Friday, September 25, 2015

From Asanvari to Port Vila

After the uncomfortable 22 mile sail down the coast of Maewo we enjoyed several days in Asanvari and hiked another waterfall. Michael chose not to dive off this one – though if he had seen the right spot he might have!

We went to a small festival - the first for Asanvari and included both the north and southern villages of Maewo. The fun part was that several of the friends we had made at "Big Waters", the northern part of Maewo, came down for the festival and the following days soccer matches. We saw a few kastam dances and a weaving and cooking demonstration. But the festival was very "island time!" It was supposed to start at 8, then 9, then 10, then 11....and it actually got under way around 1 pm! They were waiting for some people from one of the tourist ministries to see the festival so they could get on the official calendar list for the following year. The dances at each of these places are quite interesting as they are all very distinct. That makes it so interesting. The dances we saw here were a male warrior dance which had people coming out of the bush on opposite sides two at a time – and doing a dance then ended with a "sword" battle amongst all the dancers – this was with wooden swords and was fascinating to watch – very choreographed. The dance ended with "peacemaking" and all the warriors facing one way and threw their swords into the hills. The next dance, which was by our friends from the northern part, had elaborate costumes. The dancers came out in a large group with very tall branches so it almost look like a forest coming out to dance. The "trees" then did a very interesting dance. The fun part of some of these dances is that the audience often jumps up and joins in the dance. That happened here. The final dance was not really a kastam dance – but a more modern routine by some young women and bamboo sticks that they banged together and with each other. It was quite well done.

There are pictures of this festival up already.

After an enjoyable time in Asanvari with fresh warm bread delivered by canoe – we took off at daybreak and headed south in what we hoped would be a better trip. It was a 160 mile trip and we presumed we'd have to do some tacks. We had a great sail down the coast of Pentecost, holding our course pretty well and hitting good speeds. It was pretty comfortable even though we were hard on the wind because we had some protection from any big seas thanks to the long and narrow Pentecost Island. As we neared the end of Pentecost we had to fall off a bit to clear Ambrym Island (which is right in the way to get to Efate!) We did have to turn the motor on for an hour through here because it seemed the wind was wrapping around the Ambrym point. Luckily it was still daylight because we made such good time. We then continued on the other side in more open seas once past Epi Island and over the night we got on and off our course line because of wind changes. But in the end, we had a great sail the entire way – only motoring when the wind died because we got in the lee of Efate.

We made our way into Port Vila around lunch time and got a mooring. It was a very good trip south which in Vanuatu can be a challenge. We are enjoying city time as we wait for a weather window to New Caledonia. They seem to open and close with regularity. We only need about three days – but we need a more easterly wind than southeast which is the prevailing trades. Because the engine still is losing fresh cooling water we want to sail and not motor. There was a light motoring window this week – but we passed on it. Michael also had to fix the water pump on the main engine which he got repaired because he had spare parts!

So we now wait – but we still have several weeks on our immigration – so hopefully in that time we'll get a three day window.
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At 9/18/2015 8:28 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 17°44.75'S 168°18.73'E

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Sunday, September 13, 2015

Heading South in Southerlies

Lots of new pictures up on the site...check them out! Even some in the water photos for you Sandra C.

The last night at "Big Waters" waterfall anchorage was not a pleasant one. The roll picked up at about midnight and Michael (who's arm was sore from his leap of faith), had to find a new place to slumber. At daybreak we pulled up the anchor in a pretty good sea and headed 22 miles south to another anchorage on Maewo – Asanvari Bay. That 22 miles took us nine hours (and we motored the last 9 miles). The winds were hooting from the south/southeast – right on the nose. Even though we were on the leeward side of the long island of Maewo – even close to shore – the wind was gusting to 28 knots. The seas were also right on the nose and Astarte would come to a near dead stop after three in a row. We tacked until we were about two miles off the rhumb line and then would head back towards the slightly calmer seas nearer shore. Our 22 miles probably ended up being 40 miles.

Upon arrival in Asanvari, it became calm in this very pretty anchorage. There were three other boats here – one was our Swiss friends Esti, Mario and Laura aboard Mares. We hadn't seen then since we all left on the same day from New Zealand. They went on to Fiji. The other was our newer New Zealand friends Lance and Michelle aboard "Sweet Waters." We hunted for a spot which we found very challenging. The bay goes from very deep to shallow with lots and lots and lots of scattered bommies. We dropped our anchor where Lance suggested but it didn't feel good so we pulled it up and sure enough we had found something to wrap around. It took a few tries to get it up. We then moved closer to Mares and again it wasn't perfect. We waited until the morning and better light to move.

The anchorage was beautifully calm and we slept peacefully after a tough night and long day. The next morning Michael went to check the anchor (where's anchor boy when we need him???) and it wasn't pretty. We worked at getting the anchor up while Michael was in the water directing the proceedings. Barbara had to run from windlass to steering. We searched and searched for a better spot and ended up (after a few tries) and with the help of Mario from Mares now in the water to direct anchor placement dropping the hook in 55 feet of water. That's deep! We enjoyed an evening aboard Mares and met the folks from the other Swiss boat, Momo. We had known the previous owners of this boat who were part of the class of 2012 Pacific Passage group.

We can see why Asanvari is a favored anchorage for cruisers in Vanuatu. It is a beautiful spot with a white sand beach on one side and a waterfall on another side. We had fresh hot bread delivered to the boat this morning at 6:45 by Columbus and his daughter (or granddaughter) and it was tasty. Later a young boy came by with three eggs to trade. There is a small "yacht club" at the bottom of the waterfall run by Alex and his son Carl (though we understand you can get a meal but they are out of beer so it's BYO.)

Its been a bit gusty and rainy – then blue sky and sun – and back to cloudy. So a mixed bag. We are going to sit here until we can find a better weather window to head back south towards Port Vila. We need a bit more easterly component to make the trek south – or at least lighter winds than the 20 plus knots predicted over the next few days. The seas and gusts between islands can get fierce – so we'll wait for some moderation.

Not a bad place to wait when hot bread gets delivered every other day!
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At 9/11/2015 8:27 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 15°22.60'S 168°07.99'E

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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Michael: Suicidal or Certifiable?

After anchoring in the crater of Lolowai on Ambae Island, we moved out at a high tide and anchored overnight in a nearby spot that was quite lovely. Again, we were the only boat there and there was no village – so we had the place to ourselves. We would run early the next morning to Maewo (pronounced My-Woe but hopefully it wouldn't be!) - 19 miles away. That was a truly great sail – hard on the wind, but moving at more than six knots with reefed sails (sometimes hitting 7.3).

We went to Lakrere Bay, which is in the northeast corner of Maewo and home of "Big Waters" - a giant waterfall. We anchored in about 10 meters of what we hoped was a sandy bottom. There was a slight roll – but nothing horrible. Most of these anchorages are open roadsteads – just a slight indentation on the leeward side of the island. This was one of those – but we could hear the waterfall from the boat and hear lots of laughter from kids. That is one of the great sounds of Vanuatu – people laugh all the time here!

Once anchored and settled with a good a lunch, we launched the dinghy and went ashore. You go into this small cut that the waterfall runoff has obviously created over the centuries. We were met ashore by many villagers who helped us tie up. As is our style, we first asked to go see the chief to get permission to anchor outside the Naone village and to walk around. We met Chief Patrick, got our approval and then met Paul who we asked to guide us up the waterfall the next day. We sat for awhile by the waterfall and road which crossed it. It is a concrete "ford" which simply crosses over the river. This is the favorite playground for the local kids who ski here. The road gets slimy from the water – and the kids get a running start and then slide on the slick stuff. Some are quite flamboyant. They can do this for hours. They also dive off the waterfall over the road or from the nearby trees. They seem fearless. We had several canoes come out to the boat later in the day to visit.

The next morning, we went to shore at 0900 for our waterfall hike. Paul, our guide spoke decent English and was a good guide. Along with Paul, we had a parade of other villagers that joined in the walk. Paul carefully showed us where to step and helped me across many of the falls. These falls are called, in our Lonely Planet Guide, the eighth wonder of the world. They are terraced so around every corner, there is another waterfall to see. Some split off and create more waterfalls. They also have terraced gardens here where they grow water taro. This was fascinating to see and they are quite beautiful with the large leafed taro against the water.

We climbed up and up … over streams and falls and tracks. I (Barbara) decided at one point that it was too steep and slippery to continue going up. Michael did, along with the "parade" of guys that went along. Three girls stayed behind with me.

Now to today's headline. Is Michael suicidal or certifiable? He decided to jump off the waterfall at one point. It was about a 10 meter (33 feet) drop and off a slippery rock smack in the center of one part of the falls. None of the locals decided to do it – just Michael. I was against it (thinking of how I would get the boat back to NZ myself) – but he's an adult (sometimes). So Paul took him out to the center of the falls and after a few moments of near chickening out – he took the leap. He was glad to have his shoes on because when his feet hit the water – it was quite a shock. He survived and swam to shore – suffering a bit of a sore arm and proud as a peacock.
We made our way down and back to the boat with three women with whom we had arranged to trade some vegetables and fruit. They brought us two papaya, some bananas (orange inside and very tasty), drinking coconuts, and a big bag of tomatoes. They left loaded with pots and pans, some clothes, vegetable seeds and towels.

We had also invited a few of the guys who walked the trail with us in the morning out to the boat. That is a question many locals ask – "Can we come see your boat?" These three guys were full of questions and made a movie and took many pictures of their visit to Astarte. We gave them a few magazines and book on sailing and they couldn't put them down – even when we went ashore later – they were still looking at the magazine and book.

That afternoon, we went to shore with a frisbee and two floating "noodles." We went for a swim in one of the pools and then started to play frisbee with the kids. It was a blast. If the frisbee went flying into the water, without a second's hesitation, a small boy would run, then leap off the side and into the water to retrieve it. It was so fun to watch and listen to them laugh. Some kids were doing their "skiing" on the slime, others were riding down the hill on bits of old surf boards and boogie boards. They are polite and honest here – and when we were leaving, we had every intention on leaving the "toys" behind – but they tried to return them to us.

This was a very special place for its beauty – the waterfall was incredible and the people. Lots of great images are left in our minds.

Plus, Michael had his "e-ticket" ride and lived to tell the tale.
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At 9/11/2015 8:27 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 15°22.60'S 168°07.99'E

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Monday, September 7, 2015

Anchored in a Crater

We left Losalava Bay on Gaua after a week filled with walks and interesting exploring. We made a slow sail back to Santo with a bit of motoring when the wind just died. We arrived late afternoon with an incoming tide back into our "home port in Vanuatu" Peterson Bay. We settled in for another great week in the flat anchorage with several trips up the river for fresh water showers and laundry!

On Sunday we left Peterson Bay to get out of the narrow channel during high tide and anchored just outside the bay for the night so we could get an early start the next morning. We left at sunrise, (after a bit of a hassle with our main sail furler), on our way to a new island for us – Ambae (pronounced Am-Bye). It was a 48 mile trip and we sailed a bit of the way but once in the shadow of Ambae – which is quite a high island – we had to motor. As we approached the northeastern tip of the island, the wind really picked up on our nose at it wrapped around the tip of the island. We saw near 30 knots in gusts.

We carefully entered the anchorage at Lolowai which is located on the edge of a water-filled old crater. We had to make our way over the edge of the crater – seeing about five feet under the keel in a certain spot. Unfortunately the two white triangle range marks to get in are overgrown – so it was impossible to locate the range. So we moved slowly and made it in – luckily tide was relatively high. We got in over the edge, the water got deep and we found a place to anchor in 10 meters of water. The crater is surrounded by high hills and a rocky ledge on the ocean side. We'll head into the small town today.

Ambae is a relatively small island, but quite high and has Mt. Lombenben (1496 meters) and has Manaro Volcano – one of the ten most active in the world. There are several crater lakes on the island – one is lime green and hot and the other is cool blue with a cold spring in the center. It is not a hot tourist spot for Vanuatu – but volcanologists like it!

We have never been here before - so it is always fun to see new places. We are exploring while we wait for decent weather to start or hard trek south.
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At 9/7/2015 8:16 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 15°16.85'S 167°58.84'E

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