We are glad we made use of the first few weeks here, as
lately a couple of troughs have passed through forcing us to sit out wind and
rain in protected anchorages.
After Île des Pins (70nm SE of Noumea) we spent another two
weeks exploring Baie de Prony, where there were lots of protected bays. If we had not run out of food we would have
stayed longer… amazing snorkeling on the entrance reef and at Ilot Casey; great
walking in several placest; penal colony ruins; and hot springs that were tepid
but relaxing for a soak. Rivers or
streams seemed to run from every valley, so we had a good supply of washing
water and with a few other boats around we shared some hospitality. As we sailed off the anchor one day a few
Tasmanians that had chartered a boat offered us some extra milk and bread. This turned into an amusing sail into fluky
winds and food tossing contest. Only one
milk had to be retrieved from the water.
Returning to our favourite anchorage (Baie des Citrons) near
Noumea harbour,
we used the easy access to food, water and internet. The beach has a huge buoyed area for swimming
which is very popular from dawn till dusk.
We have also had many swims and made use of the beach showers. Even though the outside temperature has
dropped, the sea water is still about 25C, so it’s very pleasant.
While in Noumea we also
visited the Museum
of New Caledonia and
Tjibaou Cultural Centre. By good luck,
the later coincided with the Pacific Arts Festival; so our day was full of
entertainment of both traditional and modern music and dance. Added to the art, architecture and displays
it made for a most interesting day.
We have sat out the last two troughs in an inlet 10 nm north
of Noumea that
has many bays to move around as the wind shifts. Most of the land is private and we were
warned that some was used for hunting, but walking the forshore at low tide
seems ok. If it wasn’t we would maybe go
a little stir-crazy sitting onboard. The biggest mishap during all this was
Stephen inadvertently letting the dinghy drift off in a strong breeze after
emptying the water. Not sure how, but in
the few seconds it took to realize the only way to get it back was a swim and
then a rapid strip, the distance rapidly increased. Having been warned some
non-reef shark species inhabit these bays, it was a quick 100m.
We are now back in Noumea
and saw another dugong on our way here this morning! We are waiting for the right weather to head
to Vanuatu. It will likely be early next week.
We hope that not many more of these troughs pass as Vanuatu
has less all round protected anchorages.
As the end of this voyage looms on the horizon we set plans
in motion for storing the boat and work back in Canada. We feel like we have slowed down. There has been more quiet time in the last
few weeks to reflect, read and relax. Is
this because we are savouring our last bit of “freedom” or have we reached a
saturation point of new places? Whatever
it is, we are happy to soak in life at a slower pace for a while in preparation
for busier times ahead.
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