Our next passage would take us to Port de Moue, or more accurately the anchorage at Ile Grimault, some 1 ½ nm to the south. At some ½ nm the reef entrance is fairly wide, and marked on one edge with a beacon. There is then a journey of some 5 miles to the anchorage. This is well marked by beacons and generally wide. However, there is one part, just after the reef entrance, that is about ¾ nm long and consists of beacons some 200m apart. According to the chart few of the beacons are lit. We were therefore keen to get to the anchorage before dark.

The passage is some 40 nm long. Given our usual cruising speed of 5 knots this would mean an 8 hour journey. It was dark at about 1800 hours, so we would need to leave before 1000. However, it always took some time to weigh anchor and the light winds meant our cruising speed would be reduced unless we used extra fuel motoring. In addition, our hull was not as clean as it could be, with some growth deep on the keel and rudder; as a result we were slower than usual. All in all we wanted some time in hand, just in case we cruised at less than 5 knots. We had noticed that we could not really see into the water until the sun was high enough, typically 1000 hours. The outcome of this was that we decided to leave Port Bourail a little after dawn, when we could see clearly, but before the 1000 ‘see into water time’.

We therefore weighed anchor on Sunday 14th July at 0730. There was barely a breath of wind and the sea was glass calm. As we could not see into the water we could not see the edge of the reefs. However, we did have our GPS chart plotter which had good waypoints on it, our track coming in, and our depth sounder. As it was light we also had various visual references such as angles to headlands, small ripples breaking on some of the reef edge, and water disturbance to guide us. We very slowly headed out of the anchorage, steering largely by the compass heading. As we cleared the reefs we had increasing amounts of sea room and so could gradually increase speed. Finally we cleared the outer reef and headed North West, holding a mile of so off the reef fringing the coast. We say ‘fringing’ but it is worth remembering that here the reef extends typically some 2 nm off the coast, and at one point is over 6 nm from land!

The wind increased slightly during the day, but never exceeded 10 knots from the south east. As a result we motor sailed the whole way, adjusting the engine revs to keep our speed at 5 knots. The trip was uneventful but provided a good opportunity for us to use our watermaker to top up our fresh water tanks.

As expected, the reef entry to Moue was comparatively easy with the single green beacon providing a good reference point. In addition, two leading marks were helpful. These marks were on the chart, but some distance from the reef entrance; we needed binoculars to find them. Once in, it was a case of following the marks right up past Ile Grimault to the anchorage. As is normal in New Caledonia Ile Grimault has an extensive reef stretching some ½ nm south. However, the north coast is largely clear and offered us an anchorage with good wind and wave protection in some 8m of water. The sea bed is a sticky mud which gave us excellent holding. We could tell it was mud as firstly the anchor dug in really well, and secondly when we raised the anchor a few days later the chain and anchor were thickly coated in the gelatinous, messy stuff! We were securely anchored at 1555 hours.

Moue is an ore loading port. There is a sizeable wharf with ore loading equipment. When we arrived there was a coastal ore carrier docked and being loaded. This ship was some 160m long; hence our confidence in using the ship channel to come in! To the east of this wharf was another fairly large wharf with a large fenced area, presumably used for cargo ships. Around the corner to the west and north is the power station. We could see the smoke from the exhausts clearly. There is an anchorage to the north west of the power station, adjacent to the peninsula. However, this was downwind of the ore wharf and power station and we were keen to avoid the fumes and dust. Hence our anchorage at Ile Grimault, some 1 ¼ nm from the peninsula.

The peninsula extends some 1 ½ nm from the coast, and is about 1 nm wide. Interestingly, the sides are quite steep to, with the village of Nepolini sitting on the plateau some 30 to 50m above sea level.

The next day, Monday, we went ashore. The Rocket guide noted that there was a small ‘marina’ adjacent to the power station, some 1 ½ nm or so from us. However, we had noticed some small craft going behind the cargo wharf, about ¾ nm away. We therefore headed around and behind the cargo wharf. Sure enough, there was a small gap in the rock sea wall and there was a steep slipway, wide enough for a single boat. We landed and pulled the dinghy up and into the large flat sealed car park at the top. Backpacks on we headed along the wide sealed road which climbed at a gentle angle parallel to the shore. The top saw a cross roads. The roads were unmarked but it was obvious one led to the ore wharf, one to the power station and the other inland, hopefully to the village. We walked on, past the large white and red lattice telecoms tower and into the village. Just before the village was an area of new roads, the white lines still bright. There were pavements edging the road and pedestrian crossings at intervals. However, nothing else. This seemed like infrastructure waiting for people. We had found this a relatively common sight on New Caledonia. A little further and there was a sizeable shop. However it was closed with an empty dirt car park. A sign ‘A Vendre’ outside explained that the shop was for sale. Further on and we saw an extensive recreational facility with playing fields and changing rooms, and then a covered market area (with concrete stalls/tables), followed by a school. The latter was obvious by the voices of several children running around the playground. Opposite the market was another shop. The car park in front was also empty. However this shop was not for sale; it was closed for lunch between 1200 and 1400, and it was now about 1215. Ah well, we strolled on. A few more houses and we were at a small green with a metal bus stop covered in graffiti. Helen took a breather on the seat as Paul walked on. A few hundred metres was the end of the village, marked by the end of the houses and a petrol station. Paul went into the petrol station which, like similar enterprises around the globe also had a limited range of such essentials as chocolate bars, soft drinks, oil and iPod ear buds. The conversation with the 3 ladies at the counter was the usual combination of broken French and arm waving. The village had two shops, one being sold. It had a post office, clinic, petrol station (!), pharmacy and that was about it. And this was the one road in and out! The nearest town was, well a long way away, and a car drive!

Back to Helen, and we continued our stroll around the houses. These were generally sizeable and well maintained, with equally well maintained gardens. The roads were sealed and the whole village clean and tidy. It was quiet with few cars. Many houses had pet dogs, some of which ran in the gardens to greet us with barks. We saw an interesting scene that sort of summed up Nepolini. A dog was lying in the road in the sun. A car came along. The dog lazily raised its head and looked at the approaching car. The car slowed down. The dog continued to lie there, looking at the car. The car stopped, and then slowly manoeuvred past the dog. The dog went back to sleep!

We passed the ‘Infirmerie’, which seemed closed, and came upon the post office. This was open. We needed to top up our mobile telephone account and so went in to buy some top up cards. The woman behind the counter was pleasant and happy to talk to us. As we talked another lady with a young baby came in, as so we met Cindy and her 5 month old, Andréanne. Our conversation continued with all of us; fortunately Cindy could speak pretty good English. Cindy offered us a lift in her car to her house for a cup of tea until the shop opened. We gratefully accepted. At her house we found out that Cindy was a school teacher at the local school. Her partner, Alex, was a teacher there as well. They had two other girls, Abbegail and Lou-Ann aged 10 and 6 years; of course, they went to the local school. Cindy and Alex owned a boat (a 5m or so sport fisher with a 115 hp outboard). Cindy explained it was ‘obligatorie’ to have a boat in Nepolini – everyone loved fishing. Cindy then took us to the local shop. This was surprisingly well stocked with prices pretty much equivalent to Noumea. As we shopped Cindy chatted with the store staff. Cindy then drove us back to the cargo wharf. En route, she explained that as a teacher she knew everyone in the village. That was part of the reason they lived here. The people in the big town of Noumea were ‘so mean’ whereas in Nepolini they were far nicer. She also said that the store keeper had asked who we were, and Cindy had replied we were her Aunt and Uncle from New Zealand – much laughter!

The next day we explored Ile Grimault. It also had steep to sides which were trackless through the scrubby growth and trees. Still we could walk the beaches and coastal flat which extended up to 100m inland in places. The beaches were mostly yellow sand separated by rocky headlands. The locals had built beach houses on the coastal flat. These varied from broken down sheds to quite reasonable shacks. Some clearly had a generator shed and electrical power, all had cooking fire pits. These would be very pleasant in the summer. We noticed some trails left by quite large animals. The occasional tracks looked very much like deer, and lots of them. We walked the beaches to the south eastern side where the coral shelf. This was flat coralline rock, covered in a general coating of mud with some sea grass and sea weed. Along the way we spotted sea snakes on the land! These sere typically 0.5m long, with the typical coloured bands. The venom from these snakes is amongst the most lethal in the world. Fortunately they have small heads and mouths with the fangs at the back of the mouth. A human would have to work hard to get bitten. Nevertheless we kept our distance as we watched the snakes climb the rocks, warming themselves as they searched each hole and crevice for a tasty morsel. An important note, Helen hates sea snakes!

Later on the Tuesday Helen tried fishing with our soft bait. After a while she had a good bite and landed a rather ugly fish. It was brown/cream coloured with orange/brown spots, and a huge mouth. It had clearly been eating small crabs when it took our bait. The fish may not have been that attractive, but it tasted good that night! Later we found that it was probably what the French called a ‘Louche’ and we would say a small grouper.

Wednesday is market day in Nepolini and so headed ashore to check it out. We landed at the cargo wharf slipway again. There was a vehicle there and we talked to the occupant. As usual we explained where we were from. He said the village was a mine town, started along with the ore mine in the 60’s. The mine was in the nearby hills/mountains and had closed during the 70’s and then reopened in the 80’s. It was still open, but possibly only had 5 years to go. It all depended on the market; who bought the metal. The mine produced nickel ore, and some cobalt. The ship came along occasionally to take the ore to the processing plant at Noumea. The driver offered us a lift to the market, which we accepted. As we got in we noticed he was a Biosecurity officer. We were not sure if he happened to be at the wharf or was checking out the strange visiting yacht! Whichever, the driver was friendly and satisfied with our discussion. We left with smiles and thanks at the market.

The market was, well small, with some half a dozen stalls. We had hoped to get lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, but the supply was limited. Still we got some lettuce and pomegranates. The stalls also had quite a bit of home baking. We could not leave without buying some so we left with a couple of very nice coffee lamingtons. Of course, our look around the market was extended by a significant amount of chatting; broken French and arm waving again.

We had been in contact with Cindy through Facebook and she invited us for lunch on Thursday. Again she picked us up from the cargo wharf. She had her cousin, Marshalla, at the house; they had a regular Thursday meet up. Marshalla lived in a nearby village on the mainland, some 20 minutes or so car drive away. By coincidence, Marshalla was also a school teacher, her partner was a school teacher, and they had a small baby some 3 weeks older than Andréanne! It was a great day which included a very nice lunch; Cindy made a good chicken noodle dish, and we provided a salmon pasta salad. The day was topped off by meeting Cindy’s other children and partner. Of course, Alex loved fishing, so you can guess the main topic of conversation, complete with Alex’s fishing videos on ‘Youtube’; he had put the boat to good use in catching good fish off the reef.

We had decided not to head further north as the anchorages were getting fewer and farther between, and the locations seemed to be remote albeit with lovely scenery and perhaps good snorkelling. The latter did not really tempt us as the weather was quite chilly. The forecast was for light winds on the Friday followed by pretty much a week of stronger trade south easterlies. The return to Noumea was south east along the coast, pushing against the trade winds. We would prefer to be against light winds and so prepared to head off on the Friday.

Picture – Nepolini composite. Clockwise from top left. The market, Tai Mo Shan at anchor, sea snake, Ile Grimault beach, Cindy Helen and Andréanne, and the shop.