Fishing anyone?

Dennis: Though we have had our line out a number of times during our passage, nothing has yet to bite. I think the hundreds and probably thousands of boats that are out trying to catch the few remaining fish are just as unsuccessful. We have seen some old methods of fishing here that are still in use today. Some were just nets hanging from two poles in the river to very long traps over two miles long coming out from shore jutting out into our sailing path. Could be a problem if you were sailing at night through the shallow waters. Rita will tell a story of one occasion of our near miss.

The best we have seen was near Kuching where nets were lowered into the water from a platform with a bright light suspended from it. The water was about 6-7 m deep. Some had huts for sleeping or had a shelter to protect a generator for the lights. The first night we saw them we thought it was a village since it was just off an island, then we thought they might be fish boats at anchor - until we got closer. They looked like the fighter planes from the Empire Strikes Back movie (Little cones on stilts). Many islands that we passed had these traps around them.

The rivers and inshore fishing had narrow boats some with single piston motors using drag nets, throw nets, and sometimes a trolling line trying to catch minnow sized fish. A huge fleet of boats carrying up to 4 men were always present during our sail. They trolled or set nets. The big fleets of deep sea boats had a string of football field lights stretched across about 40 feet and the lights shining down to attract fish and cuttlefish into the drag nets. At night the whole horizon is glowing with these banks of lights. As I said in my fist blog, its the absence of birds and flying fish which is an indicator of an empty sea these fishers are trying to make a living at. Apparently the boats are subsidized for their fuel consumption. At any rate there is probably little political will to stop this overfishing and no cooperation with other countries so the result will be a sea devoid of any living creatures. We almost did it in Canada and are trying to do it on the west coast with our salmon. Enough of the depressing views, the sailing has been a learning process for both Rita and me and we have many more stories to tell when we are back home.

Rita here: The calm AFTER the storm. After a couple of relaxing days in Kuching, in Malaysian Borneo, complete with showers and air con at the marina, we started to make our way to Pontianak, Indonesia. Not more than a couple of hours away from the marina, we could see a storm heading our way. We ducked for cover in the same bay we had anchored in several nights earlier, at the foot of Bako National Park. Just in the nick of time, as the winds started to whip us around, the rains pelted us, and the waves tossed us around like a cork. Once the storm abated, we again headed out and spent the next 2 days and one night beating our way down the coast. It was exhausting -- everything on the boat was leaned one way or the other as we pounded, thumped,and tacked our way through the unsympathizing waves that washed right up over the boat -- soaking us as well as everything else in the boat. Our second night was shaping up to be more of the same. There was a collective sigh of relief as Cress spotted an island ahead and decided that we should try to anchor in a protected bay for the night. By this time it was getting dark. With "Eagle Eye" Dennis as our spotter, Cress forged ahead. "I see lights ahead" declared Dennis. "Must be houses." "Are you sure?" inquired Cress. "Well, they aren't bobbing up and down like boats", said Dennis. As we got closer, it was decided they weren't houses, so they "must" be boats. Closer yet, and Dennis realized we were headed into a group of fish traps, some of which were not lighted, and therefore nearly impossible to see. "Go to port", Dennis shouted to Cress. "Now go to starboard". It was like a slalom course! Suddenly Dennis yelled out "STOP! We're about to plough into one !" As Cress jerked the boat aside, a pole passed RIGHT beside the boat -- we had just passed throught 2 poles, like goal posts, marking another luckily empty trap. How we managed not to hit the pole (and not get hit) is amazing. After the narrow miss, we positioned ourselves in a quiet spot safely away from any traps. We tidied up, and after a round of stiff drinks, we had a good laugh over our near calamity. We spent a lovely, calm night, and all had a good sleep. Next morning, as we looked out, we could hardly believe our eyes. We were in a minefield of fish traps, (at least 70 of them), many with "guy wires" anchoring them. It is a miracle that we, and the fish traps, survived the previous night intact.

After a good rest, what had been a tough slog the 2 previous days became a challenge, and more fun, as we headed out for more beating and tacking, making our way to the mouth of the Kapuas River. The Kapuas River is like a major highway to Pontianak. We passed many freighters and tugs --again, some unlit, so it was stressful steering for Irena. However, she got us safely to a quiet anchorage for the night. After another long day, we were glad to have quiet waters and a good night's sleep.