The annual Sail Indonesia Rally and sister Darwin Ambon Race are now underway, with fleets battling light winds on the 600nm or so to Indonesia.
Progress reports on the 120 yachts in the Sail Indonesia Rally were unavailable, but positions for the eight yachts in the Darwn Ambon Race are being updated when possible.
As of 0800 hrs today, the yacht 7609 was at 05 54 128 53, Cruise Missile 04 14 128 05, Kishka 05 57 128 41, and Lightfoot 05 49 128 41. Pandora's position at 1600 hrs yesterday was 08 48 129 14. The other yachts had not yet been heard from.
“The fleet are slowly making their way to Ambon with very light wind,” a race official said on the Darwin Ambon website.
“Cruise Missile has smashed their spinnaker pole. However, they have made temporary repairs to enable John Punch and Wayne Huxley to have a competition to see who can get the furthest under spinnaker in an hour. Mai Tai is just behind Cruise Missile and they are both in sight orf Ambon.
“There is also a dual going on between Lightfoot and Kishka. Kishka is catching Lightfoot on the straight runs. However, they are losing them on the tacks. Interesting to know how the fleet keep themselves amused in light winds!”
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Many yachts from both events are expected to do the follow-on Sail Bunaken event.
There was no mention on either website about concerns over safety in Indonesia following the Jakarta bombings, but on the Sail Indonesia website there was a warning about taking precautions to prevent swine-flu spreading.
For more information visit http://www.darwinambonrace.com.au/ and http://www.sailindonesia.net/
