15/11/2015
 |
| Scott-Free leaving Port Resolution........smooth sailing!! |
Steve and I had looked at the weather ahead,
and thought that a Thursday/ Friday trip would be ok. I sent emails to Bob McDavitt,
and Dave (Gulf Harbour Radio) asking their opinions, saying we thought “sooner looked better than later” and
received mixed messages in return! Bob said wait till Monday, and Dave said
boisterous but do-able! We decided to wait till the Monday. On the Sunday we
got another mail from Bob saying “You
were right, sooner would have been better, but it is do-able!”
 |
| Mt Yasur giving us a send off! |
So we set off on one of the bumpiest, wildest
and wettest 2 day passages of our sailing adventures! At 25 knots the wind was
not too bad, but the seas were big and uncomfortable, (between 3.5 to 4.5mts on
the beam), and that was once we made it round the southern corner of Tanna, and
could crack off a bit towards the top of Mare (the bottom island of the Loyalty
Island group, 90nm to the East of New
Cal)
As we
reached the shelter of Mare, the wind died, and the sea flattened, for about a
10mile respite, before we emerged from the lee, and faced 25knot winds, and 3mt
swells on the nose. After about 7 miles, we lost the island effect, and got
back to a more manageable point of sail, only to face a new challenge - how to slow down enough to arrive at 5.00am (first
light), outside the Havannah Pass, with 3 hours of incoming tide left, and thus
avoiding the horrible conditions caused by outgoing tide against wind and
waves!
 |
| Sheer Tenacity going through the Havannah Passage |
We had 20-25
knots on the beam, with a 1.8knot current mainly in our favour, and we only
needed to maintain a speed of 3.6knots! With sails reduced to minimum, we virtually “ferry glided “ our last 60miles
,with our “heading” being 40 degrees higher than our COG (course over ground),
and still had to put in an extra tack to waste time!
 |
| Through the Havannah Passage with Scott-Free in the lead! |
As dawn
broke, we pushed through the passage in the company of a cruiseliner doing 19 knots,
and everything was just cool!
The Havannah passage is about 50 miles from Port
Moselle in Noumea, but we had no intention of going the whole way, arriving
amongst a shed load of boats in the dark! We had picked out a very nice
anchorage, just off the Canal Wodin, at about the half way point, and were very
happy to drop the hook there around noon. It was flat, and calm, and peaceful….
what bliss! After a few hours sleep, it
was great to share a happy hour with Scott- Free, compare stories, and agree on
a 9.00h departure time for the morning!
 |
| Peaceful anchorage in Canal Wodin on the way to Port Moselle |
Officially,
one is not allowed to do what we did, but it does seem common practice, and,
given the geography, I think the French authorities turn a blind eye to it. They
have camera’s along the way, and can see what you are up to anyway!
 |
| Ilot Porc-e -pic |
 |
| Entering Noumea Harbour |
As things
turned out, the Port Moselle authorities were very laid back, and when we made
contact , asking for a spot on the visitors pontoon to check in, they said “no
worries”, full right now, so drop an anchor outside, and contact us tomorrow
when we should have some space!
 |
| Port Moselle, ST and SF bow to bow! |
This we did, and the whole process was an
absolute pleasure….. and FREE! Everything is within walking distance, and we
were even allowed to go ashore to go shopping before we were checked in!!
They try to
allow one 3 days on the marina, but we ended up staying there for about 10
days, until we checked out!
 |
| Angelfish under he boat |
 |
| Typically excellent French dinghy dock at the marina |
 |
| Healthy coral reef right in the marina |
We loved New Cal, the supermarkets and wide ranges of food and wine , the fresh produce markets, and especially the fantastic fish market right on our door step!
Sashimi
quality Yellowfin and Bluefin tuna, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, plus a huge range of both line fish and netted catches, for the
same price as mincemeat!
It was also
great to catch up with a number of other cruisers we had met along the way, who
were now all preparing for their Aussie or NZ legs to get out of the cyclone
belt.
 |
| Kanak carving in a nearby park |
We would
love to have spent at least 2 more months exploring New Cal, (cutting out some
of Fiji), but it was getting late in the season, and we had plane tickets
booked and paid for….. so we were weather watching, and looking for a good
window to head for Bundaberg, Australia. And as so often happens, one pops up
earlier than expected, but looked too good to ignore!
So it was a
rushed and serious bottom clean, (to comply with anal Aussie rules), a quick
and painless clearing out, some hurried good byes, stowage , and off!
 |
| Port Captain's premises |
Saddest of
all, was saying “Cheers” to Scott-Free, with whom we have sailed over 10
000nm since Grenada. We were heading for
Bundaberg, a haul out, and a home visit via Brisbane /Singapore/ Jhb/Cape Town,
and they were heading down to Newcastle
to explore the NSW/Sydney and southern areas, which we had covered by road last
year.
 |
| Farewell Scott-Free! |
A family
wedding is complicating their next year’s plans, but we do hope to do much of
the Whitsundays together, before they head back in July. Who knows……sailing
plans are always very flexible!
We left New Cal via the Dumbea pass, in superb
conditions, and had a good first day out on the 890nm passage…..
 |
| Dumbea Pass, with surfers in the background |
Then the
autopilot packed up, and we had to call on trusty little rubber band “Fredlet”, to see us through for the next
750miles! The wind eased up more than anticipated, which we were happy about,
as it forced us to motorsail a lot
more, reducing the load on “Fredlet”. Once again, he saved
our bacon, not missing a beat all the way to Bundaberg. Once again, “a good
little old one, beats a big new expensive Raymarine one!”
 |
| Fredlet, we love you! |
 |
| Smoked salmon and wasabi cream cheese for lunch |
 |
| Last night at sea before arrival in Australia |
We rounded
the safe water buoy north of Fraser Island spit at midnight, and approached the
Bundaberg channel markers at first light, making for an easy and relaxed entry
onto the Bundaberg port marina quarantine dock. There, we were met by
courteous, friendly, and efficient Aussie officials…. A far cry from the
fearful stories we had all heard about!
