Let me tell you a little about the hero of this adventure, our beloved Chilli Cat. It all began over 3 years ago with some serious day dreaming on our part about sailing back to Australia. Sure we could catch a plane and be there in a day but where is the fun in that? We were having a natural break by moving from Europe back to Sydney so why not build in an adventure? You have to take advantage of these times as once you are back into the work/school mode it becomes tricky to break out and before you know it you are drawing your pension with too many things still on the "bucket list". Once we had decided to go for it we needed to find the right boat. We had decided on a catamaran for the sheer space it gives a family. Of course there are performance boats out there but a lot of the time we would be at anchor so finding the balance was important. We looked at a lot of boats and like blind dating, it's a minefield out there. Boats that looked great in the ads and pictures were hardly recognizable in reality. Charles travelled many miles in his research. We would attend the boat shows during this time and would always end up sitting on the Lagoon 440, it just felt right. Strangely enough, one came up for sale just 30 minutes from our home and on a February morning we travelled up to LA Spezia to see her, hoping to not be disappointed again. There she was on the pontoon, framed against the white capped mountains of Italy she looked great with her dusting of snow and ice on her. We met the owner and agent and looked all around her, trying to contain our excitement as its not cool to show the buyer such interest really. No such acting from the kids though, they quickly decided on their cabins and where teddies and toys would go. The deal was done in the following weeks and she was ours! There was the fun and games of moving out of a large house onto a boat but no matter how many car loads of "stuff' we took up, Chilli Cat just swallowed it up, the storage is amazing. In June we began the journey proper and she really has been a home from home. She is the 4 cabin en suite charter version with 2 extra crew cabins up front. We added solar panels, a washing machine, communication equipment, 2 new sails and upgraded the battery charging mechanism en route and everything has worked brilliantly. She came with a wonderful water maker that converts sea water to fresh at a rate of 200 litres per hour (this is very good). Basically we have been able to have a bathroom each, enjoy a hot shower pretty much when we want, hose down the decks, froth up cappuccinos and run our computers etc to our hearts content. Sailing wise she has surpassed our expectations, crossing the Atlantic in just 16 days is pretty good, and just 18 days for the big Pacific leg is also a good achievement.
You may find the thought of being with just your significant other and kids for such lengthy periods of time horrific. Sure, it took some adjustment from us all in the beginning. The thing was that we had actually spent many months apart as a family as Charles work took him away. Relationships do not flourish on continued absences and kids need a Dad around. Being together this much is actually our new 'normal'. I know I will miss the kids hugely when they go back to school but I treasure this time we have all had together. We are a tight little unit now and we feel privileged to have had all of this time together.
We have been extremely fortunate to have been able to do this and learn so much from the experience. Chilli Cat, we thank you for getting us here safely and in such comfort, we will miss you.

For 17 months now we have been heading to Australia. Here we are now, with less than 100 miles to go and still it seems inconceivable that we are nearly there. I see it on our chart, and know that we will be in Brisbane by nightfall but it is still not registering in my mind. I still somehow think that on the horizon, a small group of islands will slowly appear and not the massive land mass that is Australia. We all have very mixed emotions now, we are excited to be starting our next adventure in Sydney but we are very sad to be leaving Chilli Cat and all that she has meant to us. We have done over 18 thousand miles since we slipped lines in La Spezia Italy. We have taken this little boat to Europe, Africa, The Carribean, South America, the Galapagos, French Polynesia and a host of other places in between. We have seen the most amazing places, witnessed mother nature at her very best, have been able to get up close to awe inspiring creatures and we have done it together as a family and that in itself is a most wonderful experience.
I have just had my post watch sleep and am up on deck again. Just under 40 miles to go so we should see land very soon. The passage has been a good one, quite fast. We had a smooth start with little sea and little wind, then the trades kicked in and we had 2 speedy days. After that the wind died to less than 2 knots so it was sails down and engine on. It was a most beautiful night watch. With no sail trimming to worry about we were able to enjoy the nights star show. There were no other boats around, just us and Lateral Thinking’s lights in the distance. Its bizarre in the huge ocean, but the only other yacht we met was within a nautical mile of us at 4am. We had a little chat as we slowly passed by.
After this calm a southerly kicked in with gusts of up to 35 knots. We were expecting it and Chilli Cat handles it well but its not the most comfortable of travel modes. Still, we are almost there so we can grin and bear it.
I have been up on deck imagining that I see land but it really was low cloud at this distance. Then, at 3.47 in the afternoon, 25 miles from land, there was no mistaking it “Land Ahoy!” We expect to see it but it doesn’t lessen the thrill, especially as its AUSTRALIA!!!!!!! It now seems as though Chilli has kicked up her heels and is desperate to get there too, although logically we know its current and tide (hey, its good to fantasize occasionally). We hear the Australian coastguard on the radio with a weather check, big cargo ships are passing by and our pals are at the marina. We will try to get down to Rivergate tonight, it will be dark but the cardinal marks and lights should all be good and we will both be up on deck for this bit. Don’t care what time we get in but there will be a drink for sure, we did it, we really did it. No damage, no illnesses or accidents, no break ins. This adventure really could not have been more perfect.

The following lunch time we headed around to the next bay and waited for our lift out. This involved a tractor with a trailer that has a number of inflatable bags on it. At high tide they drove down the ramp, we motored forward between 2 (very close together) poles and then we wait to be inflated and driven off - simple but still a little worrying. As we were only out for a few days they left us a few metres from the high water mark and we were able to stay living on board. We blasted Chillie's underside, checked everything over and prepared her for painting the next day. We also took advantage of the time to cook our meals for the passage which makes life easier all round. We were blessed with the weather, for the first time in our time here in New Caledonia it hadn't rained so up early we set too with the brushes and rollers and the job was easily completed. Even Mark and Sylvana roared up on their hired scooter to lend a hand, thanks guys.
We had the job done in no time but couldn't go back into the water until later the following day so we caught up on internet and checked out of New Caledonia. Luckily they give you 72 hours until you have to leave so we were able to fuel up, and head over to one of the lovely off lying islands for 24 hours of relaxing before the passage. It was our last Chilli Cat day. I made a French toast breakfast (currently the kids favorite), we snorkeled, swam, drank a glass of wine at lunchtime, had a siesta, read our books and had early dinner and lights out early in preparation for the following days departure.
We had our weather window, it was time to go.

Isle of Pines

The 35 mile trip to the Isle of Pines was back into the prevailing conditions so not a comfy one. Our guests handled it well but we were all very happy to drop anchor in the beautiful bay of Kuto. It boasts a wide white sandy beach backed by the famous pines, blue water and a bakery. Oh, and we even managed to find a small internet café. The cruise ships visit here and drop anchor way out and we witnessed the little ships ferrying the passengers back and forth. The kids found some new playmates on the next boat, and enjoyed a lot of time just hanging out on the beach with them. All too soon we had to head back to the main island, Grande Terre. We split it into 2 days again and headed for Isle de Ouen. This time we were going in the right direction and had a lovely sail over. Our first choice of anchorage was a little exposed and apparently had sharks in it so we carried on to Turtle Bay in the south west corner. We were very keen to visit here as Charles parents had been here, also on a boat, some 20 years ago. Once more we found a deserted small resort, also a scout camp and just a couple of residents in this corner of the island. It was a sheltered spot but the water was murky so none of us were tempted to swim (maybe the sharks had followed us). We went for a little explore and gathered some coconuts. Luca can actually shimmy up a tree now to collect them! We then had fun cracking them open (thanks Mark) but we didn’t really rate our rum and coconut sundowner that night!
The following day was also a pleasant slow sail back into the marina in Noumea. We managed to sneak into a spot and the kids were delighted to find their old ARC pals on Sirius had turned up. We didn’t see them for the rest of the day as they all played so happily together.
Sadly we said goodbye to our guests and hoped that we had not put them off of sailing for life!
We then started a bit of a clear out in preparation for the arrival into Australia. Good size re cycling bins on shore helped this process and there are always people happy to accept pre loved goods in the marina.

We had limited time here and a couple of obligations so we decided to limit our cruising to Noumea, Bay of Prony and the Isle of Pines areas. Those of you who know us well know that we like to take care of our Chilli Cat so some time ago we had booked her in for a haul out in the yard outside Noumea.
We were also fortunate to have guests from Sydney over, Mark and Sylvana. We had the boat in the marina so it was easy for them to find us and the following morning we set out with our new ship mates! We headed east (so it was a bit bumpy) and into the huge Bay of Prony which offers many anchorages, but we decided on the mooring bouys at Isle de Casy. There was a reef, beach and some walking there so we figured it would be a good spot for us all. We tied up easily to the very well maintained bouys and had a swim. Gosh, what a surprise. The water temperature was significantly cooler here than our recent stopovers. Our pals on Maloo had reported a good snorkel on the further reef so some of us donned our wetsuits and fins and headed over. Sylvana and Isabella stayed on board and Isabella learnt some new card games. (she always wins!) The snorkel was nice, we saw something new, the striped sea snake which is highly venomous but as its mouth is so tiny, and its not normally aggressive so is not a huge danger. We still kept our distance from this pretty little creature though. Back on board we fired up the bbq and had a lovely evening, catching up on news from Sydney.
The next morning we decided to explore the little island. There is a resort there which is now derelict. Apparently it didn’t last for long and has been closed for almost a decade. A local family used to reside there too but all that is left now is the family cemetery. It’s a shame as the island is a lovely spot. It is home however to the resident dog, Moose. A big brown softy cross between quite a few breeds, he greeted us as we came ashore, full of tail wagging and kept close to us as we walked around the island. It didn’t take long but It was a beautiful walk through the local pines, along the beach and up into the area that used to be mined with the landscape bare and scarred from the machinery. Moose led us safely back and in the afternoon we came back with some goodies and fresh water for him. The kids played on the beach for a while and Moose curled up right beside us for a sleep. His big eyes were imploring us to take him with us and we were very taken with him but firstly he is way too big for a boat and secondly, taking a dog into Australia is a long and complex process. With the amount of cruisers stopping by, we felt reassured that he would be fed, watered and cuddled regularly.

Bordering on the Coral Sea is the French Overseas territory of Nouvelle Caledonie. The main island is the mountainous Grande Terre whose once stunning scenery alternates between dense forests and denuded mined slopes. The mountains of Grande Terre are almost solid mineral deposits containing one of the biggest reserves of nickel in the world. Grande Terre also boasts one of the largest coral reefs in the world, and you can sail around most of the island within the reef. Also, part of the Territory are the off lying islands, the Loyalty group, Ile des Pines, Chesterfield islands and Belep. Noumea, the capital, is a busy city with several large marinas and as expected in a French territory a good supply of restaurants, markets and supermarkets – great for re stocking the cheese!
For centuries this land was home to the Melanesian people who practiced ritualized cannibalism (clearly this was before the restaurants and markets!) and head hunting. Captain Cook found them to be quite friendly, but when the French explorer, Entrecasteaux visited a few years later he found them changed by tribal wars, famine and drought. In the 19th century, France claimed the islands. As with the neighbouring islands, the first European settlers here were convicts and France’s Penal colony of New Caledonia had a terrible reputation. More settlers followed to this land of rich natural resources, with a heavy influx of French colonials from North Africa after the Algerian war of Independence in the 1960’s.
In the latter part of last century troubles flared up as the indigenous Melanesian Kaneks saw that neighbouring countries were becoming independent. A separatist movement grew demanding independence and a violent conflict ensued in the 80’s which did result in the French giving the Kaneks a better deal with improved education and health benefits, as well as the promise of a referendum on independence at some point in the future. In recent years the situation has been stable. The population is approx 228,000, with Melanesians making up 44%, 34% are of European descent and the balance are mostly immigrants from other French territories. French, unsurprisingly, is the official language which will be amusing for the locals as we embarrass ourselves with our school day acquired skill in this area!

If you look at a map, we had to get from the top of the Vanuatu island chain down to the southern tip of New Caledonia. This generally means sailing against the prevailing conditions (not nice), but we had a weather window with a wind that would help us but it was not for a couple of days so we motored back down to Port Vila again where we checked out, re fuelled, re stocked at the amazing market and had some internet time. Once the wind was obliging we set off. It was a little frisky at first but it was a very pleasant 2 day, 2 night sail with a bit of engine power to help us into the pass. New Caledonia, so named by Captain Cook because it reminded him of Scotland. I could see that, it was mountainous with a reddish tinge amongst the green ( iron ore has been mined here). If a proud stag had appeared on the horizon it would have looked quite at home. We carried on through the pass and into the woodin channel and up to the capital Noumea. This was the biggest city we had seen for a long while and looked very European from the coast. We called up the port and asked for a berth in Port Moselle for a few nights and became city dwellers for a while .

This was a bit of an Indiana Jones day! In the year 2000 a local man lost his dog or pig or goat, cant quite remember but in tracking down said lost animal, he discovered this enormous cave way inland from Luganville. It is now one of the main tourist attractions on the island and we had a great day.
It started with a pick up in town and a bumpy journey into the village which was another wonderful example of the local culture and people. We then set off with our guides and have a lovely level walk through the local forest for an hour or so. We had a break and this involved a little face painting. On a first visit to the cave it is traditional to pay respects by doing this apparently. We were painted with a squiggle to signify the winding path, a ‘v’ for the swallows that reside in the cave, 2 splodges on our cheeks for the caves and a long smudge on our chins for the river. Thus daubed, we continued our walk and hoped that we didn’t bump into anyone we knew!!! (unlikely) It now began to get a little slippery as we descended to the entrance to the cave. Normally they only let kids over 10 do this trek but as the river was low they allowed Isabella along. She was treated like a princess with 2 local ladies assisting her up and over the rocks! The cave is huge and dark and everywhere you could hear and see the multitudes of swallows (and their deposits!). We flicked our head torches on and waded waist high in the refreshing (bloody cold) water to the other end. To do this we clambered over boulders, back under the water, over the boulders again, slipping sliding and climbing around with only our torch beam to guide. Eventually we saw a crack of day light and the riverside spot for a lunch break. After this we had to put on life jackets and the kids were given floating rings (the type you use at the beach!) . more trekking and climbing but now the boulders were seriously large and the drop off a little scary. There were some ropes to help with the trickier parts and wooden foot holds to slow the descent on the bigger rocks. This carried on for a while and then it was just the river. We kicked back and floated slowly downstream. It would have been much more fun with a decent flow of water but it was still good. Isabella was still being royally guided and was having a good giggle with Sophie the young local girl assigned to take care of her. Luca was being similarly assisted by 11 year old Paul from the village, but it ended up as a race between the 2 of them as Luca is more sure footed than a herd of goats! Once we had finished our lovely float, it was a vertical climb on home made ladders all the way out of the canyon and back to the village. With sodden clothes and a life jacket this was a bit of a challenge but we made it okay and the main village hut laid on coffee and fresh fruit to revive us – just perfect. Back in the bumpy van to Luganville where we waited for the little ferry to take us over to the island where we were moored. All slept well that night .

We did our usual dawn arrival, this time into "Santo" as she is locally known and headed for Luganville the capital. It's the second largest town here in Vanuatu but was really quite a sleepy unattractive place and had none of the charm of Port Vila. The harbour is very deep here in the Segond channel so we headed for the mooring bouys at Aore Resort on Aore island, 3 kms across the water from Luganville. Luckily there was a bouy available to we hooked up and enjoyed the peace after 18 hours of engine noise! As we had a mooring we were allowed the use of the resort facilities so the kids were very excited to use the pool so I promised them a day ashore the following day whilst Charles did a dive. We took our dinghy across the 3 km to town and it was super sleepy being Sunday but we managed to book Charles in for a dive the following day and all of us on the Millenium cave tour the day after.

Diving the SS President Coolidge

I did not do the dive as there was no way I was going to go into a dark ship and not see my way out (clearly I like my dives simple) but my tough husband was game enough. The SS President Coolige was once a luxury liner but during WW 2 it was converted into a troop carrier by the American forces. Sadly it sank when it hit two of their own mines in 1942. At the time it was carrying 5000 men but only two lost their lives. The 200 meter vessel now rests between depths of 20 and 70 metres. The ships holds are still full of equipment and even vehicles and it is a big draw for divers worldwide. Charles had never done a dive of this kind and had a great day nosing in and out of the vessel. The kids and I managed to amuse ourselves by the resort pool, a tough day all round!

We sailed up the island chain overnight to Efate island, home of Port Vila the capital. It is an attractive town with shelter and good mooring bouys you can move to once the formalities are completed. Port Vila is a small cosmopolitan town, a melting pot of Melanesian, European and Asian cultures. Approx 66,000 people live here including the outlying villages. It is also where most of the luxury hotels and tourist activities can be found. It has a great fresh fruit and veg market which is an attraction in itself, the biggest market we have seen so far with very good prices. We only had 2 nights planned here so we enjoyed the day in town, caught up on some shopping and internet and sleep and then went to the highly recommended 'Flaming bull restaurant' for ................yes, steak, what else would it be with that name! The beef here is supposed to be of the highest quality so we felt duty bound to check out this claim and were not disappointed.


Around Efate island by car.

We had arranged to hire a car for the day and were up early, picnic packed and swimmers, towels etc ready to head off and get the most from the day ( I get this from my Mum, we do like a picnic in our family!). First stop were the Mele cascades, a series of natural waterfalls and pools that have been sympathetically converted into a tourist attraction with beautiful gardens all around. It was just a moderate hike to the top and I was still disentangling myself from my back pack and Isabella was already stripped down to her swimsuit and jumping off the highest rock into the refreshing (cold) pool below, she is so gutsy where water is concerned. After some mucking about in the waterfall we dried off, said hello to the local iguana and found some sunshine and grass to dry off in with a pain au chocolat (picked up earlier in the supermarket) and our thermos of coffee (another Baker family trait). Back in the car we continued our clockwise journey and found the beautiful Port Havannah harbour in the north. A huge expanse of sheltered water which would make a great anchorage for another time. We bumped down tracks in our rental jeep and found lovely plots of sea front land for sale, some with houses already in place. It always looks like paradise but I could not live that quietly, not for long anyway but it was fun mentally sketching a house for 5 minutes while we skimmed stones. Moving on we witnessed some world war two memorabilia around the island, there are some wrecks just off shore you can snorkel on, an airstrip and a few museums but the entrance fee for all were very steep, quite out of step with the general cost of living here and as a result....empty of tourists! Note to Vanuatu tourism board......charge a reasonable fee and visitors will come!
We found a lovely little beach for our lunchtime picnic and then headed back into town. We spied a butchers shop so just had to get a few steaks for the freezer and for the nights supper. A good day out, always a treat to have some time off the boat and see if we can remember how to drive a car!!!