Explosion on Yasur
20 August 2011 | Tanna
Theo
We left Aneityum early morning to make the 40 miles run to Tanna. We arrived at Port Resolution just after lunch and we could see Mamie and Ginette on the cliffs waiting for us. They had made the trip the night before and stayed in a tree house rental. They made their way to the Yacht Club that morning. The Yacht Club at Port Resolution is barely more then a few grass huts above on a cliff. No docks, no boats, no bars... Mamie and Ginette were quite impressed, NOT! We put the dinghy down and went to shore to meet with them. They were very happy to meet with us and get back to their five star accommodation. The night in the tree house reminded them of camping without much of a mattress or sleeping bag. Port Resolution is not a great anchorage, even though a large deep bay. If the wind comes from the west, the boat gets covered in ashes from the volcano. If it comes from the north, it is totally open to the ocean. If it comes from the east, the swell comes in and rock the boat too much. You have to be pretty lucky to have a good weather window to stay there. No time to waste, we decided to organize the volcano trip that same day. We brought the girls' luggage back to Tyee and got some warmer clothes for the evening. We left the harbour at 4pm. We got in a pick-up truck that we shared with a French family, the kids all in the back. The roads were so rough, barely a road more like a footpath. We had to move tree branches out of the way. After 45 minutes or so, we made it to the base of the volcano just in time to see a big black cloud coming out of the crater. The volcano Yasur was rated level 2, possible for molted lava to reach the edge of the volcano. We hiked up to the edge to have a better view. It was unbelievable. Big huge rocks would come flying out of the crater and land not too far from us. They told us to keep an eye out on the explosion and never turn your back to it unless it really comes and then run, run fast. It was insane, it was one of my favorite adventure.