Anticipating the likely weather conditions was quite an artform in those days, long before any sort of satellite aid. I spent some time in the library of the UK Met Office looking at historic reports from ships which sailed in those waters and the best prospects looked like an area on the north coast of Java, near the town of Surabaya.
This was the largest group we had ever arranged but with help from the new Apple desk-top computers the administration worked flawlessly and on the day of the eclipse we set off to the coastal eclipse site… but at that point the local militia moved in. A convoy of all eclipse tourist coaches was formed behind us we had a military escort through to the site, with all side roads closed. Far more intrusive than we ever intended.
This eclipse was also a glorious site. The weather performed as expected with any cloud forming on a range of hills inland and the coastline clear. This project was an ideal base for a wonderful range of travel add-ons, with the many Indonesian Islands including Bali easy add-on tours or a short flight on to Australia.
Brian McGee
Founder, Astro Trails