Lightning struck the sea next to the boat as we made slow going in a 4m confused swell on the 190-mile passage from _ Enggano. By dawn the weather 4 system had eased and Krakatoa 4) lay in front of us.
We took stock: were our plans still viable? Would it be possible to sail through the narrow Sunda Strait where the newly ravaged Anak Krakatoa is situated? We had three ° choices: abandon western Sumatra and go through the Malacca Strait to Krakatoa; cruise the Mentawai islands then back north to Thailand and abandon our plans to reach Krakatoa; or push on with the passage and see what happened. Our plan was to sail to Borneo from Thailand round the western coast of Sumatra, taking in the remote Mentawai islands and the Krakatoa archipelago on the way. In 2018 Anak Krakatoa began chucking clouds of dust and magma into the air. But it was not considered dangerous, and a couple of friends had sent back images of the smoking volcano from their boats where they anchored. Then, as we prepared to leave Thailand in December, news of a devastating explosion at Anak Krakatoa rocked Southeast Asia. The tsunami which followed killed more than 400 people, injuring a further 7,000 and displacing 47,000 from their homes on Sumatra and Java. Like many people, we donated to the relief funds.
AN AWESOME SPECTACLE
With an n Iridium Go! onboard w we would be able to send daily positions to friends and family, get accurate weather updates from PredictWind and keep abreast of developments in the Sunda Strait.
This story is from the February 2020 edition of Yachting Monthly.
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This story is from the February 2020 edition of Yachting Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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