Sailing Taurus NZ

We left Upongkor at 5pm for the 80 nautical mile sail to Port Vila. A 15 knot sou’ easterly was predicted and we estimated the trip would take roughly 16 hours, meaning a 9am arrival.

However, as the saying goes, “man proposes and God disposes.’ We motored away from the anchorage, raising the sails as we went to pick up the light breeze that then slowly died away. We continued to motor, hoping the wind would pick back up as we cleared the lee of the island. However, the predicted wind never appeared, and instead we had fretful wind from the north, the south and the west. Everything in fact but the promised sou’ easterly. Not wanting to motor for 16 hours we decided to head back to the island of Erromango and drop the anchor until the wind started to pick up. No sooner had we turned about than a regular breeze started to blow, and even though it was only 10 knots it was a wind we could use, so we turned back onto our course for Port Vila.

As it turned out the overnight sail gave us a bit of everything. From no wind at all to nearly 30 knots, and from every point of the compass. We finally arrived at Port Vila at about lunch time, enjoying a fast sail for the last 3 or 4 hours.

Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu and home to about 50,000 people, has a well protected harbour capable of sheltering cruise liners and super yachts. There are also two anchorages for the more humble boat as well as moorings that can be rented at the users risk — which is not to be sniffed at as a mooring apparently broke just before we arrived with the yacht running adrift before crashing into another boat.

We had been under a bit of pressure to get to Port Vila because my daughter, Abi, and her partner, Alan, were arriving on a cruise liner. We had arrived with a couple of days to spare so set to exploring the city.

The waterfront is a bustling place with an incredible market where fresh produce and meals can be purchased. Outside the market the main street features a number of shops selling cheap Chinese wares and Vanuatuan souvenirs. Next door is a well stocked supermarket that has most food items you might want, though some things are expensive. A kilo of cheese for example, that would cost $10 in NZ, costs the equivalent of $35 here. Thankfully, the French influence still lingers and baguettes and luxuries like pain au chocolat are also available. One of the most amazing things about Port Vila is the cleanliness of the water which is crystal clear. Large fish can be seen just below the surface, gathering near the market and restaurants where locals throw food to them.

As ever when we find ourselves in a town our priorities are to re-provision, get rid of our rubbish, do some washing, and visit the local eateries — not necessarily in that order!

We had thought about taking Abi and Allan sailing/snorkelling if they were keen, but the cruise ships don’t stay long in port and we didn’t want to have to rush, or risk the liner sailing without them! Instead we all chose to hang around town, visit the markets and browse around the shops before taking the dinghy out to Taurus for some drinks and nibbles. Having lost my favourite hat in the Yasawas I have been on the lookout for a replacement, but I’m not sure that the flowery version I found is really me….

Later that day the cruise ship departed, sailing into the setting sun. It had been great to catch up and we look forward to hopefully seeing Abi and Allan again when we arrive in Australia, as they live on the Gold Coast.

Having spent almost a week in Port Vila it was time to depart. First though we did an oil change as we knew we could ditch the old oil in town, changed the engine anodes, and so on. Our next destination was Lamen Bay on the island of Epi. The trip was about 80 NM again, so we left early in the morning and arrived at about 3am after a fairly uneventful sail. Given that we couldn’t see any of the features, especially bombies, we anchored well away from shore and turned in.

Next morning we discovered Lupina in the bay, a Halberg Rassy belonging to a very experienced Swiss couple, Kobi and Pia. We had briefly met Kobi in Port Resolution so it was great to meet Pia and spend some time with them. As well as being a lovely couple who make a mean punch, Kobi and Pia have sailed all the way from the UK to the Pacific and have a wealth of great stories. Our ‘sundowners’ was interrupted by the arrival of a possible dugong, but these shy creatures tend to keep to themselves and this one refused a photo op.

The village ashore was surprisingly large, but the inhabitants were preparing for some kind of school ‘battle of the bands’ so the ‘cafe’ was closed. One little old lady made up for the disappointment by pressing a bag of tomatoes on us and refusing any payment.

That afternoon we went snorkelling, and though the fabled dugongs stayed away we did find a sleepy turtle to annoy. This patient chap allowed me to dive down and take numerous photos until he decided enough was enough and placidly swam away.

That afternoon we began getting the boat ready for departure. We faced yet another 80NM sail to the island of Espiritu Santo. The sail followed what is becoming a bit of a pattern with strong winds and good sized waves at ‘pinch points’ between islands, followed by a good deal of variance in the strength and direction of wind at other times. Once again we decided to divert to a closer anchorage as the wind died down and the sails slatted and collapsed, only to find the wind piping up again a couple of hours later, allowing us to resume our course. We ultimately arrived at Palikulo Bay, near the town of Luganville, at about 6am feeling tired and frustrated.

Anchored in the bay already was a good friend of ours, Ralph, who owns Jemellie, a 50 ft steel sloop. Ralph is planning to sail to Papua New Guinea via the Solomons shortly so we had made a bit of a bee line north to see him before he leaves. As the season is getting short we will probably head south from here, enjoying day sails as we head back down Vanuatu to try and get the best jumping off point for Noumea, New Caledonia. If we were to leave from here our course would be due south, which in the prevailing SE winds would mean a fair deal of beating into the wind. However, if we can return to Tanna our course becomes much easier. There has also been a certain amount of unrest in New Caledonia as the indigenous people, known as Kanaks, seek independence from France. New troubles are expected soon and it is probably wise to see how they play out before heading leaving, the French Government having previously asked people not to visit.

With Ralph showing us around we visited Luganville, a town whose chief attribute was a good hardware shop with lots of stainless steel bling!

The following day we visited the local blue hole, paying the owner $1,000 VT, a little over $10 each, for the pleasure. The trip up the river was well worth the cost alone, the water at the mouth of the estuary not at all brackish and so fresh that it was drinkable. A short way up the river we needed to pass under a bridge, but at low tide the current was too fast and the water too low for the dinghy’s outboard, so we swam and played in the water until the tide had risen and we could drag the dinghy through — a safer option than risking dinging the propellor.

The blue hole was a beautiful spot, if not very deep, and a slightly dodgy rope swing kept us well entertained. Later a family of Danes turned up with a Vanuatuan in an outrigger canoe and he let us have a play in his boat.

Next day we moved to another anchorage and sampled the fare at the Turtle Bay resort. This fancy resort welcomes sailors so we enjoyed a decent lunch and happened to meet David and Cathy who are also on the Pacific Island Rally. Naturally, drinks on board their boat were quickly arranged.

David and Cathy are the proud owners of a Nordhavn launch called Interval. This impressive vessel is a bit like a mini-super yacht, and after a chat, drinks, and nibbles we jumped at the chance to be shown around.

David and Cathy plan to head to Noumea and Australia, like us, so I’m sure we will bump into them again along the way. We have promised them drinks on board Taurus next time. I’m not sure if I would like to motor such long distances, the fuel bill must be horrendous, but it goes to show that there’s many ways to be out here enjoying the cruising lifestyle.

We had hoped to dive at Millionaire Point, near Luganville, where the US Army dumped millions of dollars worth of equipment after WWII. Unfortunately, both Ralph and I have come down with some mysterious bug, possibly Covid, which rules out diving. The plan now is to have an easy couple of days to recover and then head south, against the prevailing winds, we’ll see how that pans out.