NORDLYS - Vanuatu

Vanuatu

NORDLYS

David and Annette Ridout

Sat 13 Aug 2005 22:50

Another visit to Tanna and south to Aneiytum

Port Vila

13th August 2005

To set the scene. We are anchored in a large cove along with about eight other boats. In front of us the dark black volcanic sand beach is fringed with palm trees and other tropical scrub. To our right there is a cliff face and above this a steep hill rises to some three hundred feet. Both on the beach and in the hillside scrub there are columns of steam wafting up from volcanic vents. The beach has pools of hot fresh water that are constantly being fed from underground and provide good clothes washing facilities. Yesterday we had a washing session and I know the pools are hot! On our left the third side of the cove is made up of a low cliff above which is one of the three villages that surround this lovely spot. Herein lies the trouble.

Seated in Nordlys's cockpit are two arch rivals. In one corner Stanley from the above mentioned village. Son of the elderly chief he is aged about thirty and when not high on Kava is fairly organised unlike last year when he was always high on the root. In another corner sits Eric. He is the de facto chief, the real chief is very elderly, of the other rather poorer village that lies about quarter of a mile inland from the head of the cove. Both expect us to attend a 'feast' in their respective villages tomorrow. There is a third character and by far the most likeable of the three. He is called David and like the others somewhere in his thirties. He represents yet another village that lies a twenty minute walk away. Basically Stanley organises transport to Lenakel for checking in. Also for trips to the volcano. Eric and Mary his wife last year layed on an excellent feast for us and want to do so again. David has organised that his village lay on fire walking and other entertainments. The idea being that the visiting yachts pay for these activities and contribute towards the welfare of the three villages. The three headmen are however very jealous of each other and are incapable of working together. Stupidly, as the one yacht that has visited this anchorage before, we had volunteered to organise the transport/feast/firewalking. I will not bore my readers with the minutiae of the negotiations but suffice to say we managed transport when required, had a feast and also a most entertaining two hours with David and his villagers. I now know why the Middle East is taking so long to sort out. A mixture of banging heads together and also feeding egos was the recipe for success.

Tanna, an island I wrote about last year and one which we very much enjoy, provided a lovely week of entertainment. The volcano was not as active as on our last visit but still produced some spectacular outbursts and was a memorable experience for us all. The visiting yachts were a sociable crowd and much fun was had by all. The food at the feast was even a little bit more edible than last year. I am still not really into taro, pig fat and manioc. Patrick, my nephew, has amongst his skills that of juggling. He went down very well in the villages and actually helped a local boy to get quite good. He was also asked by David to perform after they had finished their shows. The local children loved this.

Forty five miles to the south of Tanna lies the island of Aneiytum. This is not often visited by yachts as it lies mostly upwind of Tanna which is the southern most island that one can check into Vanuatu. Four of us ventured south and apart from the frustration of waiting off the island for daylight it was a lovely sail. Four yachts were the most they had ever had and we were only the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th yachts to visit this year. The place itself provided some reasonable snorkelling, good walking and an insight into the life of an island where they are seldom visited by outsiders. Except for the cruise ships! To explain. There is a small uninhabited island off the main village. This island is surrounded by reefs on three sides and the main island on the other. It is ringed by white sand beaches. The cruise ships have taken to arriving in the early morning and anchoring off for the day before sailing overnight to another destination. Their tourists are transported to the island where the villagers sell them knick knacks of tourist trash, they swim, snorkel and generally get up to the sort of thing that one would expect. Thus at no time do these hordes, and each ship produces between two and three thousand people, actually set foot on the main island but at the same time the locals can make some much needed money from them. This year they are to be visited by some seventy five of these ships. Two came during our stay but we visited the island on a day when there was no cruise ship anchored off. We could have happily stayed longer in this excellent anchorage and done some more walking but the weather dictated that we leave so upping anchor at dawn we set off and with grey skies and at times rain we reached north north westward. Tanna was passed and also Eramango as the forecast talked of unusual north west winds so we wanted to make the most of the by now very boisterous south easterly. Twenty seven hours after leaving we dropped the hook in the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila. We had logged 195nm and Patrick who had helmed for the last few hours had managed to get 11.5 knots out of the old girl despite a reef in the main and some rolls in the boomed out genoa. It had been a pitch black night and not the sort of conditions that were suitable for him to do a watch on his own so Annette and I had let him sleep until dawn but then felt he should experience the 'joys' of fast downwind sailing. Any lack of concentration on his part was swiftly punished by the by now large seas and once he realised that he had to concentrate, something that modern youth is not very good at, he did very well indeed.

So we find ourselves in Port Vila rather earlier than expected but this place is one of our favourites and we will enjoy it. Annette and I are in the middle of getting our Australian visas. For this we need a medical and a blood test. The whole exercise is going to cost us over £100 each. Every yacht we speak to has different conditions set by the embassies. Friends in Suva got a two year visa but they have to leave Australia every six months. They had no medical. We are told we can have a year visa renewable after a trip out of the country for another year and need a medical but not x-ray. Friends on a nearby boat are to get the same but need an x-ray and so it goes. We are feeling bereft at the moment as we are without our passports. Diving trips are planned and we will go for a few days the thirty miles to the other side of this island to Havana harbour. A huge natural harbour that has not seen civilisation since the Americans left at the end of WW11 despite being only a short distance from this metropolis. Michael and Diana Hobson are due out here next month and once they arrive we will set off north through the chain exploring as we go. Swimming might be limited as a New Zealand boat has just lost a daughter to a shark. This has caused quite a stir in the cruising community as you can imagine.

Happy times to all our readers

David and Annette