LTY UPDATE: Day#4 – Friday, August 17, 2012
Lautoka Fiji to Anelghowhat Bay, Aneityum island Vanuatu LTY time: 17:00 (Vanuatu time = UTC +11)
Location: Anchored in Anelghowhat Bay on SW corner of Aneityum Island Vanuatu
Position: 10 14.243 S, 169 46.552 E (you can cut & past this into Google Earth to see on map)
Wind: 12-18 knots SE True (in the bay)
Seas/Swell: none, nicely protected tucked inside the NE corner of the bay
Air temp: 75.2 F 24C (still chilly for me)
Sea temp: 85.6 F 29.8 C
Barometer: 1020mm
Distance last 24 hours: 139nm
Average speed of passage: 5.75 knots DAY #4
We made it! Had a great finish to this first passage of 2012 and am now safely anchored here in Anelghowhat Bay on the SW corner of Aneityum Island and our Port of Entry (PoE) into Vanuatu. The weather cooperated nicely not only with continued steady SE winds but much of the overcast cleared in the early morning and I had good light of my entrance into the bay. It is still unseasonably cold and there is a lot of misty cloud and rain visible in the high verdant heights of the island ashore. All very beautiful and I’m looking forward to going ashore tomorrow after we get cleared in. You are not allowed to go ashore until you have completed the paperwork and so we are waiting for the Customs and Immigration official, Richard, to come out and look after this. This is a very new PoE having only been open since June of last year and it is very small and informal as there is a very small population ashore, just a few hundred at most and little to no infrastructure or supplies. What they do have is a small airstrip on small spit of sand off to my starboard side called Inyeug Islet and this is apparently a favorite stop of some of the large cruise ships which call here at what they refer to as “Mystery Island”. No sign of them yet and I’m anchored well clear of all that and the island looks like a beautiful place for Ruby and I to go explore in the dinghy tomorrow or whenever the sun comes out and the cruise ship isn’t here. From what I’ve been told by others the Customs officer, Richard just rows out in his dugout canoe to any new ship that comes in with its Q (Quarantine) flag flying so that’s what we’re doing. It’s now just after 5pm and the sun is setting as we lost an hour from Fiji time (Vanuatu is UTC+11 for those interested) and no sign of anyone yet so I guess he’ll be out to visit us tomorrow. It’s a very nice setting to be in, already feels a bit different than Fiji with higher peaks and forests of evergreen trees ashore mixed in with the palms. This unusual weather adds to the beauty and reminds me a bit of British Columbia with the misty clouds encircling the peaks ashore so it is very pleasant sitting here though I still need my warm clothes and socks! The wind continues to be quite strong and I’m in a great spot out of the brunt of it but still with a good 15 knots keeping the wind generator running well and it has been a very peaceful last few hours just sitting here cleaning up the boat after the passage, looking after a few small jobs and then reading all snuggled up with Ruby in the cockpit as we watch the sun make its daily dive for the sea and just appreciate this new land we’ve entered. Dinner will be a bit easier to prepare now that the boat is back to being level and still again and I’ll enjoy being able to be horizontal and getting a full and quite sleep tonight. Tomorrow we will hopefully get checked in in the morning and the sun will be out and we can go explore this new land. Till then we’ll just enjoy the quiet solitude of the beautiful bay. It has been a great start to my sailing season for 2012, Learnativity sailed better than ever and we averaged almost 6 knots over almost 500 nautical miles which is great speed for this big steel beauty of mine so I couldn’t be happier or more content. Off to have my first glass of wine since we left and enjoy the sunset as it is just visible in the clearing between the clouds and the open ocean horizon off to the west. I’ll raise a glass for all of you as I do so and be back with more in the next few days of the experiences here in Vanuatu. Wayne & Ruby the Wonderdog
Lautoka Fiji to Anelghowhat Bay, Aneityum island Vanuatu LTY time: 17:00 (Vanuatu time = UTC +11)
Location: Anchored in Anelghowhat Bay on SW corner of Aneityum Island Vanuatu
Position: 10 14.243 S, 169 46.552 E (you can cut & past this into Google Earth to see on map)
Wind: 12-18 knots SE True (in the bay)
Seas/Swell: none, nicely protected tucked inside the NE corner of the bay
Air temp: 75.2 F 24C (still chilly for me)
Sea temp: 85.6 F 29.8 C
Barometer: 1020mm
Distance last 24 hours: 139nm
Average speed of passage: 5.75 knots DAY #4
We made it! Had a great finish to this first passage of 2012 and am now safely anchored here in Anelghowhat Bay on the SW corner of Aneityum Island and our Port of Entry (PoE) into Vanuatu. The weather cooperated nicely not only with continued steady SE winds but much of the overcast cleared in the early morning and I had good light of my entrance into the bay. It is still unseasonably cold and there is a lot of misty cloud and rain visible in the high verdant heights of the island ashore. All very beautiful and I’m looking forward to going ashore tomorrow after we get cleared in. You are not allowed to go ashore until you have completed the paperwork and so we are waiting for the Customs and Immigration official, Richard, to come out and look after this. This is a very new PoE having only been open since June of last year and it is very small and informal as there is a very small population ashore, just a few hundred at most and little to no infrastructure or supplies. What they do have is a small airstrip on small spit of sand off to my starboard side called Inyeug Islet and this is apparently a favorite stop of some of the large cruise ships which call here at what they refer to as “Mystery Island”. No sign of them yet and I’m anchored well clear of all that and the island looks like a beautiful place for Ruby and I to go explore in the dinghy tomorrow or whenever the sun comes out and the cruise ship isn’t here. From what I’ve been told by others the Customs officer, Richard just rows out in his dugout canoe to any new ship that comes in with its Q (Quarantine) flag flying so that’s what we’re doing. It’s now just after 5pm and the sun is setting as we lost an hour from Fiji time (Vanuatu is UTC+11 for those interested) and no sign of anyone yet so I guess he’ll be out to visit us tomorrow. It’s a very nice setting to be in, already feels a bit different than Fiji with higher peaks and forests of evergreen trees ashore mixed in with the palms. This unusual weather adds to the beauty and reminds me a bit of British Columbia with the misty clouds encircling the peaks ashore so it is very pleasant sitting here though I still need my warm clothes and socks! The wind continues to be quite strong and I’m in a great spot out of the brunt of it but still with a good 15 knots keeping the wind generator running well and it has been a very peaceful last few hours just sitting here cleaning up the boat after the passage, looking after a few small jobs and then reading all snuggled up with Ruby in the cockpit as we watch the sun make its daily dive for the sea and just appreciate this new land we’ve entered. Dinner will be a bit easier to prepare now that the boat is back to being level and still again and I’ll enjoy being able to be horizontal and getting a full and quite sleep tonight. Tomorrow we will hopefully get checked in in the morning and the sun will be out and we can go explore this new land. Till then we’ll just enjoy the quiet solitude of the beautiful bay. It has been a great start to my sailing season for 2012, Learnativity sailed better than ever and we averaged almost 6 knots over almost 500 nautical miles which is great speed for this big steel beauty of mine so I couldn’t be happier or more content. Off to have my first glass of wine since we left and enjoy the sunset as it is just visible in the clearing between the clouds and the open ocean horizon off to the west. I’ll raise a glass for all of you as I do so and be back with more in the next few days of the experiences here in Vanuatu. Wayne & Ruby the Wonderdog
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