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.

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