We have had a totally relaxing week out in the lagoon, having cast off from the marina, wilting from its ghastly smell. We had a mixed sail/motor-sail to Amedee light and anchored in its lee. The swell was still a bit uncomfortable but well worth tolerating for the visit - Phillipe the gardien of the lighthouse opened it for us and told us to make ourseleves at home. The climb to the top is a steep one, up a tight internal staircase that narrows to be quite tight near the top. The views from there, especially in the bright sunshine we had that day, were breathtaking. The bright white of the structure and the turquoise blue below in the anchorage were picture-perfect.
From Amedee we had a navigationally challenging but fun sail along the inside edge of the Barrier Reef, up the West Coast of the lagoon to Ilot Mbe-Kouen. This is a tiny sand island with two reefs extending one from each side to enclose a totally secure and calm anchorage. The islet is a nesting place for sea birds and a walk there was fascinating; it also proved to be a perfect vantage point to sit watching the hot orange sunsets every evening.
From Mbe we made several snorkelling excursions to Ilot Mbo (one of the "3 Ms" - Mbe, Mbo and Mba, all within 5 miles of each other and all very pretty). One of these days was out to the Barrier Reef and there we were able to drift with the currents over the vast reef masses and their drop-offs, with most of the good coral and fish at no more than 2 metres below us - so diving gear would have been superfluous; thus we were able to stay all day without concern about nitrogen sickness. A big feature of this area was the large number of large and brilliantly-coloured clams - up to 4 or 5 on a single coral head; that was a wonderful visit.
We're starting to look for weather to go home now - there is the chance of a good system next week but we'll wait a few days before committing to checking out at Customs and Immigration. We'll keep you posted.
More photos!
Click here