Oceania 2018: Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Noumea and surrounds in New Caledonia then over to Port Vila in Vanuatu and north to Luganville, a great two months afloat in the South Pacific!

Noumea, New Caledonia Arrival 26 April
Unfortunately, the day I was to leave Arizona heading for Noumea, I woke with a sore throat… rats. 6 hours of driving to LA, 13 hours to Auckland, then a 4-hour wait before another 3-hour flight to Noumea. Luckily, the antihistamines helped me sleep 10 of the 13 hours enroute to NZ, but flying with a cold is never fun and it made it all the worse once I arrived, since I was both sick and jet-lagged. Oh well, it is what it is. Joachim met me where the shuttle bus dropped me off near the marina.

We got all my stuff in the dinghy, along with provisions he had bought, and headed out and around to the next bay where the boat lay at anchor. She has a fine profile and I love the little turtle stencil on the bow. Once aboard, I had a look around. She’s an old lady and a bit tired looking, but Joachim keeps her well. The layout is quite different than any other I’ve seen or sailed on, with several steep steps down into the cabins, galley, and head. She doesn’t have much ventilation in the main salon or cabins, but there are a few fans which can be employed as needed. It’s fall, so not extremely hot, but still warm enough. Oh, and going from Arizona with its 10% humidity, to about 95%, my hair went from nicely styled for my Mom’s party to a frizzy mess… but what the heck. Boat hair, don’t care! 😊 We had Thursday afternoon and Friday before Lena, the other crew was to arrive.

Ilot Uere, New Caledonia 27 – 28 April
Lena’s flight arrived at about midnight and Joachim took the dinghy over to meet her as he had met me. I slept and only woke briefly when they returned and Joachim hoisted the dinghy up on the davits… just above my head. The following morning, we went to shore to do the last provisioning and then set out for a short sail to a small island just south of Noumea. The boat sails well and fast, but there are things that I find less than desirable… no chart-plotter at the helm, for example. Also, no self-tailing winch for the genoa. With an older boat, everything is more work, but once you get the hang of it, I suspect it just becomes the normal routine. We set anchor late in the afternoon and enjoyed the sunset and a salad for dinner. Middle of the night, I was awakened with disco music that was so loud I thought a party boat had anchored directly outside my cabin! Actually, Joachim reported the following morning that the sound had actually carried over from shore. Wow! We planned to go to another small island about 10 miles away with a lovely lighthouse, but the winds didn’t cooperate so we changed course and headed to a bay on the mainland.

Mainland – Baie du Prone & Caranage, New Caledonia 28 April – 2 May
New Caledonia does quite a lot of nickel mining, and as we came through a pass and headed inland a bit, we saw a huge gash in the hillside and lots of mining activity… a shame, as it really disrupts the landscape. We came around into a little bay and set anchor for the night, then proceeded further inwards the following morning to where there was a river entrance and we could get fresh water and explore. There are hot springs in the area as well, so perhaps we’ll have the chance to have a hot bath! Joachim doesn’t have the water heater in service, so it’s a dip in the salt water for washing then a final cool-water rinse afterwards. I suppose in the heat of the South Pacific one doesn’t need hot water like in other locations. If it gets too cool, I can heat water and then have a washcloth “bird bath” (a cat bath, as he calls it), which I did the first day… didn’t want to get chilled with a cold that already settled in my chest. Lena is a nice girl – only 19 and with a perfect figure – so it makes my almost 60 years and a few extra kilos at the moment all the more noticeable. We get along fine though and she eats healthfully the way I like to. Actually, so does Joachim and that will make taking off the few found kilos easier.

Baie du Irre 3 – 4 May
We wanted to head towards Amadee Island with its classic last-century lighthouse, but the wind wasn’t cooperating, so we set out for a shorter sail and decided to anchor in a protected bay with some coconut palms along the shore. We arrived there with sufficient time to dinghy to shore, take a walk, and collect some coconuts. Joachim prefers the young ones, soft and creamy, and I the old ones, hard and crunchy. So we took a few of each.

Ilot Amadee 4 – 6 May
The next day we had good wind to continue on to Amadee, a lovely little reef island with a classic lighthouse. We walked up the stairs of the lighthouse and had a gorgeous view of the reef and the boat on the mooring. Nice!

Ilot Maitre 6 – 8 May
Next up was Maitre, where there was a small resort with individual huts on stilts in the water… just like you see in Thailand and other tropical locations. The snorkeling was okay but not brilliant. What was fun, were the remora fish! There were a few around and we started feeding them. Then there were more. It was quite fun feeding them tidbits and leftovers… I love these guys!

Ilot Signal and an Anchorage north of Noumea 8 – 11 May
Off to the next island, a round walk-about and some nice snorkeling… a few lovely turtles. Then back to the mainland as Lena needed to prepare to leave on the 12^th and we wanted to enjoy an ice-cream in Noumea before that. At an anchorage on the mainland, we met some locals who were on the beach barbecuing some big clams. They offered some to us. They were rubbery but tasted good. Nice to connect with people.

Noumea and Surrounds 11 – 22 May

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Port Vila, Vanuatu 26 – 28 May
It was just under 300 miles to Port Vila and we had wind, then no wind, so we sailed and motored as needed. We did 2-hour shifts, which seemed a little short to me after the 4-hour shifts with just about everyone else… the advantage of having four people on board to do watch. All in all, it was a very pleasant trip. I haven’t gotten used to the slamming of waves under the salon, typical of all cats. It’s worse here than other cats I’ve sailed on though, as the salon/bridge is so low to the water.

We arrived in Port Vila at about 6pm and radioed in to the harbormaster, but no answer. We decided to stay on board and under quarantine until Monday so as not to require overtime costs for weekend clearance. We enjoyed the time to rest and then Monday morning started the proceedings. After clearing in, we organized SIM cards and did some provisioning, then made our way out of town the following day after meeting with Jorg, the German Counsel in Vanuatu. He gave us some good local info and then we were on our way.

Hideaway Resort, NW Efate Island, Vanuatu 28 – 29 May
Hideaway resort is only a short distance from Port Vila but has an interesting claim to fame… they have the only underwater post office in the world! One buys waterproof plastic postcards which are prepaid for delivery anywhere in the world. You write and addresse them in pencil, then snorkel/dive over to deliver the postcards in the submerged post-box. Luckily for me, it was low tide so I was able to get myself underwater in the wetsuit and put my postcards in the box… however, I didn’t quite make it to the slot and deposited them under a space under the roof… close enough, me thinks! It was about a 2km swim/snorkel over to the post office and then around to the beach and back… nice fish, not-so-good coral.

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NW Efate Island, Vanuatu 29 – 31 May
We sailed out and around the northwest of Efate, the island where Port Vila is located. We enjoyed the terrific open market and lovely sunsets.

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Leman Bay, Epi Island, Vanuatu 31 May – 4 June
We decided to sail overnight to Epi Island rather than spending the entire day sailing and arriving at nightfall. We had to weave our way through reefs and wouldn’t be able to leave and arrive in daylight. It worked out well and I was just awakening (at 9:30am) after my second sleep as we pulled into the bay.

Plunk, down went the anchor, next to the 3 cats that were already anchored there. We had breakfast and relaxed a bit before launching the dinghy and heading to shore for a walk-about and to see the village. The village by Lamen bay (anchorage) was off to the left, but we decided to head right first. There was a road of sorts and we meandered along and then upwards. We hoped we’d get a nice view from above, and eventually arrived at a small village. We were met by Andre. He showed us around the little village and then where he had some local guys working and digging out a new “long drop” (outhouse). He told us the market was on Fridays (yesterday ☹) but he had some oranges that he hadn’t sold, so we bought them. The view was beautiful!!! Andre offered us some cooking bananas (like plantains) which we happily accepted, then opened a coconut for us. The was the best coconut so far and I enjoyed almost half of it myself!!! – worth every calorie! Andre then suggested we join him and his crew for cava, the famous South Pacific drink often accompanied by a ceremony. Joachim and Thomas had both tried cava in Fiji before, but Adi and I had never had the experience. Andre and his cousin Robert both assured us that Vanuatu cava was the best in the Pacific and that which one finds in Fiji and elsewhere is watered down and not so fine. Great. So, we happily accepted the invitation and while waiting for the workers to complete a little more, Thomas and Adi (IT professionals by trade) did some work on Andre’s laptop.

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Off we went in the back bed of Andre’s truck… first to Robert’s village and then to the village with the cava bar. Normally, cava ceremonies are reserved for men only. However, cava bars are open to everyone so I could partake. They actually made a fresh batch of cava for us… a long and involved process, the output being something like mud and wet cement mixed then drained. It really looks mostly like a muddy puddle one would step in (or better yet, around) than something you’d consider drinking. Andre announced that the cava production would take about 15 minutes during which time we’d take a drive and take some photos. We later learned that “15 minutes” Vanuatu time, means anything from 30 minutes to a few hours… so better make yourself comfortable and relax… no hurry, man!

That was all well and good until we remembered that the dinghy was not fastened on land and that the tide was rising… oops!! There was no way we would make it back in time at this rate, and we couldn’t very well abandon the cava process mid-stream, especially since we offered to buy a round for the troops. Luckily, Andre had the phone number of someone at the beach and was able to call to verify that the dinghy was still on land and in no immediate danger of floating off to sea. Whew!!! So, we waited the “15 minutes” Vanuatu time and then we tasted it. ACK!!! YUCK! I took only a small portion but it tasted nasty and immediately made my tongue, lips, and the roof of my mouth go numb (yes, that’s what it is supposed to do). Everyone downed their portion in a single chug/gulp, but I just couldn’t… nope, could not, no way. It would have been highly impolite for me not to finish the cup or to be seen pouring it out. Luckily, Thomas came to the rescue and without anyone noticing, he finished off the remainder of my small cup (thanks Thomas!!!) It was dark and finally time to head back to the boat and we said farewell to Andre with the promise we would come to church the following morning and bring some movies and photos with us.

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The following morning, we made our way back up the steep road to the village for church services – supposedly at 9am. Joachim knew better than to expect that they would actually start then, but we all gave gas and sweated our way there to be on time. Actually, things didn’t get rolling until about 10am. We were warmly greeted by a number of folks and were invited to join for lunch after the services. There was lots of singing and a little preaching in between. There was also a “story time”, where the children gathered up front and one of the women told them a story with a message… nice, that’s a great way to teach children. At the end of the service, everyone walks outside and then forms a line so that the next person walking out shakes their hand and says “God bless you”, then becomes part of the line for the following people. I liked this service a lot. What I also really like is how beautiful the villages are and how lovely everything is kept. There are beautiful trees and flowers and mowed lawn everywhere. There is no trash or plastic laying around – everyone takes pride in their homes and gardens. This island really is a paradise and we were delighted to experience a little bit of it.

Lunch was a feast! The women all sat around on woven mats and several brought things for us to eat – local grapefruit (Pamplemousses), banana, and papaya (paw-paw), then “lap lap” which was made from either taro, banana, or other starchy substance and filled with a bit of vegetable or meat. They also served some pork and some taro chunks – heavy and filling. I picked out the meat (hopefully no one noticed!) but ate everything else… delicious. They eat with their hands, so I enjoyed that, although the guys used the spoons they provided. After lunch, we copied the movies I had on my flash drive onto Andre’s computer and we said our farewells and thanks for the huge bag of grapefruit and papaya we were given. Such a lovely people, happy and sweet, and it was so wonderful to be with them for a while. Dugongs! There are supposedly dugongs in the area and they are best seen in the early morning hours. So, we decided on a 6am snorkeling round in the bay and in search of dugongs. I’ve never seen either a dugong or a manatee in person, and had high hopes of seeing one here. Alas, none were to be found. I did see two lovely turtles, but we’ll have to see if we find our dugongs in the next anchorage off Malekula Island over the next days. Off we go, under motor/sail, for points northwest.

Gaspard Bay, Malekula Island, Vanuatu 4 – 5 June
It is only 20 miles or so from Epi Island over to Malekula Island. We left after an early morning snorkel in search of dugongs… none seen but two lovely turtles glided by. Supposedly Gaspard Bay has dugongs as well since the Lonely Planet tour guide indicates that dugong tours are on offer there. The weather was cloudy and then it started raining heavily. We took advantage of the rain and filled the water tanks, filled buckets and tubs, washed clothes and washed ourselves in the downpour. There was another sailboat in the anchorage and we waved upon arrival though secretly we would have preferred to have the place to ourselves. The rain eventually let up and we had a quiet evening. The following morning, we all posted ourselves on the top deck on the look-out for dugongs. The water was dark and not clear at all, so snorkeling in search of dugongs wasn’t going to prove successful. Joachim said he saw dugongs twice – both times when I had my back turned, so I wasn’t sure I believed him at first. But sure enough, as we stood longer in wait, we saw a few ripples in the water and what turned out to be smaller-than-expected dugongs. Yippee!!!! My first dugong.

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Having seen our dugongs, we contemplated plans from there and decided that we didn’t need to stay any longer in Gaspard bay as the time was growing short before we needed to be in Luganville for Thomas’ and Adi’s flight out. We made ready and motor-sailed 10 miles or so up to Banam Bay and tucked in behind the reef.

Banam Bay, Malekula Island, Vanuatu 5 – 6 June
A nice little bay and a quiet night, I made us my semi-famous-in-some-parts egg frittata with what little veggies we still had on hand and turned in early to read and get a good night sleep. I pretty much always get a good night sleep on board… love sleeping on a boat!

We had planned to leave early in the morning and make our way north, but there wasn’t any wind so we did a little cleaning, I made coffee, and then we had a visitor… Carl, in a traditional canoe, who lives with his family along the remote shore of the bay. We spoke about football (soccer) and local life, and then gave him some rice and set out for Crab Bay about 12 miles north.

Crab Bay, Malekula Island, Vanuatu 6 – 7 June
On our way, we had a dolphin escort. They were amazing!!! They were huge, beautiful, glorious wonders of the universe. We all stood on the bow and enjoyed their company… such lovelies they are. It doesn’t matter how many dolphins I see, I love them – each and every one, every time, and am filled with joy as they dance and frolic at the bow.

There are, indeed, crabs in Crab Bay. We worked our way through the reefs to where our anchoring location was and set the anchor. As Joachim backed down on the anchor, we heard a loud “crunch” and stopped short. At first, I thought the anchored grabbed a piece of coral and we came up hard on the chain. We did grab a piece of coral, but it turned out that it wasn’t on the anchor – it was the propeller on the port engine going in reverse. Yikes!!! I was impressed that Joachim kept his cool and didn’t get visibly angry. I really liked his calm approach as he pulled the anchor back up and we set it just a short distance away and scouted the back as well as out front for coral… none seen and happily none directly encountered. We had a lovely swim to shore, where said crabs were in abundance (small ones in shells) and then swam back, ate grapefruit – our “Pamplemousse Party” (gift from Epi island village) on the trampoline, which has become a new tradition among the crew. The sky was lovely and pink clouds set off the green hillside in beautiful technicolor. I marveled at how awesome the location is and to be on the boat and enjoy such an amazing experience is a dream.

Port Stanley (Lakatola), Malekula Island, Vanuatu 7 – 9 June
Port Stanley is the bay by the main town on Malekula Island. Being the main town and all, I had some expectation that we would find a fresh market and supermarket with a bit of selection to bolster up our now empty coffers. We decided to wait until the next morning as the weather was less than inviting, but the next morning was again rain, and rain, and more rain. We headed in to shore during a lull, but before we even reached the stone jetty the rain was coming down in buckets. We walked the short distance into town through mud puddles (which looked suspiciously like the cava we drank recently, lol!) and arrived in a small-town center which immediately took my expectations to new lower levels. The fresh market had a few things and a lot of the same, but happily there was cabbage – you know, cabbage is a cruising girl’s best friend – and spring onions. So at least we had something green for salad. But no apples, no zucchini, no carrots. We only have a few days before we reach Luganville, so we will make do.

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We have been motoring quite a lot, so we had cannisters to fill with diesel as well as the veggies. By the time we returned to the dinghy and then the boat, we all looked like drowned rats. Everything was damp and for the first time since being on board with four of us, I felt that space was a little tight. The boat isn’t the most comfortable either. There doesn’t seem to be any place that is really comfy to sit or lie down. The cabin top is curved all over, the trampoline up front leaves deep net impressions on the body, the cockpit seats are hard and there are only thin little cushions (one per customer, please), and the salon bench doesn’t have any side arms so you have to sit upright. The only really comfy spot is in bed but then it’s dark and warm and too easy to fall asleep. Okay, enough whining… I am really happy to be sailing and exploring New Cal and Vanuatu, and the yacht is solid.

Vao Island, off NE Malekula Island, Vanuatu 9 – 1- June
We made our way up to the little island of Vao on the NE side of Malekula… last stop before crossing over north to Santo. It looked like a lovely little place, and a woman paddled over in her traditional canoe to speak with us.

We took a tour of the island with her, as she said she’s a guide. It was costly and somewhat lackluster, so obviously it is a business. It was a nice walk though and we enjoyed it. This was the only place we saw any amount of rubbish around. Interesting that they were a bit more advanced in development and immediately the plastic and other waste became a problem. They had interesting wood carvings in various locations as well.

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Luganville, Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu 10 – 13 June
We arrived on Sunday afternoon and found a spot to anchor centrally located. We dinghied over to shore for a first foray, though Thomas stayed aboard with a severe headache. The market was half open, with a few things here and there, but we didn’t really need anything desperately, so got some tomatoes and some local roasted peanuts. They weren’t salted and were delicious!

Monday, we organized a mini-bus to go visit Ri-Ri Blue Hole, which was a bit disappointing for the price, but still nice and mostly blue, as advertised.

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Tuesday, we went to customs and packed up to go. I decided to fly with Thomas and Adi to Port Vila and then stay there for a week while I decided on next plans and enjoyed some time alone after almost two months with 3 or 4 on board. I’m glad I came and sailed and spent some time in New Cal and Vanuatu… it’s sort of a “preview tour” as I know I want to come back here and do a slow sail across the entire South Pacific, including the Galapagos!

Thank you Joachim, for the opportunity to sail in New Caledonia and Vanuatu, and for introducing me to my wonderful crew-mates. Thank you Lena, Thomas and Adi, for your good company. And thanks Thomas, for sharing your great photos. I’ve included a few above and here are some more of my favorites below…

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