tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35134527377099884002024-03-15T21:09:19.157-04:00Yacht LarusSailing our 42' ketch slowly around the worldTim Chapmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01341794519935635942noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-51832362263408130822023-12-31T01:07:00.003-04:002023-12-31T18:19:23.340-04:00Iluka, Clarence River and Port Stephens <p>Our next hop down the coast to Iluka involved crossing a bar at the mouth of the Clarence River. We motored, motor-sailed and even managed to sail part of the passage to arrive at the right time with the right conditions to cross the bar sans drama.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zkT8TzE_ic8" width="320" youtube-src-id="zkT8TzE_ic8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It was a rather dull overcast passage. Hurrah for dolphins.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Iluka is a wonderful area. We crossed the harbour river sand bar comfortably. During a walk along the beach after we’d arrived, Tim was impressed to see dolphins surfing in waves not all that far from bar we crossed. Timing is everything whether you are a yacht hoping for a quiet life or dolphins looking for a little excitement.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The anchorage in Iluka Bay is spacious and well protected.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/508xtAHYyBw" width="320" youtube-src-id="508xtAHYyBw"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tim dinghying to the dock with the forgotten insect repellent for a rainforest walk.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are parks and forest walks all over Australia and Iluka has a unique coastal rainforest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafeZKNvQjJusXEjxFsX7WeI9ryT-Y5aUCboo5C0LotZJ4IpcAk2gYjNPg-wGFGiU23MYjdfGLRJ54palFdzskBEa7iFMFpK-rdAeY7C_sHPJ_cfsQWZq9Nzt4BEtOSWNRzDvDb_xztGhTRNWUuneI3Ci8CIPe5scnuM6XUwJPavJy9GjGaSd52PSBL2A/s5185/IMG_3294.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3699" data-original-width="5185" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafeZKNvQjJusXEjxFsX7WeI9ryT-Y5aUCboo5C0LotZJ4IpcAk2gYjNPg-wGFGiU23MYjdfGLRJ54palFdzskBEa7iFMFpK-rdAeY7C_sHPJ_cfsQWZq9Nzt4BEtOSWNRzDvDb_xztGhTRNWUuneI3Ci8CIPe5scnuM6XUwJPavJy9GjGaSd52PSBL2A/s320/IMG_3294.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We really enjoyed the walks particularly under the shady canopies as it does get hot here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs2OswFplbcbXD9ZbVnS9ckvHzEU3TTOmDscKh6wjNN99t36zWTXCP1dYeDWDnTNSLWrNXKrMDy3qqnWRpbE1A6iKAu1aE-jF1wUzfYvR-V1v_I1WXFssaMgKDfaM5uAWq6CFMVuKiEbGl_pKCYpZnyG38Nyk_v70zdUNfCY6RMx5CFMYayEi5TGjyF0/s4032/IMG_2186.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs2OswFplbcbXD9ZbVnS9ckvHzEU3TTOmDscKh6wjNN99t36zWTXCP1dYeDWDnTNSLWrNXKrMDy3qqnWRpbE1A6iKAu1aE-jF1wUzfYvR-V1v_I1WXFssaMgKDfaM5uAWq6CFMVuKiEbGl_pKCYpZnyG38Nyk_v70zdUNfCY6RMx5CFMYayEi5TGjyF0/s320/IMG_2186.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Iluka residents.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RwwgbVHE8Dk" width="320" youtube-src-id="RwwgbVHE8Dk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Insane Biology of the Kangaroo. </div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEk0l-sm_5H2E0dAOd-aW_QSoxBO5Zh-w3c5Bak-OKrJ_gJci02g5hDKv5ZKId7Fhr67RJbyNnYCz8HYe5FmRV3GQOU_PhZYt7h61ur36uKLMMQ46ZT0BRTBQm3UwCucqlTobFUz1ExkMH3ykZfBi0Qdc62Kqm-4EdukpMfqRlJyFR9ZRkxm8CT_PStgI/s5712/IMG_3317.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEk0l-sm_5H2E0dAOd-aW_QSoxBO5Zh-w3c5Bak-OKrJ_gJci02g5hDKv5ZKId7Fhr67RJbyNnYCz8HYe5FmRV3GQOU_PhZYt7h61ur36uKLMMQ46ZT0BRTBQm3UwCucqlTobFUz1ExkMH3ykZfBi0Qdc62Kqm-4EdukpMfqRlJyFR9ZRkxm8CT_PStgI/s320/IMG_3317.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Iluka Bay is where I baked my Mom’s Rhubarb Crisp.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one of my favourite recipes and results in a nutmeg infused baked egg custard with tangy rhubarb and a crisp oat topping. It is gorgeous and the recipe goes like this…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rhubarb and Custard</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For every 3 cups of rhubarb, you need 1cup of sugar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For every cup of sugar you need 1 egg.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For every egg you need 1 tablespoon of flour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For every tablespoon of flour you need 1/3 of a nutmeg grated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My preference is to make a 9 cup of rhubarb crisp. This makes the rhubarb custard part wonderfully deep but at $6 Aus a bunch that gives a measly 3 cups chopped, I’ve been settling for 6 cups.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Crisp</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mix 2 cups of rolled oats with 2 tablespoons wholewheat flour, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of simple syrup or honey or syrup of choice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Method</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whisk sugar, egg, flour and nutmeg until frothy in a large bowl. Add chopped rhubarb and fold in. Transfer into baking dish. Sprinkle oats over the rhubarb and make a small hole in the middle of the crisp. Bake in a moderate oven until bubbles appear in the hole in the crisp, about 30 to 45 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Note: Cups are a way of measuring ingredients often used in North America. 1 cup equals 8 fluid ounces of wet or dry ingredients. Half a cup is 4 fl.oz, quarter cup is 2 fl.oz. If you want to use scales, either look up the conversion online or measure out 8 fluid ounces of the ingredients and weigh them. Make a note in your recipe. I do the reverse when I run across a recipe that uses scales.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Scales don’t work well on boats because of the constant movement. It’s impossible to be accurate unless conditions are very calm. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>While we waited for northwesterly winds to continue south, we travelled inland up the Clarence River.<div><br /></div><div>The first step was to navigate two bridges.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oc45ic29VFc" width="320" youtube-src-id="Oc45ic29VFc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Regardless of what I say in the video, this bridge is the same as one we saw on the Cape Cod Canal.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUvFxEPpLjK7DM1GRpBU_Dx89RN9XEWoBvJUQ4EdA8YLJBT92TW8y3IhaquKhzf8zPxD7G_hd1LODZca9uslNVz3p6-apFboTBjS6s21R1v8H3-wNR1ofyDYDe0CWXgnA4vcXl1XmtJiqfApHKudg8Wb1Cn1gBhz9nTIWukN_KD1EeqrE728KUcXnetA/s4032/IMG_3333.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUvFxEPpLjK7DM1GRpBU_Dx89RN9XEWoBvJUQ4EdA8YLJBT92TW8y3IhaquKhzf8zPxD7G_hd1LODZca9uslNVz3p6-apFboTBjS6s21R1v8H3-wNR1ofyDYDe0CWXgnA4vcXl1XmtJiqfApHKudg8Wb1Cn1gBhz9nTIWukN_KD1EeqrE728KUcXnetA/s320/IMG_3333.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The motor up the river was very picturesque with wonderful open vistas.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja775dqdhfnwIFnR6LjkUjj76LEuMVTn678Gpriey0Qnx-2WiRHw7GbKu07MITpg9EWAGFQ6k6JvUYchiPmCViHqkxo1BkFVer_8de6xa2SWMCEEbwq41LkcyKNJo91NkhSKooxe9G1apYhE3CnDdSUjUc2OG_V6aAgRE8c0Se319wehm_rLtFNfzT-JA/s3974/IMG_3354.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="3974" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja775dqdhfnwIFnR6LjkUjj76LEuMVTn678Gpriey0Qnx-2WiRHw7GbKu07MITpg9EWAGFQ6k6JvUYchiPmCViHqkxo1BkFVer_8de6xa2SWMCEEbwq41LkcyKNJo91NkhSKooxe9G1apYhE3CnDdSUjUc2OG_V6aAgRE8c0Se319wehm_rLtFNfzT-JA/w640-h182/IMG_3354.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The distant mountains make a lovely backdrop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Along the way to our first stop, the town of MacLean, Tim’s eye was caught by something not quite right at the top of the mast. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKTH_Dm0eRKkAirXR0N93aC5dGq85obuLqSfwZFbDmdGmj0rrWwtT1zdOzwdk7IMMOCjdtEJtu9lVdcs2Z-DCuO2WNRr9o19Poqh0vDRBi09ndRPoD-elX1v9g9Zb9vdo4yzbIFVQfmz5FGpiywtPlP7L1kCrq-36pI9sh2c_D_TJ37y_YiTjzVy0EiQ/s2656/IMG_3319.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="1992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKTH_Dm0eRKkAirXR0N93aC5dGq85obuLqSfwZFbDmdGmj0rrWwtT1zdOzwdk7IMMOCjdtEJtu9lVdcs2Z-DCuO2WNRr9o19Poqh0vDRBi09ndRPoD-elX1v9g9Zb9vdo4yzbIFVQfmz5FGpiywtPlP7L1kCrq-36pI9sh2c_D_TJ37y_YiTjzVy0EiQ/s320/IMG_3319.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had noticed on our way up the river that the wind speed was surprisingly light. On closer inspection with binoculars, Tim discovered that our poor wind transducer had somehow become detached from the top of the mast and was dangling by its cable.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A wind transducer is not something that a sailboat in particular can do without. Knowing the actual wind speed and direction is quite important and I’m going to let Wikipedia tell you why - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_transducer" target="_blank">What is a wind transducer and what it does.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we arrived in MacLean, Tim went up the mast to see what the problem was. The wind transducer was attached to a metal bracket bolted to the metal plate at the top of the mast. Due to wear and tear from to being lashed with rain and spray, whipped fore and aft and side to side on a pitching rolling boat for almost 12 years, the bracket had sheared off the metal plate resulting in the transducer and bracket dangling from the top of the mast by the cable.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This little wind instrument is shockingly expensive in the region of £500. When Tim established that the transducer was okay and just needed to be re-connected, we were quite relieved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmtxMJWnEmyjVPzYZKBR50e3Uw0yemzVfQDqQ4DJ7T3jnUODkwIynT190Mf_IY0R5flR9fAvE2BXfgfx5Zk3yXtrEK8A_hWqCzbSK1bcJufOhyMAz54CFglbrMmVvIxt7OqsZQIt7Jht_FzgbNDm5N1TyJtr6A3TKIA71_byvri6QMG2I14N7_efXlTA/s4032/IMG_2045.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmtxMJWnEmyjVPzYZKBR50e3Uw0yemzVfQDqQ4DJ7T3jnUODkwIynT190Mf_IY0R5flR9fAvE2BXfgfx5Zk3yXtrEK8A_hWqCzbSK1bcJufOhyMAz54CFglbrMmVvIxt7OqsZQIt7Jht_FzgbNDm5N1TyJtr6A3TKIA71_byvri6QMG2I14N7_efXlTA/s320/IMG_2045.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The skipper of the catamaran that came through the bridge with us kindly took some pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We’ve quite a good system for getting Tim up the mast. We use the anchor windlass, an electric winch, to pull Tim up the mast. He sits in a ‘bosun’s chair’ that is attached to a halyard with a knot. A halyard is a line used to pull the sail up the mast. He attaches a ‘fall arrest’, which is a clever bit of climbing gear that attaches to the bosun’s chair and to a separate fixed line. As he is winched up the mast, he slides the fall arrest up the fixed line. If some part of the halyard failed, the ‘fall arrest’ would arrest his fall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ev3ydHEUv7JmO3-lnLkIvtB9d2Eci5AsWyN7XppFuFTo3nVVx1_zs9rH2SeQw8wO00E0ddszcGGqy8vY6ebMjvKejjV7WAuYAj0kqc1lFpV5k31Bc0ewSml8Oms2avvIr61KhrkoOyyD-cPbyfvoF4_2gLHX_AFv79xaSk5SSpAk_vHeUwOK9YH_vhA/s5712/IMG_3401.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ev3ydHEUv7JmO3-lnLkIvtB9d2Eci5AsWyN7XppFuFTo3nVVx1_zs9rH2SeQw8wO00E0ddszcGGqy8vY6ebMjvKejjV7WAuYAj0kqc1lFpV5k31Bc0ewSml8Oms2avvIr61KhrkoOyyD-cPbyfvoF4_2gLHX_AFv79xaSk5SSpAk_vHeUwOK9YH_vhA/s320/IMG_3401.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The anchor windlass on bow with the tail end of the halyard that will pull him up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The chain is disengage from the windlass and several turns of the halyard are taken on the drum. ‘Tailing’ the halyard is pulling the loose end tight so the halyard has purchase of the drum and doesn’t just slide. The aluminium sheet is for the halyard to slide over and the mats are to protect the windlass and surrounding area from the edges of the aluminium sheet. The windlass foot controls are just under the edge of the aluminium sheet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I operate the windlass on the bow, using the button controls on the deck and tailing the halyard as Tim goes up the mast. The halyard passes through a clutch at the base of the mast, which when closed will only allow the halyard to be pulled up. It will not go down until the clutch is released. The clutch remains closed until Tim is ready to come down and I am ready to let him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-fzqDO3B7Fjud95IMePDBlyAnQQqZuzN3H9eXGjkCd6PUvtpVezJCb_jGzL0RZPu2ZvV7SmfLICI-acip34eX2ovG2X6mRa-vJqW0lO3QRxtmIQQudk6p6N9-TuGk172qLT-pt8-T4dlAtHensjitv1CR0KSyBaJXPe9K3y2YXKUeoanEJlqCgGBG-A/s4032/IMG_2048.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-fzqDO3B7Fjud95IMePDBlyAnQQqZuzN3H9eXGjkCd6PUvtpVezJCb_jGzL0RZPu2ZvV7SmfLICI-acip34eX2ovG2X6mRa-vJqW0lO3QRxtmIQQudk6p6N9-TuGk172qLT-pt8-T4dlAtHensjitv1CR0KSyBaJXPe9K3y2YXKUeoanEJlqCgGBG-A/s320/IMG_2048.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We now have a new bosun’s chair from the one which Tim is using in the photo. It is more like climbing gear and allows Tim to get closer to the top of the front of the mast. The point where the halyard attaches to the chair is lower and therefore can get Tim a little higher. It’s also more comfortable to wear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To get Tim down, I move the halyard to winch on mast, put a number of turns around it, hold tight and release the clutch. Once the clutch is released, I can then allow the halyard to slide slowly around the winch smoothly lowering Tim down. As he descends, he moves the ‘fall arrest’ down the fixed line till he arrives on the deck. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tim was up and down the mast several times during the day figuring out what needed doing and what we needed to do it. It was good refresher for us in ideal conditions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">MacLean was a great place to stop as they have two docks with space for two boats and electric and water on the pontoon and they are completely free for one night. It’s a great way to encourage visitors to their town. The summer dresses in the shops were very tempting, but I’m more likely to wear long trousers and long sleeves in the day against the sun and at night against the biting insects. I have tried a long skirt as insect protection in the evening, but unless you stand on the hem, you will end up with a skirt full of mosquitos. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maclean is subject to flooding as so many low lying areas in Queensland and New South Wales. I was impressed by their flood defences/levee. They are quite formidable as Tim will attest to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxdnTSoVvDsyDZRNWGGlNUNmTbL6LbfCZeT_oVJc1lcTOxhA-gq9D8bepwljGNe_n3JEn5WIeJ8ZBcpfQOp3w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had not communicated that he was supposed to exit stage right. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was the gas station closest to the river and the only way for us to buy diesel was to take the dinghy to nearest jetty with Jerry cans. There was no break in the levee, duh of course, to save him the climb. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This seemed like great protection but I could not remember seeing any type of barrier in the town. Once back to the pontoons we found two beautifully engineered flood gates in the open position. They were so attractively designed than I hadn’t noticed their functionality. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02sBY-Z_X6ecdiAbNQEfOBgpZvYzj6Z5c6bKBnc8b93O5HHHk7KE8kFLD5RHSRNjyJt71BX53I01Gia7DKdKFRO6MiCfE323lY_cCLjEuuKk-s-AQRwMEHey2x5gEw-Zsk5PP7kPA_3bzWzTz4jjzOXv48Xpqdi3lQZhyk8qswwdeH4N9Nmyk6gSGxr0/s1620/IMG_0012.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1620" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02sBY-Z_X6ecdiAbNQEfOBgpZvYzj6Z5c6bKBnc8b93O5HHHk7KE8kFLD5RHSRNjyJt71BX53I01Gia7DKdKFRO6MiCfE323lY_cCLjEuuKk-s-AQRwMEHey2x5gEw-Zsk5PP7kPA_3bzWzTz4jjzOXv48Xpqdi3lQZhyk8qswwdeH4N9Nmyk6gSGxr0/w400-h225/IMG_0012.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a photo I found online of the 2022 floods. The owner of ‘The Fair Butcher’ across the road holds the key to the shower building by the pontoons for visiting yachts. It really is just across the road from the pontoons. I think the flood barrier is that grey line in front of the people watching the boat, which is well above street level, go by.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the photo of Tim up the mast, you can see how tall the piles holding the pontoons are. The tops of the piles are either just out of view to the left or underwater. The pontoons float so ….. I have some questions to ask the locals when we visit MacLean again on our way north. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ulmarra was the next town up river we stopped at. It came highly recommended by the couple of the catamaran. I can’t remember their names now but the boat was called, Better Than Shares. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Larus is Latin for seagull. We were very lucky that Les, the previous owner, renamed her from Fair Lady of Lytham. A lovely name to be sure but I’d rather spell Larus phonetically in a Mayday call. Les also had the good sense to hang illustrations of gulls captioned with their Latin names in the main saloon. It was quite the moment when we first noticed that that Larus and our Larus were both seagulls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We haven’t a very good history of naming boats ourselves. Our first boat, Tristar was also the name of the Make of our trimaran. The pressure of coming up with an appropriate name was just too much for us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ulmarra proved a nice place to stop.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqV6cAxLY0st4_pjpsrzNy3E4dA4dzOFvxaxEOAmmhE_tqFV6K3EvfGhNMAd1dlqmqgMllkpqxRP6GyUQFBYYi4DchqA_H9Lol3ImQ7P0zcR_g5ghkM8rjhFBH6B1enKjLg9DxCfLLjjnQpqnpchq2xpjQbNk5oy8ASyop-WNxDsIbyn7XxDNsX5Crl8/s4794/IMG_3363.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3808" data-original-width="4794" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqV6cAxLY0st4_pjpsrzNy3E4dA4dzOFvxaxEOAmmhE_tqFV6K3EvfGhNMAd1dlqmqgMllkpqxRP6GyUQFBYYi4DchqA_H9Lol3ImQ7P0zcR_g5ghkM8rjhFBH6B1enKjLg9DxCfLLjjnQpqnpchq2xpjQbNk5oy8ASyop-WNxDsIbyn7XxDNsX5Crl8/s320/IMG_3363.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a quiet very well off town and very much a tourist destination.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbWugYwJBPDRrAYsgq7jFuCUp8aIa6-LkYAHTO-xUmkq43d1ioTzLjvCRPpOfOQGkvlJcAJjHWfSkyJhsUq3k0lY37IZj9xjsbqBcmX7JprSpHkNVaGVCQd3BNTu6tEjAXk190zIFa7ChZFK6vBk-1s1tvA5jAjotrHcb_k2xKassihoJ3X28KLlc4as/s5712/IMG_3366.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbWugYwJBPDRrAYsgq7jFuCUp8aIa6-LkYAHTO-xUmkq43d1ioTzLjvCRPpOfOQGkvlJcAJjHWfSkyJhsUq3k0lY37IZj9xjsbqBcmX7JprSpHkNVaGVCQd3BNTu6tEjAXk190zIFa7ChZFK6vBk-1s1tvA5jAjotrHcb_k2xKassihoJ3X28KLlc4as/s320/IMG_3366.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Homes, particularly in the old part of the town, had charm and character and were beautifully maintained.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9RnSGiOIn7IKP9plrAOHYcczCggv60dWwkLX_BKRkV_jMtv5IWZ4K8KTyXHqk_yVSwOL55fQIHa_rj9gnONnp4QYQul6Nyt3jfsxsKSQez4VUb1nBc5V8vamGJpayPpbw0B7dUe2nS6V0b8CPf7GJNmV8XWH_GJVU5b9S_YrIY6chL-YSwSrxIvQ-uA/s5712/IMG_3373.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9RnSGiOIn7IKP9plrAOHYcczCggv60dWwkLX_BKRkV_jMtv5IWZ4K8KTyXHqk_yVSwOL55fQIHa_rj9gnONnp4QYQul6Nyt3jfsxsKSQez4VUb1nBc5V8vamGJpayPpbw0B7dUe2nS6V0b8CPf7GJNmV8XWH_GJVU5b9S_YrIY6chL-YSwSrxIvQ-uA/s320/IMG_3373.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Passing a retirement home, I stopped to chat with Thelma who has lived in Ulmarra all her life. She was up early tending the raised gardens before the heat got too fierce.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shops are full of the types of fruit I expect to see in summer as well as mango, pineapples and avocados. All are grown in Australia as well as almonds, walnuts, peanuts and pecans. I don’t think there is much they can’t grow here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7hxJYI_yvNpAzg_JhOXRu_kaO0tgW1DA9zBRq36Pdkj07yyN2eg3JAiyZ6mMkXhyDIxnYk3zpKBSTM1zu9IyrRmp0q0Cv3x3J8UPXXmTRTKWrilJ8ZiqSztG-rb1YBooj2J6529A4bQg4vVZHfDv1NklV1aui70WS6QhUiYuzIEulvjJS9iFig6FB44/s5054/IMG_3215.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4060" data-original-width="5054" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7hxJYI_yvNpAzg_JhOXRu_kaO0tgW1DA9zBRq36Pdkj07yyN2eg3JAiyZ6mMkXhyDIxnYk3zpKBSTM1zu9IyrRmp0q0Cv3x3J8UPXXmTRTKWrilJ8ZiqSztG-rb1YBooj2J6529A4bQg4vVZHfDv1NklV1aui70WS6QhUiYuzIEulvjJS9iFig6FB44/s320/IMG_3215.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ripe peaches and pears and a lone sheet of puff pastry bought in New Zealand, found while defrosting the freezer made a lovely tart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My family often bake peach or pear pies in the summer. A couple tablespoons of sugar and flour are sprinkled over the docked pastry. The fruit is arranged as you please and then sprinkled with the sugar and flour. Bits of butter are placed on the fruit and when baked will help the sugar and flour make a glossy covering. Bake till the fruit is soft.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">One day in Ulmarra and then on to Grafton, which is as far a yacht with a mast can go up the Clarence River. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA7ZIvORRvbvkvwmujFMa0DlrPDBwFZfmXX9HQGGmWQ4Rj5XsHhLYXH6Uo6L-8j9-sgiWUHA6JyJnTst-gcYMaeXkBL44yqM-Ex_RAImQLnqv4WYwwUrryVXLSR7VTsiDG2BGK-7OALkOUsdJ34rGCNrlwY8IjtF-iMXeOtaIazr56P8x5HvAxJ6Du7Y/s4032/IMG_3386.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQA7ZIvORRvbvkvwmujFMa0DlrPDBwFZfmXX9HQGGmWQ4Rj5XsHhLYXH6Uo6L-8j9-sgiWUHA6JyJnTst-gcYMaeXkBL44yqM-Ex_RAImQLnqv4WYwwUrryVXLSR7VTsiDG2BGK-7OALkOUsdJ34rGCNrlwY8IjtF-iMXeOtaIazr56P8x5HvAxJ6Du7Y/s320/IMG_3386.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The new and old bridges over the Clarence River.</div><p style="text-align: left;">We went to Grafton for the shopping at a big Cole’s supermarket to stock up on staples. It was a spectacularly hot day for a long walk to the shops. There is a small dinghy jetty before the bridge that we used. On the way to the shops, we passed the Grafton Sailing Club. Next time if we needed to do a really big shop we would ask them if they’d let us leave the dinghy on their beach.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6rMJa0FlS4sninLn8qE4_u2yXR_S0Y_7VHATeU7TXYoDfxFsyDR2VaVDkESJjhSAxTqd8Jrm48LiJVMXwkYoXqD8mNnrm8fafg09EdxKCvNZaiqbMDfdMXw3XovnHw91RPKXdCuXSnk3-k26FZZkb_uInrYMJ-kXqAqf7gZrjbXRsmOqH-Lem21Ork0/s5712/IMG_3389.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6rMJa0FlS4sninLn8qE4_u2yXR_S0Y_7VHATeU7TXYoDfxFsyDR2VaVDkESJjhSAxTqd8Jrm48LiJVMXwkYoXqD8mNnrm8fafg09EdxKCvNZaiqbMDfdMXw3XovnHw91RPKXdCuXSnk3-k26FZZkb_uInrYMJ-kXqAqf7gZrjbXRsmOqH-Lem21Ork0/s320/IMG_3389.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Just up the path from the dingy dock was the impressive <a href="https://www.myclarencevalley.com/operators/fig-tree-avenue/" target="_blank">Fig Tree Avenue</a>. We particularly appreciated how wonderfully cool it was in their shade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Grafton is also known for its Jacaranda trees. We had a long hot not particularly pleasant walk to Jacaranda Park, which was a little disappointing. It was full of parents and kids with inspired climbing frames and large brightly coloured xylophones to play with. There were a few Jacaranda trees but after talking to a group of parents I found that the <a href="https://www.australiantraveller.com/nsw/north-coast/jacaranda-festival/" target="_blank">Jacaranda Festival</a> is held in the city centre where there are streets lined with the trees and they would have been at their best over a month ago. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Shopping done we headed back down the river, under the bridge, over the bar and onward down to coast for an over night sail to Port Stephens. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Dolphins at dusk seems to be de rigour for night sails.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tYH8GBdaKZ8" width="320" youtube-src-id="tYH8GBdaKZ8"></iframe></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This was the largest pod of dolphins that we’ve been approached by.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/47iXj-lNC9c" width="320" youtube-src-id="47iXj-lNC9c"></iframe></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a continuation of videoing the same pod. Towards the end there is a moment when the their behaviour changes. From moving with us in our southerly direction of travel, their leaps and side splashes were now toward the east. It started with a few dolphins with more and more on catching on. Then suddenly, they were gone. Once I’d put the phone away, a lone dolphin arrowed out of the west straight under the boat and followed the pod east. My guess is that ‘scouts’ found fish and called the others to come and get it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Port Stephens was recommended to us by an Australian sailor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div>I do think that local sailors look for different things in their ideal places to visit. We like interesting walks, local places of interest and heritage and history; they like to fish. Fishing is strictly controlled in Australia and each State requires you buy their fishing permit to fish in their waters. If you do not have a fishing permit you are not even allowed to have fishing gear on deck. We’ve never been great fisher-people so no gear on deck isn’t much of a hardship.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidP6z3AeEIr1HUxanKxXPpXHvferNSDxO8DxFHLRSIE7e1UTe5qS5JSx8xt0i1-4G4cDOvc9pIsqB0fAPBuoO9WQg0NmlH3YaqKOdYh3QuF1G3IAzUo4MCe9FVcVigAEzFadnq4aUvh7MBSjNarG2MEMet8hLRJ85S8A221CBSTS5Bk5KVvewigMmxLDE/s4032/IMG_3296.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidP6z3AeEIr1HUxanKxXPpXHvferNSDxO8DxFHLRSIE7e1UTe5qS5JSx8xt0i1-4G4cDOvc9pIsqB0fAPBuoO9WQg0NmlH3YaqKOdYh3QuF1G3IAzUo4MCe9FVcVigAEzFadnq4aUvh7MBSjNarG2MEMet8hLRJ85S8A221CBSTS5Bk5KVvewigMmxLDE/s320/IMG_3296.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Signs like these are common at popular fishing locations.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We also like reasonably priced places to buy food and Port Stephens had a good shopping area a short walk or bus ride from the beach where we landed the dingy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On my last shop before heading south again, I asked a local lady, Shirley, if there was anywhere to drop off the bag of recycling I was carrying. There wasn’t but she said I could bring it to her house which wasn’t far away and was a shortcut to the shops as well. She told me how the area had changed as we wound our way through nautically named roads like Ketch Road and … what with Larus being a ketch that’s the only one I remember, down through a park to a dry flood plane, up the hill on the other side and along a path to the recycling bin at the side of her house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We sorted my recycling from the things they don’t recycle and then she point to the end of the street and told me to turn right. From the corner could see the shopping centre and I had a far more pleasant walk than along the street in the baking sun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Coming back from the shops, a took the bus and while waiting at the stop I talked to a wiry old chap who had been a seaman in his youth and was very well travelled. He spoke of sailing on a <a href="https://www.wharram.com/" target="_blank">Wharram Catamaran</a>, an often home built boat based on Polynesian design. We’ve seen them occasionally in our travels. They are very distinctive. I was probably as pleased to know of them as he was to find someone else who knew about them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also like koalas and visited <a href="https://www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au/environment/koalas/port-stephens-koala-sanctuary" target="_blank">Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary</a>. The hospital wasn’t open to visitors the day we went and there were no guided tours. As there were only about 6 people in the whole sanctuary we weren’t really surprised and enjoyed the quiet of the SKYwalk viewing platforms where you could see a koala in a tree at eye level. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0Hf2mr26XDO9BxIFQaOR6GRGZCOreo1etI8xZ12lxPBrUneMLfe9apZBiWYvJ-5PgjLIfPGftCGTJX1t0aspgd11_DjmTfb_nyM16s05Q0uO1LIxhBU4b-sw3lEZ_dLZxqxNWh-TBWMhnNFERIp8WcTWKyJ2JjtjKAChefk4lfyHQFGtp0RNS2C23V4/s5712/IMG_3452.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0Hf2mr26XDO9BxIFQaOR6GRGZCOreo1etI8xZ12lxPBrUneMLfe9apZBiWYvJ-5PgjLIfPGftCGTJX1t0aspgd11_DjmTfb_nyM16s05Q0uO1LIxhBU4b-sw3lEZ_dLZxqxNWh-TBWMhnNFERIp8WcTWKyJ2JjtjKAChefk4lfyHQFGtp0RNS2C23V4/s320/IMG_3452.jpeg" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A enormous crocheted wall hanging at the Sanctuary’s entrance.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iMiPkx1xnqydkzTqGcHFRp5x-wj7yoJJbWmoMGrrz__8mGW_LD5GSLOj9ZHxMU1NL-oBDhUiZqvDC7fPaMhFVxnIXTfaaFnjGGiXYWtqBOBsNacSM9nqNsUGPu0fslFYT0bVyb81laetoCpr-dZqfnr5eBhyY2HpPRKoxtMkYiqJJkwkVTe-h63-cmk/s5712/IMG_3453.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iMiPkx1xnqydkzTqGcHFRp5x-wj7yoJJbWmoMGrrz__8mGW_LD5GSLOj9ZHxMU1NL-oBDhUiZqvDC7fPaMhFVxnIXTfaaFnjGGiXYWtqBOBsNacSM9nqNsUGPu0fslFYT0bVyb81laetoCpr-dZqfnr5eBhyY2HpPRKoxtMkYiqJJkwkVTe-h63-cmk/s320/IMG_3453.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There were lots of koala facts and information throughout the site and these just give a taste of how hard being a koala really is.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwwyfu1JVnXnIvwTfHgg0W8t6eV1Gf6nrPVOOz0leM1H4g9Y9cN28aICotzgdjN841Y_s4LRxqP-zl1lr2LZWLT4Bvl7aPqrFuP5TJvE6Yt4MS-gw_E80yBqq_gB_YNXFyOJvb4IJ09Uy5o7tvziCKkbR3xsxu0XIrDVs-rbbMM43dYtI2ZnE8gc60xk/s5712/IMG_3454.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwwyfu1JVnXnIvwTfHgg0W8t6eV1Gf6nrPVOOz0leM1H4g9Y9cN28aICotzgdjN841Y_s4LRxqP-zl1lr2LZWLT4Bvl7aPqrFuP5TJvE6Yt4MS-gw_E80yBqq_gB_YNXFyOJvb4IJ09Uy5o7tvziCKkbR3xsxu0XIrDVs-rbbMM43dYtI2ZnE8gc60xk/s320/IMG_3454.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHYkMeg00AiApOrgrAygFoxmxVYRCxlNrPxcuyrYLiCn2pwAJ97s6mgJYFZAKWyQA1aS9jEet4pSfxZ0qCzD0JQ-BJ4g6Gk1Slv5vfHn864MsRw85hQ4AOvlGACHPdTdVJ3Ho7DI0JMoCy8lSkV_zQ-wJrzFONwbZfci_GX8I9G5wCcUSMj_ikWYXiM8/s5712/IMG_3460.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHYkMeg00AiApOrgrAygFoxmxVYRCxlNrPxcuyrYLiCn2pwAJ97s6mgJYFZAKWyQA1aS9jEet4pSfxZ0qCzD0JQ-BJ4g6Gk1Slv5vfHn864MsRw85hQ4AOvlGACHPdTdVJ3Ho7DI0JMoCy8lSkV_zQ-wJrzFONwbZfci_GX8I9G5wCcUSMj_ikWYXiM8/s320/IMG_3460.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFQxLPP_94yAVpUkaWOxNPpQGVFlKz9T0gb6KVT6cUyWTfldzmLjigXRnTheZcJq4vMSbNrvZQ6ibgNXLk3303yHcbdIce7LudiemrW0UjB6C_D-eVowwL6TUKEErgETa2R9UGCNtEs3dtr1c3wOkSSmQ1zpPnHBGxhxu5o5VHknv5iXP2wv0dZ93xYI/s4032/IMG_3491.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFQxLPP_94yAVpUkaWOxNPpQGVFlKz9T0gb6KVT6cUyWTfldzmLjigXRnTheZcJq4vMSbNrvZQ6ibgNXLk3303yHcbdIce7LudiemrW0UjB6C_D-eVowwL6TUKEErgETa2R9UGCNtEs3dtr1c3wOkSSmQ1zpPnHBGxhxu5o5VHknv5iXP2wv0dZ93xYI/s320/IMG_3491.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQydLwdkht5bWWvATO01-9PzPwQioHIXr5NpQuTmI8xpmPKyS-Fb_vcuDHTKiumCQRLCc1eITE2umhZv39EIfODwERisXz53dUF5rH4B_pj22Bs5R2P2h5_tgRCUbPVrrdAeD-ZBrBuWjEyvAp9M8O4dsKtoFsDFu8WG2Ii1CDfJZKIL2gW7lOxgfdhs/s4032/IMG_3492.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQydLwdkht5bWWvATO01-9PzPwQioHIXr5NpQuTmI8xpmPKyS-Fb_vcuDHTKiumCQRLCc1eITE2umhZv39EIfODwERisXz53dUF5rH4B_pj22Bs5R2P2h5_tgRCUbPVrrdAeD-ZBrBuWjEyvAp9M8O4dsKtoFsDFu8WG2Ii1CDfJZKIL2gW7lOxgfdhs/s320/IMG_3492.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8kU1WDxWljbuB_oOGhqHpGaUkJRw-1m99IEg_oQWxqQHy63zi_oIeymJv4a5JWxVnp_kEjYYHGg0xzRLV3eSuEsN5mSOh2xPWLjQKnVC7Ml1ydw9UsFGDxLPfXfQXv2z5iPR4z3baHpOG3fTSY1bFMwd4Jm9a_OZ6ZVGZvNrZA57ZJoNEOqwrtXLgwg/s5712/IMG_3505.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8kU1WDxWljbuB_oOGhqHpGaUkJRw-1m99IEg_oQWxqQHy63zi_oIeymJv4a5JWxVnp_kEjYYHGg0xzRLV3eSuEsN5mSOh2xPWLjQKnVC7Ml1ydw9UsFGDxLPfXfQXv2z5iPR4z3baHpOG3fTSY1bFMwd4Jm9a_OZ6ZVGZvNrZA57ZJoNEOqwrtXLgwg/s320/IMG_3505.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQ0uCKOqN9MECo-18odjGWpeCX3ysvvHGEmzdepxe6RDl1b1Jj9ItAsDl3c2MF4XvH8Cgsun_DBk1iYXwJfvqwQWX5ErS6hOjoBm9O1YzeE1c4FW9L_N1oUEdVGdxpqdEhWlulq1jp1zRgf4_q77Re0054XRglKq-iy2rkdyLPg_JZuP3p_Odo-6bVpE/s4032/IMG_3501.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQ0uCKOqN9MECo-18odjGWpeCX3ysvvHGEmzdepxe6RDl1b1Jj9ItAsDl3c2MF4XvH8Cgsun_DBk1iYXwJfvqwQWX5ErS6hOjoBm9O1YzeE1c4FW9L_N1oUEdVGdxpqdEhWlulq1jp1zRgf4_q77Re0054XRglKq-iy2rkdyLPg_JZuP3p_Odo-6bVpE/s320/IMG_3501.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They are smaller than expected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmo-Nhe1vBdrdNirctGKKbE3wOSti6mhZxUIhPWbaIyGEsecd7XGOM2o4lEbrGItH5xh67PDo49RbrBkwpHWF0WzIkt9F0lvVLaHn5ScWsKFWv8eoMvjgvkcBWnRdlk_3_JPm4YBwx46C35jN7JT_Y4Nr5-tOb8Uonka0rxW9oqvI-QxGT0l7VxOU2Eg/s4032/IMG_3470.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmo-Nhe1vBdrdNirctGKKbE3wOSti6mhZxUIhPWbaIyGEsecd7XGOM2o4lEbrGItH5xh67PDo49RbrBkwpHWF0WzIkt9F0lvVLaHn5ScWsKFWv8eoMvjgvkcBWnRdlk_3_JPm4YBwx46C35jN7JT_Y4Nr5-tOb8Uonka0rxW9oqvI-QxGT0l7VxOU2Eg/s320/IMG_3470.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They are just as cute as expected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMI0cM0FP0trRLFFr6K77IywGUNSd2CoeXgBVZqkqitsCTOEaP_YAltbNUCXItq3up48j5CzTssfQnDDgVE7ZQ__FKbHRGzjHb_5f80ACmy9dXDXLAXZD2Ty4uJ3hi0jAj2kG3r0eIX5J1wAeL2IyqDGurGurPuDARcGpWZ8pAZFYpPqSCx6pV4Xr6zU/s5712/IMG_3548.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMI0cM0FP0trRLFFr6K77IywGUNSd2CoeXgBVZqkqitsCTOEaP_YAltbNUCXItq3up48j5CzTssfQnDDgVE7ZQ__FKbHRGzjHb_5f80ACmy9dXDXLAXZD2Ty4uJ3hi0jAj2kG3r0eIX5J1wAeL2IyqDGurGurPuDARcGpWZ8pAZFYpPqSCx6pV4Xr6zU/s320/IMG_3548.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This photo and the one after we saw after learning about the problems caused by loss of habit, the dangers of living cheek by jowl with humans and by being really picky about from which eucalyptus tree you will eat leaves from.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLDJmXmRHZukZZ3Gy04ZQOXk_u4uhMND1WSmGs51p10TX2eHfwcT2Bm_twexpc_zs5VbGr5C6Lgi1IDbYIf_H8pZ53E2FPugMawtmHkTtz2VE9xKmDuNTuXGH8wpslG1TQuby0DzR2idjyQiINkIOuiJqfRL_0UeaYC5ad5m4iEG90aqgffsBpnxVaW8/s1531/IMG_3543.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1531" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLDJmXmRHZukZZ3Gy04ZQOXk_u4uhMND1WSmGs51p10TX2eHfwcT2Bm_twexpc_zs5VbGr5C6Lgi1IDbYIf_H8pZ53E2FPugMawtmHkTtz2VE9xKmDuNTuXGH8wpslG1TQuby0DzR2idjyQiINkIOuiJqfRL_0UeaYC5ad5m4iEG90aqgffsBpnxVaW8/s320/IMG_3543.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I have little faith in this sign making much difference at all.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We’d taken a bus out to the Sanctuary and while waiting for the bus back we were entertained by the doings on the other side of the road. There is a beach that is only accessible by 4x4 or UTE as they’re called here and in NZ. We watched while the girls hung out while the boys fussed about with their respective UTE. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5mlQFK8AFiLta1B3NpxCMjwENsuo0Mdcr90qoLNshQgJz5pxGgAeJbJ1-U7-cds7UsgiHAU8rtwDQizk-KtJC9C13VNxxiV-n7YkYdAQwiQOwtzXY3pJSihiF6FMufNIb_Py4-Pu9ai0aMeyF4Sms-U2Hs5u-0oa9WUtFKp7XVwXBG5USw6TCylmE0Q/s4032/IMG_3521.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5mlQFK8AFiLta1B3NpxCMjwENsuo0Mdcr90qoLNshQgJz5pxGgAeJbJ1-U7-cds7UsgiHAU8rtwDQizk-KtJC9C13VNxxiV-n7YkYdAQwiQOwtzXY3pJSihiF6FMufNIb_Py4-Pu9ai0aMeyF4Sms-U2Hs5u-0oa9WUtFKp7XVwXBG5USw6TCylmE0Q/s320/IMG_3521.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The guy black shorts brought 2 or 3 girls up from the beach in the black UTE. He spent much time shaking the sand from the floor mats making me suspect that his job was to take paying guests down to the beach and back. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The guy in the gold UTE might have brought 1 or none of these girls up from the beach, though he might have brought other people before I noticed them. We watched him re-inflating the tires the workings of which was built into the truck. That’s one rough road if you deflate the tires to get down to the beach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, my interest was piqued by the flat black thing over the flatbed. I thought it might be a pop-up tent and went to ask. Turns out I was right. Then I asked if he this was his job taking people to the beach and he said ‘no’. His dad had bought it for him and he just liked to take his friends to the beach. I think said something like, ‘that must improve your calibre of friends.’ He nodded and smiled. I thanked him, and went back to the bus stopped.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later on I found that the gold UTE was LandCruiser, the crème de la crème of UTEs and I suspect that the guy fussing over floor mats had borrowed the parent’s car.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I do love a good mystery, but I find the inequality I see as we travel about unsettling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In anticipation of leaving Port Stephens, I baked my family’s Holiday Fruit Drop Cookies. Recipe on request. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dgiVts2T2FTZsxRDxAG40LFBP3m_s3W_fBYRkn1W7QGiBIiCyhwOmBVionNaekpfxL4HTqo27JrMRFB7Oc59cAFZEpmWtzwZVLgGnqdahjx_sRVQvHznVsUJXG1Fxwskh5HVXeXUCy9IQ6iMX-ubpdni8ZIvikToxYRFamWqxKw_YNHKe9_lhGVXwkM/s5712/IMG_3535.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dgiVts2T2FTZsxRDxAG40LFBP3m_s3W_fBYRkn1W7QGiBIiCyhwOmBVionNaekpfxL4HTqo27JrMRFB7Oc59cAFZEpmWtzwZVLgGnqdahjx_sRVQvHznVsUJXG1Fxwskh5HVXeXUCy9IQ6iMX-ubpdni8ZIvikToxYRFamWqxKw_YNHKe9_lhGVXwkM/s320/IMG_3535.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wanted to be ready to have them with guests in the run up the Christmas, but guests have been few and far between and we’ve eat most ourselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’m writing this from Sydney Harbour anchored near the Harbour Bridge in anticipation of the fireworks tonight’s for New Year’s Eve. We aren’t positioned to see the famous ‘waterfall from the bridge’ but we should see everything above the bridge. We didn’t fancy jockeying for position in the prime location and are perfectly happy with our spot. Luckily for me, there is an early Children’s fireworks as it’s not a given that I will make it till midnight.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and are hoping for kindness and peace in 2024.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Much love to you all,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nancy and Tim</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OaJFQxBqRow" width="320" youtube-src-id="OaJFQxBqRow"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">New Year’s Eve 2024, Sydney Harbour</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-69722286004028401622023-12-07T15:51:00.005-04:002023-12-07T17:10:06.437-04:00Heading South <p>There is a common plan for sailing between Bundaberg and Sydney. Due to the consistently strong southerly current that runs down the east coast of Australia, many yachts choose sail quickly down to Sydney - 3 days at sea should do it - and then make a more leisurely passage north by hugging the coast to keep out of the strong southerly current. Hugging the coast is known here as having ‘one foot on the beach’ and you can day sail from harbour to harbour.</p><p>We had pondered a quick trip south, but people, places, weather and the odd wrench in the works meant that this is not to be. We left Bundaberg…. And are only halfway mostly because of short weather windows as well as places to see along the way.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6-dq5paQMp3MZPG7fzj8nRb2PEL8zlLI7MPJGRUT2xuUtkSw2zLPVj5o-ZtqlB44GQuvNahUju2_GSw8TotkEDF76ReGjoyvdV-p0O6qalX2YOtLCnR9-JGYzL8H55eiPqntE0OgMIw2PU9icljdz4SiwaI5v3oRSltCVdSW-3fJRIXzCZMx5WxZv3Y/s1680/IMG_1005.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1680" data-original-width="1276" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6-dq5paQMp3MZPG7fzj8nRb2PEL8zlLI7MPJGRUT2xuUtkSw2zLPVj5o-ZtqlB44GQuvNahUju2_GSw8TotkEDF76ReGjoyvdV-p0O6qalX2YOtLCnR9-JGYzL8H55eiPqntE0OgMIw2PU9icljdz4SiwaI5v3oRSltCVdSW-3fJRIXzCZMx5WxZv3Y/w486-h640/IMG_1005.jpeg" width="486" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">K’gari / Fraser Island is a huge island and so, though we did little more than navigate our way down the inland route most southerly pass into the Pacific, there were lots of tiny tastes of what there is to see and do there. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is an excellent website for all things on this amazing island - <a href="https://www.fraserisland.net/" target="_blank">https://www.fraserisland.net/</a>.</div><p>And this is a terrific map - <a href="https://www.aaafinance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/fraser-island-map.jpg" target="_blank">K’gari / Fraser Island map</a>. It is worth having a look at if only for all the warnings. </p><p>I didn’t expect that our stops would be quite so short or I would have taken more photos, but I do know that we will spend much more times there on our way back to Bundaberg in May 2024.</p><p>We did go ashore with Claudia and Philip from Bruno’s Girl and checked out the resort pools that are free to all comers. Philip had a rather good looking meat pie at the outrageously expensive mini mart. On our way back from Maryborough we anchored near the ferry terminal to Fraser Island. The little supermarket there advertised/warned that it was the last shop with mainland prices.</p><p>With Philip full of pie, we went for a walk. Whenever you leave the busy tourist areas there are warning signs laying out the safety advice concerning the native population of <a href="https://www.queensland.com/au/en/places-to-see/experiences/nature-and-wildlife/kgari-dingo-facts" target="_blank">K’gari dingoes</a>. ‘Keep children close, if threatened by a group of dingoes behave like a wildebeest confronted by, well, a pack of dingoes - children in the middle, adults facing outward’. Last but not least, call for help.</p><p>I can’t quite remember now but I think there must have been a fence and a maybe gate at the start of the walk. I do remember the ‘dingo sticks’ stuck in the sand near the entrance and a sign saying, ‘Please take one’ and a repeat of the rules to follow if approached by dingoes.</p><p>We saw no dingoes here, but we did see one on the bank near an anchorage further south on the island. Two young couples were camped on the bank. We were sitting in the cockpit with Philip chatting when someone noticed a dingo nosing around the campsite. The couples were away at the time and we watched the dingo disappear into an area they had covered with an orange tarp (which matched the small orange trimaran anchored of the beach that they had arrived on). The dingo soon reappeared and then disappeared into the brush. As Aussie campers, we were that they were well aware of the dingoes in the area.</p><p>Back to the walk…</p><p>Our walk started on the high land and wound through a forest, past a war memorial - <a href="https://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/place?id=678">Fraser Island Commando School</a> - and down onto the beach. All the paths we walked on were a fine white sand and exhausting to walk on. Looking up from the beach, you could see under the trees and grasses only a thin top layer and then just sand. The slope to the beach with either freshly eroded sand or sand covered in scrubby growth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlxk3FdtZdROoDhTais3b3oE6h_jQQTOsV27PtGd-gBI51lct_4KiI4Whf3KI1ZMP23WuQ0lCggnM3s3t_QZ5PkSa_t_x4twDe3X5o9KUi5IVoIrciuMYz7Z16lfHnfikquG4Qi9P5yITIY_65yr_eDDvK3aWHSTFSc3tVvZTiVJ1fQ3iI-uT5rjtB9I/s3641/IMG_2127.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2735" data-original-width="3641" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlxk3FdtZdROoDhTais3b3oE6h_jQQTOsV27PtGd-gBI51lct_4KiI4Whf3KI1ZMP23WuQ0lCggnM3s3t_QZ5PkSa_t_x4twDe3X5o9KUi5IVoIrciuMYz7Z16lfHnfikquG4Qi9P5yITIY_65yr_eDDvK3aWHSTFSc3tVvZTiVJ1fQ3iI-uT5rjtB9I/w400-h300/IMG_2127.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">The island is all sand; from its grassy and tree covered top, down its eroding brush covered sides where the water laps on a high tide is sand. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFHpCaHl0MUVVzoBuy63ABo6LqJev7dKsrHKZDtZfVbNsymR29VQ5p2_GAcGMCXVGOJQXHVEuY5mBxIZTNncaGkLz-OsMRZSfQ44sunZGPv15YjFoOIm6IU2qI_YZ3-UM8cCk0CYb1b82ye9tF_NmJT6_7iJkeQxpvE156fIpmkoILmDOTXdN4UF3HIE/s4032/IMG_2132.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFHpCaHl0MUVVzoBuy63ABo6LqJev7dKsrHKZDtZfVbNsymR29VQ5p2_GAcGMCXVGOJQXHVEuY5mBxIZTNncaGkLz-OsMRZSfQ44sunZGPv15YjFoOIm6IU2qI_YZ3-UM8cCk0CYb1b82ye9tF_NmJT6_7iJkeQxpvE156fIpmkoILmDOTXdN4UF3HIE/w400-h300/IMG_2132.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An old boiler rusting on the beach. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AlfBt65orPtlq1uWJoRBCAIkjTjMMEo84VDict5USF_V8Sbce69HbqGDrQELyzX2k7Q8dcE0kELDiZJuU2CzNddpoigx6dGO7TSb0on-n56EnZjxpAUq7rZ4XSehXQzEsrt-DhEWT6yfA6YyAh9BEY5LNVsWDs7uegOi6ri2Gmk3CHH40S5LXhgSu60/s4032/IMG_2138.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7AlfBt65orPtlq1uWJoRBCAIkjTjMMEo84VDict5USF_V8Sbce69HbqGDrQELyzX2k7Q8dcE0kELDiZJuU2CzNddpoigx6dGO7TSb0on-n56EnZjxpAUq7rZ4XSehXQzEsrt-DhEWT6yfA6YyAh9BEY5LNVsWDs7uegOi6ri2Gmk3CHH40S5LXhgSu60/w400-h300/IMG_2138.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Each time the tide goes out, tiny sand coloured crabs roll sand away from their front door. They then roll more and and then some more until the beach, up to the high water line, is decorated with tiny beads of sand. Their front door and all their hard work will be washed away with each incoming tide.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWAuAIKjLOENcLQVNOxTxYQSQxXA-HOWH3uRwhCEESGcPzke0xbx74HvN_lSjKLsmwZ5w4Q4WXlsnRueEYp7_cFPp81WSC-XtFnp8pU25RZBGbpOsYyo0Ig8Fgw_JhImybiYFCBBW3vMWwp7jwjiINCjinXQO7c2XbaEp7JsGswHmMLPDUJXhCk8tuug/s3994/IMG_2134.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1749" data-original-width="3994" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWAuAIKjLOENcLQVNOxTxYQSQxXA-HOWH3uRwhCEESGcPzke0xbx74HvN_lSjKLsmwZ5w4Q4WXlsnRueEYp7_cFPp81WSC-XtFnp8pU25RZBGbpOsYyo0Ig8Fgw_JhImybiYFCBBW3vMWwp7jwjiINCjinXQO7c2XbaEp7JsGswHmMLPDUJXhCk8tuug/w640-h280/IMG_2134.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hmm, looks like rain. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LknX2f530Ew" width="320" youtube-src-id="LknX2f530Ew"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We met Grant, Kim and their 2 girls on catamaran Reva Reva at the marina in Bundaberg. While we were anchored together off K’gari Island, Grant radioed us to ask if we minded being videoed by drone. Not at all, we said and this is the video he created for us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once down to the bottom of Fraser Island there is only one thing left to do and that is to head out into the Pacific again via the Wide Bay Bar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaPBBri7lfl4iFvlW7Dwg5AmVcadBsmN-XoEdWXDLfLxvskyh4B8uSfKIF5u_U2HzuLub95EHMEc97bTXZhmJ8VFg-_gZ2VZR5Pr1Y8F7eXgZBpxZmtfvpSGk8B7LKybqGUzEAb90dDI0igEGRoN_sStEzXNCWmhZZFFekweAtZ2PghcsixsU-5cHgtg/s1280/ScreenShot006.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaPBBri7lfl4iFvlW7Dwg5AmVcadBsmN-XoEdWXDLfLxvskyh4B8uSfKIF5u_U2HzuLub95EHMEc97bTXZhmJ8VFg-_gZ2VZR5Pr1Y8F7eXgZBpxZmtfvpSGk8B7LKybqGUzEAb90dDI0igEGRoN_sStEzXNCWmhZZFFekweAtZ2PghcsixsU-5cHgtg/w640-h360/ScreenShot006.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">A ‘bar or bars’ forms at the mouth of a river by silt and sediment being deposited by the outgoing stream. Over time the sandbars shift and any permanent channel buoys would have to be relocated. As there are bars up and down the coasts of Australia, the marine agency makes use of AIS - Automatic Information System - which is what allows you to see our position on the chart at the top of the blog and allows us to see any vessel, yacht or AIS beacon. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">At some bars, than using physical buoys to mark the channel, virtual AIS beacons are used. These can be seen on a chart plotter if you use AIS and we do. All the green and red marks on the chart are AIS beacons. This is the first time we’ve run across this and it is very reassuring, particularly when the marine agency posts that they’ve just relocated them due to changes to the bar. This happened the week before we were due to cross.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY6EVBuSDOzmsSHu_IM4ntE-M4aeXLVow_PfI2rEGSwLjW550u85IARzPBN7C1uiNkcqWEdGid35ir1LfVzrAkOES9X4XnVwib56OlO2egtlDY6gdcitFRBmPDwPY3NdLP4Fh_PDZyE4hTcgL1ZkkT41h_7pT1SjSaO0q42QXIe0KxyJvQHQjRvKUaio/s1280/ScreenShot008.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBY6EVBuSDOzmsSHu_IM4ntE-M4aeXLVow_PfI2rEGSwLjW550u85IARzPBN7C1uiNkcqWEdGid35ir1LfVzrAkOES9X4XnVwib56OlO2egtlDY6gdcitFRBmPDwPY3NdLP4Fh_PDZyE4hTcgL1ZkkT41h_7pT1SjSaO0q42QXIe0KxyJvQHQjRvKUaio/w640-h360/ScreenShot008.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the chart it appears that our route, the grey line, takes us over shallows, but we know to follow the clearly marked virtual AIS beacons.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For your information and amusement two videos about crossing the Southport Bar, which we successfully completed when we left Brisbane for Iluka. (I will have to go cover Brisbane in the next post. We are stopping in so many places for quite short lengths of time that I cannot keep up.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Choosing the right conditions to cross a bar is important. We are very conservative in choosing to go or not to go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LXlHxgfU920" width="320" youtube-src-id="LXlHxgfU920"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How to cross the Southport Seaway.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qp9WvZzxdR8" width="320" youtube-src-id="qp9WvZzxdR8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How not to cross the Southport Seaway. Yikes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This morning, when conditions are right, in about 10 minutes says the Captain, we will be upping anchor and heading out through the Clarence River Bar, turning right and heading a little further south.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">.</div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-90699934361656906392023-11-23T19:34:00.000-04:002023-11-23T19:34:03.778-04:00East Coast Australia - the furtherest west for Larus thus far.<p>Yes, we are in Australia and arrived in Bundaberg after a one easiest passages we’ve had in a long time. Not only did we have good wind strength and direction but Tim was experimenting with the current information available on PredictWind, one of the weather and routing apps we use.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9BnMC1Ldu8fUdSTemATPQefU7FvzqgUgL7uPei3TQOM2YnOYsFYquiMHoh2oH3DxOVNbdcTcbbyIKoHosY6-LansBtX3KKp45WhuPgDnSpuyHeE5xDf09nSLAXRJ-pS3ktN2pzCmgR3h4zuKq2jcuow4WBng3n5vSdj16zB67Ft4_zKs6PFqqOxrX4A/s2161/Screenshot%202023-10-27%20at%2007.16.16.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2161" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9BnMC1Ldu8fUdSTemATPQefU7FvzqgUgL7uPei3TQOM2YnOYsFYquiMHoh2oH3DxOVNbdcTcbbyIKoHosY6-LansBtX3KKp45WhuPgDnSpuyHeE5xDf09nSLAXRJ-pS3ktN2pzCmgR3h4zuKq2jcuow4WBng3n5vSdj16zB67Ft4_zKs6PFqqOxrX4A/w400-h300/Screenshot%202023-10-27%20at%2007.16.16.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Artist’s impression of our route.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriH2kyWLinyq-0ocA7bfOFhuiysR49LIl6BwWZrMQEotOxCS-C1-4synlmXsgwS7LhV2VmtcDUkNgHQgbyGbbb1adjy3EPg6-f0miY_GouzTKloyDw22E7P-Y8r992-k-DUNGpUIkDWnFnFs2NlOPidMuImER8MgnXrEwLcPFCBkAcpkHfBmQoAuVUaI/s1893/IMG_0815.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="1893" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriH2kyWLinyq-0ocA7bfOFhuiysR49LIl6BwWZrMQEotOxCS-C1-4synlmXsgwS7LhV2VmtcDUkNgHQgbyGbbb1adjy3EPg6-f0miY_GouzTKloyDw22E7P-Y8r992-k-DUNGpUIkDWnFnFs2NlOPidMuImER8MgnXrEwLcPFCBkAcpkHfBmQoAuVUaI/s320/IMG_0815.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The rhumb line (shortest distance between two points) was only about 40 miles more than our actual track.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Tim chose our route to avoid adverse currents and it worked well. There were times of no current or, even better, a positive current but the times when the current was against us was infrequent. Our boat speed was noticed and we were called up by ‘Escapade’ asking why we were going so much faster than they were. Tim pointed them in the right direction for a favourable current and in time they overtook us. They are a much bigger boat so we were not surprised or overly put out.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pBFglbEo9nQazdzxdtdPTOrf_qvWLAphiCN5Zsgj3rjfD1ddzgGoWzfcBDgICTomlhdc8feuZniAENEOHGzwcjLQN_CD1SJ8izXwbFrFLL0G9dxgIWPFWF6UzVXTj3KUNt1yEuH7W2k4z_eUbknB8FzA-4xQ5oxc1oXfT-aElZoKuFAeYoLnCJ43O-Q/s2016/IMG_3032.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="2016" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pBFglbEo9nQazdzxdtdPTOrf_qvWLAphiCN5Zsgj3rjfD1ddzgGoWzfcBDgICTomlhdc8feuZniAENEOHGzwcjLQN_CD1SJ8izXwbFrFLL0G9dxgIWPFWF6UzVXTj3KUNt1yEuH7W2k4z_eUbknB8FzA-4xQ5oxc1oXfT-aElZoKuFAeYoLnCJ43O-Q/w400-h206/IMG_3032.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anchored across the river from the the marina waiting for instructions from the marina to clear in with Customs, Immigration and BioSecurity.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYFO2W991n5pCHrpTVk-QQ3fVrRkHHsfvEcBRPlc9xQm7bqCynmdx_2pepSo0cyShUFcGnzTV1kzuTc7TAstchjVqlEVzeJeHRCz_KumSULqIiVIdoO02jMp0V1y6a3pok3E69FR58j8QuaKpHTmifWyIY_-XrBb3e67ti-KxG5tXywJvtRjAfT4BH70/s4032/IMG_3034.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheYFO2W991n5pCHrpTVk-QQ3fVrRkHHsfvEcBRPlc9xQm7bqCynmdx_2pepSo0cyShUFcGnzTV1kzuTc7TAstchjVqlEVzeJeHRCz_KumSULqIiVIdoO02jMp0V1y6a3pok3E69FR58j8QuaKpHTmifWyIY_-XrBb3e67ti-KxG5tXywJvtRjAfT4BH70/w400-h300/IMG_3034.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While we waited we mulled over the strange golden particles flowing past us in the tide. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Much later I collared a local fishing on the waterfront and asked if he knew what it was, and the answer was ‘Crab spawn’. We see it lots and often.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtKLyOM86cs1QKuEFvTvcXqDPe8-PSejMHEhFUd9MUKfXuS5S7BcNByQ14aRh9VA6_-_Bht8InUw8q7wc8MnxZeJl5yDSDjEC_ZKUL-baWT7mxiC12cMZZCl-ODPnYCzGRM0FEwf9KIHP-LPz3X1v20LwTdBDwtzndyBsZIwYUEg3O-0Yj73HgvJ4PT0/s4032/IMG_3036.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtKLyOM86cs1QKuEFvTvcXqDPe8-PSejMHEhFUd9MUKfXuS5S7BcNByQ14aRh9VA6_-_Bht8InUw8q7wc8MnxZeJl5yDSDjEC_ZKUL-baWT7mxiC12cMZZCl-ODPnYCzGRM0FEwf9KIHP-LPz3X1v20LwTdBDwtzndyBsZIwYUEg3O-0Yj73HgvJ4PT0/w400-h300/IMG_3036.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The marina, built on the river bank, was very exposed to the tides and river currents. Add a bit of ‘wind over tide’ and the movement of the Larus in her berth became unnatural and uncomfortable. Time spent reading or writing in particular was prone to sudden bouts of headache and sleepiness. We don’t usually suffer from motion sickness so it took a long time to figure out what was wrong as the conditions that caused it would disappear with a change or tide or wind direction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We try to make any boat moves at slack water as a knot or two of cross current can make coming into a berth trickier. When arriving to clear in, all crew MUST remain onboard and marina staff would to take our lines. Tim had to come in fast as the current into the berth was against us. Larus has a big prop and a skilful skipper and burst of astern will stop us in our tracks. None of this was apparent to the guy on the dock waiting to take our lines. He took the bowline and used it as a spring line, which stopped us from going forward but pulled the bow in toward the jetty which in turn caused our stern to swing out toward the boat beside us. To avert a collision, I stepped off the boat saying said, ‘I know I’m not supposed to but I’m doing it anyway’, and dropped out stern line on cleat and hopped back on board. The guy helping looked quickly about but the transgression hadn’t been spotted and all was well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While we waited to clear in, we decided we needed a second bow line on the port side as the current was pushing us hard on the jetty. We had a line with a loop in the end to drop on a cleat and asked a passing customs agent if they could, ‘please drop this loop over that cleat.’ No they could not as Health and Safety Rules prohibited it, but they could authorise us to get off the boat and put it on ourselves. Of course there are reasons for this, but it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen this level of bureaucracy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’ve been having a hard time figuring out how to write about Bundaberg and the tiny amount of Queensland/Australia that we’ve seen so far. In some ways it’s quite familiar, yet in other ways very different.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are areas of Canada and the US that can be dusty dry as well flat as a pancake, but our hills aren’t the tops of extinct volcanoes and the soil isn’t a dark copper colour. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW65mGyhTTPM-st3uFF6MDLHHYTuiXkoaOqlaiMRXOoIt-hUCbFfdkBwI-3wDTGD9n99ywQUAgupBKVCFkAaAZVsLzr1g7OJtZbwlM41skyPrCeXAFoXG9yz8MrAUg8blgt3ySNDrrKW9ZQKpWokRvPaDYRjvxyknhe0K0MDaMrGhyphenhyphen8vY_vB-Fz7_K30g/s1269/IMG_1003.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1269" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW65mGyhTTPM-st3uFF6MDLHHYTuiXkoaOqlaiMRXOoIt-hUCbFfdkBwI-3wDTGD9n99ywQUAgupBKVCFkAaAZVsLzr1g7OJtZbwlM41skyPrCeXAFoXG9yz8MrAUg8blgt3ySNDrrKW9ZQKpWokRvPaDYRjvxyknhe0K0MDaMrGhyphenhyphen8vY_vB-Fz7_K30g/s320/IMG_1003.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo I found online as we only saw the fields out of the window of a bus.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are strip malls, shopping malls, and quite good public transit. Fields between the towns looked like corn from a distance but are actually sugar cane up close. Rows of trees that we guessed were young olive or citrus fruit turned out to be macadamia trees. Even here, where they are grown, macadamia nuts are really expensive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In Bundaberg and Maryborough, (the only towns we’ve visited so far) the buildings and grid layout of the streets feels like some of the historic towns where I’m from in Ontario. Pretty buildings and shops built of brick with brick-a-brack trim are similar but, to my mind, of a bigger and more solid design.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KTZk3P2-5TN8SPXWLjqZVNBw3a_vgJK8NIZ_F1jnLfrTAEsFPKbJD9gZYePW1YzOdqrYF9lMSW_zq34IlOBWGpvHHbYB0At4-FkrLwNO5axLV47-KrksRU98B5RLIO2j8XNcq29R-x1ck6StEFXuIOL0oiD-S54GaKwoSNS6F8Rm5_TqepDhr9TMXOE/s4032/IMG_3107.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KTZk3P2-5TN8SPXWLjqZVNBw3a_vgJK8NIZ_F1jnLfrTAEsFPKbJD9gZYePW1YzOdqrYF9lMSW_zq34IlOBWGpvHHbYB0At4-FkrLwNO5axLV47-KrksRU98B5RLIO2j8XNcq29R-x1ck6StEFXuIOL0oiD-S54GaKwoSNS6F8Rm5_TqepDhr9TMXOE/s320/IMG_3107.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The finest of the many water towers found in and around Bundaberg. The water towers in smaller dispersed towns is very like areas of Southwestern Ontario.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZV2cvAvCRsjfIDe9-lJe2cVfuGIvpEVJrfKP2MlP4_katNYvyBXUQMMllwodP08sihEI4shDph-nUQmvB7xdXVnA-oLDR5p_3O64GG1GvTQuDMGIAGwsWClgotXSXMdu1fDSyLH90XyRbKRTlg1N3oynNXfVzDgYF4Y1U2kIcYKHO5ECFJVKc6L9rfU/s3436/IMG_3124.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1572" data-original-width="3436" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZV2cvAvCRsjfIDe9-lJe2cVfuGIvpEVJrfKP2MlP4_katNYvyBXUQMMllwodP08sihEI4shDph-nUQmvB7xdXVnA-oLDR5p_3O64GG1GvTQuDMGIAGwsWClgotXSXMdu1fDSyLH90XyRbKRTlg1N3oynNXfVzDgYF4Y1U2kIcYKHO5ECFJVKc6L9rfU/w400-h183/IMG_3124.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Typical city architecture with wide roads. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The drivers here are really considerate onto pedestrians. A quick side-glance at a crosswalk will bring cars to a halt, even those that could have sped up and been across before your foot hit the road. After 4 years in NZ, where most drivers won’t give a pedestrian an inch, it is a very nice change.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While we got to Bundaberg by bus, getting to Maryborough was a long windy trip up the Mary River.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yS_CkEaWigtcvcPMw4Ln6gDOzQs3QrvFEdnt-dewiUAOD3ROfvD78AQam0LDdiAfDtWIPmKvLxs0oMiQsAvlJirJSMECGx7iw1NXYPmAfEwmZZD61aqNquEoMWtDpZY35afq7RCi7uFgrbq8tBOSEcWI0uWBoqWF0OuDzOJPKvvgStMdRe7p57UeMTI/s4032/IMG_3123.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yS_CkEaWigtcvcPMw4Ln6gDOzQs3QrvFEdnt-dewiUAOD3ROfvD78AQam0LDdiAfDtWIPmKvLxs0oMiQsAvlJirJSMECGx7iw1NXYPmAfEwmZZD61aqNquEoMWtDpZY35afq7RCi7uFgrbq8tBOSEcWI0uWBoqWF0OuDzOJPKvvgStMdRe7p57UeMTI/s320/IMG_3123.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guess who the town and the river were named after?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHRHC-E30L6JfHOFN0ZJgzAH4dF_G5e75Jn70v-GM1pJmb9KjAJ6mgcsckhHkJi6JUyajpEqB18Y5x3OHZs98Up52K6-gww7CRZVOhZ8jTZr4fc0VWMEVMhbhcJNfkA2Ib6FXBROohCkgaG2K4-_gZ4ceq9HTU2ZUaAZN0noRQjRR1iz2gUY5helzAIM/s4032/IMG_3130.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHRHC-E30L6JfHOFN0ZJgzAH4dF_G5e75Jn70v-GM1pJmb9KjAJ6mgcsckhHkJi6JUyajpEqB18Y5x3OHZs98Up52K6-gww7CRZVOhZ8jTZr4fc0VWMEVMhbhcJNfkA2Ib6FXBROohCkgaG2K4-_gZ4ceq9HTU2ZUaAZN0noRQjRR1iz2gUY5helzAIM/s320/IMG_3130.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mary-Poppins-film-by-Stevenson" target="_blank">P.L. Travers</a> and there is a wonderful photo of her in the link.<br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7ncjscsp33nwuGldCtD7Mwd4LE23pJEVU30J-RCzJ6FVQmWG3-sKj9_IEW_NJnp2ILbadMSX7S5b28QXzSjsjKU2Rt0OgEQiKkm6TVmYqZ3aYlxE8LKCaNyZtijdSTafNTwlKHy2lcvBcIpduAoKD2SU87Wi63V2vzIpX23qvE114rt8ss3u3g_XR5Y/s4032/IMG_3132.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7ncjscsp33nwuGldCtD7Mwd4LE23pJEVU30J-RCzJ6FVQmWG3-sKj9_IEW_NJnp2ILbadMSX7S5b28QXzSjsjKU2Rt0OgEQiKkm6TVmYqZ3aYlxE8LKCaNyZtijdSTafNTwlKHy2lcvBcIpduAoKD2SU87Wi63V2vzIpX23qvE114rt8ss3u3g_XR5Y/s320/IMG_3132.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Australian/British author of ‘Mary Poppins’is a very BIG deal here.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsNwofHu6PvG_ptTSU483cKWX4_z2Q7vV4eViyPpKBOOMkefU9mq464OdlQrSccQDX1-I731cg_jiuN0PwjB1k_whZmoOtHnQqKCThZP05KxoJuY1W8mm3K_HyNgkOYltTfHnlc7h2ZudjLS24iRpJASsCwjoTnoVR54jLFHx1PudB1cB7StdYBLwWMs/s4032/IMG_3143.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsNwofHu6PvG_ptTSU483cKWX4_z2Q7vV4eViyPpKBOOMkefU9mq464OdlQrSccQDX1-I731cg_jiuN0PwjB1k_whZmoOtHnQqKCThZP05KxoJuY1W8mm3K_HyNgkOYltTfHnlc7h2ZudjLS24iRpJASsCwjoTnoVR54jLFHx1PudB1cB7StdYBLwWMs/w400-h300/IMG_3143.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When we first saw the surprisingly tall piles supporting the Marybourough dock, we thought, ‘Surely they don’t get water levels that high.’</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoItlsuMkkImYolG5USJgYx04obGrjpD1eVi7l4ZBxFO2mTa-cRDADqhm6raFu_a0HqREfgPunDGKLkdEyvhvf3Oc-S1lj0V6n0ix6NFgXhp4dSwzH2qPsSCTzhIN4-EaPOuVcm3-79Oced0NcHV1lIrFQYu6p9-pgt5D_BbfaZxUrGVT4W5_zxZEIWwo/s7730/IMG_3137.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7730" data-original-width="3866" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoItlsuMkkImYolG5USJgYx04obGrjpD1eVi7l4ZBxFO2mTa-cRDADqhm6raFu_a0HqREfgPunDGKLkdEyvhvf3Oc-S1lj0V6n0ix6NFgXhp4dSwzH2qPsSCTzhIN4-EaPOuVcm3-79Oced0NcHV1lIrFQYu6p9-pgt5D_BbfaZxUrGVT4W5_zxZEIWwo/w320-h640/IMG_3137.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can just see the top half of the piles in the upper right corner of the photo. The highest recorded flood was in 1893. I couldn’t find the height of the piles but the most recent flood, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-28/maryborough-floods-qld-rain-mary-river/100867982" target="_blank">Maryborough floods February 2022</a>, peaked at 10.7 metres. Half of the flood events recorded were within the last 30 years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">‘We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.’</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_UDhJtwevO0nIkDjiaGpjrCSuJ5yA82mN7TT09AS3TqiUaZGAe6Nfz0vx-8O5bRdKhYyR5dxRsH231eYNWCct4oyzNfH1BKaWHQWJVE0yVrpaKZI3MywbAKHxlirBqUujP-OXjPecnAfFgmbbbGOijTTnyUXN4ORp1XTBj0r9tOZbzhCbQjVbpJqdMA/s4032/IMG_3080.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_UDhJtwevO0nIkDjiaGpjrCSuJ5yA82mN7TT09AS3TqiUaZGAe6Nfz0vx-8O5bRdKhYyR5dxRsH231eYNWCct4oyzNfH1BKaWHQWJVE0yVrpaKZI3MywbAKHxlirBqUujP-OXjPecnAfFgmbbbGOijTTnyUXN4ORp1XTBj0r9tOZbzhCbQjVbpJqdMA/s320/IMG_3080.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My first real sight of a kangaroo was on a 4 AM trip the marina bathrooms. The tough hardy grass is automatically watered during the night. This suits the kangaroos perfectly and explains the un-doglike poop we see everywhere. The Kangaroo looked at me and I looked at it and then it disappeared into the darkness. I mentioned the meeting to a local who asked if I’d approached it. I had not and they said, ‘Good’, as a buck kangaroo could take offence and have a go at you with its sharp front paws.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Queensland doesn’t do Daylight Saving Time and sunrise is just a little after 4 in the morning. I am a slave to my Circadian Rhythms, but still find it odd that I’ve been up for 4 hours by 8 o’clock in the morning. Tim isn’t bothered as much as I am.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yikes! I just heard the harshest bird call and assumed a gull with a sore throat was perched in our rigging.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosBDnE76qsd9kWbWsIkrzl6n_NhMafa-uJ4kzqDAcqNf92rKJanByTbo32kKxjj5cwcR_RM0aIepXaoTt4DT-Bm-58U5NiVJUvUY7xjCV2vi_3xKxl0qs5cRgoK1VJfO-WwVZZPAJlCVfDrylGxahwkfzv8-qinVw5TD5_ss0ycmryIo85IqmvuqiVno/s4032/IMG_3226.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgosBDnE76qsd9kWbWsIkrzl6n_NhMafa-uJ4kzqDAcqNf92rKJanByTbo32kKxjj5cwcR_RM0aIepXaoTt4DT-Bm-58U5NiVJUvUY7xjCV2vi_3xKxl0qs5cRgoK1VJfO-WwVZZPAJlCVfDrylGxahwkfzv8-qinVw5TD5_ss0ycmryIo85IqmvuqiVno/s320/IMG_3226.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a White Cockatoo. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Parrots can be really noisy. We were anchored near a beach where a large number of parrots came to roost at dusk. At the same time a thunder storm rolled in and the parrots were not impressed. They screamed and screamed until the system passed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’ve seen rose breasted galahs grazing on fallen fruit, white cockatoos flying overhead and lorikeets, I think, as flashes of colour in the trees. I’m hoping for some good photos but for the time being you best see them here - <a href="https://www.australiaswonderfulbirds.com.au/parrots" target="_blank">Australia’s Wonderful Birds</a>.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMcsLGORPTiK7JgJ9SbHB2jF9VxqhT1Nm3-x6gWnLluGF6IG9jZsPCmU2BgX_9HXjRYrDzkAADo7_SND1M4m4ojOW2oWBzk4Bg93TY7oj3_bhsn48jOY4wrSdH-biQlNq7-j59HT6QgWlnrFbLG2xgmxkFcjcfb9shzFuUufR_GCfYzDpYd2IfZi56Ss/s4032/IMG_3082.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMcsLGORPTiK7JgJ9SbHB2jF9VxqhT1Nm3-x6gWnLluGF6IG9jZsPCmU2BgX_9HXjRYrDzkAADo7_SND1M4m4ojOW2oWBzk4Bg93TY7oj3_bhsn48jOY4wrSdH-biQlNq7-j59HT6QgWlnrFbLG2xgmxkFcjcfb9shzFuUufR_GCfYzDpYd2IfZi56Ss/s320/IMG_3082.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was quite disappointed to find that this scruffy garbage scavenging bird is a White Ibis. They are everywhere.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyIHiOcfZsa6LdY8uLkHJVey0V9cNYsW9io1Kq6v4Ko9NGi9aztwAMQT6cS-kEWpEgfgl1F1rH2pbRGT2mIjg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This flashy black and white bird is a magpie. As well as scavenging, they are very territorial and will attack people and cyclists in particular. It’s a bad enough problem that there are warning signs in neighbourhoods and cyclists have often have a corona of cable ties sticking out of their helmets.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LtNgINt3MBoLqxGoM2SRR9LmRMVl4W9VaUxVoCGPqJJfOLzO8CysIe5f3JggdFAj_S0lDxcVYaaLTQyYuJoCIQ3btypmp8HAW6R065IjsCOBmj2jgiUs2POPYR2eBX-20n3MYakCollnGO1zkzYbxEoGt9exkff4r7LWztsIk-BBXRo3WseiRPqiRzg/s4032/IMG_3117.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LtNgINt3MBoLqxGoM2SRR9LmRMVl4W9VaUxVoCGPqJJfOLzO8CysIe5f3JggdFAj_S0lDxcVYaaLTQyYuJoCIQ3btypmp8HAW6R065IjsCOBmj2jgiUs2POPYR2eBX-20n3MYakCollnGO1zkzYbxEoGt9exkff4r7LWztsIk-BBXRo3WseiRPqiRzg/s320/IMG_3117.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This type of house is called a <a href="https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/features/list/why-queensland-architecture-is-celebrated-around-t" target="_blank">Queenslander</a> and is a historic design. It’s built off the ground with a wide veranda for the hot summers and wet winters. Someone we talked to mentioned it also helps keep out the creepy crawlies and snakes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aNTSwMBqWE8ywh2-NzmD_8Ay70rZmqRm4CoGnz4HgNT3qQ_y7NP3EvdGR3TtmwP9zHsE2hs4Q0DP9QZkEAAZmmrMxcbxDb94fJ78n7_RPUluWFtc-1T3KBL5wt4CAohcIuen3Wvubf6M1g2KJP1-Psahi-ePjUleWSKJoajCkyM7Ca37mdPc7YWMKvQ/s5712/IMG_3219.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aNTSwMBqWE8ywh2-NzmD_8Ay70rZmqRm4CoGnz4HgNT3qQ_y7NP3EvdGR3TtmwP9zHsE2hs4Q0DP9QZkEAAZmmrMxcbxDb94fJ78n7_RPUluWFtc-1T3KBL5wt4CAohcIuen3Wvubf6M1g2KJP1-Psahi-ePjUleWSKJoajCkyM7Ca37mdPc7YWMKvQ/s320/IMG_3219.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the town of Wynnum, near Brisbane, I passed a construction site and I suspect this wonderful gate, which does need a lot to TLC, won’t survive the build. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We’ve had a chance to meet up with friends we’ve met all along our journey.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU64vrp9fWJu_PCiyoEEuCcU4xxPIYkQvwavs55Hon-OxZtTSkzm7pCuZRD3YCJZYe2v2hF1RMKv4uhppx4zTMxhCAeikOY7XWci1XL93VBz2owJLXC955SJ1iceM1NIpUC_xzZ0lj6TwOXY6M8aFjTNmBLuUFqsYpH8XZs4jgLHs4NoU5tdwC4XCuXK4/s4032/IMG_3098.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU64vrp9fWJu_PCiyoEEuCcU4xxPIYkQvwavs55Hon-OxZtTSkzm7pCuZRD3YCJZYe2v2hF1RMKv4uhppx4zTMxhCAeikOY7XWci1XL93VBz2owJLXC955SJ1iceM1NIpUC_xzZ0lj6TwOXY6M8aFjTNmBLuUFqsYpH8XZs4jgLHs4NoU5tdwC4XCuXK4/s320/IMG_3098.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A fabulous barbecue roasted lamb luncheon on Cappall Mara with Sal and John and Philip and Claudia.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-DwMlZ6hHvC28_sCj5JgWQ3ARTDAW1FdjN8xkVKrWYUvOBf1GAqDL5TJ-vywVrJtUB0xcRtDZvFc5uyBIKRKIcFUiqtktS5HPCteeZGnoF6ZDcxqsP3UmOrqAt1HRG0O-H4UYVodTIqD5KRg_-4gyTMXSMado24Sa64NFOhyphenhyphenz7tb1ldAnIQw_eAdB6g/s4032/IMG_3097.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-DwMlZ6hHvC28_sCj5JgWQ3ARTDAW1FdjN8xkVKrWYUvOBf1GAqDL5TJ-vywVrJtUB0xcRtDZvFc5uyBIKRKIcFUiqtktS5HPCteeZGnoF6ZDcxqsP3UmOrqAt1HRG0O-H4UYVodTIqD5KRg_-4gyTMXSMado24Sa64NFOhyphenhyphenz7tb1ldAnIQw_eAdB6g/s320/IMG_3097.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And one with the photographer in it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWvlEtn-zrcRF5v4_L3o7Fh02dJcRtjjLVS06ndCObDPtrOpRxu5pCCS_omH9NeApb254GMAeyt5xqyUMu270uRZZ9AXaoFvdfd9mrfm5HuSm9hyphenhyphenlYRjrKAzPRcAFoTVECmS0Rxu36tJ8ioJGJ9l69bRkbje7qCRlSFvd0sLU7IMFQM8xDq6dkHI1NzI/s1600/fe2339f3-468e-4413-bdb5-29463e696e12.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWvlEtn-zrcRF5v4_L3o7Fh02dJcRtjjLVS06ndCObDPtrOpRxu5pCCS_omH9NeApb254GMAeyt5xqyUMu270uRZZ9AXaoFvdfd9mrfm5HuSm9hyphenhyphenlYRjrKAzPRcAFoTVECmS0Rxu36tJ8ioJGJ9l69bRkbje7qCRlSFvd0sLU7IMFQM8xDq6dkHI1NzI/s320/fe2339f3-468e-4413-bdb5-29463e696e12.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snacks on board Barracuda of Islay with Andrew, Claudia, Philip, Tim, Nancy, Kate, Alison and Graham.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Australia is huge. That is very like Canada and the States,and very unlike the South Pacific Islands including New Zealand. From Bundaberg to Darwin, where we intend to leave for Indonesia next June, is almost 2,500 miles! </span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The north coast Australia, even as far south as Brisbane, is in the cyclone belt so we plan to go as far south as Sydney before heading back up to Bundaberg next year in March for when the cyclone season ends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Tim is doing a lot of planning for when we leave Bundaberg and head north and west for the start of our trip to Indonesia. That trip will take us through the Great Barrier Reef, up to Cairns and across the top of Australia to Darwin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Currently, we are slowly making our way south toward Sydney and tomorrow will do a short overnight sail to Iluka, the namesake of the corporate hospitality company that Tim worked for in the UK and birthplace of one of the company directors.</div></span></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-15844083359668584012023-10-08T18:17:00.001-04:002023-10-08T18:17:08.566-04:00New Caledonia<p>We left Vanuatu in a bit of a rush quite a while ago. Our weather window moved forward a day and snatched away one of our three days of preparation.</p><p>The passage to New Caledonia is only 48 hours and not a lot of food preparation was needed. Two nights of ‘TV dinner’ style roast chicken dinner was easy and very pleasant. So pleasant in fact that, I am defrosting a bird to do the same thing for our passage to Australia. I will roast and debone the chicken, make stuffing, cook carrots to mix with frozen peas. I’ll make up two identical Antiguan ice cream tubs, which are my best and favourite 1 litre stackable go to containers - a layer of stuffing, then a layer of boned chicken topped with carrots and peas. Maybe some spiced red cabbage I made and froze before arriving in New Cal. It added a nice moistness to the meal as well as flavour. Potatoes I cook the day before we leave, keep them in the fridge and just add some to baking dish. Potatoes don’t freeze very well.</p><p>Oh heck. I’ve just had a frozen meal prep epiphany. If I do the layers in reverse - veg first, chicken then stuffing - once defrosted I can just turn it all straight out into baking dish with less fuss and bother! It somehow goes against the grain, but I can’t really see any downside. </p><p>New Caledonia has very strict BioSecurity requirements so no meat and no fresh fruit or veg. </p><p>Immigration in New Cal closes at 11.00 in the morning and is closed over the weekend. If you are two late you have to stay on board until the next day. If you arrive after 11.00 on a Friday, you have to remain onboard until Monday.</p><p>We carefully planned to arrive after 11.00 on Thursday, so we could clear in Friday morning. We also expected that BioSecurity would have finished for the day and we would have the grapefruits I have prepared in advance for breakfast and use our last bits of veg in a salad for dinner.</p><p>We arrived on the dock in Port du Sud Marina, <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: times;">Nouméa</span></span> (the capital) at around 1600 - far too late for Immigration, but BioSecurity was having a busy day and we’re still in the marina. We had barely tied up when two charming BioSecurity ladies were standing on the dock asking to come aboard. *sigh*</p><p>Into the rubbish went the salad stuffs. I showed them the peeled, deseeded, and depithed grapefruit segments hopefully, but to no avail. Into the rubbish they went. Salad and grapefruit were joined shortly by my popping corn. </p><p>I’d forgotten that popping corn was a problem. I blame Fiji whose online documents say you can’t bring it into the country, but on arrive their BioSecurity said you can.</p><p>Bill, on Into the Blue, said we should have put the grapefruit in the freezer, as it is perfectly acceptable to bring in frozen fruit, but I think you doing it in front of them would not be wise.</p><p>Sailing to New Caledonia definitely shared the same sailing challenges of Vanuatu as 24 hours the 48 hour passage was tough sailing. It maked you glad you made the effort to prepare meals in advance. And it’s not like you do much in rough seas, just sit or stand for a change and brace for bigger than normal rolls.</p><p>Lots of boats left Vanuatu shortly after we did. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8y7WjGc1ZY3yTW4JVELygJyUhs6qGtVRpTqyjn8Y6YjNau5Zu-RzEH7tFm_ZCA8VOdof-wm_T8pqY83kFLAsfLm_NMTPvF2VcYiXVvHVL-z8EL9YFtsodmrMn6oy6RG6p1iUgLmrJB4gcoqVcVinGfzGzOrHHQTFEBCdIIxnC05owln92kYGD9K69yU/s1280/ScreenShot002.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8y7WjGc1ZY3yTW4JVELygJyUhs6qGtVRpTqyjn8Y6YjNau5Zu-RzEH7tFm_ZCA8VOdof-wm_T8pqY83kFLAsfLm_NMTPvF2VcYiXVvHVL-z8EL9YFtsodmrMn6oy6RG6p1iUgLmrJB4gcoqVcVinGfzGzOrHHQTFEBCdIIxnC05owln92kYGD9K69yU/s320/ScreenShot002.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>All were larger and therefore faster so we were continually being overtaken. The chat on the radio showed that they weren’t enjoying the rough sea conditions much either.</p><p>New Caledonia is completely unlike Vanuatu or Fiji. The terrain is more mountainous with a lot bushes or small trees. Not the tropical forests we have come to expect. What they do have are pine trees. Isle de Pines is raved about for its beauty. We would have passed it (in the dark) on our way to Noumea. </p><p>Similar to Vanuatu the prevailing winds make it easy to go west but really hard to go east. We found the short sails we did up wind were in a choppy sea but, thanks to the reefs protecting the whole south coast of the island, there was no ocean swell at all. With enough time you could explore all the islands, but we don’t have that. </p><p>There are wonderful things to see apparently in New Caledonia, but Noumea is in the east. It is the only place you can clear into and out of so you will sailing up wind to get back. The north coast has wonderful islands to visit we are told. We passed them on our way to clear in. If we had more time to visit New Cal we might have joined a very expensive rally that gives you the opportunity to clear in at one of the islands on the north coast.</p><p>There are things to do and see in New Cal - <a href="https://www.newcaledonia.travel/en/must-see-sites" target="_blank">15 Must See Sights</a> - will give an idea of what one could see.</p><p>First impressions of New Caledonia were a long time coming. We were a little shellshocked. It’s like being in France, which is great when one is in France but rather disconcerting when you are not. </p><p>New Caledonia is really expensive. Much of the meats, cheeses, frozen foods, and probably some fresh foods are brought in from France. (I would really like to know how this stuff is transported here.) There are cafes and patisserie, but the city of Noumea doesn’t seem to have a centre or we just haven’t found it.</p><p>It’s very like the French islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique and Tahiti, and hardly at all like its nearest neighbours - Vanuatu, Fiji and Australia. </p><p>The architecture is Mediterranean French coast and higher end than the other French Islands. The streets of Noumea are congested with traffic during rush hour. The pedestrian crossings are excellent and frequent, which is just as well as it’s an ‘angry car’ kind of place with lots of rushing from one set of lights or pedestrian crossing to the next.</p><p>On our walk to Immigration we were astounded at the number of gendarmes/police in high tech gear.</p><p>There are very few indigenous/people of colour to be seen, except at the market either shopping or selling. They don’t appear to live in Noumea, with the exception of the odd homeless person. We have been told by ‘someone who knew someone’ who lived in a gated community that there are communities of locals living along the coast, but you need to know which ones welcome visitors. </p><p>In our time here, we visited one bay twice and one island once. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrvMOflLo2m7GG1HZ8oYv_CN1lH2HjVYj7iuZJwVRRp0xDyPIQjRX9w09neqS-KNnrOe-mwOWjtp0pfwhMYeG13j2lBEvGWeKQw0haSYBoZ0x1B1dHwAKjwta4pH-BzxQpcwOyy5cmPiVx72t-xJNUa-U86jbWMGg56YIwl17HQ85ohe_sKNrRIp4rcY/s4001/IMG_2918.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1863" data-original-width="4001" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrvMOflLo2m7GG1HZ8oYv_CN1lH2HjVYj7iuZJwVRRp0xDyPIQjRX9w09neqS-KNnrOe-mwOWjtp0pfwhMYeG13j2lBEvGWeKQw0haSYBoZ0x1B1dHwAKjwta4pH-BzxQpcwOyy5cmPiVx72t-xJNUa-U86jbWMGg56YIwl17HQ85ohe_sKNrRIp4rcY/w400-h186/IMG_2918.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Larus anchored in Maa Bay. Tim walked daily and I occasionally. He doesn’t mind the heat as much as I.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlk4vCJj7_vPH5vfzR4AszM9dfOlRphTXN5t166rfCnM0b6cLQv4D265LRX2vhceGbXzMj4hYPHSc_8bFIMLCszk5Mq5BziVopNKZ0FmYU6GuDE6HTXxhyGeqtxh_O0zV22MHC34mPkRc2OHjbUbfW-1hD4q7RyjNDZlKQxzAhjG0N1WkmbJVmb52twY/s4032/IMG_2921.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlk4vCJj7_vPH5vfzR4AszM9dfOlRphTXN5t166rfCnM0b6cLQv4D265LRX2vhceGbXzMj4hYPHSc_8bFIMLCszk5Mq5BziVopNKZ0FmYU6GuDE6HTXxhyGeqtxh_O0zV22MHC34mPkRc2OHjbUbfW-1hD4q7RyjNDZlKQxzAhjG0N1WkmbJVmb52twY/s320/IMG_2921.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tiny bouquets. The blossoms open yellow and turn pink as they age. Very pretty. We also saw prickly pear cactus near the beach but I did be surprised if they were native.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVeaGR9SFiunE3SHo6Rm0UUbrQkHCNI0zTzeG1ErJfos85dhR2yxqpY00eYLeBW2XymBwlMF_97Uj4K7-BEzaEhdyvtgxfJSbYz_OCrunfkeruqcA2N-TDSuOBqWxJVHBC2IBCqwWug1TbRDGctwXOHtAHEaveJm49DBQrFIZnh9cIJDcqVKmqLdUBv4/s3254/IMG_2922.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="3254" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVeaGR9SFiunE3SHo6Rm0UUbrQkHCNI0zTzeG1ErJfos85dhR2yxqpY00eYLeBW2XymBwlMF_97Uj4K7-BEzaEhdyvtgxfJSbYz_OCrunfkeruqcA2N-TDSuOBqWxJVHBC2IBCqwWug1TbRDGctwXOHtAHEaveJm49DBQrFIZnh9cIJDcqVKmqLdUBv4/w400-h185/IMG_2922.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Looking east you can see Noumea in the distance. We really hadn’t ventured very far.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7E8gs-KyKX4kRuIvVTld7bcV98gx-pabpXoUDIVC8DnfQUQP9CQfdEkIBQiMD2fmv2JM-TuRlnrQWXwKCUWiCxnOfiDsEGdGJ6OCBbAuArDSb-TRrqPB7mlygqsEdr3JB9ysjnZaWKC9c9qcJ5oseCl5HRjLuwrQwPRqa_zVZ2sB2nuHgcQxe5r9CWw/s4032/IMG_2926.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7E8gs-KyKX4kRuIvVTld7bcV98gx-pabpXoUDIVC8DnfQUQP9CQfdEkIBQiMD2fmv2JM-TuRlnrQWXwKCUWiCxnOfiDsEGdGJ6OCBbAuArDSb-TRrqPB7mlygqsEdr3JB9ysjnZaWKC9c9qcJ5oseCl5HRjLuwrQwPRqa_zVZ2sB2nuHgcQxe5r9CWw/s320/IMG_2926.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tide’s out.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdqs_DVoFKmgknTpo6cUwZlWyaI5LT0xNHQtMN-w-E7yChFYeG6zZfbwG_yOVF1f12Vho0SQo8wws6fhzmcRLOPQ6dBAvPlOnn-VTCHeSN2_8ICdbXuI6bFNJZNRPol4kerISc_C6fKIuojpmyH-bkTbQPGB2cnSB_z3487CyQygaMu8Mh_hzvEx1qHY/s4028/IMG_2934.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4028" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdqs_DVoFKmgknTpo6cUwZlWyaI5LT0xNHQtMN-w-E7yChFYeG6zZfbwG_yOVF1f12Vho0SQo8wws6fhzmcRLOPQ6dBAvPlOnn-VTCHeSN2_8ICdbXuI6bFNJZNRPol4kerISc_C6fKIuojpmyH-bkTbQPGB2cnSB_z3487CyQygaMu8Mh_hzvEx1qHY/w400-h225/IMG_2934.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This type of rock is very similar in colour and pattern to rock we’ve walked on in the Bay of Islands, NZ. I do keep wondering why New Cal is so different from its neighbours. Perhaps there is a link.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwQgalNxh0DBj2-70q7FWHuk8gtgvD3CyM5usw55yqXvqrcaZUac3wI1A7vXLQf4MXzaZUy7tv2oJqHSU5N9mAJwZ95FAukCw5Hu5TJ48D3U1T0-KiVQK9g3k_orEFPKFBvEJOMvI_4ZuKfcYYl2r-xW3NiLb7CkUQlrKmvld3VXukbJAc_jvwAFszSo/s4032/IMG_2941.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2310" data-original-width="4032" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwQgalNxh0DBj2-70q7FWHuk8gtgvD3CyM5usw55yqXvqrcaZUac3wI1A7vXLQf4MXzaZUy7tv2oJqHSU5N9mAJwZ95FAukCw5Hu5TJ48D3U1T0-KiVQK9g3k_orEFPKFBvEJOMvI_4ZuKfcYYl2r-xW3NiLb7CkUQlrKmvld3VXukbJAc_jvwAFszSo/s320/IMG_2941.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This rock formation, however isn’t like anything we saw in NZ.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H3yx3_aJeD56ucyAlTBlk1Z0IOACyYgm9YiW5TBDrWjgc9-Gwg5Cz0V5nmjrikhxP5TkpC8dipY5Hn8iJDx_6iZtkLUGMV4sOwMww5oiXUAq4URwBi0keRGCtfTZpzjH7o0Ody27emSDsXDU6c6W85uCuBN8iexZ6jhT69EN4VrUc9G6CfTKcWqo31k/s4032/IMG_2946.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8H3yx3_aJeD56ucyAlTBlk1Z0IOACyYgm9YiW5TBDrWjgc9-Gwg5Cz0V5nmjrikhxP5TkpC8dipY5Hn8iJDx_6iZtkLUGMV4sOwMww5oiXUAq4URwBi0keRGCtfTZpzjH7o0Ody27emSDsXDU6c6W85uCuBN8iexZ6jhT69EN4VrUc9G6CfTKcWqo31k/s320/IMG_2946.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And these rock oysters look prehistoric and far from appealing compared to those we saw covering rocks along the Bay of Islands coastline.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mofc2tlEZUg" width="320" youtube-src-id="mofc2tlEZUg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A brisk sail from Maa Bay to Ile Ronde.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyUgvRRym4b6WZOiAXTDgMAMC0DL-YqwJhznDBv1a-ENXuWf6zyPzfSojGMYI1n_1_wWPEVKZycwAi_E2pu_fqsnJLHxxJQ9tNjoUXBZCPE2CaylCEhnTNPUIj1EEmkOcW2LEKHs18uxdJMUj_6J8-B9cIFNDS6eAmKYaUWxAIiL9OTahqgjJi5mxX-s/s4032/IMG_2956.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyUgvRRym4b6WZOiAXTDgMAMC0DL-YqwJhznDBv1a-ENXuWf6zyPzfSojGMYI1n_1_wWPEVKZycwAi_E2pu_fqsnJLHxxJQ9tNjoUXBZCPE2CaylCEhnTNPUIj1EEmkOcW2LEKHs18uxdJMUj_6J8-B9cIFNDS6eAmKYaUWxAIiL9OTahqgjJi5mxX-s/s320/IMG_2956.heic" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anchorage Ile Ronde all to ourselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8iuaIpsXD8YDWfP1Ozh5oC88_YwQQTZwxpo6ArLTpH1H9sTWtKaa0QAPIvjuGC5xtkf5KYd5fMKHWb3iq9d6ISQ7ppJ5G4hMAH7XPXkKLaZZvLWuYRpan_wykJNgGFhyVOB7zr7k9ymfJ-U6qniKhdvhl4S0u5jsZMVDQCZae4OPhxV0OPpTM9OZIJY/s4032/IMG_2958.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8iuaIpsXD8YDWfP1Ozh5oC88_YwQQTZwxpo6ArLTpH1H9sTWtKaa0QAPIvjuGC5xtkf5KYd5fMKHWb3iq9d6ISQ7ppJ5G4hMAH7XPXkKLaZZvLWuYRpan_wykJNgGFhyVOB7zr7k9ymfJ-U6qniKhdvhl4S0u5jsZMVDQCZae4OPhxV0OPpTM9OZIJY/s320/IMG_2958.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We hadn’t even got ashore before another yacht joined us and we can’t really blame them. It is a very pretty island.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_gaiNAJ1uQY" width="320" youtube-src-id="_gaiNAJ1uQY"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Footprints in the sand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-NJ3WafDSoNz2bXjOKmB4z5yyU6VFsjZZ43Ycxy5RnSRZSluPac5stzP23b8pfanBwzsewi0VOdAKVFXxpdc-D-tN2oeyrInqMhg0eHraCESttTDI7z-CRVZBHJ3rgNu0q1WHQI_QlVukboFqyDksZjBbz9VzCkg5aMCrNcCVgN2QFg0-Pp5jDZBIbA/s4032/IMG_2962.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-NJ3WafDSoNz2bXjOKmB4z5yyU6VFsjZZ43Ycxy5RnSRZSluPac5stzP23b8pfanBwzsewi0VOdAKVFXxpdc-D-tN2oeyrInqMhg0eHraCESttTDI7z-CRVZBHJ3rgNu0q1WHQI_QlVukboFqyDksZjBbz9VzCkg5aMCrNcCVgN2QFg0-Pp5jDZBIbA/s320/IMG_2962.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We chased this gul and wading birds all around the island. They kept going forward and never thought to fly back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb4OgVHd2NnFUZ3ioj-oeIdHY89OFBd9ncskZFLrCi3phss8_JrC7AKSu7hABbzIGmCJfk-DiwPBAitFdINY_o_MwnhiVPFxyzI174Fm0aDjXySV-JHZDog0XTsy6NBZO59cOdIqas1PSWyRkC12FVzdiPEKOKmsu2if52TFoEMy4vzJ7jcE_WnoFAP4/s4032/IMG_2969.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJb4OgVHd2NnFUZ3ioj-oeIdHY89OFBd9ncskZFLrCi3phss8_JrC7AKSu7hABbzIGmCJfk-DiwPBAitFdINY_o_MwnhiVPFxyzI174Fm0aDjXySV-JHZDog0XTsy6NBZO59cOdIqas1PSWyRkC12FVzdiPEKOKmsu2if52TFoEMy4vzJ7jcE_WnoFAP4/s320/IMG_2969.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We were surprised by screeches from above.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P7Okmy-K11Q" width="320" youtube-src-id="P7Okmy-K11Q"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That explains it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSjmoylNROojtYmARcKTD46liX_6jz5vBEnXPeCAUDWjpEnYtimFPM1xiYb_KaoJCfPpk5cQIUJfiITQeKWuWYT8H8QX6H9cR3gtpBleqe7HqOCpeH_8ZwNOQd6RoTyveXtyn3907wpBI6bGFd8eVH-autPCP7RMaaBqZM2t9DPrJ08z9L-u9Amzf0H8/s4032/IMG_2981.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQSjmoylNROojtYmARcKTD46liX_6jz5vBEnXPeCAUDWjpEnYtimFPM1xiYb_KaoJCfPpk5cQIUJfiITQeKWuWYT8H8QX6H9cR3gtpBleqe7HqOCpeH_8ZwNOQd6RoTyveXtyn3907wpBI6bGFd8eVH-autPCP7RMaaBqZM2t9DPrJ08z9L-u9Amzf0H8/s320/IMG_2981.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can just make out two little white heads if you zoom in. Bill and Zoe visited the island about a week after us and found that chicks had fledged the nest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pX_L1FHJ7lYRdoux1L3RUgbxC7NPkT_KbPJ4cmLWVTiCCNEPzQ8phspxyk6JFpv37TrCemxKa-op_y867yirkOor-c7oJLV6sav8aNkGieg-hWudon48ye22yJ7R25aX5LjYOdQ3k0c-FTTAeKfMYzDvxnBV6qx5BFfLwLmqSfAAMd2qg_WzzJXkGFw/s4032/IMG_2980.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pX_L1FHJ7lYRdoux1L3RUgbxC7NPkT_KbPJ4cmLWVTiCCNEPzQ8phspxyk6JFpv37TrCemxKa-op_y867yirkOor-c7oJLV6sav8aNkGieg-hWudon48ye22yJ7R25aX5LjYOdQ3k0c-FTTAeKfMYzDvxnBV6qx5BFfLwLmqSfAAMd2qg_WzzJXkGFw/s320/IMG_2980.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clear water and soft sand.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSGfjl3tz1Ev5m8JE7-4TPDLiiJxUXYkGvsB8la4rlmej-QNl1A_5-1Qeeq3hMmY3GT_ssBg4UCJ1B-B-b-9vdQKP5tDfc_7CeHFhHo4RQuqtyT-D743LPAw_vVUqUcrcHgMxkE0Xz2URd9fjVzMjs1fGKvBvvMgX8WWh9YdDahu1LPTdlDCHVknZe9s/s4032/IMG_2996.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSGfjl3tz1Ev5m8JE7-4TPDLiiJxUXYkGvsB8la4rlmej-QNl1A_5-1Qeeq3hMmY3GT_ssBg4UCJ1B-B-b-9vdQKP5tDfc_7CeHFhHo4RQuqtyT-D743LPAw_vVUqUcrcHgMxkE0Xz2URd9fjVzMjs1fGKvBvvMgX8WWh9YdDahu1LPTdlDCHVknZe9s/s320/IMG_2996.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A message! I untied and unrolled the little scroll and found a random cutting from a French newspaper. Not an article, just a random cutting. Feeling slightly let down, I rolled it back up to share my disappointment with the next person to notice it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcpgmUkyspIVCZFWBiFqCBzXVHnWJuE7fiHZeGIgG1oHlSOXPayuYvhb0dtu53kkYnnaDFOw9HSgLd6XEuM9wkbOfYlxtValJO9TjHC47-jIfkC1pHQ1Nixr7S7mOox9x4WI0a_eOmIW80tZ9DXlwZlQnfw8Iv-QtDRFZ2XeRP0Syi_JRZPQvoBLV8pY/s4032/IMG_2990.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcpgmUkyspIVCZFWBiFqCBzXVHnWJuE7fiHZeGIgG1oHlSOXPayuYvhb0dtu53kkYnnaDFOw9HSgLd6XEuM9wkbOfYlxtValJO9TjHC47-jIfkC1pHQ1Nixr7S7mOox9x4WI0a_eOmIW80tZ9DXlwZlQnfw8Iv-QtDRFZ2XeRP0Syi_JRZPQvoBLV8pY/s320/IMG_2990.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The furthest I could get from Larus without another boat. Or longer legs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dQCPUbJsPNM3OL08I2D-K2uUKV1NDpb0U21XMkR-clwXmu6p4xuuEQUlilYSFlLoE6-pfiR3E1JYFhsYpm2AhbxhV0urt8GA4yLR_giB0syueeP6k9_WAgYR1bVbFX2ONTWpLLnTfABIQfo5L8CJHmye57NfJtGi75pATbMSjKVEuajSHphCvtiMXGA/s4032/IMG_3010.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dQCPUbJsPNM3OL08I2D-K2uUKV1NDpb0U21XMkR-clwXmu6p4xuuEQUlilYSFlLoE6-pfiR3E1JYFhsYpm2AhbxhV0urt8GA4yLR_giB0syueeP6k9_WAgYR1bVbFX2ONTWpLLnTfABIQfo5L8CJHmye57NfJtGi75pATbMSjKVEuajSHphCvtiMXGA/s320/IMG_3010.heic" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We made another visit to Maa Bay to clean the bottom one last time before head west to Australia. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Noumea has a shark problem and swimming is forbidden in the bay. Noumeans don’t swim in the bay but they do sail and kite surf nearby. We went further afield. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhBu0ET5s-SnDdhAF6jb7IHw3bx8eTjfK2raV1d78wO4OrAsGOZyPqc6-TJ9ryENnYouWOmkD7HFRCV-ntiVmdkDcTEgEcXFgOZWG960N4vgOlWdCuGGwXFQXVIm3TH3_AGWT8m-MacmEuiURMqV-VhmB0xLiHlUx16t2QesiC4ZJTOMegWQ1jIwguaM/s4032/IMG_3011.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhBu0ET5s-SnDdhAF6jb7IHw3bx8eTjfK2raV1d78wO4OrAsGOZyPqc6-TJ9ryENnYouWOmkD7HFRCV-ntiVmdkDcTEgEcXFgOZWG960N4vgOlWdCuGGwXFQXVIm3TH3_AGWT8m-MacmEuiURMqV-VhmB0xLiHlUx16t2QesiC4ZJTOMegWQ1jIwguaM/s320/IMG_3011.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bill and Zoe came too and took us on a tour of the bay. We weren’t sure of our welcome if we ventured ashore with the odd fence running down the beach and into the water so stayed in the dinghy. A faster and cooler way to explore.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoPgWRCSN4mpsCaJ45ihCRzi99aXq7gy-rNXfXyZqjmIeOZa-NuYvwKT2eEeJfgKKT3-7-D_R5slP2rX1eCcob4WloaAcare1LwKXh6YL2jeCVqWmFXvjNdTPG5NqKCHXIRevArbJmJEb6JMbSlbGAd2NaqBTsRYBQZvE1Ux7vCBxsK0I1XMC2yDDGOE/s2048/3f368f4e-7e71-467f-8ff3-6ca01c42a78b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoPgWRCSN4mpsCaJ45ihCRzi99aXq7gy-rNXfXyZqjmIeOZa-NuYvwKT2eEeJfgKKT3-7-D_R5slP2rX1eCcob4WloaAcare1LwKXh6YL2jeCVqWmFXvjNdTPG5NqKCHXIRevArbJmJEb6JMbSlbGAd2NaqBTsRYBQZvE1Ux7vCBxsK0I1XMC2yDDGOE/s320/3f368f4e-7e71-467f-8ff3-6ca01c42a78b.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Climbing into a mangrove tree was our photo opportunity. Bill takes a photo of Zoë in an offshore tree in every new country they visit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>There are a few more photos to be added (and taken) before we depart but now have a couple places to go and people to see. X Nancy<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-55188470038229684952023-09-09T16:55:00.003-04:002023-09-09T16:56:27.166-04:00Part 3 - Espiritu Santo to Aoba and back to Port Vila, Efata<p>From Luganville we headed north to a very sheltered bay with a tricky entrance requiring a high tide, waypoints and nerves of steel. We anchored in the outer bay when we first arrived to check that all was as expected and waited for the next high tide.</p><p>It was very much worth the worry and wait. Inside the bay was wonderfully sheltered, the shore dotted with holiday villas. It was also a place where we thought we might see a dugong, but didn’t.</p><p>Once anchored up, we dinghied ashore to look around and found the homestead of Philip, Reena and their children. It was manicured jungle walk with well maintained gardens with a beach at the mouth of a fresh water river. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAH_WPTd_rifYXH0OXn33RcQeaCvvk_pIhLRDp_5SoK5dY_cKWRwk3w3otrMlslvYrbQoo2SgRRyqARxsPOL7FUZT_w2SQEMK4FaRNvN8tQjIDDEsAJfaUgi9NOlTfoWmqNZFl8pSZzDRIhw9syEJq50iyPyLjazxLz5HRiDOQz5a9jES-Fg-Fvoe3WWU/s4032/IMG_2726.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAH_WPTd_rifYXH0OXn33RcQeaCvvk_pIhLRDp_5SoK5dY_cKWRwk3w3otrMlslvYrbQoo2SgRRyqARxsPOL7FUZT_w2SQEMK4FaRNvN8tQjIDDEsAJfaUgi9NOlTfoWmqNZFl8pSZzDRIhw9syEJq50iyPyLjazxLz5HRiDOQz5a9jES-Fg-Fvoe3WWU/s320/IMG_2726.jpeg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Philip walked us up to the village and then back down to the beach with the whole family in tow.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g3aHqJWAcY1ajIUcczR2QQrkrKwSE7yT8eQ9H6PPH1Yl1pw1QPIBRtTk38FyzsQapKtAyhozA5mQ6Jb-VvpLAbC2fBwyq4nIqXA5FM_NR_bIucDMjZa8EkbnBClK_sy_fLlSOeq5njf5HMiwUNj3TFKOhzEFT7bxNCAD9qw93Acr3cwtVw3HmLkfqUw/s4032/IMG_2728.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g3aHqJWAcY1ajIUcczR2QQrkrKwSE7yT8eQ9H6PPH1Yl1pw1QPIBRtTk38FyzsQapKtAyhozA5mQ6Jb-VvpLAbC2fBwyq4nIqXA5FM_NR_bIucDMjZa8EkbnBClK_sy_fLlSOeq5njf5HMiwUNj3TFKOhzEFT7bxNCAD9qw93Acr3cwtVw3HmLkfqUw/s320/IMG_2728.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They are hoping to become licensed as a tourist destination and are more than happy to allow visitors to use their beach and the tables and benches by the beach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1WhA6R3CQQ8" width="320" youtube-src-id="1WhA6R3CQQ8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sheena and Willis. Apologies for the repetitive waffling in video. Should have had a longer think before pressing record. There is also a language issue; all speak the local dialectic and may also speak more or less English and or French and it can be hard to tell.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1hfparZ9o8tGeW8mI54rKMYLRzhoSvP5mNr-stLcqsaBxI6iwk6q1KBpK3RcNa8Q3w6gzqE4VhRV009hnOjZ54a9jtsg1CGbqA52YUubhtthhGFNAVpqZtdpjrM-p2Z68gU0sSpGtzVpRh-OCTS3DW23aLPYVob_OALld7AiUAerePXC-NCmEbIHWM0/s3159/IMG_2735.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1741" data-original-width="3159" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1hfparZ9o8tGeW8mI54rKMYLRzhoSvP5mNr-stLcqsaBxI6iwk6q1KBpK3RcNa8Q3w6gzqE4VhRV009hnOjZ54a9jtsg1CGbqA52YUubhtthhGFNAVpqZtdpjrM-p2Z68gU0sSpGtzVpRh-OCTS3DW23aLPYVob_OALld7AiUAerePXC-NCmEbIHWM0/w400-h220/IMG_2735.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Boys playing football on the beach. It is a wonderful backyard.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJHUkjXCaHsC7orNEYYKJJHcmBXV4Xu1665M2wpPFV_WUTKYtQflVEk_nHF92dzCxbMmHchJkqNcALYVQ6Sqf-JMPsZdU_7fDjxDc9pENpoP24jwKhPfyUUe6pheFjHrJQevK3QXQH36zPT-KeIGIRELnKXmKtEXo3CU4rmxe8laMz__QOGkoIxOCz_4/s4032/IMG_2733.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJHUkjXCaHsC7orNEYYKJJHcmBXV4Xu1665M2wpPFV_WUTKYtQflVEk_nHF92dzCxbMmHchJkqNcALYVQ6Sqf-JMPsZdU_7fDjxDc9pENpoP24jwKhPfyUUe6pheFjHrJQevK3QXQH36zPT-KeIGIRELnKXmKtEXo3CU4rmxe8laMz__QOGkoIxOCz_4/s320/IMG_2733.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the mouth of the river, looking out into the bay. Everything about the river was pretty and best of all it lead to a blue hole. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrMIFBXfd7K9ODnVS09wUqqP0aTkofzDcm-tZtaoBfEVtWdngn-N22k4V_PcJhk-831w-fiHADKZcbYBcoyJB_I1IsE_yDL5k_tuJ6aWQjbHhnbkjELL7kVH_XpcWOEXA9RocBaA0iFhhoAjdLMcWDQ8gTI54vlqA5ZJMukXaI8Ij4IzMjyht7pyY_9I/s4032/IMG_2739.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrMIFBXfd7K9ODnVS09wUqqP0aTkofzDcm-tZtaoBfEVtWdngn-N22k4V_PcJhk-831w-fiHADKZcbYBcoyJB_I1IsE_yDL5k_tuJ6aWQjbHhnbkjELL7kVH_XpcWOEXA9RocBaA0iFhhoAjdLMcWDQ8gTI54vlqA5ZJMukXaI8Ij4IzMjyht7pyY_9I/s320/IMG_2739.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even the US Army built bridge we passed under was enhanced by its surroundings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the far side of the bridge, we were surprised to be hailed by a man sitting on the bank with a slingshot. There is an entrance fee of 1,000 VT per person to visit the Riri Blue Hole. This was expected. We paid and carried on up stream. Colin and Thant Zin were following us and spoke longer with the man. The slingshot wasn’t for trespassers or non-payers, but for parrots. They grow rice nearby and they have problems with parrots eating the rice, thus the slingshot. Colin has run across exactly this in other countries. On our way back from the blue hole, there were half a dozen boys with slingshots festooning the bridge. With current and tide both with us, I was too slow to get a photo as we shot past them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJllEfNwua8IGsfmxVgzD3FkU0imoeiUqZnFQmkbdQOT25bAbD7xZ1cgnbT8_qS_14XvnPNE7UQMpQU4uKTEKBfsd_4lMqm9G0Z0aoY4SRW1YrrrOz1zAf9pFHmMINtuEwisp40qblDfOgq24aQB0LqQ2CqyOiLNUaWJ3lWNI-gZyQZfaVfNFTNoLBcQ/s4032/IMG_2741.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1768" data-original-width="4032" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJllEfNwua8IGsfmxVgzD3FkU0imoeiUqZnFQmkbdQOT25bAbD7xZ1cgnbT8_qS_14XvnPNE7UQMpQU4uKTEKBfsd_4lMqm9G0Z0aoY4SRW1YrrrOz1zAf9pFHmMINtuEwisp40qblDfOgq24aQB0LqQ2CqyOiLNUaWJ3lWNI-gZyQZfaVfNFTNoLBcQ/w640-h280/IMG_2741.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I would have like to see how they grow the rice, but time did not allow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9M7ziBhfNNQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="9M7ziBhfNNQ"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"> The river was long and winding. It was a blustery day on the bay, but calm on the river. In wider sections of the river, we could see the wind whipping the treetops.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dpea8OznYdI" width="320" youtube-src-id="dpea8OznYdI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And here we are. The river just opens up and then ends. On the bottom you could see tiny pale peaks where the fresh water came out. You couldn’t see it but if you got close enough you could feel warm areas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoRKJ9OTD3fwr7j_DaEyiiXcgQDKPVM2zydysanR_TT1TFs4v9n1wl1dFYCW6lmOlqAoVbHS9S5BS0RrMBF4lnrTUKUVzSg3fXNVVx9hFgp8vOieJxuhK8Pt2x7IF4KQ_8hQv9jD3EfUV_2sCISU2tvEFJaTIBg0DwfihnctigAcqUS-jpvt1nzKf_vU/s2202/IMG_2751.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="2202" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoRKJ9OTD3fwr7j_DaEyiiXcgQDKPVM2zydysanR_TT1TFs4v9n1wl1dFYCW6lmOlqAoVbHS9S5BS0RrMBF4lnrTUKUVzSg3fXNVVx9hFgp8vOieJxuhK8Pt2x7IF4KQ_8hQv9jD3EfUV_2sCISU2tvEFJaTIBg0DwfihnctigAcqUS-jpvt1nzKf_vU/w400-h217/IMG_2751.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Swimming refreshing as it was much colder than the sea. Tim had a short swim, but Colin and Thant Zin could not be .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dinghy looked quite surreal appearing as it does poised above the water. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think all the pale/white areas on the river bottom are where the fresh water is filtering up from the depths. As it’s white it must mean that the water is bring up coral sand… sound reasonable? I have tried to get more info on blue holes but any internet search results in blue holes in the open ocean. Spectacular, yes, but not so restful and shady as this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEk8eARYQUW_1x1o0TarqLz4gDtVPoSLZDHTGQTNzx5Yf7oPQec0T8B0OQuQn5_3H6_8UBLa7ute1E8srMOWkG2RtppzwKFdDsb6YxQ6mSgdkX2Gqq_ve6haXMWsN3hSSllxJnQ1V-G58dd_b1EJOsg7Bt6EjcCt387qMtLJJIy_scq17zeiZRB4mPKxo/s16382/IMG_2752.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3732" data-original-width="16382" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEk8eARYQUW_1x1o0TarqLz4gDtVPoSLZDHTGQTNzx5Yf7oPQec0T8B0OQuQn5_3H6_8UBLa7ute1E8srMOWkG2RtppzwKFdDsb6YxQ6mSgdkX2Gqq_ve6haXMWsN3hSSllxJnQ1V-G58dd_b1EJOsg7Bt6EjcCt387qMtLJJIy_scq17zeiZRB4mPKxo/w640-h146/IMG_2752.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Riri Blue Hole must have been well maintained in the past. There were steps, a concrete dock, a seating area and paths but all were in various stages of disrepair. It did not detract from the beauty of the place though it did make you careful about where you put your feet or what you sat on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QSWjV8XYbF0" width="320" youtube-src-id="QSWjV8XYbF0"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heading back down river. I was thinking how nice it would be to paddle down in complete silence when around the bend came a canoe with a paying passenger. Unfortunately, almost the minute they came around the bed, I shifted my grip on my phone and put my finger over the lens, which I managed to edit out eventually.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuZOJdfFZd4" width="320" youtube-src-id="WuZOJdfFZd4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By the time I realised I’d missed most of it they were passing Colin and Thant Zin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We enjoyed this so much that the next day we went up another nearby river to see the Matavulu Blue Hole.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The river journey wasn’t as nice as the day before, but it was worth it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L6LZmfZCdIw" width="320" youtube-src-id="L6LZmfZCdIw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is our arrival. It was very impressive and looked like a set from the film ‘Avatar’. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U7xa8DBYjaLWGJ-jND-1xFg8m3-HjvmqwWORqLlp1B19leB_nhd_xsJKg8QcESThye_0Lu1a5Sh64Pd-_2PDwVDpxnDltkeq9XVm33nuP4B9anAbQNBwVNN21mneD9R0yQgeKaHF4ClCWNt6UxtbZX3munVD0vIHZ2czo5zoUtHoFydjZsIYhhSgCPo/s4032/IMG_2780.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="4032" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U7xa8DBYjaLWGJ-jND-1xFg8m3-HjvmqwWORqLlp1B19leB_nhd_xsJKg8QcESThye_0Lu1a5Sh64Pd-_2PDwVDpxnDltkeq9XVm33nuP4B9anAbQNBwVNN21mneD9R0yQgeKaHF4ClCWNt6UxtbZX3munVD0vIHZ2czo5zoUtHoFydjZsIYhhSgCPo/w640-h154/IMG_2780.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a bigger, deeper, a little colder pool than Riri and no one fancied joining me for a swim.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaQRMlS-Qsb3meujaDWRzacdIh4XqqI3huM0K6LRrc-eJNlBevUPT66qqip17_RnwmkYkff9L61XrIiUR0nf7LmcX7QKUcZhzuJ9kfEnJnQAf10C1iTCwqS8s8JeboGIMSRHG1iooe8iiYAxFU78fIhWQifjooz8ebJWj9PMOJ1BHCIAmb_MA62mAiwQ/s12414/IMG_2786.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3760" data-original-width="12414" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaQRMlS-Qsb3meujaDWRzacdIh4XqqI3huM0K6LRrc-eJNlBevUPT66qqip17_RnwmkYkff9L61XrIiUR0nf7LmcX7QKUcZhzuJ9kfEnJnQAf10C1iTCwqS8s8JeboGIMSRHG1iooe8iiYAxFU78fIhWQifjooz8ebJWj9PMOJ1BHCIAmb_MA62mAiwQ/w640-h194/IMG_2786.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were the only group there. Instead of swimming, the guys chose to walk part of the track to the old airport. I was still swimming when they got back. It is such a treat to swim in fresh water. I had no idea how unusual that is having grown up on Lake Huron, one of The Great Lakes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUwycMwJ9ISShlE3eWaUIHX-g897ExLxjdZgr4uUUoQ5sMroFkn_f39FjCZmozGUAe_kUCSTLNdMtFppXvXfKWbfY-5jT6tQTWqG8bSvWV8zBu9TCOBvxeK0YXgKDfWmenjh3ator03wyN4qDenkd9KKCJwnq5DfJOf2uGntOTD5Inv0UaEzku_ubttY/s4032/IMG_2790.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2589" data-original-width="4032" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUwycMwJ9ISShlE3eWaUIHX-g897ExLxjdZgr4uUUoQ5sMroFkn_f39FjCZmozGUAe_kUCSTLNdMtFppXvXfKWbfY-5jT6tQTWqG8bSvWV8zBu9TCOBvxeK0YXgKDfWmenjh3ator03wyN4qDenkd9KKCJwnq5DfJOf2uGntOTD5Inv0UaEzku_ubttY/s320/IMG_2790.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tim, Thant Zin and Colin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwhmbAjNGcAZMmKf4Z1_KgiCdENgb2P4JZspo-1shwZOFoV2eyHdM_kXcN6JhEFA9ErONbDGOE2U4m9690UDRuNOdRR2apBBwPYrOILB9TuEzBuWhoSdS859e_89Cksa0X1I6aGqa82zlTDBYlqRFdu_09zp9VDFJPG2LmRMw4_MZrjIjWvbABFJ1HNU/s3782/IMG_2795.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2435" data-original-width="3782" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwhmbAjNGcAZMmKf4Z1_KgiCdENgb2P4JZspo-1shwZOFoV2eyHdM_kXcN6JhEFA9ErONbDGOE2U4m9690UDRuNOdRR2apBBwPYrOILB9TuEzBuWhoSdS859e_89Cksa0X1I6aGqa82zlTDBYlqRFdu_09zp9VDFJPG2LmRMw4_MZrjIjWvbABFJ1HNU/w640-h413/IMG_2795.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These two ladies maintained and managed the site on the day we arrived. They welcome visitors, keep the gardens tidy, collect the 1,000 VT fee and then wave them goodbye. Visitors can also come by road.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KD1vveY3Qdw" width="320" youtube-src-id="KD1vveY3Qdw"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heading back down the river I was wondering if one could swim it or how nice it would be to not use the engine to better hear the birds, when around the bend came a canoe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuZOJdfFZd4" width="320" youtube-src-id="WuZOJdfFZd4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our man with the slingshot exchanged it for a paddle and tourist.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These two days were our favourite experiences thus far in Vanuatu. I would happily swim in blue holes every day of the week, but there appeared to be a favourable weather window for heading south in the offing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0SAKhpbS8kX2UmDni4KR7-tj42tITZKBh5VYbEA2aFoYaKDc_8fZjxfHeHcNRcINv62X1GP4qmbEUdux6l8jYUxmUJETHwUI26lUUdnFj689vyLxYF2myNOYSEOTxk8UQXp21YDg6m3MMg4LQLRWLM8iOoIRBY7Kl1HvrjsEDOTtOxW3eliKLGDCdbo/s1287/IMG_0961.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="1058" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0SAKhpbS8kX2UmDni4KR7-tj42tITZKBh5VYbEA2aFoYaKDc_8fZjxfHeHcNRcINv62X1GP4qmbEUdux6l8jYUxmUJETHwUI26lUUdnFj689vyLxYF2myNOYSEOTxk8UQXp21YDg6m3MMg4LQLRWLM8iOoIRBY7Kl1HvrjsEDOTtOxW3eliKLGDCdbo/w526-h640/IMG_0961.jpeg" width="526" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The red line is northbound and the green southbound.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The islands of Vanuatu run north- south more or less and the prevailing winds are from the southeast. This makes it easy to sail north, but more challenging to sail south. The farther north you go the more more weather windows you could need to get back down. A window might only be open long enough to get you to the next island, where the waiting begins again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Almost from the moment we left Efata, Tim was eyeing up potential weather windows daily in every 10 day forecast to come back down south. We were also resigned to leaving from Luganville on Santos if a window never came.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As chance would have it, more southerly wind than normal was forecast for two days time and would be followed in a week or so by two days of easterly winds with perhaps a hint of north in them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A plan was formed to over night at the nearby island of Aese and the next day use the southerly to go further East to the island of Aoba. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aese has a beautiful sandy beach on one side and a windward side of exposed volcanic rock. Only one family living permanently on the island, but as we arrived a church group were pitching tents, digging and outhouse, settling up cooking areas with military precision.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-uGvs9YTRgXkILYQjn6x1rsa8Uq3G_j9ooPRqqzrfQU7IWryN13eEzW_oBo8EZIYCceWH_I4psXoo-pN-9ryDyIk7iI07gUYt9IQaCa8wdNcCFA6LI1DTQ45xNPnqC4OXWlV0uL59m_fCtJv0ohAYklmzHAafHeYGrZ2Z0jAx5CA1XTR-a2PAuenE1Q/s11722/IMG_2833.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3910" data-original-width="11722" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-uGvs9YTRgXkILYQjn6x1rsa8Uq3G_j9ooPRqqzrfQU7IWryN13eEzW_oBo8EZIYCceWH_I4psXoo-pN-9ryDyIk7iI07gUYt9IQaCa8wdNcCFA6LI1DTQ45xNPnqC4OXWlV0uL59m_fCtJv0ohAYklmzHAafHeYGrZ2Z0jAx5CA1XTR-a2PAuenE1Q/w640-h214/IMG_2833.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tents going up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCYyUI8KKKHijwd9H2QiD6cQSKVmNpTMX7bU-xDrcCfT7sSO1f0Wv5tm5YvCFI9AhOagYzWBukj0mtDF5KFCRcizmK1nb8SFLdW5R8UdzMRL19VaZB4JQpnHJH-YKKDAeJgrd-YFaKgVdKB6TynXNrJb5Ic_b-lBY7-2MA6NfD5gWYXFSczL4pnnzSbc/s11710/IMG_2816.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3144" data-original-width="11710" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCYyUI8KKKHijwd9H2QiD6cQSKVmNpTMX7bU-xDrcCfT7sSO1f0Wv5tm5YvCFI9AhOagYzWBukj0mtDF5KFCRcizmK1nb8SFLdW5R8UdzMRL19VaZB4JQpnHJH-YKKDAeJgrd-YFaKgVdKB6TynXNrJb5Ic_b-lBY7-2MA6NfD5gWYXFSczL4pnnzSbc/w640-h172/IMG_2816.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The windward beach. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">No photos were taken on the walk across the island. It was a mix of trees and grassy areas but throughout was a thin strong creeper vine that tried very hard to trip you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoqLhi5DlqpQYa6Ml_xpZ8C2I2er9QD-bvKRLBnX1bBVIQnuWmvnYNAZPhjWEzWndbXNbHM8gsVsFb_SHcEKVTfF3iQVS5Txhgubsyklntms7ma5IHak37eEBu6cg4D_zwf6qCQCZMkMR3-MD44lc3XlMDpMQBoJL69_5Oxz40B_OO07UZtn6hHcWxqw/s4032/IMG_2812.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoqLhi5DlqpQYa6Ml_xpZ8C2I2er9QD-bvKRLBnX1bBVIQnuWmvnYNAZPhjWEzWndbXNbHM8gsVsFb_SHcEKVTfF3iQVS5Txhgubsyklntms7ma5IHak37eEBu6cg4D_zwf6qCQCZMkMR3-MD44lc3XlMDpMQBoJL69_5Oxz40B_OO07UZtn6hHcWxqw/s320/IMG_2812.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thant Zin is SO at home picking through tide pools and clambering over razor sharp volcanic rock.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjVR89XQMXaWColw-hXB_TrEnkLDAahueurMqUSgJmvbBGiwKXU25PRIOKAdyVYKSRiJSvSSgfL0LMEAdH7UKjItF-j_2GgfB5Hj0frgFYkNI7Jx-ap10TiVtCUQ2jGMMFiz3-OgrpPvdsxiaZ0TU1JcS2OLHGPnhI8Dn0-6JJoi1e0lxRB2zaBRHxVw/s2048/52308799-A473-481F-AE4D-68C2E93A4BA5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjVR89XQMXaWColw-hXB_TrEnkLDAahueurMqUSgJmvbBGiwKXU25PRIOKAdyVYKSRiJSvSSgfL0LMEAdH7UKjItF-j_2GgfB5Hj0frgFYkNI7Jx-ap10TiVtCUQ2jGMMFiz3-OgrpPvdsxiaZ0TU1JcS2OLHGPnhI8Dn0-6JJoi1e0lxRB2zaBRHxVw/s320/52308799-A473-481F-AE4D-68C2E93A4BA5.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am a lot more cautious and stopped walking till I could look where I put my feet again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFdC8lPEV0v4_IWreUgXowkvUWVoYAvbpY7NDugmmLw7tSZosFxCNugwKegXAoSfzwC2fAnXrbokMg3vn86RMdO0BUO25HYIrD5-9IGcfmH7Pne-md57W5FxvmwaaeH45vPNcmrF7mbwLdJrBdF-5GcyM0dL6_k_H7x5JTKZVVu-TA48g8Y8cpwVNkl4/s4032/IMG_2831.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFdC8lPEV0v4_IWreUgXowkvUWVoYAvbpY7NDugmmLw7tSZosFxCNugwKegXAoSfzwC2fAnXrbokMg3vn86RMdO0BUO25HYIrD5-9IGcfmH7Pne-md57W5FxvmwaaeH45vPNcmrF7mbwLdJrBdF-5GcyM0dL6_k_H7x5JTKZVVu-TA48g8Y8cpwVNkl4/s320/IMG_2831.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jennifer and her family. She has the best smile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLpt2NmntSZIPZuQasry_pGIpc34wUbPLlEnkbCxlvNkx-f6zylF-e3BwYoO-bO9I6noJTs2fNoqifzeIV9RTYeBadZOw3zSHR3cWfPIdEzaeMq_sue4Tx2uBZOK-PGsjQ1soJ_Ks4L1GsTmgJ5ftGnhe1SXbY5089MmqNdcVpCQ-qvsjjSQO6kSF3eU/s4032/IMG_2828.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLpt2NmntSZIPZuQasry_pGIpc34wUbPLlEnkbCxlvNkx-f6zylF-e3BwYoO-bO9I6noJTs2fNoqifzeIV9RTYeBadZOw3zSHR3cWfPIdEzaeMq_sue4Tx2uBZOK-PGsjQ1soJ_Ks4L1GsTmgJ5ftGnhe1SXbY5089MmqNdcVpCQ-qvsjjSQO6kSF3eU/s320/IMG_2828.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It’s one thing to buy them in a shop but I had no idea that chayote/christophine grow on a vine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw28qWfyktPVfzDXl2tMKH8REbon39UIyw14qeL5sVVX_ZtWI8wqlKDLpD1zW_C0mR3QLqqX2R28SKVZUjOMQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love this video of Jennifer. I had wondered how she was going to reached the chayote.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(I wasn’t able to put it on YouTube as they converted this to a ‘Short’ that I wasn’t able to insert here. So I deleted it despite the fact that it had had 3,600 views and 26 likes.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next morning we headed east from Aese to Aoba.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8jaJRUohmos" width="320" youtube-src-id="8jaJRUohmos"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lovely sailing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wCVhGe2sp9ouFVd-pNLaZcfO3E5YakGATQ24xS_LXnLdJaFHIFcuhPC80kpRJ9EcxRWMPIsiU2Y5HUOuH5q3y-n90tBPFxd8B9Fq6czCDJRodWyonf8DbMLp2vjdook9ky0TsTKwoSSu6FWym7hxh8KBGfwWgqPqnjBlRBEAo70iZi4_kCnAxvVh8zo/s4032/IMG_2848.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wCVhGe2sp9ouFVd-pNLaZcfO3E5YakGATQ24xS_LXnLdJaFHIFcuhPC80kpRJ9EcxRWMPIsiU2Y5HUOuH5q3y-n90tBPFxd8B9Fq6czCDJRodWyonf8DbMLp2vjdook9ky0TsTKwoSSu6FWym7hxh8KBGfwWgqPqnjBlRBEAo70iZi4_kCnAxvVh8zo/s320/IMG_2848.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Restful too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRvd3J1jHHVN96BqPvhAPnwQGHftCMdxjawZkTS0ZabmG2OFSu9Tv1ImsrOWTQhp-pRNh5Hbklat4r-u2Sl2VItkBKdt_fiWWV8RlR8i3ZH1msZXOSTJtI2l-q6oBPBYGTurqihgSd_0JSnQZ96PMl4ba064W4OYMgRp485UPtFZLqzmtfUVGt9neTvc/s4032/IMG_2862.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRvd3J1jHHVN96BqPvhAPnwQGHftCMdxjawZkTS0ZabmG2OFSu9Tv1ImsrOWTQhp-pRNh5Hbklat4r-u2Sl2VItkBKdt_fiWWV8RlR8i3ZH1msZXOSTJtI2l-q6oBPBYGTurqihgSd_0JSnQZ96PMl4ba064W4OYMgRp485UPtFZLqzmtfUVGt9neTvc/s320/IMG_2862.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The anchorage outside the village. We moved to the village anchorage but due to the protective reefs, the bay is best entered at high water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5p42rMZgwQrLKLTE6ltPWRufovy1QLPpbziCQu_IbtWj9NFagQiFmix64k9l8UFwIdOCuEAmbbK6AY_RS7zYQY1IAeWyfqcfmdlAZXUPAi_J4fhJsOwsbvKxtHXmjsHZGCejQoGmSR8JT1yMaOY0lbl7unPiOXHvVB8psfa6ZRZmP3TjPMT-QkSCWfQ/s4032/IMG_2859.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5p42rMZgwQrLKLTE6ltPWRufovy1QLPpbziCQu_IbtWj9NFagQiFmix64k9l8UFwIdOCuEAmbbK6AY_RS7zYQY1IAeWyfqcfmdlAZXUPAi_J4fhJsOwsbvKxtHXmjsHZGCejQoGmSR8JT1yMaOY0lbl7unPiOXHvVB8psfa6ZRZmP3TjPMT-QkSCWfQ/s320/IMG_2859.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For scale, Burmese Breeze anchored near the cliffs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tree above were full of bats. You could see them coming and going, twittering like birds. We had bananas ripening on the aft deck so we covered them at night in an abundance of caution. In the Caribbean, fruit bats will swoop into boats left open with with ripe bananas on display. They poop on the fly and make a terrible mess. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsN2VC0f96EXPlYEeCEWsZuKZ21T62rEjjP4fRqBw84LcG0122sjR--yTNHCPGPZadUxjbX_e6vbi2jLwLjqSFKUreCghaDYfsvO3LuOFx7In45TloNlqKJ5yhAa-XssYKonnG7w79HZ8flRV1bXQQFuvbw7VvTHY55Ogl1tSIUkft45X5VYCwy4LXRlI/s4032/IMG_1927.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsN2VC0f96EXPlYEeCEWsZuKZ21T62rEjjP4fRqBw84LcG0122sjR--yTNHCPGPZadUxjbX_e6vbi2jLwLjqSFKUreCghaDYfsvO3LuOFx7In45TloNlqKJ5yhAa-XssYKonnG7w79HZ8flRV1bXQQFuvbw7VvTHY55Ogl1tSIUkft45X5VYCwy4LXRlI/s320/IMG_1927.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the heat of the day in search of the local market, we walked to the east coast of the island. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the distance is the island of Maewo, which looks amazing but is also know for sorcery. <a href="https://weareexplorers.co/guide-to-maewo-vanuatu/" target="_blank">All about Maewo</a> - it was tempting but we didn’t have time to stop. One must also ensure that you are not ashore when, once every two weeks or so, the sorcerers ‘self medicate’ and roam the island. Anyone not sheltering inside risks being beaten.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-aoI8KVLogvsH9fb773CEGDQcC7uqI7K1BvKzlmouBnOrz-ZsFyQwguECCi8Sa-RJRm7wQb6tFuKGxdAWKTQ_jtZSm23a0MhrGCvTTovKlgqdGJi49MTXmI_fhGEMXjL_rPz4BrIYOwstP_qQiuoZe1Z7Po3g0tUUwDPwEocZDREIAsAc5KJqZlAOtw/s4032/IMG_1929.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-aoI8KVLogvsH9fb773CEGDQcC7uqI7K1BvKzlmouBnOrz-ZsFyQwguECCi8Sa-RJRm7wQb6tFuKGxdAWKTQ_jtZSm23a0MhrGCvTTovKlgqdGJi49MTXmI_fhGEMXjL_rPz4BrIYOwstP_qQiuoZe1Z7Po3g0tUUwDPwEocZDREIAsAc5KJqZlAOtw/s320/IMG_1929.jpeg" width="320" /></a>I</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tim, Colin and Thant Zin made a long hard walk to see the lake in the caldera. Luckily, it was baking day for me.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZTgJ8OImX6dvlxY7M65EtqToQuC27e3dmLt4rgsOMra_obBROQQFHpG-rG-1uMR3wLOnF9o7LaD9w4L0Y2XLeOs8j2qzqhJ3AXpIfecM_-mj2VRER2zJfAhzDc2dd9EARdMJbp6TJ2cCSNkfZPVwllqnUkbmjs-p3kNUnxXNU9V4J74sd_8j102l208/s4032/IMG_2870.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZTgJ8OImX6dvlxY7M65EtqToQuC27e3dmLt4rgsOMra_obBROQQFHpG-rG-1uMR3wLOnF9o7LaD9w4L0Y2XLeOs8j2qzqhJ3AXpIfecM_-mj2VRER2zJfAhzDc2dd9EARdMJbp6TJ2cCSNkfZPVwllqnUkbmjs-p3kNUnxXNU9V4J74sd_8j102l208/s320/IMG_2870.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is Celia and her daughter Samantha. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Celia has the best shop in Lolowai and she specially ordered bread for us to be collected at 10.00 the next morning. The bread came early and not being able to make me understand from the shore the need to come and get it now, Celia and her daughter delivered it. It was Sunday and there was big event on the East side of the island and she and her family hoped to go. She invited us to go along too but transportation is an issue and the distance was too far to walk.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TKdvmKpBTbLcXIsUCrznxAN8iCiZfnjmznZZoLvVMzHnATFwuuSPMXWyITueGWhkeF4goMxu1Pf74cY5Vdg6BdwYXkYHYD7XYjeD9VUgY_56ZeuLtLX-gsKG70nU4feyYgHcw5T02bhVfdaFDKcOM9NeELnZHOF2WNdzeeawwFpgcZY6V1sEGcYPEi0/s4032/IMG_2879.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TKdvmKpBTbLcXIsUCrznxAN8iCiZfnjmznZZoLvVMzHnATFwuuSPMXWyITueGWhkeF4goMxu1Pf74cY5Vdg6BdwYXkYHYD7XYjeD9VUgY_56ZeuLtLX-gsKG70nU4feyYgHcw5T02bhVfdaFDKcOM9NeELnZHOF2WNdzeeawwFpgcZY6V1sEGcYPEi0/s320/IMG_2879.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I sent these photos to Celia’s son who is 14 and at flight school in Fiji. Celia has a phone but has no idea how to use it. Hopefully when he next visits he can put the photos onto her phone.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEKiYfJwsZ9Ar8JU-1TLDmy_lhUPQ7nGgJIEsxmBvRs3g47UitNgEVSzVOpOvBQS6nufqtG85_ljQc6Ka0e_iVZ3WcuB0w-os9gZdCquJvxa6DCIGypMBuj1XKi4ptcOO6t7vkyaULke92sBb_kjirpnfg8M5PxNVyvuUXIIURCEYRnkL6yMPrXiU2Rs/s4032/IMG_2882.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEKiYfJwsZ9Ar8JU-1TLDmy_lhUPQ7nGgJIEsxmBvRs3g47UitNgEVSzVOpOvBQS6nufqtG85_ljQc6Ka0e_iVZ3WcuB0w-os9gZdCquJvxa6DCIGypMBuj1XKi4ptcOO6t7vkyaULke92sBb_kjirpnfg8M5PxNVyvuUXIIURCEYRnkL6yMPrXiU2Rs/s320/IMG_2882.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Onions are priced individually depending on size.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we shop, we buy far more at a time than the local people. We have refrigeration and are away from shops for long periods. In remote areas or when produce is scarce, it’s better to leave what there is for the locals. They don’t have visitors often and can be more generous than they should be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When Celia, delivered the bread and after chatting with us for a while, said she would gift us the bread if she had baked it, but the baker needed to be paid. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2i8u1lDa2R4" width="320" youtube-src-id="2i8u1lDa2R4"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The departure of the ferry and panorama of the bay. You can see the route the ferry takes to keep clear of the unseen reefs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From Aoba we sailed to Port Vila, Efata over two days. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The winds were forecast to be from the East and maybe a little from the northeast. We decided to use our staysail, which is smaller than the main jib and is hanked onto a removable inner forestay. We set it up before departure and then haul it up once under way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The headsail made a huge difference sailing with the wind ahead of the beam. Our main jib is much bigger and gusts can make it quite a lively sail. With the staysail, the ride was much smoother particularly behind the island where the seas are flat but the wind very gusty. It allowed us to have more main sail up, which is great for stability and comfort and keeping the speed more consistent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We anchored for the night on the north west coast of Ambrym. We arrived just after dark and we’re glad of two other boats already anchored there. I’ve anchored between them. The next morning the tide turned and the wind picked up into the anchorage and we were forced to start our journey a little earlier than expected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next leg from Ambrym to Efata was more challenging. The wind was strong and although in the open sea it would probably have been blowing from the East North East it was quite different behind the islands.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The wind tends to bend around and accelerate down a islands coastline. With the wind coming from the east, the wind direction we experienced depended on the direction of the coast line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0FQQ7IE2dc2z0JeqB4W3rTQbrnvUvutRLBGttcwi8fXrqwFzAR08QPQ1N_ReotdPnLzCUs7TpafDH8oSZe-gJQjnO62dL45lnWaigqtU1EGlN7tA5-3lM7jeASmMC360laJ00IdHxYt5hdtgNHFSeBgsN-x3ixNyOwuDwyTQeFvErvoB3DTnHK4OMKo/s1115/IMG_0963.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="951" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0FQQ7IE2dc2z0JeqB4W3rTQbrnvUvutRLBGttcwi8fXrqwFzAR08QPQ1N_ReotdPnLzCUs7TpafDH8oSZe-gJQjnO62dL45lnWaigqtU1EGlN7tA5-3lM7jeASmMC360laJ00IdHxYt5hdtgNHFSeBgsN-x3ixNyOwuDwyTQeFvErvoB3DTnHK4OMKo/s320/IMG_0963.jpeg" width="273" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So as you go along, the wind comes from this direction then that direction and so on. It makes for a meandering coarse over the ground.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From Ambrym we had 24 hours of hard sailing. Not as hard as Burmese Breeze had. They were about 12 hours ahead of us having opted not stopped for the night. We seem to have had a much better sea state for a lot of the passage, but it was still a fast rough passage with little sleep had by any.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were very glad to get into the lee of Efata, but the 2 hours of motoring up to Port Vila to arrive at 0400 in the morning was horrible in its utter tedium. We were very glad to drop anchor and sleep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We are now sticking to the Port Vila area, and on the lookout for a weather window to New Caledonia and Australia.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-4628121977210765872023-08-25T05:08:00.002-04:002023-08-28T01:52:09.862-04:00Port Vila to Espiritu Santo - Part 2<p>Epi</p><p>The island of Epi, our next stop, was a full days sail from Efata. They day promised good winds but once we had left the bay, where the winds were gusting 25 knots, we lost the wind completely and despite our best efforts motored for first two hours. Eventually we left the island’s wind shadow and in the blink of an eye we were hustling to get reefed down. </p><p>This was very like sailing from Guadeloupe to Antigua in the Caribbean. No wind, no wind, no wind, and suddenly gusting 25 knots as you cleared the island. The jump in speed makes any lure you are trailing much more alluring and all at once you have a fish in the line with the boat heeled over on her ear. Larus likes to heel and sails well in lots of wind but it does make reeling in, landing and filleting challenging. We learned not to fish heading north from Guadeloupe. </p><p>We anchored in Lameh, Bay. Rachel had warned us we’d probably need a stern anchor to keep our stern into the swell. When we arrived there wasn’t any swell and the bay seemed reasonably protected. The wind was blowing offshore and keeping us in a good position to meet any swell that bent around the headland. It was good until the wind dropped in the middle of the night, we were turned broad side to the swell and then the rolling was terrible. We left as soon as we could the next morning for Malekula. </p><p>Malekula</p><p>We had a fast sail with crazy currents and strong wind combination. This does makes for an exhilarating sail. It’s the sort of passage where you wish you’d made the sandwiches for lunch before you left. Luckily, we had tuna salad made up already and I just had to slap it between two slices of bread.</p><p>Our destination was the anchorage tucked in behind Awei Island, part of the Maskelyne Islands.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0SbwhXByDg28EeDV-g59CGfpUdodnODdMZQQGiWk4WuBF3fjITMHZj17S_xYVpBpPddGH87i8QlgTeR8DH6t0zx6095IgpQc-7DcieD2lzmabm3eXG10-c3cBeYONuPp8iKnnNIkBEfWV1mb5DqmnM2LitgTlrdShxUmzpfCn3t54i_9R5khZ8zThFU/s1857/IMG_0944.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1288" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0SbwhXByDg28EeDV-g59CGfpUdodnODdMZQQGiWk4WuBF3fjITMHZj17S_xYVpBpPddGH87i8QlgTeR8DH6t0zx6095IgpQc-7DcieD2lzmabm3eXG10-c3cBeYONuPp8iKnnNIkBEfWV1mb5DqmnM2LitgTlrdShxUmzpfCn3t54i_9R5khZ8zThFU/w445-h640/IMG_0944.jpeg" width="445" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Awei Island in marked by the anchor symbol on the bottom left corner of the chart. Once again we were expecting rain and strong winds and it was a wonderfully protected spot.<div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0pN2oWBaAq34QgoTLJi9BvmITSI2j2O0dTTFK9AJmZ8Nksl8ML3UcsI08FUfL01pKb9mwJg8hjorL4zGrPeDP5IURGR-DPQ1m4QLKcPZYzkEVqZzd7nL4GqVwVdbgf0KH99sJLENl1ZeAUQ9X6NndGTtfoD3PAC6GadA7pl2vbVsba7IsXTytM-ARQg/s2004/IMG_2611.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="2004" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0pN2oWBaAq34QgoTLJi9BvmITSI2j2O0dTTFK9AJmZ8Nksl8ML3UcsI08FUfL01pKb9mwJg8hjorL4zGrPeDP5IURGR-DPQ1m4QLKcPZYzkEVqZzd7nL4GqVwVdbgf0KH99sJLENl1ZeAUQ9X6NndGTtfoD3PAC6GadA7pl2vbVsba7IsXTytM-ARQg/w640-h333/IMG_2611.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That triangle of sail in the distance is Burmese Breeze. We are looking at them over an impassible reef, which keeps the waves and swell out of the anchorage, making it very well protected from pretty much any direction.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It rained the whole time we were there, which really was too bad as there is the headman’s house on the island and nice walks. Our only interaction with the locals was when a canoe paddled up with fruit and veg to trade for something they need. The most popular item requested was a length of rope to tether a cow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The headman got his rope in exchange for our using his bay but he also asked boats in the anchorage to use their own dinghy to take the kids from the island to school. This was often on a particularly rainy day or when the tide was out, but it is hard to say, ‘no’, the the village headman, particularly when he shows you his machete accident, the resulted being a thickly bandaged shin.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Honestly, nearly everyone has a machete. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4HtNm8ufuYdiZPxu6Br_wNifSASsjHg5OOPfyxR5QSzXGRfOSOygToyRn31hX0cxpWDhailOIdQmhdXspu7B2HSamWDwW6R9EnwfktRNuW1bjKgFbLGFh3mtwL4rREJZ6At2e857zDuxu7WxLO5KYCsVuldD99ri-yqLfSp9WmYhxkLVSMCmL8u0MGo/s2618/IMG_1889.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2618" data-original-width="1916" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4HtNm8ufuYdiZPxu6Br_wNifSASsjHg5OOPfyxR5QSzXGRfOSOygToyRn31hX0cxpWDhailOIdQmhdXspu7B2HSamWDwW6R9EnwfktRNuW1bjKgFbLGFh3mtwL4rREJZ6At2e857zDuxu7WxLO5KYCsVuldD99ri-yqLfSp9WmYhxkLVSMCmL8u0MGo/s320/IMG_1889.jpeg" width="234" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And not just a machete, maybe a hammer too. This was a disreputable looking group was from our next anchorage. I do not think the headman’s children here would be allowed roam Awei Island with a machete or a hammer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The school for Awei Island was on the far side of the bay, protected by a reef. They had the common sturdy all weather watercraft, but they didn’t alway use it and asked for assistance dropping off or collecting the kids. Maybe they didn’t have petrol? Maybe the tides were particularly low and their normal transport - it’s the orange lump by the shore - couldn’t get over the reef? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKcBFkB-LlbMAO6yinl4PVlcCNxFORWAiJLvpk64YO90PKN81y01yrBd-zzo89QZhS45A1NEKtEqkFaaIe0bYxFf2Pcu2v0SDQUbeOvZnyXCxNMUaKxlry_fk6hSy9qVOyg2amB5Rrseld7qKpntGk8T2Z1yAsk-X9QR-NvOSeU_nfCmhEUUcUDSVBPw/s4032/IMG_1879.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKcBFkB-LlbMAO6yinl4PVlcCNxFORWAiJLvpk64YO90PKN81y01yrBd-zzo89QZhS45A1NEKtEqkFaaIe0bYxFf2Pcu2v0SDQUbeOvZnyXCxNMUaKxlry_fk6hSy9qVOyg2amB5Rrseld7qKpntGk8T2Z1yAsk-X9QR-NvOSeU_nfCmhEUUcUDSVBPw/w400-h300/IMG_1879.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tim took three of the little ones who tested the how bouncy our dinghy was compared to their very safe and utilitarian launch. They enjoyed the ride VERY much. This was as close as Tim could get to the shore because of the reef in front of the school.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had hope to have a tour around Awei Island but the wind and rain was unrelenting. The bay was getting quite full with new arrivals and, after 3 days stuck onboard, we decided to head further north to the next big bay on Maskelyne Island.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Port Stanley and Port Sandwich</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both the British and Americans had bases in Vanuatu during the World War 2 and the names and many concrete constructions still remain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We anchored far up the bay next to an island across from the bay ferry dock. The island appeared to be inhabited by loads of chicken. In the morning they would wander down to the beach to scratch in the sand. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNhx0yDtIDzO9tuSy8TC551JJ5fDvBNqW-5FEAXNbhcacfve1P7HetHJA7Z8f4JRv34V3L-FhX84HrE4IfZljboh_UWe9te8b3BLoF1e_V1xUqLjux4RQoybZvdQcpwRwCXnogahwXeKusgS3Q1-FgrrjfiPyLz_MM79LG_oex7ESUTyYJE5_Ps1KCDs/s4032/IMG_2692.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNhx0yDtIDzO9tuSy8TC551JJ5fDvBNqW-5FEAXNbhcacfve1P7HetHJA7Z8f4JRv34V3L-FhX84HrE4IfZljboh_UWe9te8b3BLoF1e_V1xUqLjux4RQoybZvdQcpwRwCXnogahwXeKusgS3Q1-FgrrjfiPyLz_MM79LG_oex7ESUTyYJE5_Ps1KCDs/s320/IMG_2692.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the weekend, a group women and children came to the island to do a little maintenance, some chicken wrangling and to play. I see quite a lot of different things during early morning my yoga sessions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nZgAIQMQpQ4" width="320" youtube-src-id="nZgAIQMQpQ4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Like this school of fish, just doing their thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We anchored here in the hope of finding the Port Stanley Village Market and hopefully to see a <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/dugong" target="_blank">Dugong</a>, which is a type of sea cow. We found the market but not a dugong. I swam to the beach to ask the ladies if there were any in the bay. The conversation was difficult as, I think they spoke more French than English, and my going on about ‘a big thing swimming in your bay’, made them strongly assert that there were no big things swimming in the bay. We later learned that many years ago at Port Sandwich, a nearby community, there was a shark attack due to fish being cleaned on the jetty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The day we moved back up the bay to Port Sandwich, where we did not swim. We did have along interesting walk and found the village centre where I bought the best grapefruits we have eaten here for a 10th the price we pay for them in Port Vila. They were 30 VT, about 20 pence each.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The village was similar to only one other place we’ve visited in Vanuatu. It is quite a affluent area as was the village of Mele, near Port Vila. Lots of well maintained gardens and animals and many of the plots of land were fenced. <span style="text-align: center;">The fences were varied.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ybYqzlzfh2rZN0y8QhvfTXAA6xKxxn8Fk7vPSwlxNehxQdkYc6RbfDfieLKkdou-Nm6qG9LANGS4fnNJb5DIrPOiCdWiEFpHHQMV4OX-hZQ4Py2InmZru61NPYgxhewYLMkehBiqS2IQ0ZzyXzpLqC1RHTUB0cJJr2hQG4lHp6w6RKH23djZGlorRQE/s4032/IMG_2624.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ybYqzlzfh2rZN0y8QhvfTXAA6xKxxn8Fk7vPSwlxNehxQdkYc6RbfDfieLKkdou-Nm6qG9LANGS4fnNJb5DIrPOiCdWiEFpHHQMV4OX-hZQ4Py2InmZru61NPYgxhewYLMkehBiqS2IQ0ZzyXzpLqC1RHTUB0cJJr2hQG4lHp6w6RKH23djZGlorRQE/s320/IMG_2624.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sometimes they were a narrow yet impenetrable line of living trees.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFmJW6IA94SJ6--c7bR3RZqAW_Ojjj7j8QrwYw9WFbFidOR2rhVwxK8KUjckXlNujtO9jPVwE9OqP7Q71qHnmFcEl1lNSf3Fhzo1x94xDwteRgMmZu5qypuwYH2qJ6G5ezeZsgesgCZFEUq5z-WLTjsYr9-waM6Qjr_2z_WIgsfswvdIgzBmzrhY19zw/s4032/IMG_2625.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBFmJW6IA94SJ6--c7bR3RZqAW_Ojjj7j8QrwYw9WFbFidOR2rhVwxK8KUjckXlNujtO9jPVwE9OqP7Q71qHnmFcEl1lNSf3Fhzo1x94xDwteRgMmZu5qypuwYH2qJ6G5ezeZsgesgCZFEUq5z-WLTjsYr9-waM6Qjr_2z_WIgsfswvdIgzBmzrhY19zw/s320/IMG_2625.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sometimes they were the mere a suggestion of a fence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeStnVlitWdwN9qrbPoqXfr5umzAstKS9bdnL7Fvd-KaEgKYwzKYvnf65vOlfpSrbmipoO92703laTHGh-qgqesj8_IyqsbhDkdOSOMog31cbBz81aqA8ERascW2gvxwdBcVdklIn9aECTVoLI2l0Dy_onZjhsk_nDEBhzh9I2AMKfjZ-DaX-GVGzwKc/s4032/IMG_2623.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeStnVlitWdwN9qrbPoqXfr5umzAstKS9bdnL7Fvd-KaEgKYwzKYvnf65vOlfpSrbmipoO92703laTHGh-qgqesj8_IyqsbhDkdOSOMog31cbBz81aqA8ERascW2gvxwdBcVdklIn9aECTVoLI2l0Dy_onZjhsk_nDEBhzh9I2AMKfjZ-DaX-GVGzwKc/s320/IMG_2623.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sometimes they were a bit of both.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThx5wdM9aCmgV9zx7-cVMB7I_0D0lC7Axo8BH3WO6mDTrEXodrbAjEG02tc9RWDXWtuhq5t-DwX7EnwoIiuBvMXGpfjvtXyhs_uPKtv32Q0SqOmuecZiLStcfa_z85n8yeUE_NiDVn0Az6L9dDVXqtiqED5pAKtoJvDRnxOrc89F_kAcaC1s87iITey0/s4032/IMG_2622.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThx5wdM9aCmgV9zx7-cVMB7I_0D0lC7Axo8BH3WO6mDTrEXodrbAjEG02tc9RWDXWtuhq5t-DwX7EnwoIiuBvMXGpfjvtXyhs_uPKtv32Q0SqOmuecZiLStcfa_z85n8yeUE_NiDVn0Az6L9dDVXqtiqED5pAKtoJvDRnxOrc89F_kAcaC1s87iITey0/s320/IMG_2622.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A delivery from the local butcher waiting to be collected - keeping cool in the shade and safely out of the reach of an opportunistic pooch.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz-oIE-cmCb2ZSxxOSoOPZ_x9uToefg4ZiKrktFoiVEOJw7gmOxhQqsolPXTH64E8hG2rAzLaJnGdjnZfZ6A7XEYIySfJTcH-hS9cGr-D3AsBQGlIvX73rp2zeyNGBOCTQQbFJP1-L63Ye0HmIaWRdc6yshDd37CYbBAaE_EwdpdRaCLlfUkt_7lHx54/s4032/IMG_2639.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwz-oIE-cmCb2ZSxxOSoOPZ_x9uToefg4ZiKrktFoiVEOJw7gmOxhQqsolPXTH64E8hG2rAzLaJnGdjnZfZ6A7XEYIySfJTcH-hS9cGr-D3AsBQGlIvX73rp2zeyNGBOCTQQbFJP1-L63Ye0HmIaWRdc6yshDd37CYbBAaE_EwdpdRaCLlfUkt_7lHx54/s320/IMG_2639.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And sometimes, when you most expect them, there are no fences at all.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1msxr88v4FgIwn7Yu9oKsDOtgxbtdV73m7507eRG5tUPAlJ6pM4gb62oikee03k9ymDuIbxaaG5D6iuxJyfIodmOVRd0x4b9WnwKf_th5MX6937WRSh266JrC9izO_7jIw97xg6oUUzMcRv8PvnuNYVrsohT9xF9z5AgrbndfpsB5TAz6RbwxDno38s/s4032/IMG_2650.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1msxr88v4FgIwn7Yu9oKsDOtgxbtdV73m7507eRG5tUPAlJ6pM4gb62oikee03k9ymDuIbxaaG5D6iuxJyfIodmOVRd0x4b9WnwKf_th5MX6937WRSh266JrC9izO_7jIw97xg6oUUzMcRv8PvnuNYVrsohT9xF9z5AgrbndfpsB5TAz6RbwxDno38s/s320/IMG_2650.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We passed these gentlemen on our way to the village and I wish I’d taken a photo then. I did not appreciate that they would cut from that coconut stump the planks to make a crate for a pig in just a few hours. Impressive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we weren’t swimming here, we went with Colin and Thant Zin to investigate a mangrove river.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFbzoRBKBQX6gntL5PXf0vFswj3mSh5yk3Ij9Up10Yjo2dGoFMPR9CYY5Ph8z9VMYV7-n3f9t6bjDacsT12gkmw0f5egV0QGpVmf6x1grDh6EjUDxXhq2UcPYnrZo1XjxffW3FBznSJ7AFr9EVkISL_W9fcdQJQIXv9Re6es2i2jNxqt72jgeZmkUg6c/s4032/IMG_2663.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmFbzoRBKBQX6gntL5PXf0vFswj3mSh5yk3Ij9Up10Yjo2dGoFMPR9CYY5Ph8z9VMYV7-n3f9t6bjDacsT12gkmw0f5egV0QGpVmf6x1grDh6EjUDxXhq2UcPYnrZo1XjxffW3FBznSJ7AFr9EVkISL_W9fcdQJQIXv9Re6es2i2jNxqt72jgeZmkUg6c/s320/IMG_2663.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Three men in a boat heading that way.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKkKDDd0TjNCOC4iIOAJlGcdLk3z9ZFL2uElRZKmSXepynB7JOlhlR0kXqJ55QWxLWlcNDzl_iliL2hH61Si2H8yR89dGsMT4LNYdgZ_Hk31nahNZwBk1Tn1oxjDBFdChDhWt_E5n-yiPzbVXGMjhuE1KFwgFMp6OTQA8JQ8Z69GJ2bNXF2fHlVJPY5Q/s4032/IMG_2667.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKkKDDd0TjNCOC4iIOAJlGcdLk3z9ZFL2uElRZKmSXepynB7JOlhlR0kXqJ55QWxLWlcNDzl_iliL2hH61Si2H8yR89dGsMT4LNYdgZ_Hk31nahNZwBk1Tn1oxjDBFdChDhWt_E5n-yiPzbVXGMjhuE1KFwgFMp6OTQA8JQ8Z69GJ2bNXF2fHlVJPY5Q/s320/IMG_2667.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thant Zin looking for mud crabs along the river bank.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX9DaRJ28j_zJY8n9LfUFnbCTSnoOFXBd4OVJewAfKhAvDm-Y4KiH__5wcemUyaEtj3lIaly91plFQ4ds62DMfcyJnQOuGl90kWeylns1TdnZCethu3p6mxOQFrjjOquA7nT0LNv1F0NNGjB9r-ws12wlco2KvFdUOTdM2bNVJ78CptHKcm94J7o3j5o/s4032/IMG_2682.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX9DaRJ28j_zJY8n9LfUFnbCTSnoOFXBd4OVJewAfKhAvDm-Y4KiH__5wcemUyaEtj3lIaly91plFQ4ds62DMfcyJnQOuGl90kWeylns1TdnZCethu3p6mxOQFrjjOquA7nT0LNv1F0NNGjB9r-ws12wlco2KvFdUOTdM2bNVJ78CptHKcm94J7o3j5o/s320/IMG_2682.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a lovely river but in light of the rivers to come, I’m moving on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We now needed to do some serious shopping in Luganville, Espiritu Santo Island, but stopped to overnight at Wala Island.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamGRZBCGzYe0Bi6oc31WVb9TjyNfXhBlH6LdWaLVhJKA6CR6IZfHvpSej5RmBkjhJ5zDWvoGONdw4urN4E54WlfiJijOOfZ1obhI8lGB4KbuLUBY5F9XkOsMS7alCQ4u217AbSI4VknNWGHa7yq7xtC74U20P60hexAo8oUnVCFyqPo0evAK8MqcR-Og/s3963/IMG_2695.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="3963" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamGRZBCGzYe0Bi6oc31WVb9TjyNfXhBlH6LdWaLVhJKA6CR6IZfHvpSej5RmBkjhJ5zDWvoGONdw4urN4E54WlfiJijOOfZ1obhI8lGB4KbuLUBY5F9XkOsMS7alCQ4u217AbSI4VknNWGHa7yq7xtC74U20P60hexAo8oUnVCFyqPo0evAK8MqcR-Og/w640-h182/IMG_2695.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was another baking day for me so I stayed onboard while Tim, Colin and Thant Zin went ashore.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33sTTJ5IfhudFTUW0UJQGziQ3n-4zc2GS1O9vpn0Ne5g8CQAP_DistFCmOo3YA5NNWhEG1AUrFHXFAP0KvfpTOagOwyo9_WFqL9TaN2YA4P9X481xZJD94hp3bGJG66oPe1pvbrz_3sbjpfibvDgSCtb1JD8SGWMW7hNeMVtyeq7ls3_scF7bfnaWJQs/s4032/IMG_1902.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33sTTJ5IfhudFTUW0UJQGziQ3n-4zc2GS1O9vpn0Ne5g8CQAP_DistFCmOo3YA5NNWhEG1AUrFHXFAP0KvfpTOagOwyo9_WFqL9TaN2YA4P9X481xZJD94hp3bGJG66oPe1pvbrz_3sbjpfibvDgSCtb1JD8SGWMW7hNeMVtyeq7ls3_scF7bfnaWJQs/s320/IMG_1902.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While there, the headman asked it they could fix his broken solar light. Of course! Tim was back and forth to Larus for tools and crimps in the hopes of cleaning up or replacing any corroded bits. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As it was late in the day and we left first thing in the morning, we don’t know if Tim’s was successful or the light was past repairing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luganville, Espiritu Santo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We anchored by the Beach Front Resort, which was a long walk or a short taxi ride from the town centre. We would leave our dinghy on their beach, walk through the resort to the road or a taxi. They were very kind and not very busy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Luganville was a US military base in WW2.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkkZ2SpszsEWFQCPh914PDc9Ql4JxHqLF2ykm7NuTns5MnlO4bn1Y5f4_3-5WhypyTNEiFn-PPHMsvpDkwGzcX4RCjaQv4fJLPpxHj9bW1WQHNEF0_GKjyXZvOulXxvl_K2OIhGlkPLdrApmyjAuJoCLDR1f5H3x5lHMRDelqDyoKaxNJi4eNKsZqFnw/s4032/IMG_2701.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkkZ2SpszsEWFQCPh914PDc9Ql4JxHqLF2ykm7NuTns5MnlO4bn1Y5f4_3-5WhypyTNEiFn-PPHMsvpDkwGzcX4RCjaQv4fJLPpxHj9bW1WQHNEF0_GKjyXZvOulXxvl_K2OIhGlkPLdrApmyjAuJoCLDR1f5H3x5lHMRDelqDyoKaxNJi4eNKsZqFnw/s320/IMG_2701.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The main road - the only road not so badly pot-holed by the logging trucks that cars regularly drive on the wrong side of the road to get around them - was the base’s runway and is in far better shape than any road built recently.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The town is very spread out and it took 3 days to locate everything we needed and get our gas bottles filled. </span><span style="text-align: left;">It was hot and humid, and both of us ended each day foot-sore.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There were some things over the 3 days that did make me smile.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gWkpeOp0Kysycy_XxFovidH99GNkEZhA5ZC6SIfAp_LXwW_-TNVZ0H8ClBGYJu1hcTXP1OseZcxciXeI81x8FAPb-wqdsyWXjuOl399njz4LnlFsPmwEPBNbvac8bp0M5VGMdyDGhHVQB4_fuZBjlzs_YLt_LV0R7BL9dEvNAv55vVAoNB5aJ4VK9v0/s3090/IMG_2703.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3090" data-original-width="2343" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gWkpeOp0Kysycy_XxFovidH99GNkEZhA5ZC6SIfAp_LXwW_-TNVZ0H8ClBGYJu1hcTXP1OseZcxciXeI81x8FAPb-wqdsyWXjuOl399njz4LnlFsPmwEPBNbvac8bp0M5VGMdyDGhHVQB4_fuZBjlzs_YLt_LV0R7BL9dEvNAv55vVAoNB5aJ4VK9v0/w304-h400/IMG_2703.jpeg" width="304" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1) Check out the yellow bag. I spoke to the lady carrying it, and the disgruntled rooster will be very pleased when he gets to his new home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2) I managed to find a public toilet in the park at the centre of the town. Public toilets in the Fiji and here are run differently than those from the global north expect. There is a attendant who takes the fee and gives you a tiny hand-rolled roll of toilet paper. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In Luganville, it was a little different. When I arrived I asked the lady on the door what the fee was. She asked, ‘Do you have to pee?’ I said, ‘Yes’. Then she put down the toilet paper and said 30 VT (FYI if I’d said ‘No’ it would have been 50 and she would have handed over the toilet paper). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once in the cubical there was no seat. Fair enough. As I was getting some tissue out of my bag a glanced up and there, on the wall between the cubicles, were balanced two toilet seats. I left smiling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3) The first time we went to town we walked - hot, dusty and farther than expected, but as we left the resort there was a private house that shared the road. There were two little girls with their Dad and I think I must have talked to them as we went by.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ladened down with groceries we got a taxi back. As we drove past their yard, the girls looked up squealed with excitement and waved furiously as we went by. I waved and laughed out too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4) The last day of shopping we bought all the really heavy stuff, got a taxi back, but still had to get everything through the resort, down the beach and into the dinghy. Tim made two trips and I made one. While I was waiting by the dinghy for him, two boys walked by eating cookies from a packet. We said ‘Hi,’ and they carried on. A minute later one boy ran back and offered me two cookies. I laughed and took them. Nibbling the cookie, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t take a photo, so I shouted, held up the remains of my cookie (the other was for Tim) and took the photo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7--Y0EsZR2KG2mIew463HuTvLItI31SjqhmC6pEk2WHJO75k5OrqLHqEGsDunK_PrfWtYQHepfH4rFctTqahK7aDimA5K0TGvZNzFdaWRAZvCvrHiuVmBikk9vFHGo2umjrQ-_MTKMIYZbHakXUQMvRZLciF1NEYSlGVIwdq4JrIV86OR5GnmahTyOc/s2212/IMG_2705.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1758" data-original-width="2212" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7--Y0EsZR2KG2mIew463HuTvLItI31SjqhmC6pEk2WHJO75k5OrqLHqEGsDunK_PrfWtYQHepfH4rFctTqahK7aDimA5K0TGvZNzFdaWRAZvCvrHiuVmBikk9vFHGo2umjrQ-_MTKMIYZbHakXUQMvRZLciF1NEYSlGVIwdq4JrIV86OR5GnmahTyOc/s320/IMG_2705.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So on that happy note I will post this and get to work on Part 3 because I didn’t know how good the coming days were going to be. :)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-37630878559648689152023-08-22T06:26:00.006-04:002023-08-28T01:51:17.476-04:00Tanna to Port Vila - Part 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiXopA_gjP3CK7A2jVkD_lMeAor3h4cHjzDh7Aj2IyN_sDGZATLqiuUET1qrUo1yk92L4qiW6LPALKyPpwXldaNPw6M9bvvKnSxr2XEPwl4RtAnLChaIvSfLZBxhaqIYRtr8xuiU0bnhJ0D8jSybyOwe6H9z1XQ9d00IpWHodmql6PSXrVZZu_601FzA/s2120/IMG_0942.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2120" data-original-width="1620" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiXopA_gjP3CK7A2jVkD_lMeAor3h4cHjzDh7Aj2IyN_sDGZATLqiuUET1qrUo1yk92L4qiW6LPALKyPpwXldaNPw6M9bvvKnSxr2XEPwl4RtAnLChaIvSfLZBxhaqIYRtr8xuiU0bnhJ0D8jSybyOwe6H9z1XQ9d00IpWHodmql6PSXrVZZu_601FzA/w306-h400/IMG_0942.jpeg" width="306" /></a></div><br /><p>This is our cruising area in Vanuatu. Due to the prevailing winds from the southeast and that the country runs from northwest to southeast, it is very easy to go north, but it is a lot harder to go south. </p><p>I find the shapes of the Vanuatu islands a little odd - not like any combination I’ve noticed before. Roundish volcanic islands and the odd long and thin islands shaped by who knows what forces - maybe a convergence zone for oceanic plates?</p><p>Before we arrived, we heard Gulf Harbour Radio advise other yachts to expect lumpy seas around the islands as the norm. They were not wrong. The sea state is almost always bigger and rougher than the conditions seem to indicate. Currents, their direction and strength affected by unseen valleys and ridges along the relatively shallow depths between islands, can kick up a short tall sea in the blink of an eye.</p><p>‘Short’ refers to the time interval between peaks. For example - Seven seconds between peak to peak is quite a short interval. The shorter interval, the more vertical the wave face, the stronger the effect of the wave when it catches you up. With waves from behind, you can get a lot of rolling and some surfing. With waves on the beam, they may be approaching from an angle that lets you sail along them in reasonable comfort across them on the diagonal. In any wind direction, one is never surprised prepared for the rogue wave possibly coming from a different direction or Ben taller than most. </p><p>On the short passage from Epi to Malekula, I’m pretty sure Larus had a personal best in horizontality. A box of reading glasses bits and pieces was flung from the port bookshelf to the starboard berth and that hasn’t happened before. On the same passage, the currents swung round from west to south to east to north. You only notice when your speed drops and the seas get rougher and rougher as the wind blows the surface in the opposite direction the current is the taking. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz7ei4VoebEvPO9qI5kQp84kS0JmK3HhDv5ci8aXH0wRZpl-453kX7eaBKKaqMLAXBmVx7LyqrQzdQgndVmLjrzcCqlNvVxOnHzhnDwq1joPpANNOtQ1mzHqi2tkxBotvx9XKwGgjJVgGiXrS2Ypnum4zTgRU_borsTohi5w0BoNmIrNvRdtl9M-uFPw/s4032/IMG_2589.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz7ei4VoebEvPO9qI5kQp84kS0JmK3HhDv5ci8aXH0wRZpl-453kX7eaBKKaqMLAXBmVx7LyqrQzdQgndVmLjrzcCqlNvVxOnHzhnDwq1joPpANNOtQ1mzHqi2tkxBotvx9XKwGgjJVgGiXrS2Ypnum4zTgRU_borsTohi5w0BoNmIrNvRdtl9M-uFPw/s320/IMG_2589.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Clinging like a limpet, but okay with it. It was a gorgeous day for sailing and we haven’t had that many.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Erromanga, the next island up from Tanna. We left with Capall Mara - well, we left first and they cruised passed us just over halfway there - and anchor together in Dillon’s Bay. Erromanga, like Tanna was badly damaged by cyclones in 2023. <p>Tim, John and Sal went ashore the next day to visit the ‘yacht club’ and have a tour with the village with the yacht club owner. It’s more of a meeting place than a club. He also took them up to house and pointed out areas and flora of special interest.</p><p>It was a baking day for me as we’d run out of bread, granola and muffins so I stayed onboard; I like to make best use of a hot oven. I planned to go the next day as it sounded like a lovely walk.</p><p>A local in a dugout canoe came by to chat and ask for any spare rice, flour, oil and yeast that we might have. I was able to supply a little of everything expect the oil. Our visitor also went away with a little bag of sweet potato bhajis that we were nibbling in the cockpit.</p><p>The next morning, we woke at about 0200 when the wind direction changed and started blowing into the bay. Larus rolling from side to side made sleep near impossible. We waited till morning and then upped anchor, headed to the island of Efata and the bustling capital city of Port Vila.</p><p>Port Vila </p><p>We arrived after dark to Efata but we were advised that navigation to the anchorage off Port Vila was very easy, and it was. The only incident of note on the whole passage was motoring past a sleeping whale. We became aware of the long black shape in the water on our port side when it cleared its blow hole twice. We were just outside the bay and very close to land so it was unexpected.</p><p>We picked up a marina mooring ball in the inner basin. It was very sheltered with a dinghy dock and restaurant with really good live music. </p><p>Port Vila was a shock compared to simple way of life for many in Port Resolution. Dusty, dirty and full of cars. The roads, particularly along the sides were deeply potholed and full of rain water.</p><p>It is so strange when you can distinctly remember taking photos but they are just not there. *sigh*</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsQO9leHUyf0EhyNqIro72xKGhtDKHNnzLkp3K6CSB_t1ii69360wdcZ_nRe5YsgbazKOJK5H5Ma5JTVhv_-eG2bivdkKy4lix4R_iwpcy-_WV_VO0WhZrlTvkn8v2uSKot9ZIsq46rCRyJtSNYuX2XFwHwoyi7Y8KnUMPNGibQE5UZzQrSuAvNbV8ds/s4032/IMG_2456.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsQO9leHUyf0EhyNqIro72xKGhtDKHNnzLkp3K6CSB_t1ii69360wdcZ_nRe5YsgbazKOJK5H5Ma5JTVhv_-eG2bivdkKy4lix4R_iwpcy-_WV_VO0WhZrlTvkn8v2uSKot9ZIsq46rCRyJtSNYuX2XFwHwoyi7Y8KnUMPNGibQE5UZzQrSuAvNbV8ds/s320/IMG_2456.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">An example of <a href="https://www.vanuatu.travel/en/local-knowledge/local-knowledge-learn-bislama" target="_blank">Bislama - the National language of Vanuatu</a>. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZXgzSr619ZNYv2WvrZrWrhB0xlb4aAtQtrHleHKan5Y1p3VRmN83QgD37FKNYzxZjY3pHvvbQc-vpuZyZ65iWVrapdWUtUHveId2iar8clQsQ8MKHgDNksY2NgtplNuTmfkyNHbnbjSZuCHJZPiVbfWvA2x0U5nsJXEWLPe_3pLXwNIID7BCGOaYUms/s2896/IMG_2467.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="2896" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZXgzSr619ZNYv2WvrZrWrhB0xlb4aAtQtrHleHKan5Y1p3VRmN83QgD37FKNYzxZjY3pHvvbQc-vpuZyZ65iWVrapdWUtUHveId2iar8clQsQ8MKHgDNksY2NgtplNuTmfkyNHbnbjSZuCHJZPiVbfWvA2x0U5nsJXEWLPe_3pLXwNIID7BCGOaYUms/s320/IMG_2467.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The National dress for women. Here - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Vanuatu" target="_blank">Women in Vanuatu</a> - you can find more information about issues particular to affecting women in Vanuatu.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q1otuchHCVxpQWigAwPoiQfjxzyTjyGVG72Cv4dPMxC_KGmdYt2Qll1zd6cPRuaQ_IOGamtIiSMiJXCjlBIgyxEN9W7P4l-ZlN8niAPl0t7dSgoXx1saa_q9-GruOT15-3luyUH0ZS-S95Tpemtdbi6k_7HOAVnpWYLqHK17jq_9N0PurtKu773H5po/s4032/IMG_2472.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3q1otuchHCVxpQWigAwPoiQfjxzyTjyGVG72Cv4dPMxC_KGmdYt2Qll1zd6cPRuaQ_IOGamtIiSMiJXCjlBIgyxEN9W7P4l-ZlN8niAPl0t7dSgoXx1saa_q9-GruOT15-3luyUH0ZS-S95Tpemtdbi6k_7HOAVnpWYLqHK17jq_9N0PurtKu773H5po/s320/IMG_2472.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tim buying very fresh peanuts at the market.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvSzrHolDmu6MHyqgNvlcsUKHZBuyC-eX1UNv_7feppeP1FXlumg2WopdTO1N500xBT3_gZb7w87lgfYuKdBeK1G-trrhVSkZfvUJTR-bxQ26smeHz_YvMpRo17dsop-MLc9uqoXVFIXrVy4ISLUtH9LZtlWl2Z9ffs19CuiA9Hf08_iLjjJTBEiaDec/s4032/IMG_2503.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvSzrHolDmu6MHyqgNvlcsUKHZBuyC-eX1UNv_7feppeP1FXlumg2WopdTO1N500xBT3_gZb7w87lgfYuKdBeK1G-trrhVSkZfvUJTR-bxQ26smeHz_YvMpRo17dsop-MLc9uqoXVFIXrVy4ISLUtH9LZtlWl2Z9ffs19CuiA9Hf08_iLjjJTBEiaDec/s320/IMG_2503.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prepping the very dusty peanuts for washing and eating. Raw they taste like peas; roasted they taste like peanuts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Vanuatu was hosting the 7th Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival while we were there. We only saw a small amount of the 11 days of activities but if you want to see the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VanuatuNationalArtsFestival/" target="_blank">Melanesian Arts & Culture Festival</a> Facebook page. It is well worth a look and listen.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr1QVmOkG9vjR0Z1cBFrRDZVWIEmRQLHTU5vhb3PBkUs2zmO_KTIVF9D_Jhi6BRS5yrIDgjqsavft3zfgQGkekqHPWBP_kyLkPxmoV7GjAS3_OkTRM5WuU9WSvsvrA-IrMlHPBkYKp_YHo4DTOCgrTPDk4RFDg3am0uA7fBNcj8hVkDl32wWJawVYUG0/s4032/IMG_2478.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr1QVmOkG9vjR0Z1cBFrRDZVWIEmRQLHTU5vhb3PBkUs2zmO_KTIVF9D_Jhi6BRS5yrIDgjqsavft3zfgQGkekqHPWBP_kyLkPxmoV7GjAS3_OkTRM5WuU9WSvsvrA-IrMlHPBkYKp_YHo4DTOCgrTPDk4RFDg3am0uA7fBNcj8hVkDl32wWJawVYUG0/s320/IMG_2478.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As well as dancers there is also elements of humour included in the display. The two figures, a man and a man dressed a woman next to the dancers are comedy performers. They seemed to have nothing to do with the dancers. They walked across the field with the ‘woman’ ladened down carrying a huge bundle on her back. He would help her down to rest, fanning and fussing over her, then he would help her up and then help secure the bundle on her back and off they’d go. The crowd loved it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1FJeJGp7C7w" width="320" youtube-src-id="1FJeJGp7C7w"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These dust covered men made a meal of topping two poles with a cross beam. Again, the crowd loved it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spot the difference with the next two photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HauoRbimwItOkkBFXJdPztDGR85m-kaaWTnxlhz7XSYj2M1_Wby5ak8WZUNGWuSY4iJtqZ9g8gN4xE7rqYOrR03Q48LvXF41penR2zNKn-G6slJw-5yjpJb_GPu6H9UKZvufJef30T4VApdmSb5KH2JrQRE0_IFzWbowDka--vBof63-GeHSNh7eSv0/s4032/IMG_1869.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HauoRbimwItOkkBFXJdPztDGR85m-kaaWTnxlhz7XSYj2M1_Wby5ak8WZUNGWuSY4iJtqZ9g8gN4xE7rqYOrR03Q48LvXF41penR2zNKn-G6slJw-5yjpJb_GPu6H9UKZvufJef30T4VApdmSb5KH2JrQRE0_IFzWbowDka--vBof63-GeHSNh7eSv0/s320/IMG_1869.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLi4F54s0ryEuAkATPZN9SfSx9GNk1fM-hjzLJHHQ8hj_ugequ-koaL8QYqKowBAj-4TANXw97z3cNonWEd1JwedxRikBA2QJvm6lUDWX0fuRWr_RUm3Y2raSRqQ7pdF6cdkwEuCEDvMaeHQza-u6FvMy-CD4kJmCELO7ZNXxXPh_YlTa1ZvSlE4AU5os/s4032/IMG_1870.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLi4F54s0ryEuAkATPZN9SfSx9GNk1fM-hjzLJHHQ8hj_ugequ-koaL8QYqKowBAj-4TANXw97z3cNonWEd1JwedxRikBA2QJvm6lUDWX0fuRWr_RUm3Y2raSRqQ7pdF6cdkwEuCEDvMaeHQza-u6FvMy-CD4kJmCELO7ZNXxXPh_YlTa1ZvSlE4AU5os/s320/IMG_1870.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> The umbrellas sprouted up like mushrooms when the rain started.</div><p>We had plans to head further north but with several days of strong winds and rain expected moved from Port Vila to Matapu Bay. We anchored near a young Kiwi/Aussie couple, Rachel and Dion, who have been in Vanuatu for much long than we have. They had just come down from the northern islands and were an enthusiastic wealth of information.</p><p>Tim and I walked to Port Havannah which is the next anchorage along. It has a jetty and a small settlement.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J9j6BmtmWoFBo3pMwCKcCVNlLKgBfmmtwUh3zsArIpqKicxbZ9OsB8fAzGLojVmmmAZtt4IQxsEkXrN9ywdCUDDqgXDXuicJG93qUWyvGPu1_VMJgZPSklVNSo8kQG1kU9JuEjB_Pmras99qejtzpjghZ5i5YhpS3I62Lbo1gKVN48s_bSiWQYUmCX4/s4032/IMG_2565.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J9j6BmtmWoFBo3pMwCKcCVNlLKgBfmmtwUh3zsArIpqKicxbZ9OsB8fAzGLojVmmmAZtt4IQxsEkXrN9ywdCUDDqgXDXuicJG93qUWyvGPu1_VMJgZPSklVNSo8kQG1kU9JuEjB_Pmras99qejtzpjghZ5i5YhpS3I62Lbo1gKVN48s_bSiWQYUmCX4/s320/IMG_2565.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Colin and Thant Zin came by dingy and met us there.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RnZlyqiXJDiTXevwYz-ZXHf2Cr7gpGPqpfDH9XwKuBAdPH-Bek6nW9v31a9WTSIsD3NwQm7UFUsl5LRp2Xs0qKg-VvIDGKzGUc5mCIfguAeHfYhER05G5ojeNv4q03lJhffcFghrK66QDL_Mz4EPbv7mdOy35s0tXsdjQMGTRWKz2_as6jJDjfP9abo/s4032/IMG_2531.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RnZlyqiXJDiTXevwYz-ZXHf2Cr7gpGPqpfDH9XwKuBAdPH-Bek6nW9v31a9WTSIsD3NwQm7UFUsl5LRp2Xs0qKg-VvIDGKzGUc5mCIfguAeHfYhER05G5ojeNv4q03lJhffcFghrK66QDL_Mz4EPbv7mdOy35s0tXsdjQMGTRWKz2_as6jJDjfP9abo/s320/IMG_2531.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a long hot walked under ‘mackerel skies’, the harbinger of bad weather.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnK8Vh6tshXuCazb_RxUraAd3Z-AeiGBxtn5mpm4YJXc2Iw2xg5yK3hKTcgALViPHTCUycCun3s7x87JKAkr_KqtR5TTswpW_fpSI9jtpMfjDsomdJh6hxM7rR646zgZH6qJXFS0e3fi3OUIdCHtA4oH8LMf8bryGT0ZaytWvx6mtmioqLADYAhuSgSXE/s10236/IMG_2559.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3662" data-original-width="10236" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnK8Vh6tshXuCazb_RxUraAd3Z-AeiGBxtn5mpm4YJXc2Iw2xg5yK3hKTcgALViPHTCUycCun3s7x87JKAkr_KqtR5TTswpW_fpSI9jtpMfjDsomdJh6hxM7rR646zgZH6qJXFS0e3fi3OUIdCHtA4oH8LMf8bryGT0ZaytWvx6mtmioqLADYAhuSgSXE/w640-h229/IMG_2559.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The banyan trees are the scene stealers. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4n4UKcvhFxh7YlSz_92mU0zhtO0OcPD-rho9TwmcriLoWAYsV2uzc2fdhQj0CVeHOtENsndPn1LJwXFT1AY__KO2YIE3EvghoOl7-kx9aM9cshiQW02Qmi_FisqpJTjsEyBZe55j6QodnTcN26h18W6cqLYXw4kQPd2dR5rNHW3yPrQ9RbOsjvLouqcY/s10530/IMG_2558.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="10530" data-original-width="3628" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4n4UKcvhFxh7YlSz_92mU0zhtO0OcPD-rho9TwmcriLoWAYsV2uzc2fdhQj0CVeHOtENsndPn1LJwXFT1AY__KO2YIE3EvghoOl7-kx9aM9cshiQW02Qmi_FisqpJTjsEyBZe55j6QodnTcN26h18W6cqLYXw4kQPd2dR5rNHW3yPrQ9RbOsjvLouqcY/w220-h640/IMG_2558.jpeg" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It is hard to appreciate how impressive they are from a photo. If you look closely, you can see me sitting at the base of the largest trunk. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0OQGR6qsRgemeQwVZ_t2JVMQ3SSN9LoHPNr6QsUEu6t6ZizHJeFzLKeSOXhfClXTVjUSNYA0UF5yMWbvABNRMj-Gr3cEvDyVsdZ0ozUJvWeWHE7gK8flxtQf-WDUVkeorHQ1DWlFonxMnSgzf-W1r3oP6BIjlvv4MqfTGZa_tCWWe2PGTda4nYX6ZSQ/s4032/IMG_2585.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt0OQGR6qsRgemeQwVZ_t2JVMQ3SSN9LoHPNr6QsUEu6t6ZizHJeFzLKeSOXhfClXTVjUSNYA0UF5yMWbvABNRMj-Gr3cEvDyVsdZ0ozUJvWeWHE7gK8flxtQf-WDUVkeorHQ1DWlFonxMnSgzf-W1r3oP6BIjlvv4MqfTGZa_tCWWe2PGTda4nYX6ZSQ/s320/IMG_2585.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It’s seems that the path between the road and our anchorage is maintained by burning unwanted growth. Any open space showed burned patches.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58FA_BGN1l47_uV9PEJUWKpzGqmPCfD1ZPIg44PyYElKYbJf2Lo-6rQyBwUWuLRWUVJv-0pVZbQ-h1_ULU5tsmnj9-J3agyM4iH_AL9LuaWurx9dF2MktmDX6bRPx9OQTYJmlCJNRKzGDkC6AJIEoOjyYpBCmNfr5Ito5FJFRWHn_UT-P2uN7iG8ccTs/s4032/IMG_2587.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58FA_BGN1l47_uV9PEJUWKpzGqmPCfD1ZPIg44PyYElKYbJf2Lo-6rQyBwUWuLRWUVJv-0pVZbQ-h1_ULU5tsmnj9-J3agyM4iH_AL9LuaWurx9dF2MktmDX6bRPx9OQTYJmlCJNRKzGDkC6AJIEoOjyYpBCmNfr5Ito5FJFRWHn_UT-P2uN7iG8ccTs/s320/IMG_2587.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After days of rain, we finally got our weather window to head north. It rainbow leading us out of the bay seemed like a very good start.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More to come soon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p><br /></p></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-52075858463942976572023-08-07T22:36:00.002-04:002023-08-07T22:36:37.746-04:00Tanna Part 2<p>One of the highlights of visiting Port Resolution was the chance to meet a local family, Reena, Noel, their children and some their community. It is very much thanks to Thant Zin that we are able to meet local people. He is often taken in as one of their own, clubbing with the locals and the like, and we very much benefit from his contacts.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIpOo6OUeKLwbvKWitE38rUHy__NOENbBUaz2m85NBkKmcHumTaSY9-fHYODeKCUfZ7ySCR2yU0igDzrXkC82k1POIoxzpoohsoq70D30NKpDos1pT-ThAgslfYCm-1CUKpEhaTA-6i5ZokPxWQHTkGkoNFRpMmN7yMP2o7LSW_5Yd4NaBBuOSxX-TXs/s3537/IMG_2343.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="3537" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIpOo6OUeKLwbvKWitE38rUHy__NOENbBUaz2m85NBkKmcHumTaSY9-fHYODeKCUfZ7ySCR2yU0igDzrXkC82k1POIoxzpoohsoq70D30NKpDos1pT-ThAgslfYCm-1CUKpEhaTA-6i5ZokPxWQHTkGkoNFRpMmN7yMP2o7LSW_5Yd4NaBBuOSxX-TXs/w400-h184/IMG_2343.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The beach where we land the dinghy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There is a path up to the village, the ‘yacht club’ and only road out of the village. A shorter route around the bay is to wait for low water and walk along the beach.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9iN9D_SA420daSRJUbIyD1NmTpe4_esBw0MplB51UTZa1_ysoKAEiw8s3E03PLisV0OKmYScVHbYwq4k9d_kg8Rc1BVTKO3D8McithJvwDrvYVE8qJDVZ8UJfXDPm7T1cnLp6PRCwfaf6_-8bdIswoT-cKiG_dBjXDZOM3EcpNXWUJqDKZ40TmEWpvY/s4032/IMG_2345.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9iN9D_SA420daSRJUbIyD1NmTpe4_esBw0MplB51UTZa1_ysoKAEiw8s3E03PLisV0OKmYScVHbYwq4k9d_kg8Rc1BVTKO3D8McithJvwDrvYVE8qJDVZ8UJfXDPm7T1cnLp6PRCwfaf6_-8bdIswoT-cKiG_dBjXDZOM3EcpNXWUJqDKZ40TmEWpvY/s320/IMG_2345.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As displayed by Gerry and Richard, Colin’s friends and crew from New Zealand. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Gerry is a doctor, who has sold her practise in near Christchurch, NZ and in the company of her husband Richard, was now involved involunteer work in medical establishments where is would do the most good, like Lenekel, the main town on Tanna. They flew to Fiji to meet up with Colin and sailed to Port Resolution. After a rambunctious sail from Fiji, they arrived the day after we did.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioma8AwpuZINPct5q4x3wbJgZZTk2_i0Jn_A4fe7Qqhk2a0vWn6CZd73DdNWM4MF_3wwmBG1HbLukqlYVyUM6KpS09weCeEpFS7EEQm_o7L5Xf0-iXxhH6FVtpT8WsEClbxHJcyA7dRa5bisrirZgMXkS3Pp-TxLXjxdlIy8Hb-KI2Htvdpys3cCw2PKk/s4032/IMG_2347.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioma8AwpuZINPct5q4x3wbJgZZTk2_i0Jn_A4fe7Qqhk2a0vWn6CZd73DdNWM4MF_3wwmBG1HbLukqlYVyUM6KpS09weCeEpFS7EEQm_o7L5Xf0-iXxhH6FVtpT8WsEClbxHJcyA7dRa5bisrirZgMXkS3Pp-TxLXjxdlIy8Hb-KI2Htvdpys3cCw2PKk/s320/IMG_2347.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the local dugout canoes used for fishing in and outside (in better weather than we’d been having) the bay. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBnTvpkP-rGvk-e4tab1QdYD8TCax_vPNPll7JQZuwbln5yxX3pxAIFz7Fd0OCWv_WmkNoMxD2aTO0zwIwcSX9Tae_GYR9MRM39PSmqLxE9Ubii4pXiw9vcnUQrpOA_sxVpdrg9Hob6ux6An0CQq8xgfKJuhMGsZyaJP3hcqDPnUw78y94F_uzZr58oU/s3969/IMG_2416.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="3969" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBnTvpkP-rGvk-e4tab1QdYD8TCax_vPNPll7JQZuwbln5yxX3pxAIFz7Fd0OCWv_WmkNoMxD2aTO0zwIwcSX9Tae_GYR9MRM39PSmqLxE9Ubii4pXiw9vcnUQrpOA_sxVpdrg9Hob6ux6An0CQq8xgfKJuhMGsZyaJP3hcqDPnUw78y94F_uzZr58oU/w640-h248/IMG_2416.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They fish in a group with nets.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJeTOuoCp0U-ga0PAWFbVqfQ-ZNT5jv3j1I-D14iIqHkjUvuJYJa0cy_hDsp2Ii1K0rDSQBmO_3uQ-HQ95PPhnjD9fnuOnGLivFsJXJsK2EuYsshG3fAMukj5FPs8FsDlW0i2WqHhOowsNoQ_zEWRT9w21KlRoy74UhPbabLXiMPIEs27-R6AwsVzPrs/s4032/IMG_2359.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJeTOuoCp0U-ga0PAWFbVqfQ-ZNT5jv3j1I-D14iIqHkjUvuJYJa0cy_hDsp2Ii1K0rDSQBmO_3uQ-HQ95PPhnjD9fnuOnGLivFsJXJsK2EuYsshG3fAMukj5FPs8FsDlW0i2WqHhOowsNoQ_zEWRT9w21KlRoy74UhPbabLXiMPIEs27-R6AwsVzPrs/s320/IMG_2359.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">From the beach, we took a path inland, which eventually lead up to the Noel and Reena’s homestead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk9fdoNXbAZMuK6LUuPxcJVHpxLZitBL0LQCS1ZTMeqJfvNA4I0PZ4flP-CAYuZmx_GY4K0PeQFrOZKksoDysZ15CYdbb3H2CpOBqRCH2wNscffxcSc4AVej54LP1ESEW9hiitFliJwiuJCqbMUMaNRcN1qeaDVPU9nlcAddUnVWciz757YTOsN3p2tQ/s4032/IMG_2365.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOk9fdoNXbAZMuK6LUuPxcJVHpxLZitBL0LQCS1ZTMeqJfvNA4I0PZ4flP-CAYuZmx_GY4K0PeQFrOZKksoDysZ15CYdbb3H2CpOBqRCH2wNscffxcSc4AVej54LP1ESEW9hiitFliJwiuJCqbMUMaNRcN1qeaDVPU9nlcAddUnVWciz757YTOsN3p2tQ/s320/IMG_2365.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The extended family.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsh8pmVhN5SyR9gxWwhXHjj-nvc9SfWZwlbCSr8WCTiQLjLiIdARw2V6ZZBleWrD1dz8o-wijYDy9IDyLckS-urZy4Vi9zMj6zDBKcsSEe4wm4TTIBfStmq2MmiH7M3LRdCECh6PqWtidQuiGTSUYcutrksmG_p1BiCwRUXoksGQ3ZXYyh7V7rUwlPyM/s4032/IMG_2367.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsh8pmVhN5SyR9gxWwhXHjj-nvc9SfWZwlbCSr8WCTiQLjLiIdARw2V6ZZBleWrD1dz8o-wijYDy9IDyLckS-urZy4Vi9zMj6zDBKcsSEe4wm4TTIBfStmq2MmiH7M3LRdCECh6PqWtidQuiGTSUYcutrksmG_p1BiCwRUXoksGQ3ZXYyh7V7rUwlPyM/s320/IMG_2367.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Acting silly is universally understood.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBO5_YKUdUlXnvsbOq_rJWCROU0lxURhoAMfh3jieUzcweQuXQs_KG_4AMuOOQ2P3WhLjHDHJJuL3wvUXPULxuQyyPoSUfA8jmZEYdX4XjfdHpoxfVaWIV10gsOuxvU0LCUrZV7xWFY8g3rH6qtflWkSQkUgmlMPUFoWncrWxtj5uaxD89PPyY-c0y1U/s4032/IMG_2368.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBO5_YKUdUlXnvsbOq_rJWCROU0lxURhoAMfh3jieUzcweQuXQs_KG_4AMuOOQ2P3WhLjHDHJJuL3wvUXPULxuQyyPoSUfA8jmZEYdX4XjfdHpoxfVaWIV10gsOuxvU0LCUrZV7xWFY8g3rH6qtflWkSQkUgmlMPUFoWncrWxtj5uaxD89PPyY-c0y1U/s320/IMG_2368.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All the side-eye going on makes me wonder if they were humouring me.</div><div><br /></div>When we first arrived Reena welcomed us with a plate of boiled cassava in a coconut cream. It was lovely and I think it might well have been a simple version of this <a href="https://www.islandsmile.org/manioc-cassava-coc" target="_blank">Cassava and Coconut Curry</a>. There was a hint of garlic and the cassava root was so soft. I haven’t cooked it before and how to cook it safely is described in the recipe . We ate it all between the four of us, which was a good thing as unbeknownst to us, we had a long walk ahead of us.<div><br /></div><div>Next we were to visit the local village. As well as many houses there was a parade ground and a sturdy school building. Sturdy is important as this is where the families evacuate to when a cyclone is imminent. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last year, two of the most southerly Vanuatuan islands, Tanna and Erromanga, took direct hits from two cyclones and suffered a lot of damage. Many of the food staple trees like papaya and banana were destroyed in the strong winds and torrential rain. Mango is their ‘Christmas’ fruit as that’s when the fruit is ripens. </div><div><br /></div><div>This year, an El Niño year, seems very cool and often blustery to us. Last year, a La Niña year, was really hot in September and mangos abounded. Last year Fiji saw no cyclones at all while Vanuatu was hit harder and more frequent than normal.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeil3TfAz7zO7AwKS0M_qRnBd6i7Fc2Ku7tX3l51-uehMCwPEdBmu2YV0QhrKB4Yw_bZnyoA1jcDoFZ6y35hQz7SrWBB8spXFN22KuUvsxvQXqR8TQZQfQFC138My_MAN5_V1eB3s1eP8GE_hjLAUadHTCHYZLqjOHAWfCoI_hAy2rgtaY0_LzNW9BGU/s4032/IMG_2374.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeil3TfAz7zO7AwKS0M_qRnBd6i7Fc2Ku7tX3l51-uehMCwPEdBmu2YV0QhrKB4Yw_bZnyoA1jcDoFZ6y35hQz7SrWBB8spXFN22KuUvsxvQXqR8TQZQfQFC138My_MAN5_V1eB3s1eP8GE_hjLAUadHTCHYZLqjOHAWfCoI_hAy2rgtaY0_LzNW9BGU/s320/IMG_2374.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Reena lead the way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During the walk, Reena mentioned her toddlers weeping eye and an older child’s skin condition. Gerry had a look at both and sent drops and salve up the next day with Thant Zin. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjs_XyI7qwaXtV-Bf2STL2UFxyHP19xrQ084NJSLYivXdlVLQv6po-uUoFvl12fUoCsoKE3p6ZfGOdBqF0IT7PUmZzx1UmYmTRfTFpg1anqe_dU0GV1PtkHWCHTXF8mvV3JjRYMnZ8YJatQyyqptH_VMxZpRWgN2gtKkYA1ioebvouA_nrVlihKUAIt8/s4032/IMG_2384.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjs_XyI7qwaXtV-Bf2STL2UFxyHP19xrQ084NJSLYivXdlVLQv6po-uUoFvl12fUoCsoKE3p6ZfGOdBqF0IT7PUmZzx1UmYmTRfTFpg1anqe_dU0GV1PtkHWCHTXF8mvV3JjRYMnZ8YJatQyyqptH_VMxZpRWgN2gtKkYA1ioebvouA_nrVlihKUAIt8/s320/IMG_2384.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A typical village house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was to be a ‘drill Sargent’ or such who was expected to drill the children in marching, but while we waited for him to arrive, ‘could we please look at a broken sewing machine?’ Of course.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCJMpp1fK1dbeAeGE2EQNoAO2Miu2aidGrfcTKMox6BAz9DyF3DDnaiFkPULiiWv8G6btNSnaU2OLc_TlC2Bh7TpAqLdi58YJsSbsPDuSzEqx2gXyKE-tZiS9CWI5w4pLRGzdjm_EDHE1IqkIR8qCoexipM40Mf2UmyQZ4ZhWdQKn8uJZHn-LVamb60s/s4032/IMG_2385.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCJMpp1fK1dbeAeGE2EQNoAO2Miu2aidGrfcTKMox6BAz9DyF3DDnaiFkPULiiWv8G6btNSnaU2OLc_TlC2Bh7TpAqLdi58YJsSbsPDuSzEqx2gXyKE-tZiS9CWI5w4pLRGzdjm_EDHE1IqkIR8qCoexipM40Mf2UmyQZ4ZhWdQKn8uJZHn-LVamb60s/s320/IMG_2385.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t an ancient Singer hand powered machine. The only manual machine I’ve seen was Grandma Lillian’s foot pedal singer.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue_8fBn5QvcpwbP2TkZKGJV-NmNtqaJR6cYyBNpVMpXwhS2Bh4tPASBxeDFgujqc6vANa7uKRxRI_rTZkBdRBoAZnhLKUkpncdMzN93p1dwTUBikHur8i7041QlEGIT6NOcCyzRE0jWyLvDIhY-z0zw3Z51CaJlDVMjUX26jdPsj294Xw4qdi-X3S984/s4032/IMG_2386.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue_8fBn5QvcpwbP2TkZKGJV-NmNtqaJR6cYyBNpVMpXwhS2Bh4tPASBxeDFgujqc6vANa7uKRxRI_rTZkBdRBoAZnhLKUkpncdMzN93p1dwTUBikHur8i7041QlEGIT6NOcCyzRE0jWyLvDIhY-z0zw3Z51CaJlDVMjUX26jdPsj294Xw4qdi-X3S984/s320/IMG_2386.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh1hqg8bOl7pEcqpXSCvNOusUB2yFUc3U1s3W5ZN1VH0sASyQbORwM-5vG_VMkX4zcSSh4nJOGbLil5xTrws-yXbr770MMjUQd76BRykl8Bw4b4Mp4SlZcRtmu-DjTrh_Imm1mrQMK05jKrwnWw1N3ZBvPS-g6u5WlZs4a6DwHHQ8fuRVzxqQJ_PsDGA/s4032/IMG_2388.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIh1hqg8bOl7pEcqpXSCvNOusUB2yFUc3U1s3W5ZN1VH0sASyQbORwM-5vG_VMkX4zcSSh4nJOGbLil5xTrws-yXbr770MMjUQd76BRykl8Bw4b4Mp4SlZcRtmu-DjTrh_Imm1mrQMK05jKrwnWw1N3ZBvPS-g6u5WlZs4a6DwHHQ8fuRVzxqQJ_PsDGA/s320/IMG_2388.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Between Tim and I, we figured out some of the fixable issues and under Reena’s experienced hands, we got it stitching to her satisfaction. We’re not sure how much was down to our actions or down to the moral support we offered Reena. The latter I suspect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before we left the village we were ladened down with fresh vegetables from the gardens - Pak Choy which takes only 6 weeks to mature, spring onions, limes and christophene which is a vegetable we ran across in the Caribbean. They were very generous.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrVPWVk7mXwvwpuIpPA-UaqsCcLdrvAFbqWE7RlkqnVb2WI4hNCm6Ou0mAyCYCZSEHk1KnlQZI2qo_aAlhP1MpXSTyKukpRH50VtT-Hq19G1hDeWNSkXjiAUL1PquFJcZsFrAELBf4HXlUibdOoeboWqz_tKqmxuaYF71YkivQDUvfcxSyegEf3o1gN8/s4032/IMG_2395.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrVPWVk7mXwvwpuIpPA-UaqsCcLdrvAFbqWE7RlkqnVb2WI4hNCm6Ou0mAyCYCZSEHk1KnlQZI2qo_aAlhP1MpXSTyKukpRH50VtT-Hq19G1hDeWNSkXjiAUL1PquFJcZsFrAELBf4HXlUibdOoeboWqz_tKqmxuaYF71YkivQDUvfcxSyegEf3o1gN8/s320/IMG_2395.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the way back we passed Noel and Reena’s calf. We could honestly say it was the prettiest cow we had seen. I wish we’d had more time to think as I would have liked to know what they were going to do with the calf. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have learned since that Vanuatu is famous for its beef.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30PMl-eJKKLBDsiOeNoHYHA6vO8sOthJ-i2WxjyOCN47oZGQnTpnG8RGEhjPQqCRRr6LwETcI2Wz5Y3eVcEi-lqX0UDq3mEsdbZvp2APq_VnSy5f4yzH9zS88_A_6xxpYba1--m_yb3i66cGyH_9VTT7hR7a3X0Nt6dDoYNQFD7Zh-Btq_INUAHL8EgQ/s4032/IMG_2406.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30PMl-eJKKLBDsiOeNoHYHA6vO8sOthJ-i2WxjyOCN47oZGQnTpnG8RGEhjPQqCRRr6LwETcI2Wz5Y3eVcEi-lqX0UDq3mEsdbZvp2APq_VnSy5f4yzH9zS88_A_6xxpYba1--m_yb3i66cGyH_9VTT7hR7a3X0Nt6dDoYNQFD7Zh-Btq_INUAHL8EgQ/s320/IMG_2406.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reena showed me how the coconut rasp worked. It’s a rough-edged loop of metal attached to a board you sit on. You then scrape the meat from the shell. The chickens approved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dbrcy0qhimRczgewKfSfhXTYJshKNIf9ADWQcDEE6fnqXzvH4MQOXNlZu-ZpW4Sc4YB8NP8GPa5YtbBI2fP73XaWBsPH0hCen9SIZGHZTY592ire4ubs6RfXDXJEgbanhBKnentYCaSA56dSrG9N7n-2QDuUSwroSgQ1OOhZ8d8D_EX5ku0mSUEnOJU/s4032/IMG_2402.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dbrcy0qhimRczgewKfSfhXTYJshKNIf9ADWQcDEE6fnqXzvH4MQOXNlZu-ZpW4Sc4YB8NP8GPa5YtbBI2fP73XaWBsPH0hCen9SIZGHZTY592ire4ubs6RfXDXJEgbanhBKnentYCaSA56dSrG9N7n-2QDuUSwroSgQ1OOhZ8d8D_EX5ku0mSUEnOJU/s320/IMG_2402.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My favourite photo of the baby. This is the cook house. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the far side of the area is the sleeping and living accommodations where Reena has her sewing machine. The day before we left, I went through my sewing things and brought things I thought might be of use - spools of thread, sewing machine needles and machine oil, needles and some fabric.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If we were to come back again, I would be better prepared.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgJc-TR3JlWrVy9_oYHP_mxLOfm4zZ5tigwDSyN9B_EY33IJqrqYvm_or7bLWSD_UgUJL8pEyglT1-0fn-GnmqUGOGmF0r_vOwatTa5l65hp_TA1CB-UrI3St74b2rw7MLYUaVvXsmVFXTBYKCGVZPqdz4UtV9OPGDJn_Pco6eTu4fwzfXrVPWJeqkLM/s3845/IMG_2413.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2884" data-original-width="3845" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgJc-TR3JlWrVy9_oYHP_mxLOfm4zZ5tigwDSyN9B_EY33IJqrqYvm_or7bLWSD_UgUJL8pEyglT1-0fn-GnmqUGOGmF0r_vOwatTa5l65hp_TA1CB-UrI3St74b2rw7MLYUaVvXsmVFXTBYKCGVZPqdz4UtV9OPGDJn_Pco6eTu4fwzfXrVPWJeqkLM/s320/IMG_2413.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The walk back was longer as with the tide in we had to take the high road. The walked we did to the village and back was between 6 and 8 km and we were rather foot sore by the time we got back to the dinghy on the beach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was an excellent a day and gave us very much food for thought on the way of life in this corner of Tanna.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now over to Tim.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHPofFFTY-Q0qIfe3RWB42aXG8jn1TXPF-MBwIjxhCA4MDcsUU3VdBJjO_F6pX_4GNo-_ynpEH74ys7VyQb1GA2s5gX2d16Gf1IR8L-Kxl7BFTSHME3B60mLlxr1SHvvBUMofKCy6YxcBIDJloN_3Mx4axqtbUIfNBPYcr6dcXVI47Jydmtc_M2NEMZ4/s4000/P1030066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHPofFFTY-Q0qIfe3RWB42aXG8jn1TXPF-MBwIjxhCA4MDcsUU3VdBJjO_F6pX_4GNo-_ynpEH74ys7VyQb1GA2s5gX2d16Gf1IR8L-Kxl7BFTSHME3B60mLlxr1SHvvBUMofKCy6YxcBIDJloN_3Mx4axqtbUIfNBPYcr6dcXVI47Jydmtc_M2NEMZ4/s320/P1030066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The best time to see the volcano is just as it’s getting dark so you see it in both lights. A tortuous drive up the hill from the base reception for about 15minutes with a group of about 20 tourists from all over the island, some of them had had a tortuous drive for over 3 hours in the back of a pick up truck.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpFwj1Bboe2E4impPpkMXd_m0DhAmHW0npIPv7s_G9Vn4LnXo8mD2K4mm918kh5B-uhY9jCrcK0LdQpAlhDWHmT8rdp8l-ULf16RCXFQ95NFnUCt1OPt_XfJjE0geesW-cGMzS_EEiBwKp5FvmUGvBKapHfC6XmEa5PZyOlh7LMJ1XnkPLA6unTWY21k/s4000/P1030067.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpFwj1Bboe2E4impPpkMXd_m0DhAmHW0npIPv7s_G9Vn4LnXo8mD2K4mm918kh5B-uhY9jCrcK0LdQpAlhDWHmT8rdp8l-ULf16RCXFQ95NFnUCt1OPt_XfJjE0geesW-cGMzS_EEiBwKp5FvmUGvBKapHfC6XmEa5PZyOlh7LMJ1XnkPLA6unTWY21k/s320/P1030067.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: center;"><div>A short steep climb from the car park to us to the precipice of the crater.</div></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NfJiziWdbYRuxOCX4cs0t5dUl5QzH1vdv9s9YnPNv4mlQPfAtEVRAUScgODj3nJzkP5hWAIvSo8s_-JQGVWahi3DXrJloStj7Ck_OKaGHWn9qUw-nCOgrvmbJ75H-6AlDxp6zt97Gx6OzoydWzFFe9BjR5xX36KIkKdKOxKNl8zy6_IliLtNXNvc9yo/s4000/P1030068.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5NfJiziWdbYRuxOCX4cs0t5dUl5QzH1vdv9s9YnPNv4mlQPfAtEVRAUScgODj3nJzkP5hWAIvSo8s_-JQGVWahi3DXrJloStj7Ck_OKaGHWn9qUw-nCOgrvmbJ75H-6AlDxp6zt97Gx6OzoydWzFFe9BjR5xX36KIkKdKOxKNl8zy6_IliLtNXNvc9yo/s320/P1030068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Surprisingly it was cold up there, very windy and very smoky.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_r48n7jrrGJ2uAApT1pldHTlqoqa05rvyaa2XWQsTVQPoCZrMkeqDY1k9d0lntht8cKkZ4ALkyXK4wRJVBiic6J51cZvkfIY94SSkQI2d6OJ-Eb4GzAtl2SAe0FZrTUhp0rIfb3J980XniGyujOv5VQpiBJ1DVCwmfrzylH-3v9G3gUXduhAuMIDBjI/s4000/P1030069.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_r48n7jrrGJ2uAApT1pldHTlqoqa05rvyaa2XWQsTVQPoCZrMkeqDY1k9d0lntht8cKkZ4ALkyXK4wRJVBiic6J51cZvkfIY94SSkQI2d6OJ-Eb4GzAtl2SAe0FZrTUhp0rIfb3J980XniGyujOv5VQpiBJ1DVCwmfrzylH-3v9G3gUXduhAuMIDBjI/s320/P1030069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It genuinely was the precipice, we stood right at the edge of a vertical drop in loose ash. We did sign some kind of waiver at the reception.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn7_ZZ0DqO0w879alTmdVPOxw3_c41pqIuvZwb9Fwjh3V2cu2ZEcYhvDPI102aJjkXHJauFr26cRmD0yNcKsqgQC0ISzRSnVkwVlqQeUrOvNceBgUt95DXReZojOW1i8K3n1MW-dbGSfG6JmsCWr_umcjDwF-Y30pNOjiA6aNNfJhtw2oFANUL28Rzc4/s4000/P1030070.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn7_ZZ0DqO0w879alTmdVPOxw3_c41pqIuvZwb9Fwjh3V2cu2ZEcYhvDPI102aJjkXHJauFr26cRmD0yNcKsqgQC0ISzRSnVkwVlqQeUrOvNceBgUt95DXReZojOW1i8K3n1MW-dbGSfG6JmsCWr_umcjDwF-Y30pNOjiA6aNNfJhtw2oFANUL28Rzc4/s320/P1030070.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is looking almost vertically down. All the action is about 200m horizontally and about 500m vertically.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXAaXismG0weiDiujTFmr77TatRL70Jq53ZK1-0mvAnjsm_e_YgKv2alD55vMr1AtiwQLVKWx4ofbtoCihZkUkraZGdLFCLaGgNF_DRaPSUOCuNeoBuCqWDUxoOj3w9BbE8VoD5hzQbDLPU8AeQMCJT_0GzUr6YASGsZ9ZIH3UzLvHQDlAoZeEyieMi8/s4000/P1030089.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXAaXismG0weiDiujTFmr77TatRL70Jq53ZK1-0mvAnjsm_e_YgKv2alD55vMr1AtiwQLVKWx4ofbtoCihZkUkraZGdLFCLaGgNF_DRaPSUOCuNeoBuCqWDUxoOj3w9BbE8VoD5hzQbDLPU8AeQMCJT_0GzUr6YASGsZ9ZIH3UzLvHQDlAoZeEyieMi8/s320/P1030089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">About once every two or three minutes there was a big booming explosion of various magnitude.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Glowing boulders were flung high in the air, almost to eye level, and then they crashed down onto the inner slopes of the crater. Once in a while there was a big one. Everyone was constantly pointing their cameras like a Taylor Swift concert.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kw6uVgalrFg" width="320" youtube-src-id="kw6uVgalrFg"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Good photographs and video were hard to come by, you had to be lucky.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After an hour we all retreated back to Resolution Bay. Our pickup was also dedicated transport for the volcano staff going home. I estimate each of these journeys probably takes a year off the life of your joints. We picked up a couple of fellows who could hardly walk, they had been on the Kava all day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you, Tim. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">More to come soon as we are a few islands up the chain now and there are still a few things I’d like to mention about Tanna.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-15893945834756392012023-07-25T00:12:00.003-04:002023-07-25T01:25:09.811-04:00Tanna Part 1 - Mount Vasur and Lenekel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">It took a number days to figure out how life is lived by those living around Port Resolution on the southeast corner of the island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanna_(island" target="_blank">Tanna</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JeXYA9yuo4HG7HmBEcov5pXqbU7a6n-1NwVmro2wvERB0_Fnh2dkI8jO7MwvMzJSokxIowHlI5BXRFakCkHRZlQKJYFCpDRiLogYvoZnZ14f0YudEmrUeIQdg55NsPdeOJjCKYABKWtBN3QAnlwrlODd0T3jU95ZRUlJYU3h2_SfoopVybmsNXYeQ5g/s6308/IMG_2330.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2843" data-original-width="6308" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JeXYA9yuo4HG7HmBEcov5pXqbU7a6n-1NwVmro2wvERB0_Fnh2dkI8jO7MwvMzJSokxIowHlI5BXRFakCkHRZlQKJYFCpDRiLogYvoZnZ14f0YudEmrUeIQdg55NsPdeOJjCKYABKWtBN3QAnlwrlODd0T3jU95ZRUlJYU3h2_SfoopVybmsNXYeQ5g/w400-h180/IMG_2330.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There should be pots of gold all over the bay.</div><p>We arrived shortly after the arrival of over a dozen World ARC Rally boats. </p><p>ARC Rallies are a big deal for islands they visit. They are a well organised events and, it seemed to me, that they work to the same formula everywhere they visit. Clearance into the country is organised as well as tours and cultural events. They bring a lot of money into often very poor countries. Another aspect of the ARC is giving gifts to the local communities, which Tim saw the day we cleared in and I mentioned previously, so kudos to them.</p><p>Tanna is the most underdeveloped and possibly most underfunded place we have visited ever.</p><p>As Customs and Immigration took almost all the Vatu (Vanuatan currency) Tim had been able to borrow from Burmese Breeze before leaving Fiji, a trip to the main town of Lenekel was needed to top up the coffers.</p><p>Transportation from Port Resolution anywhere is by privately owned 4x4’s. When a trip is necessary it is arranged to benefit the maximum number of people. No space is wasted.</p><p>Few people have cars and petrol/gas is very expensive. When a trip is requested by a visitor, word goes out amongst the local population and the remaining seats are filled. Tim was a bit blindsided to discover that, though the locals were charged 200 VT for the journey, he and the other visitors were charged 2000. </p><p>One get used to being overcharged, if not ripped-off as a tourist, but I don’t think that way of thinking applies here. The people here are really poor and have even less this year due to the destruction caused by direct hits by 2 cyclones last year. Banana and papaya/pawpaw trees, main staples, were almost totally destroyed across this island and the island of Erromango, Tanna’s northern neighbour. This is a terrible loss to the their sustainability and the local economy. Mango trees survived but they are the ‘Christmas’ fruit as they ripen in December.</p><p>I’m sure 200 VT for them and 2000 VT for us is fair.</p><p>Much of the island has no electricity, though Lenekel has some lighting thanks to some sort of generator. There is no electricity in the area around Port Resolution. They have mobile phones and these are charged by running the engine of the few vehicles in the area. I expect there is a fee to help cover the cost of the petrol.</p><p>Using your phone entails a walk to the top of a cliff over looking the bay for the best reception. Not everyone has a phone.</p><p>One has to laugh sometimes. Stanley, a local contact and ‘go to guy, for the ARC, seldom answered his hand-held VHF radio, so they gave him was given a brand new one. Problem solved? Not really. It could be that they now have 2 radios they aren’t able to charge rather than 1. Stanley asked Tim if he would charge the new radio on Larus, which we did, but will there be a boat around when next it needs charging? I expect the first boat into the anchorage will be asked to help out.</p><p>Wouldn’t this be a great place for a solar array? At the very least some <a href="https://lucilights.com.au/" target="_blank">Luci Lights</a>. As it is dark for, give or take, 12 hours a day one could cook, read, sew, repair, play games or study after 6 in the evening. </p><p>Honestly, I wish I’d done more research on Vanuatu before leaving NZ. Friends on Capall Mara brought a chainsaw for Stanley that he had requested on their previous visit last year.</p><p>Where were we? Ah yes, Tim going to Lenekel for cash. </p><p>I didn’t go to Lenekel as there was some confusion over what I was being asked to do. I thought I was being asked as per an earlier conversation if I wanted to go on the tour to the most accessible active volcano in the world to which I replied firmly, ‘No.’ By the time I got the right end of the stick and said, ‘Yes, please,’ the car was full.</p><p>Most of the journey was on dirt roads often eroded to odd angles and shapes that only a 4x4 could manage.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJowTvYr1P4NOPtlYTpTCE25CdwTE8Nqbb9AiHKHclF42kb911b-NAXISKGH3-4DkFTP0nVtt_hCozzv9B4vqaNSICyaM0_zjlftPDASFWvYLeb3-Hx3enuNamqA9UmwveZ-1I1DN1Bsi1XSq5qwBkN3ZMzM206X2-3qdjCKPLnoTzuDOPR4nIeZhQs_Q/s14340/IMG_1838.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3810" data-original-width="14340" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJowTvYr1P4NOPtlYTpTCE25CdwTE8Nqbb9AiHKHclF42kb911b-NAXISKGH3-4DkFTP0nVtt_hCozzv9B4vqaNSICyaM0_zjlftPDASFWvYLeb3-Hx3enuNamqA9UmwveZ-1I1DN1Bsi1XSq5qwBkN3ZMzM206X2-3qdjCKPLnoTzuDOPR4nIeZhQs_Q/w640-h170/IMG_1838.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not far the from Port Resolution, the dirt road turned into a wind ruffled black sand plain. Tim said, ‘The road just vanished,’ and that he had no idea how they knew where to go to meet up with the road on the other side. The wind quickly swept away the vehicle’s tracks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBL1W3Ox-8qqUf_twWXfrOLLRyKYW7_bhWVCPZHbVhfks0-2AHlFmHl_SqG1psMb0-4oa9P9zBO1H1xKs0eOVDAeQ5Qfr4vl_SMTDximmnnYd7beiNY897i5UhGMiSOrBrDbOJZ16WCRP5MHmD0Zi9SazMJzxSJzGLfsgCAAWCLagykzqjhcgUVEXk8/s4032/IMG_1855.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPBL1W3Ox-8qqUf_twWXfrOLLRyKYW7_bhWVCPZHbVhfks0-2AHlFmHl_SqG1psMb0-4oa9P9zBO1H1xKs0eOVDAeQ5Qfr4vl_SMTDximmnnYd7beiNY897i5UhGMiSOrBrDbOJZ16WCRP5MHmD0Zi9SazMJzxSJzGLfsgCAAWCLagykzqjhcgUVEXk8/s320/IMG_1855.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A close up of a past lava flow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not far from Port Resolution is <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/vanuatu/east-tanna-1332187/attractions/mt-yasur/a/poi-sig/1067349/1332187" target="_blank">Mount Yasur - tourism link</a>, the world’s most accessible active volcano. The Volcanism nerds amongst us might want to check out this site on <a href="https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=257100" target="_blank">Mount Yasur - scientific report</a> at the Smithsonian Institute, Global Volcanism Program.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mount Yasur has been at Activity Level 2 for quite a long time. Interestingly, or suspiciously depending on how you look at this sort of thing, the local scale goes from 0 to 6, while the Global Volcanism Program scale goes from 0 to 4. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It took about 2 and a half hours over rough roads with only the last few miles being paved.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yzwUOW4__ZYkK3soGqeadyMvCx_JWHUkn8LBlh3JxD5WFZZOjWieqv7-8eusOJbxa7sa_ngLs76igsrx5WSyHwInrYUZ1uzZ-3Uvd5DjH87b4z89bZE0zMOqc7gmrU_ByoylfDyTXMrIUZatFut4wkfgD1udrARTGrCrZaUdKqAKVpU36_OSJSdL_k4/s4032/IMG_1839.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5yzwUOW4__ZYkK3soGqeadyMvCx_JWHUkn8LBlh3JxD5WFZZOjWieqv7-8eusOJbxa7sa_ngLs76igsrx5WSyHwInrYUZ1uzZ-3Uvd5DjH87b4z89bZE0zMOqc7gmrU_ByoylfDyTXMrIUZatFut4wkfgD1udrARTGrCrZaUdKqAKVpU36_OSJSdL_k4/w400-h300/IMG_1839.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What a gorgeous market in the shade of a Banyan tree. Look at those lettuces! And a way I have never seen of displaying carrots in little teepees.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLloKp27DCZJZ49Fc_Rs2d7UPE3LQaReFdgR_GBuGp_dSQnj39gHAcHtI2SzyXxcOfqZxWS7GVvA8iLCuY3hsnfs78vdWAvUBXHiqvqbrfJDlEw1liIUWtj2DRC-wUBvdPx9aoJdNuq1TLEfqt3zYY31rHagwAt-wHdfBLBcCGBPIfUgkd258mtmpRCQ4/s4032/IMG_1841.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLloKp27DCZJZ49Fc_Rs2d7UPE3LQaReFdgR_GBuGp_dSQnj39gHAcHtI2SzyXxcOfqZxWS7GVvA8iLCuY3hsnfs78vdWAvUBXHiqvqbrfJDlEw1liIUWtj2DRC-wUBvdPx9aoJdNuq1TLEfqt3zYY31rHagwAt-wHdfBLBcCGBPIfUgkd258mtmpRCQ4/w300-h400/IMG_1841.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Banyan trees are impressive.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FcruVEl-VoyWlqZN5LkahP3O-9JgJIbNEYdgqdP_IKy8CgAFzPf_NCa7QZQC7R_0d44N5k8rjsWAw9GTlntcVE1E1_i0oNoW5nTgbNXOIAEwWSIO00fG0fEF3ReNvp34MtQm53D3uqz9tvdosCCQETxHHXx7qFHvvfzm8MkteSXZ2jSlPaI-bpinPMQ/s4032/IMG_1846.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FcruVEl-VoyWlqZN5LkahP3O-9JgJIbNEYdgqdP_IKy8CgAFzPf_NCa7QZQC7R_0d44N5k8rjsWAw9GTlntcVE1E1_i0oNoW5nTgbNXOIAEwWSIO00fG0fEF3ReNvp34MtQm53D3uqz9tvdosCCQETxHHXx7qFHvvfzm8MkteSXZ2jSlPaI-bpinPMQ/w400-h300/IMG_1846.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A market garden outside the town.</div><p>Tim arrived back to Port Resolution about 5 hours later than expected with a pocket full of cash and a bag of sugar, which is exactly what I had asked for.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-83782352618906959552023-07-11T23:34:00.006-04:002023-07-24T17:49:02.765-04:00Anchored in Port Resolution on the Island of Tanna <p>We arrived this morning as planned around 0900. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKn1clq7POTOvcnyijcZCsR6FYW0xhFI_It8ZLxJxzM-GWi8Tyi7bQ5a60Kl6cOA1a3e2AVTmBjhR_SEKHEELptVCsxBgQxgrMAHGIhrdd3Vno3IQHrHkxve0kMPB-_QsptidGBSqkthc-LTXfG35sgJexnkUgF7GU2IQWuzAC-xqk52t3Tu7AxBQ5Ms/s4032/IMG_2307.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKn1clq7POTOvcnyijcZCsR6FYW0xhFI_It8ZLxJxzM-GWi8Tyi7bQ5a60Kl6cOA1a3e2AVTmBjhR_SEKHEELptVCsxBgQxgrMAHGIhrdd3Vno3IQHrHkxve0kMPB-_QsptidGBSqkthc-LTXfG35sgJexnkUgF7GU2IQWuzAC-xqk52t3Tu7AxBQ5Ms/s320/IMG_2307.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tim putting up our Q flag, which lets the authorities know we haven’t cleared in.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUjwe7SQEMTha0AQBjP3-xdfNlvUMIfh-Lu6hy8pQ-KLh4eHgbGBWYesW9SNWL3lzCahFgOMjndFBwLMtnyzIsZDdDTMAzCse82vwr-5SkrChMRXxWcPZ7RxJpkjffsV-kPV6-MHkGbApVtkqwfvCh_1hGPKcKJ9UoXtrlF8lpOID2VdxflznZU9zLEQ/s4032/IMG_2311.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUjwe7SQEMTha0AQBjP3-xdfNlvUMIfh-Lu6hy8pQ-KLh4eHgbGBWYesW9SNWL3lzCahFgOMjndFBwLMtnyzIsZDdDTMAzCse82vwr-5SkrChMRXxWcPZ7RxJpkjffsV-kPV6-MHkGbApVtkqwfvCh_1hGPKcKJ9UoXtrlF8lpOID2VdxflznZU9zLEQ/s320/IMG_2311.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First mate with the island of Tanna in the distance. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was quite a lumpy sea on our approach but on the whole a very good passage. Last night was the worst with squally winds without even having the decency to give us any rain to wash the salt off. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of note is the fact that we broke our record for miles covered in a 24 hours period with the whopping great number of 168. Really for us this is outstanding and will probably never be repeated. It does make for a very bright moment in one’s day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_Ap6QpgdQVnamH5EelOTpzcrE1KpZ0PeG_1lcKnfe03GJgsrcducFxIsRxcpOeR_CsUtyXgDop_wrHbaNtqzvV5IQ0ceuPkiiOQh48lQe6zVU32NrJME66pmDWYYqCmpC7DeRmJFDvxdFsBfQrJ8tcWulHh-mz5XezLdXRXUUjiXoDxeq6X3WY3mcOA/s3893/IMG_2320.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1636" data-original-width="3893" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_Ap6QpgdQVnamH5EelOTpzcrE1KpZ0PeG_1lcKnfe03GJgsrcducFxIsRxcpOeR_CsUtyXgDop_wrHbaNtqzvV5IQ0ceuPkiiOQh48lQe6zVU32NrJME66pmDWYYqCmpC7DeRmJFDvxdFsBfQrJ8tcWulHh-mz5XezLdXRXUUjiXoDxeq6X3WY3mcOA/w640-h268/IMG_2320.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p>We dropped anchor in the huge bay amongst the numerous Arc World Rally boats and right next to John and Sal on Cappall Mara who we last saw in Whangarei.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdqrILKqg36p2aeHTO1jgspShTOz2bdiLRPBBsXI-XZARmlaCf34MDTg1Qja0KLHxcVpP4quPC74Abs4thLwcrRBwO-lyDD-P3a8M90zcYGxaQtVEnVgjYsDYCSSYO3Ov8EFnd2NN9Nf1jQxkHbOcQMqLWyteeGhn5IA5n2m7X7Tn5nwmJ7UB_Sp-QUA/s4032/IMG_2327.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdqrILKqg36p2aeHTO1jgspShTOz2bdiLRPBBsXI-XZARmlaCf34MDTg1Qja0KLHxcVpP4quPC74Abs4thLwcrRBwO-lyDD-P3a8M90zcYGxaQtVEnVgjYsDYCSSYO3Ov8EFnd2NN9Nf1jQxkHbOcQMqLWyteeGhn5IA5n2m7X7Tn5nwmJ7UB_Sp-QUA/s320/IMG_2327.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Capall Mara</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We didn’t take our phones ashore as there are no SIM cards to buy here but I should have in case of photo ops. There were small outrigger canoes on the beach where we landed the dingy to clear in. Each one made from the hollowed out trunk of a tree. We saw the local men fishing when we arrived. When Tim went ashore the second time to see if there was any info about clearing in, he said that 6 or 7 local children helped him launch it from the beach.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It’s early days yet and I’m sure there will be many more chances.</div><p>We seem to be out of luck getting cleared in today. Tim read that Wednesday’s are a half day here and we might have arrived too late. Stanley, who helps with the clearing in process and probably arranges tours and the like will tell the authorities at Port Vila, the capital, two islands up, and maybe we can clear in there. Or maybe someone will come on the weekend. It is a tough car ride over rough mountain roads to get here, and having cleared in nearly 20 Arc boats yesterday they might not fancy doing the whole trip over again for one boat.</p><p>We aren’t used to such a relaxed attitude to clearing in. </p><p>We have 3 or 4 days of strong winds expected over the weekend and will stay here till that passes. John and Sal like playing Mexican Train Dominos as much, if not more, than I do. We’ll find some way of keeping occupied I’m sure.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-57545694781682636622023-07-10T09:29:00.002-04:002023-07-10T09:29:55.543-04:00Day 2 of 3, not 4, to Vanuatu <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">For a second time since leaving NZ, we are proving to be faster than expected. We made 152</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">miles in the last 24 hours and we continue to eat up the miles in an astonishing way. We seldom see our speed less than 6 knots and often it is over 7 and occasionally over 8.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">There is a current that helps more often than it hinders so we can’t take all the credit. We can have a boat speed of 6.6 knots but our speed over the ground is 7.2 with the an extra 0.6 knots of current. It’s great!</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The wind is generally 12 to 19 knots from the SSE and is expected to inch up to the low 20’s Tuesday night and back to the East.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">With little chance of us going any slower than we have thus far, I’m reasonably confident that we will probably arrive early Wednesday morning. :)</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">All is well on board.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-88354324553450292842023-07-08T21:30:00.002-04:002023-07-08T21:30:30.803-04:00Leaving Fiji and Vanuatu bound<p> </p><p>It was a little short notice, our deciding to leave Fiji today, but if we leave today we have a very good weather window for our 4 day passage. We enjoyed our time in Fiji but were plagued with nasty colds for both of us and a sore foot for Tim. We’ve been busy with friends and four days at sea will be a chance to put our feet up.</p><p>The marina staff bid us a fair voyage with song; the same way we were welcomed on our arrival. They tied a wreath of flowers on the bow, sang their song and cast us off.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6NZ1uhlvdVTtwNtAZ4mZpSD_gPH1MOCSF333_UCJ_vkO317OfcrBjmE0i0aWoWegz9lUJK1hrL_wfyeZnQFqN1F4kbVkrwJ-_54tS75wNThC5pIY_bBNwbAQdfdls6cewR4gXo51UH-PuKwMxYaH8XH-B9Dx2VLWDJGIJ_wMvjVO4ZM4sNO40SueJw/s1024/PHOTO-2023-07-09-11-07-34.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="717" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP6NZ1uhlvdVTtwNtAZ4mZpSD_gPH1MOCSF333_UCJ_vkO317OfcrBjmE0i0aWoWegz9lUJK1hrL_wfyeZnQFqN1F4kbVkrwJ-_54tS75wNThC5pIY_bBNwbAQdfdls6cewR4gXo51UH-PuKwMxYaH8XH-B9Dx2VLWDJGIJ_wMvjVO4ZM4sNO40SueJw/s320/PHOTO-2023-07-09-11-07-34.jpeg" width="224" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Zoe from ‘Into the Blue’ took this photo May we motored out of the marina. Colin from ‘Burmese Breeze’ took our rubbish. Both acts equally appreciated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(I’m scurrying to get a couple photos up while the Starlink we are using is still land-based and free. Once Elon has decided we are offshore it changes to $3 NZ a gigabit.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We currently inside the reef and are heading for the ‘pass’ closest to Vanuatu, which is directly to the east of Fiji. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WOIO2DapyIOtOooAgdQT2MiBphC8LDazGvUaL2uA-haS0spfpY8LRfaZ2htsuu8QnaP9C3mlei76DpHH4AAQunA2WnzpID-7MshjNZ40K2qo1yaQBOD-C4QLmps7CBLj6u83dDIMcKNWTh0uJ9WM2dTP9tItBBFIFhfAH5I5BPQ-8Cu32k5DNpMIC0I/s4032/IMG_2295.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WOIO2DapyIOtOooAgdQT2MiBphC8LDazGvUaL2uA-haS0spfpY8LRfaZ2htsuu8QnaP9C3mlei76DpHH4AAQunA2WnzpID-7MshjNZ40K2qo1yaQBOD-C4QLmps7CBLj6u83dDIMcKNWTh0uJ9WM2dTP9tItBBFIFhfAH5I5BPQ-8Cu32k5DNpMIC0I/w400-h300/IMG_2295.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can just see the flower on our bow and a the island where the Musket Cove Resort I’d located. Leased to the coach roof is our year old staysail. This is only its second outing. We used it all the way from NZ to Fiji in May, 2022. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It’s is smaller sail and good for going up wind and sailing in stronger winds. We are doing neither on this trip but one can’t choose exactly when you leave. You book Customs and Immigration to come to the marina; they check you out; you leave within the next hour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We want to arrive in Vanuatu in daylight and leaving late afternoon would have been better for a 3 day passage. Leaving at noon means that if we are too fast, based on our average boat speed of 5.8 knots, we’ll arrive after dark on the third day. Instead we are slowing it down a little, planing to arriving on the fourth day as well as showing our staysail some love.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">:)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nancy and Tim</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-26153823435542862552023-06-22T01:59:00.000-04:002023-06-22T01:59:33.189-04:00Anchored in Musket Cove<p>Our first three days in Fiji consisted of provisioning (mostly me) and fixing things (totally Tim).</p><p>First, I baked/cooked all the necessities we’d run out of in the last day of the passage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQ3jtPgACD58LHUz53MKUfWNhaC52JaxOof66AIgM2PW83INdQIQdvj70gRJGGMYLDYawnBs4xaUL_L3zhYG1p-4tSIksrD3fuaCf_SxQSfcKNT1iNLKR6plMouHvvaNj3HLDoMb-jDwch9ZJNWEtUb8JbOdCzogc5qEyQq-C-s2ZKYeINBsOrrDEGeo/s3635/IMG_2133.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="3635" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQ3jtPgACD58LHUz53MKUfWNhaC52JaxOof66AIgM2PW83INdQIQdvj70gRJGGMYLDYawnBs4xaUL_L3zhYG1p-4tSIksrD3fuaCf_SxQSfcKNT1iNLKR6plMouHvvaNj3HLDoMb-jDwch9ZJNWEtUb8JbOdCzogc5qEyQq-C-s2ZKYeINBsOrrDEGeo/w400-h320/IMG_2133.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Cooling in the cockpit we have granola, cooked white beans for chilli, roasted Red Skinned Peanuts and not a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-a-bakers-dozen-13" target="_blank">Baker’s Dozen</a>, which is 13, but maybe a Captain’s Dozen(?) of banana, raisin and walnut muffins. They were not yet fully cooled at time of photo.</p><p>Then shopped together. The next day I shopped alone and the last day I shopped with Zoe from Into the Blue.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtMt4VhpTbhsfMafPwazaZcHyjAldhycREzutnKp4hC_7QJE1zzEfHrLPncTkQzImrtQDp1pUJKhae1NOshL9baS84ILBcX8MY07_CKlwf9E59Rl3EPVcIvfvKuUdVB-CsJiGKTqge2moZRzKQrWliMMkaZkYjQxo4QpdR7nhe_VD408eeQcr-9j78Sw/s3891/IMG_2139.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2521" data-original-width="3891" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtMt4VhpTbhsfMafPwazaZcHyjAldhycREzutnKp4hC_7QJE1zzEfHrLPncTkQzImrtQDp1pUJKhae1NOshL9baS84ILBcX8MY07_CKlwf9E59Rl3EPVcIvfvKuUdVB-CsJiGKTqge2moZRzKQrWliMMkaZkYjQxo4QpdR7nhe_VD408eeQcr-9j78Sw/w400-h259/IMG_2139.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As I was taking the photo of bananas, fresh plump huge juicy ginger and lumpy local lemons, I noticed a hole in one of the bananas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuIUNpmOblacIzby9dSje1najqfqQEd0pCzMX2OLnJEyBZ09-tJTrQELIoXK_vkM7sQJSGgpRexv3e78XvFsj4-0yE8TxFa76tQorNpyv3ZmFeOkvjeXq0_Cp-8kNUkdFBSBYFbIjzc_0pscYIqHGfsk2lWBFFeG76-0OeXe6T265JhlknHLoHgmkS1U/s1479/IMG_2138.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1479" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuIUNpmOblacIzby9dSje1najqfqQEd0pCzMX2OLnJEyBZ09-tJTrQELIoXK_vkM7sQJSGgpRexv3e78XvFsj4-0yE8TxFa76tQorNpyv3ZmFeOkvjeXq0_Cp-8kNUkdFBSBYFbIjzc_0pscYIqHGfsk2lWBFFeG76-0OeXe6T265JhlknHLoHgmkS1U/s320/IMG_2138.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How in the world could I choose a bunch of bananas with bloody great hole in it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hadn’t.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUw1zsViXDRT875IoExSCQVAovQKPJZABDTGs_C0bs56rkk9oSb77Gdhs4LVPcSFlain-SHatkFOqxbN6JH8An9jeqcgW_gmEhtVV9VtDVl6qnNt9pTwujvpr9zHLIN-DVGGbcPsJiuvHh0SEra0ZVS5k89ULzBCVaHu8mayZOKcxhBZiYWIBH2bVVNA/s1380/IMG_0852.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1380" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUw1zsViXDRT875IoExSCQVAovQKPJZABDTGs_C0bs56rkk9oSb77Gdhs4LVPcSFlain-SHatkFOqxbN6JH8An9jeqcgW_gmEhtVV9VtDVl6qnNt9pTwujvpr9zHLIN-DVGGbcPsJiuvHh0SEra0ZVS5k89ULzBCVaHu8mayZOKcxhBZiYWIBH2bVVNA/s320/IMG_0852.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is an example of the culprit, a Red-Vented Bulbul. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a flashback to our first visit to Fiji of calling over to a family a few boats down, ‘There’s a bird eating your mangos!’ It was tthis type of bird. You can’t mistake the handsome crest, the flash of red or the holes in your fruit. :/ There was also one watching from the rigging of the boat next to us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 4 was the day we left Vuda Marina for Musket Cove and I woke up with a scratchy throat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p>Two negative Covid tests later, I appeared to have a nasty cold. I felt bad enough not to leave Larus and my coughing and sneezing was sufficient to repel boarders.</p><p>A week later I’m mostly better, but Tim woke up this morning with a scratchy throat. Zoe says Bill, on Into the Blue, has also woke up with a scratchy throat. I will claim responsibility for Tim’s scratchy throat, but the only people who actually came onboard were Philip and Claudia on Bruno’s Girl who we lured over with falafel last night. </p><p>Too soon to tell if <i>that</i> was a mistake. Fingers crossed they are both fine.</p><p>It is the pits to not feel like doing much of anything and running out of ready to eat food. We were up to our eyes with ingredients, had just finished our last frozen passage meal and our loaf of bought bread had gone mouldy so something had to be done.</p><p>Luckily I really like cooking and had some tried and true, new and interesting things I wanted to have a go at and that perked me up.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi7IX3f-xSxDJv6XyqnChgOx-_aXZTbnPTeWmK7l4I1sE6Sl-ZTjzUD4lO0BmxbcuIwd57krsVNJAXvQmLVoeJRRml_oTDors3wH5PPRviFK0eVTM9hUDNh0Y8K3eLrDQ3E8hykAOp6fgGWr0VByGyEvoWGmiNTR1rS-cDQ-PcKkzZJjTk4ewxS26fdM/s4032/IMG_2147.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRi7IX3f-xSxDJv6XyqnChgOx-_aXZTbnPTeWmK7l4I1sE6Sl-ZTjzUD4lO0BmxbcuIwd57krsVNJAXvQmLVoeJRRml_oTDors3wH5PPRviFK0eVTM9hUDNh0Y8K3eLrDQ3E8hykAOp6fgGWr0VByGyEvoWGmiNTR1rS-cDQ-PcKkzZJjTk4ewxS26fdM/s320/IMG_2147.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a great wholewheat bread recipe that has worked 3 times on the trot with excellent results. The flour is 2 1/2 cups wholewheat and 1 1/2 white flour. The new tricks I’ve learned is to add the yeast to the water first so it softens and mix that with all the other ingredients and them let the dough hydrate for 30 mins before kneading.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My other problem is that the oven heats from the back so the loaf must be turned several times to cook evenly. The loaf also rises so well that I can barely get it into the oven. There is maybe a finger’s width of space between the top of the loaf and the top of the oven, and I need to put a tin hat on top to stop it from burning for the third and fourth turn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Still once you know all that, it’s a breeze.</div><div><br /></div>I found the most beautiful chillies at the market - Habaneros, some sort of hopefully milder green chillis and Bird’s Eye Chillies. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAjh7G5CW-FgLG7BNvY6zv6O6FlyqoCylBH9dksPjZK-XfLau0EGumA4ygnkayd9bvyirsFbZj-RJNfG2mdzhm-vNrV0P5TRJtf2BjgoHPepN04R0vvIV0rQ5-C0XyOsKJPA9-35uOHrmwMuXDrkAz87qFkIbhcDxX7FP6lJtmms93UQy2tQ4xkV7yqk/s3951/IMG_2142.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2802" data-original-width="3951" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAjh7G5CW-FgLG7BNvY6zv6O6FlyqoCylBH9dksPjZK-XfLau0EGumA4ygnkayd9bvyirsFbZj-RJNfG2mdzhm-vNrV0P5TRJtf2BjgoHPepN04R0vvIV0rQ5-C0XyOsKJPA9-35uOHrmwMuXDrkAz87qFkIbhcDxX7FP6lJtmms93UQy2tQ4xkV7yqk/s320/IMG_2142.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> I read up on how to best keep them and you wash them, dry them, trim the stems and then store them in the fridge for up to a week.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xzfbf8efTo6e2ZkdWRkvC4UixfieUbyT4WljAdNVwGO_-7T7tRgfQKQmnezyYmeiyJHh7s07KiM9Zxp0gxPo8oqbNjg3qmSYtqNkOe2lNFCxY5-zNOgmmut2m-Mmw7veY9vGnWufOaxPojZ_8i15RpyB2GnSrapPURhY1kTFoot1d3TU-bZTylde97Q/s4032/IMG_2144.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xzfbf8efTo6e2ZkdWRkvC4UixfieUbyT4WljAdNVwGO_-7T7tRgfQKQmnezyYmeiyJHh7s07KiM9Zxp0gxPo8oqbNjg3qmSYtqNkOe2lNFCxY5-zNOgmmut2m-Mmw7veY9vGnWufOaxPojZ_8i15RpyB2GnSrapPURhY1kTFoot1d3TU-bZTylde97Q/s320/IMG_2144.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I soon had some out to make some Sweet Chilli Jam from my Caribbean cookbook. It’s is delicious with cheese.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZTKpoQyb0oaUDONQjIhjk71JE325aQNzR9z6SD9a54D0hKLXaGZhzYm-jeWwD2BkAuq0Yzht5i9j3Gr_5aokH_uvsmXCiomS1bY-p3G01hkzBOlkjZQ61XQiJmIY2exhoCr1nBeSvhPeVtlg8iknzHJMYYUw0KJGmrsAI3bJqSqHZuxp6-9r9BMtmp4/s4032/IMG_2140.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZTKpoQyb0oaUDONQjIhjk71JE325aQNzR9z6SD9a54D0hKLXaGZhzYm-jeWwD2BkAuq0Yzht5i9j3Gr_5aokH_uvsmXCiomS1bY-p3G01hkzBOlkjZQ61XQiJmIY2exhoCr1nBeSvhPeVtlg8iknzHJMYYUw0KJGmrsAI3bJqSqHZuxp6-9r9BMtmp4/s320/IMG_2140.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the local ‘spinach’, which isn’t spinach at all but does the job. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The bunch was too big to get into the fridge and I could see it needed using sooner than later. Having asked a lady how to prepare it, I picked the leaves off the tough stems and roots and then steamed and froze them for later. The bunch made about a cup of very nice looking greens. Half went into day 2 of the pasta sauce we had for dinner that night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have all sorts of fresh things stashed about the boat and will have a good look tomorrow. I lost most of one of my three pineapples as I let it get over ripe. Too tired to care. All the bananas are now in the freezer, but in the aft cabin there are 4 coconuts, a bunch of limes and a large watermelon that I need to focus on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the watermelon: I need to make ice in the freezer to chill it and then get a bunch of people together when we’re no longer infectious to enjoy it as none of it will ever fit in the fridge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the limes: I also have a tin of condensed milk and bought cookies for the crust to make a Key Lime Pie. This is one of Tim’s favourite desserts, but we need a flat fridge space so it can set. Hard to imagine when that might be.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the coconuts: I’d quite like to make some toasted coconut chips, and some fresh grated coconut. The latter will freeze if one has space in the freezer. Happily coconuts last a long time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PS - I have added the missing photos to the previous 2 posts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PPS - It is the shortest day of the year down here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PPPS - Tim has now started sneezing and is planning when to take his LemSip. :( More about him in the next blog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-51709278812829744152023-06-12T17:39:00.000-04:002023-06-12T17:39:33.267-04:00On the Customs Dock, Vuda Marina, Fiji<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n5qGKoKw_f8" width="320" youtube-src-id="n5qGKoKw_f8"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We are welcomed to Fiji by the Vuda Marina staff on the Customs Dock.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>We are very pleased to be back in Fiji. We are just entering the cooler drier season. The nights are cool but the days are still pretty warm. I’m already sweating hard at 0930 in the morning.<p></p><p>We are currently awaiting the arrival of the Customs, Immigration and Bio Security officials.</p><p>I have to sew a bit of rope into our brand new Fiji courtesy flag so will be back later. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkXeLDI8ZBHl4ZAsDYENHXhaxEuIhDUq4q2-JPvYUXTTEDvhBcXbQU_ayKD0bbPuO1lMTUxBylRQ9RNddmSApRJ8oy-JydHBpD_6ofUfFdvN-USZG3uSi2ovE7QGx2in3tCaIhmQSNLEs_DEh1Shao2xG6-mAbdInjm5rjY5Gc7eDKdgtRh2Dzl8q/s3146/IMG_0844.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2251" data-original-width="3146" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkXeLDI8ZBHl4ZAsDYENHXhaxEuIhDUq4q2-JPvYUXTTEDvhBcXbQU_ayKD0bbPuO1lMTUxBylRQ9RNddmSApRJ8oy-JydHBpD_6ofUfFdvN-USZG3uSi2ovE7QGx2in3tCaIhmQSNLEs_DEh1Shao2xG6-mAbdInjm5rjY5Gc7eDKdgtRh2Dzl8q/s320/IMG_0844.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pale blue for the sea and emblazoned with a coat of arms featuring the Dove of Peace, a bunch of Bananas, Cassava plants, Coconut palm and above all, the Rugby playing Lion.</div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-31570205371874247022023-06-08T17:22:00.001-04:002023-06-21T22:47:46.923-04:00Minerva Reef North <p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">The last two days of our passage to Minerva were a mix of motoring and sailing often in the company of a fleet of Chinese fishing boats.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJL0YZljoMrr7j68OTbefFbK-xbm8fUGaB3oNWwnBqAJ50tkWRpi6kHiWmLFueyIcDE-6zULKhs2Cog_vYAa3ACqoPnXSWIvhULPGwI2Y_B3WmcZpGFH0ObequiGkRefHOXy3KqtHV20PHnFzLQrSZ3hH6uV3OOk4YBlY43xAlnNwIcK-b7lDkln97-o/s1280/ScreenShot001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJL0YZljoMrr7j68OTbefFbK-xbm8fUGaB3oNWwnBqAJ50tkWRpi6kHiWmLFueyIcDE-6zULKhs2Cog_vYAa3ACqoPnXSWIvhULPGwI2Y_B3WmcZpGFH0ObequiGkRefHOXy3KqtHV20PHnFzLQrSZ3hH6uV3OOk4YBlY43xAlnNwIcK-b7lDkln97-o/s320/ScreenShot001.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">I chose this photo as we were going quite fast. We were never less than 2 miles from the nearest and they were almost stationary.</span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We’re not sure what was up with their AIS as the boats were almost always pointed due north and remained in a neat ‘V’ shape as we passed through them. It was perfect squid formation; they are the synchronised swimmers of the sea. As they advance, retreat or sidle sideways they maintain the same spacial relationship to each other. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We arrived Monday around noon at low tide, dropped anchor in a bommie-free patch of sand. Bommies are rocks or coral heads in an otherwise sandy anchorage. The water is dark blue but so clear that even in 15 metres of water you can see them quite clearly with the sun at your back. You can’t, however, tell how tall they are.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Anchored as we were at low water, we relaxed in gentle winds and the smooth calm waters in protection of the outer reef. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6Ewfk31kGZv6T19JDUDZOeLgpWc_woN1mnDLR6G-XcmBiNuMadzYFQc4Ap690yqlk21kbWgBtymrKhGkv-3ax9OCx0UFON2ntHrjJBqIZVVCsZKXWGzelnaphcAQUjFMYpGV9XS5uheMU-0R13-XIwlE26b3_cxzc6hfY8F89rK6Yop0KALQ7yCsRAs/s3975/IMG_2127.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="3975" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6Ewfk31kGZv6T19JDUDZOeLgpWc_woN1mnDLR6G-XcmBiNuMadzYFQc4Ap690yqlk21kbWgBtymrKhGkv-3ax9OCx0UFON2ntHrjJBqIZVVCsZKXWGzelnaphcAQUjFMYpGV9XS5uheMU-0R13-XIwlE26b3_cxzc6hfY8F89rK6Yop0KALQ7yCsRAs/w640-h236/IMG_2127.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">That sliver of light brown is a portion of the reef. This photo wasn’t taken on the day we arrived. The overcast conditions seem to give more contrast. There is quite a wide border inside the visible reef that isn’t deep enough for a yacht to anchor. Getting. To get a good photo, one p might well need a drone.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This wonderful state of affairs lasted several hours until the tide turned. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">As high water approached the sea state got bouncier and bouncier as the reef and its topical protection disappeared. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The movement was by no <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>means unbearable, but still enough to cause a case of mild case of the staggers should you choose to do anything other than sit.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We re-anchored to the southeast end of the reef and offered more protection <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>even at high water from the prevailing conditions. Zoomax, who joined us there the next day, said it was MUCH better in this location.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">One spends a lot of time trying to pick the perfect spot and even then, as happened the Wednesday morning, we spent a ‘fun’ hour unwrapping our chain from around an unexpectedly tall bommie when we swung around when the tide changed. Tim snorkelled and directed me from the water to go this way, that way, the other way while we untangled ourselves.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BBqR81rVcDRQHUwv9f9x43Lab6vyfBoHDeB60RLAcrHxT4Jgsj7MBpEGGERPursmna5bZI0KKShSu6-5njdkBCUJ_wsw33P_dG_aU4y0DhQbqfkoUFunxHMR7Vv1EFrHx638N9YLqpLciF2rdWUenf8dgSnml89UfbvWmYJ1s5L8b9xQF3aAD3SmO2s/s2000/IMG_0BFBB162E805-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BBqR81rVcDRQHUwv9f9x43Lab6vyfBoHDeB60RLAcrHxT4Jgsj7MBpEGGERPursmna5bZI0KKShSu6-5njdkBCUJ_wsw33P_dG_aU4y0DhQbqfkoUFunxHMR7Vv1EFrHx638N9YLqpLciF2rdWUenf8dgSnml89UfbvWmYJ1s5L8b9xQF3aAD3SmO2s/w400-h300/IMG_0BFBB162E805-1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Carla on Ari B took a photo of Larus and the sunset.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It took us a little while to appreciate that you plan your daylight hours around the state of the tide. </span> <span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">At high tide, there is some protection from the reef, but quite a lot of water does come over the top. There are always waves crashing on the outside of the reef trying to get in. It can get very lumpy and rough.</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We had one walk on the reef at not quite low water and there was a steady blanket of water flowing down into the reef in sort of wide flat steps or rock and coral and pockmarked with deeper pool and puddles. The terrain was quite rough and uneven, and good foot wear is a must. It can be hard to judge the depth through the layer of water swirling across tide pools and <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>into the dips and crannies. It is easy to miss step, which I did a number of times, and came back with some scrapes that we washed and medicated once back onboard.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Thank you, Leanne on Perigee for the gift, given <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>back in New Zealand, of Lucas’ Papaw Ointment which contains fermented papaya. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s coming in very useful.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We went ashore with Alex and Carla on Ari B. They are serious hunter gatherers and at low water they are often on the reef spear hunting lobster and octopus in the tide pools. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They caught 6 lobsters since we arrived but the octopuses have managed to keep their heads down.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The reef is several miles across with room for quite a lot of boats. There were 15 to 20 boats during our time there. All boats that go off shore can communicate via VHS radio. They may or may not have other methods like satellite, but they always have VHS radio. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The VHS radio is kept on 24/7 while on passage and is set to Channel 16. The theory is that to chat to another boat you make first contact on Channel 16, which is the listening channel. 16 is the channel, worldwide, that you use for emergency and first contact traffic. During an emergency, the Coastguard will tell other vessels not to use 16… except in an emergency. If you are calling for a chat or to plan social events, once you have made contact, you move the conversation to a different designated channel. This is important as only one radio can transmit at a time. If you sit on Channel 16, no one else can make social, informational or emergency call. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It is also just plain irritating having to listen a pair of boats organising their amazing social lives particularly when you aren’t invited. ; )</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We are just now on our way to Fiji. The sails are set and we’re going along nicely at 5.5 knots in 10 knots of wind just ahead of the beam. Light winds are forecast so we are expecting a slowish passage, but that suits us fine. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We plan to arrive Monday or Tuesday so have planned the passage to take 3 or 4 days so as not to incur any overtime charges for clearing in on the weekend.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Cruisers are nothing if not frugal, and we’re not in any rush.</span></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-30350461714539146192023-06-03T09:50:00.005-04:002023-06-21T22:52:59.186-04:00200 nm to Minerva Reefs<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">It’s been a mixed and mild passage with weather forecasts that, more often than nought, haven’t panned out.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Our first 200 nm were under sail. Not expecting much wind, we were surprised to get 15 to 20 knots from the southwest not 4 hours out of Marsden Cove. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We averaged 300 nautical miles in the first two days - 153 and 147 nm. Normally we average 130 nm a day, so these were amazing numbers.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Maybe Tim’s compulsive hull cleaning every time we dropped anchor was paying off? </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The sea state was less than expected and probably down to being in the lee of New Zealand for the first two days. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Though it was rather rolly, it wasn’t the bad type of roll where you are flung from side to side or the fridge contents make a break for freedom every time you open the door. This passage was surprisingly smooth and we sailed comfortably with one reef in the main sail. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We also had a ‘blip’ appear in the forecast on day 5 or 6 when we could expect to be in the Minerva Reef area. Depending on which weather model you looked at, we could expect a little wind and rain, or a small fast moving depression with potentially 30 knot winds gusting 50, or as the Australian model briefly suggested a Weather Bomb. Yikes.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Early in the passage, all one can do is watch, wait and try to get into a position where we have the choice of arriving in Minerva in daylight and in time to get well anchored, or alter course to sail under the system, or hove-to below the system and wait for it to pass.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Both the depression and ‘the Bomb’ disappeared completely from all the forecasts.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Unfortunately our lovely wind also disappeared yesterday. We are crossing the centre of a large High pressure so it is to be expected, but doesn’t mean we have to like it. We’re having a mix of light to no wind. Forecasts suggest that there will be wind, but we seem to be in a ‘always tomorrow, but never today’ scenario.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We’re not in the rush we were, but it would be nice to get there without using lots of fuel. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We expect to spend several days in Minerva Reefs as Fiji is expecting wind and rain in the coming days and who wants to arrive in that?</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We’ve had two visitors onboard in the last two days. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">First, in the middle of the night I had a large flying fish join me in the cockpit. Every time I tried to pick it up, it spread its wings and flapped wildly. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Eventually I got a towel over it, scooped it up and chucked it over the side.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Second, we had a </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">very tired swallow came aboard as dusk was approaching. It really really wanted to come below and we really really didn’t want it to, so I made up this paper bag and basket house.</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKNOSP6cE1Z8qGKUWEHvAtkt1C6drN8qRfXjsAsuFBnl1vroHWlvcIWILmL0wM4iq8XTf7oeLVNaGXlH6iWZx3XxEg3ydZNgi6mTPQp5OkO5BkahjxPxSAjAY0gcXJGzuwZB4BgtvSgcxmT4mU-oubvbj3C4L2KRI6WYtXfzSMeNC-Tc5PXDgReA_hbE/s4032/IMG_2126.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKNOSP6cE1Z8qGKUWEHvAtkt1C6drN8qRfXjsAsuFBnl1vroHWlvcIWILmL0wM4iq8XTf7oeLVNaGXlH6iWZx3XxEg3ydZNgi6mTPQp5OkO5BkahjxPxSAjAY0gcXJGzuwZB4BgtvSgcxmT4mU-oubvbj3C4L2KRI6WYtXfzSMeNC-Tc5PXDgReA_hbE/w400-h300/IMG_2126.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Come below it did though, and we plucked it off the paper towels in the galley, the sink splashback, the clock and transferred it back the its house each time. It was so fast. One minute it was outside and the next, perched somewhere unexpected below deck. When it next came to roost in my bookshelf on top of my cookbooks, we gave up and left it in peace after getting a tea towel underneath it. By the time I woke in the morning, it was gone.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">It is quite a thing to have a tiny wild creature in the palm of your hand.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">All is well onboard. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-37491767537792841842023-05-30T00:04:00.004-04:002023-05-30T00:51:17.848-04:00Just left Whangarei Harbour<p>Eleven boats have left Marsden Cove today on their way to Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia or Vanuatu. </p><p>Those of us going to Tonga or Fiji will be making a stop in Minerva Reefs about 800 nautical miles from the mouth of the harbour. In a weeks time there might well be a squally system passing through bring winds from completely the wrong direction. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerva_Reefs" target="_blank">Minerva Reefs</a> is a good place to wait it out before carrying on in our case to Fiji. It should take us about 6 days to get Minerva Reefs.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPdtDTXJrZDYuE33JisqOYWSbj86UTy3mQgSKy1JUVw5H5iho9_n--zOOiE_oAjvvw8ur_fgsnSRgFzEyM8dWRcIVm6grxrU-YmbEJu2t18TZD_o-4fGigiV90UxnAhesIZWnMNrupJAmKTB0XAgg-ryrF0QxJuttFsjLz413MQl9aGAHhwbxs8gI/s4032/IMG_2113.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPdtDTXJrZDYuE33JisqOYWSbj86UTy3mQgSKy1JUVw5H5iho9_n--zOOiE_oAjvvw8ur_fgsnSRgFzEyM8dWRcIVm6grxrU-YmbEJu2t18TZD_o-4fGigiV90UxnAhesIZWnMNrupJAmKTB0XAgg-ryrF0QxJuttFsjLz413MQl9aGAHhwbxs8gI/s320/IMG_2113.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> There’s no wind at the moment but we are ready for when it comes. Light winds are expected in the coming days.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqm6hwt1FCKp0UR12_QoFevwzGJuS_zyErjuAkcDiL9cy8gNPuSymoNR3VhQm9JcZT_GIx9hTkqLGLuLb6PIlZynIJLi83xpJm9TUFci7aeB7IudLhlNUMpGakaIHjoeBCt9wZFx8bY_tMos7-qZW_4BbNqWUOMfz3CYX-GM7Ui5BDZ5N51tgqgnk/s4032/IMG_2122.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqm6hwt1FCKp0UR12_QoFevwzGJuS_zyErjuAkcDiL9cy8gNPuSymoNR3VhQm9JcZT_GIx9hTkqLGLuLb6PIlZynIJLi83xpJm9TUFci7aeB7IudLhlNUMpGakaIHjoeBCt9wZFx8bY_tMos7-qZW_4BbNqWUOMfz3CYX-GM7Ui5BDZ5N51tgqgnk/s320/IMG_2122.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The pink lines on the chart plotter show every trip we’ve made in and out of the harbour.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoY81DpmptQZr5L_RgV22VHKMUek9T1ReprSWo0LJUQ0kHv9cCs13IN59-P4uMwrbbxgaFPPkYWiqQSjenMDdyEHFq1jMMICekYvzTYawnTaAAoRb5NOHbrWGCntCvFedYzNsqO_i6z_PLZNnVVLk1XEVtS_V3dAQOBQvpzgUtkNEXsqqolRtbthfI/s4032/IMG_2121.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoY81DpmptQZr5L_RgV22VHKMUek9T1ReprSWo0LJUQ0kHv9cCs13IN59-P4uMwrbbxgaFPPkYWiqQSjenMDdyEHFq1jMMICekYvzTYawnTaAAoRb5NOHbrWGCntCvFedYzNsqO_i6z_PLZNnVVLk1XEVtS_V3dAQOBQvpzgUtkNEXsqqolRtbthfI/s320/IMG_2121.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once we passed Whangarei Heads and out into open water, we texted Customs to let them know we were on our way. When we left Opua last year a Customs launch came out to the Bay of Islands to keep track of all the boats leaving. In Marsden Cove there was only Customs agent, Andrew so the onus was on us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Andrew also checked us out of Opua last year. It’s hard to not remember his charming Scottish brogue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are still using our HomeHub router and will continue to do so until we lose the signal. We’ll then see if the Skylink router works as well. If not, there is always the Iridium to fall back on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You should also still be able to see our progress on the map at the tiptop of our blog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are still motoring up the coast at about 5 and a bit knots in about a two metre swell. It’s a little bouncy but over night the wind is due to pickup and the seas to reduce, so with any luck we will have some pleasant sailing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you for all your good wishes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nancy and Tim </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">FYI we have just enough wind 8 knots or so for a close hauled sail in not quite the right direction. Tim says the wind will ‘come around’ over night and then we will will be. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just received departure photo complements of Francis and Rob on Alia Vita.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTkh027YWOuxB3qJctF_kkSn21xFGPuMuvOL2YQ5Q-PnXiyt4pJg_9D4fWaRtwxPYSt2HrddhzoH96YjaTIzLPfdWZOYotDEdx3hzQQibRPD94Lunxp1xNgaL0yD_Gq7_gQjd4G91DHvPu7ZVEio2myQbQZ4e2_mH3A4QvmiqFw9Lam-zD2SDnj_m/s2000/79394ffd-d330-43fd-b1a8-f19bc6adedb4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1126" data-original-width="2000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTkh027YWOuxB3qJctF_kkSn21xFGPuMuvOL2YQ5Q-PnXiyt4pJg_9D4fWaRtwxPYSt2HrddhzoH96YjaTIzLPfdWZOYotDEdx3hzQQibRPD94Lunxp1xNgaL0yD_Gq7_gQjd4G91DHvPu7ZVEio2myQbQZ4e2_mH3A4QvmiqFw9Lam-zD2SDnj_m/s320/79394ffd-d330-43fd-b1a8-f19bc6adedb4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-55818370636901869242023-05-28T21:59:00.003-04:002023-05-28T21:59:14.966-04:00It’s official. Departing tomorrow May 30.<p>Well, this is exciting. :) The process has started for our departure from Fiji. Tim has booked our clearing out time with Andrew from the NZ Immigration office. It’s 1400 hours tomorrow and we need to be on our way within the hour. Tim also booked us into get our pre-departure duty-free fuel today at 1300.</p><p>We have been preparing from weeks now, but when you’ve drawn out the waiting period to month, food gets eaten and our needs and desires can change mostly depending on how much space we have in the freezer.</p><p>Many meals are frozen into one litre ice cream containers from Antigua where we ate a lot more ice cream than we do now. They stack and fit perfectly into our freezer. The remaining free space is filled with bags of frozen vegetables, quite a lot of walnuts (they are hard to find fresh and, besides baked goods, a lot of vegetarian patties recipes use them) and various bits and pieces like little tablets of garlic and ginger purées. We aren’t allowed to bring fresh fruit and veg into Fiji and peeled and frozen are okay.</p><p>We’ll do a final laundry and general stowing and readying ourselves for the off tomorrow. </p><p>We won’t be going off with a bang. It will more of a saunter away from the coast in light winds that are expected to gradually fill over night into very respectable way making winds.</p><p>We had a productive time up in Whangarei. We booked into the marina for one night. Our plans to dinghy a mile up to the Marina dock didn’t seem as appealing with rain and cold southwesterly winds. </p><p>Now for a very Antipodian experience, I introduce you to <a href="https://possummanpetfoods.co.nz/products" target="_blank">Possum Man</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadFegouhuNk9900nxbUJ8em-HhAVuN9ldHGcbpclHjLGDAyJ9XTZ7udI8mMV0-HH93rk2tuRff7GX_I9Pk0iFFT7zB6cF4_z2hjzif-OPnHY8HRt9FPUFchvov-2dkRe-UDiBGgObEx9OiGaS9ccCHp7K3E3_4BoHSquBfOI3Ac-rUhTwh18hWzlp/s4032/IMG_2086.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadFegouhuNk9900nxbUJ8em-HhAVuN9ldHGcbpclHjLGDAyJ9XTZ7udI8mMV0-HH93rk2tuRff7GX_I9Pk0iFFT7zB6cF4_z2hjzif-OPnHY8HRt9FPUFchvov-2dkRe-UDiBGgObEx9OiGaS9ccCHp7K3E3_4BoHSquBfOI3Ac-rUhTwh18hWzlp/s320/IMG_2086.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I have walked by this shop many times, but it was only on this last trip from Countdown Supermarket back to the marina that I noticed the other advertisement. It took a while to compute, now I can’t even think of Lone Star’s ‘Johnny Cash Stash’ without feeling queasy.</p><p>Shopping done and miserable weather passed, we headed back out anchor at McCleod Bay. Tim had planned to walk to Mount Aubury one last time, but opted to give the hull a final wipe with a scratchy pad. He would be very unhappy if he had to wonder for the whole passage if we might well be going a 1/2 knot faster if he had he cleaned the bottom. </p><p><span style="text-align: center;">The next day the weather started to close in for the next big blow to come through.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeBP_eHeN_kD_ESy77IwrppyGGUtp5ZKFuz2NOcjicJ9ydM6izzKkO-v9GYN1t7z-a_hggqg7_Drptep6_FM28nX4QPRGaOXh4EgF_Y3tEbMulPWtKuqONLLNzptoA9OuK3oE_99fKDEKOiIyfK3xWoI54iesohnaCduMLR2-HVBGICdKfku0nvBT/s4032/IMG_2095.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeBP_eHeN_kD_ESy77IwrppyGGUtp5ZKFuz2NOcjicJ9ydM6izzKkO-v9GYN1t7z-a_hggqg7_Drptep6_FM28nX4QPRGaOXh4EgF_Y3tEbMulPWtKuqONLLNzptoA9OuK3oE_99fKDEKOiIyfK3xWoI54iesohnaCduMLR2-HVBGICdKfku0nvBT/s320/IMG_2095.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Local swallows knew what was coming too as they chose to spend the night on the leeward side of Larus, protected from the worse of the wind and rain.</div><p></p><p>The day has over taken the blog and we’re just back in out berth after fuelling up Larus and filling the cans that are lashed on deck.</p><p>The laundry room is non-stop and I’d like to wash everything before we leave, so I’ll start early tomorrow morning.</p><p>Baking is done as is tonight’s dinner and the curry that will be our first dinner underway.</p><p>That is all for now and we’ll let you know when we actually on our way.</p><p>Nancy and Tim</p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-46767200289218713842023-05-21T17:59:00.001-04:002023-05-21T18:05:44.663-04:00Ho Hum, still in New Zealand <p><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;">It is a bright, mild and sunny winter’s day down here and we’ve left the marina and are motor sailing up the river toward Whangarei. We’ve stopped at the halfway point for a couple of days as more rain is expected. We’ll then continue up to Whangarei where we’ll anchor in the river and dinghy ashore for shopping, river walks and swimming in the public pool.</span></p><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;">The next batch of wet and windy weather isn’t expected for almost a week. A LOW approaching that we will be going into a marina for. As the LOW passes, the winds reduce and become southwesterly - perfect for heading north. </div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokSVeHTX54fo7H6FDSWsVyNh-Pfs8cXfEW3e76idCrUAIR3B72T7Sd1ifSqe__DntCbMjb7R7vUEmDOelTVxKPgwPvi5rpNF_D-O3YAoKmlPq0dfzJ9ZAbRS0YntrZoL_BsjNXC8aCt1zrDNuGK0mbQ8CUz3fpYbBduYW64CfRhUMf0MUjtrsc6nX/s2160/IMG_0802.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokSVeHTX54fo7H6FDSWsVyNh-Pfs8cXfEW3e76idCrUAIR3B72T7Sd1ifSqe__DntCbMjb7R7vUEmDOelTVxKPgwPvi5rpNF_D-O3YAoKmlPq0dfzJ9ZAbRS0YntrZoL_BsjNXC8aCt1zrDNuGK0mbQ8CUz3fpYbBduYW64CfRhUMf0MUjtrsc6nX/s320/IMG_0802.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;">The big HIGH over Australia (if it still looks as good in a week’s time) should carry on the favourable southwest winds that we would picked up from the back of the LOW as it moves across New Zealand. We won’t know till much closer to the time.</div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;">The boats that left a week ago had a mixed bag of too little wind, too much wind, wind from the wrong direction, uncomfortable sea states and periods of rough conditions in Minerva Reef with strong winds. </div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;">We had such a lovely passage to Fiji last year, we’d very much like to duplicate it and are willing to wait.</div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;">We are now anchored off <a href="http://www.limestoneisland.org.nz/" target="_blank">Limestone Island</a>, a nature reserve. It has some interesting ruins and great walks. Tim is off walking now but I’m all walked out from yesterday. </div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0AlojWhjYx4-nYC6-oMxaqmE4eUFG-sCvjL3T7UH-OmLrjjr8arItkzbAb7OIU8aHuR9K_mPfNIv4KifbDQyjZtQcu1IbD3VUNfIKDIiLv_lwB36fMpL5tP39wn1voU84SmobaACr8nRIv7h3UW84_K-vCbcGVnPRJb3tGTqRzJpAUapL_EwHmDD/s4032/IMG_1756.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0AlojWhjYx4-nYC6-oMxaqmE4eUFG-sCvjL3T7UH-OmLrjjr8arItkzbAb7OIU8aHuR9K_mPfNIv4KifbDQyjZtQcu1IbD3VUNfIKDIiLv_lwB36fMpL5tP39wn1voU84SmobaACr8nRIv7h3UW84_K-vCbcGVnPRJb3tGTqRzJpAUapL_EwHmDD/s320/IMG_1756.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">I like to exercise early. Tim likes to walk in the afternoon. Yesterday, I did both.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">More later when we know more weather-wise.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Nancy</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-4252441214741470432023-05-13T19:10:00.006-04:002023-05-13T20:16:10.419-04:00Likely departure for Fiji - Monday the 22nd of May <p>Blog started Monday, the 4th of May. </p><p>We really do have quite a good forecast for the upcoming weekend, though you wouldn’t know it by our current weather. Since we arrived in Marsden Cove, Whangarei Harbour, for a brief stay we haven’t been left due to strong northeasterly winds, which will not quit. </p><p>Last night our electronic barometer beeped to let us know that the air pressure had dropped fast enough that a gale was imminent. This is quite a nice thing to hear when you’re paying marina fees. The Bay of Islands has lots of protected anchorages but there is barely a handful down here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWWHGEMcUvzxtCoP6rLTHoOfGkp_Rhmz-ouztBJvUoVFYa51xq801rBXJJW8IzyfE-zalm3Hl1T1Ik8h5IbyWZCXpeviAilGbO0mliSNpjHgbfUwVQDJ_fyVD7xw3EqWGSuQ8anbkqbqxc7EDnPmCVdQO-b2hFX59bexkAlM-8qPFQaEuMngGHJ2-/s3954/IMG_2078.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2210" data-original-width="3954" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWWHGEMcUvzxtCoP6rLTHoOfGkp_Rhmz-ouztBJvUoVFYa51xq801rBXJJW8IzyfE-zalm3Hl1T1Ik8h5IbyWZCXpeviAilGbO0mliSNpjHgbfUwVQDJ_fyVD7xw3EqWGSuQ8anbkqbqxc7EDnPmCVdQO-b2hFX59bexkAlM-8qPFQaEuMngGHJ2-/w640-h358/IMG_2078.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> It’s been like living in a cloud. The mountains in the background are located behind at Urquhart’s Bay where we often anchor. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fiji is slightly to the northeast of New Zealand so we are looking for winds with some south and west in them.</div><div><br /></div><div>All change! Today is Sunday, May 14. We are still in New Zealand and looking for the next weather window to Fiji, but at the moment we have sun and clear skies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our hoped for weather window became less and less desirable as the day approached and we decided to wait another week for the next one. There is a big Low Pressure that will make things nasty mid passage if you are in its path. One option is to get to Minerva Reef and wait it out. Minerva Reef a is huge reef south east of Fiji and south west of Tonga about 2/3s of the way to either. I’ve pinpointed it by the dot at the end of the wind speed indicator. It will fit in a lot of boats, which is just as well as will need to.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQVPR87G5-CDBZvJVoeQUIa4aexPHaccayv8F7sINdCJ_e2nyCXZMDSecbHjcwkv-qULKkWIyYD_Au1KYiMImkXMTSUe0IKbDVU3pd6x5FUQN5qj5yyxxCLLB3fyd28CkOQ_3ODKm6s3JeMuVqJ5rPoE4h0k9XbAPout6oiyb8sq0yL9-M7CHMkBo/s2160/IMG_0799.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1580" data-original-width="2160" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQVPR87G5-CDBZvJVoeQUIa4aexPHaccayv8F7sINdCJ_e2nyCXZMDSecbHjcwkv-qULKkWIyYD_Au1KYiMImkXMTSUe0IKbDVU3pd6x5FUQN5qj5yyxxCLLB3fyd28CkOQ_3ODKm6s3JeMuVqJ5rPoE4h0k9XbAPout6oiyb8sq0yL9-M7CHMkBo/w400-h293/IMG_0799.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>To shelter from the Low, one would need to be in Minerva Reef by Thursday the latest. The bigger boats left last Thursday in strong winds and the very big seas that such winds kick up. They opted to suffer the big seas probably to be able to sail for a larger part of the passage. The smaller or more conservative boats left on Friday. They didn’t get battered about but are now motoring due to lack of wind and might well have to motor till they reach Minerva.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Low that will affect Minerva Reef will also affect New Zealand. It’s a big old thing! We are currently at anchor but will get ourselves back into Marsden Cove Marina to wait it out. There aren’t as many good anchorages in Whangarei Harbour as there are up in the Bay of Islands. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhvEMGBH-T5PKETeLdf5x1AHVuTAS5bOK1QjfQkgAhcMmFjmmMc8PLUjjXBP7hRbC0aF-BGfcKBWS-01hIyQ9YiodAbG21sP4HSD7-qa2RJcdfxEf_g4psoNsOtJKor6AO9b_guwiIG1DVzwMi9n5Pow3XscSodNHeMsPoEOvB2frHCiV99W9hz4g/s2160/IMG_0800.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhvEMGBH-T5PKETeLdf5x1AHVuTAS5bOK1QjfQkgAhcMmFjmmMc8PLUjjXBP7hRbC0aF-BGfcKBWS-01hIyQ9YiodAbG21sP4HSD7-qa2RJcdfxEf_g4psoNsOtJKor6AO9b_guwiIG1DVzwMi9n5Pow3XscSodNHeMsPoEOvB2frHCiV99W9hz4g/s320/IMG_0800.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>We are now eyeing Monday the 22nd or Tuesday the 23rd. The Low continues moving East and a nice big High Pressure is moving in after it. The front of the High should have moderate to light winds with a day or two of motoring as the calm centre catches us up. </div><div><br /></div><div>With any luck, it will be exactly like last years passage which we enjoyed from start to just off Fiji when we became very impatient to arrive. It also gets more stressful - after days of nothing to run aground on suddenly there are islands, reefs, strong currents, fluky winds and the last 100 miles always takes longer than you think it should.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right now we are anchored in Urquhart’s Bay. We dinghied ashore yesterday for a walk around the headland. The cows here now are a new group of handsome young steers enjoying the rich grazing while we tippy-toed around the cowpats and churned up muddy paths. Cows like the easy route as much as we do. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today we are heading up the harbour to Whangarei. Jeremy and Susie on Joy or Shamrock are heading back to the UK and we’ll be seeing them this evening.</div><div><br /></div><div>First in the ‘Items of Note’ department, we got a phone call from Bruno’s Girl via Starlink. It sounded like they were calling from a landline anywhere! Amazing! </div><div><br /></div><div>Our Iridium Satellite Phone has that awkward long distance delay, the Starlink connection had none of that. At sea, the Starlink costs $2 US per gigabyte. Here in NZ our Starlink is $195 NZ a month for unlimited data. We had been paying $55 NZ for unlimited data via a modem. The only downside is the amount of power the Starlink uses. It’s great when you are in a marina, but we at anchor or under sail we turn it off when not using it. I think the Starlink is going to ‘life at sea’ changing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Second Item of Note - I finally finished a sewing project that I started pondering years ago when our first Fender Step perished due to sun damage. We use ours a lot as we climb into the dinghy from the side of the boat and it’s a big step without one. The step is expensive and what a waste to allow it to disintegrate in the sun. I couldn’t find any covers ready made on the internet.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPW1tkAtnrabYKor1f4sc6KwSceh9zEHc3joKATYdzhggdzWC3XEUtQJRHkavBATljQkaqx2U22CI2Jm-BA-T6hTr9DqYbAnmQinOqSKhoVw-CAtqR7MPygJdWxPJGLXATe1fxq8srayMH3sqL1nYIqKw2CycWRbkPVtYi_BHlvTF8Kl6NBw-cJmkn/s4032/IMG_2075.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPW1tkAtnrabYKor1f4sc6KwSceh9zEHc3joKATYdzhggdzWC3XEUtQJRHkavBATljQkaqx2U22CI2Jm-BA-T6hTr9DqYbAnmQinOqSKhoVw-CAtqR7MPygJdWxPJGLXATe1fxq8srayMH3sqL1nYIqKw2CycWRbkPVtYi_BHlvTF8Kl6NBw-cJmkn/s320/IMG_2075.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The sun makes the surface tacky and the dirt from feet becomes part of the surface. Our old way to protect it is to use an old T-shirt with the ropes sticking out of the arm holes. The last one, I stitched snuggly to the step but it only lasted one season before getting worn through. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried to make a template for step but it’s such an awkward shape, I couldn’t get anywhere with it and gave up. I hate the idea of buying good fabric that I’m likely ruin as I’m such a terrible seamstress. All the rules you have to follow and little scope for just winging it. It really isn’t me, but picking up likely pieces of fabric in colours that suit Larus from secondhand shops is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had picked up a square remnant of ‘linen’ coloured fabric, very like our sprayhood and cockpit cushions colour. I didn’t want to doing any cutting till I was sure of what I was trying to achieve. By holding up the fabric to the step while thinking ‘how do I make this square thinner in the middle so that it lies flat against the step without scissors, and pleats came to mind. The pleats also triple up the amount of fabric protect the step and its stitched with UV resistant thread, which should extend its life.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittRUwQn76DfC_pNhq1KWDV3WShyrlWkhynJZ0_1P_oeMjS4kaFw5ZLwVyl9WCJed8veI8e5i13mKR91ovbzQAPCF8Ax2UCqz1dHaAyBksfHJhOollTHWhduRe1ha_y6gasP6HQn616iVCjE202es74lTQUOEm2VkKWe244bg1zvNdL_qiloGNPe17/s4032/IMG_2067.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittRUwQn76DfC_pNhq1KWDV3WShyrlWkhynJZ0_1P_oeMjS4kaFw5ZLwVyl9WCJed8veI8e5i13mKR91ovbzQAPCF8Ax2UCqz1dHaAyBksfHJhOollTHWhduRe1ha_y6gasP6HQn616iVCjE202es74lTQUOEm2VkKWe244bg1zvNdL_qiloGNPe17/s320/IMG_2067.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And four months later, after many ‘two steps forward and one step back’ and even the odd ‘one step forward and two steps back’, we now have a very fancy fender step. We’re waiting till we get to the tropics where we will have clean bare feet before we try it in earnest. Tim has said during the making that we’re going to need a cover for the cover and I’m still pondering that. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Third Item of Note - We have been eating a lot more plant based meals and I am always on the hunt for new recipes of meat free meals. These are a few of our favourites. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://https://www.cheftariq.com/recipe/falafel/ www.cheftariq.com/recipe/falafel/" target="_blank">Traditional Falafel</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I make this falafel recipe regularly. It looks like a lot of work but it gets easier and I get faster each time I make it. I don’t often have access to the fresh herbs the recipe calls for but use a similar amount of frozen chopped spinach. I shallow fry it in little patties now, though I used to deep fry it and it came out exactly like the falafel from the kebab shop. Sal on Capal Mara suggested that I stopped deep frying and shallow fry instead and I have. It takes longer to cook but is healthier and wastes less oil. I always make a double batch because once cooked they freeze so well. If I don’t want to cook the falafel right away, I have found that you can refrigerate it for a couple of days, but leave out the baking powder and baking soda until just before cooking so that they are nice and light. You could probably freeze it as well though I haven’t tried.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We use the falafel in lots of different way - in a sandwich, on a salad, even as a canapé. I once made tiny pita breads that once cut in half made a pita pocket just the right size for a bit lemony Lebanese coleslaw, two or 3 falafel halves, a slice of cucumber and a dollop of garlic yoghurt sauce.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now in a full size pita we also have pickled hot peppers, pickled beets and hummus. They’ve gone from really quite nice to ‘best ever ’ said Philip from Bruno’s Girl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.thefullhelping.com/vegan-spaghetti-and-white-bean-balls/" target="_blank">Vegan Spaghetti and White Bean Balls </a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first ‘bean ball’ recipe we tried is one we have often. It <i>is</i> a recipe of many parts but includes a sauce recipe that is easy and wonderfully fresh tasting. The walnuts and sun dried tomatoes give the balls texture and tang. I use whole wheat spaghetti. I’d always thought never ever ever would I, but we actually really like it and it’s very forgiving to cook.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://veganhuggs.com/bean-mushroom-burger/" target="_blank">The Ultimate Bean and Mushroom Burger</a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a new recipe for us and I’ve only made it once. I’ve tried a number of beanie burger recipes but they weren’t as firm as I’d hoped. This one was much better though and I think with a little experimenting with cooking time and ingredients might solve that problem. Once again, this a recipe of many parts, but it made a wonderful burger, though by ‘burger’ I mean the whole experience of toasted sesame bun, mustard, sliced dill pickle, pickled beets, lettuce, garlic yoghurt, hummus and the burger in the middle of it all. The patty itself browned nicely and got firmer as it cooled. Maybe a second cooking…. ? We’ll see.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYQJizrenPklk52PffmP14iN0rJZGzcYRYgPU_0HWgTEORef39S8LhORuJKQecWI5MD-aSc07_6JiYf7Qh3u1CILfQ4tkREOrroXeA17LxTVnVYI4Ckhf5Ho1WjYIamB__KxJTd_OauHwnZc7TSpjL-NrPIxxXy7mOCzegZbZjsPxlXvTLXrx7BX5/s4032/IMG_2080.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYQJizrenPklk52PffmP14iN0rJZGzcYRYgPU_0HWgTEORef39S8LhORuJKQecWI5MD-aSc07_6JiYf7Qh3u1CILfQ4tkREOrroXeA17LxTVnVYI4Ckhf5Ho1WjYIamB__KxJTd_OauHwnZc7TSpjL-NrPIxxXy7mOCzegZbZjsPxlXvTLXrx7BX5/s320/IMG_2080.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have quite a lot of recipes that I’m very fond of and it feels mean not to share. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We’ll keep you updated with our eventual departure plans.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nancy and Tim</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-37021005609128902822023-04-20T03:55:00.001-04:002023-04-20T04:59:58.350-04:00Looking forward to being Fiji bound.<p>On the whole, it’s been a cold wet NZ spring, followed by a cool wet summer and we are just easing into a cold wet winter. We’ve had a lot of wind to contend with as well, not even including Cyclone Gabrielle. Today, we are anchored near Russell in the Bay of Islands sheltering from a strong Easterly that has been blowing for the past 3 days.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpotmQYi_pE1_O0Fv2n3up7pZt7lM6kos97NPut9y7DVnGaZwRb_vPQE0oPJfyuj7tuW9TEDV9-PxYIyC23TxnBT7YfF2NK1MOTMFL2Uj8_zS4FOdJV8YX5W2QirmHBsX-oAfzK_vQZW8si2KiROI5Ixe-uJmSvjYING8oDUPtjYyY0mqsOUZp9p6/s4032/FB3FD764-1CDB-4CB3-ABC3-2FEC32BE40AD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpotmQYi_pE1_O0Fv2n3up7pZt7lM6kos97NPut9y7DVnGaZwRb_vPQE0oPJfyuj7tuW9TEDV9-PxYIyC23TxnBT7YfF2NK1MOTMFL2Uj8_zS4FOdJV8YX5W2QirmHBsX-oAfzK_vQZW8si2KiROI5Ixe-uJmSvjYING8oDUPtjYyY0mqsOUZp9p6/s320/FB3FD764-1CDB-4CB3-ABC3-2FEC32BE40AD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">A pic of Tim and I outside the <a href="http://www.oldchurch.org.nz/our-churchs-history/" target="_blank">Christ Church, Russell</a> over the Easter weekend. You will think I’m lying about all the rain we’ve been having, but there really has been more wet and windy weather than there has been sunshine and blue skies.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05-kiyKy0W7k_B_wkGoPFqRQvKqcFbhCWTf7nBgxXT7GE24t7HZ6ClzCl0rhKg-hF0FaaZErKZ77DO8F6X1-dEK-ESajSL86s2BMLB2TbRtvsLa4B8O-o5YMJqDLNLrqTE7Le9RsJqJBI5H9q8nYIfsaOKVwQnizCoOmh3qFMojV4mwK8dtSJSWgR/s640/3DEFBCD5-BFF1-4E63-A5AF-C3A8E5A2BED7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05-kiyKy0W7k_B_wkGoPFqRQvKqcFbhCWTf7nBgxXT7GE24t7HZ6ClzCl0rhKg-hF0FaaZErKZ77DO8F6X1-dEK-ESajSL86s2BMLB2TbRtvsLa4B8O-o5YMJqDLNLrqTE7Le9RsJqJBI5H9q8nYIfsaOKVwQnizCoOmh3qFMojV4mwK8dtSJSWgR/s320/3DEFBCD5-BFF1-4E63-A5AF-C3A8E5A2BED7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">This has nothing do with NZ but everything to do with Easter, and I wanted to show off my sister Laura’s gorgeous homemade Babka - traditional Ukrainian Easter Bread.</p><p>I’ve been trying to come to grips with the effects El Niño and La Niña here in NZ and it’s in no way straight forward. I found this an interesting article - <a href="https://niwa.co.nz/climate/information-and-resources/elnino" target="_blank">El Niño and La Niña</a>. And this is a RNZ.co.nz news report on what what influences La Niña has had over the last 3 years - <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/486033/rare-triple-dip-la-nina-is-over" target="_blank">Rare Triple-dip La Niña is over</a>.</p><p>We have managed to do a little sailing, some boat work and quite a lot of socialising. Many friends who left their boats back in 2020 to sit out the pandemic at home are back onboard and preparing to head north for Fiji too. </p><p><span style="text-align: center;">We did some repairs on our two year old Coppercoat when we came out of the water for a week in Marsden Cove.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyrDISB8NJ7S3MmxNAQNCOW54XyG_kiewGj0zGVTMAUFPd5YsDUeIZbo8wOts-7LQvPeCqIaRyUDzLBItHC6m3-LPAcP58wMpzOhxIpYTXboV7cbI2vYTGKYPE4SHOLzONaiApHJKp73coeRzD_m58zq3hkaEQt-eqqPboLHM2ikkXquhPapU_HcI/s4032/IMG_1538.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyrDISB8NJ7S3MmxNAQNCOW54XyG_kiewGj0zGVTMAUFPd5YsDUeIZbo8wOts-7LQvPeCqIaRyUDzLBItHC6m3-LPAcP58wMpzOhxIpYTXboV7cbI2vYTGKYPE4SHOLzONaiApHJKp73coeRzD_m58zq3hkaEQt-eqqPboLHM2ikkXquhPapU_HcI/s320/IMG_1538.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitisfAfqLOWWvudo8YZ0PNECGqBDH28rJV4bY0OyOMVUJcGwlMz5qkwCbbnhtEG_V3mdAiNzdBTCZiZoIPveWXPMuqw7E81U5bp4Fj7JyRrzO8FqrVmrpezB--KmKrWYDDx3a1wW8N0_6MpNttzff4FGGcxxq3uIBIjrlTaBf-IaZlQ6TBn7qYiklt/s4032/IMG_1552.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitisfAfqLOWWvudo8YZ0PNECGqBDH28rJV4bY0OyOMVUJcGwlMz5qkwCbbnhtEG_V3mdAiNzdBTCZiZoIPveWXPMuqw7E81U5bp4Fj7JyRrzO8FqrVmrpezB--KmKrWYDDx3a1wW8N0_6MpNttzff4FGGcxxq3uIBIjrlTaBf-IaZlQ6TBn7qYiklt/w400-h300/IMG_1552.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: center;">I still find it amusing to see Larus rise up out of the water, trundle up the ramp, across the road, around the bend and into the hard standing area.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPMvwMdpyJE-cKF-yoXXIpMW2dXirZtNtcQVHM10uRzk-UHuYLB8y4XvS29TWB_avMt-o5P8YeG3IAxBdYQB1djBn_52m6JXFjmKtvuqAR0Q11PJAhtrUB0SxOJofg93LMXqpNGwNwO6szePiR9nQhS5eGD4ijlB-5d3QKlznWFtIV8_0Gv-oozWY/s4032/IMG_1961.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPMvwMdpyJE-cKF-yoXXIpMW2dXirZtNtcQVHM10uRzk-UHuYLB8y4XvS29TWB_avMt-o5P8YeG3IAxBdYQB1djBn_52m6JXFjmKtvuqAR0Q11PJAhtrUB0SxOJofg93LMXqpNGwNwO6szePiR9nQhS5eGD4ijlB-5d3QKlznWFtIV8_0Gv-oozWY/s320/IMG_1961.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like this picture as it is of 3 boats all built during the 70’s. The hull shape with those pointy bows and swept back keels shows the close relationship. Larus is the little bow peeping out from behind the 50+ foot yacht in the foreground.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17c5D0aodNhwub2PDVJ9z5OEia1Ixcc3i0q21rSccoNAcnmfAcdQKb8USKKLUbciPaQqXwlIrTja8QHIi2yD6hlAveDxd3tbrjNkkv6NIhYZjFsb9uLip3S4BAdmTy-LJzUeVi2XbSBUEahSX9dCnd4ZITvErgzXqZrzFm8pRjTipkhzUUlkt2OhT/s4032/IMG_1970.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17c5D0aodNhwub2PDVJ9z5OEia1Ixcc3i0q21rSccoNAcnmfAcdQKb8USKKLUbciPaQqXwlIrTja8QHIi2yD6hlAveDxd3tbrjNkkv6NIhYZjFsb9uLip3S4BAdmTy-LJzUeVi2XbSBUEahSX9dCnd4ZITvErgzXqZrzFm8pRjTipkhzUUlkt2OhT/s320/IMG_1970.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Home is where you leave your shoes at the door.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two years ago we tried a new product called PropSpeed and we’re very pleased with it. It’s is a gel like layer applied to propeller, propeller shaft and ‘P’bracket that stoped any little critters trying to get a foothold - so no barnacles and no coral growth. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTa0MZQ8hjHknQ4rmdZY7mujm5kAU-GjUeO6XzGECt-DXKEj9KlIm-DI1ogYGHPTImBheKSOMOEwkVSxE5SFhseN23NVc648unvjTMoLq3vwRAuEcn7s1-GakwBCBPjGg9zuOmEEPlULZsgzWQXgqCBQMmyCnI7dKGUqs8kdQZE_CQ7hnsKGZrmUI/s4032/IMG_1559.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTa0MZQ8hjHknQ4rmdZY7mujm5kAU-GjUeO6XzGECt-DXKEj9KlIm-DI1ogYGHPTImBheKSOMOEwkVSxE5SFhseN23NVc648unvjTMoLq3vwRAuEcn7s1-GakwBCBPjGg9zuOmEEPlULZsgzWQXgqCBQMmyCnI7dKGUqs8kdQZE_CQ7hnsKGZrmUI/s320/IMG_1559.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first time we used it we used a professional do all the prep and application, but this time we did it ourselves. We use a hard rubber grinding disk first to removed all the old product and any barnacles and coral. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5QOAZ3FGqu9P3RitwjAw2McAkqpJnDvQFb0_bE0DveC63FI4yGfdEBRAo6iG8q11hGPASL3jQYwughfktAW36FELUpmG-bPFMSpKyN-G7vZqe-rYobXf-WG8VX09eb9KZYdhrlyn9nsfg1zj4-VBbcyemjJy645hyQGgowAiI1GgDX7yUTVbHLXl/s4032/IMG_1972.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5QOAZ3FGqu9P3RitwjAw2McAkqpJnDvQFb0_bE0DveC63FI4yGfdEBRAo6iG8q11hGPASL3jQYwughfktAW36FELUpmG-bPFMSpKyN-G7vZqe-rYobXf-WG8VX09eb9KZYdhrlyn9nsfg1zj4-VBbcyemjJy645hyQGgowAiI1GgDX7yUTVbHLXl/s320/IMG_1972.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Applying the PropSpeed is a bit of a dance even for two people so there are no photos. We watched the application video on YouTube several times in preparation. There are strict times between processes and coats and we were unsure if we were up to it. First you chemically etch and degrease the prop. Next you paint on the yellow base coat and lastly the glossy clear topcoat that makes a gel-like coating. We were pleasantly surprised that once dry it looked just as it was supposed to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">No matter how careful you prepare the hull any dips and bumps can lead to a bit of the copper popping off. </span>We were lucky to have some days of fine weather to sort it out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GGDeg3-E19pxBE9woh2qzrBTqFpA8wbSYCJNQtun3iWXWKG_4GGF_tEbinUrBeROwR_PW9CCpGMiBuPYo7yj-Px4JCciTL7C-rjzbCAk__S2nIyF2eu5BeafRQO7XsirL1YHXK91sFzG4QJI0pUvdBZUj2CsXrkpvgddQ5OJx9XwnN4G5CS2PLwB/s4032/45D4591B-A840-431B-B2A1-9871A9F2A239.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GGDeg3-E19pxBE9woh2qzrBTqFpA8wbSYCJNQtun3iWXWKG_4GGF_tEbinUrBeROwR_PW9CCpGMiBuPYo7yj-Px4JCciTL7C-rjzbCAk__S2nIyF2eu5BeafRQO7XsirL1YHXK91sFzG4QJI0pUvdBZUj2CsXrkpvgddQ5OJx9XwnN4G5CS2PLwB/s320/45D4591B-A840-431B-B2A1-9871A9F2A239.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our rudder is another of our problem areas for keeping critters from growing. It’s always full of water, is a little leaky and the Coppercoat just will not stick properly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf0s5PeM5XD1-HN9Pu7EHbOP6tX0LcrtOltHT0Rb1fqchp4dSr9KTI2O7e7RzDSymQsCqZ8ma2RHGN0yrbpM6r7itS2T0tcCE-BOc0I5yayUecFxp49LC3Hhy8vT3ZSqCaf5qZh6_j6zfhd2qOKicCe0b6Wn7bmXjuy03nmQkkYRxmo6EN3ej2x8Q/s4032/2175865B-471C-40B4-9B51-745639FA410C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf0s5PeM5XD1-HN9Pu7EHbOP6tX0LcrtOltHT0Rb1fqchp4dSr9KTI2O7e7RzDSymQsCqZ8ma2RHGN0yrbpM6r7itS2T0tcCE-BOc0I5yayUecFxp49LC3Hhy8vT3ZSqCaf5qZh6_j6zfhd2qOKicCe0b6Wn7bmXjuy03nmQkkYRxmo6EN3ej2x8Q/s320/2175865B-471C-40B4-9B51-745639FA410C.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A closeup of the rudder before patching. I think there is something quite beautiful about the colour of fresh copper with the older green copper and the glossy kinda creepy reaction from a tiny dribble of seawater. Colour and texture-wise, it reminds me of the glaze on a piece of Mom’s Raku pottery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIZdlzHe_twaxUjK2QkvSY_tIJGxfCa6u9VEmqGYMoULOE6jhiv-pew-05MjVLQSKPsCjFp2htJYtwvdhGUb0eT3jS6S2nT3trejDkZ0ka99rRwBUx_1fCsIeIBK-X8HcNdhSHJglABdWIIONWmqau32Tq50LwlF29KZTsmTrmDUU1mFT3sMKjn7S/s4032/IMG_2003.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIZdlzHe_twaxUjK2QkvSY_tIJGxfCa6u9VEmqGYMoULOE6jhiv-pew-05MjVLQSKPsCjFp2htJYtwvdhGUb0eT3jS6S2nT3trejDkZ0ka99rRwBUx_1fCsIeIBK-X8HcNdhSHJglABdWIIONWmqau32Tq50LwlF29KZTsmTrmDUU1mFT3sMKjn7S/s320/IMG_2003.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As does this - a copper mine on Kawau Island that we visited with Bruno’s Girl during a spell of fine weather after Cyclone Gabrielle’s visit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnjnTekyYqBASVOwWMqewCT3gfqBncGQNQNSP9rajWuqusuCfcLEjauBJScJtXRVCbOs4WPPU0UzUygjtvk8pgOvoD1yA790wKt6wJsjBrhx7iOEzqzX_Qbyc82kfT4ExMF9N_sqtehyp2e_UcQmZAMl_TpZD9rz_Epzb35DmdY1g94ub7t-gF-x-/s4032/CDFAA431-9A8F-41B2-A3E8-0E65679C7DD4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnjnTekyYqBASVOwWMqewCT3gfqBncGQNQNSP9rajWuqusuCfcLEjauBJScJtXRVCbOs4WPPU0UzUygjtvk8pgOvoD1yA790wKt6wJsjBrhx7iOEzqzX_Qbyc82kfT4ExMF9N_sqtehyp2e_UcQmZAMl_TpZD9rz_Epzb35DmdY1g94ub7t-gF-x-/s320/CDFAA431-9A8F-41B2-A3E8-0E65679C7DD4.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A coppery cave.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHfHS_5Qa1ADLST9PHgM44Nvxd-feFfVllI4Eab7Y0GaXErox1VOROTpox8XPrnTSQuz19Qwb7kZkxkqcIWcpZobParoyRp_QNz6UmKZUMf39hEHLUWL3A5VMBzV_V5yd4-Y8tm5zqro49TZaFLwvGInLYYDBQH9pb9QZY8VJU8dY6MbZgIaf3o_V/s4032/E1E42207-6A5A-42A4-A83F-EFD06870CF97.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHfHS_5Qa1ADLST9PHgM44Nvxd-feFfVllI4Eab7Y0GaXErox1VOROTpox8XPrnTSQuz19Qwb7kZkxkqcIWcpZobParoyRp_QNz6UmKZUMf39hEHLUWL3A5VMBzV_V5yd4-Y8tm5zqro49TZaFLwvGInLYYDBQH9pb9QZY8VJU8dY6MbZgIaf3o_V/s320/E1E42207-6A5A-42A4-A83F-EFD06870CF97.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It really was a glorious day. The chimney from the mine looks very fine against the sky and we look very small standing at its base.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We’ve made a couple purchases of note in the 6 months since we arrived.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0k1M7dGSPYWUfXLQRnZSU7uePAcypXaRczBXmCTZ16t61mNeRt3nxGiL5YICPBuQkccQh0VWN3Jx8c1Yi9A7ceX3igC0RMWEz1HZaA4zPbGAWCHQtMKfPGYfa20-Y5fg4lXwvsgqNi6gu7eouDeQ1LhXS7UTcziYBhOgxhIj64w1JBBzP5etK6dqS/s4032/5E9F2F80-0F3B-431B-A9D2-2EC2B66DD76F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0k1M7dGSPYWUfXLQRnZSU7uePAcypXaRczBXmCTZ16t61mNeRt3nxGiL5YICPBuQkccQh0VWN3Jx8c1Yi9A7ceX3igC0RMWEz1HZaA4zPbGAWCHQtMKfPGYfa20-Y5fg4lXwvsgqNi6gu7eouDeQ1LhXS7UTcziYBhOgxhIj64w1JBBzP5etK6dqS/s320/5E9F2F80-0F3B-431B-A9D2-2EC2B66DD76F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We now have a new dinghy. Though our previous dinghy was only about 5 years old, its seams were glued and in Fiji we had a lot of trouble with slow leaks caused but the glue failing and seams opening up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Welded seams are the solution to this and we were quite impressed by an NZ designed catamaran type dinghy designed by <a href="https://truekit.net/" target="_blank">True kit.nz</a>. It is very popular here. We kept seeing them around and got to talk to a lot of owners. All who rave about it. It is taking a little getting used to. It feels and handles a little differently to a regular dinghy, but it is lighter, gets on the plane quicker and has firmest, most non-slip floor we have ever run across.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeWQHWYBDffHOFA_JIzAvN3YFkTgwpBS3MB8a2Sjq-Fb5r7exU9sMTAirFwN8MVRePPb3g9fOsWOAy63AUdkOAE-Pu2JEPDwj73K8KSnnw1iI5tdy2KTr8KJTJ5hz9FtMYyPoOwrtJ-Lj3eZsrRla0dyqpTTiRW1KpZ3AnGL7TovYxvt8GU6WfFps/s4032/4B21BEDF-A858-489B-AA89-292102785ED4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeWQHWYBDffHOFA_JIzAvN3YFkTgwpBS3MB8a2Sjq-Fb5r7exU9sMTAirFwN8MVRePPb3g9fOsWOAy63AUdkOAE-Pu2JEPDwj73K8KSnnw1iI5tdy2KTr8KJTJ5hz9FtMYyPoOwrtJ-Lj3eZsrRla0dyqpTTiRW1KpZ3AnGL7TovYxvt8GU6WfFps/s320/4B21BEDF-A858-489B-AA89-292102785ED4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We did have a scare yesterday when it seemed to have developed a slow leak. Tim is very experienced at finding and patching slow leaks, but that was not the point. It was our new dinghy!!!!! Waaaahh!!!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once it was back onboard and Tim had a good look, he was much relieved to find very pleased that one of the air valves was a little loose. All he had to do was get the valve spanner from in the handy dandy Truekit repair kit and tighten it up. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rather topically, we are the curious owners of one of these….</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_S62yedzIQpl3djUQynbVG8SqRGxqABsIsVlEkGoFpoRLYEAADAotxarsdAA9JuD34XA3ES5PrE1_LnHs_QtuRWTFF4mGl279SJzVoaf_a6HIH0GtBBiNo9F9ABGKYlpoQLZfjJMZ6EiJJJI5JKLvUZ1oz7GhUDi3Wk5MAYy3cw-H_toW9d_D8Ca/s4032/IMG_0643.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_S62yedzIQpl3djUQynbVG8SqRGxqABsIsVlEkGoFpoRLYEAADAotxarsdAA9JuD34XA3ES5PrE1_LnHs_QtuRWTFF4mGl279SJzVoaf_a6HIH0GtBBiNo9F9ABGKYlpoQLZfjJMZ6EiJJJI5JKLvUZ1oz7GhUDi3Wk5MAYy3cw-H_toW9d_D8Ca/s320/IMG_0643.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">…. a Starlink Satellite Internet receiver. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Amongst the cruising community there is a huge amount of interest. Being able to get high speed internet hundreds of miles from land is pretty exciting. The monthly charges are pretty steep, though you can stop and start at anytime, but the receiver itself was ridiculously inexpensive - $199 NZ - and that made it completely irresistible to almost everyone we know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It worked in Whangarei Harbour and it is working out here at anchor. This bodes well, but we will continue using our Iridium Satellite phone on long passages as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Topically, just before heading up here to the Bay of Islands we anchored in Urquhart’s Bay for an early start north. We had dinner on Bruno’s Girl with Philip and Claudia. During dinner someone mentioned seeing satellites in the sky at night. I said I’d never seen one, so Philip took me out on deck and after just a minute or so I could see a tiny light moving slowly past the stars and planets. Very pleased we went back below. Philip also mentioned a trail of lights across the sky that they had seen and on investigation discovered that it was a group of Starlink satellites being launched. Very interesting ,but then dinner was served and I forgot all about it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we were getting ready to head back to Larus, I was the first on deck. I looked up and saw this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxvNyYqYvT6a9fH2jEaggpH4aesj5HiIw9tcqaT9a6oYT7lu1Yuq3BQRnBf2WZA4PMBPoGspZoXlkkz_hFtYFpXeLqL9TNUuMLJcFqKD4BMVftVGbY2XecBBD9SLkxSUkCRYaA462RxHRlIto7HdrleYyEOD6lLNk18yPZBSHRuxT87cVjrFjSmib/s1261/443333C0-DF51-4E3D-AE56-DEF4A2569EBF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1261" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxvNyYqYvT6a9fH2jEaggpH4aesj5HiIw9tcqaT9a6oYT7lu1Yuq3BQRnBf2WZA4PMBPoGspZoXlkkz_hFtYFpXeLqL9TNUuMLJcFqKD4BMVftVGbY2XecBBD9SLkxSUkCRYaA462RxHRlIto7HdrleYyEOD6lLNk18yPZBSHRuxT87cVjrFjSmib/s320/443333C0-DF51-4E3D-AE56-DEF4A2569EBF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is not our photo but this is what I saw, a line of bright dots of light moving up into the sky. Honestly, I blinked, looked away, looked back and it was still there. The rest came up on deck and it was exactly what Philip had been talking about just minutes before. We watched them move across the sky, so far away that they were being lit by the sun that had set for us hours ago.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back on Larus, I did a search and found this - <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-group-5-5-launch" target="_blank">SpaceX launches 56 Starlink Satellites</a>. As excited as I am dismayed at the liberties being taken with the skies above us. It’s hard to sort out the good from the bad when it comes to progress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last but not least, I was able to get the new omicron specific booster on the first of April. The post-jab waiting area has an art gallery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BKScKkkfRvE64S8Hsk6QkVunaIwIMaCRfYqLb_PHkU32EMupAGagaF53QtN33elBjpzHtSzffpv_iLzTLuN2S0L3EmXs8bmji7i4T5MzvC7RRe1-08MfMPMAbUugAB0WJwOD4hDzYLKaxhqMqx9K7fY7WqxqnzbHynOwh_5IaKO9mMgesbk2-VuQ/s4032/50C54F0B-99D8-4C5E-9497-2619BF3A2B42.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BKScKkkfRvE64S8Hsk6QkVunaIwIMaCRfYqLb_PHkU32EMupAGagaF53QtN33elBjpzHtSzffpv_iLzTLuN2S0L3EmXs8bmji7i4T5MzvC7RRe1-08MfMPMAbUugAB0WJwOD4hDzYLKaxhqMqx9K7fY7WqxqnzbHynOwh_5IaKO9mMgesbk2-VuQ/s320/50C54F0B-99D8-4C5E-9497-2619BF3A2B42.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> I particularly taken </span><span style="text-align: left;">with Jasper’s artwork. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">: D</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">That’s all for now but we will post again as things start happening. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Nancy and Tim</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-40758444013435713962023-02-13T16:58:00.004-04:002023-02-13T16:58:50.814-04:00Gabrielle moves South East<p>Just another 12 hours or so of wind and rain for us up here in the Upper North of Northland. We have been safe and well for the duration of the storm.</p><p>If you see a flooded BP station in any news videos, that gas/petrol station is just a short walk down river from Town Basin Marina where we are spending the strong weather. It is known to be vulnerable even in less extreme weather. Ditto the riverside walkway.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/L-dxJOBf4HQ" target="_blank">Whangarei Flooding</a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT-afgZyUISusuN1KP1yx9hMJzRTjBVCwckj3X7MQuXR48BpBj8a2u_naMkKlmenL5yBHVndzozaDZLfg-Uw9tXM8PNP1oIM8GmmUVZdM7xNj_marP6BTOvUGuy-dnKoVfIiYkLEhW2yVAZzVqkOaNvOTrje2zNEn-gX2xI0gmNayMgWap94f9GWi/s4032/58E0CD36-B8D4-4D71-887E-3EB4393DE212.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAT-afgZyUISusuN1KP1yx9hMJzRTjBVCwckj3X7MQuXR48BpBj8a2u_naMkKlmenL5yBHVndzozaDZLfg-Uw9tXM8PNP1oIM8GmmUVZdM7xNj_marP6BTOvUGuy-dnKoVfIiYkLEhW2yVAZzVqkOaNvOTrje2zNEn-gX2xI0gmNayMgWap94f9GWi/s320/58E0CD36-B8D4-4D71-887E-3EB4393DE212.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This was High water yesterday. Water rises as the tide comes in, and recedes as it good out. Inland areas that have flooded won’t be so fortunate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q7hBQtdXLiDYYYvMIQO2l53PPslgyQJStfZQVAH4XqjVr-EHidqkolMN3ZeGMBazXFiy1unuZgwDla55AjPZSiUTp4QFQPUMYHivBzf6kh0ssA0F0Egft9-Bg2P8LqkqBq-evuZhsRxcqyK41tuNcca-hHEzOiwIHkcvP8UesY5ZL16j2Ty1CfjN/s2160/577FCD1D-D126-4EAC-87B9-44F4386FF4E2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Q7hBQtdXLiDYYYvMIQO2l53PPslgyQJStfZQVAH4XqjVr-EHidqkolMN3ZeGMBazXFiy1unuZgwDla55AjPZSiUTp4QFQPUMYHivBzf6kh0ssA0F0Egft9-Bg2P8LqkqBq-evuZhsRxcqyK41tuNcca-hHEzOiwIHkcvP8UesY5ZL16j2Ty1CfjN/s320/577FCD1D-D126-4EAC-87B9-44F4386FF4E2.png" width="320" /></a></div><p>The worst of the rain is over for us and the wind will die down in another 12 hours or so. Southern and southeastern areas of the North Island with have continuing wind and rain until Garbrielle moves farther offshore.</p><p>Often these storms, which form in the Coral Sea off Brisbane, Australia, particularly in an La Niña year pass New Zealand with little affect. We still have a big High pressure off to the southeast which is to blame for blocking the storm from heading east and passing over the top of New Zealand. Instead, it was direct south and it will affect southern and eastern areas for some time yet.</p><p>There is still a lot of flooding and power outages in Northland but we do have sunny days ahead that will help the situation enormously.</p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-53746339034963577592023-02-10T03:08:00.000-04:002023-02-10T03:08:47.421-04:00Good grief! It has been a while.<p> Hello! All is well here in Whangārei where we are in tucked into the best berth Town Basin Marina.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMrRQeCdDDdGQS1rz1A7yYFowuw0NIscIlD9KskKiSXEO3K__zsczeGEwgt17qikCLlFIPHmL-6ChomZpxuaf9rDy6UZzcjUGG1aoUtHJdY62Hv05KfSaLFx_Ym_ZWOcoPgFJG3xOXRR7v5PYBFcY4uM2dhd4-hRob8CSeSpjHYVmXugymozXzJji/s4032/4BDEA8BB-D625-4636-98F6-EABF184D8F47.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMrRQeCdDDdGQS1rz1A7yYFowuw0NIscIlD9KskKiSXEO3K__zsczeGEwgt17qikCLlFIPHmL-6ChomZpxuaf9rDy6UZzcjUGG1aoUtHJdY62Hv05KfSaLFx_Ym_ZWOcoPgFJG3xOXRR7v5PYBFcY4uM2dhd4-hRob8CSeSpjHYVmXugymozXzJji/w320-h240/4BDEA8BB-D625-4636-98F6-EABF184D8F47.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We will be seen worldwide as the boat in the foreground of people’s photos of </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the Hunderwasser Art Galley and Cultural Centre.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ20UMHSHfdaaBQa3ChA9ewH8qGRFISTn0qV78g0Mc51EbVfKzrCGxv7dh7_5a9zEzKvXmmBrz-JaMxDOoFWPYvuUobbgHNo82y5RIXsM4fCfwP-E9r8G62ttgYCF5MU1eFIhC7WvyBCiI7sdr1FZR7qzshZ4aaD2I-lwCenZgBs62w1uTvhKGcAZz/s4032/BFB9D64A-A04B-4A16-9ADA-6A154AB735F1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ20UMHSHfdaaBQa3ChA9ewH8qGRFISTn0qV78g0Mc51EbVfKzrCGxv7dh7_5a9zEzKvXmmBrz-JaMxDOoFWPYvuUobbgHNo82y5RIXsM4fCfwP-E9r8G62ttgYCF5MU1eFIhC7WvyBCiI7sdr1FZR7qzshZ4aaD2I-lwCenZgBs62w1uTvhKGcAZz/w320-h240/BFB9D64A-A04B-4A16-9ADA-6A154AB735F1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Not only are we as close as one could possibly get to the the marina toilet block, woohoo, it’s also in a very good position should you be expecting a big blow. </span></div></div><p>And we are waiting for a big blow thanks to Cyclone Gabrielle, now lurking in the Coral Sea off the West Coast of Australia. It looks like it will be passing fairly close to the east coast of the Upper North of the North Island. It had been forecast as a direct hit to the Upper Northland, but every day the track seems to be moving further to the East, offshore of our location. A big High Pressure to the southeast of New Zealand had been keeping Gabrielle tracking toward south but as it moves further southeast so does Gabrielle.</p><p>It is a big system though and will bring lots rain and strong winds to much of the North Island. According to the last forecast we are expecting periods of wind speeds between 20 to 30 knots with the potential for gusts up to 50 knots. Days ago the forecast was suggested gusts up to 70 knots so things are definitely going in the right direction.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVGgeieeNEW0pYLbOgtpC8Ur_TGYRy4ALTtHrwkwL4wyVteCNyL8_091riVvXQIl10DLvzXDf0r-w_9x6OwOYd9tjMzH-PQpZytNk7MpaRbFfhm2VItd8vA1GH48_KuuwYbXfX0JIeENLJEGW8B96Cx9sNmfJY-iouSvYtFCYeEDx1rbTa_SAT7Dj/s1826/F1D71E88-48A0-4FD0-A104-2ABDEBF51265.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="1826" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVGgeieeNEW0pYLbOgtpC8Ur_TGYRy4ALTtHrwkwL4wyVteCNyL8_091riVvXQIl10DLvzXDf0r-w_9x6OwOYd9tjMzH-PQpZytNk7MpaRbFfhm2VItd8vA1GH48_KuuwYbXfX0JIeENLJEGW8B96Cx9sNmfJY-iouSvYtFCYeEDx1rbTa_SAT7Dj/s320/F1D71E88-48A0-4FD0-A104-2ABDEBF51265.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>We don’t really expect anything like that where we are. We are the red arrow near the top left of the screenshot. </p><p>Most of the concern about this storm is for Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. These areas have taken a beating in the last few weeks and we are expecting a lot of rain. </p><p>Having said all this, there are still several days before the system will reach us and the weather models will become more accurate as it approaches.</p><p>While we wait, we aren’t taking anything for granted and are erring in the side of caution. I’ve been found some useful sites regarding cyclone preparedness. This was my favourite - <a href="https://www.breakwatermarina.com.au/18-steps-to-properly-prepare-this-cyclone-season/" target="_blank">18 Steps to Prepare for this Cyclone Season</a>. We won’t have anything like cyclone force winds but it’s good practice and makes you better prepared to respond to a really big blow.</p><p>Today and for the first half of tomorrow (Saturday) we are having hot dry weather. Which is just as well as we can expect varying amounts of wind and rain until Tuesday or Wednesday. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCPfHuiMf_Lqne53JP3ydQ8zBKtAcs3W5MVDMb8iIlUfa5LVntu97aZXkF7AN6BfrRnsrdKwtjQOPd5Zo3NCVVd5hasq-69wr_JmJfNCT24LobJn40YmlVkUUqLR55bN_ApXgVK0HhRPP_gaF2qFQC-6ZirU-LqeEYMu0nn8Fp6c6vJqIGjCoR-rs/s2160/7917D73E-2456-4D33-AF48-89FD790EB231.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCPfHuiMf_Lqne53JP3ydQ8zBKtAcs3W5MVDMb8iIlUfa5LVntu97aZXkF7AN6BfrRnsrdKwtjQOPd5Zo3NCVVd5hasq-69wr_JmJfNCT24LobJn40YmlVkUUqLR55bN_ApXgVK0HhRPP_gaF2qFQC-6ZirU-LqeEYMu0nn8Fp6c6vJqIGjCoR-rs/s320/7917D73E-2456-4D33-AF48-89FD790EB231.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The three day forecasts are quite accurate but anything after that is subject to change. Right now the system is heading southeast, which is the right direction. </p><p>I’m posting this now just so as not to worry anyone if it starts to appear in news cycles. </p><p>We are safe, well and settling in for a wet and blustery few days when I’ll have lots of time to gather up the bits and pieces since January and write them up. There were some lovely moments despite the unseasonably and unrelenting wintery summer. </p><p>Lots of love </p><p>Nancy and Tim</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-12412103784935905992022-12-13T17:02:00.006-04:002022-12-13T17:31:37.708-04:00Too wet, too dry, too hot, too cold….what is climate change?<p>Settling into NZ cruising isn’t going quite as one would hope.</p><p>When we left Fiji Tim had the beginnings of a nasty cold. He coughed his way to NZ, but a Covid test mid-passage assured us that it was just a cold, which improved as we went along.</p><p>I’ve been pondering where the heck he could have picked it up.</p><p>Living on a boat, usually at anchor, means we spend little time mingling with the general public and when we do most of it is in the open air. The chance of catching anything is quite slim and there is little Covid around to catch anyway. I remembered eventually our last provisioning trip from Denarau Marina to the shopping in Nadi was on the Saturday before we departed. </p><p>The bus trip was, as usual, a handful of people on a bus with large windows, wide open, Nadi, however, was heaving. There was a fun fair being erected in the open space by the market, there were lots of people on the street but the open air market wasn’t any busier than normal. Some far so good.</p><p>With market and supermarket shopping complete, Tim suggested a taxi back, but the bus is so easy. It’s only $1.50 each, there was one waiting for us, and we climbed on board. Added bonus, the bus was nearly empty, however, by the time of departure, it had filled considerably. Subsequent stops on the way out of town filled it to standing room only and we were squeezed together like sardines. At this point, a woman in the back of the bus started sneezing explosively and repeatedly. She then snuffled wetly for the rest of the journey. </p><p>The bus was full enough that there was no way to get to our face masks in my backpack, so we pointed our noses to the open window and hoped our Covid top ups would do their job. </p><p>Fast forward to NZ. Arriving after a passage, once you get through the excitement of clearing Immigration and, most particularly, BioSecurity, you can finally relax. Anchored in our favourite spot near Opua, I lay down for an after lunch nap and woke up 5 hours later with a scratchy throat, headache and tickly cough. </p><p>My Covid test was negative too, though as Tim hadn’t had Covid it would have had be by via immaculate infection.</p><p>Two weeks later, Tim still has the occasional cough and mine still wakes me in the night, but we’re much improved and I’m finally feel good enough to whinge about it. </p><p>We arrived on the first of December. An auspicious day as New Zealanders consider it to be the first day of summer.</p><p>Winter 2022 has been a rough one for NZers. Unseasonal spring time Lows have been barrelling across the country causing wind and rain and, I assume, keeping the tropical highs from bringing the ‘normal’ New Zealand summer at bay.</p><p>In the two weeks we’ve been here, we’ve probably only had 3 days of ‘summer’. Even the <a href="https://youtu.be/iJ7vPfRnoHU" target="_blank">Pōhutukawa: The New Zealand Christmas tree</a> is not yet in full bloom. </p><p>For my part, I’m actually really enjoying not sweating all the time. It’s so nice to wear a cuddly fleece and sleep under a duvet.</p><p>Today, we had planned to head out to anchor in Parua Bay. We’ve done what we needed to do in the marina - repaired the leak in the water tank and visited with Zoe and Bill on Into The Blue - and had no further reason to stay. It was lovely yesterday when we decided this; today we are back into a proper NZ winter day with uncomfortably cold winds and rain. Another day in the marina is a very good idea.</p><p>I’ve done some research on the mystery or the mess on our deck mid-passage.</p><p>These are the photos I took. It might not look like much but click on the photo to get a close up.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCs6QShssZOovtixw6injD78j5vD95cHgYyBpQ_ER5M-xoD432OjyfJtVfy3Sfs0SoX6SxxzKwaWnO1-VW42WTd3gwnBUrRhLWJC52adl8MQ2CAVZjWR8pf3T3o2VYXFi5n0vFDnoOabhZ9_cJHrUk_fzscHud-v0GUeN5IAUAPI_jgcIfJC-hH8d/s4032/8BE94033-ACC4-415B-9B63-44500A976D76.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCs6QShssZOovtixw6injD78j5vD95cHgYyBpQ_ER5M-xoD432OjyfJtVfy3Sfs0SoX6SxxzKwaWnO1-VW42WTd3gwnBUrRhLWJC52adl8MQ2CAVZjWR8pf3T3o2VYXFi5n0vFDnoOabhZ9_cJHrUk_fzscHud-v0GUeN5IAUAPI_jgcIfJC-hH8d/s320/8BE94033-ACC4-415B-9B63-44500A976D76.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First sight, ‘What the heck is that?’</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjby9E3v0_T4z_kCj2h037udUMBn2RdJviVNm4uwybgnI2-aN1AjswrXpf4UxFRDoJDP3PtJtxIU8m97tHWgEVvwI0jpIrbaVX_4EEqQeL32wPuPQFlVcv8bBkdlGMfJTaLmDUo9RAq6FusC2Osuag17M6qMkHIpJgOD2u87lTzPwZRbWN-v6xeFSNn/s4032/42C40BFB-B091-47DC-AC61-94E8C6A1EC59.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjby9E3v0_T4z_kCj2h037udUMBn2RdJviVNm4uwybgnI2-aN1AjswrXpf4UxFRDoJDP3PtJtxIU8m97tHWgEVvwI0jpIrbaVX_4EEqQeL32wPuPQFlVcv8bBkdlGMfJTaLmDUo9RAq6FusC2Osuag17M6qMkHIpJgOD2u87lTzPwZRbWN-v6xeFSNn/s320/42C40BFB-B091-47DC-AC61-94E8C6A1EC59.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Second sight, ‘WHAT the heck IS that???!!!’</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, from a website I can no longer locate…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><blockquote style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleTallBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: start;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><div class="x-apple-outlook-blockquote"><div dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><blockquote type="cite">‘When a whale let its breath it can travel at incredible speeds but it also reaches up 30 feet in the air, creating a cloud of mist or spray that almost every person on the ocean is looking for.</blockquote><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #161717; font-family: corporate-s, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 2rem; margin-bottom: 2rem; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="" class="x_size-medium x_wp-image-9057 x_alignleft" data-unique-identifier="" height="200" src="https://cimioutdoored.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/whale4-300x200.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0px 43px 43px 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="300" /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #161717; font-family: corporate-s, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 2rem; margin-bottom: 2rem; margin-top: 0px;"> </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #161717; font-family: corporate-s, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 2rem; margin-bottom: 2rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><blockquote type="cite">Now when these whales let out these mighty blows they aren’t releasing water from their blowhole they are letting out air, because their breath is so powerful it causes the water around its hole to create a cloud of mist. Well that mist isn’t just water it actually contains mucus and oils, it’s almost like the whale has a cold and is blowing its nose, gross…. Those whale blows can also be very stinky!</blockquote></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And in case you are still interested, <a href="https://www.whales.co.nz/about/blog/post/there-she-there-she-blows" target="_blank">How to tell a whale by their blow</a>. I’m guessing that a sperm whale passed close to us in the night, and gave a mighty ‘blow’ to the right, as suggested by the spatter pattern.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Back in Fiji, Thant Zin catches his own weight in Trevalli. Thank you, Colin, for the amazing photo.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDw8b6nb8_Xs9sLcNAXHTr_71QeAVw_WAgcQXsVYFFVgPjefQvjL-7DoAI-cwjFmNjXuJGvpVkoTHCQSqs-sI1SkW2CKOYjLQpRa-F5xpwYLcFrtonu946oKaQgP4VMFGBbgzN90jvRe2-9pF6dE2dvXYuEsKBfXgljuR82b9qPIk8hSaEr5AVgd7Z/s1600/8715B266-CA6D-42A2-B754-3B62083DFC61.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDw8b6nb8_Xs9sLcNAXHTr_71QeAVw_WAgcQXsVYFFVgPjefQvjL-7DoAI-cwjFmNjXuJGvpVkoTHCQSqs-sI1SkW2CKOYjLQpRa-F5xpwYLcFrtonu946oKaQgP4VMFGBbgzN90jvRe2-9pF6dE2dvXYuEsKBfXgljuR82b9qPIk8hSaEr5AVgd7Z/s320/8715B266-CA6D-42A2-B754-3B62083DFC61.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p>If you are still shopping for holiday gifts, a charitable donation on behalf of a family member or friend is always a much appreciated gift. </p><p>One area in need of immediate assistance is the Horn of Africa, <a href="https://www.unocha.org/horn" target="_blank">https://www.unocha.org/horn</a>, but there are many out there to choose from both near and far.</p><p>Keep safe and well,</p><p>Nancy and Tim</p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513452737709988400.post-10395198949049950172022-11-30T18:56:00.003-04:002022-11-30T18:56:42.545-04:00Arrived and cleared in<p>Yippee! Here we are in NZ, safe and sound. </p><p>We arrived last night at about 2200. The customs process started this morning. It was painless but quite thorough. We had the same agent we had when we arrived in 2019. Once the procedure ps were completed we filled up with diesel. We used 300 litres to get here. That is eye watering. Normally we’d use that in about 6 months. It needed doing though as we would still be out there beating into a strong southwesterly and very very unhappy. Instead we are anchored in Opua, about to have a very nice looking steak and mushroom pie hot from the local shop, followed by as long a nap as we like.</p><p>It’s very nice to be back. :)</p>Yachtlarushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106102468926355782noreply@blogger.com0