Rinca and Komodo - September 2009

Local Bugis people bringing a gift of squid........Trading with the local Sambawa Island people

After a relatively quick provisioning stop in Labuanbajo we are keen to sail on to explore Rinca, home to the komodo dragon. Before departure there was much discussion on the tidal situation as we had to travel through a pass between islands where the currents were swift and the wind funnels. All went well and getting to the south was smooth. We have a broken gearbox on the starboard motor which can’t be repaired until we haul out next year, so we have only one motor. This can be tricky when steering at slow speeds. At times like this I am especially grateful for competent crew who, like Daryl, understand how to compensate for this. And, as they remind me, that even with only one motor we still have more motor power than many other yachts.

In south Rinca we enjoyed a quiet anchorage where, within five minutes of going ashore, we had seen our first dragon, albeit a small one. In the early evening we sat in the cockpit and watched the dragons patrolling the waterline. They only need to eat once a month so presumably they were looking for something sizable. They have high bacteria levels in their saliva so they bite the prey and then wait (up to two weeks) for the prey to die from the infection. Certainly motivation for us not to get too close! When we were on the beach the dragons were aware of us, kept their distance but didn’t seem bothered by us. Over a few days of observation we gathered that they are territorial, as we started to recognize the same dragons in certain areas.

Cruising his territory ......................... .After dark visitor wanting to join the party


Sunset gathering on Komodo island .........Komodo National Park

At one of our beach gatherings we did have an unexpected visitor who was very interested in the food and drinks we had brought in. We presumed the fire would be a deterrent, but not so. Once the sun set we realized we were warily taking turns on dragon watch so we hastily packed up and headed back to the security of our yachts.

Sadly much of their environment on the water’s edge is littered with plastic rubbish. This rubbish is a huge issue throughout Indonesia and something needs to be done fairly promptly.

Rinca was also great for snorkeling and diving. The water temperature was somewhat cooler and absolutely fantastic underwater life. The corals were so bright that some thought it was the best sea life they had ever seen.

A weird crayfish.

Another tricky pass as we head north to Komodo but we timed it right and were doing 12 knots at times and it felt like we were hardly moving. Ironically we didn’t see a komodo dragon while at Komodo Island. We did more diving and snorkeling on the islands off the top of Komodo but didn’t see the manta rays we had hoped to see. But as time seemed to be running away on us and we didn’t want to pay park fees to remain in the area we set sail for Lombok.

Pigmy orca- a cross between dolphin and orca...........Cards are still fairly mandatory on Cool Bananas