The land-based part of the Banda Sea Cruise was over & we were to join the Lady Denok which was to be our home for the next thirteen nights. I had had a look at the boat on the internet before I left the UK & I was looking forward to the time on the Lady Denok, as she looked a lovely boat. We were not disappointed. I had expected to see her moored up on the quayside when we arrived at the dock. But she was still out in the bay. What followed was a convoluted boarding process, involving us & our bags crossing through the lower deck of another tied-up boat, before we were able to board one of the Lady Denok's two small boats to take us out to her. After about a half-hour we were all on board.
Our arrival at the Lady Denok was greeted with a cold, wet cloth (similar to those given out to airline passengers) & a fresh fruit juice drink. As time went on, the crew continued to provide new variations on the fruit juice. They were always well received after another hot, sweaty trip ashore.
The Lady Denok has been built in the style of the traditional Phinisi Schooners. The originals of these lovely looking boats are they are the traditional boats of the Bugis peoples of South West Sulawesi. For centuries, traditional Phinisi Schooners traded across the Eastern Indonesian seas following the trade winds. When the winds were blowing from the West, the schooners would sail East to trade with the Moluccas, Lesser Sundas and Aru islanders. After a few months, the trade winds would swing around to blowing from the East and the sailors could return home. Obviously, the modern versions now have engines, modern navigation aids and comfortable cabins for the passengers. The crew were largely crammed into a small area at the back of the ship behind the galley, with many sharing a communal sleeping area.
The first thing was an introduction to the twelve strong crew from Jimi who was responsible for us, as well as, being the divemaster. The crew did an excellent job in looking after us throughout the trip with lots of good meals, snacks & drinks. They were also superb at getting us safety on & off the ship & running us ashore on the boats. While the seas were generally calm, there were a couple of occasions when we were getting on & off the Lady Denok when the waters were a lot choppier. But they were still very calm to many of the times I've had to get on & off zodiacs in the Southern Oceans and Pacific.
One of the other things we had to do was to take off the shoes we had been ashore with. The crew & the others on the trip tended to go bare-foot on the boat. I had expected this & I was glad I had taken a spare pair of deck/dive shoes which are designed to have a good grip on decks. This allowed me to wear them with socks to avoid the risk of getting sunburn feet on the boat. The deck shoes were certainly more comfortable when standing on the rubber anti-slip mats for any length of time.
After the introductory & safety briefings over we were shown our cabins for the next two weeks.
No sooner than we had got our bags into our cabins, it was time for our first meal. There were three main dishes for each meal with generally a fish dish, a meat dish, a vegetarian option and some fruit. Additionally, there was soup & pudding, to ensure we didn't go hungry. A coffee maker & hot water machine ensured a steady supply of teas & coffees were always available: with options of fresh brew coffee, instant coffee & Lombok coffee. My favourite was the local Lombok coffee was the traditional Indonesian coffee, but you always had to remember there would be a quarter inch of coffee grinds at the bottom of each cup.
The anchor was lifted after lunch & we were on our way.
We didn't have far to go to our first island stop: Nustabun Island. This is a small uninhabited island at the mouth of Saumlaki Bay. This was our best site for Tanimbar Scrubfowl. It is possible to see them on the main island, however, due to hunting pressure from the local hunters, they are very wary. There is much more chance of seeing them on one of the offshore islands.
We spent an hour standing in a clearing as the light dropped in the hope that Wilbur & Raja would be able to find a Tanimbar Scrubfowl in the scrubby bushes and move in it our directions. Raja saw one, but it belted off at a tangent & didn't reach the clearing.
After a couple of attempts for the Tanimbar Scrubfowl, we were running out of light & headed back to the Lady Denok.
The original plan was to have another attempt for the Tanimbar Scrubfowl on the following morning. However, after lunch Wilbur & Raja came up with a cunning plan for the two of them to return that evening & to try & find one at roost. Raja borrowed my thermal camera, so that they both had thermal cameras. We were sent to bed, but warned we would be woken if they were successful & to be ready for a quick departure. After an hour of searching, Raja was successful in locating a roosting individual. We were quickly woken & ready to return to where Wilbur was waiting. The torch was switched on & the Tanimbar Scrubfowl was still sitting on its branch. We watched it for a few minutes before leaving it in peace. In the rush, I forgot to take the camera. Fortunately, Arthur was more on the ball & he remembered to take his camera. Seeing the Tanimbar Scrubfowl had a number of advantages: firstly, we had seen it. Secondly we could sail from Tanimbar for the long crossing to Babar. Finally, we could enjoy a more leisurely start the following morning: albeit most of the keener seawatchers were still up around first light.
