Nasty nasty business but many new friends and acquaintances

We've had a bit to say earlier today as regards the scurrilous campaign to discredit us in anonymous blogs. There are one or two further points we wish to make in respect of that.
If we hadn't been on our boat at Kupang when "Kealba" dragged onto us, she would have been lost - absolutely no doubt. In view of the fact that they were uninsured they owe us a huge debt which they are absolutely unwilling to acknowledge. We again remind "Kealba" that they promised to give us a letter acknowledging the incident but have since reneged on their word. This has forced us into taking the actions that we have subsequently taken.
There appears to be an organised cabal of exclusively Australian boats in this nasty whispering behind hands campaign. Absolutely no-one has directly fronted up to us.
We have also become aware that one of these heroes confronted the female partner on another boat because they also had had the temerity to question the competence of Sail Indonesia in directing boats to unsafe anchorages. This was done while her partner was away overseas and is to us the ultimate in cowardly behaviour.
They have questioned Jim's seamanship in anchoring in 35 metres at Kupang. In fact this same landlubberly hero was on board our boat as we approached the anchorage under sail only and we naturally asked him where we should be anchoring as we knew that things had been organised in advance on our behalf. He said "here, here" and so, Jim who was on the foredeck dropped the anchor. Had we been aware of the depth, we would in all probability not have anchored right there and would have sought a more secure spot.
So the seamanship question should be leveled at our so-called anchoring guide and also to the skipper of "Kealba" who dragged his anchor whilst unattended. By comparison our anchor held throughout the whole debacle in spite of only having a 2 to 1 anchor rode. Thank goodness for the Rocna.
Finally, we have been threatened with being sued for slander! This is laughable as slander only exists if the statements in question are untrue. In this case everything we have said is the absolute unvarnished truth.
Anyway, to forestall any further suggestions that we are simply being negative we felt we should mention all the great people we met on our travels through Indonesia:
Peter, Ace, Wulan, Sas and Sam and their staff at Medana Bay. We won't forget their help with procuring a new dinghy and all their other help and hospitality rendered during our stay at their beautiful beachfront property.
Matthew, the diesel mechanic at Kupang who solved our problem with the engine in a most resourceful manner. Jim won't forget his expertise and the rides through through Kupang streets on the back of his motorbike.
"2XS" - Peter and Marguerite. We met them originally at Bluewater in Cairns and we apparently were the catalyst for them coming on the rally! Hope they don't hold it against us too much!
"Asia" - Paul and Debbie who run their gorgeous 100' steel yacht in the high end charter market. The story of how they purchased the bare hull in NZ and fitted it out in NZ, Brisbane and Thailand to a very high standard is fascinating. The design is by John Brooke of NZ. She has a magnificent 8 cylinder Gardner which was taken from a NZ fishing boat and totally rebuilt. We first met them at Gilli Air, Lombok.
"Capricorn Dancer" - Rob and Carolyn who had problems with their steering at Kupang. Matthew hopefully sorted their problem as well and sailed with them as they resumed their journey.
"Camomile" - Sue and her husband. They organised the reception for us at Kupang when we arrived without an engine but sadly through a misunderstanding we were told to anchor in the wrong place with the result already well documented.
"Footloose" - Jon and Irena who we saw quite a bit of at Medana. They were moored close to us there just off the jetty.
"Forty-two" - Carsten und Mercedes. We caught up with them as we approached the top end of Queensland and have seen them off and on since then. A very friendly and pleasant German couple.
"Galatea" - Julie, Neil, Bailey & Teague. A delightful family originally from S Africa and now living in California. We saw quite a lot of them along the way and Bailey gave an excellent speech (some in Bahasa Indonesia) at the welcome dinner at Medana Bay. We first met them at Tipperary in Darwin and sadly they have now returned home to allow the other partner in the boat to take her north to Thailand from Singapore. We hope that we see them again soon either at Langkawi or in Thailand.
"Even Bet" - Ian and Janelle. We met them at Bluewater in Cairns and sailed with them for part of the way up the Queensland coast before they stopped for some serious fishing! They were going to completely explore the Gulf of Carpentaria before going on to the Kimberleys west of Darwin and then eventually returning to Cairns. We haven't heard for some time how they have fared and we hope everything has gone to plan.
"Blue Musketeer" - John and Val. We knew them very well at Bluewater and hope that they have managed to do some cruising around there during the dry season.
"Niccone" - Peter and Lena. They sail under the Finnish flag and were very helpful to us at Kupang when they lent us a portable generator (and fuel) so that we could keep our batteries charged until we got the engine going again.
"Juliana II" - Wendy and Stefan. They have a very impressive Jeanneau designed yacht. We have seen them off and on during our travels and they are moored close to us here at Danga Bay.
"Lardo" - Dennis & Mary-Lee. An American boat who we got to know at Medana Bay. Jean gave Dennis a massage for pain he was having in his hips but sadly it didn't really improve and they sailed from there non-stop to Singapore where they have left the boat so that Dennis could return to the States for treatment. The diagnosis was not good as it turned out that Dennis had advanced bone cancer. We were shocked to hear that and wish Dennis all the very best with his on-going treatment. We must also mention Jim who was their friend from San Francisco and acting as crew for the voyage through Indonesia.
"Libertad" - Dennis and Virginia. A very pleasant Canadian couple who we have come across several times on our voyaging.
"Lorrigray" - Lorraine & Graham Parkinson. An English couple who we first met at Bundaberg. They were still there during the recent floods and by all accounts had a torrid time of it but survived at least, albeit with some damage. It has been great to catch up with them along the way in various places.
"Micromegas II" - Fredy & Chantelle Haller. A very friendly and pleasant Swiss couple on their catamaran. We will look forward to seeing them again somewhere up north.
"Manta" - Denis from France. Denis ne parle pas beaucoup d'Anglais et Jim a essaye de parler Francais avec lui!!
"Out of the Blue II" - Chris and Lyn. We knew them quite well at Bluewater and they are now moored here at Danga Bay. We hope that Lyn recovers sufficiently so that they can sail with Sail Malaysia later this week. Jean organised an appointment for her to see a specialist at the same hospital where she had her nasal operation.
"Pedoja" - Tanya and Don. We have had many pleasant times with Tanya (from NZ) and Don (Canadian). We met them on the Australian coast and then later at Komodo we spent a few days anchored beside them in a delightful clear water anchorage. As our dinghy had been trashed at Kupang they made their dinghy available to us if we wanted it. We've had meals together and generally had a pleasant time whenever our paths have crossed.
"Pipistrelle" - Bob & Elaine. A very pleasant English couple we have met just recently here at Danga. They have already left for points north and we hope to see them up there again next year.
"Reflections" - Gene & Sheri Seybold. Gene was a great help to us in Kupang. He was one of 4-5 dinghies who used their combined power to force "Kealba" away from us before she could do any more damage. The next morning he returned and acted as a tug to move us closer in to shallower water and a more secure anchorage. Gene has been a great support to us, particularly over this latest development of unsubstantiated nasty stories fabricated and deliberately circulated by anonymous cowards.
"Scorpio" - Kevin & Melody. Bloody Aussies!!! We were moored beside them at Bluewater and then later came across them at Flinders Is. Always trading good natured Kiwi/Aussie jokes and jibes. They are great people - salt of the earth and we have enjoyed our association with them. We have lost their email address so hope all is well.
"Settlement" - Andrew & Sue. We first met them at Lizard Is. off the Queensland coast. We've socialised off and on since then - mostly on their catamaran as we lack the room. Saw them again at Sesia and then at Darwin. They took the northern route to Saumlaki so we didn't see them again until Medana Bay. Andrew's an Aussie but Sue's a Kiwi so that makes up for it!! A very pleasant and hospitable couple who left here 2 days ago to sail north. We will miss them and hope that we catch up next year when we sail north in February.
"Skybird" - Jim & Liz Dabelstein. Jim is an ex police officer from WA and we met them at Bluewater in Cairns. They have a lovely German Shepherd called Ash who reminded Jim of his own much loved and missed German Shepherd, Friedl. They've sailed their catamaran from Bluewater to Darwin and then to the Kimberleys. Last we heard they were back at Sesia waiting for favourable winds to sail back down the Queensland coast to Cairns. Hope those pesky SE winds change soon!!
"Sternchen" - Manuela und Georg. A delightful German couple who we first met at Tipperary in Darwin. Jean had a tearful radio conversation with Manuela at Kupang soon after the incident with "Kealba" - and that's not like Jean. We've seen them along the way since then and they are berthed quite close to us here at Danga. We had dinner with them at the seafood restaurant here at Danga the other night. Lots of laughs at Georg's English although we have to say it's a lot better than our German! Manuela is very competent with her English though and routinely translates for Georg which usually causes more hilarity!
"Beyond" - Stuart MacDonald. Stuart is a Scottish master mariner (with some great stories) who is sailing single handed around the world. We met Stuart at Tipperary and last we heard he was well advanced across the Indian Ocean on his way to the Cape of Good Hope. We have the utmost admiration for courageous mariners like Stuart and trust that he will safely arrive on the Clyde River in Glasgow sometime next northern summer.
"Tuppenny" - Gillie and Ruth. Not sure what has happened to Gillie and Ruth who we originally met in NZ. They had an engine transplant in Darwin and were intending to do sail Indonesia this year but with their delays maybe they've decided it's next year instead. Hope we eventually do catch up somewhere.
"Westwind" - Chris & Gilli Dicker. Chris is an Aussie and Gilli is a German who teaches in Cairns. We knew them at Bluewater and they also have a timber built double ender - about the same size as us. Last summer they sailed to Tasmania for the biennial wooden boat festival. We keep in touch periodically and hope they are getting some sailing in between jobs on boats.
"Back Chat" - Irvin and Jenny. They were also at Bluewater and we have seen them periodically ever since all the way up the Australian coast and through Indonesia. Their catamaran is also berthed here at Danga and they are staying here for sometime while they source new engines as the old ones are apparently past their use by date!! Irvin is a NZ'er who has lived in WA for some time and Jenny is a true blue Aussie!
"Thylacines" - Gerry and Sue. The name is the species name of the probably extinct Tasmanian Tiger.
Well, that's it. Hope we haven't left anyone out but if so our apologies and it's only geriatric forgetfulness!!
Cheers again from us........
Jim and Jean
s.v. Tiare Taporo III
P.S. Joke of the day in the words of the late and unlamented NZ Prime Minister - the Rt. Hon. Robert Muldoon. New Zealand emigration to Australia raises the IQ level in both countries!

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com