility around 200m on leaving Batam marina.
A bit nervous...

21^st of October 2010

Ready to live Batam and Indonesia. We had our Singaporean flag ready.

This was going to be only 40 + mile day and we knew that it would require of us all that we had to offer that day.

We had to cross to Singapore over the major shipping lines. I guess I would compare it to “running across a freeway” on a Vespa.

The weather was bad…this was the day that Singapore and Malaysia launched a protest against forest burning in Indonesia as it left both countries with 100 meters visibility for days. So I guess crossing over the major shipping lines would really be like running across the freeway on a Vespa with one eye and sunglasses on…laugh if you want!!!

In retrospect we thought that it was better not to have been able to see the traffic on water.

The worst parts of crossing The Singapore Straits – low visibility, 476 big vessels” Big mama ones” within 5 mile radius, the emergency channel 16 was so busy that we could not understand a thing and switched it off in the end, the Russian guy who decided to sing long songs on channel 16 and answered to no one, the MEGA ships were REALLY MEGA!!!!!BIG super BIG PAPAS!!!!!!!! 

Hot of course it was hot, boats travelling at 20 nautical knots onwards just like your freeway traffic, little iny miny one person fishing boats in amongst all this traffic (they must have been on a suicide mission-not sure about fish there) we had to watch out for and one calculated close call and there was no other call to take.

The best parts of crossing the Singapore Straits: we did it!!! we laugh a lot because it was so incredibly chaotic and busy, we sounded OH …”S..T” is that a ship or just smoke or smog and the “bestest” part AND THE ENGINE KEPT ON GOING …considering our temporary electric fuel pump put together by our little Indonesian mechanic from Bali AND delicate state of the engine after our fuel was stolen fiasco. All was well.

The minute we arrived at Raffles Marina we felt totally and utterly exhausted and it didn’t matter. We MADE IT SAFELY. Apsara made it safely too the engine and the wire worked too.

The champagne we were going to drink once we arrived in Singapore had to stay on ice as we were too tired to drink it. The customs were awaiting us at the bay and were free to enjoy civilization again. 
Two days later we drank our champagne.