Our last few days in New Caledonia saw us completing some maintenance (particularly on the watermaker) and stocking up on items we won't see again for a while: French charcuterie, some good wine and lots of snacks for John to demolish on night watches. Not to mention filling the tanks with tax-free diesel after checking out with Douanes (Customs) and Police des Frontieres (Immigration) and finally the Harbourmaster. Friendly service, putting up with John's French without smiling and FREE - unlike Australian Customs and Immigration. In company with "Capricorn III" a Melbourne boat, we had a truly enjoyable sail to Anse du Pilote, resting there overnight so as to leave on the slack tide at high water through Havannah Pass - this has a pretty impressive flow in through the fringing reef as the tide waxes and it's not worth pushing against it - too uncomfortable. Once through Havannah we split up - Dick taking Capricorn to Lifou Island, which we had a good look at last year, and us directly on to Vanuatu, as we would like to get to some of the Northern islands there this time around. Another good sail - winds 12 - 15 knots across the beam and swells only 1 metre or so. We skidded past Mare at about 04:00 today - we were about 4 miles off its coast but you could smell the land and the vegetation quite distinctly. Today was another nice beam reach, although around lunchtime the breeze dropped back in strength for an hour or two, so we motor-sailed through the lull. Tonight another reach, and we're doing 6.5 knots which with luck should put us in the anchorage at Tanna after breakfast tomorrow. We have been keeping in touch on the HF radio with Mike and Lyn on "Wombat of Sydney". Mike and Lyn are from South Carolina but he worked in Sydney for many years and is a member at the Squadron with us. It's nice to chat over the airwaves after dark when the boat is looking after herself for the evening. Until we get to Port Vila, whenever that will be, we will: (1) Be unable to spend any money since there will be nowhere to spend it - GOOD and (2) Be unable to put any pics on the blog but we'll make up for that in Vila. Cheers for now from us.