Photo: Even Karma (Sydney39) Skipper, John Hardy
Just Makes You Feel Like You Belong…
I asked one skipper why he keeps returning to the Race. We talked over a few Bintangs, wonderful food and karaoke in Ambon City while out celebrating another Race and another year in Ambon. The skipper said to me:
“Apart from the blue water race…. the challenge of the boat and crew…. the rivalry amongst friends…. the challenge of the harbours and the seas…. the distance…. what else can I say…. there’s nothing else to compare with it! There is no other yacht race like it.
“In Ambon there’s no surf or golf like Bali to attract the tourist. There’s nothing that we can take away from Ambon other than friendship. The people of Amahusu Village and the Island of Ambon just make you feel like you belong.”
Ambon doesn’t have the usual items that attract the mass tourists like Bali. We talked about the Ambonese and what they do offer, their wonderful food, their culture and entertainment. We talked of the amazing beaches, the spectacular diving, the rich volcanic mountains, the lush rainforests, the special places to visit, their proud history, and the new World Peace Gong to tell the world that Maluku is a safe and peaceful place to visit.
Ambon is a magnificent starting point for sailing and exploration through the 1,000 or so “Spice Islands”. What Ambon has to offer is certainly genuine and special, it is so easily accessible by boat – the people in Ambon and Maluku certainly “just make you feel like you belong”. The skipper continued:
“The friendships begin in Darwin with the preparations of the yacht and with the crew coming together. The Darwin functions bring all the crews together.
The World Peace Gong
“Then there’s the Race…. a truly international blue water yacht race…. the start…. the race out the harbour…. the first night trying to navigate Cape Fourcroy…. the dark nights at sea…. the rain clouds on the horizon that signal you are nearly there…. and then…. Ambon Harbour and the first glimpse of people.
“Then it’s all followed with the welcoming, the friendships, the endless parties and stories to be told in Ambon.”
The welcoming from the children is a very special part of the arrival to Ambon. They all want to talk to you, to practice their English, to have your signature, to know your name, to take a photo with you, to share in the excitement, to help you, be near you and just to know you. The children are amazing and such a wonderful part of the whole experience of Ambon. They are a reflection of the whole community.
“But it doesn’t stop there because then there is the passage back home through the Maluku Islands where the friendships continue.”
For me and our crew, sailing home through the islands in the company of other yachts is just as wonderful. Whole communities come out to greet you, to offer their friendship, hospitality, to be your guide, to sell you fresh fish or a coconut. The communities really want to share all they have to offer and it begins with friendship.
The skipper has it right: “The Race truly brings people together.”
words by Robyn Dix