24:57S 161:53E The Last Leg

Meryon.bridges
Fri 6 Aug 2010 08:14
Friday 6th August
 
We are now some way into our last leg, from New Caledonia to Brisbane, and are somewhat weary and so feel that we are indeed on our last legs.  But more of that later.
 
We had a grand  time in Noumea, NC, where we tied up in a very civilised marina and had showers, steaks, croissants and good coffee. What more could one ask for?  After 13000 miles we are pretty well islanded out and so this haven was a joy.
 
New Caledonia was ignored by the Brits back in Captain Cook's days, and taken on by the French, both to keep it out of our hands and to use as a penal colony.  This they did with a vengeance, sending over 20000 criminals there.  As regards the local Kanach population the French ran a rigid system of apartheid which only finally ended in 1956. Small wonder that the Kanachs want independance, something which is planned for 2014, although I imagine that the French will maintain a financial stranglehold.
 
We spent a lot of our time blitzing Ares so that we don't have too much to do when we reach Brisbane.  She has done us very well and deserved some TLC.  We found time though to visit the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, designed bu Lorenzo Piano and one of Mitterand's Grand Projets.  It is most impressive and a much better effort than the ghastly Pompidou Centre in Paris.  Very well set up it tells the story of the Kanachs.
 
I also visited the museum in the town centre.  It is housed in a rather splendid building which was built by a banker who promptly went bust!  Probably dealing in contracts for difference etc etc!  Anyway it is a delight which tells the story of the creation of Noumea and of the role played by local troops in WW1 and WW2 when they fought for the French in France and North Africa (wearing British Uniforms at least during training!).  Although the island never saw an enemy plane many US troops were there and 7 hospitals were built to handle casualties from the Pacific theatre.
 
Tim the Australian and the Fr Can, of whom much mention has been made, jumped ship in Noumea which was a bit of a bore.  Philippe was concerned that he would run into trouble with the authorities on arrival in Oz, probably rightly, and so has stayed in a counrty where he can at least speak the language.  He appears to be skint and so who knows what he will do.  No doubt he will give whoever takes him on endless gratuitous advice.  Tim left for family reasons. 
 
And so we are back to two and working 3 hours on and 3 hours off, hence feeling a bit knackered.  There is very little wind about and we are creeping along under the spinnaker by day and motoring slowly by night.  We are keeping the revs down to conserve fuel as we do not have enough to motor straight to Brisbane.  As I write we are doing a brisk 3 knots!  Only a touch over 600 miles to go!
 
So for those who keep a track of our arrival at various points you had better ignore the last suggestion that this would take 8 days.  I now doubt that we will arrive in Brisbane before 12th August whern we will face the massed onslaught of customs, quarantine and immigration.  $350 to take our rubbish (even if there isn't any) and $900 for a termite dog to search for non-existent termites plus $388 per hour!  We will be well and truly scammed by our colonial "friends".
 
The very best to you all from a somewhat jaded crew of Ares