We've Got Roll!
22 June 2014 | Lamen, Bay, Epi, Vanuatu
Heather
Have you ever spent a night in bed but not slept a wink? Done that for several days in a row? Well that's what we've been doing for days now. Every anchorage we go to has protection from the wind but not from ocean swell so we roll our brains out. The boat is just in continual motion and the side to side rhythm drives us nuts. Jon chuckled when he told me today that if we had a "double wide" instead of a single wide we'd be fine. He means if we had a catamaran. We try not to look over at our friends on Gypsea Heart in their catamaran since we can't say they might be rolling harder than we are- they're flat at all times. It's better to look over at Mark & Anne since they're mono-hullers too. It's been great traveling together and we keep threatening Gypsea Heart that we're going to order a sleep-over on their boat if this keeps up.
We haven't been sitting still. The day we left Vila, we headed 15 miles out and anchored at Paul Reef. That afternoon, we did a scuba dive there. It was the first time we'd used our gear since last season and everything worked which was a relief. The following day we moved to Lelepa Island, a favorite from last season. It has a hairy entrance with coral all around but in good light you can see what you have to do. Once in, the lagoon is lovely and the colors of the water are incredible. We all jumped in and did another dive at a site we found last year that has this long crevice filled with soft corals & fans. It is mind blowing and when shared with friends who love to dive and appreciate the landscape, it's even more fun. Vanuatu has an undiscovered feeling. The people who live here have a few canoes and the rare outboard powered skiff but for the most part, they are on land living in the villages, farming the mountainside, walking the beaches. A few fish on the reefs but for the most part, when we go out snorkeling or to find a dive site, we're out there on our own. If we choose a good one, it is pristine. It makes me sad that the local people don't have the equipment to see these shore side reefs for themselves other than from the surface. But maybe it isn't important to them. We rarely see anyone doing any leisure swimming. I already know not to take this for granted.
It was nice to come back to a familiar place at Lelepa, and we showed Rankin & Sandy the windwardside white sand beach and the limestone cave on the island. We also met Chief Rubin & his wife again (we met them last season) and traded some soap, tea & cookies for some grapefruit & oranges. Because there was a windshift predicted, we had to leave Lelepa sooner than we wanted to which was a bummer since we'd wanted to do the same dive again. As far as these dives go, twice is nice! So the three of us upped anchor and headed to Emae Island. The fishing derby was initiated but there was no action on Evergreen. However, Rankin snagged a big mahi mahi so we could all put our meat back in the freezer- we were having fresh fish that night. Yay!
One thing about Vanuatu, at least when you're headed north, the sailing is amazing. There's something about the wind angle, the fair current, the sea state... it all adds up to fast, smooth sailing. It's turning around to get back that hurts! But we won't think about that right now. Once we were anchored, Jon & I went ashore to take a walk. Looking back at the boat, we could see the rolling had begun. The "Big Sista" ferry had just landed and there were a lot of locals just relaxing on the shore when we beached the dinghy. We told them that Rankin was filleting a large fish and did they want the carcass-- before I could even get all the words out there was a big YES! Just like last year, they wanted it. A nice lady asked us if we wanted to walk with her to the other side of the island so we strolled together and she pointed out all of the trees & leaves, shrubs and crops that they use for food. We asked & answered all of the usual questions & left at dusk having made a friend.
You could say we rolled out of the anchorage bright & early and headed to Tongoa to do the Tongoa Wall dive. It was a highlight of last season & we couldn't wait to do it again. So the way it works here is you generally have to ask for permission from the village to anchor, to dive on the reefs and to walk on the island. It is just the custom & a courtesy. They don't say no, and it is unusual for them to charge but some islands do charge a fee. We had to pay at Lelepa (new from last season) and we expected to pay at Tongoa. But finding the right person to ask and tracking them down can be a challenge sometimes, especially at Tongoa because there was the swell running and the beach is steep to so landing the dinghy is impossible. Jon had to swim ashore to track down the chief and pay him. A local on shore said he would text the chief on his phone, which he did, but the chief didn't have his phone on. I won't even get in to how incongruous it is to see someone in this landscape with a smartphone in their hand. An hour later, we pick Jon back up in the water near the beach having found no one to pay and we all decide we tried long enough, we're going to do the dive. As we're getting our gear together, we hear the deafening whistle from the beach- the chief has now appeared. Back into the dinghy to go pay the chief so we can get on with this dive. It was a hassle but once down at 60 feet, staring at so many colors and life on the wall, all the hassle was forgotten. The diversity is almost beyond comprehension. This wall is huge for Banana Nudibranchs. They are about 4 inches long but look bigger under water, are bright yellow with black markings and they are often seen in pairs. I saw 3 on this dive and why they like this wall in particular, I have no idea. They remind me of a piece of circus peanut candy. Since we haven't gotten to do much for wall diving since the Caribbean, this dive was exciting. Chasing my sinking scuba tank & BC blurry eyed with no mask on after the dive as I was trying to get out of the water, was not. I was trying to use integral weights instead of my weight belt to save my back but this makes my BC sink at the end of a dive no matter how much air I put into it. Back to the belt for me. It's safer!
Once again, the swell drove us out of Tongoa so we blasted along for 36 miles to Epi. It was not a good fishing day on Evergreen. We got 2 big hits on both poles within seconds of each other and lost 2 lures in a flash. Jon saw a large wahoo in mid air shaking our lure before the line broke. I hope the hook came out and that he's OK. Then we put out another line, dragged it for a bit and got a good zing going on the reel so we rushed to slow the boat down but by the time the sail was rolled up the fish had gotten off. At least we still had the lure! So we decided that the next time Jon would try to set the hook first even though we were going 7kts already which you would think would be enough, but that would come first and then we'd roll in the sail together. But no other fish came along. Thankfully, Anne caught a big mahi so phew, we still had fish that night. It pays to have friends! But now we need to do our part and contribute. I sure hope things swing in our favor soon.
We tried out a new anchorage on the island of Epi - Ringdove Bay, that had just as much roll as all the others but it's redeeming quality was yet another dive site within spitting distance of our boats. We did this one twice and saw some new corals, nudibranchs and fish. Part of it was a wall and the other was large coral formations completely covered in every color imaginable. It's so nice to just poke along down there and be in your own world looking for new things and just feeling what it would be like to live under water. The 6 of us have been having a really nice time doing these dives. I like to look up and see everyone's stream of bubbles.
A couple of days ago, Jon & I got the bikes out and did a nice long ride to the southern end of the island on a dirt road. We passed numerous small villages, many farm plots, beaches, thick stands of forest and bamboo, flowers and said hi to a few cows, horses, chickens pigs, goats, people and dogs. This season we're carrying lollipops for the kids which we pull out if we feel inclined. They seem really happy to have one and it's fun to see them smile. The anchorage we're in now (we moved again today just a mile north to Lamen Bay) has some really cute dogs and since I made baked beans yesterday with a ham bone, I saved it to give to a dog. We picked one out today with oversized ears and a deformed paw and he whimpered in excitement as I unwrapped the bone. I think it was even more heartwarming than the lollipop feeling since island dogs have a really tough life. He probably felt sick after such a big meal but even if it killed him we figure he would say it had been worth it! I have 2 more ham hocks that I brought in the freezer from NZ so I have 2 more opportunities to make a dog's day.
Lamen Bay is famous for it's sea turtles that surface all around the boats and also for some friendly dugongs (manatees). We decided to stay here tomorrow and try to swim with them and also enjoy the peace & comfort of a quiet anchorage for once! It seems the swell isn't reaching in here so the boat is finally at rest. So with that I'm ending this blog entry in favor of my bed. Maybe tonight will be a night of sleep!
Oh and thanks for the emails & comments on VentureFarther. We continue to collect new & update already existing markers and Jon is working on further development although it's much harder now with limited internet! We know there will inevitably be some bugs that need fixing and will do that as soon as we can.