Leaving Tanna on my own after only crewmember had to be airlifted. Arranging airlift from bush radio telephone, priceless. Make it to Erromango again, quite exhausted. Then sail around north side and find nice lonely anchorage plagued by willies coming through the valleys. I make my first bread loaf. Eat it with Pate'. When rested enough move again to Vila (totally becalmed from 8am to 3pm, Argh!), another lone overnight, back to civilization. Glasses disappeared. Boats swallow stuff. Ab joins. He gets the wrong VHF in town so he keeps calling me without hearing my reply. We fuel up and take off for somewhere north.
Stop in Nguna, dead volcano. Trade some fishing lines and lures. Walk up the mountain and see gorgeous views, learn about plants (good and bad).
Start feeling sick, so we sail for Norsup, we hope to find an hospital. Poor Ab steers all night as I'm feverish and very sick. Bad nasty wind in the morning, arrive in Norsup and get shoulder-lifted to the hospital, infection suspected. Five days of antibiotics later they urge me to get to Luganville hospital, we sail there in one day, fever is down. Arrived in Luganville I remove the bandages, the infection has turned black. Shit. Another rush to the hospital, I manage to get proper prescription from Italy, doctor here has no clue. They give me the proper stuff, spend 11 days in rat-infested but somehow pleasant hospital and I'm out. I even developed a superficial gangrene under my foot...no amputation needed. Ab brings me pizza and burghers while there, lets me type messages to send home, a godsend man. I manage to finish Railroad Tycoon three times while in bed. Mother arrives filled with food and worry and taking the chance for a vacation in the tropics. Two weeks rest, then after a few jobs, leaving for the last of Vanuatu on the way to Solomons. Stop here and there, Champagne beach a disappointment (the people, not the place). Got to Santa Maria, then Vanua Lava, usual Vanuatu ominous coastline and weather. Some more preparations. Both my computers crap out. No charts, electronic or paper. Only a collection of way points..Humm... Ready to go, a big sailboat pulls in, I manage to bum a chart Vanuatu to Solomons, big luck, I'll have an idea where I am, good. Customs is taken care of, while immigration is too lazy to show up. We're leaving anyway...me and my 65 y.o. mom for a 500 miles trip. Weather is clement and wind steady, big swell for a while (big for mom, normal for Pacific) and three days later we get to S.ta Cruz, Nendo. Tied at the dock quarantine and agriculture jump in, recovering from a hangover. We must dispose of all veggies and fruit. After a cup of coffee we can keep the veggies and fruit if we eat them at once. We make a big fruit salad and lime juice, which the quarantine and agriculture guys help us finish, they'll take away the peels. We move in front of a village, soon chief family and friends stop by for a visit. No problem here, they reassure. We get thieves aboard the same night. Schoolteacher feels sorry for us and helps us change money (the bank doesn't), gives us a bucket, we move anchor in front of her house. Some good days go by, seeing night dances in full costume, songs in forgotten language, betel nut, blue hole in the jungle, cold drinks, reciprocal invitations, helping unload long awaited cargo ship among excited kanaks, a melange of Polynesian and Melanesian features, with glimpses of Chinese and Malay. Packages, batteries, solar panels...supplies from another world. Also sighted islanders from the Reef Islands nearby, still living in pre-christian beliefs and looking like sea-bushmen. Off we go. crew is waiting in Honiara. We cruise by a stunning volcano (Tinakula), a smoking stand-alone-cone in the middle of the sea, then we're on our way to Kirakira (San Cristobal). Three more days at sea and we're finally on "mainland". Kirakira can flaunt a stocked general store (with refrigerator), a bank that does change money, a telecom center, a veggie market, a small airport. Mom must get out or risk losing her return ticket. She wants to fly, but I see a cargo ship coming. They stop and I arrange a passage to Honiara for her, who complains bitterly. The flight will be later canceled due to "grass grew too high", so it was a good thing for her flight home and for my nerves for her to take the cargo. Telecom has a big satellite here handling all communication. I am able to contact Michela and TJ in Honiara. "Join me here, help me sail up to Honiara, but take the ship!" Michela helps mom on the flight and down they come. I have a few days alone to rest, then once here we all depart for the capital, since over ten days in the country I haven't been able yet to do customs and immigration. Stop in Pawa (Masi Island), anchor on a white sand bottom making the water THAT perfect turquoise. Shower on the beach from a loose hose propped up with sticks.
Stop in Nguna, dead volcano. Trade some fishing lines and lures. Walk up the mountain and see gorgeous views, learn about plants (good and bad).Start feeling sick, so we sail for Norsup, we hope to find an hospital. Poor Ab steers all night as I'm feverish and very sick. Bad nasty wind in the morning, arrive in Norsup and get shoulder-lifted to the hospital, infection suspected. Five days of antibiotics later they urge me to get to Luganville hospital, we sail there in one day, fever is down. Arrived in Luganville I remove the bandages, the infection has turned black. Shit. Another rush to the hospital, I manage to get proper prescription from Italy, doctor here has no clue. They give me the proper stuff, spend 11 days in rat-infested but somehow pleasant hospital and I'm out. I even developed a superficial gangrene under my foot...no amputation needed. Ab brings me pizza and burghers while there, lets me type messages to send home, a godsend man. I manage to finish Railroad Tycoon three times while in bed. Mother arrives filled with food and worry and taking the chance for a vacation in the tropics. Two weeks rest, then after a few jobs, leaving for the last of Vanuatu on the way to Solomons. Stop here and there, Champagne beach a disappointment (the people, not the place). Got to Santa Maria, then Vanua Lava, usual Vanuatu ominous coastline and weather. Some more preparations. Both my computers crap out. No charts, electronic or paper. Only a collection of way points..Humm... Ready to go, a big sailboat pulls in, I manage to bum a chart Vanuatu to Solomons, big luck, I'll have an idea where I am, good. Customs is taken care of, while immigration is too lazy to show up. We're leaving anyway...me and my 65 y.o. mom for a 500 miles trip. Weather is clement and wind steady, big swell for a while (big for mom, normal for Pacific) and three days later we get to S.ta Cruz, Nendo. Tied at the dock quarantine and agriculture jump in, recovering from a hangover. We must dispose of all veggies and fruit. After a cup of coffee we can keep the veggies and fruit if we eat them at once. We make a big fruit salad and lime juice, which the quarantine and agriculture guys help us finish, they'll take away the peels. We move in front of a village, soon chief family and friends stop by for a visit. No problem here, they reassure. We get thieves aboard the same night. Schoolteacher feels sorry for us and helps us change money (the bank doesn't), gives us a bucket, we move anchor in front of her house. Some good days go by, seeing night dances in full costume, songs in forgotten language, betel nut, blue hole in the jungle, cold drinks, reciprocal invitations, helping unload long awaited cargo ship among excited kanaks, a melange of Polynesian and Melanesian features, with glimpses of Chinese and Malay. Packages, batteries, solar panels...supplies from another world. Also sighted islanders from the Reef Islands nearby, still living in pre-christian beliefs and looking like sea-bushmen. Off we go. crew is waiting in Honiara. We cruise by a stunning volcano (Tinakula), a smoking stand-alone-cone in the middle of the sea, then we're on our way to Kirakira (San Cristobal). Three more days at sea and we're finally on "mainland". Kirakira can flaunt a stocked general store (with refrigerator), a bank that does change money, a telecom center, a veggie market, a small airport. Mom must get out or risk losing her return ticket. She wants to fly, but I see a cargo ship coming. They stop and I arrange a passage to Honiara for her, who complains bitterly. The flight will be later canceled due to "grass grew too high", so it was a good thing for her flight home and for my nerves for her to take the cargo. Telecom has a big satellite here handling all communication. I am able to contact Michela and TJ in Honiara. "Join me here, help me sail up to Honiara, but take the ship!" Michela helps mom on the flight and down they come. I have a few days alone to rest, then once here we all depart for the capital, since over ten days in the country I haven't been able yet to do customs and immigration. Stop in Pawa (Masi Island), anchor on a white sand bottom making the water THAT perfect turquoise. Shower on the beach from a loose hose propped up with sticks.
