Time for a Trip Around the World

Counters full of nuts and dried fruits.

Even though we have been sailing around the world for 16 months, we have only reached New Zealand. Yachts need to leave the tropical islands of the South Pacific between December and May due to the cyclone season. In the northern hemisphere, we call it hurricane season and there we need to be north or south of certain latitudes between June and October to be relatively safe from hurricanes. So we have sailed S/V Trillium to New Zealand where she will get some rest and refitting before going back up to the tropics in May.

Pounds and pounds of candies and other sweets are
everywhere you turn. I don't have a sweet tooth so it
was too much for me to appreciate!

We are doing what we call the "double loop" as we are flying around the world in the middle of our sail around the world. We want to see our children and grandchildren - and meet one who arrived six months ago! So we are taking a two month break from living on the boat to living in hotels. I must say that I was very excited with the big bathtub in the first hotel in Sydney as I haven't soaked in a tub in months! It is something I love to do to ease my back muscles.

Windows full of wonderful foods.

Our double loop began by flying from Auckland to Sydney where we spent one night near the quay and enjoyed the area. We will be back there for the hurricane season next winter. Then we started our 30 hours of flying PLUS layover time! We flew from Sydney to Guangzhou, China where we changed planes. I was a little unsure of flying China Southern, but found it to be a great flight with excellent service. From there we flew to Paris and then to Istanbul. They are an Air France partner.

And more sweets!

We decided to have a real vacation: nice hotel, great restaurants, sight seeing and relaxing! Since neither of us had been to Istanbul before, it seemed like a great place to explore. And it was! We loved the archeological sites and the historical buildings. It is a great walking city and our sea legs got quite a workout on the concrete and pavers! More time in the hot tub!

Loved the natural sponges hanging.

Pipes and ceramics were everywhere.

I could not believe the number of shops selling nuts, spices, pastries, Turkish Delight and other candies. Everywhere you turn there is a shop and someone trying to get you to buy from them. I don't know how they make any money due to the competition and the fact that they are all selling the same things. And I also wonder what happens to the unsold items at the end of the day. And I am not even talking about what is in the Spice  Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar!

The special Turkish cheese was very good.



It is a visual to behold!

Those two places were amazing but also caused sensory overload! After a while, it was dizzying to look at all of the things for sale. Who in the world consumes all of it? I also wondered how much of it is designer knock-off created in China. I wouldn't buy anything that might be since it will probably be confiscated at U.S. Customs when you return home.




Tiles in the Blue Mosque are stunning.

Beautiful designs and still vibrant.

I was also overwhelmed by the beauty of the ancient tile work is the mosques. The colors are still so vivid even after all of the years they have been standing there! While the Hagia Sofia and the  Blue Mosque are amazing structures that have stood the test of time, I find it disconcerting to think of all of that opulence for pure pleasure. And I think of the architectural feat of building such structures, but at the expense of human lives.

Preserved in the Hagia Sophia

It is quite amazing to think that so long ago people moved huge columns of marble and stone and build domes high in the air without cranes and billion dollar price tags. And the amount of gold leaf used in these buildings is mind boggling! It is wonderful that they are so well preserved that we can view them in today's world.

The Hagia Sophia is now a museum

We are enjoying this fabulous city. Here we are in
front of the Hagia Sophia once a church and a mosque.

Noumea's Rich History

Unfortunately, we have had five straight days of rain with more in the forecast. A couple of days were totally socked in, while the rest have been on and off. Since we are getting cabin fever in the saloon (yes, that is the correct spelling for what you may call a salon) and have done enough Internet and reading for a while, it was time to grab the foulies (jackets only) and head off to explore in between showers.

There are several museums here and they are all very well designed and full of interesting items and information. We started our "museum crawl" at the Musee de la Ville. This is the Noumea City Museum focusing on the history of New Caledonia from 1853-1953. It shows the history of the developing government and setting up of the penal colony. The basement of the building was dedicated to World War I.





A beautiful spiral staircase from the top.

The architectural details of the building were outstanding. There was a beautiful oval opening between the first and second floors. The woodwork was solid and well maintained. I don't think I could have climbed the spiral stairs too often without getting dizzy!





A view from the second floor

Even though we cannot read French, we could listen in
English and follow the graphics to get the history.

Our next stop was at the World War II Museum. Personally, I had not been aware of the role New Caledonia had played in World War II. This museum was an outstanding lesson in history and interactive, as well. It took us several hours to listen to the program, watch the videos and read the many walls of documentation. Most of it was in French so we used the recorded program and the photos to guide us along through this era in history. Dennis' father would have enjoyed this one as he was very involved in WWII and had a collection of memorabilia from his service. My father had been a medic in Europe, mainly in Italy.




This was a major US Navy facility during WWII

The museum is actually in a preserved Quonset hut, but you don't realize it when you are inside or at the contemporary entrance. We were very impressed with the size and number of items in the collection here. Also, the audio commentary was informative. With so much of our WWII history focused on Pearl Harbor, this was a fresh view of the staging in the Pacific.

Our next stop was the Musee Maritime which is a tour through the history of the maritime in New Caledonia. Being an island surrounded by reefs caused many ships to wreck and sink in the area. In addition to the early explorers all trying to find the Southern Continent, ore ships carry natural resources of nickel and other products.



Coke bottles recovered from the land and
sea. Some encrusted with coral. The bottles
have the name of the city or state where they
were produced stamped on the bottom.

Models of early vessels

During the war, there was an active US Naval base here. There was a great amount of ship traffic just bringing supplies to the area. One of the exhibits stated that over 5 billion bottles of Coke a Cola were consumed by the American troops. That must have been the "drug" of choice back then!

New Caledonia had several waves of settlement beginning as far back as 3000 years ago.

 

 

A most interesting "navigational chart" made of sticks and
sea shells representing ocean currents and islands.

One of the most interesting items in the exhibit was the "navigational chart" made of sticks and sea shells. The natives recorded the position of islands upon which they landed and marked them with shells. The sticks in the chart represent ocean currents. Amazing! And who says you need all of the electronic equipment!

There are several other museums: coffee, handicrafts, artisans, art to name a few. Hopefully we will have time to see them also. I want to see the native handicrafts.

Here in Paris (of the South Pacific)

Noumea is a contemporary city with good infra-structure.

Noumea is known as the "Paris of the South Pacific" and it is obvious with the French language, wines and food. We were looking forward to a change of cuisine and also found a change in temperature and humidity. It is less tropical here. In fact, it feels like spring or fall - cool nights and sun-warmed days.





Crabs and shellfish galore!

Fish of every color, size and shape.

We won't see all of the islands in this group this year, but it will give us something to do next year! I think our cruising is going to extend out another year if all continues to go well. There is just so much to see and so many places to visit and people to meet!
 





And some really huge lobsters!

Many, many stalls with much of the same stuff.

Our first day in Noumea took Dennis on a long wander around town for Customs and Immigration while I stayed on the boat waiting for BioSecurity. Rumors had it that they were going to take all meat, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. I was bracing for the frustration of watching our provisions drop into the big black bag. Luckily, we had a lovely agent who believes if it is good enough for us to eat, it can stay on the boat as long as the meat is cooked. Just don't take any food ashore. Great! So we did not lose too much. 




Can't you just smell these goodies!

Saturday was a day off the boat to explore the city. We started at the market near the marina. They have a fabulous seafood market right on the quay. It is open from 6 AM to noon everyday except Monday. There was every imaginable kind of fish and shellfish there. Some of them were huge.






And a coffee break in the middle of the food market.

In this market area, there are several other buildings that house the fruits and vegetable stalls, as well as handicrafts. Outside in the parking lot were artisan tents and others selling clothing they obviously purchase to resell. There are a lot of fun things here. I may have a unique wardrobe when I return!

Fresh cheese; many choices. Yummy!

I had fun with the lady at the cheese counter. She spoke no English and I speak no French. We did a lot of hand motions and apologizing for not understanding one another. Then she offered me samples until I found a cheese I liked. Then Dennis came along and we went though it again with the sausages. After sampling, we bought one as we were hosting Sundowners that night.

Their version of Rice Krispies!

Craft tents with some real nice things and then some
others with interesting clothes.


We found the big Casino supermarket and checked it out for future provisioning. Then we explored the town. Several others said it wasn't a very nice place, but it wasn't terrible. There are areas I would not go at night, but that is true everywhere. And I wouldn't go off on my own here, but I don't do that in strange places either. We even saw a McDonalds! Didn't try it, though. But we probably will as it seems to have the best free Internet in town!


Salade Verte with Seafood

However, we found a lovely park with the Tourist Office and a nice French restaurant where we had lunch. We don't speak or read French so the menus are going to be challenging here. This place did not have an English version and the waitress did her best. Between the two of us, I figured out the majority of the menu before Dennis joined me at the table. I took a guess at what looked like we might like and it was just fine.

 

Seared Tuna Plate

The Finale: Chocolate Lava Cake

Our lunch was most enjoyable. Of course, a bottle of wine and fresh baguette will make anything taste great! Then we checked out the dessert menu. The only word I knew for sure was: CHOCOLAT! So we order it.

Heavenly! It was a warm chocolate lava cake with two spoons! Life is very good!!!

 

Dennis even found China Town on his wandering.


After lunch we wandered through China Town. What a collection of "stuff" for any occasion, but not great quality. A lot of "knock-off" designer items. I doubt if you could get them past US Customs if you tried to take them home. Anyway, I don't need designer purses to wear with my sulas!

Then we spotted a cathedral high on a hill so headed up there. Not only was the view of the city and harbor great, but Mass was starting in 45 minutes so we took a seat and enjoyed the peacefulness of the place.

It is the Cathedral of St. Joseph and we sat in the row across from a stained glass window of Saint Monica (Dennis' mother's name). Totally unplanned. I sat down and settled in for some quiet time and looked up to my right and there she was! We haven't been to Mass in a while since we have not been on land on a Sunday or close enough to walk to a church.


Then it was back to the marina as we were having guests on board for Sundowners. Mike and Catherine, who we met in Fiji are on the same dock as are two of the German boats from the World ARC. S/V Starblazer has gone out sailing with family who arrived from Hong Kong.

Rough Passage from Vanuatu to New Caledonia

Next destination: Noumea, New Caledonia

A meeting of ships in the middle of the night! It
suddenly became a small, small world out there!

After a full 24 hours of rain (6" in the dinghy!), the weather was looking favorable for a Tuesday 0500 departure from Port Vila, Vanuatu to Noumea, New Caledonia - about 320 nm. It will be two overnight sails. We completed the process of clearing out, provisioning, and buying duty free fuel for the boat - and for Sundowners! The price is right here! Trackers are on, waypoints charted and everything stowed - almost. There are several other boats leaving tomorrow, too.


The winds should be good, but strong. That will make for more sailing and less motoring. However, the seas will be rough with the swells from the fronts that have just come through. I have my patch and pill ready and hope they work. I never know when mal de mare is going to hit me. It usually comes in rough seas and when I lose sight of the horizon at night. But not always. The Pacific Ocean has been kinder to me than the Atlantic.

Coming into Havannah Passage with the flow.

We left the harbor at 0600 and were on our way south-southwest. Of course, the wind had shifted following the fronts. The wind was right on the nose! The ride was doomed to be uncomfortable - but fast with the winds in the twenties. We were flying along between 7-9 knots SOG (Speed Over Ground) and making good time.

Timing is very important on this passage. Actually, estimated arrival time (ETA) at the next anchorage or port is always important as you want the correct light and tidal flow. This trip has an extra challenge: there is a 40 mile passage around the southern end of New Caledonia through the Havannah Passage and a series of reefs.

This should only be done in daylight and when the tide is flowing into the lagoon. Our goal is to be at the eastern entrance to the passage early in the morning of our third day at sea. Hopefully the winds and waves will be amenable to that! Every yacht has to make their own calculations depending on the speed at which they sail or motor, so we often leave at different times while still arriving somewhat together. This time we will be traveling with new people we have met in Port Villa, but they are catamarans to they will blow right by us at some point!

All tucked in at the dock in Port Moselle Marina. Whew!



During my watch between 2000 and 2400 on the first overnight passage, I saw a big bright ball of light coming at me and another big light coming after me. I was seasick and thought I was delusional. However, it was two passenger cruise ships switching ports, more or less and I was in their shipping lane, I guess. So I called up one on the VHF and made sure they could see me. It is not often that you have a gathering out there in the middle of no where in the middle of the night! At least it livened up the night! We were not in any real danger. It was just startling to see a light coming from both ends of the tunnel! And it distracted me from hanging over the rail!


NOTE: Dennis does not participate in mal de mare - it is my curse! In fact, he was so healthy that he spent most of the trip trying to repair both heads! I don't know how he does it!

Next stop: Baguettes, Croissants and Latte at the market

Coming through the Havannah Passage at the southeast end of New Caledonia wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. This is known as a ship graveyard (we did see one on a reef) so we were ready with good light and a flood tide. That means we were going in with the tide and we had a 2 knot tidal flow pushing us along. Much better than trying to sail against it. It is not recommended to go in on an ebb tide as the outflowing current can be up to 5 knots against you with a lot of turbulence. It took about 8 hours to complete the trip through the reefs to the dock at Port Moselle Marina in Noumea.

I am glad to be here! Hopefully, my stomach will settle down so I can enjoy the local cuisine. Now for some baguettes and croissants!