Last experiences in Vanuatu

The chain of Vanuatu islands

Our route took us to Havannah Bay, and then as the sun set we sailed out through the fringing islands for the sail north to Malekule and the Maskelyne Islands.  We had a brisk wind astern and made good speed to arrive after breakfast.  My first choice of anchorage was rather too exposed, so we tucked in behind Awae Island, where we soon met people paddling their canoes to and from their gardens or fishing grounds.  

The following day we set off the 30 miles to Ambrym Island which was clearly visible with steam issuing from its three volcanoes.

Craig's Cove, Ambrym, Vanuatu

In Ambrym, we witnessed traditional dancing, and enjoyed sharing kava in the evening with locals.

We were able to arrange a ride in a pick-up truck through the forests and coconut groves along grassy tracks to a neatly laid out village with an incongruous handmade Parking sign.  There were a number of old men sitting around in old T shirts and shorts under a shelter. The chief, grey haired, took us to hi shut to relax and drink coconut water while a troupe of old men disappeared to get dressed in traditional garb to perform a secret dance for us.

When the Tam Tam sounded we all followed  the sound to be met by the chief beckoning us down a long alleyway which twisted and turned between hedges to reach a secret dance floor lined with tam-tam statues carved form logs.

Aged men dressed in their purple pandanus penis leaf with testicles hanging clear, and a thick waist band held with a bark rope cord danced, stamped and sang as they emerged from the forest onto the hard earth dance floor.   Feather-like foliage was tucked into the belt like a cockerel's tail feathers, and they wore feathers in their hair.  The Chief wielded a club whilst others had long sticks, needed as much to support the aged dancers as to thump the ground.  A board buried in the ground added a deep reverberation when the sticks thudded down, and one man beat a rhythm on a hollowed out tam tam log, with a slit along its length.

There was a stamping welcome dance followed by several more all very energetic with loud singing and shouting.  Afterwards we witnessed magic by the Chief. He withdrew a long black snake from a pawpaw leaf, somehow attaching it to a palm frond that he was waving.  One man then split a coconut in two, and the chief picked it up with his palm frond!  We also watched sand drawing, with a turtle and a heart.

We were invited to a bamboo shack where kava was prepared from fresh roots/tubers, and we sat chatting with some locals as the evening light faded.   The fresh kava was a lot nicer than the dried powder we had in Fiji, being somewhat fruitier or at any rate tasing of fresh root.  The effect was to calm me down, from a state where I had been rather busy and pre-occupied with boat issues, and to give me a sense of  peace.

We set off again to Malekule Island.  Here we anchored off Uripiv Island where a sandy beach fronted the village.  We were invited by a young islander, Colin, to walk round the village.  He showed us his house, built of woven palm mats on a wood frame, and thatched with palm leaves. He had built a sweet little playpen for his 3 month old son.  The village was very neat and tidy, and their water supply was a well, dug into the coral, which delivered a steady supply of fresh water.   There were other wells for the 600 inhabitants, but only one was consistently fresh.

That evening we sat and drank kava at a nakamal and chatted with locals, including a couple of Peace Corps volunteers. Very peaceful, but I don’t seem to register any strong effect of kava, unlike the locals who were all spitting at the bitterness of the liquid.  Supposedly it numbs one's mouth and makes one calm.  I felt the calm….. I spent 1,000 vatu on a couple of rounds of kava before we headed back to Tin Tin, where Mark was not feeling very well.

The next day I swam ashore and chatted to Colin and others and strolled down towards the marine park. I was introduced to the Chief, Rachel Fraser, who gave permission to snorkel there and gave me three grapefruit.  I was getting sunburnt, so I headed back to the boat for a hat and a shirt, and the others went off snorkelling while a rising westerly kicked up the waves on the lee shore to which our stern was rather close.

I met Brad and Emmaand their daughter. They have been on Uripiv since 2008 translating the Bible into Uripiv language    Their little yacht moored off the beach was being used as a great escape from the island, but was rather damaged and unable to sail.

After a relaxed, sunny day we went to bed after supper and then upped anchor and sailed overnight to Luganville to clear out of Vanuatu.  Our schedule has slipped a couple of days because there are no Customs and Immigration facilities on the weekend, and we missed getting there on Friday. There was very little wind at first  and we only made 2-4 knots, but it picked up nicely after dawn and we zoomed in at 9.6 knots!

Now the weather has changed and it’s rainy today.  We are trying to get another gas canister to fit the boat, as our European ones cannot be filled here, and we are rather short of gas for cooking now.

Next stop could be Port Moresby, unless the weather and timing are right to push on through the Torres Straits to Thursday Island, where we must clear Customs.   Biosecurity is apparently very strict and we are concerned at how much of our ship’s stores will survive the inspection….