Once we had traded all our goods for carvings, and had a new collar carved for our steering column, and a couple of small 'ngzungzu' (traditional figures) made for our companionway, we finally quit Marovo Lagoon and headed for Honiara, with an overnighter at the beautiful Russell Islands on the way. Honiara is a bit of a horror show. Well, the city itself is ok, if somewhat nondescript, but the anchorage is terrible - very exposed to the wind and waves. We were pleased to be able to pick up a decent paid mooring. Although we're not in the habit of forking out money for moorings, at a cost of NZD16 a night, it seemed money well spent considering the scattering of wrecks just behind us. The second afternoon a stiff sea breeze struck up and had us all pitching wildly. No fun at all, and strong incentive to get everything done in Honiara as quickly as possible. Hate to be there in a storm. Lovely to catch up with our friends the Crowes on 'Honey' again, but not as festive as we would've liked, with our planned pot luck dinner - which no doubt would've included poetry, song, possibly dancing and certainly innumerable anecdotes - cancelled due to the waves. An overnight journey to the end of Guadacanal brought us to the very beautiful Marau Sound, where we anchored with 'Nalukai' next to pristine bush, screeching parrots and what appeared to be a lively meeting of the cockatoo debating society. And around the corner we visited the famous Tuvanipupu Resort, established by a couple of gay English chaps and renowned for its gardens and sculptures. Sadly it may well be heading into its final decline. Keith is long dead, and although we saw Dennis, well into his 80s, having a snooze, he didn't look long for this world. The resort has just been repossessed by the bank from Pamela, the subsequent American owner, and there was a distinct absence of guests. And then it was time to say goodbye to 'Nalukai'. We've been buddy boats for a couple of months now, have enjoyed dinners night after night aboard their more commodious cat, and become very fond of their very cute & bright wee daughters, Phoebe, Hatty & Willow. Jeremy and I have discussed most subjects under the sun in enormous detail, both being fond of a chat, and Jack & Iona have rolled their eyes, attended to things needing attending to, and enjoyed each other's company too. It was a sad moment giving those wee girls a final hug. And also a realisation that our two years, two months of cruising have just about come to an end. Now we must make our way down to Noumea to meet our two very well qualified crew, who I will introduce in a subsequent post.

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