We set sail from Port Resolution on the island of Tanna at 0730 hrs. for Port Vila: distance 137 nm. Once again, the Trade Winds were favorable and blowing 20 kts. We made our best downwind sail ever with speeds of 7.8 to 8.0 kts: that's flying for us. All this was under a reefed main and jib.
Port Vila is a small cosmopolitan town, a melting pot of Melanesian, European and Asian cultures. There are about 66,000 people living here. It is where all the luxury hotels, businesses and tourist activities can be found. All the imported items from Paris, USA and other countries are found here and can be bought "Tax Free". It is an artificial enclave within a country that has very little development. Outside of Port Vila, on the other islands, they are still using dugout canoes and in the interior of some of the islands, the men still wear "nambas" which are leaf penis wrappings. The hierarchy in these villages are: Men, Pigs, Women. It is very much a male dominated culture but you wouldn't know that by being in Port Vila. In fact you wouldn't know very much about Vanuatu by visiting Port Vila which is on Efate Island.
We haven't seen much of Vanuatu: Aneityum and Tanna. The original plan was to sail on up the islands to Epi, Malakula, Espiritu Santo, Pentacost, Ambrym and back to Port Vila for check out to New Caledonia. Unfortunately, our sailing window is getting short before the cyclone season sets in again from the beginning of November to May. We still have over one thousand miles to sail to make Brisbane, Australia. Therefore, we have decided to sail directly from Port Vila to Noumea, New Caledonia. This will give us time to see another country and wait for a weather window for sailing to Brisbane which we plan to do at the end of October or early November. We have to wait on a favorable Trade Wind to make New Caledonia which is only 328 nm from here. Will have more to say about this.
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