Day 82, Year 3: Impounded in Kupang
Date: Hari Rebu (Wednesday), Bulan Juli 30, Pada Tahan 2008
Weather: Clear and Sunny, Again Very Little Wind
Location: Kupang, W Timor, Indonesia
Latitude: 10 degrees 09.640 minutes S
Longitude: 123 degrees 34.279 minutes E

We made it here right on schedule this morning, but we were met by some political confusions. Sail Indonesia had assured us that we would be cleared into Indonesia without following their new law that requires yachts to pay a huge fee. Well, evidently Indonesian Customs has a different take on this and while the forces are battling it out we are checked in but impounded. We have a big 12 x 18 inch sticker attached to the side our boat that says we are not to leave here. The powers that be assure us that this will be worked out in the next few days, and I trust that this will be done. In the meantime we will enjoy this new-to-us part of the world.

The welcome here has been tremendous. Putting the Customs issue aside, everyone else has been extremely helpful and friendly. Because there are so many yachties, a huge number of locals have turned out on shore to greet us. Many of the greeters are “wanna-be” guides and many of those are university students who can speak English. Their language skills help us and we can help them by paying a small fee for their help. It costs the equivalent of $250 for a student to attend University here for one year and our contributions while here can truly make a difference for many students.

After arriving here, we had Quarantine visit Windbird, then Customs, and then we went to shore to check in with Immigration. Kupang is a large city and it is old and crumbling. Captain Bligh made a stop here after being “cast adrift” after the mutiny on the Bounty. And now Windbird has made a stop here on her voyage around the world. We’re just hoping that we won’t have to be here longer than planned due to the political battle being waged on our behalf.

080730 Day 82 Darwin to Kupang