Phase2: Noumea and Surrounds

Monday, 21 May to Wednesday, 30 May, 2018

After a good night’s sleep, we waited for Quarantine to come and check the boat. Until this happens, all crew must stay on board, so we scrambled the last of our eggs for breakfast and gave the boat a good tidy. Salt spray manages to find its way all through the boat during a passage so it needed a good wipe down. Luckily, we had some rain overnight that washed the decks. It was about 3pm before it was our turn to face quarantine and we were pleased there were no problems. We gave the officer a small bag of organic waste and they ticked us off the list.

Talisker at Ilot Maitre

On Tuesday, Warren and the other skippers took the early ferry into Noumea (4nm away) to clear customs and immigration. Crew could go ashore on Ilot Maitre, but could not go further afield until their passports were stamped. John and Leanne, organisers of the Go East Rally had worked hard to get the yachts processed from here – 30 boats in Noumea harbour trying to clear in would have been difficult to manage.

The last few yachts arrived on Tuesday, so by Wednesday we were relaxing and playing games on the beach organised by Leanne.

Me filming you filming me!

In the afternoon, John had organised a few speakers to give everyone an introduction to New Caledonia. Richard Chester, author of the Rocket Guides imparted some of his knowledge of the area. The government tourism body also attended and provided free local SIM cards with 3000 Francs credit to each yacht. That night there was a Gilligans Island party - a local kanak welcome, great smorgasbord and a good band to get people up dancing. It was a big day!

Crew of Songlines enjoying the party

Quite a few yachts left Thursday morning to go to Noumea to provision but we took advantage of the fine weather to go for a snorkel and paddle before going to Noumea on Friday. We spent the next 5 nights anchored in Noumea harbour as the marinas were all full - unfortunately the weather was not the best, wet and windy. We went to the markets, shops and walked around the town when the weather cleared and were glad to see the sun on Tuesday.

La place de Cocoteirs (Coconut Square)

We visited the Musee de la Ville (City Museum) which had a bit of the history of Noumea and an exhibition about how New Caledonian soldiers supported France in the first world war. At 100 Francs it is well worth a visit if you are in Noumea.

On Wednesday, we topped up the fuel tanks and water before heading south to Ilot Amedee in a moderate easterly. We sailed past this many times last trip but never managed a stop here. We were surprised to be the only cruising boat there.

We went ashore after lunch and walked around the island. Highlight was a walk to the top of the lighthouse, 247 steps, where we took some great pictures. As we approached the top, we could feel it swaying in the wind (or so we thought!)

The lighthouse is metal and building started in Paris in 1862 by one of the engineers who worked on the Eiffel Tower. For 2 years it stood 56m above Paris before being dismantled into 1265 pieces and transported to Noumea. It took 10 months to reassemble it on Ilot Amedee and was opened on 15 November 1865. It has a lead light on the reef that guides ships through Boulari Pass, one of the main passages through the barrier reef of New Caledonia.