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!

Time for a Change of Scenery: Grande Terre

 
 

Sometimes he makes me nervous! I wonder if I could
actually get him back on the boat if he fell off?

 

After a relaxing time in the Loyalty Islands, especially Atol d’Ouvea, we all decided it was time to explore the eastern coast of Grande Terre. We had been advised that this probably would not be a pleasant way to go south due to the southeasterly winds, swells and current up the side of the main island.

However, the consensus was that the winds had shifted to the east and north east and it was a perfect time to head across to Passe De Toupeti and enter the barrier reef. We were sailing with S/V Chez Nous and S/Y Darramy again.

We would then day hop down inside the reef, exploring as we went. This turned out to be the right decision as the wind was supportive of our plan. It is so nice when Mother Nature agrees with us! It was a most enjoyable crossing over to the mainland and through the barrier reef pass.

This is quite a change from the Loyalty Islands.
Where's the beach!

We found a lovely anchorage at Ile Nemou (21⁰ 40.442’S, 166⁰ 22.937’E). Obviously from the photo at the left, you can see that the terrain here is very different from the Loyalty Islands. We are on the east side of Grande Terre; in other words, on the windward side.

The earth on the mainland here is a rusty red and is mined for nickel. Unfortunately, it sticks to our shoes and makes a mess of the dinghy if we don't wash them off first. For now, it is okay because we are staying on a small islet with white sandy beaches.

The view of the landing from the boat.

This is a nature reserve area so you cannot fish or disturb anything, but you can go ashore to the beach. At first we thought it was someone’s private property. Eventually, we all decided to venture ashore to check it out as we had not seen any activity around the buildings or area. Once on shore, we read the signage about the reserve – in French, of course, but I could make out the meaning of most of it.

It was fine for us to be there. However, the surroundings looked like something else goes on here. I am not sure what it all means or if it is just a hoax to keep people away!

At first, we thought it was private and stayed off.

 

It looked like a place where black magic is alive and well. We were not sure about the “décor” of the area. The photos will tell the story and your imagination is free to enhance! We couldn’t figure it out.

Then we saw the sign!

 

 

 



A view of the beach. Since this is a ilot, there is no red dirt.

It is a lovely little sanctuary where everything is protected. However, I am not sure what goes on with the bonfire and the creatures hanging around it!

The swimming may have been fine here, but the temperature is a little too chilly. Spring is just beginning so the air has a little nip even though the sun is very warm. I stuck with wading in the water. Of course, shell collection is a no-no in a marine reserve.

A dinghy ride to Rocher Boise around the corner yielded itself to another adventure. It is a tiny island - the kind you want to see on the chart before you meet it in the dark!

We scoured the rocky and coral and shell covered land area for interesting specimen. Dennis found two dead starfish (although, I have been told that they are not fish and should be called sea stars) on the shore. They were well bleached and rigor mortise had set in so they were surely beyond saving.



After two nights here, we headed down the coast to find another interesting anchorage. We did not have any problems with the current or wind. In fact, the wind was so light that we motored and charged our batteries all the way to the next stop.
 

We took a pass on Baie de Kouakoue and continued on to Baie de Quinne. We were hoping to find a village and a store –for bread and more! At this point anything will do!

The beach (?) at Rocher Boise

It turned out to be a mining village and no activity. Of course, we arrived on a Saturday so it was probably closed for the weekend. That was probably a good thing since there is a huge buoy for the ore ships to come into collect their cargo. Their presence would not have been pleasant at all. Although a peaceful anchorage, it was not one worth spending another night. Other than the view of the mountains painted with red soil and green trees, it was a boring place.



Rocher Boise is not a place to stay.

Our friends on S/Y Celine from Gulf Harbour in New Zealand,  brought over some freshly caught tuna. Yachties frequently share fish since the critters are so big and yield a lot of flesh. If one has room in the freezer, some is frozen. Since it is so good fresh, it is nice to share.
 

At daylight, we all weighed anchor to move south again. The group plan was to go into Baie De Yate as there appears to be a village there. Although, the anchorage itself does not look keep enough for our comfort. It will be fine for the catamaran, but the monohulls need more water.

Rocher Boise looks better from afar! 

S/Y Darramy and S/V Chez Nous

Since we motor faster, we were in the lead. The wind was light and on the nose so motoring allowed us to charge the batteries at the same time. We pulled into Baie d’ Yates to check it out.

We did see the village, but there was a big swell and not much room on the leeward side so we did not want to leave the boat to go ashore. Our track shows we made a U-turn and came right back out pushing against the tide and trying to stay between the red and green markers at the edge of the narrow winding channel. Not a place for S/V Trillium!

Looking at the eastern shore of Grande Terre.

Having let the other two boats know we were moving on, we continued south to Cap Coronation and Baie de Tare. What a lovely find! It was tricky going in – another narrow and winding channel between huge reefs – but well worth it!

Most of the upper bay is uncharted so we stopped at the most interior anchorage suggested in the guide. This was a very comfortable location as the winds clocked around for a couple of days. We hardly felt the wind or the tidal flow. This was worth a couple of sleep-filled nights. Something one is always looking to have. We seem to wake up between 0530 -0630 every day and we tend to stay up relatively late. So a couple of good snoozes are wonderful!

This is the sport of fishing underway. A balancing act!

Time to move again. This time we are heading down to the southern end of Grand Terre to De Goro Port. Although not protected by any land on the east and south sides, we are inside a reef. In fact, we are several miles inside a reef that is marked by a lighthouse at the entrance. Again a narrow path between the reefs, but very comfortable once we got well in to the furthest anchorage.

A tricky passage between reefs to a good anchorage.  
You must stay right on the waypoints or be sorry!

There appears to be a village there, so Dennis took the dinghy ashore to check it out. In search of bread, of course! I think he is tired of rice cakes and crackers, tortilla wraps and wheat crackers. Toast with his eggs are probably the motivator. And he is now a fan of Vegemite! Some of you know what this is. It stinks! I think it is one of those “either you like it or you don’t” foods with no in between.

Unfortunately, there is no store there. He managed to communicate that he was looking for one and how could he get to one. But the answer was: Il n’y en a pas. And then the hand signal that it is a long way from here appeared again! No bread – again. So the search goes on… I think I am going to have to give in and learn to make bread.

It is a beautiful contrast of red and green everywhere you look.

There was a beautiful full rainbow. I couldn't get it all in one shot because it was so close! We have seen this a number of times. It happens on the water where no land hides one end or the other.

S/V Trillium

After we all took a dinghy ride to see the river and waterfall, we beached the dinghies and walked up someone’s driveway and across the road to take photos. It was a lovely waterfall and vantage point. 

Not the biggest we have seen, but lovely.

Another couple joined us and Brian began a conversation in French with them. Back out on the road, we continued the conversation with the man with whom they were traveling. He was delightful and had a long French conversation with Brian regarding the lack of stores anywhere near here. In fact, he told us we wouldn’t be finding any stores at the next few stops and it would be surprising if we find much in Ile des Pins! Of course, that is where we are heading and we all want some fresh fruits and vegetable – and bread!

Dennis was picking up trash at the waterfall.

 

  
 

No stores! Oui, Madame!

 

Our passage inside the barrier reef was pleasant.