Lightning storms are always frightening on a sailboat and never more so than when you're making an ocean crossing with nowhere to run or take shelter.
This episode is all about sailing as we make passage from the Anambas archipelago to Borneo. With an early monsoon transitional season kicking up all kinds of capricious winds, we knew we were in for an unpredictable crossing.
It would almost certainly mean both of us on watch together for much of the time. The angle was too acute to take us to our first waypoint on the southwest side of Natuna, so we recalculated and aimed directly towards Sarawak.
But sailing through three lightning storms at night sapped our energy. The tiny haven of Serasan lay in our path and it seemed serendipitous to make a stop there.
At daybreak, a storm five-miles wide hung over the reef-strewn narrow entry to Serasan’s natural harbour. With 100m visibility, it took all our navigational skills to reach safety.