Sailing plans are traditionally written in the sand below the high water mark - Ruang Volcano Eruption

Since February 2024, our journey has revolved around circumnavigating the 11th largest island in the world. Instead of a brief stopover in Indonesia on our way to other Asian destinations, our aim is to deeply engage with the culture and diversity of each country we visit. This immersive experience cannot be rushed in a mere two months. For us, circling Sulawesi was just the start of uncovering the wonders of this remarkable country. 

RED LINE - The route we have taken has seen us discover some
of the most beautiful places on this planet. In all so far just over 1000 nautical miles.

Our travels have taken us far, both in distance and in personal growth, since our arrival in Bira, in the Southern Province of Sulawesi. The plan for our circumnavigation of Sulawesi is to head anticlockwise, considering the prevailing North West winds until we reach Bitung in the North East by May. By this time, the winds should be shifting to South West, providing us with favourable conditions to continue our journey around to Manado and along the North coast, eventually making our way down the West Sulawesi coastline. As of now, we have reached the Togian Islands, a mere 200 nautical miles from Manado City.

However, our plans have taken an unexpected turn...

There are roughly millions of volcanoes around the world, with approximately 1,500 potentially active. Volcanoes are the Earth's most natural geological architects that have made up almost 80% of the planet's surfaces. Although these volcanoes make beautiful scenery they also impose threats and hazards to communities living near its vicinity as they are unpredictable and can erupt and produce harmful chemicals at any given time.

Ruang in peaceful times

Ruang is a small volcanic island in the Sangihe Islands arc in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, that is home to about 800 people. Late on April 16, 2024, the mountain roared to life, unleashing a series of explosive eruptions that, at times, sent plumes of ash and gas billowing high into the stratosphere. The eruption also bombarded the island with tephra, small pebbles of lapilli, and fine shards of pulverized rock called ash.

Images highlight how the eruption transformed the landscape. Previous image captured shows Ruang’s lush green vegetation before the eruption. The images, acquired on April 20, shows the same area after volcanic debris had blanketed the island. The image also shows signs of pyroclastic flows - destructive torrents of hot ash, rock, soil, and gas—that poured down the mountain’s slopes and left thick deposits at the base. The following images show the catastrophic eruptions that followed. A terrifying event for all of those communities on the island in close proximity. 

Settlements on the north side of the island were among the hardest hit with volcanic debris. On the west side, tephra also blanketed Laingpatehi, the island’s largest village.

The ash posed a hazard to aviation, prompting widespread flight cancellations and diversions. Authorities closed the Sam Ratulangi International Airport in the nearby provincial capital of Manado due to the ash, disrupting travel for thousands of people. The airport reopened on April 22, after rainfall washed away ash on the runway, and after BNPB had lowered the volcanic alert level. But since the latest eruptions of May 2nd, seven airports have been closed across North Sulawesi, Borneo and Brunei. The volcanic plume reached an altitude of about 20 kilometers (12 miles) and into the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere above the ground. Ash, grit and rock fell from the sky in towns and cities across the region, including Manado, a city with more than 430,000 people where motorists had to switch on their headlights during daytime.

Atmospheric scientists monitor the amount of particles and gases that volcanoes inject into the stratosphere because material reaching this height can spread widely and have global effects on the climate. Experts say they expect to see aerosol particles circulating in the stratosphere for weeks, if not months. 

Since the initial eruption there have been further eruptions, 15 avalanche earthquakes, 237 shallow volcanic earthquakes, 425 deep volcanic earthquakes, 15 local tectonic earthquakes and 6 distant tectonic earthquakes. This is an event that has displaced over 12,000 residents 800 from Ruang itself and the rest from neighbouring islands. The authorities main concern is that if any part of the Volcano dislodges and slides into the ocean it would cause a devastating tsunami as it did in 1870, with calamitous results. This country is used to living with 130 active volcanoes that sit on the volcano-logically active terrestrial chain where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common. But each time it happens lives are in serious danger.

The government has announced they will permanently relocate 10,000 people from the location, as they are in constant danger of a natural disasters. 

A person carries his belongings as he walks past a damaged house affected by the eruption of Mount Ruang volcano in Laingpatehi village, Sitaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi province, Indonesia, May 3, 2024.

So what does this mean from us. We have reached the decision (quite quickly actually) that continuing north at this stage is not a safe option. We are also restricted to our movements due to Visa renewals and extensions. We needed to be in Gorontalo by late May to extend our visa and then 60 days later fly out of Macassar in the southwest of Sulawesi to renew our visa for another 180 days. With all of these requirements to also consider we have come to the realisation that we need to retreat south. This certainly doesn’t mean the end of our Sulawesi adventures but it may mean we need to wait a season for favourable winds to return. 

Never write your sailing plans above the high water mark.

Thanks for catching our latest Blog, cheers R&K 

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