Idyllic Indonesia

The Atlantic team are back! So many sea miles have been sailed since we were all together on Ruth ll at the start of the Shanahan World Rally - it was lovely to see this special boat again. 

We all converged in Luban Bajo on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia and started on our 250 nm journey west towards Gili Gede off Lombok. 

Our first stop was in the Komodo National Park where we did some fabulous diving and snorkelling with evening meals in the nearby Komodo Dive resort run by a friendly Italian so delicious food! 

Off next to see the Komodo Dragons - fiercesome and deadly but we had our guide to keep us safe! 

As we go west the islands become greener and with it comes prosperity in the villages - Kilo village was interesting as they grew crops and had occasional brick built houses so much more sophisticated than Komodo. 

Next stop Moyo where we moored beside a volcano with an internal salt water lake - great hiking with wonderful views from the top. 

A long passage then to Gili Air which had lots of bars on the beach to watch the sunsets and great restaurants. More diving and meeting up with other Oyster boats as we start to converge. A good place to provision and great shopping delivery service !

Gili Gede marina was full of Oysters and they threw a great welcoming party with Indonesian music and dancing in traditional costumes followed by delicious Indonesian dinner and lots of dancing!

The Oyster group have become a friendly and fun loving big family and we were so lucky to be part of it for this trip. You get a sense of lifelong friendships being made and many more adventures ahead! 

We wish the next crew lots of luck on their adventures as we hand over to them now. 

Liam and Ruth as always have planned and thought of every detail to make this trip special and have exceeded all our expectations - we are all leaving a little bit of our hearts in Indonesia, a beautiful varied Country with a warm loving fun people . ❤️

Helen Cooney