We have just chilled out today, but it has been far from a quiet day. While having breakfast on deck this morning a large vessel came into the harbour and anchored next to us. It had come in from overseas and was displaying its quarantine flag. It made plenty of noise as it dropped anchor. But more annoying is that they still haven’t turned off their engine or their large spot lights. So we may not get a great nights sleep.
Being Sunday we have also been serenaded by church singing and preaching from the shore.
The morning started out nice. Blue sky no breeze. Wilson and I had breakfast in the cockpit before heading ashore. We had been discussing how friendly the locals are. Then it happened, Wilson got attacked by a local, leaving him with scratches down his fore arm.
We had been heading ashore in the dinghy, minding our own business. Then all of a sudden Wilson was attacked. A fish jumped out of the water straight at Wilson, scratching his arm as he defended himself.. Seconds later another one tried to do the same. They must have been getting revenge for their friends getting caught fishing. We continued to shore and after doing a few errands we returned to Imagine.
This afternoon we went back ashore. This time with no incidents. Wilson went off checking out the city while I meet up with a couple that may join us in the future. Back on Imagine Wilson is making dinner while I watch the sunset.
Today was another day with little wind. That didnt matter too much as we werent going anywhere. After breakfast i got out the dive gear to go clean the hull. Wilson swam around the boat scraping the barnacle off at water level. While I dived and tried to get the barnicles off the keel. Unfortunately my ears were playing up and I could not equalise, so I had to stop for today. I’ll try again another day.
After that it was a day of chilling out. We had a drink on the deck as the sun went down, then Wilson made dinner.
The day started with breakfast on deck. This was followed by computer work. For those of you interested in going back, I have uploaded more large photos and inserted them in the last month’s blogs. Also for those not understanding English the site is now also in French, Spanish, Italian and German. Wilson spent today trying to find Danielle’s luggage. She has arrived in America but her luggage hasn’t. Wilson went to Port Vila Airport to see if it hadn’t been loaded but it was on the plane when it left here. I sorted more things to give away and that was today. Sorry I forgot to take any photos, so here is tonight dinner.
Another sunrise as we drink our morning coffee. B and I did some more rearangeing and sorted more of my clothes to donate to the villagers we will meet. We went out for dinner this evening to celebrate B’s birthday (20 years old, yeah right) at the marina restaurant. We ordered a seafood platter for two with lobster. It was more like for four. We could not eat it all, which was a shame and waste but there was so much. Wilson is now back on Imagine without Danielle.
As per usual Andrew and B woke up this morning with the sunrise and had cup of coffee in the cockpit. Less usual was the tug boat waiting aside Imagine for the big port container boat to slowly enter Port Vila Bay. The magical light of the sunrise always make things more special. Never the less, on top of that B spotted a barracuda chasing a tiny fish, both jumping from the water. It looked like a cartoon! So funny! At about 8am we moved the boat to the marina and went with the dinghy to the customs office to cleared Danielle from the boat as she has to fly back to USA due to family emergency. It was then time to say goodbye to Danielle and Andrew took them ashore. Wilson will be back on Imagine for a few more weeks. Andrew and B went ashore to do a little shopping at the market before lunch, then spent the afternoon rearranging things on the boat to make more space.
We were up at dawn, ready to set off for Port Vila. B took the helm and guided Imagine along our track through the narrow entrance. Once through the gap and in 13m of water, the Bay opened up. Our old track headed east back to Awei so B set our course south. Two minutes later there was a large grinding noise and we came to a halt. B had discovered an uncharted reef. I took over the helm, put Imagine in full reverse and with the help of the swell we backed off the reef. I turned on the forward sonar but it looks like it got damaged. The sun wasn’t high enough and there wasn’t enough light to see the reef through the water. I moved a little port and tried again but made contact with the reef. Guessing I didn’t have much room to maneuver, I cautiously turned the boat around and was able to follow our old track east. When I thought we had gone far enough I turned back on course for Port Vila. Danielle, worried we were sinking ran around below deck looking for water gushing in. There were no leaks as the large steel girder covering the front and bottom of the keel was there to protect the keel in these instances. The rest of the day and night was uneventful as we sailed to Port Vila. B, Wilson, and Danielle took the opportunity of the light conditions to scrub the back deck (team work makes the dream work). Because of the wind direction, it took us 25 hours of tacking to get there. This morning B, Wilson and I had coffee on deck watching the sunrise. After a chilled out morning we all went ashore in the afternoon for an ice cream. B met up with crew of Silver Fern, a 72ft yacht she had sailed around Tasmania on. Back on Imagine it was time for drinks and nibbles, all sitting on the back deck and enjoying the sunset on the bay. Andrew and B cooked dinner… Shark on mashed potatoes! Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.
Tonight’s dinner started at the yacht club with a green coconut drink. Philip and his wife performed a welcome ceremony. We were the first boat to visit their island and village since Covid and they were very greatful to see us. We then each received a bowl of kava while waiting for the dinner to be ready. It didn’t take long before we were taken next door where dinner was served. There were four traditional dishes plus rice for us to try. There was fried1 fish, fish boiled in coconut milk, taro wrapped in island cabbage and a coconut and green bean sauce. It was all very nice.
Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.
Yesterday, sadly, we forgot to write the blog. So sorry for all the loyal followers at home. Thank you for bearing with us in our delay. We will recap now. Our day began waiting for a delivery of bananas that did not materialise. After waiting patiently for one hour we hauled anchor and moved away from our position next to Awei. We sailed for around an hour to get to our next spot and thread Imagine through a tight gap into a bay bordered by a larger village. As soon as we made landfall we felt welcomed and were invited to see what life is like here. A local man, Josef, took us around to show us local crafts and secret beaches. We made another detour to see the school, exciting the school children that foreigners were there to distract them from school work. We also made plans that would set up our itineraries for the following day. Today the morning began with Wilson and Danielle heading out to try and swim with some dugongs. The swell into the dugong area was quite strong, meaning the animals had to go elsewhere for food and only one was spotted. Since the dugongs weren’t showing up the tour detoured elsewhere to see giant clams and into another village to see customary sand drawings. B and Andrew found villagers in need of supplies and made personal deliveries to those who made requests. Items like plates, school books, and reusable jars were all in demand. The afternoon was spent with quiet time before going back ashore for a traditional dinner of fish, rice and taro. We all had our fill and enjoyed seeing what traditional food of Vanuatu looks like. Tomorrow will be an early rise to return to the big city of Port Vila. Wilson Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.
This morning while having a cup of tea on deck after our morning swim, we saw Sofren paddling across in his canoe. Very sheepishly he asked if we could help him out. He and some others were going fishing and asked if we could take the kids to school. Before I had chance to say anything B told him of course, we would love to take them to school. We dropped the dinghy in the water and headed to shore where the four kids from the island jumped in the dinghy. As we headed across to the mainland against the wind, a few waves created a small spray. Everytime it happened the kids laughed. We took them ashore at another village. We then went back to Imagine for breakfast. The morning was filled with getting little jobs done. After lunch Danielle and Wilson went exploring in the kayak. B and I went ashore in search of Sofren but he was still out fishing. We had a visit from another couple who had been in the bay fishing. They gave us some coconuts in exchange for some rope. They said they would be back in the morning with some bananas for us. This evening Wilson and Danielle were introduced to the Boat Burger. Wilson managed it but it was too much for Danielle. Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.
