We thought we left the interesting
experience with the Fijian customs behind, but somehow it was evident that the
wrath of the customs officer was still with us, as after the uncomfortable and
time consuming upwind beat to Lautoka we had to beat again into the wind going
back the same way. The head wind finally abated and we motored out of the
Fijian reef through the Navula Passage at the southern end of the main island
Viti Levu. The next 8 days of sailing to New Caledonia were a mixed bag of
conditions ranging from no wind to force 8 with the wind going around the
entire compass rose. After a rainy period we noticed a distinct change in the
air and the water temperature had suddenly dropped 3 degrees – it was bye bye
to the tropics. We were blown off our rhumb line quite a bit and also had a
visit from a family of swallows needing a rest. What were these landlubbers doing
in the middle of the ocean??
We entered the New Caledonian reef through
the Havannah Pass and rounded the southern tip of the island during sunrise,
following the shipping channel weaving its way past red rock faces lined with
Norfolk Pines. After 720 miles we arrived at Port Moselle in Noumea and there
was no doubt that it was Vive la France
again. With a [mainly French] population of nearly 100.000, Noumea is considered
a metropolis for South Pacific standards and is also the centre of yachting. The
marina facilities were a reflection of that – and so was the hike in price
level.
After nearly 7 weeks this was the final
port for Tilman – who was really looking forward to returning to subzero
temperatures in Germany.
The new crew joining PasoDoble for her last
leg to Australia were Tao, Don and Maria. Before heading off though, we hired a
car and explored part of the east coast of the island. Contrary to the volcanic
origin of most of the other Pacific islands, New Caledonia geomorphologically
forms parts of the Australian continental shelf, hence is rich in mineral
resources. Proof if this are the ravaged mountains in the central highlands
with open cut mining being omnipresent there. This is the reason why the French
Government, despite fierce battles in the past, has so far resisted giving the
indigenous Melanesian ‘Kanaks’ the choice to become independent.
While berthed in Noumea the wind was
steadily blowing from the southeast, however when we were ready to leave calm
was forecasted for the coming 3-5 days. We decided however we had enough of
Noumea and sailed out to Amedee Island, situated right next to the main
westerly reef pass. The sandy island is a day tourist destination with a grand historic
lighthouse, manufactured in France and then transported to Amedee in
1874. Surrounded by a small reef and
corals abundant with sea life it was an easy spot to while away some days.
On the morning of the d-day we motored out
of the reef through the Boulari Pass. The water was like a mirror and a
spectacular reef break wrapping around the north end of the pass attracted some local surfers. Access to the break however is 1 hr via speedboat.
After about 8 hours of motoring a light
breeze started off in the late afternoon. This was the beginning of a first
steady and then rather blustery sail towards the Australian eastern seaboard. After downloading the weather gribfile we found out the source for the force 7-8 winds was cyclone Evan, ravaging Fiji and making for an early opening of the cyclone season. I guess we just got out in time. Our designated port of entry was Brisbane and after 797 miles in only 5 days [pushing our best daily average to 194 nm] we
sighted Moreton Bay Island in the setting sun and if it weren’t for the pretty
rough sea state we would have cracked a bottle of champagne. There was no
choice really of slowing the boat down to make landfall by day and that meant
rounding the northern tip of Moreton Bay Island around midnight. We negotiated
the bar at the Inner Freeman Channel and labored our way against a strong southeasterly combined with an ebbing tide towards Tangalooma, where we literally
‘chucked’ the anchor down and fell asleep.
We lifted anchor again at sunrise while a
flooding tide against the southeasterly still blowing 25-30kn created a very
choppy sea. Zig-zagging the main shipping channel into Brisbane harbour we
bounced across Moreton Bay and made our way up the river past the container
terminals and industrial complexes to Rivergate Marina, where the 2 waiting Australian customs officers kindly took our lines - what a service !!!
After an unexpected surprisingly friendly
and helpful clearing-in procedure by both customs and quarantine we could step
onto Australian soil.
Since our departure from Barcelona on July 6,
2011 we have travelled approximately 16000 nautical miles in 523 days. Very
fortunately we have not experienced any major technical problems and without any
delays were able to keep to our planned itinerary exactly to the day.
THANK
YOU SO MUCH - PASO DOBLE - YOU ARE A WONDEFUL BOAT
PS - this is a report about Cyclone Evan.
Western parts of Viti Levu saw the most destruction, as Evan tore through the area overnight.
The Fiji Times have described the township of Lautoka in Viti Levu as a "war zone".
"The destruction this cyclone has caused is beyond words. Not one house has been spared here," Lautoka resident Melaia Waisele said.
PPS - we found a temporary home for PasoDoble at the Dockside Marine, right in the centre of Brisbane. She looks happy there, enjoying a quiet time ...
