Truly Cruising in New Caledonia!

Sometimes he scares me to death: standing on the lifeline!

It seems that the passages between countries become the main focus of cruising. It is the hard work time. Passage making requires a lot of preparation: provisioning, making passage meals, weather routing, sail plan strategies, physical endurance, etc.

When sailing with the World ARC, we were more focused on passage making as there was a weather-driven schedule to reach the next scheduled stop. This is important on the World ARC as it is a 16-month sail around the world rally. And it is a wonderful event for those who want to do just that! I highly recommend it.

Lovely sunsets in Port Moselle Marina

We knew before leaving the USA that we wanted to spend more time in the South Pacific. It is work getting here so why not stay for a while? So we have and, in fact, we have stayed a year longer than planned as there is so much to see.

In fact, we should stay another year to really appreciate sailing and land cruising in Australia – but we aren’t going to do that. And then we could stay another year to see Indonesia … It is time to start moving toward home. And I am looking forward to having some time with the grandchildren who are all growing up so fast.

This year in Vanuatu, Tonga and New Caledonia we finally became real cruisers! By that I mean, just hanging out and enjoying wherever we were at the moment. With no sense of urgency to move on, it is easy to relax and appreciate the current location.



Anita at the Aquarium

It is easy to see why so many cruisers find themselves out here for years! Time means nothing and each day folds into the next. In fact, you never look at the calendar and frequently ask: what day is it?

We spent more time playing with friends, sharing sundowners or dinners on different boats, sightseeing, meeting the native people, etc. There is still much we will not see or do as you could stay out here for several years.

Of course, the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia are my most favorite in the world so far and Ile des Pins is not far behind in the standings. And Noumea is one of my favorite cities. So New Caledonia ranks pretty high in my book.

Now add to that having fun people join you to crew! Anita and Glenn from Norway (although, he is Swedish) flew in to make the passage to New Caledonia with us. Since we had a few days in Noumea waiting for a package, we had time to play there.

 

Our visit to the Aquarium was terrific. The featured exhibit was coral so we saw beautiful coral in the tanks with the fish, sharks and turtles. This was one of the finest aquariums in the world.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had a lot of good laughs with Anita and Glenn. We decided we wanted pizza so we went to a pizza place a few blocks from the marina. It was Monday night. There was no pizza as they had just sold the last two to the table next to us! It was only 7 PM! What kind of a pizza place is that? So we left and went to the food trucks to pick up dinner.

 
However, before we left, the guys noticed a sign for fresh mussels and asked if they were available. No, not tonight as the sign (in French) apparently said “tomorrow.” Okay, we will go back for pizza and mussels on Tuesday.

Tuesday we went to the aquarium in another part of town and we saw an ad for a wood-fired pizza place. When we left the aquarium, we walked about a mile to find the place. It is now 4:45 PM and the place is not yet open. Okay, we can wait as they probably open at 5 or 6 PM. Then we ask someone who told us they don’t open until 7 PM!
 

Not your typical Italian pizza. This is France, remember?

No, we are not standing around here for two hours so we grabbed a cab back to the other place where we can have pizza and mussels! Well, the person who makes the pizza is not yet there so we order a cold drink to wait. And can we order mussels? Oh no, there were no mussels! But the sign says … Yes, it says tomorrow, but there are no mussels today – maybe tomorrow. Picture a French woman saying this!
 

Waiting for the pizza ...

The pizza lady showed up so we got our pizzas. They were okay, but I make better ones using tortillas on the stove! We had a good laugh about the whole pizza ordeal. In fact, the four of us did more laughing in our two weeks together than we have done in the last year. It was so much fun.



It made Lil' Caesars and Domino's look like gourmet pizzas!

And the funny thing is that we really did not know Anita and Glenn. We had met them on the World ARC where there were crewing on several other boats. Somehow I just knew we would make a good fit. It turned out to be the most fun passage yet and we miss them now that they have left Australia! I know we will be with them again somewhere in the world sometime.



Down Time at Ile des Pins

 

Another big beautiful fine sand beach at Baie du Kuto

One of the most famous down under vacation spots especially for boaters is New Caledonia’s Ile des Pins. It is a collection of reefs, atolls and islands about 60 nm southeast of Noumea, but still within the barrier reef that surrounds New Caledonia. There are only a few passages to enter the barrier reef and as you might imagine, there are a number of shipwrecks where others tried to create their own entrance! The charts are well marked, but one should navigate in good light only.

Sometimes you need a little help from your friends
when parking your "car" on the sandy beaches!

Since our draft is 2.2 meters or just over seven feet, there were a number of places where we could not enter the lagoons as they were too shallow. This is when we would look at our friends on catamarans and wave from a distance! There are many beautiful places where we could anchor on the west side.

 

Dennis and Brian are off to the boulangerie for baguettes!
It is over a mile's walk and they are only open between
6 AM and 11 AM so you have to get up and get going!

We chose to base ourselves in Baie de Kuto and land cruise, walk the beach and veg out for a week. We had been on the move for some time and it was the right time to just hang on the hook. We played a little Boule with Sue and Brian on S/V Darramy, enjoyed the beach bar patio and the treks to the store for fresh baguettes. In fact, we found a Boule set in the shop so we have our own now!

Dennis found an artist’s studio and boutique nearby so we stopped there to see the painted garments.  Too stiff for me as I know how to paint on fabric and I didn’t think I wanted to wear these. Interesting and good for tourists. But we decided a long time ago that we are not tourists and do not buy something to remember every place we have been. Too much stuff!

I love these fences along the road.

We hung out with a few of the Pacific Circuit Rally boats and met some of the ones who will be heading to Australia. Those from Australia (also known as Oz) gave us some insight on what to see and expect while we are there. Cruisers are the most generous people you will ever meet. There is no scarcity mentality out here. We all share information, tools, skills and time. And friendship!

The snorkeling lagoon.

Baie de Kuto is full of sea life. There are a number of sea turtles that just swim around the boats. We saw rays and a type of fish or shark that attaches itself to the bottom of the boat to eat anything growing there. I think it is called a remora or something like that and I do not have Internet to research it right now. Of course, there are many fish of different varieties and across the way in the inner lagoon, the snorkeling was said to be good. It has been too cold to enjoy snorkeling so we passed on it. Dennis did dive on the boat to check things out underneath and to look for a part that we lost overboard – not to be found.

We rented (or as they say: hired) a car and drove around the island to see the historical sites, visit the caves and have lunch at the Meridian Resort on the far side. We ventured down two-track paths and under low hanging trees and vines to find the places of interest. We saw the prisons and a cemetery from a more brutal time in their history.

There is a lot of danger to avoid when sailing inside
the barrier reef. Here is a sample from Ile des Pins

New Caledonia has a history of the French vs. the Kanaks, the indigenous people. Like many of the island countries we have visited, the native people were not treated well and are just coming into social equality in the last 50 years or less. Of course, change follows a fair amount of unrest, but eventually things are changing.
 

In fact, the official name of the French territory is Nouvelle-Calédonie and may soon be changed to acknowledge the Kana
k people and culture. There is an accord that stated that “a name, a flag, an anthem, a motto, and the design of banknotes will be sought by all parties together, to express the Kanak identity and the future shared by all parties.” We have seen the new flag which was adopted in 2010 and is flown in the outer islands as the flag. This makes New Caledonia one of the few countries or territories in the world that has two flags.




More breathtaking views of paradise.

We have seen flag and currency changes throughout our travels - especially banknotes and coins. Many countries are removing Queen Elizabeth from the bills and coins. In fact, some of the money we used in those countries last year was not accepted this year. It made for a trip to the bank to exchange old for new. Many of the countries are now printing colorful banknotes on a type of poly material. It makes them hard to counterfeit and they are waterproof. It helps those sailors and locals who somehow manage to get their money wet! 



We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Meridian Resort where
they have a beautiful lagoon and beach that goes for miles.

But the real adventure began after lunch. As we turned to go down the road to the Meridian, a guy was trying to wave us over. We just ignored him and kept going. We had a lovely lunch in a beautiful location. It is always nice to be off the boat for times like this.



The history of prisons on these islands is
old and not very pleasant.
 

When we came out and turned the wrong way, the same guy came up to the car as we were turning around in a parking area. He was a local and wanted to know if someone could ride to Kuto with us. Then he introduced an attractive young lady. Dennis said, “Sure.” I was skeptical, as usual! As we began to clear out the back seat of this little compact car to make room for her, two more guys wanted to ride along, too! Now I am really unhappy.




The caves were interesting and not real touristy so it
was an adventure finding them on our own.

As it turns out, this was a television crew from Japan filming a travel log for their station and You Tube! Of course, I know how hard reporters work to get their stories and meet deadlines, so I finally warmed up to the idea of this entourage! We stopped at several places so they could film, including a well-known church on the island. Since they had a whole support team following in a van and another car, we looked like we were invading when we arrived somewhere.
 

This is the "road" to one of the caves.

At one point on the highway, the car was so weighed down with people and gear that we had to make several attempts to get up one of the hills! The guys were going to get out and push, but we finally got enough momentum to make it!

We stopped at the artist's boutique because Dennis had learned that the wife spoke Japanese. So it was fun to watch them all chatter away in Japanese and capture it in their project.

Not sure how we fit five adults into this car!

We continued on to the Baie de Kuto and showed them our boat at anchor. The reporter had never been in a dinghy so we took her and the camera man for a short ride around the anchorage and around S/V Trillium. She was thrilled and so excited. Unfortunately, we didn’t have room for the sound guy to go with us. Then we took them back to shore and said goodbye. We hope to find the video somewhere on You Tube. Maybe some of you will find it before we do!

 

This was the "gang" we picked up - actually, they
picked us up and it turned out to be fun.




The crew at the boutique.

 






The sand is so fine it cakes on you. Think powdered sugar!



Our friendly manta ray swimming by the boat.

 

And here is the Captain swimming by the boat - actually
under it and looking for something!

 

 

A Whale of a Show!

On the way to Ile des Pins, we had a fabulous whale experience! Fortunately, not one of those horror stories of bumping into a sleeping whale or having one breach on top of the boat!

It was a personal whale watching experience – and my video shows some of it, if you can stand to watch it. It is hard to hold it still and stay focused on something so far away when you are bouncing in the waves. So I apologize in advance, for the not so clear photos and video (if I can get it to upload on this blog). I even felt seasick trying to edit it!

We were sailing along just enjoying a nice ride to Ile des Pins when I said, “Dennis, there is a dark colored power boat crossing our path at about 10 o’clock (boat position based on the bow being 12 o’clock).  And it is moving very fast!”

Then suddenly I saw it do the tail splash! Actually, I saw three tails up and then down. I don’t know how many whales were there. It may have been one just playing or a couple of them. For the next 20-30 minutes, we were treated to a playful sight of fin slapping, diving and what appeared to be frolicking!

We still aren’t sure how many whales or what kind. We saw many flashes of fins that appeared to be black on one side and white on the other. It was as if they were just slapping the water and having fun. Or maybe it was trying to fight off a predator. We will never know for sure.
 

It looked like it could have been a couple of Orcas, which are really sharks. Apparently, Orcas are known to gang up on a whale, grasp it by the lips and eat its tongue. They can’t eat the huge whale so they eat the part they can to disable it. Then the whale dies because it cannot eat! Yuk! I sure hope that is not what we were observing.

This is one of the Orcas we saw in New Zealand.

Actually, now that I look at our photos of the Orcas in Kaikoura, New Zealand, I don't think it was an Orca. The whale was dark grey and much larger than an Orca. And when I watch the video and see it come out of the water, I am more sure that it is a Humpback and probably only one.

Someone suggested that there may have been three whales and two were mating. Apparently, a third whale is needed to hold the female on her side. It is mating season here as the whales will begin their migration to New Zealand and Antarctica soon. Then they will return here next year to give birth and raise their young until it is time to head south again. It is quite a long journey, too.



Who knows what we were witnessing, but it was exciting to spot and follow the whale(s) on our own. I had recently said I had only seen a couple of blows from a distance, but never seen the whale. Now I have! Wow! What an experience! (Hopefully, I have figured out how to trim and upload a video. Let's see if it works!)

Before I started this blog post, I found a few websites about humpback whales. I learned a lot of interesting information which I will highlight below. At least now I feel we were watching one or possibly two whales having some playful fun in the sun. What a delightful experience! 

Whale facts - or whatever you can believe from the Internet findings:

There are two kinds of splashing activity that goes on: tail slapping and pectoral fin slapping. Both create a big splash as water is displaced by the weight of this huge creature. A fully grown male Humpback whale can reach 48 feet in length and weigh as much as 45 tons. That would make a huge splash!



Even though they are huge creatures, whales have a
number of predators: Orcas, Giant Squid, etc.

The male Humpback whale likes to play by twisting and turning and slapping the water with the fins or by raising a large portion of his body out of the water and smashing down on it. There are good reasons besides having fun: relieve themselves of parasites, such as the type of sucker shark that suction onto the whale's body to eat and ride, and to ward off predators by making noise and disturbance in the water.

Mothers also teach the calves to breach and they are known to practice for long periods. It is possible that we witnessed a lesson and practice session.

There are different moves when breaching. A true breach means that at least three quarters of the whale's body is out of the water before splashing back down. A whale can also come out of the water backwards by flinging its pectoral fins. They do twists and turns will airborne.



This is the one I bought. It is made from paua - the
shell of the Abalone. I love the colors of paua. Both
the fish hook and whale's tail are good luck for sailors.

Interestingly, if a whale is breaching to distract a predator, it may come out of the water with its belly down. By arching its head backward and then slamming it forward, the body makes a loud resonating sound when it hits the water. Since sound is amplified underwater, the intent is to scare off the predator. Pectoral fin slapping is also a form of communication to let other whales know it is in the area.

Tail slapping has several functions. It is helpful in trying  to remove things that have attached to the whale, such as barnacles, sea lice and parasites. Apparently, tail slapping is also a form of entertainment. Obviously, it is what whale watching tourists hope to see, but the whale does it to entertain itself! Sometimes two whales will try to out slap each other for fun!



Bone is commonly carved.

For the Humpback Whale, the tail is like a human fingerprint in that it is unique to that creature. Researchers identify whales by their tail marks and also by their unique dorsal fins. This is how they track the movement of whales throughout the oceans from season to season. Whales are migratory.
 

The Humpback's tail can be massive and provides the thrust when the whale is swimming. Unfortunately, predators often attack the tail and nip and bite the pectoral fins to try to immobilize the whale. With the predators' continuing persistence, the damage caused can disable the whale so it is unable to swim; then it will drown. Once the whale is dead, the predators feast in peace without danger to themselves! Orcas, a.k.a. Great White Shark, are serious predators, often leaving teeth markings on the whale's body.

The whale's tail is commonly used for advertising and as logos in the tourism industry. It is also very popular in jewelry design due to its spiritual meaning in many Melanesian cultures. Some of the designs are stunning. And they are done in various materials: bone, shell, dead coral, wood, paua, greenstone and other hard materials, including plastic which have been mass produced in molds in China (yuck!). The locals do not use chains, but hang them from cords of varying fibers. They say their "gold" is the carving itself and doesn't need a gold or silver chain. Nice thought!

The islanders wear the whale's tail as symbols of goodness. It has a number of meanings that vary from culture to culture and country to country, but they are all positive meanings: 1) a symbol of good luck, 2) it represents speed and strength, and 3) a symbol of freedom, strength and joy within a beautiful spirit.

The Most Beautiful and Healthy Coral Yet!

After a few days of absolute comfort in Baie du Carenage, which is one of the most northern bays in Baie de Prony, we moved over to the eastern shore and a little south. We wanted to get a little closer to the Havannah Passage so our sail down to Ile des Pins would be shorter. We knew there was some good snorkeling at Anse Majic just on through Bonne Anse (Baie Est).

A sure sign of healthy coral is notice of no anchoring and the presence of mooring balls that must be used as they are in a nature reserve area. That means we cannot take anything from the area and must protect it in all ways while we are there. We make a habit of not discarding anything other than organic food scraps into the ocean. Too many people toss aluminum cans, tin cans and a lot of paper products into the sea. None of them are good for the ocean even if they are 1000 feet or more below the surface. Of course, plastic NEVER goes overboard!

 
 
 
 
 
 

Before snorkeling, we hiked up to the top of the Pointe Mere about 85 meters to the lookout point at the lighthouse. What a view! This is the place where whales are often sighted as you can see for miles. Even though it was a perfect clear and sunny day, no whales were spotted, but the view was worth the trek. We had packed a lunch and trekked with Brian and Sue on S/Y Darrramy.

Upon return to the boat, we went off to see the coral. It was warm in the sun, but the wind was chilly so it would be a short snorkel.

Unfortunately, my mask and goggles managed to stay behind in the saloon so I did not go in the water. And I was not responsible for their missing in action moment! My view of the coral from the surface was great.

Dennis snorkeled all around the area and took photos. He had been disappointed in the coral we have seen so far, but this was the most beautiful healthy coral he has seen anywhere. And there were numerous types and colors. It is wonderful that mooring balls have been put in place to preserve it. Unfortunately, one boat – French, of course – anchored, then their anchor was fouled on the coral. Obviously, they did some damage as they freed it. With 10-12 mooring balls and no one in the anchorage but them when we arrived, we don’t understand why they anchored. The mooring balls are free to use! Duh!!!

This was a peaceful anchorage so we had a couple of good nights of sleep there before heading south to Ile des Pins. The sail is about 40 nm, but the wind will be on the nose so we will have to motor-sail part of the way. We did not get down there last year so we are looking forward to exploring. It is supposed to be beautiful, but it will be hard to top Atol d’ Ouvea! And there are a number of place that are perfect for catamarans, but not deep drafted monohulls. We will find some lovely places for sure. And maybe some baguettes!

Which way is up?

The vista was amazing!

A look back at where we had spent the past week.

 

 

Only the French ...

It is amazing how some things of beauty can survive.

Exploring the Baie du Prony

The incoming tide and currents took the boat off course.

So it is onward we go! After visiting the waterfall, we quickly stowed the dinghy and the galley and headed south again. This time we were going against the tide on our way out of the anchorage. There are a number of shallow areas to avoid on the way out so I needed to stay on my track. But you can see in the photo that it looks like a drunken sailor at the helm!

This was a picture-perfect anchorage!

The tide would grab the bow of the boat and move it 45⁰s to port or starboard depending on where I was in the passage. I would struggle to get it back on the track only to have it happen again. We could feel the boat being moved each time it happened. And our speed was reduced by the incoming tidal flow of one knot. That is a lot when you are  going at a slow speed while steering through reefs!

I was relieved to finally get past the lighthouse and out into Havannah Passage. Then the tidal flow was to our advantage. One does not ever want to go through Havannah Passage against the tide as it is very strong and fast in some areas. It can be 4-5 knots for or against you. One should plan to go on a flow and not an ebb.

 

It looked like this every morning.

The weather forecast was predicting a big change with high winds clocking from northeast to southwest. With this information, our little flotilla headed into the Baie de Prony to seek shelter on the western side.

Since it is a huge bay, we first went as far as Baie de La Maine aux Anglais, but decided there was not good holding for the three of us with the other boats already at anchor. So we went as far up north into the river as we could to the anchorage in Baie du Carenage.  



The red mud bottom in the bay.

There were five boats tucked in there, a couple from the ICA Pacific Cruising Rally. A couple more boats joined us before sunset so it was getting tight there. Everyone was seeking protection from the wind and this seemed to be the place. By morning, there were 14 yachts here. We planned to stay here for a day or two and even explore the rivers, falls and hot baths that are located up the river.

The predicted high winds never came and we really did not have a weather issue up in the top of the bay. Every morning the water was like a mirror until the midday winds caused ripples followed by small waves. Nothing serious!

We took the dinghies over to the other upper branch to see a waterfall. It turned out to be a minor cascade and not worth landing the dinghies. Then we went to see the hot baths that were touted in one of the cruising guides. What a joke! Old, not maintained and cold.

 

Donna was so ready for a nice natural hot spring bath! Not to be! Dennis found a place in the lagoon where warm water was bubbling up, but not enough to make it worth getting wet! The sun is warm, but the air is still cool. When I checked one of our cruising guides printed in 2002, it stated that the baths were in disrepair. That is an understatement. We told other cruisers not to bother going there. What a disappointment - especially after the hot spring baths in New Zealand!

Brian spotted a place to unload trash in one of the nearby smaller bays. He and Dennis took all of the trash there. At first they didn't see where to leave it. Dennis thought about putting it in one of the pickup trucks! Of course, the guy who owned it would have been furious when he came in from the long New Caledonia Day extended weekend and found everyone's trash in his truck. It provided a good laugh for all of us. Of course, they found the bins and took care of it properly.
 

 

At least, we are all hunkered down waiting for the forecasted trough to pass, the winds to shift and the sky to clear. Then we will move to an anchorage within the bay where one can hike up the mountain to an observation area to see the whales in the bay.

From there, the plan is to go to Ile des Pins for a few days. Bread, anyone? The French boulangeries and patisseries in Noumea are sounding wonderful right about now!