July 17
All participants attended the the Farewell Barbeque at The Darwin Sailing Club on Friday July 17 where they were able to meet with the other sailors,renew acquaintances, swap stories and make plans. JR Duty free donated a number of fragrances from their range which were raffled on the night and raised $325 AUD which went to the Kupang Scholarship Program

The Technical Meeting was also attended by all participants at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel where they were given the latest updates and information regarding their crossing of Indonesia by Aji Sularso from ASWINDO and from Sazli Khamal Basha from Sail Malaysia. Skippers and crews are very busy as they make preparations for their Customs clearance on Friday morning and departure from Darwin at 11 am on Saturday morning.

July 25
The rally left Darwin in light conditions on schedule in Fannie Bay west of the Darwin Sailing Club at 11 am. The fleet was led across the start line by the Darwin based yacht Parlay sailed by Ray and Shaunnaugh Jones. Some yachts decided to leave Darwin one day late when the forecast light winds were expected to increase but this did not eventuate and the fleet made its way slowly to Kupang.

July 28
Parlay arrived in Kupang early on Tuesday morning first from Darwin after motoring for around 9 hours and experienced an unseasonal rainstorm close to Kupang which also gave Kupang city some unexpected rain. During the day as other yachts began arriving in Kupang Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, Port Control (CIQP) and Money Changers opened a one stop shop in an office only 50 meters from the beach.
With the experience gained form previous years the yachts were cleared as soon as they arrived and the crews were then able to go off into Kupang for sightseeing and buy supplies.

July 29
The main body of yachts began to arrive today, the 29th and again they were processed as they arrived with only minimal delays. A welcome ceremony hosted by the Kupang Mayors office was held at the anchorage at 11 am where the yacht crews were treated to some traditional dancing, breakfast and the presentation of ceremonial sarongs and local hats.
As the day progressed the crews exchanged stories at the onshore bar/restaurant and CIQP closed up for the day at 5 pm.
At 6 pm buses arrived at the anchorage and took all the participants to the Timor Governor's Welcome Ceremony and Dinner at the RRI (Radio Republic Indonesia) exhibition centre not far from the anchorage.
After the welcome speeches there were a number of local dances culminating in a spectacular dance by a group from Iran Jaya (Papua) in traditional dress which received a standing ovation.
This was followed by a buffet dinner for around 500 persons - truly a night not to be forgotten.