Our next stop in the Vanuatu chain of islands was Port Resolution on Tanna. This island is perhaps best known for its active volcano, Mt Yasur which we could easily observe belching smoke and ash into the sky from several miles at sea. As we approached the island, we could also make out numerous volcanic steam vents on the hillsides. Although there was no detail at all on our electronic charts for Port Resolution we had it on good authority that it was a decent anchorage and in fact, it turned out to be well protected with about 6-7 boats already in there when we arrived, but there was plenty of room.

Once ashore we visited the Port Resolution Yacht Club, did a little geocaching and toured the local village. Tanna Island was one of the hardest hit by cyclone Pam last March and the extensive damage was evident in many downed trees and debris at the high water mark. Remarkably, the village was almost completely rebuilt and in good working order. The Vanuatu people take great pride in their homes and communities and work hard to keep them neat and tidy. They are also very friendly and everywhere we go, people stop to introduce themselves and ask about our travels.

We had originally planned a volcano tour for our first night, but decided to postpone due to rain. The guide said we would only see steam. So the next day we joined a bigger tour of 20 yachties jammed like sardines into two mini-pickups and off we went for about an hour and half over a rough muddy track through the jungle. The drivers knew their craft and despite the difficult terrain and huge payload they delivered us safely to the slopes of Mt.Yasur about an hr before sunset. From there it was a short hike up to the narrow rim of the volcano. It is difficult to find words to describe sunset on the rim of a volcano, "amazing" and "spectacular" seem to pale in the comparison. From our vantage we could see down into the caldera where vents were sputtering and spitting red hot lava. Sometimes the mountain would rumble and burp up a big cloud of smoke. Occasionally, the rumble would develop into a roar, the ground would shake, and the volcano would erupt a huge fiery plume of lava a couple hundred feet into the air and well above our heads. We could feel the hot air whoosh by and sometimes the smoke and ash would hit us as well. Usually, in each eruption there are big molten boulders or "lava bombs" the size of coffee tables that rain back down into the caldera, landing in the soft ash with a whump. Later, we were told a couple was killed a few weeks back by a lava bomb when they got too close... What's too close? Who knows? There are no ropes or rails or signs, just a few barefoot guides telling us where to get the best view. Then, as the sun set and it got dark on the rim of the volcano, the lava eruptions grew much more vivid, but it also became hard to walk on the narrow unmarked trail so the guides came and helped us find our way back down to the trucks.

The next day we sailed away from Port Resolution bound for Erromango Island with Mt Yasur puffing away in our wake.