s/v Field Trip

Day before our trip We motored toward Kumai, the waters running below us turning from blue to brown the further upriver we went. Massive tugboats passed closely beside us pulling long barges filled with mountains of wood chips, a sign of the commercial logging industry that is claiming much of Borneo’s natural forests. During our nighttime sailing, a full moon offered just enough light to silhouette the towed barges, which were otherwise unlit. Overnight, one such barge was anchored near us. I was sitting at the salon table, scrolling through Instagram and enjoying the connectivity, when I suddenly had this feeling that I was being watched. One look outside revealed a huge steel barge right beside us with men aboard, certainly taking a curious look into the windows of our fully lit salon. I immediately woke up Mark who had gone to bed early to catch up on sleep he’d lost during our passage. Keeping an eye on the red steel hull, we raised anchor and motored through the lig...