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Only Cruisers
Current Location: Bundaberg, Australia
Current Position: 24º45.62' S 152º23.28' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg for at least two weeks
More than once on our journey I have thought, “Only cruisers” …. and at least twice over the last week that thought has crossed my mind.
During the last week, the Port to Port Rally has been keeping us busy with every-night eating and drinking events. Besides putting on a few extra pounds, it has been a great chance to meet new people and some of the locals. It is amazing how fast news & stories travel through a fleet of cruisers. It didn’t take long before people were hitting Chris up for both computer and fishing advice. Most people were especially impressed with the use of ‘junk’ aboard Billabong. They found it interesting that he uses old [wine] corks to make fishing lures (and soon they too were rummaging for corks), but were especially curious about the pasta strainer hanging in our rigging. Yes, you read that correctly, we have a pasta strainer hanging from our rigging … and to be honest it is catching on, a number of cruisers are now following suit, and apparently they are doing it in Noumea too (where we first started this trend). What it is in reality is the cruiser’s version of a parabolic wi-fi antennae.
It is really a clever design (perhaps we should patent it, ha ha). Chris taped our external USB wireless network adapter in the center of a medium-sized wire-mesh, hand-held type of pasta strainer (4 bucks at the local supermarket). He strapped that to our rigging, facing the provider’s wi-fi antennae, and ran an extra long USB extension cable down through our hatch. Voila … internet on the boat! We even covered the whole contraption with a Ziploc, making it an all-weather antennae! We started this in Noumea, where we couldn’t even get a signal on the boat, and Chris was getting tired of carrying his computer up to the parking lot to use the internet. Oh sure, we got some strange looks by people walking by, but once word got around that it actually worked, the grocery store found themselves in high demand of wire-mesh pasta strainers. I wonder what people think when the meander by a marina full of boats with pasta strainers and other similar kitchen utensils hanging from their riggings!!! The word followed us all the way to Bundaberg, where cruiser after cruiser quizzed Chris about how to duplicate the setup …. to the point where we finally just brought the thing to one of the Port to Port Rally dinners and had a bit of show-and-tell! Sure, you are laughing, and shaking your head (and perhaps saying, “only cruisers”), but you’d be surprised how well it works, and all it took was a 4-buck pasta strainer and a Ziploc! Still aren’t quite picturing it? – We promise to post a picture on our website soon.
The finale to the week long events was a mini-tour of some of Bundaberg’s sites. It included a stop at Bundaberg’s ginger beer factory and a tour of the Bundaberg rum factory. The rum factory was quite interesting, from the gigantic molasses lake to the huge barrels, each worth about 5 millions dollars (in rum)! The bus ‘tour’ also included a stop at Bunning’s. As the huge charter bus, carrying about 40 people (all now a bit tipsy from rum tasting), pulled into the parking lot a few people walking back to their cars stopped to stare. I’m sure they were wondering what the hell a charter bus would be coming to Bunning’s for … you see Bunning’s is a really big hardware store. Yes, HARDWARE store. And the really funny thing is that everyone on that bus was quite excited to be stopping, and when we were told we only had 30 minutes, I thought there might be a riot!!! Our final stop was at the supermarket plaza, which had a supermarket, liquor store, bakery, and pharmacy. Yes, a tour only a cruiser would love!!!
What’s next for Billabong? With the Port to Port Rally events over, we can finally get on to some relaxing (hmm, like we haven’t been doing that already), and perhaps get a few boat projects done. The previous owner of Billabong lives nearby and has invited us for Thanksgiving, so we’ll probably stay in the Bundaberg area through Thanksgiving, and then begin our trek down towards Sydney.
Current Position: 24º45.62' S 152º23.28' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg for at least two weeks
More than once on our journey I have thought, “Only cruisers” …. and at least twice over the last week that thought has crossed my mind.
During the last week, the Port to Port Rally has been keeping us busy with every-night eating and drinking events. Besides putting on a few extra pounds, it has been a great chance to meet new people and some of the locals. It is amazing how fast news & stories travel through a fleet of cruisers. It didn’t take long before people were hitting Chris up for both computer and fishing advice. Most people were especially impressed with the use of ‘junk’ aboard Billabong. They found it interesting that he uses old [wine] corks to make fishing lures (and soon they too were rummaging for corks), but were especially curious about the pasta strainer hanging in our rigging. Yes, you read that correctly, we have a pasta strainer hanging from our rigging … and to be honest it is catching on, a number of cruisers are now following suit, and apparently they are doing it in Noumea too (where we first started this trend). What it is in reality is the cruiser’s version of a parabolic wi-fi antennae.
It is really a clever design (perhaps we should patent it, ha ha). Chris taped our external USB wireless network adapter in the center of a medium-sized wire-mesh, hand-held type of pasta strainer (4 bucks at the local supermarket). He strapped that to our rigging, facing the provider’s wi-fi antennae, and ran an extra long USB extension cable down through our hatch. Voila … internet on the boat! We even covered the whole contraption with a Ziploc, making it an all-weather antennae! We started this in Noumea, where we couldn’t even get a signal on the boat, and Chris was getting tired of carrying his computer up to the parking lot to use the internet. Oh sure, we got some strange looks by people walking by, but once word got around that it actually worked, the grocery store found themselves in high demand of wire-mesh pasta strainers. I wonder what people think when the meander by a marina full of boats with pasta strainers and other similar kitchen utensils hanging from their riggings!!! The word followed us all the way to Bundaberg, where cruiser after cruiser quizzed Chris about how to duplicate the setup …. to the point where we finally just brought the thing to one of the Port to Port Rally dinners and had a bit of show-and-tell! Sure, you are laughing, and shaking your head (and perhaps saying, “only cruisers”), but you’d be surprised how well it works, and all it took was a 4-buck pasta strainer and a Ziploc! Still aren’t quite picturing it? – We promise to post a picture on our website soon.
The finale to the week long events was a mini-tour of some of Bundaberg’s sites. It included a stop at Bundaberg’s ginger beer factory and a tour of the Bundaberg rum factory. The rum factory was quite interesting, from the gigantic molasses lake to the huge barrels, each worth about 5 millions dollars (in rum)! The bus ‘tour’ also included a stop at Bunning’s. As the huge charter bus, carrying about 40 people (all now a bit tipsy from rum tasting), pulled into the parking lot a few people walking back to their cars stopped to stare. I’m sure they were wondering what the hell a charter bus would be coming to Bunning’s for … you see Bunning’s is a really big hardware store. Yes, HARDWARE store. And the really funny thing is that everyone on that bus was quite excited to be stopping, and when we were told we only had 30 minutes, I thought there might be a riot!!! Our final stop was at the supermarket plaza, which had a supermarket, liquor store, bakery, and pharmacy. Yes, a tour only a cruiser would love!!!
What’s next for Billabong? With the Port to Port Rally events over, we can finally get on to some relaxing (hmm, like we haven’t been doing that already), and perhaps get a few boat projects done. The previous owner of Billabong lives nearby and has invited us for Thanksgiving, so we’ll probably stay in the Bundaberg area through Thanksgiving, and then begin our trek down towards Sydney.
Third Time's a Charm?
Yes, I'm back. Back again....
I have returned again to Louisiana (for the third time in a year) to continue working with the Education systems that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. I am working in the same office (New Orleans) as I was before, doing the same job with the same clients. However, the dynamic of the group in the office has changed very much. When I was here before, there was a very large group (about 20-30 at any given time) that would all hang out together on the weekends, on the weekdays and at lunch. I arrived back expecting the same thing, even though I knew that everyone had gone home months ago.
Well, it is not the same. There are only about 3 of the original group of 30 left (including me). Having said that, the three that are left have had a great time, but it is very strange not having the rest here...it always feels like we are missing someone. We always go to breakfast on Sunday morning at Slim Goodies (we do this religiously every Sunday, rain or shine). It used to work like this: whoever woke up first and had a rumbly tummy would call everyone else and set the time to all meet. This used to take a long time, so long in fact that sometimes we had to split it with another, like a phone tree. Also, so long that sometimes breakfast became lunch. Last Sunday it went something like this: I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. It was Lea. She said, "ready for breakfast?" I said, "yes". And then we went to breakfast. It was like culture shock. I was picking up my phone and scrolling through all the names looking for someone to call.
Yesterday, another member of the extended group came back. In the next few weeks, a few more are expected back. And we are making new friends and adding to the group every day. Soon, we will be whole again. Soon, going to Slim Goodies will once again be an all day affair, if only becuase of the dozens of phone calls one has to make each Sunday morning.
I have returned again to Louisiana (for the third time in a year) to continue working with the Education systems that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. I am working in the same office (New Orleans) as I was before, doing the same job with the same clients. However, the dynamic of the group in the office has changed very much. When I was here before, there was a very large group (about 20-30 at any given time) that would all hang out together on the weekends, on the weekdays and at lunch. I arrived back expecting the same thing, even though I knew that everyone had gone home months ago.
Well, it is not the same. There are only about 3 of the original group of 30 left (including me). Having said that, the three that are left have had a great time, but it is very strange not having the rest here...it always feels like we are missing someone. We always go to breakfast on Sunday morning at Slim Goodies (we do this religiously every Sunday, rain or shine). It used to work like this: whoever woke up first and had a rumbly tummy would call everyone else and set the time to all meet. This used to take a long time, so long in fact that sometimes we had to split it with another, like a phone tree. Also, so long that sometimes breakfast became lunch. Last Sunday it went something like this: I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. It was Lea. She said, "ready for breakfast?" I said, "yes". And then we went to breakfast. It was like culture shock. I was picking up my phone and scrolling through all the names looking for someone to call.
Yesterday, another member of the extended group came back. In the next few weeks, a few more are expected back. And we are making new friends and adding to the group every day. Soon, we will be whole again. Soon, going to Slim Goodies will once again be an all day affair, if only becuase of the dozens of phone calls one has to make each Sunday morning.
Passage to Bundaberg
Current Location: Bundaberg, Australia
Current Position: 24º45.62' S 152º23.28' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg for at least two weeks
Current Position: 24º45.62' S 152º23.28' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg for at least two weeks
So our passage didn't stay quite as dreamy as it had started out, but all-in-all it was still quite nice. The biggest problem was a lack of wind coupled with just a tad too much swell. The boat would roll a bit, slackening the sail (because there wasn't enough wind to hold it), and then when the boat rolled back, the sail, along with the boom, would slam back into place ... an ugly and loud noise that eventually drove us (especially Chris) crazy. With the banging sails and looming overtime charges if we didn't get into Bundaberg by 4:30pm on Friday, we motored more then we normally would have ... in all we figured we probably motored about halfway here! But the cost of diesel was less then the cost of overtime charges, and we saved our sails from the extra, unneeded, wear and tear. Everyday was filled with near cloudless bright blue skies and sparkling clear waters. The swell was never that bad, and I was thrilled to have a passage without seasickness. After a year full of beating to weather and 20-30 kts, this passage was a welcome relief.
We had a bit of entertainment along the way as well. In all we caught three fish, of which we only kept the 4 ft Wahoo caught on the morning of our arrival. The guy was strong and put up a good fight, bruising my finger, and giving Chris a pretty good gash on his hand (via teeth). Luckily we did NOT catch a whale --- About half way here, on a very flat sea day, we had a whale (maybe two) check us out. Chris and I were both reading in the cockpit when we heard the blow. "What was that?", Chris asked, and when I looked over the side I could see a large dark shape just thirty feet off our stern. Just a few seconds later emerged the back of a huge whale ... it appeared as though he was actually chasing our fishing lures, "Uh oh" I said as the big 'ol whale head brushed into the lures before losing interest and diving back down. I was sure he was going to snag a hook, but luckily there was nothing for the hooks to grab onto and they just brushed off his back. Next the whale came along our starboard side and swam along side us for a few minutes, as though trying to figure out what kind of sea creature Billabong was. I just hoped he didn't mistake us for a potential mating partner! For quite awhile he seemed to follow us, always resurfacing just behind us while we slowly moved along ... it was a good spot of entertainment for the day, but we still let out a big sigh of relief once we were clear and sure we weren't going to hit each other. The last 'creature' to keep us company was a Boobie (bird), who decided our collapsed main sail would be a good spot for a break. He rode along for a bit until, in our efforts to say hello, we scared him off. He attempt a couple of more landings, but apparently wasn't used to landing on a moving target, and could never get it quite right.
We arrived in Bundaberg on Friday (Nov 3rd), about six and half days after departing Noumea. As we closed in on Bundaberg I commented to Chris that you would never know how big Australia is from this angle; the land seemed really flat, almost like an atoll, and not much seemed to occupy the shoreline ... it will be interesting to see what other Australian shore-side cities look like. Customs and Quarantine were some of the nicest, and youngest, officers we've experienced. We spent so much time chatting it was hard to get the paperwork filled out. We never would've guessed but apparently electric fly-swatters are considered weapons and not allowed in Australia!!! I guess people are known to buy them and alter the battery to higher voltage, creating taser-like mechanisms (what will people think of next?). We were just finishing up the final papers when another boat was heading for the quarantine spot in front of us and lost forward gear. We came out to assist them in backing in, and, go figure, they lost reverse. The winds and current started pushing them right for Billabong! Yikes! No worries though, we were able to throw out fenders and grab their lines, rafting them up to Billabong. The poor people aboard were horrified that they might of damaged Billabong, but there wasn't a ding in her. Later they had to tow her away, and then we moved into a regular slip.
Since we had joined the Bundaberg Port to Port Rally, we now have a week of social events to look forward to, and have been meeting a number of new boats. I already feel overwhelmed with the endless things to see and do in Australia!!!
Dream Passage...So Far
Current Location: Underway from New Caledonia (day 3)
Current Position: 23°07.47' S 161°58.02' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg, Australia
Miles to Go: 545
If passages were always like this, then I can guarantee more people would be out sailing. I, the one who despises passages, can't believe how absolutely beautiful the last two days have been! Yesterday I told Chris that if everyday could be like this then I'd be willing to sail thousands upon thousands of miles. Alright, maybe I'm getting carried away, but, especially after the really crappy passage-making year we've been having, I'm just in shock of how great the conditions are.
We departed Noumea (New Calendonia) on Saturday morning. Once we were out of the pass, the winds were aft of the beam and we were cruising along under full main and jib at over 6kts. The seas were unbeleivably flat, and for the first time this year, they weren't confused; just nice little waves all rolling in from the same direction. To add to the already excellent conditions, the sun was out and there was barely a cloud in the sky. We lost the wind that night, having to motor 12 hours, but in really really flat seas. Yesterday was a repeat of Saturday; winds a bit lighter, seas absolutely flat, and everything aft of the beam. We had just enough wind to carry us along between 5 and 6 kts (we are trying to keep our boat speed average around 5.5 minimum so that we'll make it in to AU by Friday afternoon, thereby avoiding weekend overtime charges). By 10pm we'd once again lost the wind and had to motor until about 7 this morning. Today the winds are even lighter, so we are hoping for just a few more knots, but we are managing along nicely, even if slowly (only 4 - 4.5kts).
This is what sailing was meant to be. In the day the blue sky extends forever, merging with the dark blue sea. Chris and I sit on deck, enjoying the endless sun and relaxing with our books. At night the sky is lit with thousands of twinkling stars; endless galaxies stretching as far as the eye can see ... reminding us just how tiny of a spec Billabong is in this big 'ol universe of ours!
The forecast shows continued light winds, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that they'll be just enough to keep us under sail, but not so much to increase the seas. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
New Caledonia
September 30 - October 27, 2006
It seems that our third year of cruising, was a tough year of sailing. Starting with the passage down from Majuro we had a lot of weather work and a lot of wind. It was never overly frightening ... not the kind of stuff that makes you worried about boat or life, but just tiring work, the kind of stuff that you just get plain sick-and-tired of. The kind of stuff that, quit frankly, makes you want to stay put once you reach a destination. I think that's what happened to us in New Cal anyway ... once we got to Noumea we were so happy to be relaxing on the dock, in the sunshine, not worrying about the weather, that we more or less found ourselves 'stuck'! But if you're going to stick somewhere, Noumea seems as good of a place as any!
As I'm tired of bitching about all of our passages, you can refer to our Blog, if you haven't already read it, for a brief synopsis of the trip over from Vanuatu. As noted, the only good thing about this passage was the delicious tuna we caught.
Unfortunately we were both quite sick upon arrival, and Chris remained sick for most of our first week there. As we were at a 'real' dock for the first time in some while we took advantage of the facilities, especially the free flowing water! We did mounds of laundry and gave Billabong a good wash down. Chris got a kick out of my money saving tallies -- I would point out all the money we were 'saving' by doing the laundry by hand, cooking on the boat instead of eating out, and so on ... thereby justifying staying at the dock another day or two!!!
We thought Port Vila was decadent with the various restaurants and awesome cheese selection, but Noumea easily outdid Port Vila 10-times in the food department (and so began our steady weight gain as well)! We did eat out a few times, and had to laugh when even the Chinese vendors served their dishes with a baguette (the French staple) on the side! Luckily Noumea is pretty big, so we were doing quite a bit of walking which helped shed a few of the thousands of calories we were taking in!
On Thursday, the 5th, we visited the city museum and then bused out to the Cultural Center. We found both places quite nice, but were disappointed in the lack of English information (or any non-French language). It just seemed that these two places should at least be multi-lingual. This was also the last time we'd venture out on the bus for any distance ... The buses had been on and off strikes over the last week (and we heard that this is always the case), we hadn't thought much of it because everything was running smooth that morning. Well, just our luck the bus we need to get back to Noumea from the Cultural Center isn't running anymore, as they went on strike! I suppose we could've just called a cab, but they are pricey, and we are not only cheap, but stubborn. So we started by walking (trying to hitchhike, but no one would pick us up) out to the main road. Once there we continued walking and hitching. We stopped at another bus stop, thinking that a non-strike bus might be able to at least get us closer, while Chris and Island Sonata rested and read the schedule I continued to stand, thumb out next to the busy street. Lucky Days, a guy pulled over. I think he was shocked enough to see Chris was with me, but his eyes opened wide we he also saw John and MJ. He was driving a small two-door car with an eight year old already in the passenger seat. He told us to go ahead and try to cram in (which we did, quite funny when you consider John is over 6 feet, and the four of us were trying to fit in the back all together). We were a bit concerned by the mass of empty, crushed beer cans on the floor, but our driver was currently drinking a Yahoo, so we hoped the cans were left over from a different day. He didn't speak much English (and we speak no French), but he was extremely friendly and thrilled to learn we were on yachts. He dropped us in town (which was out of his way) and we thanked him with some gasoline money (which he hadn't even asked for).
The next day a street fair of sorts was taking place. It was mostly 'crap', but fun to walk along the stalls and listen to the loud & obnoxious music blaring away. I saw a cute dress in one of the stalls and, in my newly learned French, asked how much it was. And here-in lies the problem with only learning part of a language. It was great that I could now ask the cost of something in French, but what to do when they reply in French and I know no numbers??? Luckily she also spoke some English. I wanted to try the dress on, which they said was okay, but there was no place to go ... just here she told me. Here??? I was standing in a very open stall in the middle of the street with tons of people walking past. Ah yes, the difference between most of the world and Americans ... we are such a conservative, reserved culture when it comes to our bodies and nakedness! Anyway, I scurried into a corner and tried to get on the dress, over my shorts and with my bra still on. Well, the ladies were clearly laughing because I was so modest, and I joined in. It was a halter-top dress and my bra was just not looking right, so the ladies had me take it off too. Well, I didn't end up buying the dress, but the changing in public was a first for me (post-adolescence anyway)!
On Monday, we were thrilled when Convergence showed up as we hadn't seen them since the previous year and weren't sure if we'd meet up this year or not. We decided to all go for dinner that night ... and learned yet another thing about the French, they tend to be closed on random days! After much walking Sally-Christine finally spotted a open restaurant. Chris and I were only mildly embarrassed that after being in Noumea for over a week we still didn't know where anything was or when they were open!
Tuesday we took a car trip with Jean and Mark on Renaissance 2000. It was a great way to explore part of the island ... and even better that we could do it without moving Billabong! We had some great views (such as pictured right), found a terrific spot for lunch, and got a glimpse of the huge nickel plant.
Thursdays the city centre park hosts a number of stalls, varying from food to crafts and with some type of performance going on. We heard it was 'hit or miss' ... as you never knew who or what would be there. With rain looming in the sky we went to check it out. It was pretty low key, but there was some tasty food, including a traveling wood stove for pizzas. The rain finally hit so we called it a night without waiting for the local entertainment. (We also went a few Thursday later, and were overwhelmed by the number of people that were there. We once again enjoyed the huge range of food, and this time took in a bit of the entertainment which included dancers from Tahiti).
Sunday we attempted to eat out again ... this time with Dave & Judy on Freebird. They always seem to know where to eat, so we trusted they knew where to go. Hah! Turns out even fewer things are open on Sunday than Monday ... unless you have a car and can get to the tourist drag (which we didn't). After discovering the one restaurant we were trying was closed, we looked for a cab and when none appeared we started sticking out our thumbs. We weren't having much luck when a couple in the apartment above the corner from where we were standing saw us and asked what we were doing. We asked if they would possibly call us a cab, and were completely shocked when instead they came down and gave us a ride!!!
After two weeks in the marina, we figured we should get out and 'do' something. Not yet convinced we wanted to go anywhere far (as eventually, either going or coming back we'd have to beat into it), we opted to go out to Isla Mate, a small island just three miles from Noumea. The backside of the island is a huge kite & wind boarding haven. I didn't feel confident enough to give it another go, but Chris spent a few days of the week trying to remember how it all worked (we hadn't kite boarded since La Paz, Mexico). He did pretty well, but ended up hurting his ribs a few days into it, forcing him to call it quits. Our friends on Ram, Roxanne, Freebird, and Traveler were all out there as well, so we enjoyed a few drinks, and games aboard the various boats. I spent a lot of timing baking and cooking it began to dawn on me how much food we had that would not be allowed in Australia (mainly honey, cashews, and dried cranberries). In order to spread the calories, I'd send Chris out to the other boats every afternoon with the treats. The other source of entertainment were the gigantic Remoras. Until then all of the remoras we had seen were quite small and usually attached to small-ish sharks (under 6 feet). These remoras were so big that at first I thought they were sharks (I'd hate to see the size sharks these guys attach to)!!! And they are quite aggressive, going after the various scraps Chris and I would throw over.
Isla Mate gets cram-packed over the weekend. Tons of boats flood from the city, out to enjoy a bit of R&R and get in some kite/wind boarding. On Sunday afternoon the anchorage again clears out as everyone heads home. What was particular 'funny' about Sunday (the 22nd), was that just prior to the boats heading in, a VHF Securité message came on. It was, of course, all in French, except one word which doesn't translate ... Cyclone. Well, if you didn't know any better it would seem quite frightening to hear the word Cyclone and then see all these boats head back to the marinas! Luckily we have other methods of getting weather and were able to figure out that Cyclone Xavier had just formed, north of Vanuatu. Directional predictions were not yet in. Monday, we thought it wise to get a slip in the marina before they all filled up ... '"just in case". We just got one of the last slips in Port de Sud (pictured right). The next few days were focused on weather and Xavier ... everyone trying to predict where it would go. I don't think we ever were too worried about it hitting New Cal, but the marinas did start to get out the cyclone chains! We were however quite concerned for the number of boats up in Luganville, Vanuatu, and for the islanders themselves. Luckily Xavier missed most of Vanuatu and Fiji and finally died out.
We finally decided that, while we would be missing out on some great sites, we just didn't want to beat to weather anymore, and therefore didn't really want to go anywhere else in New Caledonia. With that decision made we opted to join the Port to Port Rally, a free rally hosted by the Bundaberg Yacht Club, traveling from either Vanuatu or New Cal to Bundaberg, Australia. On Saturday October 28th, we departed Noumea for Bundaberg.
It seems that our third year of cruising, was a tough year of sailing. Starting with the passage down from Majuro we had a lot of weather work and a lot of wind. It was never overly frightening ... not the kind of stuff that makes you worried about boat or life, but just tiring work, the kind of stuff that you just get plain sick-and-tired of. The kind of stuff that, quit frankly, makes you want to stay put once you reach a destination. I think that's what happened to us in New Cal anyway ... once we got to Noumea we were so happy to be relaxing on the dock, in the sunshine, not worrying about the weather, that we more or less found ourselves 'stuck'! But if you're going to stick somewhere, Noumea seems as good of a place as any!
As I'm tired of bitching about all of our passages, you can refer to our Blog, if you haven't already read it, for a brief synopsis of the trip over from Vanuatu. As noted, the only good thing about this passage was the delicious tuna we caught.
Unfortunately we were both quite sick upon arrival, and Chris remained sick for most of our first week there. As we were at a 'real' dock for the first time in some while we took advantage of the facilities, especially the free flowing water! We did mounds of laundry and gave Billabong a good wash down. Chris got a kick out of my money saving tallies -- I would point out all the money we were 'saving' by doing the laundry by hand, cooking on the boat instead of eating out, and so on ... thereby justifying staying at the dock another day or two!!!
We thought Port Vila was decadent with the various restaurants and awesome cheese selection, but Noumea easily outdid Port Vila 10-times in the food department (and so began our steady weight gain as well)! We did eat out a few times, and had to laugh when even the Chinese vendors served their dishes with a baguette (the French staple) on the side! Luckily Noumea is pretty big, so we were doing quite a bit of walking which helped shed a few of the thousands of calories we were taking in!
On Thursday, the 5th, we visited the city museum and then bused out to the Cultural Center. We found both places quite nice, but were disappointed in the lack of English information (or any non-French language). It just seemed that these two places should at least be multi-lingual. This was also the last time we'd venture out on the bus for any distance ... The buses had been on and off strikes over the last week (and we heard that this is always the case), we hadn't thought much of it because everything was running smooth that morning. Well, just our luck the bus we need to get back to Noumea from the Cultural Center isn't running anymore, as they went on strike! I suppose we could've just called a cab, but they are pricey, and we are not only cheap, but stubborn. So we started by walking (trying to hitchhike, but no one would pick us up) out to the main road. Once there we continued walking and hitching. We stopped at another bus stop, thinking that a non-strike bus might be able to at least get us closer, while Chris and Island Sonata rested and read the schedule I continued to stand, thumb out next to the busy street. Lucky Days, a guy pulled over. I think he was shocked enough to see Chris was with me, but his eyes opened wide we he also saw John and MJ. He was driving a small two-door car with an eight year old already in the passenger seat. He told us to go ahead and try to cram in (which we did, quite funny when you consider John is over 6 feet, and the four of us were trying to fit in the back all together). We were a bit concerned by the mass of empty, crushed beer cans on the floor, but our driver was currently drinking a Yahoo, so we hoped the cans were left over from a different day. He didn't speak much English (and we speak no French), but he was extremely friendly and thrilled to learn we were on yachts. He dropped us in town (which was out of his way) and we thanked him with some gasoline money (which he hadn't even asked for).
The next day a street fair of sorts was taking place. It was mostly 'crap', but fun to walk along the stalls and listen to the loud & obnoxious music blaring away. I saw a cute dress in one of the stalls and, in my newly learned French, asked how much it was. And here-in lies the problem with only learning part of a language. It was great that I could now ask the cost of something in French, but what to do when they reply in French and I know no numbers??? Luckily she also spoke some English. I wanted to try the dress on, which they said was okay, but there was no place to go ... just here she told me. Here??? I was standing in a very open stall in the middle of the street with tons of people walking past. Ah yes, the difference between most of the world and Americans ... we are such a conservative, reserved culture when it comes to our bodies and nakedness! Anyway, I scurried into a corner and tried to get on the dress, over my shorts and with my bra still on. Well, the ladies were clearly laughing because I was so modest, and I joined in. It was a halter-top dress and my bra was just not looking right, so the ladies had me take it off too. Well, I didn't end up buying the dress, but the changing in public was a first for me (post-adolescence anyway)!
On Monday, we were thrilled when Convergence showed up as we hadn't seen them since the previous year and weren't sure if we'd meet up this year or not. We decided to all go for dinner that night ... and learned yet another thing about the French, they tend to be closed on random days! After much walking Sally-Christine finally spotted a open restaurant. Chris and I were only mildly embarrassed that after being in Noumea for over a week we still didn't know where anything was or when they were open!
Tuesday we took a car trip with Jean and Mark on Renaissance 2000. It was a great way to explore part of the island ... and even better that we could do it without moving Billabong! We had some great views (such as pictured right), found a terrific spot for lunch, and got a glimpse of the huge nickel plant.
Thursdays the city centre park hosts a number of stalls, varying from food to crafts and with some type of performance going on. We heard it was 'hit or miss' ... as you never knew who or what would be there. With rain looming in the sky we went to check it out. It was pretty low key, but there was some tasty food, including a traveling wood stove for pizzas. The rain finally hit so we called it a night without waiting for the local entertainment. (We also went a few Thursday later, and were overwhelmed by the number of people that were there. We once again enjoyed the huge range of food, and this time took in a bit of the entertainment which included dancers from Tahiti).
Sunday we attempted to eat out again ... this time with Dave & Judy on Freebird. They always seem to know where to eat, so we trusted they knew where to go. Hah! Turns out even fewer things are open on Sunday than Monday ... unless you have a car and can get to the tourist drag (which we didn't). After discovering the one restaurant we were trying was closed, we looked for a cab and when none appeared we started sticking out our thumbs. We weren't having much luck when a couple in the apartment above the corner from where we were standing saw us and asked what we were doing. We asked if they would possibly call us a cab, and were completely shocked when instead they came down and gave us a ride!!!
After two weeks in the marina, we figured we should get out and 'do' something. Not yet convinced we wanted to go anywhere far (as eventually, either going or coming back we'd have to beat into it), we opted to go out to Isla Mate, a small island just three miles from Noumea. The backside of the island is a huge kite & wind boarding haven. I didn't feel confident enough to give it another go, but Chris spent a few days of the week trying to remember how it all worked (we hadn't kite boarded since La Paz, Mexico). He did pretty well, but ended up hurting his ribs a few days into it, forcing him to call it quits. Our friends on Ram, Roxanne, Freebird, and Traveler were all out there as well, so we enjoyed a few drinks, and games aboard the various boats. I spent a lot of timing baking and cooking it began to dawn on me how much food we had that would not be allowed in Australia (mainly honey, cashews, and dried cranberries). In order to spread the calories, I'd send Chris out to the other boats every afternoon with the treats. The other source of entertainment were the gigantic Remoras. Until then all of the remoras we had seen were quite small and usually attached to small-ish sharks (under 6 feet). These remoras were so big that at first I thought they were sharks (I'd hate to see the size sharks these guys attach to)!!! And they are quite aggressive, going after the various scraps Chris and I would throw over.
Isla Mate gets cram-packed over the weekend. Tons of boats flood from the city, out to enjoy a bit of R&R and get in some kite/wind boarding. On Sunday afternoon the anchorage again clears out as everyone heads home. What was particular 'funny' about Sunday (the 22nd), was that just prior to the boats heading in, a VHF Securité message came on. It was, of course, all in French, except one word which doesn't translate ... Cyclone. Well, if you didn't know any better it would seem quite frightening to hear the word Cyclone and then see all these boats head back to the marinas! Luckily we have other methods of getting weather and were able to figure out that Cyclone Xavier had just formed, north of Vanuatu. Directional predictions were not yet in. Monday, we thought it wise to get a slip in the marina before they all filled up ... '"just in case". We just got one of the last slips in Port de Sud (pictured right). The next few days were focused on weather and Xavier ... everyone trying to predict where it would go. I don't think we ever were too worried about it hitting New Cal, but the marinas did start to get out the cyclone chains! We were however quite concerned for the number of boats up in Luganville, Vanuatu, and for the islanders themselves. Luckily Xavier missed most of Vanuatu and Fiji and finally died out.
We finally decided that, while we would be missing out on some great sites, we just didn't want to beat to weather anymore, and therefore didn't really want to go anywhere else in New Caledonia. With that decision made we opted to join the Port to Port Rally, a free rally hosted by the Bundaberg Yacht Club, traveling from either Vanuatu or New Cal to Bundaberg, Australia. On Saturday October 28th, we departed Noumea for Bundaberg.
Off to Oz
Current Location: Noumea, New Caledonia
Current Position: 22°16.65' S 166°26.42' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg, Australia
Current Position: 22°16.65' S 166°26.42' E
Next Destination: Bundaberg, Australia
We've had a great time in New Cal. The sun has been shining, the food has been excellent, and the kite-boarding fantastic ... and thankfully the tropical cyclone, Xavier, never made it down this far! But all good things come to an end, and in our case lead to other good things! Tomorrow (Saturday the 28th here in New Cal) or Sunday, we're off for Bundaberg, Australia.
It's about six or seven days ... we'll try to post something along the way. Wish us luck fishing!
Health Tip: Promote a Healthy School (HealthDay)
Without becoming the school geek, there are things you can do to promote exercise and healthy eating at your school.
Full House: How I became the fourth roommate
Somehow I ended up back in my old flat in San Francisco. I even got my old bed back, but only becuase my brother, who has been sleeping in my bed for the last two years, is out of town at the moment. So I have taken his place, back in my old flat, in my old bed, doing the same thing that I did then...minus the job and school of course. But now instead of one roommate, I have three!
There is Pam, the responsible one (aka "mom" or "the one that cleans the toilets"), who works at a restaurant down on Church St. Then there is the "old-new guy", Collin. This kid used to come up to my parent's summer resort with his family every summer for about 15 years. I have not seen him in about 10 years though, so when my brother told me he was moving in, it was a nice surprise. Collin and I have spent a lot of time together in the last couple of weeks.
Then we have my crazy brother, who is only there about one day a week and on that day we have an all day "thank goodness he is home and we are all together" party. All in all, it has been good times.
There is Pam, the responsible one (aka "mom" or "the one that cleans the toilets"), who works at a restaurant down on Church St. Then there is the "old-new guy", Collin. This kid used to come up to my parent's summer resort with his family every summer for about 15 years. I have not seen him in about 10 years though, so when my brother told me he was moving in, it was a nice surprise. Collin and I have spent a lot of time together in the last couple of weeks.
Then we have my crazy brother, who is only there about one day a week and on that day we have an all day "thank goodness he is home and we are all together" party. All in all, it has been good times.
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