Port Havannah, Efate
Trust
Richard Martin
Wed 6 Aug 2014 20:44
We set off for our overnight sail to Efate from Erromango Sunday night. The leg was too long for a daytime sail and we didn't want to arrive at an unfamiliar anchorage at night. The conditions weren't too bad - 15 knots on the aft quarter - but we had a bit of a roll on, and sure enough, the main ripped again on the panel immediately above the Fiji repair. Replacing the panel in Fiji may have introduced a stress point in the next panel - who knows. But its certainly frustrating. So we diverted to Port Vila and got the sail to the sailmaker that morning. He promised to have it back Weds morning, which he did. So it wasn't all bad as we had a couple of nights to sample the delights of Vila. Its a bit like a Pacific wild west town. Full of noise and traffic and colour. The French influence means there are some good supermarkets (and cheapish French wine) and good baguettes. Pat spent Tuesday exploring the town and and sampling whatever strange food he could find, while Nigel and I had a quiet day on the boat. Weds we loaded the sail back on the boom and took off for Port Havanah, 20 miles north. This is a very enclosed waterway, which is good, as today has dawned windy and rainy. But we have 2 superyachts beside us so we can indulge in our favourite pastime of watching the rich and famous. Tomorrow its back to Vila.