We left Noumea on Tuesday 25 June for Baie Ouie on a grey day. After weighing anchor we motored the short trip to the fuel dock at Port Moselle Marina. With no other boats around, coming alongside was easy, and we had soon topped up with both diesel for the main engine and petrol for the outboard. This useful facility also provides LPG bottle refills and a small laundry service. Come 0930 we had headed out between the headlands and navigation posts and turned south.

There was only a light wind from the East, but we could just about sail. However as we turned the corner around the reef and headed East the wind became too fine on the bow and we are forced to motor sail with our Main up. Coming around we reef at Ile aux Canards we noticed the water became unsettled with a nasty short sharp chop. Whilst this was only perhaps 0.5m high it did cause some motion in the boat and noticeably slow progress. The sea here is constrained by Ilot Maitre and the Ile aux Canards, forcing any tidal flow from Noumea to go through a gap about ½ nm wide. However, the tide was slight and so unlikely to cause this chop. We remembered that we had encountered similar rougher seas around the ends of other reefs in Fiji.

The passage to Baie Ouie was otherwise uneventful. Motor-sailing we are able to maintain steady progress and were anchored in the sheltered end of the bay at 1320. We had lunch and went ashore.

We had hoped to be able to meet our friend Claude. However, as we approached his gardens and houses all was quiet. There was a white Land Rover Defender parked near the house so we called Claude’s name repeatedly as we wandered around the garden. With no reply we explored along the beach to the stream to the south. It was about mid tide and the stream was shallow but certainly not dry, and the extensive mud banks did not look inviting so we did not cross. Returning to Claude’s house we sat and waited. It was very peaceful with several birds slowly advancing to peck cautiously at the bread Claude had put on his front garden. After a while we thought we could hear snoring and concluded that Claude was having a siesta. We decided to leave him in peace and returned to Tai Mo Shan.

The next day, Wednesday, was also grey with low clouds and the real threat of rain. We went ashore again, but the vehicle had gone. We telephoned Claude and he explained that the wet weather had meant he could not work on the house or garden, and so he had returned to Noumea. It was a shame he had missed us. However, he would return after the rain, probably the next week and would call us. We returned to Tai Mo Shan as the threat of rain turned into a light shower, and then a more steady drizzle.

The weather broke that afternoon with a steady rain from a grey sky of low clouds that lasted almost continuously until Friday afternoon. The good news was that this was ‘useful rain’. It washed our decks and then allowed us to fill our water tanks. The forecast mentioned strong winds but, sheltered at the end of the bay by the high hills, we only experienced light breezes. We had noticed one small stream to the north of us. Normally it was a trickle of water from the nearby hills running down the natural bowl in a steep cascade. However, with the volume of rain it was now a raging torrent, and we could clearly hear standing on deck a few hundred metres away. It was no wonder the thin soil was washed away leaving the bare rocks of the cascade.

The forecast was for the wind to swing around to the South West, and perhaps even the West, over Saturday and the weekend. It would strengthen and then drop to a gentle breeze late Sunday. Baie Ouie offers excellent shelter for most directions, apart from the West. We therefore decided to leave on Saturday and head to Ile Uere. The morning was again grey with low clouds skimming around the tops of the hills. We weighed anchor at 0900 and were soon heading out of the bay. At the entrance we found out just how much effect the hills had on the wind. The sheltered waters of the bay gave way to a very confused sea surface as the wind swirled and dipped around the end of the hills. We noted wind shifts of 180 degrees and wind speeds of 5 to 20 knots. This did not make for easy sailing (!), but only lasted about ½ nm. In clear water we had the wind on a nice broad reach. This normally made for easy fast sailing. However, the weather consisted of a constant series of small showers from low clouds. As the cloud approached we often had sunny spells, but also light winds of say 10 knots. These winds increased until the cloud passed overhead, often with light rain and winds of 20 knots plus with even higher gusts. Our boat speed reflected the wind, ranging from a sedate 4.5 knots to over 8 knots. Still it made for good progress overall.

Approaching Ile Uere we had to turn north and then north west to go around an area of reef and the island itself. This allowed us to easily reef the foresail by allowing the Main sail to cover it as we turned down wind. We then gybde the Main (turned the boat so the stern pointed into wind). This is usually a simple manoeuvre involving hauling in the Main sheet to avoid the Main sail snapping around with force and so doing damage. This time we were a little slow and so the boom swung through a total of about 20 degrees and we gybed with some force. A quick glance at the boom showed no damage there (in all honestly none was expected). However, when we looked at the sail it had ripped at the foot! We were now heading downwind and close to the anchorage, so we started the motor to relieve the pressure on the sail and, soon after, at the entrance to the anchorage turned into wind to furl the damaged sail. Fortunately the sail furled with no problems.

The anchorage already had half a dozen boats in it. However, it is big enough to accommodate many more boats. Even better, the boats there were clustered at the Southern end of the horseshoe-shaped bay. The wind was due to swing to the West so we were able to easily anchor on the more sheltered Western side of the bay. We were anchored by midday, having averaged well over 6 knots on the way down.

As the day progressed more boats came into the anchorage. We counted 5 catamarans from the same boat hire company; clearly they had been told where the best anchorage was!

The anchorage proved very sheltered with the strong westerly wind passing straight over us. Indeed, come the Sunday morning we were sheltered enough to be able to pull the Main sail out on the deck. The rip was about 1.5m long, starting at the (reinforced) leech and clearly beyond out capacity to repair. We therefore removed the battens and bagged the sail. We went on line and found the telephone number of a sail maker in Noumea. We called, mainly to leave a message to give advance notice. As it was the sailmaker answered! He could not speak English, and our French is, well limited, and the phone does not allow for the usual arm waving. Nevertheless, we explained our situation, found out where the sail loft was, when it opened, and agreed to bring in the sail when the loft opened at 0900 on Monday. With this in mind that afternoon we made the short hop from Ile Uere to Baie De L’Orphelinat under motor with some assistance from the Yankee sail.

Monday morning saw us in the dinghy with the sail heading to the boat yard in Noumea. As we approached we are advised to slow down by a man in a dinghy; a yacht on the water was having its mast restepped and they were keen to avoid wake. Fair enough, and so we slowly made out way to the dinghy dock. We saw a wheelbarrow in the boatyard and by broken French and signs got approval from the travel lift operator to borrow it. This made moving the sail much easier. The sail loft, Rod Sails, was towards the south end of industrial buildings fronting the yard. We soon arrived outside and headed in. Rod, the sail maker was not in, but we explained that we had called the day before and left our details. Rod would look at the sail and call us with an estimate.

The day ended with a visit to our friend Mireille for a chat over a bottle of wine.

Early on Tuesday we called Rod the sailmaker. He had emailed us a quote – 35,000 pacific francs (about 500 NZ Dollars) for the repair. This was a reasonable price and so we sail go ahead. Rod said he would get onto it immediately, and that we could pick the sail up tomorrow.

That afternoon the weather was still with a mostly sunny sky. Paul decided to have an extended explore of Noumea. Knowing that Paul would walk for literally miles Helen passed on the opportunity and remained on board. Pauls tour took him from Baie de L’Orphelinat through the Latin Quarter, the old town, past the church and up to the old cinema perched on a hilltop which offered some nice views. This cinema has been derelict for some time. It was derelict on our visit last year, the only change being a partial fence and sign preventing access for ‘your own safety’. The effect was somewhat spoiled by a group of youths playing football in the empty car park on the other side of the fence! From the cinema it was clear that some radio aerials were on top of a higher hill nearby would offer even better views, so Paul walked there. And then around to another hill. Along the way was the church of Notre Dame Du Pacifique complete with large statue of Santa Maria on the roof looking down on all of Noumea. Back down and through town and Paul’s walk of some 12 km was complete. Helen was quite satisfied she had remained on board.

Wednesday and we were at Rod’s loft soon after 0900. Sure enough the sail was ready. With some difficulty Rod explained what he had done. He could not say why the sail had failed but, given the overall good condition of the sail, suspected there was a defect, perhaps a small cut, on the leech. This weak spot had then led to the rip due to the forces on the sail during the gybe.

We soon had the sail back on board Tai Mo Shan and taking advantage of the light winds, had it back on the boom, a test raise (all seemed well) and refurl. We then visited the local supermarket to restock before heading north on our next sail. The afternoon ended with Paul practising his guitar and then, to really annoy the neighbours, cooking a good meat fest on the barbeque. (Yes, the smoke drifting downwind smelled delicious!).

Picture – a little streamlet changed into a raging torrent, which we could hear from the boat!