From Prony, we made our way back to the city of Noumea. We had done a good job of clearing out many lockers and we actually needed some food! Plus we were craving some fresh veggies and fruit. Anchoring off Noumea is a challenge because all the local boat owners seemed to have put moorings in the designated anchoring spot. You must stay within certain boundaries to give the big ships room to maneuver. Our friends on Gypsea Heart had to move and they told us that they watched a tug/pilot boat literally drag another boat along with its anchor out of the zone because nobody was aboard at the time to move it. We decided we needed to do some internet stuff (fix our photo page that was shut down – it should now be up and running – let us know if it isn't) and getting our shopping done would be easier in the marina. Plus a real hot shower sounded mighty nice....so we opted for a few nights of marina time.
We did a whirlwind through the fresh market, patisserie (for baguettes, fresh croissants and pain de chocolat), butcher and grocery store. Michael spent many hours trying to resolve the picture page shutdown (who remembers when you opened a Picasso account???!!) and get some phone calls made. A couple of nice hot showers, beers at happy hour and a pizza night with the Gypsea Hearts made for a good but busy two day stay. We left the marina this morning (Wednesday) and headed out to a small island called "Signal Island (22 degrees 17.62minutes S 166 degrees 17.42 E). There are lot of moorings here and until about an hour ago we were the only boat on them...though there are several small local boats anchored on the beach.
The water is pretty and we've already seen many turtles and large fish swimming around. It is a marine park – so the underwater life amidst the corals should be nice. It is pretty open out here so if the weather holds we'll stay a few nights and do some exploring on the island and in the water. It is very nice to be away from the smell of Noumea and surrounded by pretty water and a white sandy beach.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
In Search of a Hot Shower
And settling for a cold bath! The hiking in the Baie de Prony is quite spectacular. The old mining roads make decent tracks to follow, along with what seems like trails that have been put in place. We have enjoyed heading out just about everyday to explore a new area. We dinghy to a dock and tie up and then go for a walk. On Wednesday, we thought it would be a good idea to look for a hot spring and get a nice warm fresh water shower. We headed back to find a trail up by the waterfalls and ended up crossing the falls and finding a good "road" and walked along quite a distance. We traveled along the rivers edge, often times having to climb over rocks where the trail collapsed or there was a small landslide. The erosion from all the mining activities around here is pretty serious. Over time, we think the entire islands will wash away! We walked quite a way but found no hot springs so we settled for a cold bath in the river. It was fresh water and very refreshing. Some curious fresh water fish seemed to like us and kept nipping at Michael's legs. There was some old ruins from what was probably a mining operation in one area. Wild orchids were growing along the trail and like much of the area, the plant life is different and interesting. It was a nice long trek and we enjoyed the scenery, the exercise and the bath!
The weather while we've been has been quite nice – this morning (Sunday) we woke up to a beautiful flat bay with pretty sunlight filtering in. The water was so flat the reflection of the hills and boats in the water was mirror-like. The bird song was loud and pretty. We took another walk – this time to the closer waterfall that we thought had warmer water. It was quite a climb up the rocks as we passed small fall after small fall in search of the perfect clear deep pool. We found a good one and took a bath with the fresh water shrimps that were swimming around! We actually didn't notice the shrimps until after we showered. It wasn't a far walk – but it was a bit difficult to get over the slippery rocks and boulders.
We will head into Noumea tomorrow in the early morning. It is a 35 mile trip and we'll unfortunately have the current against us most of the way as tide will be heading out. Luckily the wind should be in the right direction and we should be able to sail most of the way. We'll try to figure out what's wrong with the photo page if we get good internet.
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The weather while we've been has been quite nice – this morning (Sunday) we woke up to a beautiful flat bay with pretty sunlight filtering in. The water was so flat the reflection of the hills and boats in the water was mirror-like. The bird song was loud and pretty. We took another walk – this time to the closer waterfall that we thought had warmer water. It was quite a climb up the rocks as we passed small fall after small fall in search of the perfect clear deep pool. We found a good one and took a bath with the fresh water shrimps that were swimming around! We actually didn't notice the shrimps until after we showered. It wasn't a far walk – but it was a bit difficult to get over the slippery rocks and boulders.
We will head into Noumea tomorrow in the early morning. It is a 35 mile trip and we'll unfortunately have the current against us most of the way as tide will be heading out. Luckily the wind should be in the right direction and we should be able to sail most of the way. We'll try to figure out what's wrong with the photo page if we get good internet.
----------
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Thursday, October 23, 2014
Ilot Casy – The Weekend Hot Spot
Lat 22 degrees 21.4 minutes S
Long 166 degrees 50.5 minutes E
This seems to be "the" spot for the young of Noumea to head to for the weekend. We had a few peaceful days here and then on Friday, water taxis arrived with lots of campers – complete with tents, coolers and bikinis. It seemed that one large group were participants in some type of "survivor" type competitions – broken into teams. There was lots of cheering, bullhorns for communicating and music. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. We also had the chance to finally meet Eric and Ann from the catamaran "Reflection." They were the "go to" people in Vanuatu for information. They were working with the Vanuatu government developing tourism amongst the yachting community and are working on a Vanuatu cruising guide. We had a lovely dinner aboard their boat on Saturday night amongst the background of the festivities ashore (which included lots of singing).
We finally got in the water to do some bottom cleaning – but the water is quite chilly here. Michael spotted a sunken sailboat not far from our mooring ball. Eric and Ann dived it the next morning and reported that it probably had a fire aboard and sunk. There were still pots and pans, the roller furler and head sail and lots of winches and stuff aboard.
On Sunday afternoon, most of the weekend warriors left the island and it was left to the "yachties" on the moorings. On Monday, we did a long walk around the island. The trails are well maintained but it was a bit confusing as we seemed to go from one "color" trail to another without making any turns! At one point we turned off along a marked trail to find it dead-end at the beach. It was a pleasant and relatively easy walk. The beaches were quite lovely and the flora interesting. The trails went through various eco-systems so it is always interesting to see the different formations and plants.
On Tuesday, we let the mooring free and headed deeper into Baie de Prony. We worked our way through what are narrow waterways between the hills and nestled way back in a very pretty and very protected bay. It is flat calm in here (22 18.2S/166 51.4E) with a nice little breeze and lots of bird song. These are very pretty surroundings and only three boats anchored here at the present. The boats seem to come and go – some staying only a few hours and others for days. We took a dinghy tour and found a small fresh water stream amongst some rocks in the mangrove bushes and then went further down the bay towards a river. We anchored the dinghy near a dock and took a nice hike towards the river waterfalls. Perhaps we'll come back and do the laundry! At the top of the dock where we tied, there is a hot (well tepid anyway) tub. It is a large square wooden structure built over a warm spring and the water fills the tub and the overflow goes into the bay. The first day we went here – the tub didn't look very inviting.
The next day, we went back to the dock to take another trail and another hike in the opposite direction. On this trip, the hot tub was much cleaner looking. We think that perhaps someone took baths or perhaps did laundry the tub the day before. The difference was dramatic! We took a hike up the hill this time rather than down towards the river falls. The trails were nice as were the interesting plant life. The reward as we got to the top of a ridge was a dramatic view of the water, the boats at anchor including Astarte, and the narrow fjord-like waterways in the bay.
We've been out of Noumea now over a month – and have had twelve "zero dollar days." We hope to stay out at least through early next week before we head back towards the city. We still have some time to kill before looking for a weather window to New Zealand. Anchoring around Noumea is a little tough and the marina is pretty spendy - so we're hoping to stay away from the city as long as we can.
Apologies about our photo page – we understand there is some problem with it but until we get into a place with internet we can't resolve it!
----------
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Long 166 degrees 50.5 minutes E
This seems to be "the" spot for the young of Noumea to head to for the weekend. We had a few peaceful days here and then on Friday, water taxis arrived with lots of campers – complete with tents, coolers and bikinis. It seemed that one large group were participants in some type of "survivor" type competitions – broken into teams. There was lots of cheering, bullhorns for communicating and music. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. We also had the chance to finally meet Eric and Ann from the catamaran "Reflection." They were the "go to" people in Vanuatu for information. They were working with the Vanuatu government developing tourism amongst the yachting community and are working on a Vanuatu cruising guide. We had a lovely dinner aboard their boat on Saturday night amongst the background of the festivities ashore (which included lots of singing).
We finally got in the water to do some bottom cleaning – but the water is quite chilly here. Michael spotted a sunken sailboat not far from our mooring ball. Eric and Ann dived it the next morning and reported that it probably had a fire aboard and sunk. There were still pots and pans, the roller furler and head sail and lots of winches and stuff aboard.
On Sunday afternoon, most of the weekend warriors left the island and it was left to the "yachties" on the moorings. On Monday, we did a long walk around the island. The trails are well maintained but it was a bit confusing as we seemed to go from one "color" trail to another without making any turns! At one point we turned off along a marked trail to find it dead-end at the beach. It was a pleasant and relatively easy walk. The beaches were quite lovely and the flora interesting. The trails went through various eco-systems so it is always interesting to see the different formations and plants.
On Tuesday, we let the mooring free and headed deeper into Baie de Prony. We worked our way through what are narrow waterways between the hills and nestled way back in a very pretty and very protected bay. It is flat calm in here (22 18.2S/166 51.4E) with a nice little breeze and lots of bird song. These are very pretty surroundings and only three boats anchored here at the present. The boats seem to come and go – some staying only a few hours and others for days. We took a dinghy tour and found a small fresh water stream amongst some rocks in the mangrove bushes and then went further down the bay towards a river. We anchored the dinghy near a dock and took a nice hike towards the river waterfalls. Perhaps we'll come back and do the laundry! At the top of the dock where we tied, there is a hot (well tepid anyway) tub. It is a large square wooden structure built over a warm spring and the water fills the tub and the overflow goes into the bay. The first day we went here – the tub didn't look very inviting.
The next day, we went back to the dock to take another trail and another hike in the opposite direction. On this trip, the hot tub was much cleaner looking. We think that perhaps someone took baths or perhaps did laundry the tub the day before. The difference was dramatic! We took a hike up the hill this time rather than down towards the river falls. The trails were nice as were the interesting plant life. The reward as we got to the top of a ridge was a dramatic view of the water, the boats at anchor including Astarte, and the narrow fjord-like waterways in the bay.
We've been out of Noumea now over a month – and have had twelve "zero dollar days." We hope to stay out at least through early next week before we head back towards the city. We still have some time to kill before looking for a weather window to New Zealand. Anchoring around Noumea is a little tough and the marina is pretty spendy - so we're hoping to stay away from the city as long as we can.
Apologies about our photo page – we understand there is some problem with it but until we get into a place with internet we can't resolve it!
----------
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Friday, October 17, 2014
Trekking in the Trees in Tortue
Latitude 22 degrees 27.4 minutes S
Longitude 166 degrees 46.7 minutes E
The wind was forecast to pick up and turn more northerly – and so we needed to scoot out of the tiny Ilot Ua before we could do some snorkeling. We had a nice sail most of the way towards Ile Ouen. It wasn't a straight line trip as we had to do lots of jogs to avoid reefs and shallows. The sun was out so it was easy to see the color changes in the water - and this area is well charted. We arrived at Baie de la Tortue in mid-afternoon and enjoyed the new scenery. It was a hilly landscape on three sides and behind us to the west, more hills in layers in the distance. This was certainly a pretty spot and we anchored in about 9 meters of water on a sandy/muddy bottom.
The wind seemed to roll off the surrounding hills and pick up speed a bit as it entered the bay – but we had plenty of anchor chain out and it was not at all rolly in the anchorage. Sandy and Rankin, our pals from Gypsea Heart were supposed to head in this direction as well – but the wind for them would have been right on the nose and quite strong, so they passed on the voyage for a day. They joined us the following day.
On Thursday morning, Rankin joined us on the hike to locate the abandoned jade mine that was on the island. A pretty little piece of jade sounded lovely! Of course, we didn't have a clue where it was on this island – our small chart wasn't exactly descriptive – nor very accurate. So we took off to follow what paths we could find. Most ran into dead-ends. We did make it across the island on what was the old runway (now very overgrown) and then were directed up a hill to a viewpoint by a friendly man in a village. We then headed uphill and were rewarded with great views of the surrounding waters – you could really see the reefs and the deeper water channels. Then Michael thought he spotted where the old mine was located so we headed in that direction. After exploring the mine area and not finding any gems, we headed back a different way. Michael led us down a path which was thick with brush and trees. Rankin and Barbara were sure it was simply a pig path...and indeed it came to an end. At one point we all lost each other in the trees and had to locate one another by voice. We finally broke our way through some thick brush and small trees and made our way back to the dinghy. Several scratches would require first aid!
On Friday, Astarte took off for Ilot Casy in the Bay of Prony – a 15 mile trip. This is a small island surrounded by reefs but well protected from winds from the east. There are ten moorings here and we luckily grabbed the last deep one (we tried one closer to shore but it was quite shallow and we were afraid if tide went out too much, we'd be touching the bottom). Luckily after tying up to the first one, a boat departed from another mooring which we then grabbed. These moorings are quite close together and we bumped a nearby boat when the winds, currents and tides had boats going in weird directions. Two more boats departed in the later afternoon, and so we all spread out a bit more.
We have been trying to go through old stores on the boat and seeing how long we can stay out of Noumea and the markets. We did a little fresh vegetable shopping and baguette buying in the Ile des Pins – otherwise, we are trying to clear out the cupboards. This Sunday, we'll have been out of Noumea for a month – and we think we can still have good meals for another week or so. Today, that got extended by a gift of some wonderful fresh fish from the boat "Katie M II"who caught a giant waloo on their passage from Vanuatu to New Caledonia. We actually gave them some brownies for the fish! It was delicious and enough for a few meals! The challenge now is doing "sundowner snacks." Those supplies are pretty thin aboard.
This is probably going to be a good spot to do the bottom cleaning – it's very calm and hopefully if the sun stays out it may warm up enough to give it a try. So we'll be here a few days before we continue our exploring.
----------
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Longitude 166 degrees 46.7 minutes E
The wind was forecast to pick up and turn more northerly – and so we needed to scoot out of the tiny Ilot Ua before we could do some snorkeling. We had a nice sail most of the way towards Ile Ouen. It wasn't a straight line trip as we had to do lots of jogs to avoid reefs and shallows. The sun was out so it was easy to see the color changes in the water - and this area is well charted. We arrived at Baie de la Tortue in mid-afternoon and enjoyed the new scenery. It was a hilly landscape on three sides and behind us to the west, more hills in layers in the distance. This was certainly a pretty spot and we anchored in about 9 meters of water on a sandy/muddy bottom.
The wind seemed to roll off the surrounding hills and pick up speed a bit as it entered the bay – but we had plenty of anchor chain out and it was not at all rolly in the anchorage. Sandy and Rankin, our pals from Gypsea Heart were supposed to head in this direction as well – but the wind for them would have been right on the nose and quite strong, so they passed on the voyage for a day. They joined us the following day.
On Thursday morning, Rankin joined us on the hike to locate the abandoned jade mine that was on the island. A pretty little piece of jade sounded lovely! Of course, we didn't have a clue where it was on this island – our small chart wasn't exactly descriptive – nor very accurate. So we took off to follow what paths we could find. Most ran into dead-ends. We did make it across the island on what was the old runway (now very overgrown) and then were directed up a hill to a viewpoint by a friendly man in a village. We then headed uphill and were rewarded with great views of the surrounding waters – you could really see the reefs and the deeper water channels. Then Michael thought he spotted where the old mine was located so we headed in that direction. After exploring the mine area and not finding any gems, we headed back a different way. Michael led us down a path which was thick with brush and trees. Rankin and Barbara were sure it was simply a pig path...and indeed it came to an end. At one point we all lost each other in the trees and had to locate one another by voice. We finally broke our way through some thick brush and small trees and made our way back to the dinghy. Several scratches would require first aid!
On Friday, Astarte took off for Ilot Casy in the Bay of Prony – a 15 mile trip. This is a small island surrounded by reefs but well protected from winds from the east. There are ten moorings here and we luckily grabbed the last deep one (we tried one closer to shore but it was quite shallow and we were afraid if tide went out too much, we'd be touching the bottom). Luckily after tying up to the first one, a boat departed from another mooring which we then grabbed. These moorings are quite close together and we bumped a nearby boat when the winds, currents and tides had boats going in weird directions. Two more boats departed in the later afternoon, and so we all spread out a bit more.
We have been trying to go through old stores on the boat and seeing how long we can stay out of Noumea and the markets. We did a little fresh vegetable shopping and baguette buying in the Ile des Pins – otherwise, we are trying to clear out the cupboards. This Sunday, we'll have been out of Noumea for a month – and we think we can still have good meals for another week or so. Today, that got extended by a gift of some wonderful fresh fish from the boat "Katie M II"who caught a giant waloo on their passage from Vanuatu to New Caledonia. We actually gave them some brownies for the fish! It was delicious and enough for a few meals! The challenge now is doing "sundowner snacks." Those supplies are pretty thin aboard.
This is probably going to be a good spot to do the bottom cleaning – it's very calm and hopefully if the sun stays out it may warm up enough to give it a try. So we'll be here a few days before we continue our exploring.
----------
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Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Uncharted Territory
Lat 22 degrees 42.3 minutes S
Lon 167 degrees 48.7 minutes E
On Sunday morning, we left the peaceful Kuto Bay at Ile des Pins and sailed toward a waypoint in the Southern Lagoon. The waypoint was from our friends on Gypsea Heart. It was a clear, sunny day with a light breeze. We were able to sail most of the way with a little motor-sailing through some reefs. This area is marked"inadequately surveyed" on the charts, but there is plenty of info on them from the cruising guides of the area. We headed to a small island called " Ilot Ua" which is nestled in a reef strewn area. That means it is protected from the swells from most directions but the island is a low, white sand beached piece of land – not offering much protection from wind. The colors are magnificent when the sun is shining – white sandy beach, some green trees, and water of varying shades of blue depending on the depths. We anchored in about 10 meters of water on what seems like a nice sandy bottom though there are a fair amount of coral "bommies" around. We arrived to the anchorage at about 1530 and there were three boats here. Luckily, as we were dropping anchor for the second time (the first time we were to close to another boat), one of the boats left, so we had a good spot open up. We took their spot and settled in for the evening. It was a great sunset and Michael claims it was the best "green flash" we've ever seen in the Pacific. Barbara disagrees, but it was a mighty good one nonetheless.
This morning (Monday), we went ashore and Michael circum-ambulated the island. Barbara went as far as the trees would allow. The water was too deep for walking around and after seeing the sea snake move from the trees to the water, she "weannied" out and opted to go around the other way. Michael saw more sea snakes (good pictures will prove it next time we have internet), some hawks (his namesakes) along with lots and lots of small jellyfish known as "By-the-Wind Sailors" that were washing up on the beach. There are lots of sea birds nesting on the beach and they make quite a squawk when you go near the trees they call home.
It is a pretty spot and we learned from a catamaran anchored nearby that there is another "even better" island nearby which we may head to tomorrow...or not. The catamaran folks live in New Caledonia and pointed out some other good spots nearby.
It is pretty windy out and the noise gets tiresome, but it is comfortable and pretty. We are trying to go through much of our food supplies on board as we can't take much into New Zealand. It has also been fun and challenging to make meals from what's left in the cabinets. We left Noumea about a month ago and have only bought breads and a few vegetables since we've been out. We've eaten out once and scored several meals from that dining experience thanks to Jean Marc who gifted us with fish, lobster and lots of pumpkin (made a yummy pumpkin soup for lunch). We got four dinners and one lunch meal from the fish alone. We haven't had to resort to beans and rice yet (and we don't mind that!)
It will fun to hang out here for a few days and if we can get warm enough (and our wet suits on) we might even get in the water! The bottom of the boat needs some scrubbing and it looks like a few nice coral patches around. The water here is very clear.
----------
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Lon 167 degrees 48.7 minutes E
On Sunday morning, we left the peaceful Kuto Bay at Ile des Pins and sailed toward a waypoint in the Southern Lagoon. The waypoint was from our friends on Gypsea Heart. It was a clear, sunny day with a light breeze. We were able to sail most of the way with a little motor-sailing through some reefs. This area is marked"inadequately surveyed" on the charts, but there is plenty of info on them from the cruising guides of the area. We headed to a small island called " Ilot Ua" which is nestled in a reef strewn area. That means it is protected from the swells from most directions but the island is a low, white sand beached piece of land – not offering much protection from wind. The colors are magnificent when the sun is shining – white sandy beach, some green trees, and water of varying shades of blue depending on the depths. We anchored in about 10 meters of water on what seems like a nice sandy bottom though there are a fair amount of coral "bommies" around. We arrived to the anchorage at about 1530 and there were three boats here. Luckily, as we were dropping anchor for the second time (the first time we were to close to another boat), one of the boats left, so we had a good spot open up. We took their spot and settled in for the evening. It was a great sunset and Michael claims it was the best "green flash" we've ever seen in the Pacific. Barbara disagrees, but it was a mighty good one nonetheless.
This morning (Monday), we went ashore and Michael circum-ambulated the island. Barbara went as far as the trees would allow. The water was too deep for walking around and after seeing the sea snake move from the trees to the water, she "weannied" out and opted to go around the other way. Michael saw more sea snakes (good pictures will prove it next time we have internet), some hawks (his namesakes) along with lots and lots of small jellyfish known as "By-the-Wind Sailors" that were washing up on the beach. There are lots of sea birds nesting on the beach and they make quite a squawk when you go near the trees they call home.
It is a pretty spot and we learned from a catamaran anchored nearby that there is another "even better" island nearby which we may head to tomorrow...or not. The catamaran folks live in New Caledonia and pointed out some other good spots nearby.
It is pretty windy out and the noise gets tiresome, but it is comfortable and pretty. We are trying to go through much of our food supplies on board as we can't take much into New Zealand. It has also been fun and challenging to make meals from what's left in the cabinets. We left Noumea about a month ago and have only bought breads and a few vegetables since we've been out. We've eaten out once and scored several meals from that dining experience thanks to Jean Marc who gifted us with fish, lobster and lots of pumpkin (made a yummy pumpkin soup for lunch). We got four dinners and one lunch meal from the fish alone. We haven't had to resort to beans and rice yet (and we don't mind that!)
It will fun to hang out here for a few days and if we can get warm enough (and our wet suits on) we might even get in the water! The bottom of the boat needs some scrubbing and it looks like a few nice coral patches around. The water here is very clear.
----------
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Uncharted Territory
Lat 22 degrees 42.3 minutes S
Lon 167 degrees 48.7 minutes E
On Sunday morning, we left the peaceful Kuto Bay at Ile des Pins and sailed toward a waypoint in the Southern Lagoon. The waypoint was from our friends on Gypsea Heart. It was a clear, sunny day with a light breeze. We were able to sail most of the way with a little motor-sailing through some reefs. This area is marked"inadequately surveyed" on the charts, but there is plenty of info on them from the cruising guides of the area. We headed to a small island called " Ilot Ua" which is nestled in a reef strewn area. That means it is protected from the swells from most directions but the island is a low, white sand beached piece of land – not offering much protection from wind. The colors are magnificent when the sun is shining – white sandy beach, some green trees, and water of varying shades of blue depending on the depths. We anchored in about 10 meters of water on what seems like a nice sandy bottom though there are a fair amount of coral "bommies" around. We arrived to the anchorage at about 1530 and there were three boats here. Luckily, as we were dropping anchor for the second time (the first time we were to close to another boat), one of the boats left, so we had a good spot open up. We took their spot and settled in for the evening. It was a great sunset and Michael claims it was the best "green flash" we've ever seen in the Pacific. Barbara disagrees, but it was a mighty good one nonetheless.
This morning (Monday), we went ashore and Michael circum-ambulated the island. Barbara went as far as the trees would allow. The water was too deep for walking around and after seeing the sea snake move from the trees to the water, she "weannied" out and opted to go around the other way. Michael saw more sea snakes (good pictures will prove it next time we have internet), some hawks (his namesakes) along with lots and lots of small jellyfish known as "By-the-Wind Sailors" that were washing up on the beach. There are lots of sea birds nesting on the beach and they make quite a squawk when you go near the trees they call home.
It is a pretty spot and we learned from a catamaran anchored nearby that there is another "even better" island nearby which we may head to tomorrow...or not. The catamaran folks live in New Caledonia and pointed out some other good spots nearby.
It is pretty windy out and the noise gets tiresome, but it is comfortable and pretty. We are trying to go through much of our food supplies on board as we can't take much into New Zealand. It has also been fun and challenging to make meals from what's left in the cabinets. We left Noumea about a month ago and have only bought breads and a few vegetables since we've been out. We've eaten out once and scored several meals from that dining experience thanks to Jean Marc who gifted us with fish, lobster and lots of pumpkin (made a yummy pumpkin soup for lunch). We got four dinners and one lunch meal from the fish alone. We haven't had to resort to beans and rice yet (and we don't mind that!)
It will fun to hang out here for a few days and if we can get warm enough (and our wet suits on) we might even get in the water! The bottom of the boat needs some scrubbing and it looks like a few nice coral patches around. The water here is very clear.
----------
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Lon 167 degrees 48.7 minutes E
On Sunday morning, we left the peaceful Kuto Bay at Ile des Pins and sailed toward a waypoint in the Southern Lagoon. The waypoint was from our friends on Gypsea Heart. It was a clear, sunny day with a light breeze. We were able to sail most of the way with a little motor-sailing through some reefs. This area is marked"inadequately surveyed" on the charts, but there is plenty of info on them from the cruising guides of the area. We headed to a small island called " Ilot Ua" which is nestled in a reef strewn area. That means it is protected from the swells from most directions but the island is a low, white sand beached piece of land – not offering much protection from wind. The colors are magnificent when the sun is shining – white sandy beach, some green trees, and water of varying shades of blue depending on the depths. We anchored in about 10 meters of water on what seems like a nice sandy bottom though there are a fair amount of coral "bommies" around. We arrived to the anchorage at about 1530 and there were three boats here. Luckily, as we were dropping anchor for the second time (the first time we were to close to another boat), one of the boats left, so we had a good spot open up. We took their spot and settled in for the evening. It was a great sunset and Michael claims it was the best "green flash" we've ever seen in the Pacific. Barbara disagrees, but it was a mighty good one nonetheless.
This morning (Monday), we went ashore and Michael circum-ambulated the island. Barbara went as far as the trees would allow. The water was too deep for walking around and after seeing the sea snake move from the trees to the water, she "weannied" out and opted to go around the other way. Michael saw more sea snakes (good pictures will prove it next time we have internet), some hawks (his namesakes) along with lots and lots of small jellyfish known as "By-the-Wind Sailors" that were washing up on the beach. There are lots of sea birds nesting on the beach and they make quite a squawk when you go near the trees they call home.
It is a pretty spot and we learned from a catamaran anchored nearby that there is another "even better" island nearby which we may head to tomorrow...or not. The catamaran folks live in New Caledonia and pointed out some other good spots nearby.
It is pretty windy out and the noise gets tiresome, but it is comfortable and pretty. We are trying to go through much of our food supplies on board as we can't take much into New Zealand. It has also been fun and challenging to make meals from what's left in the cabinets. We left Noumea about a month ago and have only bought breads and a few vegetables since we've been out. We've eaten out once and scored several meals from that dining experience thanks to Jean Marc who gifted us with fish, lobster and lots of pumpkin (made a yummy pumpkin soup for lunch). We got four dinners and one lunch meal from the fish alone. We haven't had to resort to beans and rice yet (and we don't mind that!)
It will fun to hang out here for a few days and if we can get warm enough (and our wet suits on) we might even get in the water! The bottom of the boat needs some scrubbing and it looks like a few nice coral patches around. The water here is very clear.
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Friday, October 10, 2014
Queen Hortense's Cave
Queen Hortense was married to a local chief and during some inter-tribal wars in 1855, she escaped and hid out in a huge cave. We decided checking out this cave would be our Friday adventure. It had been grey and rainy for several days and we were feeling pretty boat-bound. But the sun came out this morning and we knew it would be a good day to go exploring. The cave is about 25 kilometers from the boat past the town of Vao. We walked to the main road to Vao and stuck our thumb out and the first truck picked us up. John Baptiste was the driver and gave us a great tour along the way. Our French hasn't improved much, but he had decent English so we could understand. He dropped us off at Vao – about 6 kms down! We walked a bit to the intersection and started up the road to the "Grotte de la Reine Hortense." There isn't a lot of traffic on this island, but the people are quite gracious and if a car or truck has room, they usually stop. If they are full, they express their disappointment that they can't offer a lift. We managed to get several rides up the road – the first, a hotel van, gave us a lift a little way; then a husband and wife took us a little further; and finally, a French woman and her friend and daughter actually stopped for us when we weren't even hitching (we had decided to walk the last few kilometers). She said it was too far to walk and took us right to the road even though she wasn't even going in that direction!
To get to the cave, you walk through a very lovely tropical forest. The path is next to a small stream that people use as a wishing well of sorts as there was lots of coins sparkling in it. There was a huge sound of buzzing bees and we hoped it wasn't an angry hive! Never actually saw the bees or insects but you sure could hear them. At the end of the path is the cave.
The cave is part of a giant limestone cliff and has lots of swallows darting around – we had hoped for bats but didn't see any. This cave was huge and very dark. The floor was quite slippery and uneven with giant holes that Michael almost walked into! Giant stalactites grew out of the roof and the shapes and angles in the cave were very interesting. We spent some time exploring and then headed back.
As we trekked up the road from the cave, a car came along and the gentleman who "ran" the cave, stopped and picked us up. He took us all the way down the road and we stopped at little restaurant, "Snack Kohu", for lunch. It is a charming place with outside tables amongst some interesting carvings and totems. Jon Marc is the proprietor and after we enjoyed a tasty lunch, he came to chat with us. He brought us some chunks of pumpkin to take to the boat – two types and told us a few ways to prepare them. Then he came back with another bag for us – it included a lobster and three pieces of fresh fish. Wow! Is that generous or what?!? We walked down the road with our treasures and made it to Vao where again, we got a lift by a family to a hotel – where we could just walk along the beach back towards Kuto Bay and Astarte.
We covered a lot of territory through the kindness of strangers and enjoyed exploring an interesting sight. We came back to watch the mega-yacht anchored nearby put its helicopter in the air. It's always fun to watch them takeoff and land on these boats. Maybe we'll get a dinner invite??? Oh wait, we already have lobster!
We'll start thinking about leaving this island soon – but its been a good place to sit out the icky weather we've had. There is lots of boats coming and going as well as the weekly ferry and the big delivery ship.
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To get to the cave, you walk through a very lovely tropical forest. The path is next to a small stream that people use as a wishing well of sorts as there was lots of coins sparkling in it. There was a huge sound of buzzing bees and we hoped it wasn't an angry hive! Never actually saw the bees or insects but you sure could hear them. At the end of the path is the cave.
The cave is part of a giant limestone cliff and has lots of swallows darting around – we had hoped for bats but didn't see any. This cave was huge and very dark. The floor was quite slippery and uneven with giant holes that Michael almost walked into! Giant stalactites grew out of the roof and the shapes and angles in the cave were very interesting. We spent some time exploring and then headed back.
As we trekked up the road from the cave, a car came along and the gentleman who "ran" the cave, stopped and picked us up. He took us all the way down the road and we stopped at little restaurant, "Snack Kohu", for lunch. It is a charming place with outside tables amongst some interesting carvings and totems. Jon Marc is the proprietor and after we enjoyed a tasty lunch, he came to chat with us. He brought us some chunks of pumpkin to take to the boat – two types and told us a few ways to prepare them. Then he came back with another bag for us – it included a lobster and three pieces of fresh fish. Wow! Is that generous or what?!? We walked down the road with our treasures and made it to Vao where again, we got a lift by a family to a hotel – where we could just walk along the beach back towards Kuto Bay and Astarte.
We covered a lot of territory through the kindness of strangers and enjoyed exploring an interesting sight. We came back to watch the mega-yacht anchored nearby put its helicopter in the air. It's always fun to watch them takeoff and land on these boats. Maybe we'll get a dinner invite??? Oh wait, we already have lobster!
We'll start thinking about leaving this island soon – but its been a good place to sit out the icky weather we've had. There is lots of boats coming and going as well as the weekly ferry and the big delivery ship.
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Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Trekking Tour
We are exploring "Ile des Pins," the lovely island in the lagoon of New Caledonia's main island. We have had windy weather and the boat is rolling a bit in the anchorage, but we have gotten ashore each day with a new adventure. Day one was a simple walk around to see some of the prison ruins – old stone walls and buildings built in 1800's to house some of Paris' criminals as well as political prisoners and Algerian deportees. Day two we trekked uphill. We managed to get to the highest point on the island. With the help of a local dog that adopted us for our walk, we went to Pic N'Ga, They don't believe in easy trails to the top – it was pretty straight uphill over some rocky terrain. Our dog would patiently wait for us and then go ahead. Once on the hill, we were rewarded with remarkable views of the the island and the beautiful turquoise waters of the various bays and inlets. You could really see the coral reefs that surround this island and see why sailing these waters can be hazardous to your health and well-being! It was a beautiful clear day, so our views were incredible. The trip down was tricky and our faithful little companion stayed with us. The path is open to the sun and it gets quite warm against the rocky landscape so we were glad we got an early start for a change. We met lots of folks making their way up as we were heading down. We were tuckered out that night.
Today, day three, we got up bright and early to head to market day in the nearby village of Vao. It is the largest village on the Ile des Pins. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 6 to 11 am, there is a fresh market. We heard you have to get there early. It was about 7 km away and we planned to walk there. We left Astarte at 0600 and were at the market by 0730, but just about everything was already gone! We did score some carrots and a few green tomatoes and small peppers. The best news was that, like most french countries, along with the vegetables, their was a stand selling cafe and croissants (as well as baguettes, pizzas and other treats.) So we sat at a communal table and tried to communicate with our high school French as we enjoyed our treats.
We then continued our walk around the village of Vao. There is a statue near Baie de St. Maurice that is very interesting. It is a baroque statue – very European looking, surrounded by a fence of native wooden totems. It is a strange mix of modern religion with the ancient beliefs. The statue is a joint religious statue to the early missionaries and a war memorial to those who lost their lives "for France" on the island in World War I and II. Each of the paths we went along had lovely homes with beautiful gardens and lots of birds. There is a 19th century Catholic church in the center of town founded by a Marist priest who converted most of the island during his 30 year stint.
On our walk back, a pickup truck stopped and gave us a ride. She was a medical person who works the whole island and she stopped and picked up every walking person and dropped them off at work and us off near Kuto Bay where we are anchored. Upon our return, there was this giant cruise ship anchored just outside the inner the bay and lots of cruise ship people about. We chatted with the security people from the cruise ship that were at the dock where we tied up our dinghy. They were former Navy men with the India Navy. We had lots of questions about their lives as they did about ours so we chatted for quite awhile as they unloaded more and more folks from the cruise ship. They certainly must feed those people well aboard!
We'll decide where tomorrow's walk will take us – perhaps a shorter one just to the other bay. Today the wind has calmed so it is a bit calmer aboard. This is a really beautiful spot and lots to watch!
Don't forget to pick up your copy of the October issue of Blue Water Sailing magazine – there is a long article and photos from us in it about five years of cruising.
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Today, day three, we got up bright and early to head to market day in the nearby village of Vao. It is the largest village on the Ile des Pins. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 6 to 11 am, there is a fresh market. We heard you have to get there early. It was about 7 km away and we planned to walk there. We left Astarte at 0600 and were at the market by 0730, but just about everything was already gone! We did score some carrots and a few green tomatoes and small peppers. The best news was that, like most french countries, along with the vegetables, their was a stand selling cafe and croissants (as well as baguettes, pizzas and other treats.) So we sat at a communal table and tried to communicate with our high school French as we enjoyed our treats.
We then continued our walk around the village of Vao. There is a statue near Baie de St. Maurice that is very interesting. It is a baroque statue – very European looking, surrounded by a fence of native wooden totems. It is a strange mix of modern religion with the ancient beliefs. The statue is a joint religious statue to the early missionaries and a war memorial to those who lost their lives "for France" on the island in World War I and II. Each of the paths we went along had lovely homes with beautiful gardens and lots of birds. There is a 19th century Catholic church in the center of town founded by a Marist priest who converted most of the island during his 30 year stint.
On our walk back, a pickup truck stopped and gave us a ride. She was a medical person who works the whole island and she stopped and picked up every walking person and dropped them off at work and us off near Kuto Bay where we are anchored. Upon our return, there was this giant cruise ship anchored just outside the inner the bay and lots of cruise ship people about. We chatted with the security people from the cruise ship that were at the dock where we tied up our dinghy. They were former Navy men with the India Navy. We had lots of questions about their lives as they did about ours so we chatted for quite awhile as they unloaded more and more folks from the cruise ship. They certainly must feed those people well aboard!
We'll decide where tomorrow's walk will take us – perhaps a shorter one just to the other bay. Today the wind has calmed so it is a bit calmer aboard. This is a really beautiful spot and lots to watch!
Don't forget to pick up your copy of the October issue of Blue Water Sailing magazine – there is a long article and photos from us in it about five years of cruising.
----------
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