New Caledonia to Vanuatu

Monday, 18 July to Thursday, 21 July 2016

Warren went to Customs and Immigration to clear out first thing on Monday morning, while I did a final shop. We left the marina to fill up our fuel tanks with duty free fuel - 68 Pacific Franks (less than $1) per litre. Entice (Greg and Karen) and Pied–a-Mer 3 (Eric and Pam) were also leaving at the same time though they were both headed for Fiji.

Rainbow approaching Canal Woodin

We elected to tack into the SE wind and reached Anse Majic at 1900. We didn’t want to go through Havannah Pass at night so picked up a mooring and left at first light on Tuesday for Lifou. We had a 1-2 knot adverse current as we went through the pass so we were glad to clear the banks and head NW. We set the spinnaker and as is often the case, the predicted ESE wind was more in the south so it was directly behind us. This made for slower going than we had hoped. We anchored in the SW corner of Lifou just before midnight to get a few hours sleep before tackling the 200nm to Port Vila. We had sailed 117nm in 17 hours. We left at 0630 on Wednesday and once clear of Lifou we set course almost due north in a ESE wind on the beam.

The seas were slight and the wind was a steady 15-20 knots, occasionally getting up over 20 knots as a rain squall went past.

Squalls in the distance

We had averaged 7.6 knots when we put in our double reef as the sun went down. During the night we passed over the deepest water we have been in to date, over 6300m. We continued to average over 7 knots during the night and just after sunrise we sighted the island of Efate in Vanuatu.

We dropped anchor at 1300 near the quarantine buoy and contacted Customs. We cleared in and by 1500 we were on a buoy at Yachting World Vanuatu looking forward to exploring a new country.

View from the quarantine anchorage of Port Vila

We had a great run in steady winds and slight seas, covering 215nm in 30 hours, with a 24 hour run of 176 nm.

It's a good trip when muffins are made (and consumed!)

Bastille Day, Noumea

Wednesday, 13 July to Sunday, 17 July 2016

Warren had planned our trip to New Caledonia to ensure we were in Noumea to see how the French celebrate their national day. Locals we mentioned this to were somewhat puzzled and I began to think Warren may be disappointed. Luckily, we arrived back the day before Bastille Day because the lantern parade and fireworks are held the night before Bastille Day. I think the lantern parade is more for the kids but we got there just as it was starting and were given some lanterns.

They had 5000 to give out and I suspect there were at least double that many people in the parade. We walked down the streets to the tune of French songs and soaked up the atmosphere.

We all ended up in Coconut Square, where there were lots of amusements for the kids (big and small) and a spectacular fireworks display. A great night all round.

The next morning was the official parade of the armed forces, police etc. This was preceded by a medal ceremony, all in French so we are not sure why they were given.

The parade itself went for an hour and the streets were lined with thousands of locals and some visitors.

Highlight was the Kanak units who did a haka and sang some very moving songs towards the end of the parade. I had wondered how the Kanaks viewed this French celebration but the ones I saw were very enthusiastic in their support of the events.

Unfortunately, the holiday was extended to Friday for the Customs and Immigration offices so our plans to clear out of New Caledonia for Vanuatu had to be delayed until Monday.

We spent the weekend at Ilot Maitre, a tiny island 3nm from Noumea. It has some villas built over the water and is popular with kite surfers as the wind is steady and the water is shallow. We counted over 50 out sailing when we went for a walk ashore.

Baie de Prony

Wednesday, 6 July to Wednesday, 13 July 2016

We left the marina at 1200 and in very light W/SW winds motored to Ilot Bailly, 11 nm south of Noumea. This is a very protected anchorage that sits under the impressive Mont Dore.

Ilot Bailly with Mont Dore across the channel

Next morning, light winds again saw us motoring most of the way to Ilot Casy, a small island in the middle of Baie de Prony with an abandoned resort and a dog “Moose” who is fed by passing yachties.

We had been warned so had bought some dog food but were surprised to find a pup with Moose (and saw another, shier dog on another beach).

Moose led us on a tour of the island for several hours, even showing us how he found sea cucumbers, dragged them to shallow water with his paws and devoured the meaty portion!

We spent the night at Rade de l’Ouest (West Harbour) as the wind was now a strong westerly. Next morning, we motored 4nm to the Baie de Carenage in the head of the bay.

Quiet morning at Baie de Carenage

We spent 3 nights here as there are many walks and good streams for kayaking.

Not so hot springs

Twin Falls

There were several other boats around including the author of the “Rocket guides” which are the cruisers’ bible for New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

On Monday, we sailed down to Anse Majic which has a good walk up to the lighthouse on Cap N’Dua and is a popular spot for whale watching.

All the walks in this area are well marked but become treacherous in wet weather as much of the track is slippery compacted red dirt.

The red is a result of the high mineral content of the soils, nickel, which is extensively mined, cobalt and iron. There is a large nickel processing plant that covers the eastern side of the bay but the rest of the bay is slowly returning to its natural state after being mined and logged to supply timber to the developing colony.

Trees

No trees

Wherever trees have been removed, the red scars of erosion are evident. You can imagine Warren’s reaction to the red mud on everything! On Tuesday we started to head back to Noumea, spending a quiet night at Baie de la Tortue (Turtle Bay), Ile Ouen the site of another closed resort.

It seems that some New Caledonian island resorts have suffered the same fate as Queensland island resorts. Baie de la Tortue was beautiful and while walking along the beach we met Tony and Ron off the 75 foot power boat, Capricorn. They told us there is great fishing and snorkelling on the reefs. We also discovered they are from Raby Bay, and in fact, we can see Ron’s boat Maverick from our unit. It’s a small world sometimes. On Wednesday we sailed under spinnaker the 28 nm to Noumea to see how Bastille Day is celebrated in New Caledonia.

Lagoon North of Noumea - Part 2

Tuesday 28 June to Monday 4 July, 2016

We waited 4 days for good conditions to venture to Ilot Tenia on the outer reef and one of the highlights of the northern lagoon. Ilot Puen provided good protection from the W and SW winds and we enjoyed a couple of nice walks.

We did wait until the shooters in their hi-vis shirts had left as we didn’t want to be mistaken for a deer.

Most of these islands have old fishing shacks, in various stages of falling down. Apparently the government has cracked down on squatters but has not cleaned up the mess they left behind.

On Friday we headed across to Ilot Tenia. It has a private camp ground at one end (no one there) and long sandy beaches.

We spent 2 days here, returning to Ile Puen, 3nm away at night as the anchorage has a joggle reminiscent of high tide at Lady Musgrave Island. The sand spit we were anchored behind offered less protection than we expected.

We snorkelled both days and there were lots of large fish but the coral was a bit disappointing and the visibility was not as good as we had at Ilot M’be Kouen. I think this was a consequence of the stronger currents here and the winds which were about 15 knots each day.

We saw lots of sea snake tracks up the beach on our walks but we only saw one snake. After leaving here on Saturday we began the trek south beating 11nm to Baie des Moustiques into a 15 knot SE breeze. Next day we had our longest days sailing in a while, 34nm to windward to Baie Maa, 8nm north of Noumea. 3 other boats in the anchorage, the most we had encountered in 2 weeks. Warren caught a Queenfish on the way but we released it as they don’t freeze very well and we still have some mackeral left.

Port Moselle Marina, Noumea

On Monday we returned to Noumea for fresh supplies. Highlights of our visit this time were a visit to the World War II museum and dinner at a great pizzeria near the marina. The museum was the best 200 franks ($3) we have spent this trip.

There was an English commentary provided via handset and the displays and videos highlighted the impact of the large contingent of servicemen stationed in New Caledonia during the war. Highly recommended if you are visiting here.

After 2 nights in the marina we headed out to explore south of Noumea and in particular Baie de Prony.