Category Archives: Circumnavigation
The final blog from the Solomons
This is Bill’s last blog on the Solomons.
Our Dolphin escort
On the 28th September it was with little regret that we left Honiara port. We headed out towards Rodrick Bay in the Florida group of islands about 28 miles to the North. Motoring until the heat of the sun struck up a sea breeze we ploughed through the biggest pod of dolphins we have ever seen. The water was thick with them. Soon the sails were unfurled and we were creaming along for 2 hours with a fresh breeze on our beam.
Camomile settled by the beach at Rodrick bay
Approaching the bay the wind dropped as we slipped into the lee of the land under the cooling cloud cover overhead. The 33’ yacht Tomboy with Janice and Tom on board was already in the anchorage and Tom, rowing from the shore in his dinghy, helped David and Nathanial in their dugout canoe make Camomile fast to buoys fore and aft not far from the shore. Looking down into the 20 metre depth of crystal clear water I could clearly see the coral growth on the bottom and was glad not to have my anchor down there in it.
The wreck of the World Discovery
David, the son of one of the three brothers at the head of the extended village family, explained that we were welcome to use the buoys at no charge for as long as we wanted. We were also welcome to come ashore, swim, snorkel and generally roam around. We had been impressed by the wreck of a cruise ship beached on the shallow reefs close to the shore. This had apparently been holed and was sinking but managed to disembark her passengers before being beached to save her for salvage. David explained that the local chief of the next village had claimed her, after he had repelled attempts to salvage the vessel, and he now charges a fee to visit the slowly rusting hulk.
Old vanity unit
Needless to say, pilfered bits of cruise liner showed up throughout the villages in the bay. This vanity unit was being used as a work top.
Lillian on her way home from her garden with fresh produce
John the chief of their village and the youngest of the 3 brothers was away from the village and Lillian, his wife, was in charge and could be heard on the shore haranguing the remaining two brothers, Nathanial and David even though she was about 4’6″ tall
Very soon this diminutive, doughty and eloquent lady who brought us a gift of shells and fruit visited us. She explained that they liked to welcome newcomers with what we would call a “pot luck” dinner and would we like to come ashore tomorrow evening to meet the whole family.
Lillian’s kitchen
Even from the boat we could see that this village was tidy and well looked after but even more primitive than anything we had come across to date. This is Lillian’s kitchen which has an open fire in the corner. The fire serves two purposes, it has a large cooking pot over it for boiling vegetables but also rocks are heated in the fire which in turn are used to form an oven to roast fish or veggies (they rarely have meat) covered with old sacking and banana leaves.
Tom and Janice came on board for drinks that afternoon and we chatted about their time here. It turned out that Janice, although a vet, was running a free clinic for the local tribes and Tom was teaching various subjects to some of the local children. Their selfless generosity was humbling and makes you realize that the more people like this we have on the planet the better the place becomes.
I was embarrassed, though grateful, when Janice insisted on treating my knee injury that had recently flared up. She introduced me to something she called acupressure, a treatment manipulating pressure points, which she explained, controlled the flow of energies through the body. Decades of cynicism dropped away as the treatment started to relieve the painful symptoms but I still felt a bit of a fraud because, compared to the ailments she was seeing at the clinic, mine was trivial.
The table prepared for the food, my saucepans are tucked in amongst the decorations
The following afternoon Sue made a large chili-con-carne with rice on Camomile and Tomboy prepared a huge pasta dish and a banana cake all of which was ferried ashore at the appointed hour.
I was bowled over by the preparations that the villagers had been making during the day. Every inch of the huge table under the palm fronded roof was covered in brightly coloured hibiscus petals and leaves.
Sue decorated with the beautiful flower garland and the decorated drinking coconut.
The ladies presented us with beautiful garlands and offered us green coconuts decorated with petals and fine bamboo straws to drink the fresh coconut milk. The men had been out fishing in the lagoon, returning with clams for the chowder starter and reef fish for the main course. This along with the vegetables from their gardens and the contributions from the boats served up on hand made plates freshly woven from palm leaves made the best welcome feast we have been treated to on our travels. How extraordinary that it should also come from probably the poorest people we had yet encountered.
The children enjoying popcorn.
Everyone ate well but the star of the show as far as the kids were concerned was Janice’s popcorn, which they ate in huge volumes for starters. Some of these little girls are wearing tops that Sue had handed out that afternoon and which they were very proud of.
The wood carvings
The woodcarvers from a village across the bay set up their stall for us to view and I spent an entertaining hour bartering a head torch, twist drills, hacksaw blades, and a few Solomon dollars for some carvings. We choose a wooden shell and a war club, not sure if we’ll get them past the Australian customs.
Enjoying island hospitality
Coral waiting to be burnt
My knee had improved enough now to take a walk to the end of the next village so we trekked off into the bush only stopping to admire the work of a local man building his home from materials straight from the surrounding jungle, and wonder at the heaps of coral on pyres of logs being prepared to burn down into the lime dust taken by beetlenut users to intensify their hit. Hmmm.
Chiefs and Elders on board Camomile
Sue ventured further afield with Janice to visit the chief in the next village and we also received a visit on board Camomile from Ben the paramount chief of the area who wanted to show us the DVD he had of the recent festival at Roderick bay. It turned out that Lillian and the brothers had not seen this recording either so we all piled below to watch it on Janice’s PC. All thought our home really lovely. It’s amazing to think they don’t have anything like the facilities we have on board.
Repairing dugout canoes
I noticed when we were visited by Lillian and some of the kids that they spent almost as much time bailing as they did paddling so offered to do something about it. They hauled their canoes out of the water for a couple of days to let them dry out and then I set about them making repairs to the sizable holes that had eroded their way through the wood of the aging craft. Sue discovered that Lillian had a hand controlled sewing machine and a little bit of fabric but no patterns. She spent an afternoon with her tracing patterns onto some thin card that Lillian had and cutting them out followed by instructions on how to use them. It felt good to help and it was well received by the village whom by now felt like really good friends.
We snorkelled the surrounding lagoon and among the myriad of smaller fish we spotted a grouper, as large as he looked grumpy, the first we’ve seen and some small string rays.
All this time I had been downloading GRIP files from the SSB and keeping an eye on the weather systems careening up the eastern seaboard of Australia, our next destination.
Sad goodbyes to the family and Janice
It became clearer that we should move off before the tougher November weather set in and after 12 days in this beautiful place we said our sad goodbyes and headed back off to the armpit of Honiara to check out ready for the 1,100 mile beat to the shores of the first continent we would landfall since arriving in Panama from the Caribbean.
Comment from Sue
All these children are under 6
We will be sad to leave the south Pacific after 2½ years. During that time we have visited some stunning places, stopping at many islands, and met some wonderful people from different civilisations whose generosity has been very humbling. At times I’ve been a little nervous when the boat has been approached by dug out canoes or small launches but that’s soon dispersed when faced with welcoming, happy smiling faces, particularly on the children.
A thoughtful little chap
A lovely boy called Frank
This little chap is sitting on the washing and the washing-up!!
Most of these people have no hope of having any thing like the sort of life styles we take for granted but do you know, they don’t seem to miss it one bit, they are so rich in their surroundings. The freedom they enjoy is so liberating and I’m not sure which one of us are the lucky ones.
Faces of the South Pacific
September Update – moving onto the Solomon Islands
Anchored in the Solomons
Our arrival in the remote Santa Cruz group in the Solomons was on the back of a deep trough that had treated us to strong gusty squalls and kicked up a nasty short sea well beyond what could be expected from the wind strength. But the sky was the most dramatic thing I have ever seen, clouds of every size, type and colour paraded across the brightest blue backdrop; an effect of the South Pacific Convergence Zone that we had entered. After the choppy sea we were relieved to motor gently into the lee of Vanikoro island’s deep and sheltered anchorage.
A local family came to visit
Our arrival seemed to be the signal for dugouts from miles around to come and introduce themselves and find out what we had on board to trade for their local produce. The dugouts here differ from the Polynesian outrigger style by being beamy enough to sit inside, being equipped with crude downwind sails similar to the Egyptian felucca and a pole for punting through shallow reefs. They are also monohull making them less stable but this didn’t stop them from standing up to fish with bows and arrows.
Fishing with a bow and arrow
Although we were unsettled by all the warnings we had received about being here, the only disturbing thing we had found so far were the blood red toothy smiles from those addicted to the locally grown narcotic betelnut. This is chewed after lime is taken for a more intense “hit”. It leaves stained and damaged teeth not to mention its more sinister carcinogenic effects.
Another family in their canoe
The people though were lovely and traded fresh produce like eggs, beans and tropical fruit for the clothes, writing materials and other paraphernalia we had brought for this purpose. Some requests we could not help with; we had to explain that it was not normal for a yacht to keep roofing nails suitable for their church on board. Even when a large boat full of fierce looking men turned up wanting to know if we could help to fix their SSB set (no mobile phones here yet) they were polite and did not make us feel uncomfortable. I even gave away my last tube of Araldite epoxy glue to the local chief, he was over the moon with it!
Selling fish at Lata
Onwards to Ndendo where we anchored up in Graciosa Bay to check in at the town of Late, an unremarkable collection of ramshackle buildings with some shops but where the bank was unable to change any money. Sue managed to persuade a local shopkeeper to exchange a few American dollars for some Solomon dollars.
Sue with some of the children
We stayed five days before continuing on to the next island. After a 40 hour passage we arrived in Santa Ana in a deluge of rain but were delighted to see another yacht in the anchorage skippered by Feri, a Swiss Turk, travelling the “wrong way” from the Med with his crew Deniz. The next couple of days the rain shrieked down on us filling our water tanks to the brim.
The custom house
When it finally got dry long enough to go ashore we met Chief John who welcomed us to his village. We mounted an expedition to the other side of the island together with the Turkish contingent to inspect a “custom house”, where the bones of past chiefs were interred, and to a lake in the centre of the island which was responsible for their reliable water table supply.
A village house
Another village house
Beautiful views through to the ocean
The village was very tidy and there seemed to be children everywhere but their houses were made from all local materials with wonderful views through to the ocean.
A lone bike
This was the only form of transport from one side of the island to the other on the road cleared by the Americans during the war
Olive, chief John’s daughter, Karen the missionary, Chief John’s grand daughter and Chief John
We met Karen the missionary who was teaching the local people how to write down their local language then teach it to others.
We moved on with trepidation when a fair wind arrived. The brisk wind 25 knots from square astern and with the twizzle poles on our double 135% genoas drove us along all day towards the eastern end of Guadalcanal Island where we arrived shortly before 18:30 which is “lights out” around here. We anchored up alone again in a quiet bay but the holding was good first time, it was flat calm and we were both tired from an exhilarating day sail.
Waking in this jungle anchorage was a joyful experience and it wasn’t long before the local characters started to make themselves known. The canoes started coming out to the boat again but this time with stories of Prince William and Kate coming to the Solomons. We thought we had missed them but it turned out they were arriving in a couple of days time.
August update in Vanuatu
Camomile anchored in Lamen bay, Epi
After spending a week in Port Vila re-provisioning, re-fuelling and a false start because of the weather we finally left on the 3rd of August. A little heavy of heart we sailed the 16 mile hop around Devil’s Point, where the trade winds kick viciously at the opposing current twice a day, and into the shelter of Port Havannah for an overnight stop and a pre-dawn start the following day to sail the 65 miles north to the island of Epi. We anchored up in Lamen Bay after an easy but long day sail. This sandy bottomed bay is a good but rolly spot but we had been here before and knew that by putting out a stern anchor we would be much more stable. We spent a couple of days chilling, snorkelling over sea turtles grazing on the sea grass below the boat that could not have been less concerned by our presence. Dugongs inhabit this bay but they are shy creatures and failed to make an appearance for us much to Sue’s disappointment.
One of the Ambrym carvers
The volcanic island of Ambrym is the next large island and will forever be remembered to us as the place, last year, where Camomile nearly succeeded in running away from us when she dragged her anchor at Ranon while we were ashore with a local man’s broken generator in pieces trying to repair it for him. The fine, light black sand simply let go and she was ¼ mile out to sea when the alarm was raised by Silver Fox, a rally boat, who wondered how we could be anchored in 200 meters of water!
The Rom dancers at Ambrym
We were also lucky enough to see a traditional Rom dance with the men dressed in small Namba’s, which is a penis sheath attached to their belts, and nothing else! It involves a lot of foot stamping and shuffling.
The sacred Rom site
Woman aren’t allowed near the Rom site but they made an exception for the cruisers.
The tribesmen of Ambrym
The little store in Batnavni
We sailed past to Pentecost Island stopping at the village of Batnavni. The next day we went ashore to discover a really friendly village. There was a tiny store selling a few essentials along with delicious freshly baked bread. The chief offered to show us his village, which we happily accepted.
The girls outside their classroom
The village contained the senior school for the whole island. Many of the children boarded because it was too far to return home each evening. Their facilities were basic to say the least.
The bunk beds in the cramped dormitory
The bunk beds were very close together
The school kitchen, the pile of wood in the corner is for the open fire
and the school kitchen consisted of an open fire with a few pots and pans containing some strange liquids bubbling away in them.
The Asenvari ‘Yacht club’
On the 10th we continued on to the southern tip of Maewo and the picturesque village of Asenvari where Chief Nelson and his tribe live. The way of life here is untouched by western influence as testified to by an out of commission hydro generating plant and a “yacht club” which was also not in operation i.e. bring your own everything and they provide a table. The Chief encourages yachts to come to his village and treats them all like VIPs. The villagers enjoy trading their fruit, veg and handicrafts for every day goods.
One of the little village houses totally made from natural materials
Nelson soon established that I knew what a generator was and suddenly a broken one appeared. After an hour or so of tweaking it was working but when I asked to test it on an appliance nothing could be found that was not already defunct, not even a light bulb. This just goes to show that if the very few modern gadgets are removed from this environment village life simply goes on as it has since time immemorial.
The village children playing with their salvaged broken surf boards
In the evening we enjoyed our sundowners listening to the children frolicking in the sea, naked, without a care in the world.
On the 13th we made the 16 mile passage west to another volcanic island named Ambae and anchored off the black beaches of Vanihe Bay for a couple of nights visiting the village of Lolowai.
Bill in the kayak at the Blue Hole
From here and onto our favourite resort in Vanuatu, “Oyster Island” on Santo. A small but very yottie friendly place with a western style restaurant, cold beer and a lovely still “hurricane hole” anchorage. The little over water bungalows were charming, the surrounding coral is colourful and there are a number of WW2 aircraft wrecks that are interesting to snorkel. A kayak trip up the nearby river to swim in a “blue hole”, the deep limestone sink that feeds the river with fresh clean water, is a great way to spend an afternoon.
Sue on the internet at Oyster Island
The resort was the first and only place we found a limited wifi signal north of Port Vila, and Sue was amazed by the loos!
The bathroom enclosed within it’s own garden
This anchorage is about
20km from Luganville, the regional capital where we had to check in before moving north, do some shopping and sniff out some nice coffee (Sue has a talent for this type of detection). We decided that, instead of using an expensive resort taxi we would walk to the main road and thumb a lift. Most of the road traffic will stop for a hitchhiker as it is understood that you will pay 200 vatu each (about £1.50) the equivalent of the bus fare (if you can find a bus). Riding in the back of the ubiquitous pick up truck worked really well on the first day when we made the return journey in a Taxi loaded up with shopping. The second day a Toyota crew cab pick-up pulled over with four burley men in it. Sue took one look in the back and blanched. There was a very large and very dead cow in it with its severed head and guts all over the place. Apparently it was on the way to be butchered. Those of you who know her will also know that Sue is infrequently lost for words however this was one of those rare moments. The driver, perceiving the imminent loss of a fare however, promptly turfed two of the lads out of the cab and we were saved. I have rarely regretted more the absence of a camera in my hand to capture a tableau such as this.
Champagne beach
Leaving the luxury of a resort island behind us on the 21st we headed 25 miles north to Hog Harbour and a visit to Champagne Beach, so named because the white sand is so fine that it bubbles each time a wave washes its way up the beach. A further 8 miles to the North we dropped our hook for the night in the shelter of Port Olry where we shared the anchorage with Quicksilver a yacht from Poole in Dorset and had a nice time nattering and drinking tea with Mike and Hilda, the last English boat we would see before Australia.
Faces of Vanuatu
Next a 45 mile passage to the first of the Banks archipelago and the island of Santa Maria where we tucked ourselves into the west side of the island away from the increasing south east trade winds and chattered to the locals who were preparing for a festival in a few days time.
Sadly we did not have time to stay with them because we needed to make our way to Port Paterson on Vanua Lava to check out before our 28 day visa expired. While in Port Paterson we came across the wood built square rigged ship the Soren Larsen which was used in the filming of the Onedin line in the 70s. We had been invited aboard her for a tour the year before when we were anchored near her in Port Vila, then she was in Opua and now again here.
The beautiful waterfall in Double Waterfall bay
The following day we moved to the shelter of the west side of the island to Double Waterfall Bay and the village of Chief Kerely, an urbane, educated and intelligent man. He greeted us warmly and explained that we were free to anchor, swim, snorkel and generally were to make ourselves at home. If we were bothered by too many visitors in canoes then just ask them to come another time and that he preferred that any spare goods we had were traded for something useful to us rather than just given away. We felt well at ease anchored in the bay with the distant roar of the twin waterfalls in the background.
Sue joining in the custom dancing
Later that evening who should arrive at the anchorage but the Soren Larsen. The next day the village set about organising custom dancing, water music and all the other things that were normally done for them. This led to a great day’s entertainment ashore with the passengers and was really capped off when we were invited aboard the square-rigger for a pasta supper.
The Soren Larsen at anchor in the sun set
Camomile by the waterfall
By about this time our laundry bags were bulging so we needed to find plentiful fresh water to have a washing day. We moved to Single Waterfall Bay an uninhabited bay just a few miles up the coast and took our washing, our shampoo our shower gel and a picnic lunch to the base of the waterfall and spent the afternoon getting clean. Best washday ever!
The main highway on Uraparapara
20 miles north Ureparapara was the last of the Banks islands we visited and is an extinct volcano with a flooded caldera forming it’s anchorage. It is a special thing to drop the hook knowing that at one time this bay was a vast version of Tanna’s inferno.
Just one set of footsteps in the sand
The Torres islands are the most northerly islands of Vanuatu and about 50 miles down wind of Ureparapara. We headed to Hayter Bay on Tegua. A quintessential tropical beach, palm fringed, white sand, jungle backdrop and multicoloured coral reefs under the softly lapping crystal clear water. Best of all, uninhabited so we had it all to ourselves until the following morning when our friends on the Soren Larsen hoved into the bay and dropped their anchor.
That evening, the 30th, we left Hayter bay and Vanuatu to head ever further north to the Solomon islands.
Beautiful Hayter bay
July update with James on board – part 2 Vanuatu
Camomile sailing to Vanuatu
The passage from Fiji to Vanuatu took 3 1/2 days, it was James’s first blue water ocean passage. We motored out of the reef with Norman and Sara on Norsa and Geoff on Seafauke who took some great pictures of Camomile with her sails flying. I ran a net in the evening and had about half a dozen boats to call and take their positions and weather reports.
We had a good wind but unfortunately the sea was a bit lumpy and James took to his bunk. By the third day he was getting really bored but fortunately he managed to catch a yellow fin tuna, he managed to catch a second one but it got away. On the forth day James spotted land first and by 3pm we had motored around the south side of the reef and anchored in Anatom, James jumped straight in the water for a swim.
James trying out an outrigger canoe
Anatom is the most southerly island of the Vanuatu group and has for a long time been overlooked by many yachts because it lacked any check-in authorities and the sail back from further up the chain against the prevailing South Easterly would be a hard flog at the best of times. This has now changed so we waited quietly at anchor in the protected lagoon behind Mystery Island and recovered from the passage until the following morning when the local policeman came to process us. We had several local people approach the boat in dug out canoes offering fruit and veggies and James couldn’t resist having a try out in one of the outrigger canoes. It was more stable than he was expecting.
Presentation of the leis
There were enough yachts in the anchorage for the local tribe to roll out their recently conceived welcome evening, which started with a presentation of leis, a welcome song, and displays of traditional skills like making fire with a stick and tinder.
Tribal evening in Anatom
James joining in with the traditional dancing
This was followed by traditional dancing, after which we were encouraged to join in, and a banquet of locally prepared food. This was their first and so we were the guinea pigs but it was an honest and enjoyable evening that was a great success.
We couldn’t resist getting in the cooking pot
Mystery Island turned out to be a contrivance for the occasional cruise liner but despite this there was good snorkelling to be had and a pleasant walk around the perimeter of this small sand cay with an airstrip down it’s middle. We found this set up in the middle of the ‘market’ square.
Monument to the missionaries
Meanwhile, on the mainland, the village featured a church ruined by an earthquake while, in front of it stood a “reconciliation” monument to missionaries killed shortly after their first arrival in these islands. And, yes, without cast down eyes, shuffling feet or mumbling we were told, “they were eaten”. Interesting if slightly worrying for the casual visitor that there are those in the community who can recount this heritage entirely without trepidation.
Our first view of the volcano at Tanna
After a long day sail we arrived at the island of Tanna and it’s active volcano, which was the highlight of this leg both for Bill and for James who is interested in geology as part of his Open University work.
The anchorage at Port Resolution was thought by Captain Cook to have promise as a harbour because when he named it, less than 200 years ago it was deep. We anchored in good holding in about 7 meters, which due to the land being pushed upwards, is a lot less than the captain found on his lead line. As we approached we observed seawater steaming in some areas and could hear the roar of regular eruptions. Tanna was talking to us at level 3 of 5 where a 5 means evacuate or get hurt.
The trip to the crater is a 40 minute 4×4 pickup ride along tracks which look like something from the set of an extreme off-roader commercial. The ladies swiftly ensconced themselves in the cab, leaving the four men in the back where low hanging boughs swept just inches above our heads, the torrential rain, full of black grit, permeated every crevice of our clothing, and the ride bucked and rolled in a spirited attempt to liberate itself of the human cargo hanging on to it for grim death.
Think safety
At last, and quite suddenly, the rain stopped, the jungle gave way to a vast black ash plain and the driver pulled over and parked. I don’t really know what I expected, barriers, informative multiple signage, a briefing on how to avoid getting hit on the head by descending molten magma perhaps. None of the above were present, just a solitary sign proclaiming “Think Safety”.
Tanna volcano
The driver told us to walk up the slope to the crater and then turn right but to avoid the choking fumes we turned left and went higher and higher to the accompaniment of nerve grinding booms which we could now feel through our feet.
Tanna volcano
Awesome is a word that has been hijacked by generations of comic books finally becoming an adjective applied to the latest and perfectly banal mobile phone or a new ipod case. These things are not awesome but looking straight down into a crater watching lumps of magma half the size of a car being hurled hundreds of feet into the air certainly is awesome.
Tanna volcano
James was suddenly 5 years old again. Shrieking and yelling he took off at a run, hundreds of feet right up to the highest point of the crater. Sue and I, clinging to each other for moral support with me pretending not to be scared witless, made our way up about half way before we realised that the splodge shaped rocks strewn around the gravelly ash slope we were picking our way through could only have been created in one way. We stood our ground however and, as darkness gradually shrouded us, the explosive emissions of glowing molten rock gave us the show of our lives.
We returned to Camomile in darkness and shed our wet and gritty clothing hoping that the heavy rain would get the black ash out of it. Wrong, the following morning our decks were covered in this abrasive grit, which had got everywhere. We spent 3 hours sluicing the boat down in attempt to get it away from winches and cars. Even the nearly new stainless rigging was showing orange streaks in the acid rain and I could swear that the Treadmaster deck looked even more threadbare than before.
It was definitely time to leave though sadly we had to part company with our good friends Norman and Sara as they made their way back to Oz and a flight home to the UK.
Our next and even more poignant goodbye was to James who picked up a flight from Port Vila three days after we checked in at the capital. He had recharged his batteries, eaten lots and was set for some skydiving in Fiji as he passed through there on his way back to the UK.
July update with James on board – part 1 Fiji
James behind the wheel
Boys and engines
We turned up at the hot and humid arrival hall of Fiji’s Nadi International Airport with at least 2 hours to spare but we were both so excited about the arrival of James that we were far too keyed up to sit around Port Denerau where the boat was moored. This would be the first time I had seen my son in 3 years and though Sue had seen him just last year on a brief visit home this was the first time he had been on the boat since well before we left. We also knew that he needed the well-earned 6 week break he was taking from his busy life. We took a pause to purge the jet lag and reacquaint ourselves with each other. Both of us being engineers, work on the diesel’s cooling system for which James had brought some much needed new parts with him from the UK and then we were off.
Enjoying a meal together
We started with an overnight stop in Vuda point to take James to the First Landing resort and our favourite place to eat. Our waiter friend Norman (name) found us a good table and served us with the usual delicious fare we had enjoyed before. James agreed the food was wonderful.
Camomile at Vuda point marina
James relaxing on deck
We had visited this western side of Fiji and the Yasawa group of islands twice before and were dying to take James to see all the best bits. Having rendezvoused with Norman and Sara on their Malo 36, just before sunrise we gently motored out of a quiet bay near to Lautoka and made the day passage northwards skirting Bligh Water. This stretch of water was named after the infamous captain who, in his open boat, was chased through here by war canoes, into the Tamasua Passage.
James playing football with the village children
After a long day sail we arrived at our first village anchorage at Nabukaru sheltering from the trade winds behind Sawa I Lau island. Anchoring up over night we went ashore the following morning with the traditional offering of Kava root (a pepper with a mild euphoric effect when ground and mixed with water) for the village chief. This gesture is always well received as it marks a sign of respect by the visitor for their culture and, though the days are long gone where protection is needed, grants you their blessing to freely visit their homes and territory.
The lifestyle here is basic and though the houses are often block work with corrugated iron roofing some traditional huts, made with local materials from the surrounding jungle can still be found among the overcrowded living conditions of the newer buildings. Fijians have the readiest smiles of all the peoples we have met yet on our travels. They are fun and love you to join in. James had a blast playing football with kids on the beach and touch rugby with the men, who were keen followers of the World Cup via radio, on their improvised pitch at the school.
Inside the cave
A visit to swim one of the nearby limestone caves ducking under a flooded passage to emerge in a creepy chamber with a vertical shaft letting in just a dim vestige of sunlight to penetrate the gloom was a first for Sue. Underwater caves and spiders, well done her!
The village women cooking the dinner
Sailing south now and starting mid morning ensured that the sun was high and behind us so that we could navigate the reefs by eyeball. The charting for the outlying islands is crude, inaccurate and incomplete so this is the only reliable method to use although I have found that Google Earth with its detailed photographic images, which clearly show the reefs, is incredibly precise if you can arrange to download the area you are in.
Sani and her family
After the 11 mile hop we anchored up in Blue Lagoon named after the original movie of the same name that was filmed here. We had come to pay a visit to Sani and her lovely family who had been so kind to us on our last visit almost 2 years ago. We all received a warm welcome though sadly Ratu Saleem, the old chief who had so impressed us before with his worldly wisdom and intellect, had passed away.
We joined the villagers for Sunday lunch
We stayed for Sunday and went to church which is an uplifting experience by the sublime and enthusiastic harmony of the congregation’s singing. Sunday lunch was prepared and eaten in the open air together with the whole of Sani’s extended family and James, who had been scuba diving off nearby reefs, turned up to regale us with tales of his latest adventure instantly disappearing under a host of small black bodies wanting to swing from his arms as he spun them in circles.
There was a sad goodbye to this kind and generous family, as this was likely the last time we would see them but time pressed on and we sailed another short hop south to anchor in Narewa Bay surrounded by miles of curving white sand beach against a backdrop of jungle and swooping mountainous ridges.
The view across Narewa Bay from the top of the hill James climbed.
The jungle and hills were too much for James and pack readied he made off with a machete to plough through the jungle and on up the steep slopes beyond while his old man looked on from the deck of the boat and wondered how many times he would run out of puff if he tried to do that. Across the narrow isthmus, in a lagoon, a WW2 plane wreck can be found in around 3-4 metres of water on a sandy bottom.
A beautiful manta ray
After we had inspected this we sailed south again to the nearby Manta Ray pass. As the name suggests the huge rays, often more than 4 meters across, are sometimes seen here. They are gentle, graceful creatures that come to feed on the small organisms carried by the currents sluicing through the pass and can be safely shadowed at a respectful distance with just a snorkel and mask. We were in luck and James was treated to the rare and exciting experience of swimming and free-diving with these amazing fish.
A birthday bonfire
Our next stop was south of the Yasawas in the Mamanutha group, by the island of Navandra, uninhabited except for a goat. Some of Fiji’s best coral lies beneath the stunningly clear sea in the bay and exploring the deserted beach here and on the island next door was a lovely adventure. James decided to build a big fire in honour of my birthday, which we celebrated while there, but decided not to light it. It was to be our last taste of the rustic outlying islands with our next stop being the Musket Cove resort on Malolo Leilei. With Camomile med moored stern to a modern pontoon which forms a bridge to a tiny palm covered sandy island with a bar and a range of driftwood fired BBQs we put our feet up for a few days after our recent adventures. Civilisation is welcome when it comes in this form.
Sue and James on the local bus
We returned to Vuda point where Sue and James decided to go into town on a local bus, windows aren’t necessary.
A final meal at First Landing
We had a final meal at First Landing followed by a dance show performed by some locals with a wonderful photo opportunity afterwards for James.
James with the dancers
Time was moving on and so should we. Sadly it was time to bid a fond farewell for probably the last time to Fiji’s shores, one of the most beautiful countries on our travels so far.
Goodbye Fiji
June Update
I haven’t had a chance to write anything on the website for ages so here is a summary of June. (This has taken 2 days on a wifi hotspot to just post!)
Trying to get the dinghy ashore
We left Vanua Balavu on 1st June and headed for Taveuni which is an island on the eastern side of Fiji. There were some nice restaurants where you could take the dinghy to. Unfortunately on this day it was low tide and we struggled to get it ashore.
The next day Sara and I went ashore to try and get some much needed fresh veggies. We got a few bits but also met a really nice lady who organised for someone to take us to visit the Bouma national park and waterfall, which was where the last Blue lagoon film was shot.
Sara and I walking along the jungle path
The next morning we went ashore to meet the car and after a 2 hour drive we arrived at the national park. We had a lovely walk to the waterfall, which took another 2 hours.
The ladies from the village doing their washing in the stream
The path took us through a village and these ladies were using the water from one of the streams to do their washing. I wished I’d brought mine so I could have joined them.
The top of the river led to the inner pool with the waterfall in it.
We reached the waterfall only to discover we had to wade and swim to the inner pool to see it, lucky we had brought our swimmers. We got in and discovered the water was really cold, although we were grateful for the cool down.
Bill jumping into a smaller waterfall
We had the pool to ourselves and Bill climbed the rocks several times to jump into this smaller waterfall. We tried to swim under the main fall but the force was too strong, it was like being hit by a hammer. We dried off and ate our picnic and walked back to the park entrance where our driver was waiting patiently in the car.
O
The GPS changed from west …….
On 6th June we motored south. The island of Taveuni is the only place in the world that the 180 degree meridian line crosses. It’s possible to stand with one foot either side of the ‘line’. We really wanted to go ashore and do that but the wind picked up and we couldn’t anchor.
… to east
Instead we watched the GPS change from west to east. We’ve been crossing the Meridian line back and forth over the last year or two but this is the last time. As the Red sea is now a no go area the next time we see the GPS change back from east to west will probably be off the coast of South Africa.
We continued down to Viani bay on the south east corner of the Northern island of Fiji. We met up with Aurora B an English boat we met in NZ at the end of 2010. Camomile and Norsa were invited on board for drinks. The next day we snorkeled the Rainbow reef and can honestly say we have never seen such a beautiful reef with so many fish swimming around it. We drifted over the reef with the current and the scenery below us was spectacular.
Beautiful blue water
The 8th June saw us motoring without a breathe of wind to Savu Savu. I took this unusual photo on the way. It’s me looking into the calm water over our bow. The water was like a millpond.
Camomile moored at the Copra Shed marina
We arrived in Savu Savu on the 8th June (Happy Birthday Thomas) and caught up with lots of boats we had met in NZ. We feel we have come full circle in the South Pacific because Savu Savu is where we checked into Fiji with the Blue water rally 2 years ago and having crossed the meridian line for the last time we are now on our way home.
We stayed in Savu Savu over a week with Norsa enjoying a few nice meals together and restocking the boat after our stay in the outer islands.
We left on Saturday 16th on the inner passage between the reefs south of the North island, across Bligh water, then north of the South island, with Norsa following us.
Lifting Camomile at Vuda point marina
Tuesday 19th we arrived at Vuda point marina ready to lift Camomile. Bill wanted to repair some patches on the Cuprotect and also we wanted to check the keel after hitting the reef in Kadavu. We lifted Camomile at Vuda point two years ago and found them very reliable but we were still a bit apprehensive.
The scrapped keel
The damage to the keel wasn’t that bad, just a bit of the antifoul scrapped off.
Boat maintenance in the sun
We were put next to some beautiful palm trees for a few days while Bill and Norma worked on the boat. Sara and I went into town to sort out the Australian visas and more shopping in Lautoka. Vuda Point is next to First Landing resort which has a fantastic restaurant. We had some nice meals while we were there. It was too hot to cook on board while we were on the side – that’s my excuse any way.
Camomile among the Superyachts
We went back into the water on 22nd and on Saturday 23rd we motored across to Port Denerau where we motored among the superyachts. Port Denerau is only a short drive to the airport where we eagarly waited for our son James to arrive on Sunday 24th.
If I can get the wifi to stay online I can post James in Figi blog.
Vanua Balavu aka Exploring Isles aka Fijian Bay of Islands
We are in the Yasawas having a wonderful time with James and I’m sorry the blog has got behind again. I wanted to share our photos of Vanua Balavu with you before we move it forward.
Camomile anchored in the Bay of Islands
We stayed in and around Kadavu for 9 days with mixed weather but always with strong southeast trade winds. We really wanted to explore the southern Lau islands further south but it would have meant sailing into the wind, which just wasn’t feasible with the present wind strength. Eventually we decided to abandon that plan and to head straight for Vanua Balavu, which was a 36 hour sail in a northeast direction. We left on Wednesday 23rd May at 4.00 after setting a snail’s trail on the GPS the day before so we could leave in the dark.
Limestone islands
It wasn’t a very pleasant sail although it was a fast beam reach. The sea was very lumpy and I was sick several times. Bill didn’t get very much sleep and poor Norsa had another breakage. A large wave hit their deck and broke the reefing line for the genny therefore releasing the whole sail. Norman battled on deck for an hour trying to wind some of the sail in by hand but decided to wait for daybreak and then release and drop the whole sail. We stood by while they struggled on deck with it then we both continued to Vanua Balavu.
Camomile leads the way
We arrived together at midday with Camomile leading the way into the reef.
Our position on Thursday 24th May
17º 10.5 south
179º 01.0 west (we crossed the date line again on the way)
Vanua Balavu is one of the most beautiful anchorages in the south Pacific. We discovered it 2 years ago and wanted to return one last time before we leave the Pacific later this year. The water was a beautiful turquoise colour and the shimmer from the sun is reflected in the limestone undercuts. We took lots of photos; here are just a few of them.
Limestone undercuts
Limestone undercuts
Limestone undercuts
The coral was beautiful too
Little blue fish amongst the coral
The colour of the water tinted the gel coat turquoise
Ladies making a coconut mat
On Monday 28th May we motored around to the village of Daliconi to do sevu sevu and pay the chef for our stay in the Bay of Islands. We were shown around the village and met some happy ladies making coconut matting.
Bill and Norman chatting to the locals
While walking up to the school Bill and Norman met these lads on their way for lunch. We didn’t stay in the anchorage because the wind was still blowing strongly and we wanted to get back to the protection of the Bay of Islands.
Camomile anchored off of the village of Daliconi
O
The chartplotter out by about a mile
On Tuesday we sailed around to Lomaloma for supplies. The chartplotter is all over the place here and can’t be trusted. This shows the screen with Camomile sitting in the middle of the island instead of by the mauve symbol, which was our actual position.
Camomile and Norsa tied to the buoy
The anchorage was a bit exposed so the next day we motored into Bavatu harbour, another beautiful south Pacific anchorage being surrounded by turquoise water and coral reefs around the edge. There was a large buoy just inside and we managed to tie Norsa and Camomile to it together.
The village on the hill
After landing at the far end and walking to the top of the hill we found a lovely village surrounded by beautiful forest which, after walking for a mile or two, led to a stunning outlook over the Bay of Islands.
Bill and Sue on the steps
We walked back to the other end and found a flight of steps that led back down to the harbour. We stayed to the end of the week before heading back towards Taveuni.
Our last view of the beautiful Bay of Islands
Inside the Astrolabe reef, Kadavu
Anchored off Yaukuvelevu Island in the Astrolabe reef
Camomile, Norsa and Forteleza left Suva at 06.00 on Sunday 13th May for a fairly racy sail into a south easterly down to Kadavu through rough seas. After a gruelling 7 hour beat we arrived at the Herald passage, entry into the Astrolabe reef.
The anchor chain disappearing into the beautiful turquoise water
Our position 13th May
18º 47.9 south
178º 31.4 east
Anchored off Yaukuvelevu Island in the Astrolabe reef.
The water’s a beautiful turquoise blue and so clear we can see the anchor and it’s chain on the bottom. The snorkelling here is fantastic with lots of different coloured coral with striking coloured tropical fish.
The island has a half built resort on it and the workman were a bit noisy so the next day we left to sail south around the island of Ono. We got to the anchorage and could see a lovely sandy patch close in and started to motor towards it. I was on the bow on coral spotting watch. I could see the coral on the bottom and called back to Bill that we were over coral who was watching the depth gauge. I told him to go right because there was a patch in front of us that looked shallow but there wasn’t time to turn and we felt the keel glance along the coral as we slid over it. Fortunately it was just a small coral head and we came off it quickly but it was quite scary so we turned around and anchored further out.
Our position on 14th May
18º 55.8 south
178º 28.6 east
Anchored off Ono Island, Kadavu
Norman decided to try the cava with some of the villagers.
While walking on the beach the next day we met some locals from the village in the next bay who invited us all to come over and see their village that afternoon. Six of us arrived in three dinghies on the beach later that day. In Fiji when you visit a village it’s customary to perform ‘sevu sevu’ which means a bunch of kava is presented to the chief. Kava is the dried root of the pepper plant that can be bought in presentation bundles from the local markets. Once ground into a powder and mixed with water it forms a non-alcoholic, mildly narcotic drink which looks and tastes like dishwater! Once we landed on the beach we asked to be taken to the chief to perform our sevu sevu. We were shown to an old hut with a wizened but friendly old man sitting on the floor inside. The only furniture in the room was a bed and an old dining chair but he preferred to sit on the floor. Bill presented some cava on behalf of us all and it was received with a little Fijian prayer and some chanting, each bit followed by three claps which we all copied. Norman decided to try the cava with some of the villagers.
The school hiden amongst the palm trees
After sevu sevu we were invited to look around the village and take photos if we wanted. The villagers encouraged us to chat to everyone. We all wandered up to the little school on the hill to take a look at the children.
One of four classrooms in the school
The schools here look very sparse compared to the bright classrooms our children are used to. Although all the children had a uniform on some of them were third or fourth hand and were looking very worn, also note none of them have shoes on. When our boys were young they were often encouraged to fill a shoebox for less fortunate children than themselves. We’ve done it many times, as I’m sure some of you will have done.
The children were presented with a charity box of goodies
So imagine our delight when we arrived at the school to see some of these boxes being handed out. The boxes had come from NZ and had obviously been intended for Christmas because there were hand drawn pictures and letters and Christmas cards from the children who had assembled them. It was wonderful to see real children receive them, even though they were 6 months late. When asked why they had taken so long the teacher said they had been held up in customs for a long time. Why does bureaucracy have to affect the children?
This little girl was pleased with her box
The boxes were categorised for either a boy or girl (there are girls in this group but it’s difficult to tell because they have such short hair and the boys wear a sula instead of trousers) and there were also 3 different age groups so as each child opened their box it was full of things relevant to them and the smiles on their faces brought tears to our eyes. Some of them contained woolly socks or hats which probably won’t get worn but most of them had some sort of reading material, coloured pens and pencils and, more importantly, little toys which many of the island children simply don’t have.
The children sat around in groups and investigated the contents of their boxes
What amazed us was that the children received them very gratefully and politely, there wasn’t any pushing and shoving, they just waited until they were given a box. Once handed out the children took their boxes into little groups and investigated what they had. We saw no arguments, no swapping and no ‘his is better than mine’ comments they were just so pleased for each other; it was truly heart warming.
Norman read them a story
Norman started reading one of them a story and was soon surrounded. When we get home these boxes are going to be my charity but they need some form of tracking until they reach their destination.
Sara helping the girls unpack their boxes
Camomile sailing passed Ono
Our position on 17th May
18º 52.4 south
178º 29.6 east
Anchored off Naqara village, Ono, Kadavu
The wind shifted again and so we sailed back up to the north of Ono and anchored in front of a village called Naqara. We went ashore to do sevu sevu and the six of us were invited to a meal the following evening. Joe, one of the elders of the village, met Norman and Sara, and Kerre and Tony, and Bill and I on the beach. First he showed us the school. This part of the island is more isolated without any tracks across the land so the school is a boarding school.
The children sang to us in the dining room
Children as young as 7 were living in fairly poor conditions Monday to Thursday and then they go home by boat on Friday afternoon. They all seemed to be coping ok and the older ones helped to look after the younger ones because there wasn’t any kind of housemother scheme. There were 4 showers shared between about 50 children; outside of course. It was all very basic. Lollipops were distributed to a small group that followed us around and in return they sang to us in their dining room.
The Fijian meal in Joe’s house
We went back to Joe’s house where we were all given beautiful leis to wear that had been made by the ladies of the village who had also specially prepared a lovely meal for us. It was served on plates on a tablecloth spread out on a coconut mat on the floor. We all sat on the floor around the mat, my knees are not good for sitting cross-legged but we made ourselves comfortable. We didn’t recognise any thing but Joe explained what it all was. First we had the most beautiful coconut crabmeat served in their own shells in coconut milk, there was also aubergines cooked in garlic and tomatoes, fish wrapped in taro leaves, cassava, which is a root vegetable similar to sweet potato that had been prepared in a variety of ways, to name just some of what was on offer. Although it was a bit bland because they don’t use herbs or salt it was interesting to try some traditional Fijian food and mostly very nice. Although they offered us water to drink we politely declined and chose to drink our own. I’m sure it would have been ok but we thought we ought not to risk drinking it.
Bill and Joe
They wouldn’t allow us to pay them for what we had eaten but asked for a donation to their new generator for their church instead, which we were happy to do. After the meal we were joined outside by the chief, he thanked us for coming and for our donations. Bill thanked him and the villagers for their hospitality. Joe and some of the others walked us down to the beach and helped us launch the dinghies. They waved us off with happy smiling faces. We just love this country.
5 days in Suva
Royal Suva yacht club
Our position on Tuesday 8th May 2012
18º 07.3 south
178º 25.4 east
Anchored outside the Royal Suva Yacht Club
After a good nights sleep I conferred with the other boats and we agreed I would start calling the RSYC at 8.00 to arrange for the customs to come and clear us into the country. Fiji is the worst country we have come across for bureaucracy. I’m sure Indonesia will rival it but at the moment Fiji is even worse than Panama.
The bar at RSYC
Consequently it took the RSYC quite a while to arrange for the various government bodies to come and clear us in. At about 11.00 a launch finally turned up with 3 officials bringing the necessary paperwork to each of the 4 boats then they came back to us and started the process. There was a representative from the customs, immigration and quarantine (practique) all very nice people but each with forms to fill in and money requested. After about an hour and F$262.50 (about £90) they finished with us and continued onto Norsa but half way through announced they were stopping for lunch and would be back in the afternoon! We just have to smile sweetly and accept it or else they could make life difficult.
The catamaran Troutbridge up on the hard
Finally we were all cleared in and able to go ashore. RSYC was built in the sixties and still looks like it although the people are very friendly. It has a secure dinghy pontoon, fuel and water, a little restaurant and a bar. We had a long chat to Peter off of the catamaran called Troutbridge. Unfortunately he hit the reef at the entrance this time last year and has spent the last year trying to salvage it; not sure if he’ll do it, she looked in a bad way still and her engines are sitting in a Fijian workshop some where in pieces. In the evening we sat down for dinner with Norman & Sara in the little air-conditioned restaurant, a welcome relief from the 34C.
Guarding the Presidential palace
The next day six of us got into 2 taxis to go to the Ministry of Fijian Affairs to get our cruising permits, the final piece of paper to make us legal in the country. Amazingly it was free! The ministry was next door to the Presidential palace and we all had to have our photos taken with guard in his smart uniform. The poor guy looked really hot.
Norman and Sara from Norsa helped.
We walked back into the town to sort out sim cards for phones and internet dongles. Technology has moved on in Fiji over the last year and dongles were available quite cheaply but we’ve since discovered the signal still isn’t strong enough to upload photos and large documents onto the website in many of the islands so I’ll still have to send blogs by the SSB radio and I’ll add the photos when we get a better signal. We headed back to the yacht club and ate in the restaurant again in the evening with Kerre and Tony of Forteleza and Connor and Marian of Toucan, joining Norman and Sara and Bill and I.
Wandering the streets of Suva
On Thursday Bill and I went into town again for a wander. There’s two sides to Suva, The old part with it’s little shops and emporiums full of tat standing side by side with the big modern shopping mall with it’s bright lights and smart shops.
Old Suva on the left of the river and the modern shopping mall on the right
Inside the shopping mall
Beautiful Indian clothes for sale
There’s a strong Indian influence in Suva. There are lots of Fijian Indians restaurants here but we decided to play safe and have a McDs for lunch, well it did have free internet.
Norman and Sara joining us for a drink
We got back to the RSYC just as it started to rain. We waited for what we thought was a lull in the rain but we mistimed it. Half way out to the anchorage the heavens opened and it POURED. Tropical rain maybe warm but it soaks you in minutes. We arrived back to the boat soaked to the skin. Later in the evening we assumed no one would want to come to our planned drinks evening but this is Norman and Sara on their way.
Norman in his swimmers
Norman decided it was easier to come in his swimmers and change once he arrived; nothing keeps Norman away from a drink!!
Oranges for sale in the market
On Friday Sara, Marian and I decided to have a girls day while the men did boat ‘stuff’. First we went to the market to stock up on fruit and veggies because it’s difficult to buy things in the islands. Although green these oranges were very juicy.
A row of cobblers!
It’s also possible to get your shoes mended by these boys.
We went into the mall and had lunch then Sara and I had our hair cut. Mines a bit short but it will be cooler.
We took our boat papers to customs and waited an hour to clear out of Suva and obtain clearance for Savu Savu, our next main port in Fiji. Despite there being 6 people in the office only one lady could process us and she was out but eventually she turned up and we got our clearance.
Saturday we relaxed on the boats ready for the sail the next day although we went ashore for one last drink in the yacht club.
Goodbye to GBI Hello to Opua, BOI
Walking up to Te Ajumata with Mount Hobson behind me.
This blog should have been entered before we went on our road trip but my computer broke down with the blog in it. It’s been to the nice geeky laptop doctor and it’s all better now. Sorry this is so late.
We had one last hike to do before we left Great Barrier Island, the walk to the summit of Te Ajumata. We left the Broken islands on the Monday morning and motored south again to Blind bay. On the Tuesday morning we landed on the beach and started up the road to the entrance to the track. It was a nice walk because the path was more open than the Mt Hobson walk. We stopped half way up for a view across the valley to Mount Hobson.
We made it to the summit
We finished with a rapid climb to the trig at the summit. We had great views across to the East side of the island. We would have liked to get over to that side of the island but the weather just wasn’t right. There were easterlies forecast and there aren’t any sheltered anchorages on that side.
The beach in the distance looked stunning. The walk had taken 4 hours and we got back to the beach where Camomile was anchored on her own; we were just in time for lunch.
Camomile waiting for us on the beach
Anchored next to Aqualuna
We continued south back to Typhena bay where we met up with Blue Water rally friends Gabbie and Jonathan on Aqualuna with their friend Donald. We stayed a couple of days catching up before we both left on Thursday for Whangaparapara to shelter from the West winds coming up. We waited until Sunday for good winds to head north back to the Bay of Islands.
Bill cutting up our delicious fish
Amazingly we caught a fish on the way. Any one that sails with us regularly will know this is a rare occurrence. We think it was a Kahawai but it certainly tasted delicious.
The lighthouse on Cape Brett
The trip took 2 days with an overnight stop in Tutakaka. We enjoyed some wonderful sailing on both days with the cruising chute flying for most of Monday. We took it down to motor past the ‘Hole in the Rock’ on the outer edge of Cape Brett, a bit of a notorious acceleration zone. There are a number of trips out to visit this rock but we saw it for free!
The Hole in the Rock
The Twins rocks
We continued down into the bay passing the Twins rocks on our way in.
The next morning we awoke to these beautiful reflective scenes as we looked out from the cockpit. We weighed anchor and motored into Opua where we had a list of jobs to complete. Bill will put more detail on the website soon.
Stunning early morning reflections
Camomile 