It’s that time of year again for yachting enthusiasts around the world… The Sail Indonesia Rally 2009 is on and hundreds of magnificent yachts are currently cruising through Indonesian waters.
The sailing programme started with the Darwin to Kupang Yacht Race. On July 18, 132 yachts in the Sail Indonesia Rally 2009 left Darwin, and more yachts joined the fleet after the Sail Bunaken celebrations, which took place between August 12 – 20 in Bitung and Manado, in North Sulawesi.
Sail Indonesia is a major annual yachting event, with boats sailing in the Darwin to Kupang Rally and then spending three months sailing through the Indonesian archipelago before heading on to sailing events in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
While Lombok saw the number of yachts visiting her shores increase dramatically in 2007 and 2008, the official itinerary for the Sail Indonesia Rally did not list Lombok as one of the ports of call. As part of the Indonesian Government’s promotions, official ports of call host events specifically to welcome Sail Indonesia participants, often including cultural performances and special facilities for processing immigration and customs documentation.
In the past, the Rally programme marked a route from Labuhan Bajo on Flores with yachts sailing past Lombok en route to Bali, bypassing the beautiful bays that form natural safe harbours for yachts and a place to rest before the often arduous crossing of the Lombok Strait, one of the deepest bodies of water in the world.
This year, Lombok was included for the first time ever on the Sail Indonesia itinerary and has been a huge success, due largely to the efforts of local entrepreneur Ace Robin. Ace and her husband, Peter, had long had a dream of creating a marina in the north of Lombok, where they had a large piece of land overlooking a wide peaceful bay with perfect conditions for a natural marina.
Despite lack of support from the local government, the couple set about developing Medana Bay Marina and thanks to Ace’s hard work and tireless lobbying of governments and race organisers, Lombok now has a position on the Sail Indonesia schedule.
Medana Bay Marina is still in its early stages of development, but already the team has built essential facilities to host sailors from around the world. Both moorings and anchorage are available for yachts and boats in the deep water just offshore and a 20m jetty with a floating pontoon, which sits in 6m of water even at low tide, provides easy access for sailors coming ashore.
“This is the first place we’ve been on the rally where we can get on and off the boat without getting wet,” said one of the happy yacht owners we met.
On land there is a purpose-built toilet and shower block for guests, spotlessly clean and modern, with fresh water showers – proving a delight with the visitors! A mini-market is well stocked with essential needs such as bread, eggs, canned goods and toiletries, as well as a few much-missed luxuries like cold beer and chocolate biscuits. The marina can also arrange fuel and boat supplies, including minor repairs, through local businesses.
On a more practical front, Medana Bay Marina has a CIQP (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Port) Licence and is able to assist with necessary legal documentation such as visa extensions, sponsorship, handling licensing, immigration documents and boat clearances.
Ace and her team work closely with the local community at Medana and the marina is already providing employment for many in the area. Cidomo (horse cart) rides are proving popular for sightseeing and short trips into Tanjung, as are motor bike and car rentals for exploring Lombok. They have also worked closely with the ladies from the local village, teaching them about hygienic food preparation and how to present the foods, which are being served on traditional woven ingke platters, made from lidi (the centre rib of palm leaves). The ladies are now cooking up a storm and serving breakfast and dinner to the delighted visitors, while the plates themselves are creating a new market for local handicrafts!
Medana Bay Marina hopes to increase its facilities with steady expansion in the future, but for now the team has its hands full hosting its first Sail Indonesia event. So far, around 200 yachts have visited Medana Bay, with many people staying for more than a week, making sightseeing trips around the island and interacting with the friendly local people.
At the official “Welcome Sail Indonesia” event on September 24, around 70 yachts were moored at Medana Bay Marina and visitors from around the world were welcomed to Lombok by hundreds of local people, as well as government and tourism industry representatives.
Sail Indonesia participants were officially greeted by the regent of North Lombok Regency, Lalu Bakrie, and showered with flower petals in a traditional welcome ceremony featuring Sasak dancers and musicians. The guests were entertained by traditional Gendang Belek music and watched a Peresean performance (Lombok’s popular stick fighting event), organised by the regent. Many said that it was the best welcome they have had at any port in Indonesia.
A gala dinner was held on Saturday, September 26 with around 300 people and over 90 Sail Indonesia participants attending. The praise for Lombok from all visitors, and their appreciation of the facilities and hospitality of Medana Bay Marina, ensures Lombok a place on the Sail Indonesia fixture for 2010.
Medana Bay Marina makes it easy for boat owners to visit Lombok with safe moorings and customs and immigration facilities available all year round. For more information, email: admin@wisatasamudera.com
