14-2019 Port Vila, Heading for Home

Hi from Clare,        14- 2019 Port Vila, Heading for Home             16^th November 2019

When we last wrote Eye Candy was at the island of Ambrym and we were waiting for a favourable wind to sail 110 miles south to Port Vila.

A GREAT SAIL

On 6^th November we left Ambrym at 5am in a light easterly breeze with the intention of sailing 70 miles south to the island of Epi.   Much to our delight the wind co operated and came around to the north east and we sailed the 110 miles to Port Vila on a flat sea. It was the perfect sail to end what has been a very enjoyable sailing season in Vanuatu. We arrived in the well lit harbour of Port Vila at 1am, what a ride.

Since then we have been very busy getting the boat ready to store at the Port Vila boat yard for the cyclone season.  We have fare welled our various cruising friends as they set off for either Australia or New Zealand. We are one of the few boats left here, so I guess this year, we turn the lights out.

NOT ALL WORK

Yesterday we took the afternoon off and visited the Vanuatu National Museum.  We are so glad we did this after visiting a number of the islands and remote villages.  Our appreciation for the Museum’s displays and artefacts was greatly enhanced by our exposure to the Vanuatu culture over the last few months.  Our guide at the museum is a chief of one of the villages on Pentecost Island and when not working at the museum, goes home regularly.

Vanuatu National Museum

He did some Vanuatu sandroing (sand drawing) for us. These are geometric figures drawn in a continuous line without lifting the finger. The drawings date back to pre European education and are used to leave messages, explain concepts and teach children. The drawings are often accompanied by stories or song. In the photo below, our guide drew and explained the tradition of land diving. This is done by building a high bamboo tower, tying a vine to the ankles and then diving off. We are looking forward to seeing this tradition in June/July May next year when we return to Vanuatu.

Sandroing - Land Diving Tower

We had a tour of the Museum and our guide explained the purpose of the various face masks, head dresses, tam tam (drums) and other items we have seen in our travels. The guide then played some traditional music on a percussion instrument and ended with the Australian National Anthem,; see photo below.

Tam Tam (Village drums)

On Tuesday we are storing the boat in a steel cradle in the Port Villa boat yard. This cradle will be fastened down to steel rings in the ground. We will have a few more days work before flying home on Friday 22^nd November for five months. We are looking forward to catching up with family and friends and also to returning to Vanuatu next year to continue our adventure.

Love Candy xx

13-2019 Blue Holes and Villages, Vanuatu

Hi from Clare,       13-2019 Blue Holes and Villages, Vanuatu     6^th November 2019

NO FURTHER NORTH

Over the past few weeks we have been slowly sailing north from Port Vila stopping off at many beautiful bays and visiting local villages. Some one hundred and fifty miles later we ended up in Peterson Bay on the east side of Malakula Island. This is a beautiful bay and said to have the best all round protection in Vanutu. It certainly is a peaceful spot and it has two fresh water rivers to explore with the dinghy, the Forest River and Nalaiafu River.

Andrew motoring up the river

THE RIVER RUNS

We, along with our American friends Ian and Cindy on Oyster Reach travelled up Forest River on day one, shortly after we had dropped anchor in the bay. The village people charge $5 per person to enter each of the rivers. Had we known this, we should have gone exploring the following morning, taking a cut lunch and having sufficient time for a leisurely swim in the fresh water blue hole. We enjoyed the trip and decided to travel the Nalaiafu River the following day. This time we came prepared with a cut lunch and our swimmers. We motored up the river through thick jungle whilst listening to Kingfishers and parrots. At the end of the river we found the blue hole surrounded by a lovely picnic area

Blue Hole Nalaiafu River

These blue holes are found in several places in Vanuatu I think they are formed when a fresh water spring is filtered through limestone and the blue cast to it is from the dissolved calcium carbonate. Our swim in the fresh water blue hole was a pleasure and an unexpected treat when sailing the ocean. We enjoyed our lunch in the picnic area watching the kids having fun. The local people have tied ropes to the trees and the kids swing out over the river. They also climb high into the tree tops and do pin drops into the river.

Both rivers are beautiful but unfortunately they are being choked by a vine which was introduced during WW2 from south west of the United States. It was suppose to camouflage gun emplacements and war equipment should the Japanese ever make it to Vanuatu. It is disappointing to see that the vine which was once useful and beautiful, now smothers whole forests like a monstrous green wet blanket.

Smothering Vines

THE VOLCANO ISLAND - AMBAE

We would have enjoyed sailing further north but time was running out and both Eye Candy and Oyster Reach needed to be back in Port Vila early November. We hope to see further north early next year before heading to Australia. We sailed forty five miles east to Vanihe Bay on the island of Ambae. Once again we have found a well protected bay from the S/E winds and we have spent five lovely days here enjoying the local people and village.

Government Office

On day one we had an escorted tour of the town by John an elderly gent who was born in the village and has lived there all his life. We are on the N/E corner of the island and the village here has shops, a police station, a bank, government offices, churches, a hospital and a primary school and a technical college. This is the main village on the island and used to be the regional centre for Ambae, Pentecost and Maewo. In August last year the people were evacuated due to a treat from a volcano on the island. At that time the administrative centre was moved to Pentecost Island where it remains today. The people were away from here for three months before anyone was allowed to return. Many people have still not returned as they have found work on other islands and settled there.

Woodwork Shop at Secondary School

We have been into the village a number of times mainly for a walk and a chat to the locals. We are learning a few names and recognising the people. Today I wanted some eggs but the store was closed. The owner had shut shop and was doing her washing in a fresh water hole on the beach. We stopped to talk to some locals loading a truck with building supplies delivered by barge yesterday. I mentioned I needed eggs and Bertha volunteered to run home and get me a dozen; I was very glad to receive them. The people are very friendly and seem quite contented in this tropical paradise. I would like to come back here next year if we have time.

Village Transport

MAEWO ISLAND

We anchored in Asanvani Bay to the sound of music, singing, dancing and a guy on a loud speaker. The Women’s Union for the island was having it’s annual swap meeting. Gifts were exchanged and a party was in full swing with women from other villages staying overnight. The following day after many canoes loaded with smiling woman had departed we went into the village. We walked around the island meeting the people and Chief Richard. We enjoy visiting the various villages as the Vanuatu people are the most friendly we had found. They are interested in our lifestyle and ask lots of questions, but conclude that their simple lifestyle suits them.

Waterfall on Maewo Island

Chief Richard, Ian "Oyster Reach" Andrew "Eye Candy"

PENTECOST ISLAND

We sailed ten miles south to Loltong Bay on Pentecost Island. To avoid coral reefs, we followed the lead markers into the bay. The front marker we could see with the binoculars but the back marker was almost covered by bushes. Once on land we were quite amused to discover that the front marker was embedded in a chunk of concrete which could be moved anywhere. Andrew thinks it is for quick relocation when unwanted tribes arrive:)

We had drinks on Eye Candy that night with Ian and Cindy “Oyster Reach” and caught up with Mark and crew Bianca on “Macushla”

 Removal Front Lead Marker, Back Marker just visible under trees

The following morning we said good bye to Mark as he was sailing north and we were sailing south to Port Vila. We, along with Ian and Cindy went ashore. Once again the community at Loltong Bay was extremely welcoming. Matthew who manages the local yacht club is very entrepreneurial and trades local fruit and vegetables for clothes, ropes or anything else that is excess on visiting boats. The pace is slow and we asked one guy “What do you do here” his answer was “nothing” so we said “Is that good” and he answered “Yes”.

Yacht Club, Loltong Bay

The Village Loltong Bay

This island, like others we have observed have some advanced facilities which are now lying in disrepair. Pentcost for example had a hydro power station which no longer works. This seems to be a common theme throughout the islands and disappointing to see.

The Anchorage Loltong Bay

Our next little village was seven miles south in Bratnapne Bay. We stopped here mainly because the snorkelling was said to be good. We went ashore and introduced ourselves and got permission to snorkel the bay. We had a tour of the town with one of the school teachers and some of the children. We stopped at the shop and bought the kids an ice cream – they were all smiles. I didn’t take the camera so unfortunately no photos of this village.

Some of the pretty coral

AMBRYM ISLAND

Last Friday we sailed 26.5 miles to Nopul on the N/E corner of Ambrym. It was a sporty sail in 25 knots forward of the beam and lumpy two metre waves. We were glad to drop the anchor and go ashore. We were hoping that market day would be Saturday as we were running out of fresh produce. We were out of luck as Friday is their market day and by the time we got ashore the small market was sold out. The main town of Olal is about an hours walk and so we set out the following morning. Cindy was hoping that in Olal we might be able to find out what date the ‘Back to My Roots’ festival would be held next year on Ambrym. We walked to the next village and found Chief Sekor, the chief for the area. He was happy to give us a guided tour to the Festival Site deep in the forest where it is tabu to enter his hut. This is where the chief performs ceremonial duties and also houses some of the ceremonial masks. So here we were on this remote island, in this sacred place, deep in the forest with the village chief and Cindy asks “When is the Festival next year” the chief’s answer was “You can look it up on our website”

Cindy "Oyster Reach" Chief Sekor, Clare "Eye Candy" outside Ceremonial Hut

Photo taken at last year's Back to My Roots Festival

We continued walking through the forest, we would have been totally lost without a guide. We saw Chief Sekor’s garden and visited his sister’s house. Here a huge pig was caged waiting to be transferred to another village for an upcoming ceremony. The poor old pig would be killed and eaten and it’s tusk (it only had one, the other had been broken off) would be worn as decoration by that chief. We met our chief’s nephew who explained some of the culture to us, including how many pigs were necessary to buy a bride from her father. It appeared that brides from some islands are more expensive than other islands.

Apparently the Chief Sekor paid fifteen pigs plus fruit and vegetables for his wife. The chief’s nephew spoke very good English as he lived permanently on the Sunshine Coat in Queensland with his wife and daughter and was back in his village on a holiday. It appears that they live and move between two cultures and mange it very well.

The Chief's nephew and niece

After leaving the chief, we continued on to the village of Olal. We didn’t stay long as we had been walking for three and a half hours and still had an hour’s walk back to the boat. We had a quiet afternoon recovering and then enjoyed a lovely dinner on ‘Oyster Reach’.

Chief Sekor's House

SO WHAT’S NEXT

We are pinned in here waiting for a trough to pass. It is raining and a swell is coming around the corner causing quite a jiggle. We are using the time to clean out cupboards and lockers in preparation for going home later this month. Hopefully we will continue our journey south to Port Villa in a couple of days.

Love Candy xx

12-2019 Diving and Trekking in Espritu Santo

Hi from Clare,           12-2019 Diving and Trekking in Espritu Santo    18^th October 2019

THE ATTRACTION OF LUGANVILLE

Espritu Santo is the biggest island and its capital, Luganville, is the second largest town in Vanuatu. It is less developed than Port Vila but it has some much sort after tourist attractions. There is diving both Million Dollar Point and the wreck of the SS President Coolidge and also trekking to The Millennium Cave.

 Sunset in Luganville

MILLION DOLLAR POINT

Andrew and I, along with Ian and Cindy on ‘Oyster Reach’, dived Million Dollar Point named so because of the amount of equipment dumped there by the Americans at the end of WW2. The American Military offered to sell their surplus equipment to the British and French ruling countries. Thinking that the Americans would be forced to abandon the equipment and they would get it for free, they said “no deal”. Much to their surprise the Americans proceeded to build a long pier out into the channel east of Luganville and dump millions of dollars worth of equipment into the sea.

Million Dollar Point

 Some of the equipment

The dive site is up to 50 metres deep and we swam down 20 metres to see the huge pile of gear. There is said to be large jeeps, six-wheeler trucks, gigantic bulldozers, forklifts, semi-trailers, tractors, ambulances, large bound sheets of corrugated iron, sealed boxes of clothing and of course the crates of Coca-Cola. It was fascinating but quite distressing to see the waste and I couldn’t help but wonder how the military men felt dumping all this valuable equipment. It is said that the locals witnessing the bizarre act by the US military considered it to be an act of madness.

More Equipment

 Clare

SS PRESIDENT COOLIDGE

The next day we dived on the SS President Coolidge. This ship was built as a luxury liner and when WW2 broke out it was pressed into service as a troop carrier. When arriving into Luganville she hit two ‘friendly’ mines and subsequently sank. It took several hours for the vessel to sink and of the 5000 personnel on board only two lives were lost.

To get to the dive site we walked in off the beach. Getting in and out of the water was the hardest part of the dive. The water was very choppy with a large surge which knocked us off balance. It was necessary to wear our sandals walking on the dead coral and then change into our dive fins once in chest deep water. This was difficult with the additional weight of air tank and weight belt. Poor Andrew got the job of putting my fins on for me as I held onto the dive master. Once settled, the dive was easy but the visibility was poor. I’m not keen on wreck dives, I find them boring, I much prefer seeing tropical fish and coral. So although the Coolidge is recognised as one of the premier wreck dives and some enthusiasts do multiple dives on it, I haven’t changed my opinion of wreck dives. While Ian, Cindy and I went shopping, Andrew went for a second dive on the Coolidge with the dive master. They entered the wreck and saw tanks, trucks, aircraft fuel tanks, ammunition and a medical kit.

The Coolidge Interior

Some Medicine

MILLENNIUM CAVES OR NOT

The following day we all considered doing a trek to the Millennium Caves. In the end only Andrew and Cindy went as Ian had a tropical infection to his leg and I decided the all day trek was too strenuous for me. The trip is divided into four parts – trekking, caving, canyoning and swimming. Along with one other tourist and three guides they walked into the bush along narrow tracks, bamboo bridges and ladders before descending to the river and down into the cave. The cave has a high ceiling and is home to many nesting swallows and some bats, which they could see by torchlight. They waded through the river climbing over rocks and once out of the cave they stopped for lunch and a swim in a small water hole near a waterfall at the entrance.

 Ladders going up

Ladders going down

The Millennium Cave

So they then entered the canyoning portion of the trip. They climbed over and under boulders with the help of strategic hand and foot holds and then floated down the Sarakata river taking in the breath-taking scenery with jungle overhanging shear rock faces.

Canyoning

Floating down the river

Once out of the river there is a steep climb up to the ridge and the pathway back to the village. From here they walked another twenty minutes to the village where the car was and a forty five minute drive back to the boat. Andrew arrived home around 6pm after a very long a strenuous day. At times he said his leg muscles where shaking from the exertion and he said I wouldn’t have enjoyed the day – I’m sure he is right:)

SO WHAT'S NEXT

So we all having a quiet day today just relaxing on our boats. We are in a very pretty bay which is very calm. Tonight we are having a sun downer with Ian and Cindy on ‘Oyster Reach’. Ian’s leg wound has improved and so tomorrow we will move a little further north and explore some new territory. We plan to be back in Port Vila around the end of the month. We will then start thinking about packing the boat up and flying home in mid November.

Love Candy xx

11-2019 Heading north to Luganville

Hi from Clare,     11-2019 Heading north to Luganville          12^th October 2019

Today is the thirteenth day of our trip from Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, to Luganville which is the second largest town in Vanuatu. The distance is only 150 miles but we have stopped at many places along the way to enjoy the village hospitality and learn more about the Vanuatu culture.

We arrived at the island of Epi on 29^th September in company with three other yachts. We have known Mark on ‘Macushla’ for a number of years having sailed with him across two oceans and through the Caribbean. We made new American friends, Ian and Cindy on ‘Oyster Reach’ and together we are travelling up to Luganville. British couple, Steve and Jody on Ena Vigo are also new to us although known through our radio net.

Our anchorage at Epi Island

Lamen Bay, Epi, is a small but industrious community. The village houses and gardens are well maintained. We found the ladies making baskets from palm reeds and we had breakfast at a most attractive hut decorated with shells. The breakfast of eggs, toast, local fruit, pancakes with local jam, tea or coffee was delicious and cost $5.

Village ladies making multi purpose baskets

At Breakfast Left Cindy, Andrew, Clare, Right Steve, Ian, Jodi

The snorkelling was good, we found large turtles, but no dugong. It always amazes us that when snorkelling we always find something we haven’t seen before. The photo below shows a living creature that looks like a piece of wool spread over the coral, but when disturbed the tentacles retract back to one central point; quite fascinating to watch.

Ocean creature

Our next stop was Port Sandwich. No sooner had we dropped the anchor that a canoe came alongside welcoming us with gifts of papaya, and grapefruit. When walking ashore that afternoon, small children gave us lemons and bananas. The next morning was market day so we set out at 6.30am with Ian and Cindy of ‘Oyster Reach’ and Steve and Jodi of ‘Ena Vigo’ to arrive in time for the early morning 7am market. I think someone forgot to tell the locals the start time as no seller arrived until 9am. We stocked up on fresh vegetables and I bought a dozen eggs. You can imagine how surprised I was that night to discovered that the eggs were hard boiled.

Receiving local fruit upon arrival

The local market at Port Sandwich

The three kilometre walk to market gave us an opportunity to see the small villages along the way. The people came out to talk to us and seemed genuinely interested in where we came from and how long we had been cruising. Even the children would step forward without hesitation to shake hands, it is very cute.

Village houses

Village children on the way to the market

Port Sandwich is a very deep bay and has a number of rivers to explore by dinghy. We packed a picnic lunch and along with Ian and Cindy from ‘Oyster Reach’ we motored our dinghies up the rivers enjoying the explosion of tropical foliage teaming with bird life.

 Our trip up the river

Our next stop was at Banam Bay where we organised a walk to a waterfall and some traditional dancing. The people here live in small communities of extended families. All the huts are in close proximity. The people seemed very happy and contented, they smile a lot. We met a mother carrying a one year old child who shook our hands unprompted, it was very endearing. We couldn’t help but notice that we haven’t heard any small children crying in the village communities. There seems to be endless child minders carrying little ones around.

The Gorgeous Children from Banam Bay

The walk to the waterfall was easy on flat ground and mostly in the shade of fruit trees. The chief from the first village was our guide. The waterfall was owned by the next village so we had to ask permission from that chief to see his waterfall. So the chief from the second village came along with us and showed us the various edible plants along the way. We were given a cacao fruit to suck on. The outside of the bean is white, soft and sweet and only bitter if you bite into the brown bean. It was a good experience as the people are very welcoming. Andrew and Ian from ‘Oyster Reach’ enjoyed a dip in the pool at the base of the waterfall. The girls were content to just wade in up to our knees.

Andrew having a dip in the waterfall

The two chiefs with Andrew, Ian with the local lads

In the afternoon we returned to the first village to see the dance show, Unlike other communities we have experienced, the men danced in one area and the woman in another. Their tradition in this village is that the village women are not allowed to watch the men dancing. We think the men we saw dancing really enjoyed themselves. We then went to another location and watched the woman dance. Their dancing was similar to what we have seen before but there was more participation by small girls who joined in enthusiastically.

The village men dancing

The village women dancing

It was with some regret we left this community and sailed the following morning to Port Stanley. This is a busy location with a wharf, lots of cars, and townships that have been established long ago by the French and English. We hitched a ride in the back of a four wheel drive for $1 to the township of Lakatoro. We were hoping to visit a local handy craft shop which has a good reputation. However it was shut and none of the local people could tell us when it might be opened again. Not to worry, we consoled ourselves with a visit to a chocolate factory instead and bought some rather tasty dark chocolate.

Earlier that morning a local family from Selenamboro village on Uri Island came out to our boat for a chat. The guy, David, asked Andrew if he would help him wire his new house for electric light. So Andrew spent a few hours that afternoon cobbling it together and as he said, probably breaking all the wiring rules. However by the end of the day the job was complete and the local guy was a happy man. Now he needs lights to use with his solar powered battery.

Andrew at work

David with his first light switch

The following morning we sailed to Wala Island. We were instantly met by a local offering a tour of the island for $5 with a basket of local fruit at the end. So we went for a walk around the island but we have to say the guide was very hard to understand. When talking about local customs, it was difficult to determine whether he was talking about now or a custom from the past, so we didn’t learn a lot. The fruit at the end was most generous. We ended up with mangoes, papaya, bananas, grapefruit, ginger and cucumber. The guide asked Andrew to check his house batteries and wanted any spare rope we might have to tie his house roof down in preparation for the next cyclone. He also asked if I could put some movies on his USB stick. I agreed thinking I could just give him what we had, but no, he only wanted action movies and musicals. So I spent quite a few hours during the night sorting through our movies to give him what he wanted. He was pretty happy this morning when he came by at 6.30am to collect the two sticks he gave us yesterday. We have concluded after the last few days that the requests are always larger and more complicated than first anticipated.

Yesterday morning we sailed to Vao Island and had a good walk with a chief who couldn’t speak English. French is the second language for these islanders. However the chief managed quite well explaining that where we were walking was tabu unless we were with the chief. It was an area of traditional ceremonies usually including the killing of a pig. There are six tam tam drums (hollow logs), one for each village on the island. Each tam tam has its own sound and that is how the chief calls the people of that village to assembly. The tam tam can be heard from a great distance.

Ian, Andrew and the chief in front of the tam tam

SO WHAT’S NEXT

This morning we sailed to Espirito-Santo. We caught a very nice tuna on the way so we are sharing dinner with Oyster Reach tonight. We don’t know how long we will stay here but we want to dive on the wreck of the President Coolidge which is a World War 2 troop ship that sank after running into a friendly mine. Also Million Dollar Point where the American government dumped all their equipment at the end of the war. We also want to see Luganville township before sailing back to Port villa.

We have very much enjoyed our trip north and we think Vanuatu is a lovely country.

Love Candy xx