{"id":6321,"date":"2019-08-16T00:52:37","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T00:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svtoucan.com\/svtblog\/?p=6321"},"modified":"2019-08-16T01:07:48","modified_gmt":"2019-08-16T01:07:48","slug":"dukes-dugongs-the-duke-of-york-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/svtoucan.com\/svtblog\/?p=6321","title":{"rendered":"Dukes & Dugongs – The Duke of York Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Kokopo we motor across the channel for a couple of hours to the Duke of York islands. There are 13 islands in this group, all low-lying coral atolls.  Apparently in 2000 many of the inhabitants were re-located to the surrounding larger islands of New Britain and New Ireland due to fears of rising sea-levels, but there\u2019s still a thriving community here and it\u2019s a popular spot for day-trips from Kokopo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve been warned that the most popular anchorage off Mioko Island is also very busy with lots of banana boats zooming around, and the local village demands anchoring fees from visiting yachts.  We don\u2019t mind supporting the local economy, but we\u2019re in need of a few more days of peace and quiet so we opt to follow in the footsteps of our good cruising buddies, Rehua, and drop the anchor off the SE corner of Ruruan Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no sign of the islands namesake Prince Andrew (or Fergie for that matter) but as soon as the anchor\u2019s down we see a family of dugongs in the bay. How special! They\u2019re notoriously shy creatures so they keep their distance and unfortunately we don\u2019t get any decent pictures of them, either above or below the surface. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is the best we could do to snap the elusive dugongs!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A beautifully tranquil spot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dawn breaks over the Duke of Yorks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Here comes the sun..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s a spectacular place with clear water and lots of coral which I\u2019m sure would be lovely to snorkel over, but I have to stay out of the water due to a cut on my toe which is causing me some grief.  It\u2019s very easy in tropical climates for small cuts and sores to become major problems so I\u2019ve started a course of antibiotics and have to keep it dry. It\u2019s frustrating but necessary, and hopefully will be cleared up by the time we get to the outer islands where we\u2019ll want to do some diving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a very peaceful spot here — people wave as they go past and a few of the locals come by to look at the boat but aren\u2019t particularly interested in trading. Mostly they\u2019re busy with fishing or collecting coconuts, so we\u2019re left to our own devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Every day we check the weather forecasts hoping for some wind to get us north, but at the moment there\u2019s not a breath of wind so we sit tight.  After a couple of days people paddle by and start to ask if we\u2019re OK – \u201cyes, we\u2019re fine, just waiting for wind\u201d! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul, an elder from the neighbouring Ulu Island paddles out and tells us that he charged an anchoring fee of $400 Kina (Aus $200) to the last boat that was here. What?!! It turns out it was one of the big cruise ships that come here twice a month.\u00a0 Thankfully we settle on a much more reasonable $20 Kina and everyone\u2019s happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stunning sunsets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally the forecast gives us a faint hope of some wind on the weekend, so we\u2019ll try our luck getting out of here. We\u2019re still undecided about stopping at Manus Island. It\u2019ll depend on whether we get good enough wind to keep going to the Hermit Islands, or whether we\u2019ll need to top up our fuel if we end up having to motor for a lot of the way. Either way, it\u2019s another adventure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Kokopo we motor across the channel for a couple of hours to the Duke of York islands. There are 13 islands in this group, all low-lying coral atolls.  Apparently in 2000 many of the inhabitants were re-located to the surrounding larger islands of New Britain and New Ireland due to fears of rising sea-levels, … <\/p>\n

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