Return to Oz, Noumea to Bundaberg

Tuesday, 18 October to Tuesday, 25 October, 2016

We left Noumea at 0800 on Tuesday morning in almost calm conditions, a change from the strong winds of the previous few days. We exited the lagoon through Dumbea Pass and set a course of 244 degrees Magnetic. By 1100, we had enough wind from the ESE to set the spinnaker.

Seas were slight, the sky was blue and we were making good progress towards Bundaberg, now only 780nm away. We dropped the spinnaker at 1700 and sailed under genoa until 2200 then motor sailed until 0600 Wednesday. We made good progress in light winds with our genoa until lunch time, then more motorsailing until 1600.

We elected to keep the genoa and full main up overnight and were rewarded by covering 94 nm in perfect conditions. Thursday was also good sailing and we recorded a noon to noon 24 hour distance of 179 nm.

It was perfect conditions for the genoa and with 1 to 1.5 knots of current with us, we were averaging 7 knots in less than 10 knots of breeze.  We were in HF radio contact with another yacht, Moonshine, during the passage. In todays sched, Simon told us their autopilot had failed so they were now handsteering. Not a nice prospect. We changed to the jib before dark and covered another 92 nm overnight with 2 reefs and the jib. Conditions were not the greatest with confused seas. Advice from our weather router, Bob McDavitt, was that we needed to be in Bundaberg by 1300 Sunday. So on Friday, when our speed dropped below 5 knots we started an engine.

We had spinnaker, genoa, jib and motor all going at various times on Saturday in winds around 10 knots. By 2300 we had a double reef and with Bundy only 50nm away at 0200, all was looking good. Unfortunately, the southerly change came in at 0330 and by 0900 on Sunday we had 20 nm to go in 35 knots, rain and steep 2m seas inside Hervey Bay.

Needless to say we made it but it was certainly a struggle. We went straight into a marina berth and were cleared immediately by customs and quarantine without any issues.

Trip stats were 821 nm covered in 127 hours at an average of 6.5 knots. We sailed for 101 of the 127 hours, motoring or motorsailing the other 26 hours. Best daily miles was 179nm, top speed 10.4 knots, maximum wind 35.7 knots.

Passage Sunsets

Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Thursday, 20 October 2016

Friday, 21 October 2016

Saturday, 22 October 2016

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Southern Lagoon, New Caledonia

Tuesday, 4 October to Monday, 17 October 2016

We left Ile des Pins early as it is 40nm to Ilot Kouare in the southern lagoon and we wanted to arrive in good light to see the reef. We sailed until 1100 before the wind eased and went around to the SW which of course was where we were going. On the way we got excited when we hooked a fish, but it turned out to be a mac tuna which are not good eating so we let it go.

Ilot Kouare

Our luck changed after anchoring however when Warren landed a 50cm Blue Maori Rockcod which he kept and another much larger reef fish that he couldn’t identify so released.

We have been very careful with the fish we have been eating in both New Cal and Vanuatu as ciguatera poisoning is a problem. We have met several cruisers that have suffered from the poisoning and the most concerning part is that the toxin stays within your body for months or even years.

"Gerry" the Giant Trevally was too big but kept us entertained

As the toxin accumulates in certain fish, the larger the fish you catch the greater the chance of feeling the effects of the toxin. The rockcod we caught grows to a maximum size of 120cm so ours was just a baby. We also only eat a small portion first and look for the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, tingling etc.

The next morning, we donned our wetsuits and went ashore and snorkelled the reef to the south of the island. It was great – good coral and lots of fish. With a southerly change forecast, in the afternoon we moved from the anchorage on the eastern side of the island to the more protected one in the north. We spent another 2 nights here waiting for the wind to ease.

I finished my first jigsaw of the trip and Warren fished some more but without success. Once the clouds had disappeared we could move to Ilot Ua, just 5nm to the north. We checked out Ilot Uatio first but there was little protection from the SE so we anchored off Ilot Ua. The next morning, we went for another snorkel and it was the best of the trip so far.

Visibility was great, coral was the most varied and colourful we have seen so far, and the fish also good, although not as many large ones were seen. On Sunday, with another southerly front on its way, and rain predicted we decided to head for a mooring in the picturesque Anse Majic in the Baie de Prony. It rained most of Monday and was cold – we had to dig out our ugg boots at night!

On Tuesday we headed up to Iot Casy to see how “Moose” was getting on. He led us on another walk around the island but was looking a bit tired and there was no sign of the puppy that had been here in July. Money has been raised via Facebook so that a vet could visit and check on him. He prescribed some medications that are given by some locals who also feed him. No sign of them when we were there and he did appreciate the food we took ashore. He was much brighter the next morning and we left wondering if he would still be here the next time we visit the area.

We spent a quiet night on the mooring at Ilot Casy and then headed 17nm SW to Ilot Mato. We arrived just after noon, to find a large Catana charter boat aground in the entrance. Apparently they entered very late (on dark??) and couldn’t see the reef so anchored in the entrance channel. Unfortunately the wind swung during the night and they ended up aground.

Warren went around to see if he could help but they had contacted the company who were sending a power cat to get them off at high tide. Visibility is everything when moving around in these anchorages as you can see from the photo below of the lagoon we were anchored in.

No harm done except to their pride so they were very lucky. We had another snorkel here and also climbed the hill on the island. Lots of sea snakes on the beach and track – we counted 8 in our short walk. On Friday we headed back to Noumea, more rain and SE forecast and we were getting ready for the trip home. Weather is looking good for a departure tomorrow, Tuesday morning and Warren is clearing customs now. You can follow our progress on Skipr.net, which we hope to update daily.

Ile des Pins

Saturday, 24 September to Monday, 3 October 2016

We moved into the inner anchorage at Gadji at half tide and had a minimum depth of 2.1m going in. The anchorage is huge and about 2.5m deep at low tide. It is surrounded by small rocky islands that ensure yachts are protected from all winds and swell.

I would need a 360 degree photo to do it justice. We had 2 nights here before moving around to Baie d’Oro on the north east side of Ile des Pins on Monday. Again we went into the inner anchorage - only 1.8m going in this time at high tide.

Boats in the outer anchorage

Another picture perfect spot where we kayaked and visited the nearby Blue Lagoon for a swim.

Blue Lagoon

There is a resort here so we were able to hire a car and drive around the island.

We visited the cave where Queen Hortense used to hide but missed another cave after following a track that got progressively poorer before turning around. We later found out the cave was right near where we had parked the car!

We visited the ruins of the prison which was here in the late 1800s. We also went to the 4 shops on the island and they were all small - think tiny corner store at home. We went to the market at Vao but could only get pawpaw and lettuce.

Baie de Kanumera

On Saturday, we had a nice spinnaker run around to the southern side of the island. We saw a whale as we were leaving Baie d’Oro, our first for some time. We anchored in Baie de Kanumera which is on the south side of Kuto.

Kuto with Pic N'Ga in the background

It is very protected from the north and west and quieter than Kuto. Luckily the cruise ships that anchor off Kuto have not visited while we are here so the beaches have been very quiet.

Today we hiked to the top of nearby Pic N’Ga. It was a hard scramble over loose rocks for much of the climb to 262m but the views were worth the effort.

A cup of tea at the top under some shady trees (pines of course) was just what was needed after the hot climb.

Baie de Kanumera and Baie de Kuto

The Isle of Pines has been great with good anchorages, plenty of walks, places to swim and kayaking opportunities. Tomorrow we are off to explore the islands of the southern lagoon, our last region to visit before we head back to Noumea.

Baie d'Oro