The Batam bandits

If you’ve ever taken your boat to Batam, you’ve probably said the same thing we did…“We’ll just pop over for cheap fuel and be back before dinner.”Famous last words.The plan was simple. Fill up the tanks. Have a decent seafood lunch. Maybe a couple of beers. Head home before dark.Instead, we found ourselves wondering why everything was so cheap, why nothing seemed to make sense, and why every local skipper has that look in their eyes when you mention a “quick Batam run.”Then the sun went down.Container ships appeared out of the darkness. Fishing boats seemed to be playing hide-and-seek without navigation lights. The refinery lit up the horizon like something out of an apocalypse.Naturally, I decided it was the perfect time for a nap.Which left Finnigan driving.At night.Near Batam.What happened next started with a voice on the VHF……and ended with us realising that some stories get told in yacht clubs for years.This is one of them.