Exploring Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia

I am completely overwhelmed visually! The color of the water here in the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia is the most beautiful cerulean blue I have ever seen in nature. Words and photographs can not begin to describe it. I have used my water color cerulean blue when painting, but that doesn't even come close to the real thing. I am in awe!

 

If only you could see the real thing!

 

 The photo above is a shot taken straight down from the side of the boat. I think you can even see my shadow on the bottom on the white sand. That is about 30 feet below the surface! That is how clear it is here. I think the Loyalties have just moved to the top of my list of favorite places we have  been. It used to be the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. Interesting: my two favorite places are French!

And look at that white sand beach. We have truly found the picture perfect South Pacific islands! Many times we have been somewhat disappointed in the beaches or lack of them. Many of the islands are just mountains of volcanic rock so they really don't look like the tourist information brochures! And the black volcanic sand is not that appealing to me.
 

I would come back here in a heartbeat! There is not much to do here. There are not many villages or resorts that we can see from here, but this is a very large island. The nearest town to our anchorage is a bus ride across the narrow part of the island. That is where we went shopping for provisions and phone SIM cards.

We walked through the village here at Baie Du Santal looking for the store that sold baguettes. It seems we are always in search of fresh bread. And it doesn't get any better than baguettes in the French islands throughout the world!

The streets are narrow but paved. There is no signage so we just followed the road as directed and made the first left turn up ahead. Passing along this road, we saw some traditional round houses with the tall peaked roof. In this blog last year, I posted a number of photos of the Kanak houses and discussed their culture.

At the far end of the street stood a little shack - that was the store. At first we were not sure since there was no signage. Once we peeked in, we knew we had arrived! There were loaves of baguettes stacked on a shelf. Finally - bread!

We bought our baguettes and of course, carried them in hand as they do! No plastic bags! That makes it soft and tough. Although, I do like a long plastic baguette bag when transporting it in the dinghy to keep it dry.

Most people just walk holding their baguettes or have them sticking out of a backpack. After a while, you just don't work about dirty hands and germs!

We found a couple of places where the ladies where holding markets and bought a few items from them. One enterprising lady had fresh kumala and brioche for sale. And an artist had his carvings for sale. There were also preparing brochette for lunch if we came back. But we didn't. Once you get everything into the dinghy and get back to the boat, you just want to stay put for a while!

The capital of the territory is Noumea where we spent several weeks last year. They have a number of great museums, a cultural center with outstanding architecture and a botanical and zoological park. All worth a visit. We visited them last year and may repeat several this year. I also want to go to their aquarium as it is supposed to be a good one.

The following is some information from Wikipedia to give you a feel for New Caledonia:
 

"New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie)^{[nb 1]} is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, 1,210 km (750 mi) east of Australia and 16,136 km (10,026 mi) east of Metropolitan France.^[4] The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets.^[5] The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea. Locals refer to Grande Terre as Le Caillou ("the pebble").^[6]
 
New Caledonia has a land area of 18,576 km² (7,172 sq mi). Its population of 268,767 (Aug. 2014 census)^[2] consists of a mix of Kanak people (the original inhabitants of New Caledonia), people of European descent (Caldoches and Metropolitan French), Polynesian people (mostly Wallisians), and Southeast Asian people, as well as a few people of Pied-Noir and Maghreban descent.


The Kanak society has several layers of customary authority, from the 4,000-5,000 family-based clans to the eight customary areas (aires coutumières) that make up the territory.^[23] Clans are led by clan chiefs and constitute 341 tribes, each headed by a tribal chief. The tribes are further grouped into 57 customary chiefdoms (chefferies), each headed by a head chief, and forming the administrative subdivisions of the customary areas.^[23]
 
The Customary Senate is the assembly of the various traditional councils of the Kanaks, and has jurisdiction over the law proposals concerning the Kanak identity.^[24]
Under the Noumea Accord, signed in 1998 following a period of secessionist unrest in the 1980s and approved in a referendum, New Caledonia is to hold a second referendum on independence between 2014 and 2018.^[27]
 
The official name of the territory, Nouvelle-Calédonie, could be changed in the near future due to the accord, which stated that "a name, a flag, an anthem, a motto, and the design of banknotes will have to be sought by all parties together, to express the Kanak identity and the future shared by all parties."^[28] To date, however, there has been no consensus on a new name for the territory.^[29] New Caledonia has increasingly adopted its own symbols, choosing an anthem, a motto, and a new design for its banknotes.^[30] In July 2010, New Caledonia adopted the Kanak flag, alongside the existing French tricolor, as dual official flags of the territory.^[31] The adoption made New Caledonia one of the few countries or territories in the world with two official national flags.^[31] The decision to use two flags has been a constant battleground between the two sides and led the coalition government to collapse in February 2011.^[27


Of course, the chocolate cake was a hit with us!

 

The kids just hung around the beach to check out these
white people who invaded on the yachts!

 

Can it get any better than this!

A New Country; A New Culture to Explore

We were nearly the last boat to arrive in Lifou.

Since leaving the USA in October 2013, we are about to clear into New Caledonia for the second time. This makes 24 Customs and Immigration clearance into 20 countries plus our around the world flight to Istanbul, Paris, Munich and USA. Even with that, there are so many places we haven’t been out here in the ocean.

Of course, that means much paperwork and many boat inspections. We have tried to visit different places in Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia where we have been before to have new experiences. And, of course, we continue to meet wonderful people who are out here doing the same thing as we are: enjoying the beauty of the world and its people.

The water here is the most beautiful cerulean blue I have
ever seen anywhere in the world! Indescribable!

Stopping in the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia is a real treat. Usually one must sail all the way west to Noumea to clear in and then back against the wind to the Loyalities. As a result, most yachties don’t stop here. They are missing a special place!

I think we have found one of the most beautiful places in the South Pacific: cerulean blue and turquoise waters and snow white beaches. It is indescribable and the photos just cannot capture it. Sometimes my senses are on total overload from the beauty of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of the environment. It can be overwhelming and take your breath away. I have to pinch myself to see if I am really here!

 

John and Lyn Martin welcoming Dennis to the event.

The Rally’s gathering point was on Lifou, which is the largest and most populated island in the Loyalties. It was a good stopping place as the officials could fly here for the clearance procedure, then John flew to Noumea with all of our passports to complete the process while we soaked in the beauty of the place. This service alone is worth the rally fee!


We all anchored in Baie Du Santal (Sandal Bay 20⁰ 48S 167⁰ 08E) which is sheltered, but full of reefs and coral heads so navigation must be right on the way points. Then you must watch where you drop the anchor so you don’t wrap the chair around a coral head. We tend to anchor at the back of the fleet so if we slip, we don’t slide into another boat. Also, Dennis likes to put out a lot of chain which increases our swing. Many of the European boats anchor close to others. I guess they are used to crowded conditions. We like to have space around us.
 

Rally festival put on by the local village.

The village on shore was our Rally base and they presented us with a festive meal one evening. It was the traditional Bougna, which contains chicken, fish or lobster with vegetables of sweet potatoes (also called kamala), yams (they are not the same as sweet potatoes) unripe bananas and coconut milk. The mixture is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over hot coals which have been placed in a hole in the ground. It was very tasty.



The hot Bougna was wrapped in this beautiful "carrying dish."

This is a typical island method of cooking and not too unlike the way we cooked in Girl Scout campouts, except we placed the food in a covered pot before putting it in the ground and covering it with earth to retain the heat. Then we would go off hiking for the day and come back to a cooked meal. It was wonderful then, too!

 

Not only do the women make the meal, but they also make
the woven serving dishes or whatever you would call them.

The ladies held a market for us so we could buy fresh fruits and vegetables from their gardens. They also had some baked goods which were a real treat! Fresh dark chocolate cake without frosting – my favorite!

There are several tiny little stores in the village where fresh baguettes were available each day. Yeah, bread – and good bread! When you are at sea, fresh bread becomes a real treat. Even if we buy several loaves before leaving shore, they are usually moldy before we use them up. That is when you know what preservatives do!

Now the unveiling begins!

The ICA Rally had arranged for a bus trip across the island to We for shopping and phone SIM cards. I think the locals thought the grocery store had been invaded by aliens when we all started grabbing for the limited produce selection. Then a huge line formed at the deli counter to get meats and cheeses. Of course, we bought baguettes, brie, pate and a few other French treats!

There were seven or eight different Bougna of different
ingredients and flavors: chicken, fish and vegetarian.

Once our groceries were in the bowels of the bus, Dennis and I went in search of the OPT phone store which is in the post office. Where? We were not sure so we kept walking in the direction we were told. We walked and we walked and we walked! After several inquiries, we managed to find the post office, but it had just closed. It was 3:30 PM. Of course! We are in the islands! No SIM card today. No Internet tonight!

Several small market areas were set up for us.

The senior village women.

So we walked back to the bus which was at least 3-4 kilometers away! That was our exercise for the day! Another boat arranged for the bus driver to come back the next day to take us to the post office. So I went with Donna of Chez Nous in search of SIM cards once again.

It seems that four people had been in line the day before and only one of them was processed for a SIM card! They had been there several hours! Well, there is only one person at the desk and it is a long process to complete the forms that can only be done by that one person on her computer. With 20-some of us wanting SIM cards, we came up with a plan!

She had the chocolate cake in her market!

 
 

Our groceries were the first in and last out of the bus.

Two people could communicate in French so they asked how many cards they could buy on one application. Five seemed to be the number! So only four people registered for cards and we were able to get enough cards for everyone in less than two hours. I am sure we set a record for group efficiency on this one. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box to get around the systems that seem ridiculous in the first place. Mission accomplished!

This is what a mass provisioning trip looks like as
everyone heads to their boats with dinghies full of goods!

Now for the next challenge: setting up the phones on our own with the instructions in French! It was a group effort again, but one by one, we managed to get everyone up and running. Then came the next problem: these were phone SIM cards, not data cards! Therefore, you need a smart phone with a hotspot to access the Internet. Those with iPads could not use them!

The joys of waiting and waiting and waiting for a SIM card!

Fortunately, we had purchased an unlocked Samsung Galaxy in New Zealand so we can swap out SIM cards in each country and use it as a hotspot! I have had to learn a lot about prepaid phone cards, etc. Now the challenge is finding 3G coverage areas. It seems that the older phones are sold to the less developed countries so they do not offer the latest service. You can tell when we have found the right place as everyone is on their devices!

Heading to Petit Paris!

Something always needs attention on deck during a storm!

New Caledonia along with French Polynesia is the other French Territoire d’outre-Mer in the Pacific Ocean. It is 20 degrees south of the equator which makes it Tropical, but the climate is slightly cooler. Yet it has the feel of the tropics with the white sand beaches, coconut palm trees and coral reefs. Actually, some of the most beautiful beaches in the world are in the Loyalty Islands just 50 nm east of the main island of Grande Terre.

So for the cruiser who has been in the remote authentic Melanesian islands of Vanuatu, New Caledonia is a wonderful place with French bread, cheeses, wine and pastries! The French believe in making fresh baguettes several times a day so there is always fresh bread. And they don’t keep it from day to day like we have to on the boat. There are no preservatives so it a challenge to keep it from molding.
Unfortunately, we only get a chance to buy it when we are near a market – which isn’t very often unless we are in a main port.



This is a little stronger than I like. 18-20 knots is just fine!

I am looking forward to buying some of the things I discovered here last year: Casino cappuccino, Orangina in large bottles, fresh prawns and a lot more. Of course, I will have to wait until I get back to Noumea for most of these items. I will be stocking up as there are things you learn to love in one country only to never find it again! Before heading to Australia, I will get quantities of things I want for the second half of this journey. Of course, I must be careful that what I buy will not be confiscated by the biosecurity cops in Oz (Australia, as it is known out here in the islands and New Zealand).
 

I saw it coming when day turned to night!
And it was only 3:45 PM and sunny.

We had a lovely sail for the first afternoon and night. The steady winds continued in the morning and we continued to sail along at 18-20 knots without much lumpiness. Trillium loves this kind of wind, especially when it is ahead of the beam. She flies!

I was really enjoying the trip until I noted the black sky ahead. Suddenly it seemed like nighttime in the middle of the afternoon. The winds leapt up to 25 knots with higher gusts and then it started to rain. Dennis came up to give me a hand and we turned on the radar. There we were in the middle of three squalls! We were hit by one and managed to skirt by the other two with minimal gusts and little rain. Of course, something on deck needed attention so he clipped on and went out to take care of it! I surely can't do that!

Our first landfall will be on Lifou in the Loyalty Islands. Since we must clear in with Customs, Immigration and BioSecurity first, we have rejoined the Island Cruising Club’s Pacific Circuit Rally, which we highly recommend as a way to see places throughout the South Pacific cruising season. Lyn and John Martin have a great program and are fun people with whom to rally! They enjoy beach fires, singing and fun and games so their program has something for everyone. And their personalities are delightful – plus they sail along with the entire fleet throughout the rally.

Are you having fun yet? Still?

Even though the Loyalties are near New Caledonia and part of the government, they are different in terrain and racial composition. The islands are not mountainous, if fact, they are more like atolls. The people are Melanesian. The national language is French, but the local language with a French twist is spoken in the villages.

I failed to learn French even though I promised myself I would after last year’s visit to New Caledonia. I have been working on it with my Rosetta Stone program, but I did not start soon enough. And I am a bit intimidated with the pronunciation! At least I can now understand some of the words and will be a little better at reading menus and grocery labels.

Check out the red areas. We are in the center of the circle
under the biggest squall at 4 PM with two more ahead!

The passage from Port Vila, Vanuatu to Lifou, Loyalty Island is an overnight sail if you leave really early, have good wind and can make it into the anchorage with good light. Since we were the last to leave Port Vila (for a number of reasons), we decided to make it a two night passage to arrive in really good light conditions since we had not been here and the entry has to be right on the way points. It was actually a nice passage. I had a few moments of concern – if you know what I mean, but held it to just queasiness.

The reason we were late leaving Vanuatu was that the entire fleet used up all of the fuel at the fuel dock and we had to wait along with Caduceus and Heat Wave for the fuel truck. And of course, by the time they filled up, it was time to close the fuel dock for the day. Not that the operators wanted to make one more sale before leaving for the day! That would be against island protocol – or whatever you may call it. Not too many enterprising people in the islands!



The morning after sunrise on my 5 AM watch.

The plus was that we had more time to do our duty-free shopping and pick up Pacific francs for New Caledonia money. Needing different money in every country becomes a challenge in itself. First you have to find a bank that has money for the next country before you head out. Then you have to recalculate the USD exchange rate so you know what you are spending in the new currency. And hopefully, you have very little, if any, of the previous country's currency left when you leave. Oh, yes! Then there is the issue of the currency being out of date! That's right! Several of these islands have updated their currency since last year so we have money that is no longer in circulation!

Of course, we restocked with wine and liquor. The price was so right: $13 USD for a liter of Absolut! It was a good time to try some of the expensive single malts - not for me, though. And I benefited the most being my birthday AND duty-free! Put two and two together and think about something lovely in iridescent grey that goes around your neck! And it happens to be Tahitian with pedigree papers. As Dennis admits, he doesn't always do gifts. But when he does ... Lucky me!

Recapping Our Work in Vanuatu

Helping Hands: Revisiting Vanuatu Following Cyclone Pam from Sherry Day

Moving On Across the Pacific

Beautiful anchorage off Avokh Island, Maskelyne, Vanuatu

There comes a time when you must continue your journey. Now is that time. Actually, today is the second anniversary of the start of this adventure. We left the dock in Maryland on October 25, 2013. My! Time flies when you are having fun!

We are not across the Pacific Ocean yet. And we still have the Coral Sea, Indian Ocean (a really big one!), the South Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea to cross before we get back to St. Lucia, our starting point for the World ARC. Our intended arrival date is April 2017. We still have some land cruising to do in Australia and SE Asia.

 

Jennifer and her son. She is Chief Kaisa's daughter

It was very difficult leaving Avokh Island and Vanuatu. We both have great memories and have made friends with whom we will continue to support in some way. Once we were back in Port Vila to prepare for our passage to New Caledonia, the emotional and physical exhaustion set in. We were both surprise to feel such low energy for a few days.

Vincent, Shelta, Karina, Nella and their little guy.

 

 

 

 

I still get teary-eyed when I think about the friends we left and will probably not see again. I have over 1000 photos of the experience so it will not be forgotten. And I do wonder how they feel: a) are they glad we finally got out of their hair!, b) are they wondering how to continue what we started, c) are they feeling the void of our absence, d) are they wondering what hit them when S/V Trillium arrived,) or are they trying to understand why we gave them so much? Or all of the above?



Vincent's parents



Chief Nawa

 
 


 

We shared many meals with Chief Kaisa, Vincent and their families.

 


One of the many talented musicians.

Goodbye Mother Hubbard dresses. Not my style!

Fortunately, the weather dictates when a yacht must move on, otherwise, one might get stuck in one place for a long time. This is what happens to many people who have left shore without a time frame for cruising. Suddenly they find themselves somewhere in the ocean world after eleven years! We do have a time frame for returning to land so we must sail with the weather windows.
   

Curious weavers!

Cruising friends from S/Y La Quilta and S/Y Celine

Our welcoming and goodbye party!

Next stop: the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia. We have heard they are beautiful and one of the top beaches in the world in on the Atoll D’Ouvea island of Ouvea. Since Customs and Immigration require westbound yachts to sail to all the way west and around the bottom of New Caledonia to Noumea on Grande Terre to clear in, most yachts miss this stop in the island group to the east. Since we are sailing with the Island Cruising Club’s Pacific Circuit Rally on this leg, we have the privilege of clearing in on Lifou. The ICA flies the officials to Lifou for the clearance process.

 

Mal de Mare Update:

I am pleased to report that I have now made four passages without being seasick! In the traditional Root Cause Analysis mode, you must ask: what changed! I started eating more before and during the passages. When I was having so much trouble, I didn’t want to put anything in my stomach as I did not want to see it again. Now I realize it was the stomach acid causing the dry heaves. So far, eating has worked and I feel much better. Still a little queasy, but managing it. Life has gotten better!