Travel » Indonesia

Indonesia: cruising country

With thousands of islands stretched across the ocean, from the equatorial waters near Singapore to the top of Australia, Indonesia offers enor­mous scope for the keen sailor. If you want to get away from it all, there are countless idyl­lic anchorages, and the exist­ing clubs and marinas make up for their relative lack of facili­ties with their friendliness and unstinting enthusiasm.

The biggest event on the racing calendar is the annual Darwin-Ambon race, which has attracted up to 100 boats from Australia every July since 1976. Many of these boats then move up to the big regattas elsewhere in Asia.

At present only a relatively small number of local boats are taking advantage of the superb cruising environment: most of the cruising yachts in Indone­sian waters are visitors. Since 1996, the Dinah Beach Cruis­ing Yacht Association of Aus­tralia have offered a ‘ramble’ service to help boats bound for Indonesia secure the necessary permits and provide advice on facilities and condition.