Sunday, October 17, 2010

New Caledonia


Two nights at sea, one very windy (on the nose) and swelly and of course trouble always strikes then. The engineer was hard it again changing fan belts and fuel filters while we dipped and heeled.
And this was after he had fully serviced the engine in Vanuatu. How quickly things go awry.
So we made the marina in Lifou and found our 2 friends, GatoGo and On-Site. David had to fly to Noumea to do immigration and caught up with some yachtie  Noumea friends, Sharril and Bernard from Chamaral.  Through them we have met more French people and we have been invited to play cards  and French bowls (Petong) . And they always  makere that there were some English speakers around.
Ah a French colony…. Cheese, pate, fresh baguettes and wonderful wine.  We made our way  down from the  Loyalty Islands to the beautiful Isle de Pines. Blue, blue water but oh so cold!! 25degs on the water and on the land.  Had to rummage to find long sleeves and sweaters.
On Isles de Pines we got out the bikes and cycled to the village market (6kms). So much exercise for us, even hiked up the mountain for a spectacular view. We found a lovely “snack” or cafĂ© in Vao and returned many times for coffee and a “croc monsieur” (toasted ham and creamy cheese sandwich). It was lovely to catch up with more yachts that we knew, Blue Dawn, Destiny 5, and GatoGo, and John and Moira from Oz came for a week.
So time to get to Noumea via Baie de Prony. On the way we stopped at Mato, an island with the bluest lagoon and a high hill that overlooked the lagoon. Sensational.!
In  the huge Baie de Prony we went to the head of the bay, in the calmest anchorage and explored hot springs and cascade waterfalls. The scenery was a contrast of red hills and blue water.  We found more islands and bays. The captain’s highlight was assisting a solo woman sailor in Baie Ure. He fixed the electrics, hauled the anchor by hand. What a star!
So now we are in Noumea! Ginny’s daughter Kate has come for holiday and we sailed  around the beautiful lagoon and islands out from Noumea. Its been 3 years since we saw her in Langkawi!
We have been lucky to catch the Melanesian Arts Festival and saw dances and crafts from PNG, Solomons and Vanuatu and Tahiti. There are lots of cruisers here, including a few who came from Malaysia…Solan, Tonic and Forza. 
So its been very social, but always time to browse the shops and find some beautiful black pearls.
But all this must end and this week we have begun preparations for the final passage home. Probably 6 days to get to Bundaberg. We are joining the Port2Port Rally so we will have some company along the way and some parties in Bundaberg.

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