NEW CALEDONIA – LOYALTY ISLANDS – OUVEA

By on January 12, 2017 in Domino
NEW CALEDONIA – LOYALTY ISLANDS – OUVEA

IN SEARCH OF THE RIGHT CHIEF (Happened to be a woman!)

The anchorage at Mouly: sand, sand, and more sand
Weather is uncertain, an alternance of highs and lows, of calm and storm.  After a week of lovely weather in Lifou, Weather caught up with us in Ouvea.  A 2-day storm had us locked into Ouvea’s anchorage

Ouvea, The Pleiades, and Beautemps-Beaupre

But it was a good time to start on our mission: get authorization to cruise the famed Ile Beautemps-Beaupre, north of Ouvea.

Mouly & Fayaoue

 As usual, we had to find the right chief, but things are a bit more complex in Ouvea.  If the island itself consists of a crescent-shaped spit of brush, the north and south-west of the lagoon are fringed with a constellation of small islands called The Pleiades.  Each group is the property of (and controlled by) a specific clan.  Beautemps-Beaupre (BTBP) belongs yet to another clan.  We had 2 decisions to make: which islands did we really want to visit; and how many “Coutumes” did we want to present.

Beautemps-Beaupre

IN SEARCH OF THE RIGHT CHIEF….

Mouly’s beach: talcum powder

Try #1 – MOULY – 20*43.18S – 166*25.30E – I love dropping anchor in 8 meters of water over miles of sand… so much easier that between coral heads, especially when it’s blowing 25 knots!  Off to shore promptly, looking for the chief.  

La Cheferie de Mouly
Controls Mouly and the Western Pleiades
We found the “Cheferie,” harkened by its massive tree trunk palisade, but no chief: absent until the ferry comes… who knows when.  Next!….

Fayaoue –
We only found the small Clan Chief
Try #2 – FAYAOUE – 20*39.117S – 166*31.80E – More lovely sand, anchored in front of the Gendarmerie.  Off to shore again, looking for the Chief.  We met one, who gladly took our presents and declared that we were now welcome to anchor where we were and authorized to walk to town.  Good time to provision at the local store, of course, but when we asked if we could go to Beautemps-Beaupre, we learned that we were only authorized to drop anchor at the Western Pleiades, as this chief was not the Big Chief…  Off to the next chief…

Storm is passed… time to go!
Try #3 – St. Joseph – 20*27.323S – 166*35.323E – Now that the storm has passed, we’d love to hurry up to BTBP, so we race to the Cheferie on the south end of St. Joseph whose palisade we spotted with our binoculars.  Off to shore to present our Coutume.  Yes, we’re welcome to now cruise the Northern Pleiades, but Ile Haute only.  What about BTBP?  Nope! The chief controlling these parts has recently died, but perhaps his widow would give us authorization… 

St. Joseph… pass the church and you’ll find the Cheferie
And off we were, on Try #4, found the Widow at her home behind the grocery store by the church and yes, she was glad to give us her blessing for BTBP: do not go to shore, do not scare the birds, do not light fires, do not throw garbage, do not fish inside the lagoon, do not spearfish inside the lagoon… OK, we promised!

Yes, it’s a tangled web!

At last, by 9:30 on October 18th, we were underway, threading between the glittering necklace of the Northern Pleiades, almost tempted to stop at Ile Haute, and 2 hours later we were anchored at BTBP.

Exiting through the Northern Pleiades – Ile Haute
Some charts indicate an anchorage on the western end of the island, but this was way too shallow an reefy for us.  We preferred to play it safe and anchor north of the small island.


This is a place for snorkeling.  There is no easy access to shore.  Millions of birds rook on this little island and it is best not to bother them.
























Underwater, though, it’s a different story.  We had our first peek at red soft coral and the never-ending varieties of Fern Stars.  The water was so clear that I could see JP diving some 20’ below.



So many new varieties of fish and —a highlight of New Cal— a plethora of Butterflyfish and Anemonefish.


As lovely as the anchorage was, the snorkeling was limited and since there was no hunting allowed and the anchorage was quite rolly, we decided to move the next day.

Shen’s Anthias
We could have stayed a few more days, but the roll got on our nerves: there are so many more anchorages to explore!

Where to?  The East Coast of New Cal.

Till next time

dominomarie

NEW CALEDONIA – LOYALTY ISLANDS – OUVEA

By on January 12, 2017 in Domino
NEW CALEDONIA – LOYALTY ISLANDS – OUVEA

IN SEARCH OF THE RIGHT CHIEF (Happened to be a woman!)

The anchorage at Mouly: sand, sand, and more sand
Weather is uncertain, an alternance of highs and lows, of calm and storm.  After a week of lovely weather in Lifou, Weather caught up with us in Ouvea.  A 2-day storm had us locked into Ouvea’s anchorage

Ouvea, The Pleiades, and Beautemps-Beaupre

But it was a good time to start on our mission: get authorization to cruise the famed Ile Beautemps-Beaupre, north of Ouvea.

Mouly & Fayaoue

 As usual, we had to find the right chief, but things are a bit more complex in Ouvea.  If the island itself consists of a crescent-shaped spit of brush, the north and south-west of the lagoon are fringed with a constellation of small islands called The Pleiades.  Each group is the property of (and controlled by) a specific clan.  Beautemps-Beaupre (BTBP) belongs yet to another clan.  We had 2 decisions to make: which islands did we really want to visit; and how many “Coutumes” did we want to present.

Beautemps-Beaupre

IN SEARCH OF THE RIGHT CHIEF….

Mouly’s beach: talcum powder

Try #1 – MOULY – 20*43.18S – 166*25.30E – I love dropping anchor in 8 meters of water over miles of sand… so much easier that between coral heads, especially when it’s blowing 25 knots!  Off to shore promptly, looking for the chief.  

La Cheferie de Mouly
Controls Mouly and the Western Pleiades
We found the “Cheferie,” harkened by its massive tree trunk palisade, but no chief: absent until the ferry comes… who knows when.  Next!….

Fayaoue –
We only found the small Clan Chief
Try #2 – FAYAOUE – 20*39.117S – 166*31.80E – More lovely sand, anchored in front of the Gendarmerie.  Off to shore again, looking for the Chief.  We met one, who gladly took our presents and declared that we were now welcome to anchor where we were and authorized to walk to town.  Good time to provision at the local store, of course, but when we asked if we could go to Beautemps-Beaupre, we learned that we were only authorized to drop anchor at the Western Pleiades, as this chief was not the Big Chief…  Off to the next chief…

Storm is passed… time to go!
Try #3 – St. Joseph – 20*27.323S – 166*35.323E – Now that the storm has passed, we’d love to hurry up to BTBP, so we race to the Cheferie on the south end of St. Joseph whose palisade we spotted with our binoculars.  Off to shore to present our Coutume.  Yes, we’re welcome to now cruise the Northern Pleiades, but Ile Haute only.  What about BTBP?  Nope! The chief controlling these parts has recently died, but perhaps his widow would give us authorization… 

St. Joseph… pass the church and you’ll find the Cheferie
And off we were, on Try #4, found the Widow at her home behind the grocery store by the church and yes, she was glad to give us her blessing for BTBP: do not go to shore, do not scare the birds, do not light fires, do not throw garbage, do not fish inside the lagoon, do not spearfish inside the lagoon… OK, we promised!

Yes, it’s a tangled web!

At last, by 9:30 on October 18th, we were underway, threading between the glittering necklace of the Northern Pleiades, almost tempted to stop at Ile Haute, and 2 hours later we were anchored at BTBP.

Exiting through the Northern Pleiades – Ile Haute
Some charts indicate an anchorage on the western end of the island, but this was way too shallow an reefy for us.  We preferred to play it safe and anchor north of the small island.


This is a place for snorkeling.  There is no easy access to shore.  Millions of birds rook on this little island and it is best not to bother them.
























Underwater, though, it’s a different story.  We had our first peek at red soft coral and the never-ending varieties of Fern Stars.  The water was so clear that I could see JP diving some 20’ below.



So many new varieties of fish and —a highlight of New Cal— a plethora of Butterflyfish and Anemonefish.


As lovely as the anchorage was, the snorkeling was limited and since there was no hunting allowed and the anchorage was quite rolly, we decided to move the next day.

Shen’s Anthias
We could have stayed a few more days, but the roll got on our nerves: there are so many more anchorages to explore!

Where to?  The East Coast of New Cal.

Till next time

dominomarie

NEW CALEDONIA – LOYALTY ISLANDS – LIFOU

By on January 12, 2017 in Domino
NEW CALEDONIA – LOYALTY ISLANDS – LIFOU
DOMINO at anchor in Doueoulou (Lifou, Santal Bay)

As luck would have it —and as it it often the case in the cruising world— we found friends in Noumea.  Annie & Claude (S/V “Moemiti”) —whom we had first met in the San Blas Islands— are based out of Noumea.  Claude had just completed the “Around New Caledonia” race and was itching to go sailing again.  Our lucky day:  the CNC (Cercle Nautique Caledonian) was organizing a rally to the Loyalty Islands and, yes, we were welcome to join them!  What a treat!



S/V “MOEMITI”

Although we diverged slightly from the CNC’s itinerary, we met them in Lifou for a wild few days.

New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands

The Loyalty Islands consist mainly of 3 islands located some 60 miles off the east coast of New Cal: Ouvea to the North, Lifou in the middle, and Mare to the South.  While many cruisers on the way from Fiji or Vanuatu stop in Mare (indeed, you can do a temporary clearance in Mare’s Gendarmerie,) we bypassed Mare and went straight to Lifou.


Exchanging gifts is a tradition

In the islands, the Kanac culture remains strong and must be respected.  In every anchorage, a visiting yacht must present “La Coutume” to the village chief.  This is a simple gesture (“Le Geste”) of respect from the visitor towards the community, and consists of a simple gift (cigarettes, money, T-shirts, or even foodstuff) wrapped in a “pareo.”  The trick, though, is to find The Chief… there is the tribe chief, the little chief, and the big chief… each is eager to tell you that he is the one in charge, but we found out that each only rules on a specific (and often small) territory.  When in doubt, ask for Le Grand Chef (the Big Chief) whose compound is usually recognizable by the palisade of massive tree trunks that surrounds the “Cheferie.”




Off to Lifou, then, but not without hooking up a Silky Shark, then reeling in a Black Marlin (both released) and hooking up a Mahi Mahi.  


Silky Shark on the line

Black Marlin on the line

Yes, the fish is plentiful around New Caledonia.

Baie de Santal

1st stop: Doueoulou, Baie de Santal –   20*55.336S – 167*04.866E – Named after the sandalwood tree, the large bay is  fringed by lovely white sand beaches.  In the evening, as the locals light their fires, the smell of sandalwood invades the entire bay.


Traditional bure

“Le Petit Chef” accepted our “Coutume,” a gesture we repeated a few days later with the entire CNC fleet, as we were treated to a full island meal of fish and roots.

Meeting the legendary Ron Given.

Our personal highlight?  When a dinghy boarded us at breakfast time and a sprite octogenarian hopped on DOMINO.  “Hi!  I’m Ron Given and I love your Tennant Powercat.  Malcolm was a friend, you know…… (and on and on, as Ron is the chattiest octogenarian I’ve ever met!)  


Our hostesses and cooks in Doueoulou

























2nd stop: Dockin Cliffs – 20*42.348S – 167*09.697E –
Dockin’s Cliffs

One of the prettiest anchorages we’ve seen, though dropping anchor between reef patches is always a bit nerve-wracking. 


The anchorage and reef at Dockin





While JP, Claude and Annie were up to scaling the cliffs to have a better view from the top, I preferred snorkeling the splendid sheet coral formations.



The high cliffs are THE attraction here, as well the large cave carved into the cliff… still, I preferred snorkeling with the Anemone fish!


Dockin’s Cave
3rd stop: Plage de Peng — 20*54.329S – 167*07.183E –

This little beach is a MUST: talcum-powder-white sand, fire pit, all for a BBQ and picnic.  


Plage de Peng



Of course, you have to find the local chief to present your “Coutume.”  A Canadian yacht anchored next to us neglected this little gesture and was unceremoniously booted out of the anchorage!


Ron’s catamaran looked like a winner!

It was time for a picnic, singing native songs, and competing in a model sailboat design and race, with sailboats built out of beach combing material.  Intimidating and tough competition, as Ron Given had drafted a full catamaran model and some engineers had come up with pendulous keels.  


Pendulous keel: creative!


The winner?  An 8-year old little girl who used a simple coconut husk for vessel!

The winner





Our entry























Missed stop:  We missed stopping at the Baie of Chepehene, (20*47.515S-167*08.857E) already occupied by a cruiseship.  Yet, it is a popular stop where the Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel sits at Easo Point.  Also, the easternmost of the 2 red marks in the bay is noted to be a splendid snorkeling spot, replete with sponges of all colors.


After 5 days in Lifou, it was time to take our leave of the CNC fleet and move north.  Next?  Ouvea.

Sunset in Lifou with the beautiful MOEMITI
Till next time

dominomarie

Moving On 2017

By on January 11, 2017 in Broulee

Meant to post this when we got from Christmas in Minnesota – things got busy, but once again, better late than never.  A little old mixed with a little new.We are back  on Broulee – fun to reconnect with everyone at home.  Santa Claus ar…

I guess, better late than never????

By on January 11, 2017 in Broulee

2016 was an interesting year?  My mom took ill and turned up in the ER in June, ICU next and Lung Rehab for the month of July, As usual, she’s a trooper/fighter and is back on the mend.  

The main project while home was the refurbish…

I guess, better late than never????

By on January 11, 2017 in Broulee

2016 was an interesting year?  My mom took ill and turned up in the ER in June, ICU next and Lung Rehab for the month of July, As usual, she’s a trooper/fighter and is back on the mend.  Of course, both my mom and dad have decided to stay in …

Baggywrinkles.

By on January 11, 2017 in Wendy Ann 2
Noun:
Protective covering made from old rope yarns wound around parts of a ships rigging to prevent chafe.
I am about to stretch the above metaphor possibly beyond usefulness. But left to my own devices and looking for something diverting to occupy me during xmas I hit upon the idea of doing something more or less pointless, fairly domestic and utterly distracting. I know, the gangplank is still fucked but shhh, never mind that for a minute. 
The deckhead in our wheelhouse cabin has been unfinished plywood for some years, and inspired by Mark’s escapades wallpapering his kitchen with OS maps, Becky and I thought we were going to paper our ceiling in maps or charts. Discussions ensued regarding where these maps should represent, you choose, no, go on, you choose…Oh, who wants a map of bloody Lowestoft on their ceiling anyway. So without an accord the whole thing was ignored for a long time, and then for good measure we ignored it for a fair bit longer.
Whilst having a fight with a bookshelf two weeks before christmas, I found a large manilla envelope containing old blueprint positives that I’ve had since I was twelve years old. I was a fucking weird kid. And I had a thing for boats even then, or at least the idea of them, and looking over the drawings again I found myself just as pleased by their aesthetic complexity as when I was younger. How I’ve managed to hold on to them for so long is just one of life’s little mysteries I suppose.
The only problem was that there were not enough drawings to cover all nine panels on the deckhead. As we shall see, this led to a project-saving decision, completely by accident. I took the drawings to a well known branch of copy shop, luckily the man operating the machinery was a super geek type of guy, so was pleased to engage in a task that was well outside his normal duties. After some farting around with printer settings and a bit of swearing at the giant scanner whilst cleaning it I left the shop with a full set of A1 reproductions, plus the necessary couple of spares.
Back at the boat I mused on the how to of gluing it all down. I tuned in to YouTube for advice. Several videos involving crafty ‘merican ‘moms’ doing crafty stuff with crafty glue later I had two conflicting strands of advice. Essentially these were as follows: 1) keep everything dry, or 2) keep everything wet. The paper will swell up if it gets wet, and it will want to cause wrinkles.
I tested various methods on scraps of plywood and discovered that spraymount seems like a good idea, until the solvent in spray varnish dissolves it all and the paper just peels off on its own. Spraymount also has an interesting effect on cats who decide to try walking across the workspace. Then I tried sealing the paper with spray varnish, before gluing it down with watered down PVA. Disaster, even with paper at A4 size it curls over itself and sets immediately to form a sort of glued together cone of uselessness, attempts at preventing the curling action lead to wallpapering your own hands, and ending up with a crumpled ball of uselessness. I never even got it near the scrap of plywood..
Coming to the conclusion that ‘merican moms are full of shit I decided the only way for it was to embrace a wet gluing process. Tested it, got wrinkles, tested it again, got smears on the ink as I tried brushing it out. Decided I had run out of stuff to test on so it was time to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Well. The first two small panels went ok. and dried flat enough. So I sealed the results with acrylic varnish and, lulled into a false sense of security attacked the first two big panels. In the morning they were dry, and really fucking wrinkly.
I went back to the copy shop for replacement reproductions.
Home again, the only thing I could think of was pre wetting the paper to persuade it to get the whole ‘I’m gonna expand ‘cos I’m wet’ thing over with, and then glue it down carefully before it turned to mush. Obviously this wasn’t going to work with a large sheet of paper flapping about. But noticing that the wrinkles always ran one way I decided that if the paper was rolled up along that direction I could wet, stretch and unroll, wet, stretch and unroll. I used a plant mister for the wetting bit.
So, the results look a bit ‘boys own’, and betray the onset of the New Year, there are several small wrinkles in the resulting ceiling covering. But I’m surprised at how little it really matters, and I’ve still got the originals. So if the sight of these imperfections ever starts to really chafe, I can always have another go.
And here is a weird gem. One of the drawings shows examples of different types of the same vessel, and lists when and where they were built. Look at this. This one was built HERE. Wendy Ann 2 is moored at the old William Osborne’s boatyard in Littlehampton. And I didn’t even notice until I was putting the finished panel up.

Here’s to a New Year folks, I wish you a year of getting somewhere whatever direction you point yourself in. Even if this life is far from perfect at the best of times, we can only do the best we can in the time we’ve got, and I guess everyone has to live with a few baggywrinkles here and there. Let’s do it.

Baggywrinkles.

By on January 11, 2017 in Wendy Ann 2
Noun:
Protective covering made from old rope yarns wound around parts of a ships rigging to prevent chafe.
I am about to stretch the above metaphor possibly beyond usefulness. But left to my own devices and looking for something diverting to occupy me during xmas I hit upon the idea of doing something more or less pointless, fairly domestic and utterly distracting. I know, the gangplank is still fucked but shhh, never mind that for a minute. 
The deckhead in our wheelhouse cabin has been unfinished plywood for some years, and inspired by Mark’s escapades wallpapering his kitchen with OS maps, Becky and I thought we were going to paper our ceiling in maps or charts. Discussions ensued regarding where these maps should represent, you choose, no, go on, you choose…Oh, who wants a map of bloody Lowestoft on their ceiling anyway. So without an accord the whole thing was ignored for a long time, and then for good measure we ignored it for a fair bit longer.
Whilst having a fight with a bookshelf two weeks before christmas, I found a large manilla envelope containing old blueprint positives that I’ve had since I was twelve years old. I was a fucking weird kid. And I had a thing for boats even then, or at least the idea of them, and looking over the drawings again I found myself just as pleased by their aesthetic complexity as when I was younger. How I’ve managed to hold on to them for so long is just one of life’s little mysteries I suppose.
The only problem was that there were not enough drawings to cover all nine panels on the deckhead. As we shall see, this led to a project-saving decision, completely by accident. I took the drawings to a well known branch of copy shop, luckily the man operating the machinery was a super geek type of guy, so was pleased to engage in a task that was well outside his normal duties. After some farting around with printer settings and a bit of swearing at the giant scanner whilst cleaning it I left the shop with a full set of A1 reproductions, plus the necessary couple of spares.
Back at the boat I mused on the how to of gluing it all down. I tuned in to YouTube for advice. Several videos involving crafty ‘merican ‘moms’ doing crafty stuff with crafty glue later I had two conflicting strands of advice. Essentially these were as follows: 1) keep everything dry, or 2) keep everything wet. The paper will swell up if it gets wet, and it will want to cause wrinkles.
I tested various methods on scraps of plywood and discovered that spraymount seems like a good idea, until the solvent in spray varnish dissolves it all and the paper just peels off on its own. Spraymount also has an interesting effect on cats who decide to try walking across the workspace. Then I tried sealing the paper with spray varnish, before gluing it down with watered down PVA. Disaster, even with paper at A4 size it curls over itself and sets immediately to form a sort of glued together cone of uselessness, attempts at preventing the curling action lead to wallpapering your own hands, and ending up with a crumpled ball of uselessness. I never even got it near the scrap of plywood..
Coming to the conclusion that ‘merican moms are full of shit I decided the only way for it was to embrace a wet gluing process. Tested it, got wrinkles, tested it again, got smears on the ink as I tried brushing it out. Decided I had run out of stuff to test on so it was time to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Well. The first two small panels went ok. and dried flat enough. So I sealed the results with acrylic varnish and, lulled into a false sense of security attacked the first two big panels. In the morning they were dry, and really fucking wrinkly.
I went back to the copy shop for replacement reproductions.
Home again, the only thing I could think of was pre wetting the paper to persuade it to get the whole ‘I’m gonna expand ‘cos I’m wet’ thing over with, and then glue it down carefully before it turned to mush. Obviously this wasn’t going to work with a large sheet of paper flapping about. But noticing that the wrinkles always ran one way I decided that if the paper was rolled up along that direction I could wet, stretch and unroll, wet, stretch and unroll. I used a plant mister for the wetting bit.
So, the results look a bit ‘boys own’, and betray the onset of the New Year, there are several small wrinkles in the resulting ceiling covering. But I’m surprised at how little it really matters, and I’ve still got the originals. So if the sight of these imperfections ever starts to really chafe, I can always have another go.
And here is a weird gem. One of the drawings shows examples of different types of the same vessel, and lists when and where they were built. Look at this. This one was built HERE. Wendy Ann 2 is moored at the old William Osborne’s boatyard in Littlehampton. And I didn’t even notice until I was putting the finished panel up.

Here’s to a New Year folks, I wish you a year of getting somewhere whatever direction you point yourself in. Even if this life is far from perfect at the best of times, we can only do the best we can in the time we’ve got, and I guess everyone has to live with a few baggywrinkles here and there. Let’s do it.

Cruising New Caledonia

By on January 10, 2017 in Domino
CRUISING NEW CALEDONIA
DOMINO and the CNC Fleet in Lifou


January 11, 2017 –  Whangarei, NZ

It’s been months since I’ve posted any report on this blog.  Last you heard from me, we were through with cruising, were going to become landlubber again, spend time with the grandchildren, and—of course— sell DOMINO.  
 Six months have past and DOMINO is still looking for a new owner.  Meanwhile, what can we do?  Not abandon her in a marina, that would be too sad.  The only thing we can do is keep on cruising, taking more time off the boat to satisfy our family needs, and… eventually… bring the boat back to the North American continent.  

As a first installment on that new plan, we spent the last few months cruising New Caledonia, then back to New Zealand for a haul-out and some small improvements (I keep some surprises under my vest!)
The New Cal coast is dotted with Columnar Pines

NEW CALEDONIA  —  Well, I didn’t expect much, really.  I had heard of muddy waters, rivers, nothing very positive.  But what a surprise!  NEW CAL is one of the best cruising and fishing grounds we’ve experienced, pristine lagoons and an extensive and stunningly varied reef system.  Yes, we did circumnavigate the “Caillou” , discovered The Loyalty Islands, and had a great time at it.

(Fixing lunch during crossing, JP asleep, no problem!)

NOUMEA — We left Fiji in late September, not willing to arrive too early in New Cal: October is spring time, when the air gets warmer and the water starts feeling good.  What a lovely ride we had, winds staying below 5 Kts, absolutely glassy seas until we arrived within 20 NM of the ‘Caillou.”  (70 hours for 700 NM, nice and easy!)  


Noumea:  No easy anchorage, packed marina,
full mooring fields.

We arrived Noumea with 15kts @WSW, smack dab amid hundreds of boats of all sizes!  “Whoa! Those Caledonians really love their boats,” we thought, while hundreds of people lined the shore to watch a dozen yachts duking it out.  Suddenly, the Committee boat was on us, pushing us out of the way.  For sure!  I turned around, and there was GROUPAMA barreling down on us!  “OH!  This is the “Round New Cal” race,” we realized, a race in which our friend Claude on “MOEMITI” was participating.  Yup!  Clumsy as we are, we had stumbled on the start of the biggest yacht race in the country.  What a sight (and DEFINITELY NOT the time to snap pictures)!  To appease the irate on-lookers, I innocently raised our “Q” flag and admitted to be a very “ignoRrrrant damn-ed AmeRrrrican.”


NOUMEA ANCHORAGE AND ENTRY PROCESS – The main problems for visiting yachts are the lack of berth at Port Moselle (the main marina), the non-existence of a “Q” dock, the difficulty to find any anchorage available.  



If you don’t want to pay for the dinghy dock at Port Moselle Marina, you can dock in town, in front of the market
and watch the fishermen unload their catch

The two “anchorage” areas outside of Port Moselle have been invaded by mooring balls, all private, placed haphazardly, and nobody seems to know whom to contact in order to grab a mooring.  The Harbormaster continually watches the anchorage and —apologetically— asks any boat encroaching into the channel to re-anchor.  


Spiny lobster: $24/lb

Baie de l’Orphelinat offers a bit more room and less scrutiny from the harbormaster, yet, at the height of the season, it’s a struggle to find any room.

Baie des Citrons is a large bay, and there is plenty of room.  But it is rolly and is very noisy as the shore is lined with bars and night clubs and the locals anchor in that bay to party.  In a pinch, though, it’s a life-saver.

Another lovely sunset!

The entry process is straightforward, though not as easy as in other French islands, as immigration and customs have not initiated an electronic process for all formalities.  The Port Moselle Marina office staff is very helpful in directing cruisers: immigration, customs, phyto-sanitaire: if you start about 8 AM, you can be all cleared in by lunch time.  Don’t try to start in the afternoon: the administrations close down at various times on different days: 1100, 1230, 1500… who knows?  

Upon exiting the country, repeat the process (minus phyto-sanitaire) but don’t forget to visit the harbormaster office for final clearance… and a gorgeous view on the entire port of Noumea!

On shore, Le Bout du Monde is a must: coffee, lunch or dinner, this is THE rendez-vous for cruisers… and whom did we find there, but none other than our “Consuegro,” (our co-in-law), Michel, who is a world-traveler in his own right.  His son and JP’s daughter must think that their dads are of another breed, the “Pied Leve” kind.

We caught up on a few movies (“L’ODYSSEE,” Cousteau’s story: we liked), shopped for French stuff (Croissants, cheese), splurged at the produce market (oh, those olives!) and were itching to go to sea again.  Three days on shore were enough for us!

Where to now?  The Loyalty Islands!

New Caledonia + Fiji Cowries

Until next time…

dominomarie

Green Travel Commitment

By on January 10, 2017 in Boatel

 Do you call it Green Travel, Ecotourism, sustainable tourism or responsible travel? It’s not the labels we use but rather the actions that we take as contentious B & B owners that defines us as a Green Hotel and this is our commitment. … Continue reading →