Arrival Back In Australia

Arrival  Back In Australia

We had a fast passage back from Chesterfield Reef to Bundaberg taking us 3 days and 2 nights. We clocked 185nm on 2 occasions and sailed all but the last 3nm to Bundaberg.  We couldn’t believe we had made the return trip and that we were once more back in Australian waters. Crossing the continental shelf to Australia and watching the depth gauge once again record an accurate measurement really made you feel that you were arriving home! The seas flattened the sun dipped, glowing red over the Australian coastline and we arrived at 9pm, anchoring by the marina at the quarantine buoy.

The following morning under directions from quarantine and customs we came into the marina at Bundaberg. We hoped we had gone through all the correct procedures regarding re entry to Aus’ but we were still anxious in case we had some dreaded foreign invader on board or had smuggled some unknown illicit French cheese! All proved to go smoothly and both officials were friendly and professional, giving us a clean bill of health! Although it cost us $330 for the pleasure at least we were told we wouldn’t need an inspection by the termite sniffing dog which can cost much much more!  Good job they didn’t spot the hitch hiking cockroach that Roger killed today!! We celebrated our safe return after a fantastic voyage with a bottle of good French Champagne bought in New Caledonia for the occasion!

So now we have 2 weeks to return to Scarborough, Brisbane via the Great Sandy Straights and the Wide Bay Bar and then fly back to Melbourne. We will have to clean up Dreamweaver and prepare her for a stint on her own in Brisbane.  Should be a piece of cake after the last 6 months, fingers crossed!

Chesterfield Reef

Well we had been back in Noumea for several days and in the back of our minds we knew we needed to be thinking of heading west again, this time Australia was our destination and it would mean the end of a 6 month voyage. I hadn’t realised but Roger had a plan to extend our cruising destinations once more! It would require heading north west for an additional 250nm to Chesterfield Reef. What did I think of this idea? After all it would not add that much extra time to our overall sailing or at least that was how the proposal was made!

We knew several other sailing yachts that had visited this complex group of reefs though usually after departing from the top of the Vanuatu group of islands. Our route would see us sail up to the north of New Caledonia rather than heading west towards Australia. How could I refuse? We cleared customs and immigration without any problems and sailed out through the Dunbere Reef Pass  with sunshine and 15knots from the south east. Perfect conditions which saw us make a speedy 7 to 8 knots over the next 3 days. We used the asymmetric sail as the winds came more from the stern but on the whole it was an easy passage.  We approached the reef in less than perfect conditions and were cautious on entry, we had full cloud cover and some drizzle. We contemplated standing off until the morning but having good waypoints we made our way in to the complex and anchored safely behind the reef and one of the small island cays.

It is an amazing location. The ocean depth rises from being several thousand metres deep and as blue as the darkest sapphire a  to just 30 meters deep  and turquoise blue  as you sail into the complex, the sky is full of birds!  

We inflated the tender and motored to the island. Every piece of vegetation had birds nesting on its branches. Large blue beaked Boobies sitting on white fluffy chicks watching us with curiosity but not fear as we walked past. Thousands of terns nesting on the coral sand beaches took to the air as we toured the island, then in the air flying with supreme grace and agility black Frigate birds some with red pouches hanging from their necks displayed their aeronautical skills. It was an amazing sight and was well worth our sailing detour. As we walked around the island Roger contemplated a swim but was immediately deterred on seeing 4 reasonably large sharks in the shallows at the very point he had considered swimming!  The lagoon was home to dolphins that swam past Dreamweaver and humpbacked whales that had come into the shallow waters to give birth to their young. It was an amazing experience to visit this unique destination.

We spent 3 nights at Chesterfield before exiting the reef on the west side this time heading south west to Bundaberg Australia.

The Isle of Pines

Having spent six nights in Noumea it was definitely time to be out of the marina and sailing south within the large lagoon towards the Isles of Pines. The sky was blue matching the turquoise seas we were sailing upon. We were back tracking slightly down to Canal Woodin where we planned to spend the night within one of the protected anchorages on the Isle de Quen. We had navigated through here on our route from Vanuatu. The colours are vibrant with the deep greens of the lush vegetation clinging to the sloops of the mountains contrasting with the oranges and reds of the underlying soil structure. This is all set against the blue of the seas with piercing columnar pines punctuating the sky line.  It is very dramatic.

We awoke early and set off for the Isle of Pines some 43nm further south. The winds were the normal trades from the south east but fortunately they were only predicted to hit 15 knots as we were having to motor sail into them. The journey involved following the commercial shipping route as there are a number of small reefs and sand islands along the way. It was an easy passage which enabled us arrive mid afternoon anchoring in the Baie de Kuto. This was a stunning anchorage with a beautiful white sand beach that formed a perfect protected bay. The shoreline was dotted with pines and other trees. There was a restaurant in the centre of the beach which had a fantastic decking area on which one could sit with a sundowner and watch the sun dip below the horizon. The same fantastic sunsets could also be seen from the deck of Dreamweaver with a similar light beverage in hand!

Walking across a narrow isthmus from the Baie de Kuto you enter into the Baie de Kanumera. This is equally beautiful and has a small island which is easily swum around having some interesting coral with many brightly coloured fish. We spent a couple of days exploring these two bays before hitching a ride with a local school teacher into the nearby village of Vao! As with Noumea the atmosphere was very French and the past remnants of the islands early history as a French penal settlement could be seen. From Vao we walked to the next settlement of Baie St Joseph and watched the traditional sailing canoes called Pirogues return from their morning sail. They were very attractive to watch with their white sails standing out against the blue of the sea as we ate a little French bread and cheese whiling away the day! With a little walking and another hitched ride we returned to Dreamweaver.

We spent a couple of hours on the following day climbing up to the top of the highest point on the island, Pic N’ga. This gave some excellent views of the Southern Lagoon and the aquamarine waters surrounding the Isles of Pines. In an effort to continue the keep fit theme or should I say get fit, we hired bikes and circumnavigated the island. There were a number of hills which I managed to huff and pant up but we covered about 50km with relative ease and managed to visit all the bays. The Baie de Oro was stunning and despite being hot and bedraggled we visited the 5 star Meridian Hotel for coffee, $12 was never better spent because the location was spectacular! Back on the bikes and we cycled onwards to la piscine naturelle. This is a natural sheltered swimming pool protected behind the reef and forming a waterway out to the open sea from the Baie de Oro .The water is the most intense blue over a sandy bottom providing a safe area for swimming in this beautiful location. From here it was back on the bikes and the final push back to Kuto.  It was a great way to experience the beauty of the island.

Roger would have liked to have moved anchorages but we stayed put in the Baie de Kuto for 8 nights probably because I thought it such a safe and beautiful spot!

The return sail back towards the main island of New Caledonia was easy and we anchored for the night in the Baie de Prony amongst the pines and contrasting colours of this southern landscape. This is a massive area with many anchorages and the sounds of birds in the morning was a lovely way to great the day. This is the first of the island groups that we have visited that has such an abundance of birds whether sea or land species.

The Ilot Maitre

This is a largish island surrounded by an enormous coral reef but it’s only 3nm from Noumea. We anchored here on our return journey and spent the following day walking the beach and snorkelling on the coral. There is a flashy hotel situated on the island with rooms over the water which allows visiting yachties to use the restaurants etc. In retrospect we should have spent a few more days exploring these local anchorages and islands that are so close to Noumea but the food situation on Dreamweaver was getting low which meant a return to the marina in Noumea.

So this is where we are now. Back to the good internet and city life! The bay here has an unusual fragrance which we have named the ‘Eau De Poo’ so I’m not sure that we would enjoy being here in the warmer months. Roger is getting a little stir crazy and wants to be on the move but as our next destination is back to Australia we need to wait until the next good weather window happens in a few days. We will head for Bundaberg we think and then we will spend a few days heading south to Brisbane, or at least that’s the thoughts today!

I had my horticultural fix yesterday and visited the botanic gardens. They were interesting and really made you appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of the flora here in New Caledonia. There are 13 species of the pine that are indigenous to here and the gardens have some of the last surviving dry forest areas in this area of New Cal’ containing some of these. The connections to Australia’s vegetation were also obvious with species of Acacia common to both countries. It also afforded spectacular views of the surrounding bays.

We have met some great people here in New Caledonia all with cruising stories to tell so it will be sad to head back to our real lives in Australia in some ways. We cannot believe have far we have sailed but also how quickly the days have slipped by. Perhaps we have not seen all we could see along the journey but that leaves an opportunity to return and have new experiences. So we are listening to Gulf Harbour Radio and Dave on the Pacific weather situation and monitoring BOM and any other available weather sites before making the move for this next passage across the Coral Sea and Dreamweaver is being prepared to make this longer passage of about 6 days give or take. So or next post will be after are experiences of Australian customs!!