NEW CALEDONIA

LAT 22.17.1. S  LON 166.268. E                          (from 21.6.13 until 29.6.13)

On the 17.6.13 we departed from Fiji for New Caledonia. The distance to our destination Noumea was 700 miles and it required a Southwesterly course. Unfortunately a low was building over the Tasman Sea preventing favourable winds from the South. The weather report however predicted steady Tradewinds from the South two days into our journey and so in anticipation we set our course to the South for the first two days. Then as expected the Tradewinds arrived and we were happy to adjust our sails and headed west fast under full sails. We did the trip in little less than four days and arrived on 21.6.13 early in the morning dropping anchor in front of the Capital city Noumea in 12 m water depth a very nice large, protected anchorage.

Noumea

 The British first discovered New Caledonia on 4.9.1774 during the second voyage of Captain James Cook. He named it New Caledonia because the North of the Island reminded him of Scotland. The Island is the third largest in the Pacific, roughly 400 km long and ringed by an enormous reef - 1.600 km around the 24.000 square km Lagoon. Surrounding the island is the second largest coral lagoon on Earth (after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia), which is now a World Heritage site. In 1853 France annexed the territory and the French sent thousands of convicts. The capital is Noumea and the island has about 250.000 inhabitants. 40 per cent consist of the native Kanaks (‘kanak’ is the Hawaiian word for man). About 30 per cent are of European descent. About half the population has the Roman Catholic Religion and the other half are Protestants or follow other small religions. The nominal GDP per capita is US$ 35.436, higher than New Zealand 's. The financial support from France is substantial representing 15 per cent of the GDP, which is an explanation for the normally healthy economy. New Caledonia is very rich in Nickel. Its soil contains about 25 per cent of the world's Nickel resources. But in the recent recession Nickel prices have fallen about 30 per cent and this is having a severe effect on the economy.

Going ashore in Noumea the first impression is the clear difference from countries like Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga or Samoa. The city is comparatively much cleaner and well taken care of which is again due to the strong French influence and money. French is spoken everywhere and prices are relatively high. What really struck me is the enormous number of sailing- and motor yachts of considerable value. They belong to locals proving how well off the 30 per cent of European decent are.

The next day after our arrival we sailed to Ile des Pines, 67 miles East. James Cook called it ‘the place closest to paradise’. And the beaches must be indeed some of the most beautiful ones existing. Add to this the tropical vegetation, the Palm trees and the countless number of pine trees many of them of giant height and I agree with Capt. Cook.

Pristine anchorage of Ile des Pins

Sunset Ile des Pins

I went for long walks and enjoyed sailing with an original pirogue sailing outrigger. Quite some fun but I quickly realized that time for the sailors in those times was not of their concern. With lack of a keel or a dagger board these boats can't sail well upwind. Finally the five HP outboard engine was switched on and we made it home safely.

Piroque Sailing

Another beautiful spot we visited was the Amedee Light house 12 miles away from Noumea. It was constructed in Paris under Napoleon III in 1862 and then dismantled and shipped to New Caledonia. It is one of the largest steel constructed Lighthouses in the world with a height of 56 m. We all climbed the narrow staircase to the top and enjoyed the view of the beautiful surrounding turquoise waters. The whole crew had a very relaxed afternoon roaming the little lighthouse island. I swam back to Zefiro's anchorage and on the way saw some magnificent coral reefs and plenty of fish in all colours. Some reef sharks passed me as well, they don't usually attack, as I knew from my earlier dives in the Tuamotus.

Powder Beach at Ile des Pines

Happy Zefiro Crew enjoying powder beach

With crew at Amedee Lighthouse

On top Amedee Lighthouse

The next day, Saturday morning we returned to Noumea, carried out last shopping with some fresh provisions and departed at 17.00 for Vanuatu, our next destination.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Noum%C3%A9a,+S%C3%BCdprovinz,+Neukaledonien&hl=de&ie=UTF8&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.708931,93.076172&oq=noumea&hnear=Noum%C3%A9a,+S%C3%BCdprovinz,+Neukaledonien&t=m&z=13

FIJI ISLANDS

 LAT 17 36.0 S. LON 17728.4 E                              (from 4.6.13 until 17.6.13)

On the 25.5.13 I arrived again in Auckland. Zefiro had been in New Zealand for almost 8 months and with the exception of one month I had not been on board. It was winter and high time to sail north since winters in this beautiful country are not very enjoyable. It is cold and it rains almost every day. Parts of the South Island were covered in snow. Zefiro was ready and had benefitted from numerous improvements during the long stay. After few days of provisioning and last tasks completed we departed on 29.May in northerly direction for Fiji. The winds were light and variable and we had to motor for the better part of the first two days.

We caught a nice dorade; dinner was served

Through the weather report we observed a low forming west of north developing a spin like a cyclone on its prognosed track to the South East. In the southern hemisphere the winds rotate clockwise and so we set our course northwesterly in order not to sail into the meanwhile 65 knots storm. Soon we had up to 45 knots of wind from a favourably south-easterly direction, the engine was turned off and we sped along with 12-13 knots surfing down the waves with Top speeds over 20 knots. Five hundred miles in two days. We had passed the eye of the storm with about 90 miles distance. Thereafter it was all over and we had to motor again for remaining two days. Some other yachts that had left Auckland three days after us in a Regatta to Fiji were not so lucky.

One yacht was dismasted and on another one a crewmember had fallen overboard. He was retrieved but had been unconscious in the water for a while and was still in a serious condition. Worse, a 70' Yawl (59-foot schooner ???) called Nina built in 1928 (quite famous, it won 1928 the first Fastnet race) had left from Opua same day as us and was on the way to Australia. She was hit by the storm shortly after her departure from the North Island. Seeing photos of her on the internet how low a Freeboard she has I am not surprised she disappeared in 50 Knots of wind with 8 to 12 m high waves north of Cape Reinga on the 4.6.13. For weeks Rescue teams searched a huge area but finally they had to accept that the crew of seven had gone down with the Yacht. A tragic loss with no trace of anything.

Riding the storm

Storm sailing

We did the 1.250 NM to Fiji in six days and six hours, which was faster than originally expected. When we arrived at Lautoka, our port of entry I was surprised and pleased to see the Helene Rickmers - under Uniteam Marine crew management - alongside in the port. The next morning I took my three Burmese crew and visited the cargo ship, which is manned with full, Burmese Crew and they were all happy to see us. They hosted us and we had pleasing discussions.

Helene Rickmers in Port Lautoka

Visit on board Helene Rickmers

Fiji lies in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean. The closest neighbours are Vanuatu to the West, New Caledonia to the Southwest and Tonga to the East. The country consists of more than 332 Islands, 110 of which are permanently inhabited. Fiji has a population of about 850.000. The capital and largest city is Suva. The majority of the Fijian Islands were formed through volcanic activities that started about 150 Million years ago. The country is one of the most developed economies in the Pacific Islands area because it has an abundance of forest-, mineral- and fish resources. Today the main sources of foreign exchange are its tourist industry and sugar exports.

From the 4.6.13 until the 17.6.13 we cruised the breathtakingly beautiful Islands of Fiji exploring countless Bays, Beaches, Caves and got in contact with the people and culture of the Yasawa Islands.

The first stop was Waya Island however before we were allowed to move around we had to get permission from the local chief of the village. The Fijian Law provides that each village has full rights over its Beaches, waters, fishing grounds, etc. So after dropping anchor Jeri my right hand man and I took a bundle of kava roots that in anticipation we had bought earlier and presented it as a gift to the old village chief. He was 73 years old. We had a nice chat with him and his daughter in law after which he blessed us and politely gave us permission to cruise around.

Visit to the village chief

Get the blessing of the village elder

The village was incredibly basic and poor however the people were very friendly and seemed to be very happy. We saw only smiling faces. Luckily the custom with permission from the chief is not practised on all the Islands, which saved us valuable time during the next two weeks. The “Blue Lagoon” where the Movie with Brooke Shields was made was amazing with its calm turquoise waters. In the evening in the Nanuya resort we joined a local music group sitting with them on the floor and enjoyed their Love songs with very soft and high-pitched but beautifully romantic voices. This was the first time also we drank kava from the very kava root. We were told it causes a state of mind like Hashish however I didn't feel anything so I stopped the consumption because it tastes and looks like used dish washing water.

Island beauties

Freshly caught tuna (Crevalle Jack) trawling from the dinghy along the reefs

Blue Lagoon

Yasawa sailing

Swimming and diving in the caves

Exploring the mangrove rivers

Roman Catholic School in Matacava

One lasting memory was meeting a family with their two children in a remote place at Matacava. We needed fresh vegetables and we were told this was the place to get them. A living place cannot be more basic and yet the young family displayed an acceptance and peace with their situation that I cannot imagine in our society. But then they had all the crops they needed, they had chicken, he had a little sailboat used for fishing, cooking took place outside the hut on a primitive fireplace. The son Joe was six and was at a school a few miles away that we would later visit. The little girl Miria was only three and was busy playing with a litter of seven little puppies and dressing the Barbie-dolls I brought her.

In the farm plantation with Miria

Toki the farmer

Freshly bought vegetables at Toki's plantation

Toki's daughter Miria enjoying the small gifts

Miria with doll present; wouldn't mind to have such a beautiful little granddaughter

Miria with one of the little puppies out of a litter of seven

The two weeks passed quickly and we were getting ready to sail on to our next destination New Caledonia. I believe Fiji is definitely one of the important countries to visit for one who is sailing in the Pacific Ocean.

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