Efate to Epi

We dropped off Mike in Port Vila and after a short stay to get gas etc we sailed to Lelepa Island in around 15 knots. The wind dropped as we got in the lee of Lelepa Island and we motored through a narrow pass to anchor in Mallao Bay. We both went for a midwinter swim and snorkel. We stayed here a couple of days doing some snorkeling and walks along the beach. Late one afternoon we followed a track I had seen some tourists heading up earlier and discovered a large cave. We went back to the boat for torches and returned to explore further. The cave went back quite a way and the roof was hung with tiny bats, much smaller than the large 'flying foxes' that we have seen before in the islands. At times the air was filled with them flying close past us but never making contact. We also could get close enough to have a good look at them hanging upside down from the rocky ceiling.

We were originally heading to Nguna Island but on the day we left we had a good wind so decided to make the most of it and head further north to Emae Island. We were followed out of the pass by a catamaran who were obviously having difficulties finding the way out. We had a good sail up to Emae and anchored at Sulua Bay. The first time we dropped the anchor we went for a snorkel to check the surroundings and decided that there was a bommie (coral outcrop) to close in front of us (it wouldn't have been a problem as the wind never swung around from behind) but did mean we shifted to a much better spot. Emae is a high volcanic island with three distinct peaks. From here we were hoping to dive an offshore reef but the weather gods had other things in mind. We spent three windy and wet days here. Eventually we struck a sunny day and the wind appeared to have calmed down a bit so we set sail for Epi. The wind was behind us (SE) so we had a good sail (about 30nm) under a triple reefed main and reefed jib. In the open water it was around 30 knots with a 3m swell. In NZ these would have been quite uncomfortable conditions but the lack of wind chill makes sailing here much more pleasant. Jim sailed the whole way in his underwear! Eventually as we got in the lee of the island and as we rounded Cape Foreland, the wind and swell died away and we sailed the last few miles under full main and jib to Lamen Bay.

The windy weather has continued but Lamen Bay is a pleasant anchorage with just a touch of swell rolling in. There are a lot of turtles here, we have seen several both from the yacht and while snorkeling. I think they are green sea turtles feeding on the sea grass on the sandy bottom. We have also seen a dugong from the yacht but not while swimming yet. Its been a bit colder here lately with the temperature dropping below 25 degrees at night. Tomorrow (all going well) we will head to Malakula and then to Espirito Santo as we need to renew our visas in Santo.

Efate to Epi

We dropped off Mike in Port Vila and after a short stay to get gas etc we sailed to Lelepa Island in around 15 knots. The wind dropped as we got in the lee of Lelepa Island and we motored through a narrow pass to anchor in Mallao Bay. We both went for a midwinter swim and snorkel. We stayed here a couple of days doing some snorkeling and walks along the beach. Late one afternoon we followed a track I had seen some tourists heading up earlier and discovered a large cave. We went back to the boat for torches and returned to explore further. The cave went back quite a way and the roof was hung with tiny bats, much smaller than the large 'flying foxes' that we have seen before in the islands. At times the air was filled with them flying close past us but never making contact. We also could get close enough to have a good look at them hanging upside down from the rocky ceiling.

We were originally heading to Nguna Island but on the day we left we had a good wind so decided to make the most of it and head further north to Emae Island. We were followed out of the pass by a catamaran who were obviously having difficulties finding the way out. We had a good sail up to Emae and anchored at Sulua Bay. The first time we dropped the anchor we went for a snorkel to check the surroundings and decided that there was a bommie (coral outcrop) to close in front of us (it wouldn't have been a problem as the wind never swung around from behind) but did mean we shifted to a much better spot. Emae is a high volcanic island with three distinct peaks. From here we were hoping to dive an offshore reef but the weather gods had other things in mind. We spent three windy and wet days here. Eventually we struck a sunny day and the wind appeared to have calmed down a bit so we set sail for Epi. The wind was behind us (SE) so we had a good sail (about 30nm) under a triple reefed main and reefed jib. In the open water it was around 30 knots with a 3m swell. In NZ these would have been quite uncomfortable conditions but the lack of wind chill makes sailing here much more pleasant. Jim sailed the whole way in his underwear! Eventually as we got in the lee of the island and as we rounded Cape Foreland, the wind and swell died away and we sailed the last few miles under full main and jib to Lamen Bay.

The windy weather has continued but Lamen Bay is a pleasant anchorage with just a touch of swell rolling in. There are a lot of turtles here, we have seen several both from the yacht and while snorkeling. I think they are green sea turtles feeding on the sea grass on the sandy bottom. We have also seen a dugong from the yacht but not while swimming yet. Its been a bit colder here lately with the temperature dropping below 25 degrees at night. Tomorrow (all going well) we will head to Malakula and then to Espirito Santo as we need to renew our visas in Santo.

Yet more random photos

View down to the landing at Raoul Island

Crater lakes on Raoul Island

Elenya with Mt Yasur in the background at Port Resolution, Tanna

Jim and some friends at the Port
Resolution Yacht Club

Mt Yasur

Some more random photos

Snorkelling

Washing day at Havannah Harbour

Photos (in no particular order)

Damsel fish at Aneityum

Christmas Tree worms

Approaching Port Vila

'Mystery Island' Aneityum

Anchored at Aneityum

Catch up

After Tanna, we went to Aneityum (also called Anatom) where we anchored off a small islet that looks like your classical ‘tropical island’. The water was a beautiful light blue over the sandy bottom and there was really good snorkelling on the reef inshore of us around the island. The weather has now turned beautifully sunny. Our peace was disturbed one day by the arrival of a cruise ship that disgorged thousands of tourists but left again by the evening. After a few days here, we made an overnight passage to Port Vila. We had light winds at first but finished with a lovely sail for the last day heading into Port Vila. We did a quick stock up of food here and finished clearing in with a visit to immigration (when we eventually found the office). The supermarkets here have a larger selection than NZ but everything is about twice as expensive. The local market isn’t too bad and we left with a selection of fresh fruit and veges, including bananas at last, as these had been hit by the last cyclone and are scarce in the outer islands. We looked at the price of diesel and have decided to sail everywhere as it is over twice the price, although petrol is the same price so is only slightly dearer than in NZ.

After our quick stop, we sailed off the anchor and into Havannah Harbour. We anchored near a small inlet so we could find some fresh water to do some washing. We took the dinghy a small way up into the mangroves which had a very jungle-like feel with parrots flying overhead and 2 fruit bats also flew close overhead. The washing accomplished in what was essentially a roadside drain (with fish swimming in it) we sailed halfway back up Havannah Harbour. We went out to Eretoka Island twice for some excellent snorkelling and diving (see my previous entry). Our last anchorage in Havannah was opposite Paul’s Rock at a lovely sandy beach. We found a nice patch of sand to anchor in and spent 2 nights here in what is generally described as a day anchorage, but we found it fine overnight, a slight lift on the second night but much calmer than Port Resolution. We had 3 excellent dives at the rock, which is an old volcano that emerges steeply from 40m deep. They fish feed regularly here, so as soon as you drop into the water you are mobbed by fish, some of which even have a nibble to see if you are edible. On one dive a couple of bannerfish accompanied us most of the way, darting in front of our masks. Lots of small colourful fish and lots of big fish.

I have been trying to swim in the mornings and my record is 5 turtle sightings on one swim and 3 sharks on another. Today we sailed back to Port Vila and we will be here for a couple of days. Mike will leave us here on Sunday. Had some rain this afternoon for the first time since leaving Port Resolution so we have a bit more in our tanks, which is good, as we would prefer not to pay for water.

Vanuatu Snapshot

As I am writing this we are anchored off Lelepa Island off the coast of Efate. We are opposite a small sandy beach with a white cliff near it, sounds from the village (chickens and laughter) are echoing across the calm waters. The sky is clearing with a three-quarters moon and the stars are just starting to come out. This morning we were anchored further down Havannah Harbour in another very nice spot. With blue skies and no wind we decided to go for a dive at Eretoka Island. First though we collected some fresh water in barrels for our 'showers' on deck. Approaching Eretoka (also known as Hat Island -guess why?!) we could see the bottom at around 40m, the water is a lovely clear beautiful blue. We went for a snorkel and then two dives. Amazing visibility and gorgeous hard coral (blue, turquoise, purple). Not so many fish as we have seen before but still plentiful and colourful -parrotfish, damsels, anthias, surgeonfish and even a white-tipped reef shark cruising around. Lovely canyons in the second dive. On our return from the last dive and snorkel we found the wind and tide had made the anchorage somewhat choppy, our main concern was not to damage the coral, so we motored back across to Lelepa Island.

I will update the blog with what we have done since Tanna and hopefully updates will be more frequent in future but hope this gives you a taste of things in the meantime.

Tanna

Tanna is a very high volcanic island which appears to be constantly covered in cloud. Officially we are in the dry season but from our experience so far and from what the locals say, they rainy season hasn't really ended yet. The water tanks are full at least. We spent a day ashore doing the washing which is the last we will see of the fleece and icebreaker for a while. I think the locals were much amused at our feeble attempts at hand washing! The village at Port Resolution is mainly made up of thatched huts with only a couple of concrete buildings. Lots of chickens, pigs and dogs running around. Unfortunately a recent cyclone has destroyed a lot of the village crops particularly the bananas and the continued rain makes planting veges etc difficult. Citrus appears to be plentiful but other fresh food is scarce although we have managed to get some huge avocados.

Everything is arranged through the local chief, Stanley (although we suspect his sister Naomi may be the better organizer). There are two toyota utes based at the village, which are used for both tourist and local transport across to Lenakel and up to the volcano. If you are lucky you get to sit inside, if not you are in the back tray. The 'road' is a dirt track which is only negotiable by four-wheel drive and sometimes that seems marginal. Constant heavy rain has produced several washouts and I think it is a constant battle to keep the road passable. We were in the back for our trip up to the Mt Yasur, surrounded by locals and their shopping. One small boy (and Mike) thought it was hilarious every time Jim whacked his head on a bit of overhanging foliage. By the time we reached the entrance to the volcano, it was raining and low cloud obscured any actual view. We walked up to the top of a ridge where we stood in the rain listening to incredibly loud booms followed by an intense orange glow. It was quite eerie not being able to see anything. The next day we had another attempt at seeing Mt Yasur. After a very late start due to the late return of the ute from Lenakel (the road has got even worse) we headed off. Apparently the volcano was quite active so we were only allowed to go as far as a viewpoint halfway up the road. Just as we got out there was a burst of bright red sparks from the mountain. Some lumps of rock were glowing for quite a while. We stood and watched and saw a couple more showers of sparks and some orange glows. Eventually the cloud from the volcano and the obligatory rain cloud obscured the view and we headed home (in the rain).

At Tanna we went for several snorkels and two dives. We were very impressed with the coral. On the reef nearer the yacht there are lots of large formations of all sorts of different kinds of soft coral, not very colourful, but lovely shapes including flower coral which we haven't seen before. The reef off the sandy beach has more colourful hard corals and more anemone fish per square meter than we have seen before. The two dives were both excellent with good vis on the second on a beautiful reef with lots of colourful fish and I even spotted a shark.

In total we spent about a week at Port Resolution before moving on to explore more of Vanuatu...and find some sunshine!