Sailing Sumatra on "Mikumba" June 27

There were a lot of last minute deals out there this year, even for some peak season dates.  Back in October I had booked Mikumba with Sumatran Surfariis.  I knew the boat was solid, and the guide would be on it.  

When the economy hit the skids a bunch of the people I thought would come had to bail.   I was facing a nightmare - I had committed to a trip that might not go because it didn't have enough people.  What happens in this scenario?  You get your money back, but only a week in advance, which is really too late to do anything except go to Padang and try to get on with some boat, any boat.

The guys going with me were depending on me to find us the best trip, and I shopped all the last minute specials and emailed every boat I could find to see if they were available during my timeframe.  If a boat is available, you have to ask yourself why - is the boat not quite what it looks like on the internet?  Is the guide a drunk who likes to sleep late?  How bad could the food be?  For the posh looking boats you have to wonder if the guide really knows what's going on.

It came down to these factors:  Most boats only had one tender boat, and Mikumba has two - this is really key for shooting video or being able to ferry guys between two nearby spots without abandoning anyone.  There were a couple of nicer boats available with experienced captains and I seriously considered going with San Souci 2, but $50 more per night for a 14 day/15 night meant the trip cost a LOT more money.  I wasn't sure it would be worth it.  

Bottom line was through friends of friends of friends and a couple of random guys we got enough people to secure a guaranteed departure.  We were totally psyched to get the boat we wanted, the crew we wanted, the dates we wanted, and the flexibility to head to the Telos & Nias with no BS surcharges.  There weren't any discounts, but in the end we still got a great value - 14 surf days for $3150, a spacious boat with a 20 foot beam, two tender boats, the freedom to go to the Telos/Nias/beyond, the Mentawais, or both, and a proven guide & crew.