After leaving cairns we had very little wind until the Whitsundays. We motored from cairns to Magnetic Island and stayed overnight. From there we motored again to the Whitsundays arriving at midnight. The wind did pick up, but in the wrong direction, so we stayed here and done some snorkeling before Kathleen's sore throat got worse and we had to take her to the doctors. In another 3 days and we were in Yeppoon waiting for wind for a couple of days. The marina here has a courtesy car so we stocked up on supplies. From here it was to Bundy, Garys anchorage with a day at Tin Can Bay, Moolooabah and then the Gold Coast. We had a few days on the Gold Coast before heading to Ballina. We arrived at Ballina earlier than we expected and instead of waiting for the tide to change just went across the bar on an outgoing tide. It was frighting, the boat was surfing down the waves. The only time we have been scared on the boat and at the end of the trip. We hired a car the next day and picked up our car from home. Everyone was glad to be back home, we all had a great time but we all enjoy living on our farm.
No time for rest, after cleaning out the boat, which took 3 days, we were of to Newcastle to pick up Jess the dog and spend a week at my mums. Well everyone else did, I was offered a job as soon as i got back and they wanted me to start straight away, which i did.
12.11.07
12.10.07
Samurai
We had a good sail arriving at Samurai between 9-10pm. Michael doesn’t appear to have changed so we will take him across in the morning and get him checked out as he said he’s feeling a bit better.We went ashore at 8am the following morning to find out where the medical centre is we had to walk around the other side of the island which isn’t far as the island is only small. We went straight in which was amazing as other people were waiting to be seen. The doctor that looked over Michael said that he thinks he has malaria but there is no pathology so we could do no test to confirm it. He said that he sees it so often that he knows but he also said that he doesn’t see many rashes. So we decided to treat him for malaria just in case he does have it and the rash was from something else. The doctor gave us the medication as he said that some malaria strands are becoming resistant to Chlorquin which we have on board. So he has two lots of medication to take for malaria one lot he only takes on the third day. He also has antibiotics for the rash Amoxicillyn which I have on the boat. The doctor told us that there is no Dengue in PNG which is good. All up the charge for the consultation and malaria tablets was a whole 1kina which is about 50cents we don’t have a lot of money left about 30kina so we gave them 10kina as a donation I wish we had more but we have to buy bread and fruit for the trip back.
Michael with his rash on the legs a bit hard to see in the photo
We called into the market and bought rolls and passion fruit. Then it was time to clear customs as we know we have what looks to be a weather window to travel back to Australia we didn’t want to do this before we had Michael checked out in case he wasn’t up to travel and needed other treatment that we couldn’t do on the boat. As it turned out we didn’t need to thankfully. We plan on leaving later on in the early night.
The kids and I took the dingy over to Belesna where our stuff was stolen. As they asked us come back in case it was found. When we arrived Leone saw us and came running down. We left the dingy out the front of Lilly’s place rather than on the wharf where we couldn’t keep an eye on it. Leone was telling us that our things they thought were over in a village on the opposite side of the bay but they hadn’t been able to get it back. Lilly wasn’t at her house she was up at the garden so we talked to Lou Lou and Leone first. I took over everything that we had left to trade and gave them both some of the things but most of the things I took over for Lilly as I gave the other two a heap of stuff on our last trip there.
Lillys daughter came down and told us that Lilly wouldn’t be long in the garden. Then we went up to see her she was really surprised to see all the things we took them mainly clothes, rice and other odds and ends she was really excited about the cutlery. She gave us a big mat which she had made form pandanas grass she was in the process of making us one each but we got back before she could finish them. Her girls Christine and Helen had been making us shell necklaces which must have taken ages as the ends are filed down to make the hole for the fishing line to be thread through. Her son Moira had art work hanging on the wall and asked if we wanted them. I would have loved one but they looked great hanging on her wall. She told us that he really liked painting but had no paint anymore. I told her that if he wanted to visit us in the canoe that afternoon I would give him some more. We said Goodbye and headed back to the boat it was about 2.30pm before we headed back and we were getting hungry Ian was making spaggetti bolangaise for us he told us on the radio. Which was welcome when we got back.
We went ashore in Samarai after eating as the kids wanted to say goodbye to the friends they made and Kathleen and I took what was left of kids clothes and treats like balloons, tennis balls, hair clips and other things to give away. We had been told that the bigger shop there exchanged currency so we asked they would do it but it wasn’t worth us doing it as they weren’t giving a good rate so we did not to worry. We bought the bread we had talked about getting some T-shirts with Samarai on the front, the owner of the shop a really nice man gave us 3 shirts one each for Ian, Kathleen and myself they were 22kina each to buy so it was very generous of him. I had the bag of clothes and asked if either of them had small children the lady Hilda did so I gave her a heap of clothes then we went and found other kids to give stuff to. School was just about out so we had to wait of a little while for the kids friends, while we were waiting we sat under a big tree there were some other ladies with little kids there, one of which a little boy of about 2 screamed out Dim Dim’s and burst into tears we gave him a tennis ball then he settled down and ended up playing with Amy.
Back to the boat we had been watching for any canoe in case Moira came but hadn’t seen any. We could see a couple of dots in the distance when we got back to the boat it was getting dark and we would be leaving in the next hour or so but kept an eye in the dots which was getting closer. Lilly’s husband Seller and Christine came in a canoe by this time it was dark we invited them on they stayed for about 20mins before thy head off to get kerosene from the shore. We had a couple of bags ready for them one with art supplies paints and pads and another with food.
We pulled anchor and headed out into the big blue. The trip was starting off great then we hit some rain. I caught heaps then got out the wash bag and had a good scrub as we will have days on the boat ahead of us. Ian, Kathleen and Daniel ended up doing the same Michael was still not feeling right and Amy was asleep.The trip back was great. We had great sailing weather no one is sea sick wish we had a trip over like this.
Ian enjoying not being sea sick on th trip back.
The kids are watching movies and we are reading books. This is what sailing is supposed to be like even though we have had the motor going most of the time. We are doing around the 7 knots so we are making great time much quicker than the trip over. We even had a send off by a pod of dolphins which followed us for a while and were jumping out of the water. We also picked up a couple of hitch hikers a day out of Australia.
Kathleen busy talking to her friend while watching the hitch hikers.(2 birds that perched there for nearly a day)
Panesia
We were able to sail most of the way which makes a real change for us over recent times. We are normally beating into the wind. We arrived at Panasia and we found the entrance through the reef without any problems. The rock cliffs are quite spectacular, there are a couple of little beaches but most of it is sheer cliffs. There are some places where you can get to higher ground and there is supposed to be a skull cave somewhere on the island but we didn’t go looking. At the entrance there are a few bommies around and reef on either side. We dropped anchor and we ended up to close to a bommie for comfort so we pulled it up and tried again but without any success yet another bommie so up it came again. We dropped anchor again and this time it stayed there.
Panasia's rock cliffs.
We went over to check out the shore no one lives here so we decided that we would burn our rubbish. Daniel climbed up the rock face to what may have been an entrance to a cave but it wasn’t. He is a bit of a monkey so he could go where Ian couldn’t get up to. The boys and Ian gathered some firewood while Kathleen and I went back to the boat to make some bread dough to put on a stick and cook. We also got Amy some dry clothes and some peanuts and biscuits to eat and some water to drink. We put the dough onto the stick to thick so it didn’t cook properly so I ended up taking it off the stick and putting it on the some wood to finish cooking. We had golden syrup on the bread stuff it wasn’t as good as bread but it was edible. Then we burnt the rubbish and headed back to the boat.
Daniel in the cave Ian is just above the water.
While we were there we went to the beach there was a hut on the island that must be used by people attending to gardens or travelling on the sailing canoes as a stop over. We spent the afternoon on the boat and are heading back towards Samarai and get Michael looked at in the morning. I have been in contact with Alotau hospital every day for the last couple of days with the satellite phone. We are going to see how Michael feels as to the decision as to calling into Hummocky Island where people told us they were making things for us to pick up on the way back. Michael’s rash has got some bruising like a gravel rash effect we have been doing some reading and we are thinking that it could be Dengue fever as the rash is mainly on his limbs and he has some of the other symptoms as well like fever and headache. There is no rash with Malaria but we are taking no chances and are heading straight back to Samurai where there is a medical centre and we will be only 20 miles from the hospital in Alotau if we need it.
8.10.07
Bagaman
We moved onto Bagaman Island which is 6 miles away. We wanted to go to Bagaman because we had heard that they were having Indepenance Day celebrations that went for 4 days with different activites happening over the 4 days. We didn't realise that it had already been going on for 2 days already at this time. It didn’t take to long and when we got there there were three other boats there. An annocement which came over the loud speaker asking all the yachts to come ashore. All the yachties headed for shore there was a small market fundrasier and the kids were about to start the tradional dancing. The kids put on a good show for us with the dancing that went for around 20mins.
There was an anonncement that came across the VHF radio from one of the other boats who had been recording the celebrations over the last 4 days. They had done a video which the wanted to show the local people and wanted to see if anyone would be able to help them showing the video on laptops. One of the boats had left but the three of us said that we could help out. Ian said that he would stay with the kids on the boat if they wanted as it was yet again a night thing. We were later told that we were all invited to go over for a meal which the women had prepared beffore the presentations began. for the races and competitions happening over the past four days. We decided that we would all go over we would just have to cover up a bit and use aeroguard.
The local children dancing.
I bought some rolls and a baggy necklace for Amy for 10kina the cheapest we have seen so far Amy was the only one who didn’t have one besides Ian who doesn’t Once the dancing was over we were told we could stay with them or go back to the boat to rest there is a choir and a play starting at 7.30pm which we are all invited to come back over for it. We thought we might but then Amy was asleep, Michael wasn’t feeling well and Daniel said that he didn’t really want to go and Ian was worrying about malaria so we didn’t go over. We ended up watching a movie about the animals in Africa .
The following day Kathleen and I set about cleaning the hull of the boat along the water line there is a thick with a slime weed. It took me a lot longer to clean the slime than what it took Kathleen to clean the side of the hull. We then went for a walk on the beach for a little while before going back to the boat for a chill out.
There was an anonncement that came across the VHF radio from one of the other boats who had been recording the celebrations over the last 4 days. They had done a video which the wanted to show the local people and wanted to see if anyone would be able to help them showing the video on laptops. One of the boats had left but the three of us said that we could help out. Ian said that he would stay with the kids on the boat if they wanted as it was yet again a night thing. We were later told that we were all invited to go over for a meal which the women had prepared beffore the presentations began. for the races and competitions happening over the past four days. We decided that we would all go over we would just have to cover up a bit and use aeroguard.
Dinner with some of the other yachties.
We had a meal of yams, rice, pork and rolls which was quite tasty we had had a late lunch that Kathleen had cooked at 3pm so we didn’t eat much but it was still nice. We were asked to move outside of the hut we had eaten in and all the kids came and sat in front of us and sang. Rob played a guitar and we sang no more tears in heaven or what we could remember anyway. Then the kids sang again then we sang twinkle twinkle little star and the hokey pokey which went down well with everyone.
Amy singing and dancing with local kids.
The presentations came next all of the yatchies received either a hand made bag or a carving of a canoe, Amy was presented with her very own baggy necklace which no seemed to know about. Then came the prize money given the races. Then we showed the movie that Rob had put together which was a huge hit with the locals who enjoyed watching them selves on the screen. Amy had allen asleep during the speeches and Daniel was not far off away from sleeping either. The video went for about 40 mins and then it was time to headback to the boat at least there was a good breeze which helped to keep the mozzies away no one saw any there were a few sandflies around but even they weren’t to bad.
Pana Numera
We headed to Pana Numera where there is a fund raiser for a new school with traditional dancing, basket weaving and carvings and other things on the 14th. The sail here wasn’t to bad the wind was head on only for a while and we managed to plod along in the lee on the islands a bit. We dropped anchor at 4.15pm we dropped in deep water again because everything we had read said that there are bommies which come up quite quickly and after the mess we found ourselves in at the last place we would rather pull in extra chain.
We were surprised that no canoes came up this morning it gave us a chance to get stuck into some serious cleaning up. We had been told that there was going to be a bit of a market there to raise money also. We went ashore for a walk along the beach. We stayed on the beach for a while just sitting around and relaxing. Amy couldn’t help herself she was in the water before we knew it swimming around. We ended up going for a walk along the rocks which lead to another beach this is amazing this place a lovely beach and crystal clear water we planned on going for a swim in the afternoon.
Then the village people put on a light lunch for us of paw paw, banana’s, passionfruit, pumpkin scones, watermelon, and coconuts we had been told that this was happening and everyone on the boats was taking something to share. We ate in the church but only the Dim Dims went in which was a bit of a shame.
Then the festivities continued with rides in the sailing canoe we went in the second group. Which was great fun they move really fast. To tack is a huge effort where one person has to get into the water while one manually turns the boom by running along the side of the canoe. One person was continually bailing all the water that was running in from the bow of the boat like a small stream. The canoes tip frequently so I wasn’t game enough to take my camera but I wish I had as it was amazing to see how it is sailed. It takes 5 men to tack and one man stands on the back and has a huge paddle which is the rudder sometimes they have another rudder in the water held by another man. It would be hard work as it didn’t take long for them to work up a sweat. We had to watch out for our heads when they tacked as it would be easy for the boom to hit you in the head. The sail is made out of a tarp not canvas and is all hand sewn into the right shape.
The sailing canoe that we went out on.
While we were waiting for our ride in the canoe there was a race with the men to see who could get a fire started using 2 sticks together. It only took the men 10-15 seconds to get the shavings smoldering ready to light a fire which is done by tipping the smoldering ash into a dry coconut husk then blowing on it. They were only racing to get the smoldering happening. Ian, Michael and Daniel all had a go at doing it but none of them coud start it.
Michael and Daniel trying to start a fire with everyone watching.
We were surprised that no canoes came up this morning it gave us a chance to get stuck into some serious cleaning up. We had been told that there was going to be a bit of a market there to raise money also. We went ashore for a walk along the beach. We stayed on the beach for a while just sitting around and relaxing. Amy couldn’t help herself she was in the water before we knew it swimming around. We ended up going for a walk along the rocks which lead to another beach this is amazing this place a lovely beach and crystal clear water we planned on going for a swim in the afternoon.
Ian and Daniel in beautiful Pana Numera.
We were collecting shells along the way when we met 3 women who had been collecting things from their gardens and were now taking the husks off green coconuts they gave us a couple which was really nice we drank one while we were talking to them. We continued walking further along and when we turned around we were greeted by 4 girls. They said that they were 10 years old only one girl Mary could really speak English. They couldn’t get enough of Amy they were picking her up and carrying her. They were laughing and holding hands with Kathleen and Amy as Amy got a bit shy and didn’t want to be carried. When we got back to the dingy there was a heap of kids and Jan one of the local women. The kids ended up taking us for a walk over the island which only took about 15 minutes where there was some great rock formations.
The day of the fundraiser arrived and what a great day it was. It started with tradional dancing the kids and a few of the younger man had put on which was great introduction before the formal welcome. Where the women came to us and put flowers around our necks and in our hair to welcome us to their village.
Us after we had been welcomed to the village.
The dances are interpertive of things that happen in life from red ants in trees to hunting and fishing this was amazing to watch. Then the older men and women sung and danced some of their traditional songs. They sung in another language other than Misima language so the people we asked what the dance and song were about couldn’t tell us but it was still fun to watch. The dancing went for around an hour and a half and we were made to feel really welcomed. We were having a great time sitting back and watching what was happening. All up there was 8 boats that turned up to support the school which was a good turn out.
One of the dances that was performed for us.
Then the village people put on a light lunch for us of paw paw, banana’s, passionfruit, pumpkin scones, watermelon, and coconuts we had been told that this was happening and everyone on the boats was taking something to share. We ate in the church but only the Dim Dims went in which was a bit of a shame.
Then the festivities continued with rides in the sailing canoe we went in the second group. Which was great fun they move really fast. To tack is a huge effort where one person has to get into the water while one manually turns the boom by running along the side of the canoe. One person was continually bailing all the water that was running in from the bow of the boat like a small stream. The canoes tip frequently so I wasn’t game enough to take my camera but I wish I had as it was amazing to see how it is sailed. It takes 5 men to tack and one man stands on the back and has a huge paddle which is the rudder sometimes they have another rudder in the water held by another man. It would be hard work as it didn’t take long for them to work up a sweat. We had to watch out for our heads when they tacked as it would be easy for the boom to hit you in the head. The sail is made out of a tarp not canvas and is all hand sewn into the right shape.
The sailing canoe that we went out on.
While we were waiting for our ride in the canoe there was a race with the men to see who could get a fire started using 2 sticks together. It only took the men 10-15 seconds to get the shavings smoldering ready to light a fire which is done by tipping the smoldering ash into a dry coconut husk then blowing on it. They were only racing to get the smoldering happening. Ian, Michael and Daniel all had a go at doing it but none of them coud start it.
Michael and Daniel trying to start a fire with everyone watching.
One of the last things that we got to see was basket making one lady was making a yam basket while the men were once again racing to make a basket from coconut fronds. Even this didn’t take them long.Then we were treated to a feed of local food pork, yams, potatoes and baked fish. This was really tasty and everyone enjoyed it even the kids. Then a speech was given and the yachties were given a big thank you for the support given. We had bought things that were for sale baggy Daniel bought one and Kathleen bought Michael one for his birthday which she gave him early. We also bought a basket and some fruit and vegies. Everyone put in for the canoe rides and for the food as a donation which is going to a good cause. This is the only fund raising they do and when we asked the following day they did much better than had been hoped they raised over 500kina. All the boats gave donations of books, pencils and alike for the school as well.
7.10.07
Kimuta
After leaving Misima we headed to Kimuta it was afternoon before we left as we had to get the bread first. The sail over was great but once we got there we could see another boat in a lagoon and tried to find a passage. We came close to running a ground so tried to get in closer to the shore instead of the lagoon we ended up with bommies around us everywhere I don’t know how we didn’t hit one but it was really scary. A sailing canoe came past and he showed us where to anchor the water was deep 70 foot but at least we didn’t have to go back to Misima and we weren’t dragging and weren’t on a reef.
It after lunch before we got to go ashore the next day as so many boats were coming up trading things, it does get a bit tiresome when all you want to do is go ashore.
Some trading canoes that came to see us.
We said hello to a few people when we were heading up the beach to a rock that was over hanging the water that we could see from the boat. One of the women who we met in the morning had some baggy to trade(which is a necklace made from shells, they are still used as bride price to give to the wifes family when a man gets married) so we ended up trading some kids clothes and fabric with her while we were there as she didn’t bring it out to the boat in the morning. We had only just made it to the next village and were talking to some of the people who we had met on the boat before it started to rain. A pastor invited us into his house to shelter and was telling us how he was a teacher and resigned to do church work. He is a really nice fellow and we gave him our address after he asked for it so he could write to us.
Daniel up a coconut tree
Michael and Daniel were playing with a bunch of boys and Michael made friends with a boy Wilson who he wants to keep in contact with when we get back. He and the other kids were busy following us around through different villages and showings us around. We walked up to the rock that was over hanging the water which was quite a nice spot. We also found a fenced area that had a heap of pigs in it that was near the rock.We saw Richard who was just about to feed the pigs they are fed on coconut and they only get 2 between them twice a day which we didn’t think was a lot but they seem fat enough.
Michael told him that we had a soccer ball that he could have to share with his friends so he came out to the boat to get it with a couple of boys. They were making bracelets with Kathleen’s beads but it was late and dark before I suggested that they should go home before their parents started worrying. He asked for some of the crumbed chicken I had cooked for tea I gave them a small bit and they left with bracelets they had made with Kathleen’s beads and some other things they had asked for.
The next day Kathleen, Amy and I went snorkeling while Ian and the boys sat in the dingy trying to catch a fish with no success. This was the best snorkeling we have seen so far in PNG before this it has been quite sad really but this still wasn’t as good as what we had seen in Australia. We went for a long swim which was great fun and Amy just makes it even more enjoyable. Daniel and Michael ended up coming for a quick swim and Daniel found a couple of shells then we all went looking for shells we found a couple but most had animals in then Daniel found a nice big one but it had an animal in it also so we put it back.
Ian with all the kids.
It after lunch before we got to go ashore the next day as so many boats were coming up trading things, it does get a bit tiresome when all you want to do is go ashore.
Some trading canoes that came to see us.
We said hello to a few people when we were heading up the beach to a rock that was over hanging the water that we could see from the boat. One of the women who we met in the morning had some baggy to trade(which is a necklace made from shells, they are still used as bride price to give to the wifes family when a man gets married) so we ended up trading some kids clothes and fabric with her while we were there as she didn’t bring it out to the boat in the morning. We had only just made it to the next village and were talking to some of the people who we had met on the boat before it started to rain. A pastor invited us into his house to shelter and was telling us how he was a teacher and resigned to do church work. He is a really nice fellow and we gave him our address after he asked for it so he could write to us.
Daniel up a coconut tree
Michael and Daniel were playing with a bunch of boys and Michael made friends with a boy Wilson who he wants to keep in contact with when we get back. He and the other kids were busy following us around through different villages and showings us around. We walked up to the rock that was over hanging the water which was quite a nice spot. We also found a fenced area that had a heap of pigs in it that was near the rock.We saw Richard who was just about to feed the pigs they are fed on coconut and they only get 2 between them twice a day which we didn’t think was a lot but they seem fat enough.
Michael told him that we had a soccer ball that he could have to share with his friends so he came out to the boat to get it with a couple of boys. They were making bracelets with Kathleen’s beads but it was late and dark before I suggested that they should go home before their parents started worrying. He asked for some of the crumbed chicken I had cooked for tea I gave them a small bit and they left with bracelets they had made with Kathleen’s beads and some other things they had asked for.
The next day Kathleen, Amy and I went snorkeling while Ian and the boys sat in the dingy trying to catch a fish with no success. This was the best snorkeling we have seen so far in PNG before this it has been quite sad really but this still wasn’t as good as what we had seen in Australia. We went for a long swim which was great fun and Amy just makes it even more enjoyable. Daniel and Michael ended up coming for a quick swim and Daniel found a couple of shells then we all went looking for shells we found a couple but most had animals in then Daniel found a nice big one but it had an animal in it also so we put it back.
Ian with all the kids.
Misima
We started making our way to Misima and to Bwagaoia Harbour. It is about 24 miles from Panapompom. We were able to sail pretty much all the way which was a change. On the way we saw some amazing landscapes with cliffs overhanging the water and the land changed from forest to what looked like pasture.
We reached Misima about 2pm and had lunch on the boat before going ashore. We had heard so much about how good the bakery is here and couldn’t believe it when we saw a sign that said closed until further notice. We were standing out the front when Lynette (a Dim Dim) who owned the bakery with her husband came out to say hello. She said that the bakery had run out of flour but it arrived on a boat this afternoon so there would be bread in tomorrow. The bread is made by hand so it won’t be ready until the afternoon. She was telling us about the changes that had happened since the gold mine closed and that this was a safe place and there was no trouble. She was really nice and full of information.
Misima from the harbour
We had been told that one of the shops opens at 4pm so we waited to see what they sold. We need rice, sugar, flour and buckets and we will see what else they have as well. We bought a few things from this shop but they didn’t have buckets or fishing lures which we also need. While we were waitng for the shop to open Amy made friends with a couple of little kids her age and was having a great time playing on their swing set. She didn’t want to leave them but we told her she could see them again tomorrow.
Amy playing with her friends
The next day we went to the market and to the bank. Amy was dying to get up to her friend’s house so Kathleen took her up while we were busy trying to get some money out at the bank. Ian was talking to a man who was still working at the mine he was telling him how they use mercury to clean and wash the gold out. We then went to Amy who had taken some toys over to give to the kids as she was having a great time playing with the yesterday. Amy and Daniel stayed and played hide and seek and chasing Daniel around while went across the street to get bread. We bought buns and a couple of muffins the bread doesn’t come out until the afternoon but it was well worth waiting for especially when you haven’t had bread for ages.
We reached Misima about 2pm and had lunch on the boat before going ashore. We had heard so much about how good the bakery is here and couldn’t believe it when we saw a sign that said closed until further notice. We were standing out the front when Lynette (a Dim Dim) who owned the bakery with her husband came out to say hello. She said that the bakery had run out of flour but it arrived on a boat this afternoon so there would be bread in tomorrow. The bread is made by hand so it won’t be ready until the afternoon. She was telling us about the changes that had happened since the gold mine closed and that this was a safe place and there was no trouble. She was really nice and full of information.
Misima from the harbour
We had been told that one of the shops opens at 4pm so we waited to see what they sold. We need rice, sugar, flour and buckets and we will see what else they have as well. We bought a few things from this shop but they didn’t have buckets or fishing lures which we also need. While we were waitng for the shop to open Amy made friends with a couple of little kids her age and was having a great time playing on their swing set. She didn’t want to leave them but we told her she could see them again tomorrow.
Amy playing with her friends
The next day we went to the market and to the bank. Amy was dying to get up to her friend’s house so Kathleen took her up while we were busy trying to get some money out at the bank. Ian was talking to a man who was still working at the mine he was telling him how they use mercury to clean and wash the gold out. We then went to Amy who had taken some toys over to give to the kids as she was having a great time playing with the yesterday. Amy and Daniel stayed and played hide and seek and chasing Daniel around while went across the street to get bread. We bought buns and a couple of muffins the bread doesn’t come out until the afternoon but it was well worth waiting for especially when you haven’t had bread for ages.
2.10.07
Conflict and Debone Groups
We are headed down towards the debone group it was a fair way so we stopped overnight at the Conflict Group the water was so clear, it really is beautiful there are a couple of islands around but no one lives on them it was nice to stop somewhere that you had to yourself. The kids and I had a snorkel around while Ian tried a bit of trolling but caught nothing. Amy was trying to catch an anemone fish that kept swimming up to her. Kathleen and Michael started cleaning the hull of the boat. I started cleaning the rust marks off the sides and touched up a few areas with paint. 
We went ashore in the night and had a bit of a fire to burn the plastic rubbish we have. It was very relaxing, laying on the beach watching the stars and satellites. We stayed ashore for a couple of hours with mossie repellant on before going back to the boat.
We pulled up anchor and headed to the Debone Group we arrived in the afternoon there were a couple of other boats from Australia there Lady Bubbly and Crusini. It turns out that the people off Crusini knew our boat Linda’s (off Crusini) brother owned it at one stage. A man Martin came over in his canoe to introduce himself he also told us about a Japanese plane that had come down in the war and he would show us where it was, he also knows of what’s left of an American plane on the land, all of which is left is the prop and he could show us that as well.
Martin showed us the plane in the water which we had a look around it was only small we had been expecting something bigger. It only had one prop left and it was bent. The seats were still there it used to carry 2 people. There were a few fish swimming around it and a bit of coral growing around it.
We went ashore and met a family who was sitting around Julie the mum was making a small bag for her daughter Susie to trade with the yachts that come in. Julie also had made some bags which she had for sale for 10kina I bought one and Kathleen bought one off Julies mum with a butterfly on it for 15kina. They gave us some nuts to try which were quite nice. Amy was having a great time trying to get them out of the shell which is really thick and fibrous. A few kids joined her and Julies mum. Julie asked if we would like to trade some eggs and other things like bananas for some clothes for her 2 older daughters who are at school on another island but are 14 and 9. I traded some eggs but we have enough eggs to last us for the time being.
A few days later in the morning we were going to go over to the village and check out the American aero plane that came down in the war but instead Martin came over and then Linda came over to say hello and gave us the visitors book for the island so we could put an entry in and read some of the other ones this book started in 2002. Kathleen started making an entry for us which turned out really good. They stayed for a while before and we talked and I showed Linda some of the carving that we had bought in Alotau.
We dropped anchor at this sand cay in the the Conflict Group
We went ashore in the night and had a bit of a fire to burn the plastic rubbish we have. It was very relaxing, laying on the beach watching the stars and satellites. We stayed ashore for a couple of hours with mossie repellant on before going back to the boat.
We pulled up anchor and headed to the Debone Group we arrived in the afternoon there were a couple of other boats from Australia there Lady Bubbly and Crusini. It turns out that the people off Crusini knew our boat Linda’s (off Crusini) brother owned it at one stage. A man Martin came over in his canoe to introduce himself he also told us about a Japanese plane that had come down in the war and he would show us where it was, he also knows of what’s left of an American plane on the land, all of which is left is the prop and he could show us that as well.
Martin showed us the plane in the water which we had a look around it was only small we had been expecting something bigger. It only had one prop left and it was bent. The seats were still there it used to carry 2 people. There were a few fish swimming around it and a bit of coral growing around it.
We went ashore and met a family who was sitting around Julie the mum was making a small bag for her daughter Susie to trade with the yachts that come in. Julie also had made some bags which she had for sale for 10kina I bought one and Kathleen bought one off Julies mum with a butterfly on it for 15kina. They gave us some nuts to try which were quite nice. Amy was having a great time trying to get them out of the shell which is really thick and fibrous. A few kids joined her and Julies mum. Julie asked if we would like to trade some eggs and other things like bananas for some clothes for her 2 older daughters who are at school on another island but are 14 and 9. I traded some eggs but we have enough eggs to last us for the time being.
Julie making a basket that Amy traded with her daughter for.
A few days later in the morning we were going to go over to the village and check out the American aero plane that came down in the war but instead Martin came over and then Linda came over to say hello and gave us the visitors book for the island so we could put an entry in and read some of the other ones this book started in 2002. Kathleen started making an entry for us which turned out really good. They stayed for a while before and we talked and I showed Linda some of the carving that we had bought in Alotau.
This is all that is left of the American Aero Plane which crashed. This prop was moved out of the water where it came down and is all that is left.
Linda told us of some good snorkeling around the corner of the island which they have been checking out. We had the rod over the side with a sardine on it for bait something big took it when we Ian reeled it in it was a cleaner fish about 1 metre long Martin said that they were good to eat so we thought we would give it a try. The kids had gone swimming with the cast net to try and net some sardines but didn’t have any success but they did manage to get a large flute mouth in the net which he also said was good to eat but we gave it to him. We also caught a squid with a sardine which was different.
Michael and Daniel fishing in a school of sardines which they were catching with a hand spear made by one of the local men. We traded for it and the boys were very happy with it.
28.9.07
Making our way down to Hummocky Island (Engineer Group)
Our first experience of trading was at Basilaki Bay. Not long after we dropped anchor 2 canoes started paddling out to us. Bridget came out with her son Joshua who is 5 while Rose came out with Edwin a 13 year old boy who was very quite and didn’t speak a word to us even when we asked him questions. Bridget and Rose stayed for a while and had a chat. Bridget asked she could have our address so that she could write we said that would be great so we exchanged addresses. We talked also about trading for some fruit and veggies which we did later when we went ashore. Then we were visited by about 8 other canoes who wanted to trade we had no idea what we were doing but we had fun.
It didn’t take us long to realize what we thought was a fair trade as we moved through the islands most people were fair but at a few islands we got done and had to learn to be more alert of what was going on and to say no. We had a big lesson at one island when before we realized what was happening we had traded a T-shirt for 1 egg which was way to much as they only cost less than a kina. The worse trade we did was from the same woman who had a wild foul egg which she said was fresh. She had just left the boat when we looked at it and decided to crack it there was a half formed chick in it Daniel nearly threw up.
From here we sailed into the wind which wasn’t very comfortable to Hummocky Island in the Engineer Group well worth a visit the people here made us feel very welcome. We had our first Cray fish for the trip as fresh as they come. 
Father’s Day happened while we were at Hummocky it was a Sunday and church goes until lunch time so we stayed on the boat until it was over and did some housework and organizing. Ian’s ulcer on his foot was still not looking really great but better than it was and he was trying to keep it dry so stayed on the boat. When we got to the shore everyone came and sat around us and then Robinson came and sat down with a guitar and everyone started singing songs people got up and shook each others hands and gave each other a hug us included. I went back to the boat to ask Ian if he would like to come and join us as it was heaps of fun. He said that he would so he came and got in and out of the dingy without getting him foot wet. 
A few of the kids started singing with Robinson when Ian came over. Soloman the local priest gave Ian the flower necklace that was made of frangipani which he was wearing for Fathers Day. MJ the local parrot who was raised by the locals was quite happy walking around on his head. I took a couple of group photos of everyone so that I could send a copy back to them when we got back to Australia. They don’t have many if any photos of themselves here. The people have been really lovely here and we had a great time.
It started to rain so Daniel went back to the boat with me to close the hatches and put everything that was dry inside. While I was gone Ian had gone to Soloman’s house with him to shelter. When I got there Rose (Soloman’s wife) was starting to bring out food for us to eat. We had yams, rice, dumplings, chicken and smoked fish which was really nice of them. We tried a bit of everything except the fish we had already eaten before going ashore but thought it may be rude not to try something. The yams were much nicer than the way I had tried to cook them. We then went for a walk with Soloman around the village before we left we hope to leave in the morning as the winds are starting to die down. Miriam gave Amy a carving of the main piece of a small canoe to take home. We said goodbye to everyone on the beach and told them we would call back in on the way back to Samaria. Penwell’s mum is making a bag for Michael and Henry said that he is going to make something for Amy.
It didn’t take us long to realize what we thought was a fair trade as we moved through the islands most people were fair but at a few islands we got done and had to learn to be more alert of what was going on and to say no. We had a big lesson at one island when before we realized what was happening we had traded a T-shirt for 1 egg which was way to much as they only cost less than a kina. The worse trade we did was from the same woman who had a wild foul egg which she said was fresh. She had just left the boat when we looked at it and decided to crack it there was a half formed chick in it Daniel nearly threw up.
From here we sailed into the wind which wasn’t very comfortable to Hummocky Island in the Engineer Group well worth a visit the people here made us feel very welcome. We had our first Cray fish for the trip as fresh as they come.
Our first feed of Cray fish and they went down really well, YUMMY!!!
The kids had a great time playing with the local kids Daniel was almost always with Michael who had a group of boys around them. Michael made a good friend Penwell who sat together and made model canoes from wood. Michael has a long way to go but Penwell can make them in about 30mins all they used was a knife. They also made model knifes etc and painted some.
Michael and Penwell carving which they did for hours.
Kathleen made a friend Melissa they did a lot of walking around. Kathleen wanted to learn how to weave baskets or how to make anything as she loves crafty things but Melissa said that she didn’t know how to make anything. Amy had a great time swimming in the shallow water with the little kids.
Amy with some of her friends what a location.
We signed the first visitors book we were the 4th yacht to call in this year as most yachts go straight down to the cruising grounds and had paid for a customs officer to be flown down for a week to clear them in at Misima (which we didn’t know was an option at the time) 14 yachts were cleared in and out at the same time which saved them going anywhere to clear again.
Father’s Day happened while we were at Hummocky it was a Sunday and church goes until lunch time so we stayed on the boat until it was over and did some housework and organizing. Ian’s ulcer on his foot was still not looking really great but better than it was and he was trying to keep it dry so stayed on the boat. When we got to the shore everyone came and sat around us and then Robinson came and sat down with a guitar and everyone started singing songs people got up and shook each others hands and gave each other a hug us included. I went back to the boat to ask Ian if he would like to come and join us as it was heaps of fun. He said that he would so he came and got in and out of the dingy without getting him foot wet.
The villagers with us on Father's Day it was a great day, we were made very welcome.
A few of the kids started singing with Robinson when Ian came over. Soloman the local priest gave Ian the flower necklace that was made of frangipani which he was wearing for Fathers Day. MJ the local parrot who was raised by the locals was quite happy walking around on his head. I took a couple of group photos of everyone so that I could send a copy back to them when we got back to Australia. They don’t have many if any photos of themselves here. The people have been really lovely here and we had a great time.
It started to rain so Daniel went back to the boat with me to close the hatches and put everything that was dry inside. While I was gone Ian had gone to Soloman’s house with him to shelter. When I got there Rose (Soloman’s wife) was starting to bring out food for us to eat. We had yams, rice, dumplings, chicken and smoked fish which was really nice of them. We tried a bit of everything except the fish we had already eaten before going ashore but thought it may be rude not to try something. The yams were much nicer than the way I had tried to cook them. We then went for a walk with Soloman around the village before we left we hope to leave in the morning as the winds are starting to die down. Miriam gave Amy a carving of the main piece of a small canoe to take home. We said goodbye to everyone on the beach and told them we would call back in on the way back to Samaria. Penwell’s mum is making a bag for Michael and Henry said that he is going to make something for Amy.
A bit about the people of PNG
Firstly I am just going to post some photo's which we couldn't do while in PNG. Hope you like them.
Daniel's birthday in Samarai a lady Maggie made this cake for him but her son said his name was Steven hence the name on the cake. She also gave him his first carving which was really lovely thing to do .Daniel wanted to celebrate his birthday a day late so we weren't at sea.
This monument is in Samarai. It is about a man Christopher Robinson who made the statement that his aim was to make PNG a good country for white men.
I think that it is amazing it is still there. There are a few Dim Dim's (white people) but not many.
We had a fire at Belesana we were robbed throughout this night. The kids showed the local kids and adults how to cook marshmallows on the fire some really liked them others found them to sweet. It was a great night Lilly had sent some fish down so we also cooked them on the coals as well very nice too.
A bit about the people of PNG
Well as you are aware we are now back in Aus. We only had access to the internet when we first arrived at Alotau from then on there were no such services on the islands so these next few entries are what we got up while we were exploring a new place. I am continuing on from when we left Alotau and started heading down to the Louisiades as there are already entries for that.
PNG is a very beautiful place as we really started to find out as we travelled down through the islands. The people who live on the islands are very friendly and love to come out in their canoes to trade different things or just for a say hello and have a cup of tea on the yacht.
Most of the people are subsistence farmers pretty much everything they need is grown or fished for. The frames for the houses made from coconut and betel nut palm trees which are cut into lengths of timber by axe and bush knifes which would be very hard work. The roofs are made from pandana’s grass which is weaved and folded to become very water tight. Most people don’t have furniture they sleep and sit on woven mats which are quite comfortable. Cooking is all done over a fire and any excess seafood is smoked for days over the fire for use at a later date.
Most people grow or make things to trade with yachts when they come to visit. The most requested things we were asked for was clothing, rice, sugar, exercise books, pens and pencils. We traded mainly for food like Cray fish, banana’s, green coconuts, paw paw’s, pumpkins, yams and potatoes (different from our potatoes) we tried some other things but these were the main food items. We also traded for shells, baskets and a few carvings. We had so many shells that we had to say no more shells which was hard as this was all they really had to trade. We had a good supply of lollypops for the children who came out to the boat or followed us around on land. We tried to give the children things they could use or play with like soccer balls, tennis balls and stationary.
Some of the islands don’t have a lot of children on them as they have to go to school on different islands. Some of the children get to stay with relatives but other go to boarding school. It is not unusual for only one or two children from a family to go to school as it is very expensive for them over a thousand kina ($500) a year which is a lot of money considering if they do have jobs they only earn around 70 kina ($35) a fortnight for working 6 days a week and 9 hour days. Most of the islands harvest Bech-der-mer (sea cucumbers) for the Asian market which is seasonal but they can make a lot of money from it. The other main income for the islands is shark fin which also goes to the Asian market.
Daniel's birthday in Samarai a lady Maggie made this cake for him but her son said his name was Steven hence the name on the cake. She also gave him his first carving which was really lovely thing to do .Daniel wanted to celebrate his birthday a day late so we weren't at sea.
This monument is in Samarai. It is about a man Christopher Robinson who made the statement that his aim was to make PNG a good country for white men.I think that it is amazing it is still there. There are a few Dim Dim's (white people) but not many.
We had a fire at Belesana we were robbed throughout this night. The kids showed the local kids and adults how to cook marshmallows on the fire some really liked them others found them to sweet. It was a great night Lilly had sent some fish down so we also cooked them on the coals as well very nice too.A bit about the people of PNG
Well as you are aware we are now back in Aus. We only had access to the internet when we first arrived at Alotau from then on there were no such services on the islands so these next few entries are what we got up while we were exploring a new place. I am continuing on from when we left Alotau and started heading down to the Louisiades as there are already entries for that.
PNG is a very beautiful place as we really started to find out as we travelled down through the islands. The people who live on the islands are very friendly and love to come out in their canoes to trade different things or just for a say hello and have a cup of tea on the yacht.
Most of the people are subsistence farmers pretty much everything they need is grown or fished for. The frames for the houses made from coconut and betel nut palm trees which are cut into lengths of timber by axe and bush knifes which would be very hard work. The roofs are made from pandana’s grass which is weaved and folded to become very water tight. Most people don’t have furniture they sleep and sit on woven mats which are quite comfortable. Cooking is all done over a fire and any excess seafood is smoked for days over the fire for use at a later date.
Most people grow or make things to trade with yachts when they come to visit. The most requested things we were asked for was clothing, rice, sugar, exercise books, pens and pencils. We traded mainly for food like Cray fish, banana’s, green coconuts, paw paw’s, pumpkins, yams and potatoes (different from our potatoes) we tried some other things but these were the main food items. We also traded for shells, baskets and a few carvings. We had so many shells that we had to say no more shells which was hard as this was all they really had to trade. We had a good supply of lollypops for the children who came out to the boat or followed us around on land. We tried to give the children things they could use or play with like soccer balls, tennis balls and stationary.
Some of the islands don’t have a lot of children on them as they have to go to school on different islands. Some of the children get to stay with relatives but other go to boarding school. It is not unusual for only one or two children from a family to go to school as it is very expensive for them over a thousand kina ($500) a year which is a lot of money considering if they do have jobs they only earn around 70 kina ($35) a fortnight for working 6 days a week and 9 hour days. Most of the islands harvest Bech-der-mer (sea cucumbers) for the Asian market which is seasonal but they can make a lot of money from it. The other main income for the islands is shark fin which also goes to the Asian market.
25.9.07
Back in Oz
We are back! A fantastic passage that only took 78 hours. We had mostly 15 knot winds the whole trip and only had to put a reef in the main on the last night. Nobody came close to getting sea sick. We had to return to Samarai a little earlier than planned as Michael had fever and headache and we wanted to be close to medical help if needed. It turned out to be malaria.
We will put up some posts shortly of our time in PNG but for now we are going to have one or six beers and catch up on some sleep.
We will put up some posts shortly of our time in PNG but for now we are going to have one or six beers and catch up on some sleep.
27.8.07
Back at Alotau
Well we are back at Alotau and much sooner than we wanted. We have been to a couple of places. Wagawaga which is a small village where there is a ship wreck from the war not far off the beach the bow sticks out of the water but the stern is supposed to be in 80 foot of water we stayed here for a couple of nights. The kids had a great time playing with all the local kids. They did heaps swimming and the boys had a go of the dug out canoes which was fun to watch as they capsized a few times.
Next we went on to Doini Island which was really beautiful very clean and nice beach. We spent a couple of nights here also. We did a bit of snorkeling and we found some lovely shells on the beach. We also went for a dingy ride over to Gona Bara Bara Island where there is a manta ray cleaning station we weren’t sure where it was so we asked some locals who showed us but we didn’t see any manta rays wrong time of year for a lot to be around. There was patches of coral and the boys tried spear fishing but caught nothing.
We were heading to the Louisiades our original plan for PNG but there was a vibration in the drive shaft which would come and go and would go when the rev’s was changed. We thought that the bearing in the prop shaft was causing the noise and may need replacing. We went to slipway to find out about being hauled out and if they had the bearing. Here they use wood or brass bearings not rubber and teflon like in Australia. So to cut a long story short we waited around for 5 days for the owner to turn up but we never saw him. They couldn’t do what we wanted and we would have to get the part from Australia. On the third night we had a heap of things stolen including all the snorkeling gear and the weight belt I need to dive, 4 fuel containers, a fishing rod, clothes and towels which were drying and a few other things. We had been warned to lock everything away before coming to PNG (should have listened to your warning Grumps) but we got slack and we had nothing but a good time with no problems before that. Just goes to show how no matter where you are it only takes a few to spoil things for others. The snorkeling things and fuel containers had to be replaced that’s why we are back in Alotau. We managed to replace the snorkels and flippers Amy couldn’t get flippers as her feet are too small, we couldn’t get another weight belt and we bought another fuel container. Tomorrow we head off for the Lousisade’s. We will be making sure that we lock everything away in future.
We will have the satellite phone turned on in the evenings while we are here (Australia time) as we are out most of the day and can be hard to catch us.
Next we went on to Doini Island which was really beautiful very clean and nice beach. We spent a couple of nights here also. We did a bit of snorkeling and we found some lovely shells on the beach. We also went for a dingy ride over to Gona Bara Bara Island where there is a manta ray cleaning station we weren’t sure where it was so we asked some locals who showed us but we didn’t see any manta rays wrong time of year for a lot to be around. There was patches of coral and the boys tried spear fishing but caught nothing.
We were heading to the Louisiades our original plan for PNG but there was a vibration in the drive shaft which would come and go and would go when the rev’s was changed. We thought that the bearing in the prop shaft was causing the noise and may need replacing. We went to slipway to find out about being hauled out and if they had the bearing. Here they use wood or brass bearings not rubber and teflon like in Australia. So to cut a long story short we waited around for 5 days for the owner to turn up but we never saw him. They couldn’t do what we wanted and we would have to get the part from Australia. On the third night we had a heap of things stolen including all the snorkeling gear and the weight belt I need to dive, 4 fuel containers, a fishing rod, clothes and towels which were drying and a few other things. We had been warned to lock everything away before coming to PNG (should have listened to your warning Grumps) but we got slack and we had nothing but a good time with no problems before that. Just goes to show how no matter where you are it only takes a few to spoil things for others. The snorkeling things and fuel containers had to be replaced that’s why we are back in Alotau. We managed to replace the snorkels and flippers Amy couldn’t get flippers as her feet are too small, we couldn’t get another weight belt and we bought another fuel container. Tomorrow we head off for the Lousisade’s. We will be making sure that we lock everything away in future.
We will have the satellite phone turned on in the evenings while we are here (Australia time) as we are out most of the day and can be hard to catch us.
16.8.07
After 93 hours we dropped anchor at Samarai Island at 3 am on the 12th August(Daniel didn’t get off the boat on his birthday). The crossing was pretty rough for the first 3 days and no one could eat due to sea sickness. The following is typical for all on board
Day 1 – one slice of dry bread
Day 2 – one slice of dry bread and about 6 of mints
Day 3 – two slices of dry bread and ran out of mints
last day – weather calmer so slowly started eating normally
Every thing on the boat got a good soaking. All the hatches and vents leak water and as waves were coming across the deck the front cabin was soaking wet. The only real dry place was the aft cabin.
We had a few hours sleep and woke to kids paddling around in dugout canoes. The customs guy on the island was away so we were told that it would be alright to come ashore anyway. Europeans are called Dim Dims and where ever these Dim Dims walked we were the centre of attention. The kids made friends with just about all the kids on the island and were busy playing soccer, fishing, lighting fires on the beach and even cooked a fish on our deck over a hexam fire.
The people over here chew a beetle nut which is a drug and mix it with mustard or lime or and it rots their teeth and their mouth are bright red / orange
Samarai use to be an administration centre but now there are only two little stores operating. Our notes said that there was a bank and post office and we expected we could get currency exchange and any extra supplies. One thing we need is 2 stroke oil for the dingy and we couldn’t get that. There is a public phone on the island that only takes phone cards but no one sells the cards(sorry lovey I didn’t ring you)
Out of necessity we sailed around to Alotau, which is now the admin centre for the Milne Bay Provence. It has a few banks and super markets a hardware and a market. The supermarket that we went to had about 10 security guards and one of them told Kathleen that her wallet was showing from her pocket and to watch out for pick pockets. On the way to the market a guy came over and asked if we wanted to buy some carvings, we said we would look and we went over to the market to look at them as it was pooring down with rain. Soon there were another 2 guys showing us carvings and we had quite an audience looking at the Dim Dims looking at carvings. A guy told me that there would soon be heaps of them so I hurried Wendy up, who was having a great time flashing her Kina(currency) around. And we went back to the boat. Another few people told us about pick pockets, it is not the type of place to be after dark. There were hundreds of people in the street and we saw now other Dim Dims.
Day 1 – one slice of dry bread
Day 2 – one slice of dry bread and about 6 of mints
Day 3 – two slices of dry bread and ran out of mints
last day – weather calmer so slowly started eating normally
Every thing on the boat got a good soaking. All the hatches and vents leak water and as waves were coming across the deck the front cabin was soaking wet. The only real dry place was the aft cabin.
We had a few hours sleep and woke to kids paddling around in dugout canoes. The customs guy on the island was away so we were told that it would be alright to come ashore anyway. Europeans are called Dim Dims and where ever these Dim Dims walked we were the centre of attention. The kids made friends with just about all the kids on the island and were busy playing soccer, fishing, lighting fires on the beach and even cooked a fish on our deck over a hexam fire.
The people over here chew a beetle nut which is a drug and mix it with mustard or lime or and it rots their teeth and their mouth are bright red / orange
Samarai use to be an administration centre but now there are only two little stores operating. Our notes said that there was a bank and post office and we expected we could get currency exchange and any extra supplies. One thing we need is 2 stroke oil for the dingy and we couldn’t get that. There is a public phone on the island that only takes phone cards but no one sells the cards(sorry lovey I didn’t ring you)
Out of necessity we sailed around to Alotau, which is now the admin centre for the Milne Bay Provence. It has a few banks and super markets a hardware and a market. The supermarket that we went to had about 10 security guards and one of them told Kathleen that her wallet was showing from her pocket and to watch out for pick pockets. On the way to the market a guy came over and asked if we wanted to buy some carvings, we said we would look and we went over to the market to look at them as it was pooring down with rain. Soon there were another 2 guys showing us carvings and we had quite an audience looking at the Dim Dims looking at carvings. A guy told me that there would soon be heaps of them so I hurried Wendy up, who was having a great time flashing her Kina(currency) around. And we went back to the boat. Another few people told us about pick pockets, it is not the type of place to be after dark. There were hundreds of people in the street and we saw now other Dim Dims.
15.8.07
We made it!
After 93 hours we dropped anchor at Samaria.
We had 3 day of rough weather and everyone was sea sick and everything in the boat got soaked. We are now in Alotau and this is only a quick post as we are about to have a meal. All is well but still wet, we will post more details when we get back to oz.
We had 3 day of rough weather and everyone was sea sick and everything in the boat got soaked. We are now in Alotau and this is only a quick post as we are about to have a meal. All is well but still wet, we will post more details when we get back to oz.
7.8.07
cleared customs
We are set to leave early tomorrow morning. Customs came to the boat and stamped our passports and we picked up a satellite phone this morning. We have loaded over $1000 worth of groceries on board, 500 litres of fuel and 600 litres of water. It is the first time everyone, except Wendy, has been out of the country and we are all excited. Our forecast is for 20-25knots of wind pretty much on our beam most of the way with seas about 8 feet. We have confidence in the boat and ourselves but as this is the first time to be out of sight of land we are glad to have the sat phone. We have 460 miles to sail and if we average 6 knots will be there in 3.5 days which will be Saturday 11th August, which is Daniels Birthday, probably his best present will be to get off the boat.
The phone number of the Satellite phone is 0147160508, if your calling from overseas you will probably have to dial 61 and drop the 0, not sure. Call cost are supposed to be expensive though. It can send and receive sms which may be cheaper.
We may not be able to post any blogs while we are over there, except maybe Samarai, so we will catch up when we are back in the country in about 6 weeks.
Wish us fair winds and smooth seas.
The Crew, Saltheart
The phone number of the Satellite phone is 0147160508, if your calling from overseas you will probably have to dial 61 and drop the 0, not sure. Call cost are supposed to be expensive though. It can send and receive sms which may be cheaper.
We may not be able to post any blogs while we are over there, except maybe Samarai, so we will catch up when we are back in the country in about 6 weeks.
Wish us fair winds and smooth seas.
The Crew, Saltheart
6.8.07
Cairns, our departure point
We have been in Cairns for just over a week now. The city of Cairns is a real tourist destination with international flights coming and going all the time. We have been busy trying to get everything ready for the trip to PNG. We are now organized and have been cleared by customs to leave by Thursday. The boys have even had a go at buskin they earnt themselves a couple of dollars each but it was a good experience for them.
While we have been here we have also checked out the area. We have been swimming in the lagoon, a huge pool on the water front which is free and used by everyone as there is no beach just mud flats at low tide and crocs in the river. We have been swimming a few times there which has been fun. There are signs all along the foreshore warning people not to swim because of the crocs.
We have met up with a few boats here some we had met before we came and had BBQ’s and even a movie night most of the boats we have met have kids on so our guys have had a ball playing with everyone at every opportunity they get. We have even been to the movies here.
We took the sky rail up to Kuranda up in the hills behind Cairns. It was the longest sky rail I have ever been on it is 7.5km long with 114 gondola’s on it. We got off on both of the stops along the way to check out the sights, waterfalls and rainforest. The trip without stops goes for 45 minutes and the view back to the ocean below is amazing. Amy was a little scared to start with holding onto my arm but was fine after a while. At Kuranda we had a look around there was supposed to be a market on but the whole place was set up like a market. A lot of shops along the street looked like market stalls. We didn’t really think a lot of the place itself we did this trip for the sky rail and scenic train ride back down through the valley.
The train ride was great the train is the original train which was once used to transport hospital patients and workers to and from work. The trip was 1hr 45mins during that time you heard about different things that happened along the train tracks construction and other things as well, it was very interesting. All the windows open right up and we could take heaps of pictures and see everything at a slow pace. We almost stopped in front of one of the waterfalls the boys were busy taking photos of the falls and the train itself 
as it went through tunnels and over bridges. It was a great day out. It was all too much for Amy she fell asleep on the train on the way back.
While we have been here we have also checked out the area. We have been swimming in the lagoon, a huge pool on the water front which is free and used by everyone as there is no beach just mud flats at low tide and crocs in the river. We have been swimming a few times there which has been fun. There are signs all along the foreshore warning people not to swim because of the crocs.
We have met up with a few boats here some we had met before we came and had BBQ’s and even a movie night most of the boats we have met have kids on so our guys have had a ball playing with everyone at every opportunity they get. We have even been to the movies here.
We took the sky rail up to Kuranda up in the hills behind Cairns. It was the longest sky rail I have ever been on it is 7.5km long with 114 gondola’s on it. We got off on both of the stops along the way to check out the sights, waterfalls and rainforest. The trip without stops goes for 45 minutes and the view back to the ocean below is amazing. Amy was a little scared to start with holding onto my arm but was fine after a while. At Kuranda we had a look around there was supposed to be a market on but the whole place was set up like a market. A lot of shops along the street looked like market stalls. We didn’t really think a lot of the place itself we did this trip for the sky rail and scenic train ride back down through the valley.
The train ride was great the train is the original train which was once used to transport hospital patients and workers to and from work. The trip was 1hr 45mins during that time you heard about different things that happened along the train tracks construction and other things as well, it was very interesting. All the windows open right up and we could take heaps of pictures and see everything at a slow pace. We almost stopped in front of one of the waterfalls the boys were busy taking photos of the falls and the train itself 
as it went through tunnels and over bridges. It was a great day out. It was all too much for Amy she fell asleep on the train on the way back.
Hinchinbrook Channel
The Hinchinbrook Channel is supposed to be one the prettiest channels with good fishing, crabbing and crocodiles. There aren’t many places to get ashore and no walking trails except at the northern end of the channel. We dropped anchor at Haycock Island a very small island in the river. We took a dingy ride to try and get ashore and have a look at the island but no where to get up with no oysters. Then we decided to take a fishing rod and do a bit of trolling and try our luck. Ian was saying what we should do if a croc attacked the dingy (not that they would) and scared the kids so we didn’t troll for long. There were heaps of mangroves around but not too many sand flies.
We then moved another few miles up the channel to a creek we dropped anchor Ian suggested to Warenta that we raft up as it is really calm. The creek isn’t very wide and all the boats are almost in a line going down the length of it. One of the boats here is Kalida a boat we had met on Magnetic Island they have 2 children and the kids were glad to see their boat.
We spent a few days here doing nothing at all but sitting around and relaxing. We had a BBQ with Kalida aboard Warenta which was great fun, we also met up with a couple who have two boys off Stardancer. The kids had a great time playing with each other. They are both heading up to Cairns which is where we will clear customs to go to PNG.
Moving further north we stopped for a night a Dunk Island where we went for a bit of a walk and collected some shells before going onto Fitzroy Island where we planned on staying but it didn’t look like it was going to be comfortable so we moved on to Cairns it was a big day’s sail over 80 miles further than we have gone yet in one day. We did see a humpback whale when we were around Fitzroy Island for a couple of minutes but I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo.
We are now in Cairns and are getting everything ready for the passage to PNG. We have had a few things to sort out and we have to stock up on supplies as well as things to trade while we are over there. We plan on leaving here around the weekend or Monday
Trying to get Palm nuts on Dunk Island.
We then moved another few miles up the channel to a creek we dropped anchor Ian suggested to Warenta that we raft up as it is really calm. The creek isn’t very wide and all the boats are almost in a line going down the length of it. One of the boats here is Kalida a boat we had met on Magnetic Island they have 2 children and the kids were glad to see their boat.We spent a few days here doing nothing at all but sitting around and relaxing. We had a BBQ with Kalida aboard Warenta which was great fun, we also met up with a couple who have two boys off Stardancer. The kids had a great time playing with each other. They are both heading up to Cairns which is where we will clear customs to go to PNG.
Moving further north we stopped for a night a Dunk Island where we went for a bit of a walk and collected some shells before going onto Fitzroy Island where we planned on staying but it didn’t look like it was going to be comfortable so we moved on to Cairns it was a big day’s sail over 80 miles further than we have gone yet in one day. We did see a humpback whale when we were around Fitzroy Island for a couple of minutes but I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo.
We are now in Cairns and are getting everything ready for the passage to PNG. We have had a few things to sort out and we have to stock up on supplies as well as things to trade while we are over there. We plan on leaving here around the weekend or Monday
Trying to get Palm nuts on Dunk Island.
31.7.07
North again
The journey is continuing on from Townsville with the new motor being much quieter than the old one. We headed to Magnetic Island’s Horseshoe Bay where we had been before when the issues with the old motor were going on. We only spent one night here before heading off to Palm Island. Palm Island is an aboriginal owned island and permission has to be sought to go ashore which we hadn’t arranged prior, we looked around for a good place to anchor but decided that we would continue on to Orpheus Island where we could go ashore without any issues. On the way there the motor stopped, we couldn’t believe it not with the new motor. Ian found that there was air in the fuel lines, he got the air out and we were back in business. We later found out that the pipes had been put on wrong and the motor was running on the return pipe back to the fuel tank.
We arrived and stopped the motor as always Kathleen told us that she could hear water running into the bilge. Ian stuck his head to the motor room and found that water was coming out of the air filter which didn’t make any sense. We quickly turned off the sea cock and the water stopped coming out. What was going on??? It took until after midnight to fix it. The fuel injectors had to be taken out so that the water could be blown out without causing any damage this wasn’t the hardest part of the night. When the motor was turned over by hand with the injectors off the little caps inside and washers were blown out of the engine and into the bilge or somewhere in motor room. Kathleen said she would go down it and try and find it. The adults can’t fit down along side the motor. She found the cap after a while thank goodness. Ian put his hand over the other 2 injectors to stop anything blowing out of them when they kicked the motor over but the force was too much and both caps and washers from the other injectors went flying. This time Michael and Kathleen got dirty as Kathleen was having trouble finding the bits. Michael was lucky and found one almost straight away. It turned out to be a long night but what had happened was when the motor stopped the fingers on the impellor had spread out and water was able to travel through the holes and the valves must have been open which was very unlucky we are going to put a siphon break in so this can’t happen again.
We didn’t go ashore that night when we arrived but did the following morning. Orpheus Island wasn’t as attractive as the places we have been. There were heaps of mangroves and no real beach to speak of. We did go for a walk around the back of the mangroves to check it out as we had time before we would have enough water over the bar at the Hinchinbrook Channel our next destination. We found some interesting shells on the mud flats a lot of the shells there were black and old there wasn’t really new looking ones. The kids were looking for mud crabs in the mangroves but didn’t find any they did however find a hole that they thought might have a crab in it. The hole was in a sand/mud bank which wasn’t in a muddy spot, they thought that they would try and smoke out what ever was in there with dry grass. I don’t know if this would have worked if it was crab but the kids had fun trying.
We pulled up anchor which was stuck firmly in the mud and headed to Lucinda just inside the Hinchinbrook Channel. We had no trouble crossing the bar following the huge sugar loading wharf in. The wharf goes out across the sea for almost 6km as there isn’t enough water for the transport ships to get in, it is an amazing sight. We dropped anchor to check out the town of Lucinda which basically has one shop a general store/takeaway/hardware, a pub, and caravan park. We had hot chips in the park for tea before having a drink in the pub. We decided to stay the night here as it was getting late and couldn’t really be bothered pulling up the anchor again today.
Lucinda jetty, 5km long
We arrived and stopped the motor as always Kathleen told us that she could hear water running into the bilge. Ian stuck his head to the motor room and found that water was coming out of the air filter which didn’t make any sense. We quickly turned off the sea cock and the water stopped coming out. What was going on??? It took until after midnight to fix it. The fuel injectors had to be taken out so that the water could be blown out without causing any damage this wasn’t the hardest part of the night. When the motor was turned over by hand with the injectors off the little caps inside and washers were blown out of the engine and into the bilge or somewhere in motor room. Kathleen said she would go down it and try and find it. The adults can’t fit down along side the motor. She found the cap after a while thank goodness. Ian put his hand over the other 2 injectors to stop anything blowing out of them when they kicked the motor over but the force was too much and both caps and washers from the other injectors went flying. This time Michael and Kathleen got dirty as Kathleen was having trouble finding the bits. Michael was lucky and found one almost straight away. It turned out to be a long night but what had happened was when the motor stopped the fingers on the impellor had spread out and water was able to travel through the holes and the valves must have been open which was very unlucky we are going to put a siphon break in so this can’t happen again.
We didn’t go ashore that night when we arrived but did the following morning. Orpheus Island wasn’t as attractive as the places we have been. There were heaps of mangroves and no real beach to speak of. We did go for a walk around the back of the mangroves to check it out as we had time before we would have enough water over the bar at the Hinchinbrook Channel our next destination. We found some interesting shells on the mud flats a lot of the shells there were black and old there wasn’t really new looking ones. The kids were looking for mud crabs in the mangroves but didn’t find any they did however find a hole that they thought might have a crab in it. The hole was in a sand/mud bank which wasn’t in a muddy spot, they thought that they would try and smoke out what ever was in there with dry grass. I don’t know if this would have worked if it was crab but the kids had fun trying.
We pulled up anchor which was stuck firmly in the mud and headed to Lucinda just inside the Hinchinbrook Channel. We had no trouble crossing the bar following the huge sugar loading wharf in. The wharf goes out across the sea for almost 6km as there isn’t enough water for the transport ships to get in, it is an amazing sight. We dropped anchor to check out the town of Lucinda which basically has one shop a general store/takeaway/hardware, a pub, and caravan park. We had hot chips in the park for tea before having a drink in the pub. We decided to stay the night here as it was getting late and couldn’t really be bothered pulling up the anchor again today.
Lucinda jetty, 5km long
19.7.07
Motor is in
Well after we got the old motor out we had to wait for the new Yanmar motor to turn up. We had to wait almost a week to get the new motor trucked up from Newcastle. We had time to kill so we went for a drive to Bundaberg with a friend so he could get stuff out of a storage shed and we took our old motor down to the storage shed so we can use it on the farm when we get back home to maybe drive a pump. We hired a mini bus and had organized a trailer to bring the stuff back in. We left early we were all in the bus by 3am we stopped a few times on the way down. We tried to stay in a caravan park near Bundaberg where the turtles come on the beach but they did not allow dogs so we stayed in Burnett Heads in the tents. Our friend camped in the bus in the night while we had a bit of a camping break. We were gone from the boat for 3 days in total which was a good break from the boat and helped to stop us going stir crazy waiting for the new motor to arrive.
We got back and returned the bus and went shopping for Amy’s birthday present and some special treats for her birthday the next day. Amy has been excited about her birthday for the past few months so this was a great time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY, she was very excited and had fun opening her presents and having bits of paper everywhere. We went and saw the movie Shrek 3 in the morning. Then we went up the park for a few hours, the ABC was also having a 75th Birthday so there was some entertainment on in the park. We then had a birthday party for her with balloons, streamers and party poppers. We had her birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to her a few times. She had a great day it was funny watching her tell everyone it was her birthday and now she is 14 instead of 4.
We got back and returned the bus and went shopping for Amy’s birthday present and some special treats for her birthday the next day. Amy has been excited about her birthday for the past few months so this was a great time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY, she was very excited and had fun opening her presents and having bits of paper everywhere. We went and saw the movie Shrek 3 in the morning. Then we went up the park for a few hours, the ABC was also having a 75th Birthday so there was some entertainment on in the park. We then had a birthday party for her with balloons, streamers and party poppers. We had her birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to her a few times. She had a great day it was funny watching her tell everyone it was her birthday and now she is 14 instead of 4.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN, he did really well for his birthday his new motor was delivered in the afternoon. The kids all sang and gave Ian his presents in the morning and I cooked him bacon and eggs for breakfast. We then went up town for a walk and had some morning tea. Then it was the waiting game for the motor. It didn’t take him long to unwrap his new toy. Ian didn’t want a cake so Kathleen went and bought a heap of iced donuts and snakes and arranged them on a plate with 39 candles all around.
Well the new motor went in without and major problems from the time we lowered it into position everything pretty much lined up. It was great that everything just went so well with nothing much to cause stress. The new motor is a much quieter than the old one and much cleaner. We are currently at Magnetic Island again giving the new motor a run in. The motor has been working wonderfully and we are very happy with it, lets hope it continues like this.
8.7.07
Magic at Maggie
We got our parts back from the workshop and we got the motor going again. There was some water in the engine which caused all the problems to start with. We flushed out all the sludge and put new oil in. After a quick test run there was water getting in the oil. We worked out that it was getting in through the water pump, so after we bypassed that we went for a test run out to Magnetic Island, Maggie to the locals. We had a glorious time there with perfect weather but we had developed an oil leak. We tried to reseal some gaskets but no luck. Then as we were about to leave the starter motor wouldn’t work. After an hour or so it was going but it was enough for us to decide to get another motor. So now we are at the Breakwater Marina at Townsville waiting for a new Yanmar 29Hp. The motor now is a 20 Hp so there should be a bit of extra to spare and it’s got to be quieter.
Yesterday we pulled out the old motor. Altogether the motor and gearbox weighs 200kg but after taking the flywheel and gearbox off the weight was reduced to 150kg. It was a 5 person job. We used the halyard and toping lift to take the weight and slowly inched it up. Then today we degreased the bilge and pumped and scrapped out all the crap and lost tools that have fallen in over the last 20 years. Kathleen jumped in and got the very bottom as she was the only one who could fit.
Yesterday we pulled out the old motor. Altogether the motor and gearbox weighs 200kg but after taking the flywheel and gearbox off the weight was reduced to 150kg. It was a 5 person job. We used the halyard and toping lift to take the weight and slowly inched it up. Then today we degreased the bilge and pumped and scrapped out all the crap and lost tools that have fallen in over the last 20 years. Kathleen jumped in and got the very bottom as she was the only one who could fit.
Pull harder Wendy!!
Kathleen fits in the keel.
A productive day.
This houseboat belongs to Bob on Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island. He has been here for 22 years. The people that own water front properties are making it uncomfortable for him so that he will move, but I don’t think he is going anywhere. He has got to know the local wildlife intimately and feeds Whistling Kites, spangled Jacks and any other birds that come down.
With sunsets like these I know exactly why bob is staying put. That’s Daniel and Amy. Michael took this photo with Hayden’s Nikon D2X, a very expensive professional camera. We have some great shots of the Whistling Kite with this camera.
25.6.07
Trouble in Townsville
We had spent nearly a week in Bowen. There is a major film being shot at the moment with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The end of the main street is shut off and has been set up as a military scene. It is meant to be Darwin during the war. We didn't get to see any shooting as they were doing night shoots but it seems that half the town has jobs as extras and all the locals are excited about all the attention.
We were also tipped off that there was good calamari fishing at Horseshoe bay. Within about 10 minutes we had 3 large squid before some swimmers spoiled our fun, not before Michael and I had covered ourselves in ink.
While we were there we sent away for our PNG visas. We have decided to go to the Louisiade Archipelago. They are a group of islands off the eastern tip off the New Guinea mainland. We have spoken to a few of other cruisers who have highly recommended there as well as Wendys dad, Grumps.
Leaving Bowen it was 120 miles to Townsville, which we spread over 3 days, Cape upstart the first night and Cape Bowling Green the second. Shortly after leaving Cape Bowling Green the motor suddenly died. We were able to sail all but the last couple of miles. Our sailing companion, Hayden towed us into the harbor and hasn’t let us forget it since. We sent the injectors and the injector pump to the workshop for a rebuild and are waiting to see if that gets us going again.
At the moment we are still waiting for the parts for the motor and still praying for the rain to stop and all going well we will go out to Magnetic Island to give the motor a run and then either leave for PNG from here or Cairns.
Leaving Bowen it was 120 miles to Townsville, which we spread over 3 days, Cape upstart the first night and Cape Bowling Green the second. Shortly after leaving Cape Bowling Green the motor suddenly died. We were able to sail all but the last couple of miles. Our sailing companion, Hayden towed us into the harbor and hasn’t let us forget it since. We sent the injectors and the injector pump to the workshop for a rebuild and are waiting to see if that gets us going again.
At the moment we are still waiting for the parts for the motor and still praying for the rain to stop and all going well we will go out to Magnetic Island to give the motor a run and then either leave for PNG from here or Cairns.
12.6.07
Amy the super snorkler
Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island.
For the last couple of weeks we have been cruising the islands of the Whitsundays. This has meant that there has been an anchorage within 2 hours of everywhere. It has been our first chance to snorkel in coral since Lady Musgrave Island, and the snorkeling has been pretty good. At first everybody would go in the dingy to the dive site and someone would stay with Amy while everyone else went snorkeling. However Kathleen decided that Amy shouldn't be missing out on all the fun and with a bit of time and a lot of bribing taught Amy to snorkel, and doesn't she love it. At first she couldn't stop talking through her snorkel saying look at this and that and now she goes off a little bit to explore for her self.
Amy, 3 years old and can swim as fast as anyone
Amy showing mum something "really cool"
So far the best snorkeling for coral has been on Border Island and the best fish and marine life has been at Manta Ray Bay and Bait Reef, which is on the Barrier Reef.
Huge wrasse that came up meet us at Manta Ray Bay. These guys are about 4 feet long and let you pat them in exchange for some corned beef or a sausage.
Huge wrasse that came up meet us at Manta Ray Bay. These guys are about 4 feet long and let you pat them in exchange for some corned beef or a sausage.
We left Bait Reef this morning and arrived in Bowen this morning, which is 50 miles in 9 hours with the wind at 10 - 15 knots on our beam the whole way. We managed to just beat Hayden, who we have been cruising with for the last couple of weeks, even though he was "just running the motor to charge the batteries".
We might stay here for a couple of days before shooting up to Townsville. After that we have to decide whether to go to the Louisiade Archipelago or continue to Cairns but at the moment we are leaning towards PNG.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)