LORELEI'S SAILING ADVENTURES
Welcome to Episode 11 of the Hog Blog.
At the end
of Episode 10 we had just sailed into Koumac onboard Lorelei along with our
travelling friends Ben and Wendy on their sailing Catamaran “Just Magic”.
Koumac
Monday 27th
August.
Koumac is
the largest town in the Northern Provence of New Caledonia
We spent
one day exploring the town on foot. It was a 3klm walk from the Marina
On the way
home we raided the local patisserie.
The
following day the 4 of us jumped onto the mountain bikes and went and
discovered the amazing Koumac Grottos (Caves).
The cave
system is in the hills approx. 12klm from the marina.
It was a
scenic ride over tar and dirt and we even crossed a weir to get there.
The cave
system is quite extensive with the main section being over 3klm long
underground. We walked, climbed, crawled and wadded for over 2 hours deep into
the system. The terrain and structure varied from large chambers, to long low
tunnels, to shallow pools of crystal clear icy water, to vertical ascents and descents
where we had to use a rope. It was pitch black without a torch and a real
challenge in some spots. Fortunately Paul took his big flash unit for the
camera, hence the well lit photos.
Lunch was
by torchlight. We were unsure how far in we had travelled but either way a meal
underground was pretty cool and a first for all of us.
The ride
home had to include the obligatory stop at the patisserie for afternoon tea.
Ile Tanle
The 30nm sail
from Koumac to Ile Tenle was a great run. The wind was 15-20 knots from the SE
and we ran downwind through the Northern Lagoon weaving past many beautiful Islands and reef systems. We had to gybe a stack of times
and really had it sorted by the time we arrived. The landscape looking back to
the mainland still never creases to amaze us. The entire length of the West Coast
has been stunning with the magnificent ranges.
Our anchorage
was behind a tall island with a coral pass separating the next island.
Paul spent
2 days kiteboarding the pass and the bay while the girls went kayaking. This
was his first kite since arriving in New
Cal New Cal
Baie De Croissant
We left
Ile Tanle early with plans on making a run north to Poum with a stop at Baie De
Croissant on the way. We motored past a series of beautiful beaches interspaced
with small wooded headlands.
The Baie
De Croissant is regarded as one of the nicest bays in the area and it certainly
didn’t disappoint.
We went
for a walk along the beach and found some great shells including some murex’s
in great condition.
On the
walk we found a little freshwater creek filled with fish. We put the contour
camera in for a bit of fun with some unusual results.
Before we
left, we had to have a snorkel on the coral in the bay. While the vis was an
average 12m, the coral was varied, colourful and in perfect condition, even in
the shallows. It was some of the best we have seen in New Cal
We managed
to spear a Cray for lunch with the handspear.
Poum
The run
north to Poum was only 5nm, however when we got there we had NE winds so we
motored a further 2nm north into the top corner of the bay for better
protection and found a great anchorage just off a sandy beach. The view to the
West provided us with a dozen islands in the Northern Lagoon.
We had a
blast exploring the bays, islands, beaches and mangroves by kayak and by the
RIB.
Whilst in
Poum we went and had a look at the small town. It was very traditional with
buildings of thatched roofs and woven palm walls.
We had a
nice local guy come out to the street to say hello. He worked in Tourism, spoke
English and really wanted to chat to find out where we were from and were we
had been in New Cal. We found out from him that everyone in the village was
preparing for a wedding and he also explained that the power was out on the
entire West Coast all the way to Noumea
Poum is
the last town before the tip of the mainland which is only 15nm away.
Baie De Pam
We left
Poum at 7am for a sail over the top and 9nm down the other side to Boat
Passage. We passed the west side of the passage at 8am and could see thru to
the anchorage on the other side but the passage is only 2m deep and we couldn’t
get thru. So it was a 15nm run around Ile Paaba down to the other side. We were
stoked to be finally rounding the tip. The northern most rounding point was
exactly 20 degrees south latitude. We went 19.59.59 just to say we went above
the 20’s.
Ben caught
3 Spanish in quick succession whilst trolling around the tip so that was dinner
sorted for us all.
We arrived
at Boat passage and weren’t real comfortable with the exposed anchorage so the
decision was made to push on another 22nm to Baie De Pam. The run consisted of
about 20 different legs weaving thru the reefs and islands. We raced Just Magic
on the way. They were better on some points of sail and we were faster on
others. We even had to drop headsails and motor directly into the wind on two
legs. Well for the first time ever – we won – but only by a few minutes. We did
45nm for the day.
That night and the next morning it blew and it blew – a constant 20 knots. We decided to explore the ruins on the shore which are from the old mining era of
1910. Like the other ruins we have seen over the past 8 weeks, we expected a couple of old
buildings but what we found was much more extensive than that. First we found
the police HQ and the cells and behind that was a large series of ruins spread
over a few acres of old mining buildings. We found old machinery, hoppers,
storage areas, cranes and a series of underground tunnels that were brick lined. We spent hours bashing through undergrowth looking at all the cool stuff.
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Wendy took this cool photo. Note the birds flying thru the tunnel
Just as we
were returning to the boats the 20 knot SE wind died and went around to 10
knots NE so we quickly packed up and took off for another 20nm sail SE down to
Pouebo.
This
stretch of the coast from Balade down to Heinghene is rich in Culture and
loaded with history.
On the way
we sailed past 2 historical points near the town of Balade
The first
being the spot where Captain Cook first landed at New Cal
For those
that have read about Cook’s voyage of discovery, the Island
just out from the reef (Ilot Poudioue) is the place where he set up the Observatory
to view the much anticipated Solar Eclipse.
The second
was at Mahamate Beach
where Admiral Febvrier-Despointes claimed New Cal in the name of France
We arrived
at Pouebo just in time for sunset drinks for the 4 of us on Lorelei in glassy
flat conditions. Not bad considering it’s suppose to be 15-20 SE today and for
the next 2 days.
Pouebo
Pouebo is a small Kanak town with an exposed reef anchorage and river. We took the RIB up the river and parked at a newly constructed bridge and walked
into town. On the way into town we visited the Mission Church
The 25nm
motor-sail down from Pouebo to Heinghene was amazing with its stunning terrain.
I know we keep saying this but it’s getting better and better particularly here
on the East Coast.
We think this
stretch is the most picturesque coastline we have ever seen with steep hills
and large valleys each with its own unique waterfall. The falls were all shapes
and sizes with some stretching down the length of the valley over many sections
and others with one dramatic vertical fall. We also went past Mount Panie
Heinghene
Finally we
have made it to Heinghene!
This was
on our top 5 places to see in New
Cal
The area
has some amazing natural wonders and like Pouebo, some sad history too. This area
was the home of assassinated Prime Minister Jean-Marie Tjibaou who was also the
leader of the long standing FLNKS group who have pushed for Kanak independence
and liberation.
The
biggest event to shape Heinghene was only 28 years ago with the much publicized
Heinghene Massacre.
To cut a
long story short – 17 men in 2 trucks were on their way home after a FLNKS
meeting when a tree over the road stopped them. They were ambushed and open
fired upon with most men killed and only a few escaping. The victims had no
weapons. Up to 30 bullet holes were found in each of the murdered victims, many
at point blank range.
Included in
the dead were Tjibaou’s 2 brothers. Jean-Marie was suppose to be there but was delayed
in Noumea
Eventually
the killers confessed but the judge overseeing the case claimed they had acted
in self defense and they never stood trial.
Amnesty
International sited the case in their annual report on human rights abuses but
no action was taken.
So the
local Kanaks revolted and torched all the whites homes in the area before
running them out of town.
Tjibaou
was assassinated years later on the Loyalty Islands
in 1999.
To this
day the area represents a large Kanaky and FLNKS stronghold and whites are
still a rarity.
Having
said that – the people here are smiling happy people and were very receptive to
our presence.
On a
happier note – the area has some amazing natural wonders including the
Linderalique Cliffs, the strange coloured bay, and the famous rock formations
of the Sphinx and the most popular – La Poule or The Chicken. This is a large
rock formation on the southern tip of the bay that resembles a Brooding Hen
when looking at it from side on. It is huge and certainly stands out from the
many lookouts in the area.
We took
the RIB up the river to the small but modern Marina
Yachties reading this – The marina’s
8 berths are for the local boats and no berths are available for use. You are
not allowed to anchor in the river anymore and the bar is to shallow for monos
anyway so the bay is the only option.
We then
took the RIB over to the other side of the river and explored the local
cultural centre.
We
enquired about hiring a car to do a run up the coast for a day exploring the
waterfalls but sadly the nearest hire company is 80klm away.
While at
Heinghene we did 2 trips in our kayaks.
The first
was around the Chicken. The area was strewn with diverse rock formations in
shallow water and mangrove areas. We found we could paddle thru the rocks,
sometimes with only inches to spare both at the side and under the kayaks. It
was a very fun way to explore.
The second
was the following day. We kayaked to the Heinghene caves, over to a local
village, around the Sphinx (the other rock formation at the northern point of
the bay), then south past the chicken up to the Linderalique Cliffs before
stopping on the beach for a walk and finally returning to Lorelei.
We
estimated on the charts that we paddled over 10klms that day and were stuffed
on our return.
That night
at around 9pm we could hear crackling and went outside to see a large fire
burning down one side of the mountain above the town.
We had our
second uncomfortable night of rolling from about 2am thru to daybreak and by
day 3 we were tired and over it so we left to move to a more secure anchorage
further south.
When we
left at 7am the fire was still going…
Touho
The motor
from Heinghene to Touho was a slow and uncomfortable one and the worst leg of the trip south. We had to motor due east
straight into a short, sharp swell and 15-20 knots of un-forcasted wind. It
took 4 hours to go 17nm and we were very happy to be in a better anchorage once we got there. The only
highlight was going past the rest of the Linderalique Cliffs that we didn’t see
by kayak.
The hut on the shore gives you an
idea of the cliffs size
Lisa slept
for the arvo while Paul went with Ben and Wendy to explore the small town. We
found a small open air market with the local ladies all playing bingo. We
brought a hand of local bananas each.
The Run South
We
downloaded the long range weather forecast whilst in Touho and it didn’t look
good for trying to go SE down the coast. A large system was coming in a few days time with strong
SE winds that looked like it could stay for many days.
We did not
want to be stuck only a 1/3 of the way down the coast and not be able to get
back to Noumea in time before our Visa’s expired so the decision was made to
get going the next day while we could.
We pushed
off at 5:30am and were stoked to find we had 12 knots of ENE wind. We managed
to crank the sails on as hard as we could and sail tight onto the wind at 40 to
45 degrees off the bow. By 2pm we had sailed over 50nm before the wind dropped
to half forcing us to continue on by motor sailing. The conditions were great
and we continued on into the night before negotiating a narrow reef pass into
Port Bouquet at 9pm for our overnight stop. We were pretty tired but were happy
to have pushed over 90nm SE with minimal fuel usage and discomfort.
On the way
down we saw a whale close to the boat and another cruising yacht heading north.
Wow!! Sounds crazy but we haven’t seen another cruising yacht since we left
Koumac on the East Coast and prior to that, Ouano. Where is everyone? Noumea
Leaving Port Bouquet at day break
Just Magic at Sunrise
The next
morning it was up at 5am to push off again for another run. Well it was a crazy
day with a bit of everything – good and bad. We started in glassy conditions
motoring and within ½ hour had sails up and flying in a SW’er of all things. By
9am the wind slowly died and we motor sailed until it glassed off and we
dropped sails and motored on. We made banana pancakes and had a lovely 2nd
breakfast in the cockpit. By noon it was starting to build from the SE and with
8nm to go to the only anchorage in the area, we were punching into a 20 knot
blow with some sharp seas. We had walls of water going right over the bow and
into the clears of the canopy. Speed was down to 4-5 knots and we smashed on
for 90 minutes before having to negotiate another narrow pass at a small place
called Yate. Unlike last night, the pass had a lot of swell pushing thru it.
We had exposed
coral on both sides and less than 1m of water under the keel as we slowly
nudged up the small inlet and into the mouth of the river. We anchored in a
picturesque valley in only 4m of water.
We had
done over 140nm in the 2 days and were only 12nm from the SE corner of the
mainland. We would have liked to have stopped and explored a few of the bays on
the way but time and weather didn’t allow it.
Either way
we have made it safely 200nm down the East Coast in a SE direction straight
into a developed SE trade wind time of year. The hardest part of the trip was
over and tomorrow we are sleeping in!! Yippee.
Yate
Entering thru the pass into Yate
The view from our anchorage at Yate
The
morning we slept in it rained and washed all the salt off the boat.
It was perfect
timing. We hadn’t seen rain in weeks!
We loaded
up the RIB and took it up the river past a hydro electric station to a rocky
area that was as far as we could go by boat.
We hiked up the rocky watercourse and found some amazing swimming holes with ultra
clear fresh water. We explored and swam for hours. We also found a high rocky
outcrop with deep water underneath that was perfect for jumping off.
We went
for a walk into the Yate
Township
We
returned to the swimming hole again, this time better equipped with warm
insulator rashies and snorkeling gear.
When we
arrived we found a rare and dangerous Loch
Yate Monster sunning himself in the swimming hole. Ben snuck up behind it and
jumped on but it quickly reared up, threw him off and swam away…
We knew
the viz was good from the photos yesterday but with a mask on, it was amazing. It
was pretty much endless. We also found 5 different species of fish including
some little Mangrove Jacks.
The day we
left Yate we planned to sail the 58nm back to Noumea Noumea
Harbour
The swell
had picked up and the entrance to Yate had some big waves on it. It was like a bar
crossing back at home. The East Coast then gave us one little going away
present and a reminder of who’s boss by giving us SE 20 knots from 6:30am to punch
into for the first leg. Thankfully it was only for 2 hours before we set sail
and sailed off the wind for the rest of the way into the Harbour, arriving at
4pm.
Thru the
Canal we had no swell and had to sail pretty much directly downwind so we
dusted off the spinnaker pole and poled out the Genoa
As we
passed Anse Vate and the beach side suburbs we could see about 50 kiteboarders
and 30 odd sailboards all having a blast in the bay. How can there be that many
out playing at 2:30pm on a Wednesday? Does all work stop when it blows??? If we ever go back to work – we’re coming
here!!!!
So that’s
it for our Tour of New Caledonia
Along with
Ben and Wendy we have joked that we saw 20% of the country in the first 80% of
our time here and saw the next 80% in the last 20% of our time here. It has
been a fast trip over the top and down the East Coast, but we are very glad we
did it and sucessfully circumnavigated the mainland which only a small
percentage of the visiting yachts do. We feel we have seen a stack of the
country in the 3 months that we have been here.
We hope to
return one day to this piece of paradise in the Pacific.
So now we
are in Noumea
The plan
is to do a large re-provision, do some small pieces of maintenance and cleaning, refuel and start looking for a decent weather window to get over to Vanuatu
Unlike Australia , you have 3 days to leave the country
after clearing out so we will use that time to visit the Island
of Mare which is part of the Loyalty Island
chain (weather permitting) which is fortunately about half way over to Vanuatu
We plan to
clear into Vanuatu at the southern most island of
Aneityum which is also known as Mystery Island
The plan
will be to spend 3-4 weeks visiting the southern Islands including Tanna and
its Volcano before arriving in Port Vila
That will
probably be where we post episode 12 of the Hog blog.
We are
going to continue to travel with Ben and Wendy to Vanuatu
and onto Port Vila
Paul and
Ben are pretty pumped to get some good waves together at Tanna.
Here are the stats for the 3 months we have been in New Cal:
We have
travelled 870nm in Lorelei since clearing in at Noumea
We put a
whopping 125 hours on the new John Deere Engine.
We used
625L of Diesel and 140L of Unleaded.
We made
4400 litres of fresh water from the desalinator.
Paul and Ben visited over 20 different patisseries....
So it’s
off to the Supermarche we go to do some shopping…ohh and a stop at the
patisserie!
Cheers for
now from Paul and Lisa – The Hoggers onboard Lorelei.