We could have spent a lot more time in New Caledonia cruising around to some very interesting places: Baie du Prony, Isle of Pines, the Loyalty Islands. The fact is that after a season of cruising "in paradise" we experience "burnout". One beautiful tropical island with fringing reef is similar, if slightly different, from other ones. A well protected anchorage with beautiful sunrises/sunsets is incredibly beautiful but most have about the same scenery. It is the diving, snorkeling and hiking that keep most cruisers moving along from one place to another. It is this fabulous underwater scenery that is so awesome that the brain is stunned by the incoming water world images.
The cruising season is winding down here in the South Pacific with the advent of the cyclone season starting to make it's appearance. Officially, the cyclone or hurricane season runs from November to May. As with our own hurricane season, things don't really get going until mid-December but one is always possible at any time. The distance from Port Mossele Noumea, New Caledonia (22-16.7' S x 166-26.4' E) to Brisbane, Australia (27-26.7' S x 153-06.3' E) is 840 nm. The usual weather pattern for this voyage is SE'ly Trade Winds with at frontal passage enroute and then localized weather as one approaches the Australian Coast. One always keeps a weather eye on the Coral Sea area for a Low that may form. I have found it informative and comforting to pay Bob McDavitt, the preeminent weather ambassador and guru for New Zealand, to plan out and update the weather while we are underway. This allows me to concentrate on other details of the voyage and I know that no unexpected Low is going to appear out of nowhere: The cost is negligible. I get weather updates everyday until we arrive at our destination.
With all this in mind, we departed Noumea, New Caledonia on Thursday October 10, 2013 at 0800 hrs local time (UTC +11). The wind was out of the SE at 15-20 kts. As soon as we got out into the bay, we set the mainsail and genoa. Inside the lagoon the sailing is great with a fresh wind and no sea. Once clear of the lagoon, the ocean swell is upon us from the SE with a 6-7' swell on the port quarter. Our course for Brisbane is 249 T degrees. Since the wind is blowing off our port quarter we are on the Port Tack. This type of terminology has importance in the "Rules of The Road" which defines who is the "stand-on vessel" and who is the "give-way" vessel. As evening approaches, I always reef down (reduce sail) for the night as the ubiquitous squalls start to make up and increase the wind in puffs and spurts with an occasional strong gust. It's better to have all this prepared so that I don't have to work the fore-deck by reefing sail at night in a pitching-rolling sea.
On the second day out, our wonderful SE Trade Wind started to back into the E and then the ENE and die out to 5-8 kts. This is very light wind and on the stern which puts us into a "running before the wind " position. It's impossible to keep the mainsail up with these light winds and a big swell because the sail starts to roll out the wind and slat back and forth. So we pole out the genoa on one side to keep it stable and a staysail off the other side and run downwind. We can make about 4 kts with this configuration in light winds._
By the third day the wind had disappeared and we had to start motoring. For the next two days we tinkered around with very little wind and sail change configurations and no wind and motoring. On Monday October 14th the wind backed around to the NW15kts and was a harbinger to the passage of an approaching frontal system. We're sailing beautifully in this wind and making 6 kts. By 1600 hrs we could see the frontal system approaching and had been given a "heads up" from another cruiser to the south of us that the system is packing 40-60 kt gusts from the SW. I drop all sails and motor through the frontal passage which happens at 1700 hrs. It has a terrific wallop but doesn't last very long. The winds go from SW >S > SE. We set sail and enjoy a favorable point of sail all the way to the Brisbane Sea Buoy. The distance from the Brisbane Sea Buoy to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine dock in Brisbane is 48 nm. We arrived at the Sea Buoy and reported out position to the Australian Coast Guard at 0800 hrs. The wind had come around to the NE and was blowing 15-20 kts. By noontime there was a "strong wind" warning out for Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River and the wind increased to 30-35 kts. It was so strong that we were able to motor against an Ebb Tide in the River and still make 5 kts. By the time we made fast to the Custom's dock it was blowing so strongly that, after clearing, they gave us permission to spend the night there until the following day. Rivergate Marina is right at the Custom's dock so we were able to shift into a berth the following morning before the wind picked up again. The "strong wind" warning remained in effect for 2 days so we stayed at the marina until Sunday.
We have made friends with many cruisers but Bruce and Marcelle Parsons on "Adventure Bound" have become especially good friends. We first met them in the San Blas Islands on the eastern side of Panama in January 2012 while we had John and Karin Warner from "Auburn Angle" aboard sailing with us in the San Blas. Since then we have put a lot of sea miles under our keels and met in many different places: Galapagos, Tahiti, Tonga, New Zealand and now Australia. It is because of this friendship that we have chosen to leave "Solstice" at East Coast Marina in Manly (27-27.5' S x 153-11.4' E). Manly is about 20 nm down the Brisbane River to the south. It is a very well protected marine basin with several different marina complexes. Our friends, Bruce and Marcelle, live-aboard at the marina and will look after our boat while we are in the States from December to April. Bruce came to Rivergate Marina to accompany us down the Brisbane River to Manly and get us safely situated in our berth: 13B. We left Rivergate Marina at 0900 hrs and were "all fast" at East Coast Marina Manly at 1330 hrs. It was a very pleasant trip and we were able to sail some of it as well as motor sailing.
So here we are in Manly, Australia on the Queensland Coast waiting out the cyclone season. Manly is a small quaint little town that is part of the greater Brisbane City area. It reminds me of a small coastal New England town. The marina complex is quite large and I would estimate at least one thousand yachts at the various facilities. The little bit that we have see of Brisbane impressed us with some of the scenery along the River. There is an area called the "Cliffs" where one sees people scaling the tall cliffs with mountain climbing gear. The cliffs are over 150' high and straight up. Just across from this side of the River are the Botanical Gardens. We haven't seen them yet. This area experiences a strong sea breeze on most days. It's calm in the morning but the wind starts to increase around 1100 hrs and lasts until nighttime. It's hot but not too humid. We have a lot to see and learn about Australia. There is a beautiful tree in bloom called the Jacaranda: purple flowers. It is stunningly beautiful. We had a picnic in one of the parks and there were several different kinds of birds: Ibis, magpies and some we couldn't identify.
Brisbane could qualify as a candidate for the 53rd State. It has all of the American food chains and restaurants in it's big modern shopping mall and complexes. It feels and looks like so many places in the USA that sometimes I feel like I'm back there. The place is so totally modern that one would have to choose a place like Atlanta or New York to make a comparison. The standard of living is very high here and overall living expenses are more that in the USA: A small apartment or flat costs about $500. per week. Many Aussies live on boats to avoid the renting expense. I believe the overall grocery expense is not more than in New Zealand and the meat is cheaper. I saw kangaroo meat for the first time in a supermarket. It has a slightly darker and redder appearance that regular beef. At some point, I'll have a chance to taste it.
We'll that's about it for now until I can update with some more sailing/travelling news.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Port Vila, Vanuatu.
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| The day before we left Port Vila to New Caledonia they had a few musicians playing at the yacht club |
I forgot that I had not download all the pictures from Port Vila. So here are a few more.
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| He is playing the gut bucket and really into it. |
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| They were enjoying themselves. |
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| The inner structure of the yacht club. |
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| Behind the bar. |
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| Better picture of the musicians. |
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tanna to Port Vila
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| Another rooster in a basket for sale. |
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| Vintage singer sewing machine that have been refurbished . |
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| Rooster for sale in a basket. |
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| As always ah so beautiful flowers. |
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| My first flowers on board Solstice. |
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| More beautiful flowers. |
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| Lady cleaning the lettuce before putting them up for sale. |
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| A closer look at the singer sewing machine. |
Sunday, October 6, 2013
PORT VILA, VANUATU TO NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA
September 27-30, 2013
We departed our mooring at Port Vila at 1524 hrs in the afternoon bound for Noumea, New Caledonia (22-16.6' S x 166-26.4' E) via Pass de la Havannah (22-20' S x 167-04 E): distance 334 nm. We had a favorable ESE-SE Trade Wind at 15-20 kts. It had just enough easterly in it for us to hold to a rhumb line course of 197 T deg. The seas were running about 6' which made for pleasant sailing. The sail from Vanuatu to New Caledonia can be challenging if the winds are more southerly as this puts the vessel sailing close-hauled or hard on the wind. What this comes down to is beating into the wind and seas which gets old after a day or two. In our case we were on a close reach on the port tack which allowed us some freedom to make our intended course. It was a very pleasant sail until about 40 nm miles off Havannah Pass the wind died so we had to motor the rest of the way. Havannah Pass is one of those special places that deserves a lot of thought and respect: Spring tides can run out of the pass at 5 kts. Therefore, the Pass has to timed so that it is entered on a rising inbound tide. The turbulence and white water created in the Pass is awesome to behold and sail through. Yachts have been lost here by trying to enter the Pass on an outgoing tide against a SE'ly Trade Wind sea. As we entered the Pass we could see the wreck of a large commercial fishing boat that had been set on the reef.
Noumea is 40 nm from Havannah Pass and is, mostly, motor sailing. Just as you want that incoming tide to enter the Pass, this same tide will give you a boost all the way to Noumea. We entered the Pass at 1030 hrs in the morning on Monday September 30th and found a berth at Port Moselle Marina in Noumea at 1730 hrs in the evening: perfect timing to make fast and have a "sun-downer".
The 40 nm that we motored along the coast, bays and inlets of southern New Caledonia to Noumea showed a very red soil with a special type of long thin pine tree. There is quite a bit of erosion and small scrub growth on the hills and mountains. Anchorages abound and are very well protected against all winds from any direction. New Caledonia has an important mining industry and contains 25% of the world's nickel supply. Additionally, there is copper, cobalt, gold and silver in limited quantities. At one time in the past, the island was a valuable source of sandalwood but it was logged out and sent to China and India. We passed one of the mining ports and saw four cargo ships loading ore from a conveyor belt that stretched up a mountain side and disappeared.
The French first took interest in New Caledonia in 1853 under the reign of Napoleon III. From 1864-1894, some 22,000 convicts were sent as a cheap supply of labor. When I look around at all the French territories, it appears that they were exporting a significant percentage of the population as convicts. I think there was a deliberate governmental policy to accuse, try and convict healthy eligible men so they could be exiled to the colonies as cheap labor. At any rate, more labor was needed for the mines so Malabar Indians, Vietnamese and Javanese workers were brought in to provide labor for the mines. this explains the great ethnic diversity that is found in New Caledonia today. During WWII, the Americans used New Caledonia as a supply base in the Pacific naval campaign against the Japanese. There is a monument in the center of town dedicated to those Americans who participated in this effort and ensured the freedom of New Caledonia.
Noumea is a very modern city and very French. It is one of the most sophisticated cities in the South Pacific outside of Papeete and New Zealand. The biggest difference we have found here is that the local French population doesn't have the Parisian hauteur about them. They are far more open and friendly. The native population consists of Kanaks: a mixture of Melanesian and Micronesian migrations. So far, the little we have seen, they are in a minority in the Capital but predominate in the interior and many of the islands where the tribal system still exists.
There is a special elegance in the French culture that isn't found anywhere else. Their presentaition and preparation of food, [pastry, meats, fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables is awsome to behold. The wines are legendary. No where outside of French culture have we ever seen such fabulous displays of gastronomy. It's a special treat just to enter a patisserie or butcher's shop and see the amount of artistic labor that goes into the preparation. The supermarket displays the same thing on a magnified scale. The local farmer's and municipal markets have it too. To enter a fish market is to be baffled by the varieties of seafood to be found. If it can be eaten, the French are there to exploit the best flavor possible from it.
Noumea is an attractive city with many beautifully designed parks spread out for the enjoyment of her population. It appears that they make good use of them as one sees the locals eating, singing, playing and having a good time in the grass, tables and benches supplied. Also, there is a good bus system that takes you around the city or to the outlying areas. The cost of living here is about the same as in the States or New Zealand, perhaps a little more expensive. The basic staples like bread, wine, cheese and lunch meats are reasonably priced. The famous French baguette costs $1.00 US and can't be resisted. Every morning one sees everyone carrying them back to the boats or home.
We have been to the Lagoon Aquarium which is the finest presentation of corals and reef life that we have ever seen anywhere. The presentation is so well thought out and maintained that you can imagine yourself in the actual reef environment looking at varied life that exists. There is seating in some of the areas that is perfectly placed so that you can sit and observe the marine life of the reef unfolding before your eyes. The Germans are famous for their "attention to detail" but the French go one step farther by adding artistic excellence to the mix. Also, visited the Maritime Museum and found it to be very interesting and, once again, well presented and informative. We will continue to visit some of the other museums and places here before we head out to the islands and bays surrounding the area. New Cal has the secont longest reef and the largest lagoon system in the world outside the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The island has an climate of "eternal Spring" - always temperate and well ventilated: 22-24 C.
We departed our mooring at Port Vila at 1524 hrs in the afternoon bound for Noumea, New Caledonia (22-16.6' S x 166-26.4' E) via Pass de la Havannah (22-20' S x 167-04 E): distance 334 nm. We had a favorable ESE-SE Trade Wind at 15-20 kts. It had just enough easterly in it for us to hold to a rhumb line course of 197 T deg. The seas were running about 6' which made for pleasant sailing. The sail from Vanuatu to New Caledonia can be challenging if the winds are more southerly as this puts the vessel sailing close-hauled or hard on the wind. What this comes down to is beating into the wind and seas which gets old after a day or two. In our case we were on a close reach on the port tack which allowed us some freedom to make our intended course. It was a very pleasant sail until about 40 nm miles off Havannah Pass the wind died so we had to motor the rest of the way. Havannah Pass is one of those special places that deserves a lot of thought and respect: Spring tides can run out of the pass at 5 kts. Therefore, the Pass has to timed so that it is entered on a rising inbound tide. The turbulence and white water created in the Pass is awesome to behold and sail through. Yachts have been lost here by trying to enter the Pass on an outgoing tide against a SE'ly Trade Wind sea. As we entered the Pass we could see the wreck of a large commercial fishing boat that had been set on the reef.
Noumea is 40 nm from Havannah Pass and is, mostly, motor sailing. Just as you want that incoming tide to enter the Pass, this same tide will give you a boost all the way to Noumea. We entered the Pass at 1030 hrs in the morning on Monday September 30th and found a berth at Port Moselle Marina in Noumea at 1730 hrs in the evening: perfect timing to make fast and have a "sun-downer".
The 40 nm that we motored along the coast, bays and inlets of southern New Caledonia to Noumea showed a very red soil with a special type of long thin pine tree. There is quite a bit of erosion and small scrub growth on the hills and mountains. Anchorages abound and are very well protected against all winds from any direction. New Caledonia has an important mining industry and contains 25% of the world's nickel supply. Additionally, there is copper, cobalt, gold and silver in limited quantities. At one time in the past, the island was a valuable source of sandalwood but it was logged out and sent to China and India. We passed one of the mining ports and saw four cargo ships loading ore from a conveyor belt that stretched up a mountain side and disappeared.
The French first took interest in New Caledonia in 1853 under the reign of Napoleon III. From 1864-1894, some 22,000 convicts were sent as a cheap supply of labor. When I look around at all the French territories, it appears that they were exporting a significant percentage of the population as convicts. I think there was a deliberate governmental policy to accuse, try and convict healthy eligible men so they could be exiled to the colonies as cheap labor. At any rate, more labor was needed for the mines so Malabar Indians, Vietnamese and Javanese workers were brought in to provide labor for the mines. this explains the great ethnic diversity that is found in New Caledonia today. During WWII, the Americans used New Caledonia as a supply base in the Pacific naval campaign against the Japanese. There is a monument in the center of town dedicated to those Americans who participated in this effort and ensured the freedom of New Caledonia.
Noumea is a very modern city and very French. It is one of the most sophisticated cities in the South Pacific outside of Papeete and New Zealand. The biggest difference we have found here is that the local French population doesn't have the Parisian hauteur about them. They are far more open and friendly. The native population consists of Kanaks: a mixture of Melanesian and Micronesian migrations. So far, the little we have seen, they are in a minority in the Capital but predominate in the interior and many of the islands where the tribal system still exists.
There is a special elegance in the French culture that isn't found anywhere else. Their presentaition and preparation of food, [pastry, meats, fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables is awsome to behold. The wines are legendary. No where outside of French culture have we ever seen such fabulous displays of gastronomy. It's a special treat just to enter a patisserie or butcher's shop and see the amount of artistic labor that goes into the preparation. The supermarket displays the same thing on a magnified scale. The local farmer's and municipal markets have it too. To enter a fish market is to be baffled by the varieties of seafood to be found. If it can be eaten, the French are there to exploit the best flavor possible from it.
Noumea is an attractive city with many beautifully designed parks spread out for the enjoyment of her population. It appears that they make good use of them as one sees the locals eating, singing, playing and having a good time in the grass, tables and benches supplied. Also, there is a good bus system that takes you around the city or to the outlying areas. The cost of living here is about the same as in the States or New Zealand, perhaps a little more expensive. The basic staples like bread, wine, cheese and lunch meats are reasonably priced. The famous French baguette costs $1.00 US and can't be resisted. Every morning one sees everyone carrying them back to the boats or home.
We have been to the Lagoon Aquarium which is the finest presentation of corals and reef life that we have ever seen anywhere. The presentation is so well thought out and maintained that you can imagine yourself in the actual reef environment looking at varied life that exists. There is seating in some of the areas that is perfectly placed so that you can sit and observe the marine life of the reef unfolding before your eyes. The Germans are famous for their "attention to detail" but the French go one step farther by adding artistic excellence to the mix. Also, visited the Maritime Museum and found it to be very interesting and, once again, well presented and informative. We will continue to visit some of the other museums and places here before we head out to the islands and bays surrounding the area. New Cal has the secont longest reef and the largest lagoon system in the world outside the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The island has an climate of "eternal Spring" - always temperate and well ventilated: 22-24 C.
Anatom to Tanna Vanuatu.
These pictures are of the island of Tanna, We anchored in Port Resolution. This place is famous for it's active volcano called Mount Yasur which we visited and witnessed the spewing of the volcanic rocks. Pretty pretty amazing. The people still live in thatched huts. In some cases it's still very primitive.
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| They do get people that come to stay for a few days and this is one of the bungalows. |
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| Just follow the arrow on the sign. |
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| What happened to the White Beach Restaurant, we don't know. We were looking forward to a nice cup of Tanna coffee. |
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| These flowers were all over the village. They were so beautiful. |
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| These hot springs were everywhere on the island since it is totally volcanic and the volcano is still active as you will see. |
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| These are all around the shore but you could see them everywhere. |
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| Always have include a picture of our home. |
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| These are the villagers homes. |
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| It was awesome and amazing being right there looking down in the crater watching it getting ready to spew up the lava. |
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| Once it spewed then it would fall back down and get smoky. |
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| You see the shoulder of the person well that was how close we were to the crater,cause we were standing next to her. |
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| We were standing just beyond those rocks. You could see quite far below. |
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| Just amazing |
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| This was the most spectacular. |
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| Always smoke coming out of it. As we were sailing in we could see the smoke from the volcano,also when we sailed out. |
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| The yacht club of Port Resolution. |
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| Another view of the rentals. Quite nice. |
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| Very well kept home. |
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| This is the village of Port Resolution and when we visited the men and boys were all playing soccer in this big yard. |
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| More homes. |
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Mystery Island on Anatom,Vanuatu..
These pictures are of Mystery Island that only opens up when the cruise ship comes. The people from the village of Anelcahat take their wares to Mystery Island to sell. It is all set up for the tourist, It's pretty amazing. We visited the island before the ship came in and visited while the tourist were there. Nobody lives on this island, it is totally just for the cruise ship passengers. The island also has a small airport as you will see in the photos.
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| This is the entrance to Mystery Island. The huts you see are the vender's stalls. |
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| Post Office |
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| This the dock that they bring the passengers, and you look across the bay you can see the village of Anelcuhat and our yacht. It's only about a 5 to 10 mins ride by dinghy. |
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| Airport runway. |
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| The Office. |
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| As you all know cannibalism existed in the South Pacific, so there you go . They could have their picture taken with the cannibal and pot. |
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| This Island was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth. |
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| They had toilets placed all over the island. |
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| The flag of Vanuatu. |
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| A picture of the island. |
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| Walking pathways all around the island. |
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| The vegetation on the island was incediable. |
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| These are children and parents of Anelcuhat village entertaining the tourist. |
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| This is where you could have your pictures taken with the cannibal. |
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| Here he is waiting for the tourist |
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| Local village musicians |
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| A view of the Anelcauhat Bay. |
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| Papaya tree. |
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| Papaya tree in bloom. |
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| Strange flower. |
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| This big blub looks like a soccer ball, but becomes and bright orange ball. I've seen necklaces made our of the pods. |
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| Solstice anchored in the bay of Anelcauhat. |
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| Queen Elizabeth's monument. |
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| More beautiful foliage. |
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| Big surf breaking over the reefs. |
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