4-2022 Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu

 

Hi from Clare,      4-2022 Espiritu Santo Island Vanuatu             29^th July 2022

 

So our next stop was the Blue Holes at Peterson Bay north of Santo's main town of Luganville. It certainly is a peaceful spot and it has two fresh water rivers to explore by way of dinghy, the Forest River and Nalaiafu River.

 

Entrance to Forest River

OUR RIVER RUN

Last time we were here in 2019 the village community at the mouth of the river was charging $5 to travel up the river by dinghy. However the 2022 tourist season is having a slow start after Covid shut down and there was no mention of a charge. We travelled up both the Forest and Nalaiafu Rivers. The rivers are peaceful and the bird life plentiful. Any stress you might be carrying just dissolves as you travel up the river, one with nature. It really is a magical place.

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. It was a grey overcast day and so this time we did not go for a swim, however it was still nice just sitting in the river enjoying the quiet.

 

The Blue Hole on Nalaiafu River 

Unfortunately the forest is partly choked by a vine which was introduced during WW2 from south west of the United States. It was introduced to camouflage gun emplacements and war equipment should the Japanese every make it to Vanuatu. We think the vines would have been a very effective camouflage, but sadly, years later they are just choking the forest.

 Oh the vines!

 

At times the weed was almost covering the entire river and we had to pick our way through and clear weed from the dinghy's propeller.

 Weed on River

PORT OLRY

We stopped at Port Olry which is at the northern end of Espiritu Santo. The weather was very calm and so we had to motor the 25 miles to this beautiful bay.

Anchored at Port Olry

 

Warm, sunny and stunningly beautiful, we spent four days exploring this area and walking the beaches There is a small village close by with houses, a school and a few shops.

Typical Village House

The island we anchored off had a fresh water lake and so we had a swim in that too.

 

Fresh Water Lake

 

Our time in Port Olry was relaxing and very pleasant. For us, it is definitely one of the best spots in Espiritu Santo.

 

Yesterday we sailed back to Luganville in light wind. We re provisioned and stayed in the harbour off the township in preparation for leaving this morning. Last night, the wind dropped out and the current put us side on to the swell, so Eye Candy rolled all night, I didn't sleep well. This morning the weather was very unsettled and so we changed our plans and went back to our calm anchorage around the headland from Luganville. It is very still now and we have two Dugongs and a turtle swimming around the boat. So all is not lost

 Not looking so good today

SO WHAT'S NEXT

As soon as the weather suits, we will continue south to Port Vila. But for now we will just chill. So until next time stay safe and our love to all.

 

Candy xx

 

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3-2022 Port Stanley Vanuatu

Hi from Clare         3-2022 Port Stanley,             Vanuatu 21^st July 2022

True to forecast, it was a very windy weekend at Port Stanley on the island of Malakula in Vanuatu. We were tucked up behind the mangroves in calm water, contemplating a very wet trip in our rubber dinghy to visit our friends, Karl and family, in the nearby village. However, Karl came to Eye Candy with his wife Nora and three daughters in their fibreglass boat. They were on their way to the community garden and said they would pick us up in an hour and take us to their home. Nora had prepared a traditional Lap Lap meal and we were invited to dine with the family at 2pm.

 

Karl and Nora's Home

A VILLAGE EXPERIENCE

Karl and Nora's house was just lovely and well established. They have done a lot of work since Andrew helped Karl install wires for 12volt electric light three years ago. The bottom part of the walls are made of concrete blocks. On top of that, the walls are made of woven bamboo and a roof made of second hand roofing iron. The floor is lino on concrete and the bamboo walls inside are covered with colourful material.

                                                         The Loungeroom

The house has two bedrooms and a lounge room and a family area on the porch. There is a separate kitchen off the porch and a toilet and bathroom currently under construction out the back. Nora has made a very nice garden with flowering plants and vegetables in abundance.

The Main Bedroom (1 metre below ground level)

TRADITIONAL LAP LAP

We sat on the floor in the porch area for lunch. Firstly we washed our hands and were given a clean towel each. There were bowls of water laid out for washing whilst eating the traditionally way, with our fingers. Lap Lap is made from Taro (root vegetable) banana and fish. It is cooked in banana leaves on hot stones for 2 hours. When opened up, fresh coconut milk is liberally sprinkled over the food and small bowls of coconut milk available for dipping. Their eldest daughter said Grace before we ate. Lunch was delicious and we really enjoyed the village experience.

 

Lap Lap Lunch

WONDERFUL PEOPLE

The village people are just lovely, they are open, friendly, kind, generous uncomplicated people. They don't have much and they don't want much. Karl works five days a week in the Copra shed as a mechanic's assistant. He earns $20 a day which seems very little to us. Nora said they are mostly self sufficient and buy very little from the supermarket, usually just rice, sugar and washing powder. We guess Karl's biggest expense would be fuel for his boat.

Bananas from Karl's Garden

HOW CAN WE HELP?

We donated three lengths of rope no longer needed on our boat. Last time we travelled up this island chain we were often asked for spare rope. Used often to tie a roof down in strong wind or secure some livestock. I gave Nora a pair of polarised sun glasses, and we bought a bottle of Kiwi and Banana Syrup to lunch as a special treat for the girls.

 

On the way back to Eye Candy, Karl trawled a fishing line from his boat and caught a small Trevally fish. Never miss an opportunity and it paid off. We had a wonderful time and the memory of this experience will stay with us forever.

 

ALWAYS A THRILL

Tuesday we had a gentle sail, 40 miles on a beam reach in 15 knots of wind, to Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo. This is the second biggest town in Vanauta after Port Vila. It is very busy and seems to have better hardware shops and you can buy most things here. We caught a Wahoo on passage which is one of our favourite fish. Three kilos of thick white succulent fillets, what more could we hope for, just wonderful.

Our Wahoo

SO WHAT'S NEXT

Today we are anchored in calm water around the corner from Luganvile Harbour, which is a bit bouncy. It is a maintenance day and I have been busy washing sheets, towels and clothes, not that we wear much in 29 degrees temperature. Before leaving this area we will visit the Blue Holes, these are fresh water swimming holes, but more about that next time.

 

Until then stay safe and our love to all.

Candy xx .

 

 

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2-2022 Havana Harbour Vanuatu

Hi from Clare,       2-2022 Havana Harbour Vanuatu        17^thJuly 2022

 

So when we last wrote, we were waiting for a Marine Survey to be carried out on Eye Candy after launching. The Survey said Eye Candy was in excellent condition, with evidence of continual maintenance being carried out and the owners were well capable of fixing most things. So let's hope that will satisfy the Insurance Company.

LIFE IN PORT VILA , EFATE ISLAND, VANUATU

Before 1^stJuly when the Vanuatu Borders opened for tourists, our white faces in Port Vila were quite conspicuous. We were often asked by the locals how was it that we were in Vanuatu?. However, once the borders opened we were amazed how quickly large numbers of white people appeared. We guess the lovely warm weather has a lot to do with it. Although the Vanuatu people survived quite well during the Covid 19 lock down, we feel that the people are happy to see the tourists back. I spotted a Mikasa Dinner Set in a shop window that was there three years ago, I guess not much business has been happening.

Whilst in Port Vila we had drinks with two other cruising boats and also lunch out with our Sydney based friend Michael who has dual citizenship in Vanuatu and returned once the border was open. It was really good to catch up.

 

THE PEOPLE OF HAVANA HARBOUR

We sailed 25 miles around to the other side of Efate Island into Havana Harbour. This is a beautiful large harbour, well protected from most winds. American war ships assembled here in WW2 before the battle of the Coral Sea.

 

 Havana Harbour

There is a small museum here with artefacts, mostly coke bottles, which they left behind. We visited the nearby village, which is one of three in the Harbour.

 

The women were gathered at 11am waiting for the fresh vegetable market to open at 5pm, but until then a chat fest was planned. We walked along the road stopping at the junior and senior schools and a small shop. The local people all called out to us eager for a chat. They are very welcoming, even the school kids gathered around us. The houses in this harbour are very basic but most have water tanks and a solar panel and battery for lighting at night. Some have lovely tropical gardens and wood piles stacked high for cooking.

 

Typical village houses

The three village communities in the harbour share a vegetable garden well sheltered by banana and coconut trees.

 

Healthy crop of cherry tomatoes

Each family has their own vegetable plot. We met Ronald and his young daughter.

 

Ronald and his daughter

Ronald is one of the fruit pickers who come to Australia each year. He said he loves Australia and the fruit picking program has enabled him to buy a boat and outboard which he uses to get across the harbour to the garden. He offered us Bok Choy and bananas but I already had some, so we ended up with a large yam from his father, that he decided we needed..

 

Ronald's Boat

Just check out the photo below, no plastic scissors for Ronald's young daughter. This little girls was using a sharp knife to cut the white meat from a coconut to eat, I could hardly watch for fear of seeing blood, lots of it..

 Ouch!

HOW BAD WOULD THIS BE?

In 2015 Cyclone Pam, a Catagory 5 Storm, hit Vanuatu with winds of 250km/h and gusts of 330km/h. 'Blue Gold' a 50 metre Benetti Super Yacht was anchored here in Havana Harbour. After being hit by another vessel which dislodged one of Blue Gold's anchors, the vessel ended up across the harbour crashing onto nearby Moso Island just at the village entrance.

It is still there today as the responsibility for its removal is still in dispute. It is quite a surprising site, to say the least.

 

Blue Gold

We took the dinghy over to Moso Island and met the local people. We left Eye Candy in beautiful sunny weather but spent most of our time on Moso Island sheltering from a tropical rain storm with three local teenage children.

We were standing under the tin roof in an open area. One of the three, a young boy, ran and got two plastic chairs so we could sit. What a lovely thing to do, we really appreciated this boy's kind action. The rain bucketed down for about half and hour and then blue sunny skies again. The weather is very unsettled but the temperature is around 28 degrees in the day and 25 degrees at night. The water temperature is also around 28 degrees and very pleasant.

 

 Blue Gold from the village

SAILING NORTH UP THE ISLAND CHAIN

So we left Havana Harbour on Friday and sailed overnight 127 miles north to Port Stanley on the island of Malakula. It was a good sail with up to 20 knots of wind behind us. The sea state was a bit confused and so it was a bit rough for a while. We just have to get our sea legs back after such a long break.

 

We have come into Port Stanley to visit one of the local families. We met Karl and Nora and their three daughters in 2019 when Andrew helped Karl run electrical wires and install some power points for lighting in the house he was building. At the time Andrew was fascinated by the fact that Karl's bedroom was sunken by one metre below ground level. Karl said that if a cyclone came the family would hide here under the bed until it passed. While we have been at home in Australia a cyclone came through Vanuatu and we saw on the news a lot of damage to the township of Luganville just north of here. We are interested to find out how Karl and his family fared.

 

THE NEWS IS OUT

We no sooner dropped our anchor and our first visitors came by the boat. Morris, Helen and family were on their way to the local community garden. Yes, Morris knows Karl and yes his house is still standing. Luckily the cyclone bypassed this island.

 

 Our first visitors, Morris and Helen

Our next visiting boat was a mother and her adult son. They handed us some village cabbage. We asked if they knew Karl. Yes said the mother he is my son and this is his brother. We said we will come and visit the village soon. My guess is Karl will know by now that we intend visiting. There are 200 people living in the village and so news will travel fast

SO WHAT'S NEXT

A good night's sleep and then off to the village, an island experience we will enjoy. There are strong winds forecast for the next few days and so we are happy to stay here.

 

So until next time, stay safe and our love to all.

Candy xx

 

 

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1-2022 Return to Vanuatu

Greetings All,                      1-2022  Return to Vanuatu                           1^st July 2022

 

At last, after two and a half years of Covid 19 restrictions, we returned to Vanuatu and our beloved Eye Candy on 30^th May by way of a Business Visa. We had three days of quarantine which we did at Iririki Resort. It is on an island directly across from the township of Port Vila. We are currently anchored off the Resort in the same spot we anchored two and a half years ago.

A GRAND ARRIVAL

Upon arriving we were transported to Iririki Resort by mini bus along with 5 other new arrivals. We had a police escort with lights flashing and siren blearing, locals scattering off the road and traffic pulling over to make way. We felt like we were being hauled off to jail. Thankfully at Iririki Resort we had a large air conditioned cabin with a balcony. Three days with internet access was quite doable even though the resort had been vacant for two years and is in need of urgent repairs, plus the food was pretty grim. I don't think their chef has started back yet.

EYE CANDY'S RESTING PLACE

Below is a photo of where the boatyard is located in Port Vila. As you can see, Eye Candy has been well protected from cyclones during our time away with a huge hill north east of her and thick trees south west. The yard is located at the end of the bay in shallow calm water.

Eye Candy was is very good condition. No mould or bad smells inside the boat which was a great relief. The photo below was our first sight of the boat.

There was lots to do outside and it took twenty two days of hard work before we were ready to launch. As you can see below, she was looking pretty good when she launched.

We had the boatyard boys sand the bottom, paint it and polish the sides of the boat. The boatyard guys were very nice. Enok, pictured below with me was our favourite, hard working and very cheerful. He picks fruit in Australia each year and is due to return to Australia in October to pick cabbages. He likes Kununurra WA but thought the local Aborigines could have joined his crew picking fruit instead of hanging around the town.

THE GOOD NEWS

Fortunately all the electronics started up without a hitch, much to our delight.

We ended up having to buy new batteries. Two were OK but the other two were not. Enok gladly took the two good batteries home to connect to his sola panels. We took the opportunity to replace the lead acid batteries with AGMs. The Water Maker started up immediately but the output was about half. A number of O rings had disintegrated and Andrew pulled it apart four times before finding them all.

 UNWANTED GUEST

Whilst on the hard we had a rat on board. It tried eating its way through the ply wood lining of the cupboard containing fresh bread. The following night we removed the ply wood panel, emptied the cupboard and laid a trap. . For $2.50 we purchased the said trap, an A4 size folder that opens out flat. The surface is coated with really sticky glue. There is a small bowl of food on the board to lure the rat. We caught the intruder who was thoroughly stuck on the board and squealing at us. Andrew took it outside and whacked it behind the ear with a steel bar to put it out of it's misery. The most effective rat trap we have ever seen

BACK TO NORMAL

Today 1^st July, Vanuatu is open to tourists and already two yachts have arrived. One from New Zealand and the other from Fiji. There is no quarantine required now and yesterday we gained a Cruising Permit to tour the islands to the north for the next two months.

 On Monday we have a Marine Surveyor coming to do a Survey on the boat. A requirement needed to get insurance after the boat has been idle for so long. Up till now we have never had a Survey so it is a good thing. I'm sure we will need it for future insurance cover.

 One of today's new arrivals has come over and introduced themselves. We will have drinks together and a chat once they are settled. We miss Col and Denise and our 11am daily coffee and catch up. We sent them the photo below from Vanuatu saying "OK, it's 11am coffee time, where are you?,

SO WHAT'S NEXT

So next week we will take off for more Freedom and Adventure. We will revisit the islands. When last here Andrew installed electric lights in a guys hut. The main bedroom was a metre below ground level as a safe place if a cyclone came. Well they have had the cyclone and we are interested to see how this family fared.

We are looking forward to sailing and enjoying life. We will keep you posted, so until next time, take care and stay safe.

 Love Candy xx

 

 

 

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