Shiplogs: Vanuatu 2 magyarul

09/07/2014 - 17/08/2014 «« page 1/5 »»

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Ambrym volcano from the plane

In the second part of Vanuatu we sail from Efate to Espiritu Santo. In July there are some festivals in Vanuatu and we try to join one or two of these. The only difficulty that we have to pay close attention to the weather because most of the anchorages are open and in case of a change in the wind we might have to leave them. We will take again Malaria medication on these islands.

The central islands in Vanuatu are the most interesting culturally, at least according to the guidebooks. While the previous section, we have published about the island of Pentecost, Malekula and Ambrym islands are also Kastom islands and ancient cultures are still alive up to this day. For example, black magic in Ambym evokes the spirit of the place. The triangular island with in the middle of a still active volcano attracts many visitors. The island of Malekula with the small and big nambas makes us also curious about the habits and customs of the people in the 21st century.

1. day - 09/07/2014 - , Nguna Island

Pilot whale

Nguna Island

From the Havannah harbor we arrived in the northern part of Efate through a strait. We were accompanied by pilot whales for a while. Unfortunately, the visibility was still very weak and gray clouds covered the sky all around.

At the Nguni island (a small island lying to the north of Efate) we thought about to climb the volcanic cone, but due to the present weather conditions and poor visibility it did not make sense, so this program was canceled. Some local asked us not to swim in a certain part of the coast, they declared that they want to do a conservation area from this. This time we actually did not feel like snorkeling, so we rested only on board.

Daily position:
00:00 17-36.30S 168-14.60E log= 128279.9

2. day - 10/07/2014 - , Emae Island

North of Efate the Shepherd archipelago begins with some little islands. These islands provide a dramatic panorama with volcanic cones. We were heading towards Emae in downwind.
The rain clouds began to disappear and we could see the sun for a few minutes. Here we dropped the anchor between two other ketches. About 800 people live on the island, which is quite small compared to the size of the island. On the beach there is a school and we could hear the kids playing. The Cook reef is not far from Emae island where you can snorkel, but there was still no good visibility at sea.

Daily position:
00:00 17-25.60S 168-19.40E log= 128291.5
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3. day - 11/07/2014 - , Our zoo

Emae Island

Our morning was disturbed by a silly boobie. First tried to balance on the trapeze on the mizzen and then on the ratlines. It has been quite strange because his head hung on the sheet line . Such a crazy bird.

We were awaken by the beautiful sunshine at Emae. During sailing we had again downwind and it was weakening as well. Our fishing bait was bitten apart by a previous beast, but we still threw it in the water to see if we could get anything for lunch. At 11 am the fishing line was taut. We thought we got our lunch, but this was not only our lunch but dinner and probably the lunch for the next couple of days. We had a tiring hour before finally pulling it out. We got a 116 cm mahi-mahi ... It was the largest so far we ever had.
Near Epi Island the sky clouded over again, but with another ketch boat we dropped our anchor at the west side of the island. We offered some mahi-mahi stake to the crew of the New Zealand boat, and they offered us some beer for a sunset drink.
The mahi-mahi dinner was delicious and we BBQ-d it. We still have some remaining organic beef in the fridge, luckily it is vacuum packed.

Daily position:
00:00 17-02.80S 168-22.30E log= 128314.5