Port Vila

Well we've spent a few more days in Port Vila than we intended but we have got pretty much everything done that we needed to. We had a small crack in our boom that we had welded, stocked up with duty free diesel and have now cleared out for the Solomons. We will start heading north on Monday all going well. Getting the boom fixed was easier than we expected. After one false start we found a place that does Al welding and it was relatively simple to take the boom in the dinghy and then some nice guys on a local barge let us walk up through their dock, from which it was a short walk up to the workshop. So it was actually an easier mission than when we took the boom off Earenya, which we carried from Princes Wharf through the Viaduct (getting odd looks from people drinking their morning latte), and over towards the near side of Westhaven, at least it was a smaller boom. While waiting for the boom to be fixed we have done sundry jobs on the boat and caught up with various people we know from NZ or have met in Vanuatu as everyone seems to have ended up here at the same time.

We have also gone for 2 dives on the wreck the 'Star of Russia' in the harbour. The visibility was not as good as we have got used to here, but the wreck is interesting, particularly the masts which still have some rigging, tops, futtocks etc, which is discernible. We also saw a sea snake (banded sea krait), our first in Vanuatu.

Photos

Mt Marum on Ambrym


Ureparapara village - tug of war on Children's Day

Kustom Dance -Ureparapara check out the head-dresses!

Wahoo caught sailing between the islands

Reef Islands

There and Back Again

We are now back anchored in Havannah Harbour in the south of Vanuatu just 'around the corner' from Port Vila. We have been here a couple of days chilling out after making our way down from Asanvari where I last made an update. Our first stop was at Ambrym Island where I went for a walk up to an active volcano while Jim stayed behind to mind the boat. This time I had an amazing view down into the crater where molten magma could be seen bubbling away. Jim endeavoured to get to the local market which we had been told was from 0600-0700, he arrived to be told try again at 9, back at 9, still no market! Even in the major towns the markets are a bit hit and miss. Everything is obviously very seasonal so things will come to a sudden halt. We have also been told that different areas have different days assigned to them so what is available may depend on what is grown in that area. The time of day also makes a difference, although we haven't worked out when is best. The smaller villages have been affected by the late arrival of the 'dry season' and hence late planting and harvesting so vegetables that should be ready now aren't yet. There are also odd random surprises at the markets like the day in Luganville where there were hundreds of fruit bats for sale!

From Ambrym we had a windward sail to Epi, crossing our outward bound path and then a light wind motor to Emae via Cook's Reef where we stopped for a snorkel. On our final leg from Emae to Lelepa Island we caught a large wahoo, our first one (and very tasty it was too). Today we went for a snorkel in the pass and then moved a very short distance to anchor in the lee of Efate near the Ali river.

Feeling the Cold

The temperature has dropped here recently and we are feeling the cold. At night it has dropped below 25 degrees necessitating the use of a sheet and making a welcome change from it being too hot to sleep! At the moment there is a cold wind blowing, although the thermometer, mounted above the chart table where I am writing this, registers 28.3. We are currently in Asanvari in Maewo Island. It is nice and calm here, if a bit gusty, but outside of the headland the white caps are roaring past.

We sailed here from Gaua in the Banks via Ambae Island. The passages to and from Gaua we motored as there was very little wind but we beat into a S/SE wind of 25ish from Lolowai Bay in Ambae to Asanvari. There was quite a steep sea so at times we were getting solid water over the decks but tucked in the lee of Maewo Island, the going wasn't too bad and we had good views of the lush green hills with tumbling waterfalls. Lolowai is a small unprepossessing town in a lovely setting in the flooded crater of a volcano. To get there we had to motor over a shallow coral sill which afforded excellent protection once inside. The towns in Vanuatu have struck us as being quite scruffy in contrast to the villages which appear very neat and tidy. Most villages we have seen have swept, hedge-lined paths and flowers between the thatched huts with maybe the occasional concrete building. The odd solar panel or person holding a cell phone is the only evidence that we are still in the same century. Although only western clothing is worn.

Asanvari is also a sheltered bay and a good place to wait for more favourable weather. Unfortunately, the holding is poor on coral gravel and rocks. This morning we discovered we had dragged overnight and we found a large coral boulder wedged in our anchor when we brought it up, so no wonder we weren't staying put. We have admitted defeat and picked up a recently vacated mooring in the bay, one of 3 put down by the Island Cruising Association. Yesterday we went on a walk with Erica to her family's gardens. Each family has an area of land for growing coconuts, kava and vegetables such as 'island cabbage' (a sort of cross between spinach and bok choy) etc. To get to Erica's was about a 30 minute walk uphill passing another village. There was an area of coconut palms and two cleared areas with kava bushes, taro, banana plants and vegetables (mostly island cabbage it appeared). We tried some sugarcane and were shown a nutmeg tree on the way home. We bought some bananas, coconuts and passionfruit to supplement our dwindling supply of fresh food.

We are hoping from the latest forecast that the wind will ease tonight and we will be able to head for Ambrym tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to those in both our families who are celebrating around now

Heading South Again

Ureparapara was our most northern port in Vanuatu and we are now heading south again. We spent a few more days at Ureparapara, during which we watched some custom dancing - not really our thing but the other boats in the anchorage had organized it and we went along as well. Plus it is one of those things that I guess you should do once in Vanuatu! We had seen some of the women's dances before but this time watched 3 dances performed by some men from the village including one where they were wearing bizarre wooden head dresses ranging from a watermelon slice, through half a shark to a mermaid! We were also here for their Children's Day celebrations; an annual holiday. Various games were organized for the kids and a there was a very formal present giving ceremony. The gifts included bowls, umbrellas, packets of chocolate biscuits and half a packet of crackers seemed a frequent choice.

The village here is very traditional, or at least what I assume is traditional. The houses are thatched huts, some built in Solomon Islands style with higher walls and others in the Vanuatu style with roofs sloping further down. Transport is entirely by canoe, here including both outriggers and single hulled kayaks which are not seen in the rest of Vanuatu. Only around the larger towns and resorts have we seen local outboard boats. As in the rest of Vanuatu, there are interesting contrasts. For Children's Day, a generator appeared to run a sound system in a village where supply boats arrive 3-4 times a years at best! Vanuatu seems full of these contradictions; in Tanna we saw Toyota Utes (they are all Toyota) housed under thatched 'car ports' and on most islands (although not Ureparapara) there is a cell phone tower. Unfortunately as some friends found out, the network works on a relay system so that if one tower is down (if there is no diesel to power it for example) the network afterwards won't work either. This also means that there are no land lines even in small towns that previously have had a phone available. Even in villages with no means of charging and apparently even in places with no coverage, cell phones are ubiquitous!

From Ureparapara we sailed to the Reef Islands, an uninhabited atoll group. These were very beautiful with the blues, greens and turquoises of the water contrasting with the white surf and golden sand of the beaches. We were anchored a long way from any actual land, as the lagoon and pass are too shallow for us to navigate.

From there we travelled to Losalava in Gaua which is an island still in the Banks Islands and then to Ambae Island.