Where is Astarte?

Port Vila! Still. We wait and wait for weather to get to New Caledonia. Right now we are awaiting a depression that should pass over us on Saturday night – but earlier in the week we thought we could leave! It seems we look at weather and there is a good window to leave – but it is always a week away. As it approaches, the window closes. This time it slammed shut with a major storm heading this way. So we wait some more. Perhaps next week (though we've been saying that now since we arrived.)

New photos on the photo page – a little out of order – they are mostly from Losolava on the island of Gaua.

While we are waiting here in Port Vila, we have been getting some projects done aboard and been enjoying some social time with some new folks we've met. Michael's got the transmission oil changed, the engine oil changed, bilges emptied and cleaned and lots of littler things done. We've done lots of baking, cleaning and entertaining as well. Here is the "crew" that are stuck in Port Vila that we've been enjoying spending some time with at coffees, dinners, sundowners, Happy Hours, and now card and game playing. Some are heading to NZ, some to Oz and some to New Cal. There is Matt (our new sailing expert) and Sally aboard "Alchemy 2" from Tasmania; Laura and Bruce aboard "Pacific Highway" from the Virgin Islands; Kathryn and Anthony, New Zealanders we actually met in Asanvari aboard "Cobalt," Fran and Tom on a beautiful classic boat "Dagon" from New Zealand, "Exit Strategy" with Canadians Kim and Tom... plus our old (not age) British friends Bob and Sue on "Mawari" and Barry aboard "Blue Note" from Oz. There are plenty of folks here so we've enjoyed getting to know many quite well as we all wait for weather to go our separate ways.

So we wait...and wait....and wait.
-----
At 9/18/2015 8:28 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 17°44.75'S 168°18.73'E

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com