Navigating the Unseen –Fishing Mazes, and the Equator Crossing on the Granocean W60
It's the early hours of Wednesday morning, and I'm on the 22:00-02:00 watch. We were still enjoying the incredible boost from the "super highway" current, cruising effortlessly at 10.5 knots, when suddenly there was an almighty thud. It felt as though we'd been hit by a significant wave, but the seas were notably calm. My immediate suspicion was that we'd struck a floating log. The good news, and an immense relief, is that none of the Granocean W60's eight bilge pumps automatically activated – a strong indication that no serious damage was sustained. Come daylight, I conducted as thorough a visual inspection as possible from the deck, and I'm pleased to report that I couldn't discern any obvious issues. The robust construction of this catamaran certainly gives us peace of mind in such unexpected encounters.
Now, it’s 02:30 on Thursday morning, and we've just come through a very busy Wednesday. Our biggest challenge has been navigating through areas where Indonesian fishermen employ a truly unique and pervasive method: anchoring what can only be described as a "shed" on floats in waters up to 4-5 kilometers deep! Yes, you read that right, and apparently, they use rope for moorings. It's astonishing. There's even a well-known story from 2019 about an 18-year-old Indonesian fisherman whose shed broke its mooring line and drifted for 49 days and thousands of miles before he was rescued off Guam.
These structures, often miles from shore, are lit up like Christmas trees at night to attract fish. The problem is there are literally hundreds of them, creating an expansive maze that is incredibly difficult to spot during the day until you're virtually on top of them. Crucially, they don't show up on radar. At night, each shed is accompanied by a small fishing boat and two even smaller runabouts, none of which carry any navigation lights. In the morning, the main fishing boat takes the day's catch back to shore. It's an active and significant hazard for any yacht delivery skipper transiting these waters.
The Equator Crossing
Thankfully, we managed to carefully work our way through this intricate maze. Just before midnight, we successfully made it into a shipping lane, where these fishing operations are (mercifully) not permitted. We have about 170 nautical miles of clear shipping lane ahead of us before we anticipate encountering the next cluster of islands and, no doubt, some more of our "friendly" fishing comrades. Until then, we're thoroughly enjoying the relaxing watches where we only come across predictable commercial ships, complete with their recognizable navigation lights – pure bliss!
On another exciting note, we crossed over the Equator last night! Whoop Whoop! We're officially back in the Southern Hemisphere. The crossing happened around 23:00. It was Kel's first time crossing this significant line, and it's curious, but my last crossing with Griff on the Selene 60 was also in the middle of the night. It's always a moment of quiet reflection and accomplishment for any yacht delivery skipper.
I'm now two hours into my current watch, and I haven't seen a single vessel – absolute bliss after the intensity of the past 24 hours. The Granocean W60 is still performing beautifully, gliding through the calm waters.
For professional and skilled yacht delivery services that expertly navigate everything from unforeseen obstacles to complex fishing mazes across Southeast Asia and to New Zealand, trust Yacht Delivery Solutions. Our experienced yacht delivery skippers ensure the safe and efficient transit of your vessel, whether it's a Granocean or another catamaran delivery. Let's discuss your next voyage.
Good thing we had the hulls Kevlar reinforced :-)
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