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GPS: 16 31.980S 167 46.208E

Still sheltering from the high winds we just lazed around this morning. Wolfgang tried out his baking skills and made bread rolls (biscuits for Americans) for lunch. After lunch we all went ashore and were greeted by Chief Sofren who was so appreciative of Andrew and Wolfgang’s help yesterday. He took us around to the other side of the island to his village. We met his wife and sister as we were shown around the village. We all noticed that the chief was limping. He told us that he had slipped and twisted his ankle a few months ago. So Cindy put her magic hands to work and manipulated his ankle and did some traction till it popped back into place. Sue and Cindy handed Jocelyn (his wife) two duvets they had brought from Imagine. Cindy helped Jocelyn fetch water from the well.

Cindy went off with Jocelyn and returned with an arm full of grapefruit. A few minutes later Cindy and Wolfgang were instructed by the chief to follow Jocelyn into the Bush. They all returned with a squash like vegetable. Jocelyn then introduced us to the nuts they grow on the island. They tasted a lot like almonds.

Laden with the fruit and veggies we headed back to the boat to laze around for the rest of the day 

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GPS: 16 31.980S 167 46.206E

Blog today written by none other than MBP (Miss Bossy Pants)!! You all get only 1 guess who that might be, of course CindyG!! We are anchored in a beautiful bay waiting out the high winds.

Early this morning we saw the family of 15 natives on the nearest very small island of Awei get picked up on a little fibreglass boat to go to church. About an hour later 2 men returned to the island & we saw them bailing out buckets of water from the boat. A bit later they motored over to ask Andrew & Wolfgang to help them lift the boat out of the water. Being the kind generous man he is, Andrew realised this is the only motorised transport of these small islands!! So he grabbed tools, fibreglass, sandpaper and hopped on the dinghy with Wolfgang to head over. Numerous short trips back & forth, Andrew repaired several small leaks in the boat while Wolfgang documented the day with his camera. In between trips Sue cooked up a delicious hearty lunch for us all. Cindy and Sue played scrabble & read their books to pass the day. Cindy is feeling much better after 2days of a bad head cold, everyone was grossed out by her homemade remedy of raw garlic, ginger, sirache & lemon tea drink.

Only 1 other boat, Sarean is anchored here, Meg & Darren are coming to join us for snacks & drinks this evening. We all had a lovely enlightening experience, they were a delightful couple and great company!!

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GPS: 16 31.980S 167 46.206E

Run: 13.7nm (24.8km)

After breakfast Cindy found some tops she could do without and Andrew found shorts and T-shirts. Sue found some hair ties, a cap and a ball. We added 3kg of rice and put them all in a big plastic tub. Andrew and Sue then took the tub ashore to the village where Rex (our guide) lived. The village chief met us at the waters edge greeting us and offering us a large Papaya. We thanked him and told him how Rex had been our guide. We then gave the chief the tub of clothes for the village.

Back on Imagine we lifted the dinghy onboard and hauled anchor. With Wolfgang at the helm we motored south against the southerly wind and swell, to Awei, one of the Maskelyne Islands. We found shelter behind one of the islands along with a yacht we had seen a week ago in Lamen bay. After lunch Wolfgang, Andrew and Sue went ashore and met the locals. There is only two brothers and their families living here. Again very poor with traditional thatched houses. They have just had another yacht install a 50ltr water tank so they don’t have to row to the mainland to fill water containers every day. The school is on the mainland and the mums paddle the dugout canoe with the kids to and from school. It takes about an hour each way.

The other yacht has been here a couple of days and helped with a few odd jobs. We will go back ashore tomorrow to see what we can do to help them.

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GPS: 16 20.157S 167 45.366E

Banam Bay. After our morning dip, we headed ashore. We were greeted by a couple of men and a 13 year old boy. They were helpful in telling us what this bay had to offer. Quite a different reception from Pentecost!.

The boy (Rex) kindly guided us around the bay, showing us through the villages. There was a definite divide between the two sides of the bay. At a certain point Rex disappeared as did the other children following us and it was apparent to us that they do not “cross the line” to the villages on the other side. The first from where Rex came from were very friendly, but very poor, all wearing old torn clothes. Many of the younger children were not wearing any clothes.

The other village where they charged for going to the waterfall and showing a cultural dance, all had new clothes. They were still friendlier than Pentecost.

Cindy wanted a safety pin as Rex was hanging on to his shorts the whole way or they would have fallen off. We wished we had got a whole lot of clothes off trade me before we had come away. Again we took lollies ashore which the kids really loved, as well as the adults! It was the great soccer match day between the villages, so we stopped at the soccer field for an hour to watch them play. Then we headed back to the boat for another swim, lunch and a short nap.

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GPS: 16 20.157S 167 45.366E

Run: 40.9nm (74km)

In the early hours a quite large number of dolphins were swimming around Imagine. We estimated them to be about 40! After an early breakfast we lifted anchor and set sail West-South-West to Malekula Island. So, we had reached our most northern point during our sailing around Vanuatu on this trip. Wolfgang sped Imagine to 8 knots

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GPS: 15 54.785S 168 11.265E

Run: 16.6nm (30km)

Another morning in paradise! Woke on Ambrym Island & we all took a quick dip in the beautiful azure waters.

After breakfast we sailed toward Pentecost island with great winds going 7+knots & Cindy at the helm. In less than 3hrs we arrived, took a refreshing swim & ate an early lunch. Andrew tried to nap, but the girls kept asking “are you awake dear?”, so we put the motor on dinghy & headed to shore!

We were immediately met by an older gentleman who offered to guide us to hot springs or entertain us in the evening with a dinner & native dancing for an exorbitantly ridiculous price!! Instead we just took a leisurely walk along the main road & we were all shocked at how unfriendly the locals were! Young kids even threw apples at us while cackling like witches! So we kept our gifts & headed back to the boat, took a swim, ate snacks & had naps. BBQ dinner on aft deck & enjoyed our own company & a beautiful sunset! 

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GPS: 16 08.530S 168 06.908E

Run: 6.6nm (11.9km)

We started the day with Miss Bossy Pants (AKA-Cindy) creating a mutiny amongst the crew. She then took over as Captain ordering Wolfgang to take vitamins pills and drink at least 3 litres of water per day. Then she took over the galley, cooking and preparing meals for later. She then ordered everyone ashore for a swim and to check out the hot water spring. After playing in the hot volcanic sand and water on the beach we headed back to the boat where Andrew was allowed to play captain for a while.

We motored up the coast a few bays to Ranon where the tours to the volcano started. Unfortunately when we get to shore we discovered the earthquake 2 years ago had sealed the crator. This meant Wolfgang and Cindy will miss out on seeing an active volcano. A local took us on a tour of the local villages. When passing the school, Cindy was mobbed by the kids as she handed out candy. We bought 2 loaves of bread from the local Baker.

Back on board we took a swim before partaking in a little rum and snacks on the rear deck.

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GPS: 16 11.615S 168 01.927E

Run: 21.9nm (39.6km)

We visited Liro Village on Paama this morning. Paama is only 7miles long. You can only see a couple of structures from the boat but when we went ashore we were delighted to find a great village of people. We came across people from world vision who were coordinating a team of civil engineers from Otago University, helping the villagers with their freshwater systems, installing guttering and helping with piping to their freshwater tanks, along with demonstration to the villagers on how to keep the water tanks clean. The children were in school. There is a primary school and a secondary school in the village. As we were next to the primary school Wolfgang heard the little kids counting to 10 in English.

We wandered around the village, talked to some wonderful people, saw lots of chickens with little chicks and lots of dogs. Also beautiful flowers on the island. The houses are divided by hedge lined laneways. It was a real taste of village life in Vanuatu, off the beaten track (not many boats stop at Paama). As the children were in school we gave out the lollies we had bought to the island to the adults who really enjoyed them! Andrew also went back to the boat and gave them 7 lifejackets that we had brought from NZ that we had kept to give away. We all really loved this island (in Cindy’s words f$%&^*# amazing!), but we decided we want to see as much of Vanuatu as we can before heading to Australia.

We left Paama this afternoon for Ambrym. We saw a school of dolphins enjoying swimming around the bow of the boat. Late this afternoon we arrived at Bouama Hot Springs on Ambrym. Cindy had done her daily mast climb to look for reefs and bommies. (Pole dancing has taken on a totally new meaning). It was about 5pm when we arrived so once we had anchored we went to find the hot springs. We found them but as it was just after high tide we decided we would come back tomorrow when we could see what we were stepping into and instead went for a swim. Very black sand, the water was warm and if you dug your toes into the sand it was hot!

Andrew’s making spag bol for tea tonight with his great garlic croutons. Best news of today, Cindy didn’t throw up!!! 

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GPS: 16 27.193S 168 13.361E

Run: 89.8nm (162.5km)

Yesterday we went ashore and met a few locals at Lamen Bay. We were told that on Monday the Vanuatu police and Australian army were going to arrive for training, so we thought that it would be too crowded for us.

When we went back to the boat we all went for a swim. Wolfgang’s first Pacific swim. Then Wolfgang went for a snorkel. Today we hauled anchor and headed for Paama with Wolfgang at the helm. After Cindy chucked up her breakfast, a little later in the morning she did her first ever mast climb. She was only supposed to go a couple of metres so she could guide us around the reef. But she didn’t stop. Up to the second spreader and without a harness. This evening Wolfgang is cooking on the bbq whilst the girls make the salad.

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GPS: 17 45.160S 168 13.280E

Run: 5.9nm (10.7km)

We have just left Port Vila heading to Lamen Bay, Epi.

This morning we all went into town. Cindy and Andrew went for a massage while Wolfgang & Sue went to the market for fresh fruit. Back at the boat Cindy made a ratatouille for lunch. Then we all got some rest before setting off.

As we were raising the mainsail Andrew noticed a couple of stowaways. Black banded sea snakes. For some reason he found himself the only one left on deck. After persuading the snakes to leave, Wolfgang came back out on deck to help raise the sail. Actually Wolfgang had gone for the boat hook so Andrew could do his snake wrangling! Been overcast and raining off and on today. Forecast is for a nicer day tomorrow which will be great as Lamen Bay is famous for the large number of turtles and for some dugongs.