NEWSLETTER

Hi there everyone,

Stu here...well its been a very busy season for Freeline and we'd like to thank everyone who came along with us, both new customers and regulars alike. It's always nice to welcome back repeat customers, some who like going to their favourite spot, others who prefer to explore new places. I have been fortunate enough to do a bit of travelling over the last couple of months, as this is when bookings slow down and I can escape from the office. As usual, late season delivered the goods. Here's a brief rundown.

Mentawais aboard Huey 1
Late September I did a trip with Steven 'Sooly' Sewell on Huey 1, now on our books as a Mentawais option. Sooly bought Huey last year and completed major refurbishment on her during the off season. Many of you will know Huey as she has been operating in the area since 1999. It's now an awesome operation: the boat is fast and solid, the crew are fantastic and Sooly is a great host. Lucky for us the surf pumped, with two big swells coming through, the first with a period of about 18 seconds producing heavy, thick barrels for those game enough to give it a go. The trades were blowing the whole time ruling out all the rights, but that didn't matter. So if you're thinking of going to the Mentawais next season, I highly recommend this operation - you'll get waves away from the crowds, be fed like royalty, and, the esky is always re-stocked about 9am each morning (click here for more info).

Sumba aboard Sri Noa Noa
At the same time we were in the Mentawais, the Sri Noa Noa was in Sumba doing the annual Hawaiians' trip. They scored big time as well, but surfing mainly right handers! It's interesting to see the same swells breaking at opposite ends of the archipelago. We got a couple of shots of a pretty unknown break handling the big swells. Last newsletter I said I'd provide a schedule for Roti-Sumba trips. Looks like we'll do 3-4 trips from Late August to late October. I'm currently sorting out flights to and from Sumba and will have dates finalised shortly. Please get in touch if you're interested and will update you next newsletter.

Komodo Dragons

Next, in late October I did a 'non-surfing' trip aboard Sri Noa Noa with the original owner and builder of the boat, a 'mad' Frenchman named Philippe Pertiniaud. Accompanied by his wife, my partner, Mai, and a couple of friends we a spent a week exploring his favorite spots in the Komodo National Marine park. This was a new experience for me and just when you think you don't need a surfboard.... Anyway, it was a fantastic trip and highly recommended for groups or families wanting to get away from it all. The snorkelling, fishing, wildlife, spectacular landscapes, were something to behold, and you just can't beat the tranquility of sailing on flat, crystal clear blue tropical waters. We're thinking of including this trip as a non-surfing destination and should have a page up ready for the next newsletter. See the pics further down the page.

South Java Land tour

After Komodo, we spent some time in Bali with Nev, then headed west to Java to visit Paul Edmiston and his wife Nik, owners of the Java Cove Hotel in Batu Keras. Paul has run iNSEARCH Travel for some years now and has made a lifestyle change to move base to Java and focus on running the hotel. Some of you may have heard of this place and the nearby tourist town of Pangandaran, which suffered the impact of the tsunami in July this year. Paul and Nik, luckily unaffected by waves, were instrumental in getting their local fishing village up and running and it was nice to see the whole area getting back on its feet again.

Like Komodo, this was my first visit to the area I'd heard so much about over the years. It is a very laid back place with perfect right-hand sand bottom point break perferct for beginners, longboarders, or anyone surfers just wanting to kick back, have fun, explore local jungles and rivers or delve into the local culture. There is couple of more challenging waves in the area as well. The locals are very friendly and helpfully, boards and equipment can be hired. So if you want to do a surfing trip with your partner, wife or family, this is the place. See our new South Java Land destination page for package details.

We're slowly getting most of the island chain covered!

Ok, that's it from me, have a great festive season, and we'll be in touch again soon. Over to Nev....

Nev's Report from Bali

Here we are at the end of an Indonesian surf season that turned out to be way better than we expected after the bombing in Bali last year and the frequent political dramas that went on this year to make Indonesia look like a suspect holiday destination. The crew (surfers are hard to put off) who did come to Indonesia this year, in the main, enjoyed some great surf, warm hospitality, interesting times in interesting places without too much crowd hassles.

The Mentawais would be the only area that didn't really suffer too much from the down turn in tourism. Most operators and visitors reported plenty of boats and surfers in the area. Everywhere else seemed to be pretty much up and down. Sometimes busy but with periods of uncrowded waves.

Bali itself has attracted plenty of surfers though not as many as last year and in general has suffered badly from the big drop in tourism. Surfboard sales have been really slow and a lot of surfshops are just hanging on. The Freeline shop in Bali is going 0K due to the tour and travel service and sales of accessories. Freeline Jakarta is a bit slower but we'll be there next season to look after all your needs.

I've just been going through the "backwash" questionnaires that've been returned. I'm happy to see that in the main all you guys who came with FISA were happy with your holiday and the service we provided.

The few complaints we got were mostly one offs and where we can we'll address them and do our best to fix any problems. Some things we have no control of will always be with us. Like control of the weather and swell. Also the number of surfers in any particular area. One group might have a whinge about too many surfers and the next group are stoked that the place was uncrowded. We have no control of how many boats or losmens/surfs camps operate in various areas and how many crew are there.

If you experience any dangerous driving from our contracted drivers, remember you have the voice and the authority to slow them down. Sign language to slow down isn't too hard. Also western bad driving and Indonesian bad driving are very different but you do have the voice, or hand signals, to get it back to a safe standard.

We operate in Indonesia and as we point out in our promo materials things don't always go to the plan we'd like. Sometimes boat captains and crew change from trip to trip, and we don't always get the drivers we want. This is due to circumstances beyond our control but we assure you we always do our best to provide the service we say we will.

We had a couple of complaints about airline timetables and delays. These are out of our control as the airlines generally just do what suits them. This is especially true with domestic flights where schedules can change on a daily basis if it suits them. Since the 2002 Bali bombing airlines have been very erratic with their scheduling often giving short notice, or none at all, of any changes. Please remember that it's to our advantage to have all flights and transfers to run smoothly so we have happy surfers. Also our staff don't much like hanging around the airport waiting for hours for a flight that's been delayed.

One last thing, all the accommodations and boats used on our surf tours are owned by others. Freeline use the best available losmens etc in each area. Boats are privately owned and Freeline are agents only. We do pass on your comments about food, beds, facilities etc to the owners of accommodations and boats. One thing you all should realise, and most of you do, is that the places we visit are in remote areas and facilities are not the same as in Bali or your home country.

Our last tour ended last week with the boys returning from Sth Sumatra. Tour guide Mumuh told us that they got good waves for the trip and came back happy. Surf is still good here in Bali and regular Freeline traveller Demon says that he's getting his fill of choice waves down in Sumbawa. Every one is hoping for terrorist free off season and less political dramas from all governments.

We're planning for a bigger season in 2007 as are most boat and tour operators and upgrades are planned by the BRS at their camps. All we all need is for you guys to come along, go surfing and have fun to get Indonesia back to it's best. Thanks to all the crew who came with us this year, hope you got heaps of waves.

Have a great summer all you Aussies and Kiwis and I hope Santa's good to you all.

See you in 2007 - Nev