LORELEI'S SAILING ADVENTURES
Halo olgeta blong
Welcome
to Episode 12 of the Hog Blog.
At the end
of Episode 11 we had just finished our sailing circumnavigation of New Caledonia Noumea
Leaving Noumea
The last
few days in Noumea Latin
Quarter .
We had a
great weather window starting on the 19th Sept. so we decided to
clear out that morning and do a team effort to fill up both boats with duty
free fuel ($1.13 Aus per litre) before departing that arvo.
Unlike Australia , once you have cleared out of New Cal
The Crossing Noumea
The first
stop was down to the Canal Woodin and our favourite bay down there – Baie Ire
for an overnight stop. It was motoring most of the way into the wind and we
arrived after dark but happy we were on our way.
Stage 2
was a mission! We left just after lunch and motored thru the other side of the
Canal and into the Havannah
Pass.
Mare
Mare is the southern most Island of the 3 Loyalty Islands that are part of New Caledonia but lie about 1/2 way between New Cal's mainland and Vanuatu's southern islands.
We anchored in a stunning bay at Pede Beach in a narrow gutter surrounded on both sides with coral bommies that came up to the surface from 10-12m. The snorkeling is regarded as the best inNew
Cal
We anchored in a stunning bay at Pede Beach in a narrow gutter surrounded on both sides with coral bommies that came up to the surface from 10-12m. The snorkeling is regarded as the best in
While in Noumea
Well it
was all in vain when we took the RIB into the wharf at the main town of Tadine
We went to
the Tourist Info centre at the town hall. We knew we were in the right place
because the photo was in the book. The book stated this is the only one on the
island and the place to book trips, etc..
Well the
people were not helpful at all. Wendy speaks French so it wasn’t a language
issue. We tried to book a tour of the island for the next day but couldn’t. We
even showed them the contact details and photos in the book but that didn’t
help. We tried to organize a hire car from one of 3 car hire places but they
couldn’t do that either. They couldn’t even tell us where the local attractions
were located that were less than 2klm away from where we stood.
In the end
we gave up and left and vowed to do our own thing and find them ourselves the
next day.
Parking
the RIB on the land was the next issue as the entire coastline is this amazing
series of limestone bays with small undercut rock ledges as the shoreline. We
found we had to bring the RIB up to the edge, drop 3 of us onshore with all the
gear and leave one in the RIB to anchor the boat offshore and swim back in,
clamber up the rocks and join the others.
Well
persistence paid off because we found the first attraction with the help from
the lonely planet guide and a cop out for his morning jog – The Natural
Aquarium. This cool spot is a coral reef and fish eco system that is inland
with clean seawater feed thru a spring system from the sea. It was too shallow
to snorkel but it had loads of pretty fish and untouched coral.
The second
spot was the highlight. The LP guide said one line about a sink hole on
someone’s property, behind their house and opposite a large gravesite to a
local elder. We found the grave and went and knocked on the house opposite as
the book said to do. The lady thought we were weird asking permission to visit
the hole but they were very friendly. She took us to the site with her 2 young
daughters leading as guides. The eldest was about 7 and had a large tattoo of a
flower on her leg which was a bit weird considering her age.
The
amazing sink hole was carved into the rock that was deep and lined with dense trees
and vines. The undercut cave on one side had some great stalactite formations
hanging from the ceiling. We climbed down with our gear and set up on the edge
with cameras and snorkeling gear. The water was clear and quite deep on one
side. We found some caves at about 8-9m deep. We freedived as deep into them as
we dared but they went a lot further in. In the shallow end we found lots of
logs and branches with stacks of little shrimp. We had an absolute blast.
The Crossing from Mare to Vanuatu
If all
open ocean passages between counties were like this one then we’d sail forever!
We left early and motored around to bottom of Mare for 3 hours to get a better
angle of sail to Aneityum which is the southern most Island in Vanuatu
The seas
and winds had dropped and the passage started slow and steady with 4 knots of
boats speed. At dusk we could still see Mare but the wind increased to 12 knots
and we pushed on thru the clear night at a comfortable and consistent 6-7
knots. We arrived at 11am still doing the same speed and anchored up in a
protected bay that is a tropical paradise just waiting for us to explore.
There were
6 other cruising monos also in the bay – 2 from Canada
Coming into Aneityum , Vanuatu
Aneityum
Aneityum
is a small round shaped island with three small villages. There are no cars or
roads and lifestyle is very traditional with the exception of their mobile
phones and solar panels to charge them!
Just out
from the main village where we were anchored is Mystery Island which has been
fully set up for the P&O cruise liners when they show up approx. 6-8 times
per month. It is uninhabited at any other time. The locals have small
businesses set up for when the Ships arrive.
Well it
had to be the fastest customs clearance ever. Within 10 minutes of us being
anchored up, the police boat was alongside and 2 officials, Kiven and Timothy
were in our cockpit having a cold drink and doing the paperwork. 4 refills of
cold cordial (called sirop here..) and 20 minutes later it was completed and
our quarantine flag was lowered, having being up for a grand total of 30
minutes. In New Cal
We found
out later that everyone in the village was off to a funeral that arvo and
Timothy wanted it done before then.
We had a
jam packed week at Aneityum and did a stack of activities both in the water and
on shore.
The Snorkeling
thru the pass between Mystery
Island
There was
also a great snorkeling area along the reef edge just near the main village.
There was and awesome cave system marked by a white buoy and a wreck and clown
fish gardens 100m further down marked with a black buoy. These were both only
150m from our boats and we could snorkel them at any time.
We did a
paddle over to Mystery
Island
During our
second day we met Keith, a local elder who also has a small business doing
snorkel/scuba guiding and island tours. Over the week we did a lot of things
with him with the first being an island walk up to a large waterfall.
On day 2
most of the yachts had left leaving just the 4 Aussies each with a couple on
board. The eight of us hired Keith as a guide for the day and he took us on a
trek through his village and up into the mountains to the waterfall. It turned
out to be a long 10klm walk of 3.5 hours up and 2.5 back down. The track was
soft and muddy and we must have crossed the small river over a dozen times to
get to the top. Each crossing was over slippery moss covered rocks and we all
took a fall at one stage with Lisa doing the best when the other Lisa in front
stopped and she fell into the fresh water completely submerging, backpack and
all. Luckily she was only carrying the drinks as Paul had the food and cameras.
The rainforest was stunning and so was the waterfall. The water was freezing
but refreshing when we went for a swim under the falls.
We arrived
back at the beach mid arvo all safe and sound but a little stuffed.
We were
all a little weary the next day so we had a slower day which was perfect timing
to coincide with the annual primary school fete and fundraiser.
The school
which is located right on the beach was government built but is community run
and funded. The kids from the 2 outer villages also go to school here and board
with local families during the week only going home on the weekends.
The fete
ran over 2 days and was a big event.
The kids
weaved the walls for the stalls and the families of the school kids were
encouraged to contribute food and produce. The local fishermen went and caught
fish and the school brought a cow and slaughtered it.
Everyone
chipped in and helped with the food prep and cooking.
There was
lots of it!
We first
brought figure 8 shaped doughnuts and deep fried rice cakes which were yummy.
Paul and
Ben then set up Paul’s 8m long octopus kite on the beach and flew it for the
kids. They were a little reserved at first but after a while we had scores of
kids all running around under it, getting wound up in its legs and tracing its
shadow in the sand. They even got the hang of flying it and they played with it
for ages. It was a great ice breaker and the parents were pretty happy.
Ivan one
of the other Aussie yachties took his Frisbee in and had the older kids
entertained as well.
Note the windmill which he made. It
spun surprisingly quickly.
For lunch
we had fish, stick meat (kebabs), rice, taro, coleslaw and cassava pudding with
coconuts for drinks and sugar cane for dessert. We were sooo full.
In the
arvo the women had a round robin volleyball contest and the men watched the
soccer game complete with teams in matching outfits.
It was an
awesome opportunity to observe village life and a great way for us to interact
without having to intrude into their normal daily life.
After the
relaxing day on land, we decided to do a days blue water spearfishing at a few
of the deeper offshore bommies we can see on the Ipad charts. We decided to
take Keith with us as he was pretty keen to watch how we spearfished for
pelagics.
As it
turned out he had never seen a fishfinder, Ipad, rubber weight belts, floats
and float lines, carbon fibre, etc… To say it was a real eye opener for him was
an understatement.
The first
reef was just out from the bay entrance and came up from 35m to 13m. We didn’t
see much as the run out tide had the viz down to 20m.
The next
spot was well offshore in over 60m depth. We didn’t need the Ipad charts – we
could see the 14m top of the bommie clearly from the boat a long way away. The
viz was 40m+ and the current was 2 knots. We used flashers and burly and had a
great time with a very excited Lisa scoring her personal best Green Job Fish.
Paul was
set-up for a large Wahoo, Tuna or Billfish but it didn’t eventuate.
On the
Saturday Night Keith organized a Traditional Feast for us. They usually like a
minimum of 8 people but with only the 3 Aussie yachts in the bay, they did it
for the 6 of us. There was the 4 of us and Alan and Lisa off the yacht Amnesia.
We had no
idea what to expect and were asked to be onshore at 4:30pm and BYOG.
Well what
we experienced just blew us away – in more ways than one!!
Keith met
us and led us around the beach to a fantastic set up and we had a sunset drink
under a little thatched roof hut right on the waters edge.
We then
were invited to the main area and had a welcoming ceremony and a 3 part display
of traditional costumes and how they are made, making fire the traditional way
and tribal dancing with singing. We were encouraged to join in for the last one
which we all did.
The
backdrop was perfect with the sun setting behind the festivities.
We then
were shown dinner which was a mixture of Fish (Lisa’s Jobfish she caught),
chicken, octopus, turtle, and loads of traditional veges such as sweet potato,
cassava and taro.
But before
dinner we had to partake in a traditional Kava Ceremony. The Kava here is not
like Fiji
After
dinner we hung around the fires, drinking, dancing and hanging out with the
locals.
All in all
it was a fantastic experience and hard to believe the effort they put into the
night for the 6 of us. There must have been 30 village people involved. The
cost was 1000 vatu each or about $12 Aussie.
The money
raised goes toward sending the bright teenagers off to get further education
which in turn will benefit the village long term.
On Sunday
the first cruise ship turned up. It was the larger Pacific Jewel coming from Sydney Mystery
Island
For Paul
it was a bit of fun and gladly accepted to do it for free.
Keith runs
Game and Bottom fishing, Spearfishing, Snorkelling and Main Island
Tours and had 3 boats and locals lined up.
They are
not really pro-active and just sit there waiting for the tourists to come up to
the desk and enquire. So Paul went the opposite, sought out the P&O shore
manager and got the low down on the tour. It was school holidays in NSW and QLD
and the boat was packed with 1968 guests and a whopping 850 children. Normally
there are less than 200. So Paul changed the signs around to suit the more
family orientated snorkeling tours and greeted every passenger at the gate and
gave them the hints on the island, the tides, the wind, best times to do
things, and where the best snorkeling was from the shore. Nobody does this from
the villages or P&O and the guests were happy to listen. Paul then plugged
the tours particularly the snorkeling to the hoards with mask, snorkel, fin
packs on their backs and so it began. They are only there for 8 hours with
money to burn and it was so easy to sign them up. Paul carved up the prices for
families or groups or if they had their own gear and even custom invented tours
for those wanting go a bit longer or to combine a few of the tours.
Keith was
head spinning as Paul had the locals running around like headless chooks and
the 3 boats booked to capacity with tours running all day. Once everything was
lined up, Paul made up some small reef maps for a quick brief, jumped in the
boats and went along on the trips as the snorkel guide. The guests were stoked.
The staff later told us it was the biggest day of takings ever with the only
one unhappy being poor Joseph who is Keith’s main opposition.
More than
anything we hoped they had learnt a few things from Paul’s experience and the
day with them.
Lisa,
Wendy and Ben went into the Island to have a look around for a bit for fun but
only lasted a short while before the whole scene became a bit too much for
them.
The
Pacific Pearl was due in the next day and Keith really wanted Paul to work
again but we didn’t think it was fair on Joseph and the weather was perfect to
sail to Tanna, so we said our goodbyes and sailed out of the harbour at 7am
just as the Pearl
We had a
fantastic week at Aneityum.
The Island has only recently been set up as a customs
clearance port for yachts and the locals are doing all they can to promote it
and turn it on for the passing yachts. They have asked all of us to give the
island a big plug and we will gladly do so. We highly recommend it to anyone
wishing to start at the bottom of Vanuatu
Tanna
The sail
to Tanna was great one with 52nm of tropical downwind sailing. We pulled into
the main anchorage of Port Resolution mid arvo with the run taking just over 8
hours with all sail up. Ben and Wendy did it in 6.5!
Whilst
this is a popular anchorage, there is no detailed info on any of the electronic
charts. We had to use common sense and our eyes to navigate our way in. We are
sure this wont be the last time, especially the further north we go. Being
second behind Ben and Wendy has its advantages sometimes!
The first
morning at Port Resolution we decided to explore the bay and the best way was
by Kayak or in Ben’s case – SUP. First we went outside of the bay to explore
the cliffs and the large amount of sea caves.
Once back
in side the bay we found a stack of thermal vents around the shoreline that
were spewing out boiling water and steam. The volcano (more about that later…)
is only a few klm’s from here so it explains the large amount of geo-thermal
activity around the bay.
We also
found a small reef at the end of the bay that had a great little wave breaking
over it. Paul just had to give it a go on the kayak. Out of 4 waves he made 2
and got coffin rolled on the other 2, once smashing onto the reef and grazing
his wrist. Boys will be boys…..
On the way
home we stopped and had a chat to the local fisherman in their dugout canoes.
This picture is of Wilson who had caught 10 small mackerel in his net that
morning.
The
biggest drawcard at Tanna is Mount
Yasur
We booked
in with our tour guide to pick us up in the village at 4pm. From there it was a
45 minute bumpy ride up to the base of the volcano in his Hilux Dual Cab. We
then hiked up the side of the mountain and skirted the crater’s rim until we
reached a good viewing point. Ben and Paul raced ahead and were walking towards
the lip when a large, loud explosion went off and sent a plume of glowing molten
lava rocks into the air 100m above their heads. They stopped in their tracks
and just looked up in awe then at each other before racing to the top. The
facial expressions were priceless. The girls further back screamed and stopped
cold as the deep roar and vibrations went right thru us all.
The view
from the edge into the crater was amazing. We set up the cameras and waited for
the larger explosions which came about every 3-5 minutes. The noise of the
expelled lava rocks landing with a thud was unnerving and the rocks glowed red
for several minutes before solidifying.
We camped
on the crater’s rim until about 1 hour after dark before making the trek back
down to the car making the bumpy trip back to the village.
It is a
humbling experience watching Mother Nature in all her glory with such a powerful
force. Several tourists have died there in recent years and many have had close
calls. The locals are very aware of its potential destructive power and treat it
with the respect it deserves. The guides are still in awe of it even though
they get to experience it regularly.
The next
morning it was back into the village to meet with Serah who the girls had lined
up to do a weaving class with. Ben and Paul tagged along for a while to watch
and learn also. Serah had some dried Pandanus fronds to use and they set about
making 2 small hanging baskets while sitting in the sun outside Serah’s
restaurant.
Around mid
morning the boys attention span had waned and so they set off for the beach in
search of surf. They found a great right hander of a rocky point and decided to
surf it that arvo on the higher tide.
At lunch
time the girls were well on their weaving way but only ½ finished so we all stopped
for lunch at Serah’s small restaurant/café which is named “The Avoca
Restaurant”. Avoca is the local name for Avocado’s and not named after the
popular NSW Central Coast
On the way
thru the village to the point break the boys picked up 2 kids that followed. That
soon turned into about 2 dozen who sat up on the headland overlooking the point
while they surfed. Well you would have thought it was the ASP final with the
way they hollered and jumped around with each wave caught. It was so funny with
the boys revving them up too.
They
returned from the surf slightly battered and bruised after surfing over the
very shallow coral reef. A few minor dings in the boards and a few scratches on
their fins and legs but otherwise all was good.
The girls
had just finished the baskets so the timing was perfect.
They were very proud of their
creations.
Note the girls in long skirts
inline with the local customs.
The next
few days we spent the time relaxing, going to the beach, exploring the villages
and interacting with the locals. We started to feel quite comfortable in the
main village and we know a few people now which helped. We visited Susanne’s
little track side stall every day to buy locally grown fruit and veggies off
her. The quality and taste was excellent and very cheap. A hand of 20 large
sweet bananas is a dollar and the paw paw and sweet potato are very tasty. It’s
been our first opportunity to buy local village produce and should be common
practice going further north and into summer & warmer weather. Can’t wait
till we can get some mangos, avo’s, pineapples, etc...
Lisa relaxing in her hammock that friends
Chris and Cynthia
brought for us before we left. C&C - It’s awesome – many thanks…
Susanne’s small stall
Susanne making lunch for her family.
Banana and Coconut with cabbage.
She cooked it and on our return
from a swim she saved some for us to try.
The local pigs. The smaller ones
just wander thru the village most of the time.
A large WW2 shell - It’s not
something you’d normally see on the way to the beach…
Wendy at the Village Hot Springs - they use hot rocks to cook meals with
The
dugouts came out everyday to our boats to trade, sell produce or ask us for
things like fire makers (lighters), tinned corned beef and batteries. All
things which we don’t have! We brought other things like hooks and clothes to
trade.
The
biggest issue for them is charging things. They have no way to charge phones
and electronic devices. We are asked this all the time. Ben relented once when
a young girl asked him to charge her speakers which were USB and not 240v so
not so bad. When he returned it to the beach the next morning there was a queue
of people with things for him to charge. He politely had to refuse. Once you do
it for one then the word is out and is relentless so we just now just have to
say no to everyone.
We have
however met Tom who seems a little more educated. He paddles out with his 4gb
flash drive and asks us to put 4 new movies on it every second day which we do
as a trade for bananas and cucumbers which he grows. We returned it on the
first day in a small waterproof snap lock plastic bag. We think he liked that
more than the movies!!
After
another fantastic week and a few new experiences we left Tanna Island
Eromango
Eromango
is the third southern most island
of Vanuatu
The sail
from Tanna to Eromango was a fast one. With Port Resolution on the Eastern side
of Tanna and Dillons bay on the West of Eromango, we had to sail around the top
of Tanna and diagonally across the gap between the two islands. This was a 56nm
run and downwind all the way.
We left at
5am with all sail up and were flying in 16 knots of true wind within 5 minutes
of leaving the anchorage.
At sunrise
on the way up the coast we went past the Volcano for one last time.
About 1/2
way across the gap the wind increased and we very sitting on a minimum of 8
knots and surfing down the waves into the 10’s. Just Magic was up into the
15’s! They double reefed the main and we dropped the mizzen and single reefed
our main and continued at a less loaded pace of 7 knots surfing to 8. We completed the run in less than 8 hours and
Just Magic in 7 and a bit.
The next
morning we put the RIB in and entered thru the small rivermouth.
The
villagers were waiting for us under a tree and they guided us with hand signals
through the shallow river bar to a small beach.
They came
straight over and gave us a big warm welcome and proceeded to tell us what they
had planned for us for the whole day including repairing a boat. It was a bit
on the front foot but we accepted having wanted to do most things anyway.
First our
guide Donald took us for a walk through the village, visiting the guest houses,
school and the garden. We sat in the coconut and banana grove as the kids
climbed the tall palms and got us fresh coconuts to drink and eat.
We then
took Donald’s son Edward and Paul (who is the Big Chief’s first born and heir
to the throne) in our RIB around to another beach and climbed up the hillside
to a burial cave from their ancestors. We had to sit before going in as a mark
of respect as Paul said some prayers.
The
entrance was small and steep but inside it was quite large.
The cave
had human bones stacked in piles all over the floor and rocks.
We then
climbed up the side of the cliff overlooking the cave to a second cave that
held the big chief and his family. Fortunately the cliff face was covered in
tree roots which made it easy to scale.
The chief in the middle, his wife
on the right, first born son on the left and other son and daughter at the
front.
In the
arvo we returned to the village with enough tools to repair Donald and Edward’s
alloy boat which had a series of cracks along the keel from previously bad
welding repairs. It had been repaired since with melted candle wax! The job
took Paul and Ben about 1.5 hours and then they went back to Donald’s house for
Kai Kai which is basically a meal prepared by them for their guests. The girls
were ushered away from the repair site and back to the house. They tried to
offer to help with the food prep and in the process learn a little but the were
told to sit and “make story”. The food was excellent and lots of it. The difficult
thing for us is they will not eat with us or at the same time but insist we
finish all the food and they will eat later. We felt pretty bad but that’s
their custom and we had to accept that.
The girls with Donald’s wife Lota
who made the meal.
Paul with Donald’s family and
future Chief Paul on the right.
As we left
we were given a load of fresh fruit and veges to take back with us. As if they
hadn’t done enough for us anyway, but they were very thankful for the repair on
the boat.
The
following day we returned for “Tafea Day” which is a celebration of the date of
political independence for the southern islands.
In reality
all we wanted to do is play with the kids and see the rock – more on that
later.
We took
our kite in and tried to fly it on the footy field at the school but it just
wasn’t windy enough and the kids were still in class.
We sat in
the grandstand as the school kids came out and sung the local anthem, the
elders did the flag raising and the chief gave a welcoming speech. We were
given a warm welcome from the chief during the opening address.
Then it
went downhill as we discovered the elections were on and the candidates gave
some pretty long speeches as politicians do when trying to win votes. It was in
the local Bislama language which is pretty close to English so we had an idea
what was being said. The locals around us apologized.
We escaped
the speeches with a plan to go over to the other side of the river to see the
petroglyph rock of John Williams. He was the first Missionary to the area but
didn’t succeed so well and the villagers held him down on the rock, traced
around him in the stone and then cut him up and ate him. We didn’t get half way
across the field when we were bailed up multiple times for a guide, to stay for
lunch, to buy/trade fishing lures, etc… It just got too much and we said we
were going on our own. They waited for us on the river bank to return for lunch
and wouldn’t take no as an answer. We wanted to lie on John’s rock but so many
eyes were watching us…
We went
back for a quick lunch. Every person that came up to us and once realizing we
were aussies, told us the same story about these Baptist groups from Gladstone
that come every year to help with fresh water systems, fishing, religion, etc,
etc. We must have heard it 20 times!!!
So at 2pm
we bailed finally after many, many goodbyes and well wishes and we left the
anchorage at 4pm to sail overnight to Efate
Island and the Capital, Port Vila
All in all
it was an interesting time there. We sort of feel for the Eromango villagers.
They have no natural attractions like Aneityum and Tanna. Also no safe harbour,
pretty average soil for growing crops and some pretty undulating terrain around
the village. It doesn’t have a lot to offer to Western World and they are
suffering and being left behind the other islands because of it. They don’t
need the western society anyway but when all the others are getting it and
they’re not… The people
were always talking to us about “White Skin’s investing in Eromango” but it is just
not viable. Their hospitality was very warm and welcoming just a little too
overpowering.
To be
honest it was a good experience but it was time to leave.
Efate and Port Vila
We left at
4pm and had sails set tight as we sailed closed hauled at 50 degrees off the
wind in the light NE’ers. We managed a 6-7 knots speed until 4am. Just Magic
and Lorelei were very close all the time. At midnight during the watch change,
they were less than 100m off our side and there was a finger puppet session
onto the sail under torchlight as Wendy told us she busted Ben doing it on the
crossing from Australia
At 4am the
wind died and we switched the engine on and it all went pear shaped from there.
Paul could smell an acrid smell coming out of the engine room blower vents and
went to find the cause. At first all looked OK but after checking the other
side, he found flames coming out of the back of the alternator. He got Lisa up,
shut the engine down and put the fire out. Just Magic sat off and waited just
in case. After things cooled off a bit Paul managed to disconnect the wiring, restart
and motor into Port Vila Havannah Harbour
for a few days before going into Vila
Ben is a
sparky (thank goodness) and a quick look later revealed a burnt out Alternator
and Regulator that will need replacing. David and the team at Baddiley’s
Engineering in Brisbane
It’s just
great that Ben and Wendy have stuck with us thru the drama. They could have
continued to Havannah Harbour but elected to come into Vila
We all went
to Yachting World and have rented 2 fantastic moorings for the week and the
full use of their facilities. We could choose our own moorings and picked the 2
closest to Iririki
Island
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The fresh
food markets are amazing, huge and very cheap. We are having a blast shopping
here daily and buying some new things to try especially after getting some
ideas from the meals that have been cooked for us over the past 3 weeks. And to
top it off – we found mangos – for only 30c each!!
The taxi
buses in the city are funny. They see you walking and stop, whistle, yell, honk
or anything they can do for a fare. Exactly the opposite to home! With a ride
to virtually anywhere on the island being $1.50 p/p it’s pretty cheap.
We have
bumped into friends Ferdie and Wendy of the Aussie yacht Ruthian who we met and
surfed with in New Cal
The
weather and sailing conditions have been superb. In the last week it has gone
from warm to hot and yesterday – very hot with 33 degrees and no wind. Ben and
Wendy spent the arvo under an umbrella on the back step with their feet in a
bucket of cold water and a swim every 20 minutes. We weren’t much better but
after 5 years of living in Cairns
Our perfect swimming spot off the back of Lorelei
So the
plan is to stay here until the new parts arrive. Friends John and Jenny off
Sharkface arrive back here from Australia
We may be
changing our plans and might head north over the equator for summer rather than
south to escape the cyclone and monsoon season. There could be 4 boats travelling
in company if it all works out. It looks very appealing and may be some great
opportunities for some serious surf and spectacular diving. Additionally it
means we don’t have to punch south for 1200nm back to NZ which from talking to
many NZ sailors can be a testing trip. We’ll keep you posted….
So that’s
it for Episode 12 of the Hog Blog.
We have no
idea when or where Episode 13 will be posted from. Internet is becoming scarcer
the further north we go and it takes a while to upload this blog using WiFi.
Overall it’s
been another fantastic month! A bit less playing with toys and more enjoying
some fantastic culture and new experiences which keeps the spark alive and
hopefully makes for a more diverse read for you.
This week
also marks the 1 year anniversary from when we set sail from Brisbane
Wonder what
the next 12 months will hold?
So Cheers
for now from the team.
Paul and
Lisa
&
Ben and
Wendy
Fresh Fish Sushi – just to rub it
in….
Hehehe