Anchored in Teluk Lung on Balambangan Island, 07 deg 16.630N, 116 deg 59.750E, with only 37 NM to the Philippines! Today's passage from Tambuluran started off slowly then the wind came in from the NE - we were hoping for the predicted ENE, especially once we passed the tip of Borneo. Once past the tip we had to motor sail into the stiff breeze which grew from 15-20 to 20-25 knots and kept our speed down considerably. Tacking was pretty much out of the question as the strong west-flowing current allowed for little headway. The waters were very confused and sloppy, making for an unpleasant sail. On the bright side, a line of rain clouds off our starboard stayed there so we didn't get wet and we had sun most of the day. The anchorage is in clear water off a flat peninsula with casuarinas trees lining a white beach and there is some reef between us and the beach.
Showing posts with label Balambangan Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Balambangan Island. Show all posts
16 February 2010
24 January 2010
Off to the Top
The way to the top went well this morning. A nice 15-20 knots off the land and low swell made for a comfortable sail to the tip of Borneo. Once we reached it though conditions changed - the current was across our course and the wind was a bit stronger. The swell was about the same. Consequently to try and make our mark at the SE corner of Balambang Island we would have to put in a few tacks. This didn't work very well as the current was doing its best to push us 20-30 degrees off. So after some effort we decided to start the engine and motor sail just off the wind. This worked well and we made our way into Teluk Lung (Lung Bay) on Balambang Island just before 3.30 p.m, 07 deg 16.427 N, 117 deg 00.442 E. The bay has a few reefs and bommies inside so arriving earlier meant we had a better chance to see them in the intermittent sunshine.
