Misool Adventures with Sv Jams

Along with friends Murray and Carol on Sv Jams  we headed south to the Island of Misool.  We had thought to give this a pass, but as this area is well regarded for it’s diving we decided to have a look. After a quick trip back into Sorong to re-provision, we spent the next few days harbour hopping enjoying a leisurely pace.  With the winds favorable for our hop down to Kofiau we set sail and enjoyed one of the first good sails since arriving in Raja Ampat.  We enjoyed a couple of fun days checking out these remote islands and found the snorkeling quite good and the anchorages well protected.  We continued south to the Blue Water Mangroves where Murray and I hoped to do a dive and the girls looked forward to snorkeling the marine nursery.  Unfortunately, our enthusiasm was somewhat tempered when learning of an incident where a diver had lost an arm to a resident Salt Water Croc.  We had no intentions of being his next meal and as we saw no local divers we elected to take a pass.  We carried on south and east around the west end of the island and along the south coast before arriving a Balbulol. 

This is one of those places that is a must see.  Unfortunately, anchoring is almost impossible, but with our trusty floating lines we secured our boats to the surrounding rock face. 

It was a wee bit tight for two boats and so for the first time in 15 years cruising, we not only tied off to shore we rafted.  It turned out to be a fun time as we turned our mono hulls into a double wide.   

Carol and I discovered our common love of the Ukulele and it wasn’t long before the daily practice sessions began. 

Along with Kaija and Murray crooning in the background we serenaded many a nite away.We enjoyed 10 terrific days rafted up here. 

Each day was filled with snorkeling, dinghy exploring, attempts at fishing and Murray and I finally got the dive tanks out and did our first familiarization dives to improve our comfort levels. 

We are both novice divers and it was good to have the company. 

 

 We spent a lovely day dinghy touring discovering places with no footprints in the sand where we enjoyed hours of snorkeling, fly fishing and laying in the soft sand.

and found an exclusive beach for our own private picnic.

 

We sailed a few miles south a few miles to the Misool Eco Lodge where we met Sue from Vancouver and her partner Mike from New Zealand who manage this very exclusive dive resort.  This is not an inexpensive resort, and while we had hoped to dive with them, they were full, but graciously offered to fill our tanks for a very modest fee.  We enjoyed a couple of amazing dives in an area that has dozens of choices.   

Before we knew it a month had passed and it was time to head back to Sorong. 

  We had a few days left to enjoy before flying back to Canada, so we went scouting for a spot to dive.  Along with  Murray and Carol who were anticipating the arrival of their daughter Madison and new Beau.  We traveled north to Mansur Island and discovered two moorings at the Raja Ampat Dive Resort. We spent the next couple of days exploring and discovered some of the best snorkeling we have found ANYWHERE, complete with large schools of BIG FISH. 

We went ashore and enjoyed a lovely meal and our final night with these two fun folk.  Thank you Murray and Carol for 5 fun months, your kindness and generosity. 

Murry and Carol and family are now up in Wayag, we are back in Sorong prepping KaijaSong for moorage as we prep ourselves for a much anticipate trip back to Canada to see family and friends we have not seen for too long. 

Stay tuned for updates of that adventure and the ongoing passages when we return and continue our Go West sailing plans…to Komodo Island, Singapore, and Langkawi to take us into the next decade…2020 and beyond.