August 2009
Mbhyw
Thu 3 Sep 2009 00:35
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Diary for August
Mark and Mel flew home onto he 1st to
prepare for their move to Kula Lumpa. Meanwhile as Diana recovered from her flu
(Swine flu?) we stocked up for 4 weeks or so
with fuel,groceries and a few bottles of
wine.
A quick sail to Havannah passage on the 4th and
then a great sail up to Lamen Bay in Epi for the festival there. 20 yachts in
the bay Lots of social cockpit parties prepared us for the next
day.
Could not believe it, it rained and we were glad of
the 2 golfing sized umbrellas we bought in Villa. Warm rain dissuades no one and
things were soon underway with a canoe
race to an offshore island and back (sail assisted
with palm fronds on the downwind leg) Villagers had stalls and after swimming
races,tug of wars and other simple but very enjoyable
activities we finished with a yachtie feast at the
eco tourist lodge.Eco tourist lodges are traditional huts where a few
adventurous backpackers and a surprising number of scuba
enthusiasts
can stay cheaply .A far cry from the Villa Hilton but their guests are unlikely ever to
get here.
From here we sailed to the Maskelynes on the south
end of Malakula Island where we joined Aurielle,Halekai and Grace for
supper and explored the village by our anchorage. People here have little money
and prefer to trade food for clothes,rope,books etc. Much of their cash is used
on education---some 75% in most poor families---fortunately for them they knew
the value of Lobsters so the price we paid for 2 large ones covered school for
one child for a month at Junior school.While here we heard of the sudden death
of our friend Sylvie on Windcastle,They were still in Epi but we heard Doug's
call for medical assistance on the hf that evening.Poor Doug,a very sad day for
us all.
With Aurielle's knowledge of the area we then
cruised with her and Spirit of Ecstasy around to Port Sanwich on the east side
of Malakula and found a charming anchorage there by a "French" town .Quite
prosperous with large vegetable gardens ,numerous cattle and a small hospital
and school.Even good bread was available!Good walks here ,unfortunately in the
rain,Here we too discovered the danger of tropical ulcers and Sue on
Aurielle diagnose 2 on my left ankle and foot.So dry feet,land with a plastic
bag over the foot and peroxide and antibiotic powder on the wound every 4
hours.Took 10 days to go and untreated they spread very
quickly in to the limb ''
Sunny weather now as we visited Ambryn where
we had a village tour and bought some carvings too. The village tour was very
good and it is amazing to see the harmony the people have with their
surroundings.
Most of their food grows readily in the fertile
soil,fish swim in the sea (not too plentiful after a disastrous period of
licensed Taiwanese fishing) cattle,chicken and pigs abound and their homes
can be made from local materials though some are made with home made cement
blocks and tin roofs.
After Ambryn was Pentecost,the home of LandDiving.
We visited the school and were able to help with pencils,chalks and books, We
saw too Captain Cooks writing at Cook Rock.He landed here in his survey of what
he called the New Hebrides (now Vanuata) in July 1774
After visiting the north end of Pentecost we got to
Asafari Bay on Maewo,.Chief Nelson made us welcome-----when you land on any
Island you first visit the chief with a gift for him or the community before
asking for permission to look around,anchor, etc. In each community the chief is
the chief and respected
This was one of the most beautiful islands and we
were shown the nearly completed church.For various reasons we felt we would
like to help with the timber to complete the ceiling and were able to arrange a
delivery from a timber merchant in Luganville .The builders merchant also
ran Maewo's supply ship so it was a one stop shop.There are so many worthy
causes here what can one do
Onto the old volcanic crater on Ambae where
we visited the Anglican School of St Patrick and where John on Aurielle won the
heart of a family ashore and was made a "brother"
We are now in Santo enjoying some beautiful lagoon
anchorages before we head for Bunderburg
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