position S09 25.500 E159 58.500
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Ocean Rival Journey Log
Adam Power Diana Power
Thu 27 Jun 2019 11:57
Tuesday 25th
Arrived in Honaria on Tuesday
afternoon about 3pm. My chart wasn't revealing much detail for the
bay, but the cruising guide did have a mini chart suggesting a
sheltered anchorage. The bay was smaller than I was expecting and
I was glad there was only one other small yacht in, otherwise
space for anchoring would have been hard to find. As it was I was
compromising the anchor length a bit in order not to get too close
to a riprap concrete wall on the west side. I rowed ashore (the
outboard hasn't been getting much exercise the last few
anchorages) and found the yacht club- a faded notice suggesting we
should sign in to gain temporary membership.
![]() The staff looked blank at the
signing in suggestion and showed us the facilites- a nice bar and
some cold showers. Rubbish was not catered for unless you count
the litter strewn stream running beside the building but the
manager suggested I phone a number on his board for someone to
collect our bags. I did that and then left our bags by the gate
for collection. I think there might have been a charge for the
service but so far we haven't been asked and we aren't inclined
to volunteer more payment due to the following days charges (more
later).
We had a quick look at the
immediate bit of town around the yacht club, found an atm and had
a beer at the club. The lonely planet mentioned an indian
restaurant being about the only one open in the evening so we
swayed across the busy main road on sea legs and enjoyed a very
passable Lamb Rogan Josh/Korma with plenty left over to take away
with us for the next night.
The yacht club is quite smart
with a doorman keeping out the riffraff and some attractive beach
volleyball players getting in some serious practice for a
tournament. As you exit you soon see that the real Honaria is
bustling with beetel nut sellers crouched at the side of littered
and dusty pavements, traffic choked along the main drag, and
chinese shops selling everything cheap.
![]() Wednesday 26th June
Knowing that the paperwork would
take for ever we started early and made for the customs office
down on the commercial dock. We handed over our form from Lata
which mentioned the light fee still to pay. It didn't mention that
the light fee is $1800 SD or £180 which was a shock -all the more
as we have only seen two lights in the Solomons- both here at the
entrance to the harbour and we seem to have paid for those
outright. I didn't have enough cash and had to trapse back to the
main street for the atm. Then at immigration later we were stung
for another $500 which was almost certainly an unofficial fee for
officials personal use as the receipt we had from Lata said
clearly that the $500 fee paid there was for both in and out. What
happens if we refuse to pay we asked? The official laughed and
said he wouldn't issue our clearance. Not knowing quite what
problems that would cause we coughed up. We emphasised at both
offices that high fees deter yachts from visiting- they get a
paltry 40 yachts a year that they know of. I guess most don't
bother checking in at all.
![]() The main market and then the
newly built craft market made up for much of the fee
disapointment- wonderful fresh produce and lovely crafts, delicate
shell jewelry, intricate basketwork and expert wood carving. We
also looked in on the little town museum which had a nice display
of the usual ethnic arts and crafts and interesting history of the
confict between the two central islands, Malaita and Guadalcanal
and the successful policing initiative between neighbouring
countries to put things on what is now a fairly even keel. I
chatted with 85 year old Michael in the market while Diana
browsed. He is from Malaita and confirmed that the tensions were
now history, but also had a little dig, mentioning that Malaitians
are much more industrious than the Guadacanalians. Also
interesting stuff about the battle for the pacific between USA and
Japan, much of which took place in the Solomons.
I found a hairdresser and got him
to restore some respectability to my appearance which had grown
rather wild. The ladies stylist chatted with Diana and recommended
a supermarket, which we found had a better range of goods that the
chinese shops.
So well provisioned and shorn we
retired to the boat with the intention of setting off early in the
morning, except I had forgotten the beer. Also I had succeeded to
get a local sim card to produce internet access and we managed
some administration for the office before it ran out so needed to
top up requiring a trip ashore in the morning.
![]() Thursday 27th June
Beer and a couple of bottles of
cheap aussie plonk required another visit to the atm and then as
we now had spare cash I emptied 3 of my 4 jerry cans into the tank
and bought 60 litres of diesel at the garage next to the yacht
club. All that and the office administration took us deep into
the afternoon so we upped anchor at 6pm rather than the planned
6am. Now the wind has died completely and the engine is pushing us
gently towards a little island north of Guadalcanal where we
might find a nice anchorage for a swim and gird our loins for the
longer crossing to Papua New Guinea.
It is clear that the Solomons are
some way behind Vanuatu in tourism development but the potential
is there. Honiara deserves its reputation for being a bit rough
but we didn't feel unsafe at all and it is evident that some money
is being found for tourism. It is cart and horse though- the new
craft market was full of sellers with lovely stuff, but not many
buyers as yet. The sellers may get dispirited before the buyers
turn up.
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