Embarking on your first sailing adventure into Indonesia is an exciting journey, but preparation is key for a smooth sailing experience.
Before embarking on a sailing adventure in Indonesia, here are the top ten essential items you should have or arrange beforehand. These may not be the items you would be expecting. This list, based on our current one-year experience sailing in Indonesia, and back in 2011, it includes items that may surprise you due to their scarcity or high cost in the region.
You can Watch the Episode here ▶️ https://youtu.be/8WAawGntkp0
We will start with the cheapest and something we are sure you wouldn’t expect on this list. Double strength white vinegar, this we use for all of our cleaning onboard. It’s safe to use in our toilet systems, timber floors and it keeps mildew at bay. Double strength vinegar is not available in Indonesia, sure you can get cleaning products but they are all chemical and bleach based. If you want to be environmentally conscience whilst living on the ocean stock up on your cleaning vinegar before you leave.
Sunscreen. Living onboard a boat is one of the harshest conditions we put our skin through. With the rise of melanoma still on the rise we have to be extra careful. Sunscreen if you can find it is so expensive in Indonesia. A small tube of sunscreen 15+ will set you back $15-20. The general population don’t use it they just coverup. We on the other hand like to wear shorts and singlet tops. So stock up so you can slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen and slap on a hat.
Motorcycle license. We find one of the best ways to sightseeing is by motorcycle. They are cheap to hire and you have the freedom of movement around the area you are visiting. Without a motorcycle licence you are not covered by your health/travel insurance if you have an accident. Indonesia does not have free medical services so hospitals and doctors can be very expensive if required. Repatriation to your home country is just prohibitive, so get your licence before you leave.
A good trolley. A good sturdy trolley that can transport, jerry cans of fuel, kilo’s of washing and provisions. Seldom are the items you need close at hand. Fuel docks do not exist so if you need fuel you are sometimes doing 6 trips to the service station to get the quantity you require. This is not an easy job in tropical heat. A good trolly is an absolute must have.
Spare Dinghy props. This is an item that in Australia you very rarely need to replace. If you do need to replace it they are relatively easy to find. Not so here. Not only are they difficult to purchase they are something that gets damaged easily here. It is easy to get fishing line, rope and the worst plastic bags wrapped up in the prop. This destroys the bush and a new prop is needed.
Depending on your like for Alcohol this could be cheap on expensive. So the law says when entering into Indonesia you are only permitted 1 liter each of alcohol. Flying into the country you are heavily scrutinised on the duty free products you bring into the country.
However coming into Indonesia by boat the rule still applies. However on a boat there is plenty of places to store wine and spirits. When asked about alcohol on both occasions we have entered via boat we have showed the contents of the cocktail cabinet.
The bottles in there contain very small amounts, we have never been asked if we have more. What we have been asked to do, is to not take it to shore. Sure no problem. You can’t freely buy alcohol here, as the majority of the population is Muslim. But even for the remainder of the population alcohol isn’t in their culture. Finding somewhere to purchase beer is like a treasure hunt. To find wine or spirits is darn near impossible.
Handheld depth gauge. The Navionics charts in Indonesia are useless. We are frequently putting our dinghy down to check depths before we proceed into an anchorage. This is a country where either the islands are surrounded by coral with massive drop offs or mud flats with murky water that you can’t see the depths. The handheld depth gauge has saved us and the boat on many occasions.
This is Hawkeye DT1H Handheld Depth Finder with Temperature, 300 Feet that we use onboard Our Dreamtime. You can find further details here ▶️ https://amzn.to/458ipkl
Satellite imagery programs. As for the handheld depth gauge having the access and knowledge on how to us these whilst navigating through these waters is imperative. We can’t express to anyone coming to Indonesia how important this skill is. Practise using the satellite imagery prior to coming, have imagery downloaded before you need it. Last thing you need is after a long passage, technology has a hissy fit and you can’t get the images you need to safely enter the anchorage or you are on passage and an uncharted reef appears. Trust us they are there. For your SAT Maps to be able to locate you on the computer screen you will need one of the following, we explain why in the YouTube Episode.
This is the up dated model of the GlobalSat BU-353N-10Hz USB GPS Receiver, that we use on Our Dreamtime. For further information ▶️ https://amzn.to/4c4gAaf
Shorelines. Many places in Indonesia you require a stern line to tie back to the shore. This in-effect is very much like mooring in the Mediterranean. Where you drop your anchor and reverse back using lines to the dock to secure the boat. The only difference here is there is no dock. Mostly you are using trees or rocks to tie off too.
Have your Money sorted. Indonesia is a cash economy, everything is paid by cash. Most supermarkets only take cash. Fuel stations only take cash. So you will spend a lot of time at ATM’s. ATM’s of course are your first option to get cash.
However most ATM’s in Indonesia have a limit on withdrawal amount 1 million - 2 million is the usual, sometimes you will get a 2.5 million ATM. Ok so what does this mean. Well in Australian dollars that means $100-$200 and occasionally a $250 at a time. If you are buying a boat load of fuel that’s many trips to the ATM, plus Fees.
Know your banks international withdrawal fees before you go. Even with say 5 free withdrawals a month you can use them up really quickly. Then you can arrive somewhere and yep “ATM out of order” some towns and villages only have 1 ATM or none at all. So what other way can you get cash.
Unlike western society Indonesia still have post office’s. At all post office’s you can use Western Union. Yep the same company you used whilst backpacking so many moons ago. They have great exchange rates and low fees. We transfer money from our bank account through Western Union to collect as cash at the post office. You can pick up large amount at one time, freeing up your time to do other things and not hunting for ATM’s at every stop. We have also set up a WISE account so we can transfer from our bank to the WISE account and then transfer to international banks such as our Imagination Agent. Many say just get a WISE card as well, yep great, but you then can only use ATM’s again.
Through our social media, YouTube, blog and books, our goal is to provide valuable insights to help future sailors prepare effectively. If you are heading this way you maybe further interested in 2 of our interactive Ebooks we have written.
Indonesia Awaits - This is an interactive EBook and it is full of the information you need for visas to enter Indonesia, for yourself and crew. What boat paperwork you need and additional paperwork you will need to supply. There are links to the Government Websites for downloading or completing online documentation. We take you through what you need to complete on these form and contacts for visa agents.
the other book
It’s Time to Set Sail - This is an interactive EBook and it is full of the information you need to know so that you can leave Australia via boat. The interactive links take you to the relevant government department pages to either download or complete online documents. We take you through what you need to complete on these form and contacts for export agents.
You can find both books on PAYHIP DREAMTIMESAIL ▶️https://payhip.com/Dreamtimesail
Additionally, we are sharing bi-weekly episodes of our "Dreamtime in Indonesia" Series 4, detailing our journey from Thursday Island to various Indonesian destinations. Each episode offers practical advice and showcases the remarkable people and places we encountered in Indonesia. We hope you find our content informative and enjoyable.
- We talk about essential items such as spare parts, tools, safety equipment, and navigation aids.
- Provide tips on where to source supplies and provisions before setting sail in Indonesia.
- Share personal anecdotes or stories about unique experiences while sailing in Indonesia.
- Highlight the importance of preparation and planning for a successful sailing adventure.
- Offer insights on cultural aspects, local customs, and navigating Indonesian waters.
- We invite audience engagement by encouraging questions or comments about sailing in Indonesia.
DREAMTIME SAIL YOUTUBE ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/c/Dreamtimesail
If you would like more from us consider becoming a Patreon where you have personal contact with us through email, live FaceTime and a private group where you can ask just about anything 😜. This group gets up to date information as it’s happening, with live interactive tracks and waypoints.
Patreon’s receive many other benefits including the books we have just mentioned for free. So if you think this might be for you come on over and have a look at our Patreon Page.
DREAMTIMESAIL PATREON ▶️ https://www.patreon.com/DreamtimeSail
Thank you for reading our latest blog update Cheers R&K
You maybe also be interested in the following 🔽
We found paradise but we may never leave as our anchor is stuck solid. You can watch it here.
▶️ http://tinyurl.com/DreamtimeSailEp87
This interactive Ebook takes from Brisbane to Horn Island without a night passage, discovering beautiful parts of the Queensland coast rarely visited. The EBook supplies all of our tracks and anchorage waypoints, with what anchoring conditions we were in. But it also gives you full details of what to see and do at each remarkable destination.
You can find out more about this EBook here ▶️ https://payhip.com/b/pxLMX
If you would like to buy all 4 of the above EBooks to help your sailing journey you can at a discount. Because you have read to this far on our blog, as a thank you we say here’s 20% off the bundle price!
So head to our book store ▶️ https://payhip.com/Dreamtimesail
and use this code at checkout ▶️ WOTZCNM6JL
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