Saturday 3 November, Ilot Mbe Kouen South Pacific Ocean 22 15.69S  166 13.21E 

Today’s Blog by Richard (Time zone GMT+11.00; UTC +11.00)

Yes, I have officially been told to pack my bags. They have all had enough of me. So, a few reflections to go home with.

The scenery and the snorkelling have been just magnificent. The colours of the waters around the atolls are breathtaking and the reefs have been teeming with fish. The waters are so clear that you can easily see the beautiful colours of the coral and the fish seem to be quite tame and curious. And, once we severed our love affair with Noumea, the sailing was also excellent – more or less constant 15+ knot winds, mostly in the right direction, and, for the most part, in sunshine. Serendipity, as ever, looked after us well, even though there many issues to be dealt with when she arrives in NZ. As David has said in previous blogs, the islands are rather disappointing when you land on them so the French need to put in more money and the locals need to look after them a bit more. To remind you how lovely they are, here are some nice pictures of, and from, Amedee, where we anchored last night. The lighthouse was prefabricated in Paris and then shipped here in 1865.

As for the crew, well………

Actually, we seem to have rubbed along pretty well and I am indebted to Peter for teaching me the quick-tightening bowline; Terry for teaching me how to make coleslaw and Lenie for teaching me what “spollock” means in Dutch.

As for David, where to start? Well, a new language is a good place with bewildering nautical terms such as iron topsail, persuader, offit and “all its bits”. In fact, he is a generous teacher but also admits to learning some things himself. Earlier today, I asked if he had learned anything from me and he replied “tact and diplomacy”. Hmm. And, he is the world’s best tour guide. However, his guard is occasionally down:

And he can get a bit confused. On entering Baie de Prony a couple of weeks ago, I was alarmed at how close he was going to a channel marker, named Recif Moziman. I had to explain that it was not a chic restaurant where we could stop for dinner but a marker to be avoided. The iron topsail was promptly fired up to ensure we missed it.

I must say he takes my joshing pretty well and I probably deserve a dunking for it. So, to balance things out, I am delighted to have been invited back on Serendipity – it really is a privilege which I have, once again, thoroughly enjoyed.

Here are some other friends I have made on the journey:

The dog liked David and me so much that he tried to board the tender when we left the island.

And this was my favourite sign:

(You leave my grandis alone…..)

And finally, no blog of mine would be complete without a comment on the workshop (my cabin). I now realise it is limitless when it comes to sleep deprivation torture. The latest method is the Life Tag system (for man overboard) which, when malfunctioning, emits a loud tone (on this occasion, at 3am). Cunningly, the equipment which emits the tone is carefully embedded into the ceiling so it is quite difficult to smash into submission with a hammer without destroying the superstructure.

Enough, I hear you say. It remains for me to wish the others fair winds for their passage to NZ and I will be following their blogs with interest.