No more Noumea

My simple request for a coffee and a coke resulted in a scowl as though I had just asked the waitress for her keys to the car in order to take her teenage daughter on a filthy weekend to Mexico. To make double sure I got the message and did not return she charged me $6 for a can coke. 

Welcome to Noumea! Forget quaint cafe's filled with gruff but pleasant chain-smoking Frenchmen and instead you find a city where prices are so eye-wateringly high that one is afraid to leave the boat in case the monthly budget is blown on daily dock fees for the dinghy. The one redeeming feature is the baguette selection in the supermarket but they charge over twice the amount we paid in Papeete.

Venture ashore we did! The people in Noumea must have very good jobs or very good dole as not many places in the world would one find groups of the local rhasta tramps sitting around at 9:30am in an expensive Brasserie drinking $8 beers. Maybe they were famous musicians who prioritised the consumption of food and beverages over clothing…and personal hygiene…and manners. 

Needless to say Noumea was my low light of the South Pacific. Maybe amplified due to the fact that it is our last island before we cross to our first continent in over 13000 miles so we were expecting more. 

I don't think I shall be returning to New Caledonia and if I were to do this again, I would rather jump off from Vanuatu and stop at Chesterfield reef en route. Saying that, it could be that I was just grumpy as I had contracted a mild version of bronchitis (maybe from the local nickel factory polluting the surroundings) and was boat ridden for a week. Friends that sailed to the surrounding islands said that it was beautiful with some great snorkelling. If you are to venture to New Caledonia, explore the outer islands and spend as little time as possible in the sewage drenched city of Noumea.

Port Resolution, Tanna

We only spent 2 days in Tanna but managed to cram in a lot of walking and exploring. As we beached the dinghy and dragged it ashore on our first day, we realised we hadn't brought our flip flops. Not a problem on this island, the paths are beautifully manicured, swept everyday and underfoot is soft volcanic ash providing a wonderful cushion for our soft yachtie feet.

The village of Port Resolution is so pretty. Small huts made out of palm fronds and bamboo dotted around a grassy square where the locals were always seen playing a game of football or volleyball. We found one hut that advertised itself as a restaurant so 8 of us yachties crammed in there for lunch much to the surprise of the cook, Sarah. A simple and rather expensive meal for what it was but worth it to experience being in one of their buildings.

Walking through the village to the other side of the island, dodging the chickens and pigs is a lovely beach. The waves come crashing in and the boys took the opportunity to befriend some locals kids and use their surfboards. The kids were most curious of these 8 white faces peering at them and speaking in a funny language. We got by with gestures and feeding them sugar free sweets. One of the older kids had brought with him a handmade bow and arrow so we took turns firing it much to the amusement of the kids as none of us were that good. It was so refreshing to see children of all ages playing together with no adult supervision needed, no manufactured toys just a fire, handmade bow and arrow and a couple of broken surfboards for entertainment. None of the kids were older than the age of 10.

Another day we went on a mission to find the hot springs created by the nearby volcano. One you need to pay a guide to take you but we found a smaller one right on the beach that you can go to yourself. Taking eggs with us we plonked them in the pool and watched them boiling away, tasted good!

From the hot springs we spotted a village up on the hill and made it our mission to navigate our way there. A couple of wrong turns, a near attack by dogs, a river crossing and we made it up a rather steep path to the village. Wow. What a view! The villagers have started a business renting out small bungalows to tourists. There was no one there when we visited but a perfect location for a holiday with a difference. The tourist village is right next to the village where the locals stay. As we entered the village we were greeted by smiling faces, eager to find out how we made it to their homes and loaded us up with fruit and veg for our troubles. Such hospitable, friendly people we have not found elsewhere. They really do live a basic lifestyle with no electricity, no goods from the Western world and the babies hadn't seen a white face before (proven by them bursting into tears anytime I tried to pick them up and give them loves). We loved this place and arranged to go back the next day laden with food off Orion that we were never going to eat before entering Australia.

One of the bungalows they rent out

We made the repeat journey laden down with tins, like pack mules we entered the village and immediately the villagers (who had obviously been waiting for us) jumped up from their mats and gave us each a coconut to drink complete with straw made from the inside of a spring onion. Nature's own straw and it worked a treat! We were ushered onto a mat and they started demonstrating how to weave a basket, a hat, a fan and a bowl. Whilst this was going on, one very cute kid called Geoffrey was waving around a very sharp looking knife, an interesting choice of toy. Weaving finished, we were given a tour of their village and surrounding gardens. These guys have it sorted, gorgeous views in every direction, living off the land and using 2 solar panels to generate power when necessary.

Tour finished we went back to collect our woven goodies and they presented each couple with a big basket of fruit and veg. So we came back to the boat with 2 hands of bananas, 6 christophene, 2 chunks of sugar cane, bunches of bok choi, sweet potatoes, papayas,  limes as well as a fan, a basket, and a bag. Begging has not got to the people of this island yet and I hope it never does. These are proud people that seem relatively untouched by the outside world when it comes to materialism and a common theme of their culture seems to be 'b'long everi wan' (Pidjin language - "belongs to everyone").

Mount Yasur, Tanna (Vanuatu)

Vanuatu is an amazing place that we wished we could have had more time to cruise the islands. Port Resolution village is the sort of place that Sally and I love visiting, there is no electricity, people live in thatched huts, life is simple and the locals walk around with huge smiles on their faces. In a recent survey the people of Vanuatu were stated to be the happiest people in the world!

However the main reason for the visit to Tanna was to see the volcano on Mount Yasur. It is said that Yasur is the most accessible active volcano in the world and we just had to discover it for ourselves. Sally has a keen interest in volcanos and has been looking forward to this island the whole trip.

Having sailed towards Tanna at night we could see the loom of the volcano. Peering into the distance all of a sudden the sky would alight with an orange glow. A most spectacular sight and as we sailed nearer, we could even see the magma erupting and hitting the surrounding crater.

Having only US dollars on us (by us I mean Ninita, Orkestern and Hydroquest) we had to take a leap of faith that the guy we met in the street wearing a few tatty clothes, offering us a trip to the volcano would take our money (for the trip) and convert it to Vatu (the local currency) and make good on his offer to take us up the mountain. I have to scold myself for my cynicism as true to his word he was waiting for us in a fancy looking pick up truck at 4pm. 

The trip up to the crater was almost as memorable as the crater itself. For the sake of imagery, consider being placed in a large washing machine set to spin cycle with the addition of car tyre added to the fray to "spice things up". The bruises sustained from the interesting road conditions will live with me for many a month, banged around as we all clung to our little space on the back of the truck. Luckily we brought warm clothes as who would have thought that the tropics could get so chilly. 

As we exited the dense forest growth we were greeted with a luna landscape leading up to the crater top. The eight of us were filled with a form of nervous, excited energy. Suddenly from above us came a deep rumble and the earth belched a bunch of ash and molten rocks into the sky. This only heightened the excitement. We scampered up the crater and were greeted with the most amazing sight. It was as if hell had an entrance, we were staring right at it.  

It looked like an enormous ant lion's nest. Steep sloping sides lead to 3 pits (or vents) all smouldering away with similar intensity. After watching a while each vent seemed to take on its own personality. The furtherest away was all cough and splutter. The smallest vent liked to throw molten rocks into the largest one. The largest one was full of roar and large explosions. Standing at the top of the crater a large concussion wave hit us, our ears popping, the bass of the blast reverberating in our bodies, the earth beneath us shuddered and split seconds later the roar of the eruption. Molten rock flying in all directions (mainly up though and not towards us…thankfully). Our first reaction to the blast wave was to step (read run) backwards. This is a no no (according to our guide). The trick is to stop, watch the sky and…side step if anything looks like it is coming your way. Sure, great advice, side step 50kg blocks of glowing rock!

We started to move to another vantage point and there on our path was a very large cow pat. It looked quite fresh too. Upon closer inspection this half a metre in diameter black splat revealed itself to be a lava pat. Our guide turned it over and underneath we could feel the residual heat. He estimated that the molten rock had fallen on our path no more than 12 hours earlier…an interesting thought to ponder.

To get to the second vantage point, one had to walk up an arete, one side dropped off into the luna landscape and the other dropped off into the bubbling, belching crater. Not a place to be if you are scared of heights or have small hyperactive children. No handrails, no viewing platform, nothing to stop you from sliding down into the abyss. It was certainly exciting to retrace our footsteps down the mountain in the pitch black with only a flashlight to guide us and the occasional big rock to assure us we were still on the ridge.

Video and pictures just do not do this experience justice. For anyone wanting an interesting bucket list item, this would come highly recommended. 

Dropping the rudder

After 11,000 miles in less than 2 years our little rudder had moved port and starboard a good many times. We noticed some play in the rudder and as we were going to haul her before Australia to ensure that she has a clean hull, we decided to drop the rudder too. It proved to have been the first time the rudder had been dropped in all 34 years for Orion. We could see why! One has to hack away the skeg in order to access the pintle! Design flaw in my opinion as one would be less likely to drop a rudder to check its health if it is such a mission to do so. 

Fortunately others before me had done this and provided all the information on what to do. 

www.tartan37.com/T37TRC1S1.pdf

A new bush was fabricated, the pintle shined up and I replaced all the bolts (nuts too).

It was an easy job to put it all back. 

The skeg was re-glassed and faired and primed.

Passage planning lessons learnt

One of the things that we have improved on is our passage planning technique. At first, when we were just doing day passages in the Caribbean, it was difficult to estimate. So we would set off early in the AM and beat until we got there. 

Now we are a little more technical. 

If we are doing a long passage departure and arrival time are less important, however we still apply a general rule. We cruise comfortably at about 5.5 knots with a 15 knot trade wind on the quarter which is normal in the South Pacific.

Our workings:

1. We work out the rhumb line using OpenCPN (a free easy to use computer programme). 

2. If we are beating, we generally over estimate the actual miles we will travel by 30-50% depending on the wind / wave. This is based on past experience (and factoring in comfort while at sea etc). If we are running, it is as little as 5% extra. 

3. If we do a fast comfortable passage at 6 knots (remember we are cruising not racing and never push the boat) we would want to arrive at 7am. This allows us a full 11 hours if we slow down to get into the anchorage in daylight. We also work out what time we get in at 5.5 knots average and 5 knots average. 

4. Wind has an uncanny ability to drop just when you need it most, as such we tend to only slow the boat down in the last 24 hours. Sometimes in very high wind and wave, an almost bare pole Orion can still be cruising along at 4+ knots…

It is most certainly an art not a science and each boat is different but this seems to work for us.

Really low cost cruising

We met some really inspirational people on some really inspiring boats while we have been in the South Pacific. There are significantly more young (20 / 30 something) cruisers in the Pacific than we ever encountered in the Caribbean. We have quite a large boat in comparison to some of our friends. 

One couple we met knew how to really keep the cruising budget to an absolute minimum. Here is a brief break down of their costs to go cruising. 

They bought a 26ft ocean going boat (there are quite a few out there) for less than $10,000 (I hope they don't mind me saying this) and spent another $3,000 on new sails a wind vane (Monitor) etc. The boat has no engine (not even an outboard engine) but it does have a pair of oars and rowlocks that they use to row their little vessel in and out of anchorages. There is no head on board but they do have a nifty 2 burner gas stove and oven (as they are great cooks). All the rigging is Amsteel (instead of wire and turnbuckles and other slightly more expensive and harder to repair stuff). There are minimal electronics onboard. Rechargeable batteries are used for the cabin lights and the hand held VHF radio and GPS etc. They have a solar panel and a golf cart battery to charge their laptop. Their navigation is done with a GPS (NOT a chart plotter) although they do have a tiny navigation programme on an iPhone that was given to them as a backup.

They are a remarkable pair and seem to live the pages of a Lin and Larry Pardey book.

All in, they have probably gone cruising (including crossing to Hawaii from Mexico and then into the South Pacific) for about $20,000. They don't eat out much (if at all). They make a lot of their own clothes (very well too) and make repairs to cruiser's canvas and sails with their handy sewing machine (god knows where it is stored). 

The point being, is that they are having just as much fun as everyone else and as my owl like father always says, "the view from their porthole is the same as the view from mine". Sure their passages are a little more wet, but they are out here doing it and not sitting at the yacht club bar adamant that next year will be the year they will have enough money to let loose the mooring lines. 

Moral of the story is that it can be done with what ever budget you have, you just have to make a few sacrifices!

Spares

How many are too many, how much is too much?

We have met a number of cruisers with different perspectives when it comes to the acquisition of spares. Recently I met a young couple who had the barest minimum of spares aboard. They had done a bit of research and estimated that their non exhaustive spares list would set them back roughly $10,000 USD. They were heading towards Australia and planned to sell the boat there. As such they had a finite timespan and like most of us, a finite budget. 

They decided that they would take a few essential spares (approx. $2,000) and leave the rest to chance. The justification being that should they need a part / spare in the middle of the South Pacific, they can have it flown in. Sure it will cost them dearly for logistics and duties, but if all goes well, it will not set them back $8,000. 

As it happened they had to have a new part shipped in to French Polynesia and this took 2 weeks and cost significantly more than the listed price in a West Marine catalogue, however they do not regret their decision. 

I have met others who wish that they could tow an identical vessel behind their primary so that they have enough spares. The question one needs to ask oneself is where do you draw the line?

Admittedly, supply chain and logistics have improved so much over the last few years, that getting parts flown half way around the world is no longer as large a deal as it used to be. Occasionally a parcel may become held up in some weird customs office for a duration. But most cruisers that have had goods flown in have received them within 30 days of ordering. 

I still love having all my tools and spares on board Orion as it is sone less thing that I need to worry about. But I will never have all the spares that I need. I ask myself if we have over invested on the spares front. Or if we have the right spares. Finding out mid pacific that none of your supposed spare fan belts actually fit the flywheels is a little irritating. 

If I were doing this over, I might be inclined to perform further research on "what is most likely to break on passage and is quite important" and ensure that I have suitable spares / fixes or knowledge of an alternative solution. Assuming of course that I could afford said spares. At the end of the day there is no point having all the belts and braces (pun intended) and not enough money to leave the dock to find out if you needed them in the first place. 

Water - maker parts, head repair kits, refrigeration, generator spares etc are what I like to call gold plated problems where one can live without them for a month while you wait for a part to be flown in. Engine impellers, fuel filters, belts, engine oil, rigging spares etc, tend to be higher up on my list of "must haves".

Each has their own philosophy. Your boat, your budget, your decision.