Where in the world are ThevdMz? Previously: Vanuatu, Tonga, Fiji. Currently: EnZed Soon: Europe! Hoping for plenty of internet so we can share lots of lovely photos & maps
I know we’ve been really quiet since getting back to New Zealand – sorry about that.
It has taken quite a while to get back into “normal” life and also get used to the loss of our beloved Waimanu.
BUT!!! Phil is still sailing, when he gets the opportunity.
Within a month of getting home Phil was crewing on a classic yacht in the Hauraki Gulf and was also invited to crew on a delivery trip from Wellington to the Bay of Islands for their Race Week. Having delivered the yacht he then jumped ship to crew on a friends yacht during Race week. Various other sailing opportunities have been enjoyed.
Today he sails out to Minerva Reef aboard a friends yacht, crewing up to Tonga then flying home in a couple of weeks.
Next month? No idea! 🙂
Happy and safe sailing everybody!
Phil and Anita headed off the next morning to check out one of the local Blue Holes. We headed up the river in Zoe, skimming over the shallows (and at one point wading the boat through as we were just short of high tide) passing under the bridge and enjoying the surrounding jungle until we popped out into the Hole.
Jungle – Photo @thewildlifeofme
The Blue Holes are fresh water springs that bubble up to the surface but bring lots of natural minerals with them, causing a rather amazing colour. One of the local villages has the entrepreneurial insight to set up some shade shelters, seats, steps and a swing and then charge visitors to utilise the natural fresh water swimming hole. We explained to the chap on watch all we were doing was having an explore. He wasn’t too happy as it meant he was missing out on a bit of income so we came him a rather small amount and headed back down river.Â
Riri Blue Hole – Photo @thewildlifeofme
That afternoon we headed off back down to Palikulo Bay, this time anchoring next to a different wreck, said to be Vanuatu’s first tug. With a mirror-like quality to the water, it was perfect for taking artistic photos of reflected rust while listening to the shrieks of laughing coming from the local village kids having an evening dip.
Wreck of the Tug – Photo @thewildlifeofme
The following morning we swept around the point and out into the ocean wind to head further down the coast, anchoring off of Ratua Island Resort. The channel between the islands of Malo and Aore can develop quite interesting wind and tidal patterns and this time was totally different than when Phil and Jenny had first come through, halving the time it took to tack from Bokissa Island through to Ratua Island.
Sailing Away – Photo @thewildlifeofme
The anchorage off of Ratua Island is quite sheltered with a lovely lagoon that is home to a marine sanctuary. This meant that on the Eastern side of the island, turtles use the shallow inlet as a nursery for their young (usually seen in February) while on the deep Western side, the adult turtles (many over a meter across) shyly explore the visiting yachts.
Turtle Sanctuary – Photo @thewildlifeofme
There is a deep channel between Ratua Island and Aore Island, despite being only a couple of dozen meters wide. The current is strong but the water is clear and the sea life is incredible. Phil and Anita gave Zoe a bit of a rub down before donning mask and snorkel and drifting back down the channel with camera in hand and muffled exclamations bursting out in the form of bubbles. The perfect end to another stunning day.
Some of you may have heard there has been a sizeable earthquake in Vanuatu. No one has been killed, thankfully and we’re both all ok. In fact, we didn’t even know about it until a neighbouring yacht told us about it.
We are currently anchored in Port Olry in the north of Espiritu Santo and are working our way back down from the Banks and Torres Islands (where there was very little signal so only the very occasional update)
So what does it really look like to the outside world, this lifestyle of ours?
Our daughter, Anita , popped up to Vanuatu for a week’s holiday to come and investigate and truly get a feel for what life on a small yacht in the South Pacific is like.
Phil and Jenny had spent the week and a bit leading up to her arrival investigate the local lay of the land so that we could utilise our time together to the max.
The taxi dropped her off at the resort we were anchored in front of so we made the most of their restaurant and excellent steak (we live a mostly vegetarian life onboard Waimanu as she doesn’t have a fridge onboard).
Groceries – photo @thewildlifeofme
After stocking up on fresh fruit and veg from the local markets the following day, we headed off to Palikulo Bay. The Japanese fish factory there had closed down in the 80s and has basically been ignored ever since. With a flat calm anchorage and some interesting ruins alongside the shipwreck, it is a great spot. Donning snorkeling gear, Phil and Anita jumped into the crystal clear blue water for a swim and looking around while Jenny bobbed along in Zoe taking pictures of the rusted glory that is the wreck.
Palikulo Bay – photo @thewildlifeofme
The next day we sailed our way across to a cute little anchorage that has the remnants of a western structure but is otherwise deserted. It is the epitome of a tropical island paradise with no footprints on the beach, the roar of the surf on the other side of the island’s point, and deep, amazingly clear water kissing white, sandy stretches before jungle takes over.
Paradise – photo @thewildlifeofme
After enjoying the serenity of this gorgeous spot for a few hours we headed up to to inside of Malwepe Island. Oyster Island Resort is on the end of this island but is currently closed down as they rebuild it but it is one of the most sheltered anchorages we have ever come across, sheltered on all sides. The most nerve-wracking part of staying here is getting in through a channel that is only 2.3 meters deep at full tide. It certainly is a spectacular entry and is within a short Zoe ride to some of the famous blue holes.
Since you might be wondering but haven’t plucked up the courage to ask, we’ll do some occasional posts on what gear we use for various things, pros and cons for us, and what our dream replacements would be.
Obviously these are our personal opinions;Â what works for us won’t necessarily be the same for you.
So to kick it all off: yacht, since it’s an obvious item required to be doing this cruising thing 🙂
YACHT:Â
Waimanu is a 32foot Townson Twilight, her shell (hull, decks, keel etc) were built by Atkinson’s in their Browns Bay boat yard. After trucking up to Algies Bay, Jack Algie spent his evenings completing her insides, and finishing the outside, then she was launched in the bay in April 1974.
She’s the typical Townson build of double diagonal kauri planking, pretty as a dream and sails beautifully. For what is now considered to be an old design style she sails surprisingly fast. Maybe because we’ve kept things fairly simple.
We appear to be a minority in the cruising community: yes we have electricity and an engine, but we don’t have the frills. No fridge, freezer, shower, watermaker, bbq, nuclear fall-out shelter, wine cellar or recording studio. (Just kidding: I haven’t met any cruisers with the last three either.) We do have LED lights, a solar panel, tiller-pilot and wind-vane self-steering gear – but more on those another time.Â
When day dreaming about bigger, fancier yachts Captain Relentless once commented:Â
Waimanu is the best boat for us, because she’s the boat we have. Everything else is a dream, this is the reality.
Can’t get more to the point than that, can you?
So what boat do you have? Have you stopped dreaming of something you don’t have so that you can make the most of what you do have?
It’s going to get a little quiet around here on the blog as our blog poster extraordinaire is coming up to see us. She will be here for eight days and I’m sure there will be lots of stories and photos she brings home.
Our cooking skills using what we have (long term foods and bursts of fresh produce that is locally grown so often rather different from “normal” in NZ) are greatly improving. Phil makes good Aloo Methi especially for not having chili and using dried parsley instead of fresh.
After our turbulent crossing, we anchored inside Tutuba Island at the entrance of Luganville Harbour for a flat, calm and peaceful night. Then we were off to Beachfront Resort which is across from Sarakata River from town.
It was Vanuatu’s Independence Day on the 30th July so it made town quite an interesting place to be. At times quiet and other times very busy but not quite as predictable as normal.
The next couple of days we anchored off Beachfront Resort and two out of three days we made the 3km return walk into Luganville itself to catch up on things. It was good to stock up on groceries and have a bit of lunch at a local cafe to also check in on the world in general. We also topped up the fuel and water tanks and started a few loads of laundry. We also spent a good bit of time chatting to a young fella in his 20s. He was a BK (boat kid) and had grown up cruising on a yacht, now continuing the lifestyle himself.
Motoring back to Tutubua Island, we enjoyed the small sandy bay at the western end and anchored just on dark. One thing we have enjoyed doing is visiting the various resorts in the area for a drink at their bar. It’s a good place to catch up on news and enjoy something a bit different.
Days are warm up here and you will often find Jenny sitting in the cabin before 9am, alternating between reading her book and watching the thermometer steadily passing 27°C.
After finishing up a few more errands back in Luganville, we headed up the coast and anchored on the eastern side of Palikulo Bay, northeast of Luganville. There are old rusty remnants of a ship here along with the decaying structure of a fish factory it’s wharf with some very inviting photos. We spent the day doing some jobs on the boat with Phil sanding and applying Sikkens.
It looked so calm and still for our next leg travelling from Ambae to Luganville, Espiritu Santo (locally known as just Santo and the largest island in Vanuatu) that we left the big sun awning up all night. The next morning we motored away with it still up. But as we neared the end of the island we could see the effects of wind, plenty of wind. So down awning and up sails it was for a beam reach across.Â
It was a bit choppy at first then regulating to a more even ocean swell. Between islands here it is open ocean, sometimes exacerbated by strong currents so the seas can be big and steep. We were clipping along at 8-9 knots, with a top speed of 11.8 knots. The wind kept increasing to a steady 25 gusting up to 38 knots.
Jenny was sitting on stern seat and trying to stay dry while Phil was hand steering (instead of using the self steering gear) and trying to keep her dry. Of course the inevitable happened and we caught a huge wave side on which resulted in both of us soaked to the skin. These waves were as big as Phil had seen since leaving NZ! While he wasn’t very popular with Jenny he was forgiven. It helps that the water up here is so warm.
We reefed down as we were now in a steady 30-35kts although Waimanu handles so well! We altered course for safer option and came in under the lee of an island at the entrance of the channel to Luganville Harbour.
Anchoring just before lunch we had covered 33 nautical miles in just over 4 hours.
We bought fresh mandarins at the market which consisted of a bunch of ladies under the big mango tree at the hospital entrance. There was a barge that had unloaded goods the night before when it arrived at 2100 and left in the morning at 0700 so it was good to stock on fresh things. As we had run out of work, by Friday lunchtime we set off on our next adventure armed with our fresh fruit. It was exactly a week after dropping anchor in Lolowai. Early on Saturday morning, we slipped down the coast on the full tide. In the wind shadow of the mountain we motored on flat water.
Fresh fruit!
Discovering a secluded little inlet down the coast in the later that morning after only a passing mention from some yachtie a long time ago we thought to check if out. Think Rangitoto coastline with a little dent. We anchored in Dixon Bay (15°19’29.58S, 167°48’17.16E) to the delighted audience of giggling kids watching from the rocky bluff. A local fishing boat came in to assure us anchoring there was safe although there wasn’t any wind anyway. We were the first boat to stop so far this year and they only get 3 or 4 in an annum.
Dixon Bay village kids
There was a cut away in the rock and a concrete ramp smaller than a driveway. This we lifted Zoe onto. (Zoe is the zodiac and our little runabout dinghy) We had rowed in rather than getting the outboard set up which made things a little easier.
The young local chief met us and showed us around the very small village. Phil asked if they had any elderly and was introduced to one man. We asked for fresh fruit and the kids disappeared while we did a sight test with him. He needed strong reading glasses. The kids returned with a load of island sweet grapefruit. We shared some out and traded some to take home to Waimanu. Back at the boat ramp the kids started swimming and Phil joined them. The water is over 27°C! Phil and the kids all jumped in from a high rocky outcrop. It takes some pluck, that’s for sure.
Anchored in rocky Dixon Bay
Wanting to shorten the voyage to Santo as much as we could, we carried on along the North West coast of Ambae. We found an anchorage of sorts off a steep boulder beach named Loone Lakua (15°21’37.02S, 167°45’42.72E) and with the dinghy anchor astern, we pointed to the slight swell and enjoyed a quiet night, watching some more of Colditz, a 1970s BBC TV series about the POW camp that we are now halfway through.
