Couple tell of horrific ordeal that saw Indonesian officials fire gunshots over their heads when they tried to stock up on supplies as they sailed home to Australia amid the coronavirus pandemic
- Dwayne and Kelly Turpin planned to sail from Thailand to Sydney amid COVID-19
- Travel restrictions were imposed around the world as they sailed in Indonesia
- When the couple stopped to get supplies military officials fired gunshots
- They were followed by police, kicked out of moorings and battered by a storm
- The couple made it safely home and are in isolation in Darwin's Mercure Hotel
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A couple have told how military officials fired gunshots in their direction while they were trying to stock up on supplies in Indonesia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dwayne and Kelly Turpin were sailing from Thailand to Australia on their boat the SY Nomad when countries across the world closed borders and imposed travel bans.
The couple have been sailing together for 18-years and had sailed nearly the exact same route six years ago, though were cautious of their travel amid the outbreak of COVID-19.
'We were concerned about the virus and were aware we had to take precautions,' Ms Turpin told Daily Mail Australia.
'But we left Thailand before any countries started shutting their borders. We had no idea that was going to happen.'
Dwayne and Kelly Turpin endured a tumultuous journey from Thailand to Australia amid coronavirus restrictions
As the pandemic began to spread and they got further into their journey, the couple noticed the northern Indonesian locals began behaving differently around them, to the point where they were forced out of anchoring off the coast of islands on several occasions.
'We realised things were getting worse, and understood we could not go ashore, but at this stage still believed we would be able to anchor to sleep on the boat if we explained we would not come ashore,' Ms Turpin said.
'The situation soon deteriorated and from that time on, if we anchored near a village we were told to leave. Nothing we could say help the situation and we would have to leave to find another anchorage or sail through the night.
'At this stage we realised the Indonesian were scared of us. Scared of the virus they thought we might be carrying. We on the other hand had had very little contact with anyone from early March, and none for two weeks.
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'We knew we didn’t have the virus, but of course they didn’t know that and did not believe us when we tried to explain.'
After sailing through northern Bali and Komodo Islands, the couple arrived in Larantuka at the east end of Flores to refuel before sailing to Australia.
Mr Turpin was told by a local Indonesian contact to go into shore to show their clearance paperwork and hand in their fuel drums to be filled.
'Dwayne went ashore and showed them our passports and clearance paperwork,' Ms Turpin said. 'They gave Dwayne some paperwork in return and then sprayed him, the paperwork and the dinghy with disinfectant.'
Mr Turpin and his dingy getting sprayed with disinfectant by Indonesians on arrival in Larantuka
An hour later Mr Turpin got back in the dingy to the shore to pick up their supplies when suddenly an Indonesian military boat approached Ms Turpin on the yacht.
'Just after Dwayne left, a small navy boat came up to me and a man in uniform, holding a gun across his chest, yelled aggressively at me, "missus, you leave!"' Ms Turpin said.
'I said I couldn’t as I was waiting for my husband who was picking up fuel. The boat motored towards the shore where Dwayne was standing by his dingy.
'The navy boat arrived near Dwayne and then I heard yelling, after some more yelling I heard a gun shot. I was amazed! A few minute later I heard another gun shot and more yelling.
'Dwayne tried to explain that he was getting fuel and water and would leave as soon as it was loaded. The man with the gun just yelled at Dwayne “you leave, you leave” and "virus, you go".
'Because Dwayne wasn’t leaving the man fired his gun above Dwayne’s head. With out the fuel, or the water, we would not have been able to reach Australia.'
Mr Turpin with the help of some locals managed to load the dingy and make his way back to the SY Nomad, with the navy boat following the boat out of the harbour as they sailed east to find a place to stay the night.
The couple captured pictures of Indonesian military officials with guns drawn on their journey. The couple were followed out of Larantuka by an Indonesian navy boat for an hour after Mr Turpin had shots fired over his head while buying essential supplies on shore
'The navy boat followed us for over an hour,' Ms Turpin said. 'This was very intimidating as we were unsure whether there may be any repercussions for not leaving when immediately asked.'
The couple were approached by canoes of locals and police off Solor Island who forced them to leave their mooring and sail on to Timor Leste, where they hoped to sleep before crossing the Timor Sea to Darwin the following day.
Police intervened and the couple were forced to begin their sail on April 9, leading them straight into a vicious storm front while crossing the Timor Sea.
Five metre seas and 30knot winds battered the boat, damaging the engine and sail and causing Australian Border Force to contact them to see if they were going to abandon ship.
'It is definitely one of the worst storms we have been in,' Ms Turpin said. 'However, due to the integrity of the boat we never thought she was in any danger.
The Turpin's sailed the SY Nomad on their journey, which was battered by huge seas while crossing the Timor Sea on the way into Darwin
'When we were unable to sail or motor in the direction of Darwin, and were only drifting further away, we were worried about how long we could stay with the boat because and we only had a small amount of water left.'
Mr Turpin was eventually able to stabilise the boat as weather conditions subsided, with the couple able to safely arrive in Darwin.
The Turpin's are now in forced quarantine at the Mercure Hotel in Darwin where they have spent the last 12 days reflecting on their journey and wondering where they will go next.
They had planned to continue sailing onto Sydney but may be forced to change plans due to travel restrictions and have not let their harrowing experience diminish their love for being on the water.
'Sailing is our life. We love it too much to ever give it up,' Ms Turpin said.
'Everyone who has sailed would know that these things happen, and with a little foresight, experience, belief in your boat and a little luck, most problems will be eventually overcome.'
Dwayne and Kelly Turpin planned to sail on to Sydney, but due to coronavirus restrictions they may be forced to change their plans
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