Yesterday during the morning the ride was fine, but by mid-afternoon the wind picked up and so did the swells. The swells weren’t all that big, maybe 3 feet, but they were steep and hitting one right after another in rapid succession, creating the lurching/bucking effect we have mentioned earlier. It was uncomfortable and made for a long night.

At about 0630, we got to the first narrow area between Komodo and Rinca Islands. The water around here is known for being difficult to navigate, with strong currents, whirlpools, and over falls (breaking waves that come out of nowhere). The current was going our direction and were flying along at 10 knots for a while. The bad news is the charts are a little bit off, which was disconcerting, but Eric managed to navigate through with no problems. He set the chart offset, and all was good.

Once we made it through the narrow spot, we were suddenly in a new world. The water was completely flat, though the current still strong. The water looked like it had hundreds of white Christmas lights blinking on and off as it reflected the sunlight above. We saw a couple dolphins playing in the calm water. We were surrounded on all sides by very dry, golden brown mountain islands jutting dramatically out of the water and creating a fabulous panoramic view. It looks remarkably similar to the more remote areas of Lake Powell in Utah, and is just as peaceful.

The next narrow spot was a little hairier. We needed to negotiate between two reefs to get to the small mouth of the cove we were trying to enter. Christi went out front and watched the water, looking for coral below. We made it into the little cove with no problems and dropped anchor. The anchorage is idyllic, very protected and flat, with beautiful scenery to look at.

Rinca (pronounced Rincha) Island is one of several islands in the Komodo National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, located between the islands of Flores and Sumbawa. Komodo is the largest of the islands comprising the National Park, and Rinca is a close second. The famed Komodo Dragons are found only on and near Komodo, including on Rinca.

We dinghied over to the small dock. There were three small fishing boats tied to the dock, each with a woman sleeping inside. There were three men lounging under the covered patio next to the dock. The men welcomed us. We followed a well maintained trail through a mud flat over to the ranger station. We paid the fees, which we were told included a short guided tour. Our plan was to make an appointment for later in the day for the walk, but as soon as the fees were paid, we were whooshed down the trail for an hour and a half hike.

The first stop was the cabins the rangers live in. The cabins are small rectangles made of wood planks. The roofs are tin covered in grass. They are all on stilts. We stood in front of the cabins blankly for a minute or two until we realized that the ranger wasn’t pointing to the cabins, but to the ground under them. There were”¦

To be continued”¦.