Although perhaps not as geographically remote as the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia, this place is about as wild as you can get. Huon Reef is part of D’Entrecasteaux Reefs to the north-west of New Caledonia and is a dedicated marine reserve. We asked permission from the French Department of Environment (email dam-nc@gouv.nc) to visit both here and Chesterfield Reef, and all they require in return is for us to fill out some survey forms after our visit – how easy is that! Continue reading “Take A Walk On The Wild Side – Huon Reef, New Caledonia”

We were keen to get out of Luganville in order to catch up with our cruising buddies on ‘Rehua’ who we hadn’t seen for a couple of months. They were anchored off Ratua island, just a few miles away, and what a stunning location it is for a rendezvous. Continue reading “Easy Living – Ratua Private Island, Vanuatu”

Clearing in is always an interesting process when you’re on a yacht. It usually requires a large helping of patience, good humour, stamina, and orienteering ability, and Vanuatu didn’t let us down on any of these counts. Continue reading “The Clearing – Luganville, Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu”

So here we are again, chasing sunsets (and our friends on Rehua) as we travel ever further west across the Pacific towards Australia. During our voyaging we’ve experienced a whole gamut of passages – boring ones, bumpy ones, beautiful ones, downright nasty ones but never have we experienced such a frustrating passage as this one to Vanuatu. Continue reading “Into The West – Passage to Vanuatu”

During the two weeks Maureen’s been with us, we’ve experienced the full spectrum of Fiji weather (bar a cyclone!). Thunderstorms and torrential rain, no wind, wind from the ‘wrong’ direction (which is always where we’re planning on going) or too much wind. But it hasn’t spoilt the wonderful time we’re having, we’ve learnt to be flexible and adjust our plans accordingly. Continue reading “West Side Story Pt 2 – The Yasawas, Fiji”

The Yasawas are the westernmost group of islands in Fiji, stretching almost 80 kilometres on a NE/SW axis. They’re volcanic and mountainous and as well as being home to many local villages they’re also a mecca for the tourist industry, with many resorts and day charters operating throughout the chain. It made sense to leave them to last, and with my sister Maureen’s arrival it was a perfect opportunity to do a couple of weeks’ exploring of this popular area. Continue reading “West Side Story Pt 1 – The Yasawas, Fiji”