After a very windy day and night at anchor, we decided to have a look at sailing back to Port Vila, so pulled up the anchor at 5am, sailed down Port Havannah, past Hat Island and headed towards Devil’s Point. We had a good sail and both agreed that the conditions didn’t look too bad and we would go for it. It was pretty rough off the point itself and we beating upwind, had waves breaking the length of the boat. We reminded ourselves why we don’t like sailing to deadlines, but once we could see Port Vila, decided to hang on. Tuarangi was, as ever, safe and secure and handled the conditions beautifully. We got a call from Katie and Angus to let us know that they were back in Vila and we saw them on the waterfront as we sailed by. We picked up a mooring and joined them onshore for lunch and to hear their tales of their trip to Tanna and the Volacano. Their flights sounded entertaining, with a flight over the volcano on the way there and Angus sitting in the co-pilot’s seat on the way back! Their accommodation looked lovely and they both appreciated comfy beds and hot showers! They loved the volcano and the villages, rough road and volcanic desert that they drove over. We had some lunch together and then went to the Cultural Centre and Museum. An interesting, if somewhat limited display. However, we all learned something new and took our time in the air-conditioned atmosphere!
On Saturday we spent the day on Iririki Island, which is a resort We are on a mooring that is about 50m fro one of the beaches, so we paid ashore and then rowed ourselves there. There is a set fee for the day, but this can be cashed in against food or lunch, so effectively, you pay for lunch and get to take advantage of the resort’s facilities free of charge. We went snorkeling…the coral wasn’t as good as out in Port Havannah, but as the fish are fed, they came around in droves…all colours, shapes and sizes. We also took advantage of the pools, kayaks and small catamarans and Katie treated herself to a session at the spa. Our last happy hour was in the company of the ‘Two Angels’ team and one or two beers were consumed, before we had a final family dinner at the Beef Bar.
Sunday dawned a perfect sunny day and Katie and Angus spent up the last of their vatu, before we all met ashore for a coffee/ smoothie and then headed to the airport. Parting was very hard ( Missing them already!) but we had all had a great time and have hundreds of photos and memories of their visit.
Since then, we have had a lot of rain…the dinghy was full to the seats twice, so have caught up on emails, banking etc and put some more photos into our Picassa Album (link from the right hand side of the blog).
We are finally leaving Port Vila tomorrow (Wed) to explore the northern islands. It will be really nice to be finding new anchorages again.
No doubt we will be awoken in the night as there are large screens showing the football not far from the moorings. There are a huge number of Brazil supporters, who drove around the town in convoy tooting their horns and cheering and shouting, regardless of the time. The game starts at 3am and finishes around 5am. Maybe the damp weather will mean they don’t watch it….yeah right!!