Erromango Island
07 July 2009 | Filed from Port Vila
John and Shauna
The weather doesn't care what we want - the patterns just roll round, high pressure followed by cold front down south followed by low pressure, winds clocking around from SE Trades to weak northerly then strongly from the west, then around again as the days pass. Into this we must try to mould our sailing plans - leaving with enough wind from the right direction to make it to the next port in a reasonable time, but avoiding the bad weather and contrary winds that follow fair winds and clear skies, just as night follows day. So, with rain and strong winds forecast on both the radio weather services we use (GRIB and Buoyweather), we reluctantly weighed anchor from Port Resolution and the several villages and their people we have come to know there. They have a hard life but are so cheerful in disposition and feel that they have a good existence - they remind us of the sunny, self-sufficient and proudly independent little Gaulish village in the "Asterix" books.
We prepared "Destiny" Sunday night and left early Monday for the 53 mile sail to Dillon's Bay on Erromango Island. This bay was named after a man called Dillon who was an early trader in these islands; amongst other things he dealt in sandalwood, which grew prolifically on Erromango - until Dillon's lot got to the great stands of timber high in the mountains and stripped them out. Thankfully there were a few remote and inaccessible pockets left; with help from Australian and New Zealand forestry experts, the locals are carefully replanting and sustainably harvesting the slow-growing timber, which is highly prized.
Dillon's Bay is very quiet and sheltered in the SE trade winds, being sheltered from them by a dramatic mountainous inland rising in steep carpets of forest in deep green from a ribbon of lighter-green coconut and banana palms on the coastal fringe. It is a picturesque anchorage; a small river runs down to the pebbly beach inside a coral and rock reef fringe which protects the tiny cove the villagers inhabit. They are VERY poor - much more so than in Port Resolution. There is a small clinic but it is only serviced by a nurse intermittently, so that appendicitis is death, being delivered of twins is Russian Roulette, and if help is needed it comes in the form of some advice from Port Vila from a doctor there, over the solar-powered radio phone.
The chief in Dillon's Bay is Joe - an affable, fatherly man of 46 who is obviously acutely intelligent - he starred in school and was selected to study Theology in Auckland on a scholarship. His father was the previous chief but sickness led him to hand over to Joe - Joe had other plans for his future but seems to be a very popular and well-liked chief. When we arrived and went to pay our respects, as one does on the smaller islands, he was having a "Sit-Down" - mediating in a dispute over grazing rights for cows and the need of the villagers to have common land to grow vegetable and fruit. The chief in traditional Ni-Van society combines a dash of autocracy with a dollop of consultative management - and it really seems to work out well - apparently most issues and disputes are worked out by sitting down and discussing them at length under the chief's guidance - firm when required, gentle when not.
Joe's helper and seemingly "assistant" (?consigliere) is Joshua - a smart and observant 26 year old Bob Marley clone who took us on a walking tour of the village, the gardens and fields, and then introduced us to the head teacher, Annie. We left a grateful Annie with a big chunk of the books and materials we have brought with us, and also some t-shirts for her to give to the kids who might be in most need. The dedication of such people as Annie, spending years educating young people using only vestigial resources, is really admirable and awe-inspiring.
So, having met another group of friends, we are off again - this time for Port Vila.
PS: Lots of new pics in two new photo albums in "Photo Gallery" - to the right of the blog entry.