Vanua Balavu, Bay of Islands. 17:10.7S, 179:01.2W

Serenity of Swanwick
Phil and Sarah Tadd
Sun 21 Jul 2019 06:11
We’re back to satellite communication tonight so can’t show how beautiful this place is. We had a great sail from Qamea last night sneaking out of the anchorage through the reefs at midnight then a lovely starlit passage. About 5 miles out from the entrance to Vanua Balavu we were hit with thirty knots of wind and heavy rain, not what you need to navigate in coral. We called on the radio to make contact with boats already inside the reef, on hearing that we were considering sailing away to Savu Savu, a 100 mile passage, rather than risk the entrance the folk on Midnight Sun who we had met in Albert Cove offered to come out and pilot us in. So thanks to John and Wendy we are now anchored in Bay of Islands, sheltered and comfortable. Pictures to follow.