Opua, April 3, 2017 – The Fiji cruising season is upon us and yachts are lining up in Opua, waiting for a weather window. We’ve cruised Fiji twice and I wanted to share with you in a single document all of the waypoints and routes we g…
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Gotta Love Your Boat
GOTTA LOVE YOUR BOAT
 |
| Enough visibility at the helm? |
April 24, 2017
Pahia, New Zealand
A strange thing happened during these last few months. As I mentioned in our last blog, we had put DOMINO on the market last July (rest assured, she is off the market now.) In the period of just a few weeks, this fantastic boat managed to morph from the boat of our dream, to the most unique (and misunderstood) Passagemaker on the market, and back to the boat of our dreams again. To say the least, brokers, lookee-lookers, and potential buyers had managed to make me feel terrible about our DOMINO.
 |
| Yep, only ONE head… and no glass shower door to scrub and polish! |
As we were showing the boat, I was hardly prepared for the barrage of objections to what I had considered completely normal.
– What? There is only ONE stateroom?
– What? You don’t have a washer-dryer? No dishwasher? Only ONE head? No big screen TV?
– All that space you’re not using! You could build 2 cabins in there!
– What? You need to be two to drop anchor?
Little by little, I sank into a depressed state, letting others measure our boat to their standards while ticking off their list of what accommodations they perceived a boat “should” have.
 |
| Plenty of room for the 2 of us… and the occasional other diners… room for 6, if we must! |
Envy is the root of all evil – As time went by, I started to wish for 4 staterooms, forgetting how much I hated cleaning chores and making beds; I started to wish for a washer-dryer, ready to trade the fresh smell of my 2 shorts and 2 T-shirts sun-dried on the line for an “April Fresh” dryer sheet; I dreamt of a big screen TV, even though in all our years on land, we rarely watched TV; I started to wish for a second head, oblivious to the fact that guests regularly plug the head and that each additional loo would be more work for JP. Little by little, I was measuring DOMINO trough other people’s perception and desires instead of my needs and lifestyle. I was getting sucked into other people’s dreams and wishes, forgetting my own. I was terribly unhappy and was wondering how I could ever love our DOMINO again.
 |
| Nav station and night watch bunk. |
Be careful what you asked for, you might just get it!
But it dawned on me that DOMINO was conceived and built especially for the two of us. Many years ago, when we first envisioned a boat, Malcolm Tennant asked us some very specific questions, such as:
– Where will you cruise?
– How many months a year?
– How often will you have guests, and what kind of guests?
– Do you want to entertain? How many people?
– Do you want to fish?
– How fast do you want to go?
– Would you rather clean or play?
 |
| Stored on the davit or on the fly bridge, Do-mini is our play ride. Gasoline tanks stored on the aft platform. |
Malcolm designed DOMINO around our answers.
– We want to cruise the South Pacific, all year round and live on board.
– Guests would consist of family, children and grandchildren, who don’t mind sharing a head, about a week or two per year.
– We definitely want to entertain, up to 60 people for a party, 12 for a sit-down on the aft deck, 6 in the salon.
– We want to fish! We want to fish!
– We want to cruise a 10-12 Kts, with get-away speed of 20 Kts.
– No, we don’t want to spend our time cleaning, scrubbing, and slaving! We want to play.
 |
| Party? Start with 30 dinghies streaming off your stern and you’ll see how many we can host! See how we kicked off the cruising season last year at Minerva Reef… or how we staged the Sea Mercy Recovery effort in the Lau Group |
And that’s the boat we got: great fuel tanks and engines with an apartment for two on top. A simple boat, with not much to do in ways of maintenance and a range of 6,000 NM at 10 Kts (or 2,300 NM at 20 Kts.) Accommodations, we don’t really need much; performance, safety, toughness, that’s where it’s at for us. (DOMINO is built to commercial standards.)
 |
| The 5 vent doors give such efficient ventilation that we haven’t used the A/C since we left Paraguay, 7 years ago! |
Hidden Beauty – For all the criticism about the missing washer-dryer and head, we hardly heard any praise of her engines who never quit (“Nothing Runs Like a Deere”), of the HRO system able to deliver 12,000 liters ( 3,000 gallons) in 48 hours, of the toughness of her structure built to commercial standards, or of her fuel efficiency.
 |
| DOMINO making and delivering 6,000 liters of water in Susui |
These are technical points that, unfortunately, many buyers overlook as they get sucked into the fluff of accommodations.
 |
| The view from the galley is rarely bad! |
Potential cruisers often ask, “What kind of boat should I get?” Well, look at Malcolm’s questions and your answers will dictate your boat. They say that the perfect boat parties twelve, eats six and sleeps two, and I agree… what is the perfect boat for you?
 |
| And watching shooting stars at night is without compare. |
As for me, I’m loving my boat again. I love the airy feeling of the 7’6” ceiling; the light streaming from the 21 windows that wrap around the house; I love watching shooting stars from my bed at night; and I feel safe at the big helm, even if we’re submarining in 12’ seas and 35-Kt winds, nice, dry and comfy.
 |
| New anchor launching system: lower and more forward, easier to single hand. |
So, never again will I judge my boat by others’ standards. As we grow and gain experience, as our cruising conditions evolve, we make slight modifications to the boat. This year, JP modified the anchoring system so that anchoring can be done single-handed. When we get to Alaska, I might get a washer-dryer after all!
 |
| Workmode, JP in his workshop while I quilt. |
This is the boat that we wanted, that we built, and that we love. I wish you all to love your boat as much as we love ours!
 |
| JP: “Don’t worry, Dear, I won’t spill epoxy on your freshly-waxed table!” |
Until next time,
dominomarie
Gotta Love Your Boat
GOTTA LOVE YOUR BOAT
|
| Enough visibility at the helm? |
April 24, 2017
Pahia, New Zealand
A strange thing happened during these last few months. As I mentioned in our last blog, we had put DOMINO on the market last July (rest assured, she is off the market now.) In the period of just a few weeks, this fantastic boat managed to morph from the boat of our dream, to the most unique (and misunderstood) Passagemaker on the market, and back to the boat of our dreams again. To say the least, brokers, lookee-lookers, and potential buyers had managed to make me feel terrible about our DOMINO.
|
| Yep, only ONE head… and no glass shower door to scrub and polish! |
As we were showing the boat, I was hardly prepared for the barrage of objections to what I had considered completely normal.
– What? There is only ONE stateroom?
– What? You don’t have a washer-dryer? No dishwasher? Only ONE head? No big screen TV?
– All that space you’re not using! You could build 2 cabins in there!
– What? You need to be two to drop anchor?
Little by little, I sank into a depressed state, letting others measure our boat to their standards while ticking off their list of what accommodations they perceived a boat “should” have.
|
| Plenty of room for the 2 of us… and the occasional other diners… room for 6, if we must! |
Envy is the root of all evil – As time went by, I started to wish for 4 staterooms, forgetting how much I hated cleaning chores and making beds; I started to wish for a washer-dryer, ready to trade the fresh smell of my 2 shorts and 2 T-shirts sun-dried on the line for an “April Fresh” dryer sheet; I dreamt of a big screen TV, even though in all our years on land, we rarely watched TV; I started to wish for a second head, oblivious to the fact that guests regularly plug the head and that each additional loo would be more work for JP. Little by little, I was measuring DOMINO trough other people’s perception and desires instead of my needs and lifestyle. I was getting sucked into other people’s dreams and wishes, forgetting my own. I was terribly unhappy and was wondering how I could ever love our DOMINO again.
|
| Nav station and night watch bunk. |
Be careful what you asked for, you might just get it!
But it dawned on me that DOMINO was conceived and built especially for the two of us. Many years ago, when we first envisioned a boat, Malcolm Tennant asked us some very specific questions, such as:
– Where will you cruise?
– How many months a year?
– How often will you have guests, and what kind of guests?
– Do you want to entertain? How many people?
– Do you want to fish?
– How fast do you want to go?
– Would you rather clean or play?
|
| Stored on the davit or on the fly bridge, Do-mini is our play ride. Gasoline tanks stored on the aft platform. |
Malcolm designed DOMINO around our answers.
– We want to cruise the South Pacific, all year round and live on board.
– Guests would consist of family, children and grandchildren, who don’t mind sharing a head, about a week or two per year.
– We definitely want to entertain, up to 60 people for a party, 12 for a sit-down on the aft deck, 6 in the salon.
– We want to fish! We want to fish!
– We want to cruise a 10-12 Kts, with get-away speed of 20 Kts.
– No, we don’t want to spend our time cleaning, scrubbing, and slaving! We want to play.
|
| Party? Start with 30 dinghies streaming off your stern and you’ll see how many we can host! See how we kicked off the cruising season last year at Minerva Reef… or how we staged the Sea Mercy Recovery effort in the Lau Group |
And that’s the boat we got: great fuel tanks and engines with an apartment for two on top. A simple boat, with not much to do in ways of maintenance and a range of 6,000 NM at 10 Kts (or 2,300 NM at 20 Kts.) Accommodations, we don’t really need much; performance, safety, toughness, that’s where it’s at for us. (DOMINO is built to commercial standards.)
|
| The 5 vent doors give such efficient ventilation that we haven’t used the A/C since we left Paraguay, 7 years ago! |
Hidden Beauty – For all the critique about the missing washer-dryer and head, we hardly heard comments about the beauty of her engines who never quit (“Nothing Runs Like a Deere”) or her HRO system able to deliver 12,000 liters ( 3,000 gallons) in 48 hours.
|
| DOMINO making and delivering 6,000 liters of water in Susui |
These are technical points that, unfortunately, many buyers overlook as they get sucked into the fluff of accommodations.
|
| The view from the galley is rarely bad! |
Potential cruisers often ask, “What kind of boat should I get?” Well, look at Malcolm’s questions and your answers will dictate your boat.
|
| And watching shooting stars at night is without compare. |
As for me, I’m loving my boat again. I love the airy feeling of the 7’6” ceiling; the light streaming from the 21 windows that wrap around the house; I love watching shooting stars from my bed at night; and I feel safe at the big helm, even if we’re submarining in 12’ seas and 35-Kt winds, nice, dry and comfy.
|
| New anchor launching system: lower and more forward, easier to single hand. |
So, never again will I judge my boat by others’ standards. As we grow and gain experience, as our cruising conditions evolve, we make slight modifications to the boat. This year, JP modified the anchoring system so that anchoring can be done single-handed. When we get to Alaska, I might get a washer-dryer after all!
|
| Workmode, JP in his workshop while I quilt. |
This is the boat that we wanted, that we built, and that we love. I wish you all to love your boat as much as we love ours!
|
| JP: “Don’t worry, Dear, I won’t spill epoxy on your freshly-waxed table!” |
Until next time,
dominomarie
Rekindling the Dream
Rekindling the Dream
 |
| Skies over Ovea, The Loyaute Islands, New Caledonia |
Pahia, New Zealand
April 21, 2017
A few months ago, on the 4th of July, I thought that the earth had caved in, that the “Sky had fallen on my head,” and I posted “When Cruising Ends,” as JP and I were sure that we had seen enough water, enough islands, enough palm trees and sand beaches and enough of each other.
 |
| DOMINO awaiting her fate at Port Denarau, Fiji |
We hauled the boat out at Norsand in New Zealand, and took a break from cruising. JP worked on the boat for a month, then went to visit family in France. For my part, I rushed to the US and spent 10 weeks enjoying the family in 3 States, cradling newborn Isabelle and chasing after toddlers, playing “Nini” and loving it. Still, people kept telling me, “You’re living The Dream!” and “So lucky!” Yes indeed, we had spent 7 years Living the Dream. But I kept wondering, how did the DREAM die? How do we get it back?
 |
| Pacific Dolphins commonly play around us at anchor, here in Nagles Cove, Great Barrier Island, NZ |
The 7-Year Itch — We had been cruising seven years and we were getting weary… of what? Not sure, but it all was becoming “Blah!” A malaise was descending over us and we could not define it. So, we looked at our lifestyle and tried to find answers.
 |
| What I love most in cruising? Diving, snorkeling, looking for species new to me (No worries, this triton went right back where it came from – Belep Islands, New Caledonia |
– No Breaks– In all these years, we had taken only short breaks to visit family, always whirlwind visits, too short, too shallow, to unfrequent. While I spent these breaks with our California family (neglecting our Arizona and S.Carolina children) JP had to split his time between his French roots and his U.S. offsprings. We were both itching for quality time with our 13 grandchildren and could not see how this would happen while cruising full time.
- CURE? Take frequent and/or long breaks from cruising to get back in touch with family and friends.
 |
| Had we gotten tired of talcum-powder beaches? Here, in Ouvea, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia |
- Cultural Aftershock – What would I give for a night at the Opera, or the Theater, or even just a movie in a comfortable seat! Not that we are short of Cultural experiences. From Latin America to French Polynesia to Indo-Fijian, Kanak and Maori cultures, our lives have been enriched in many ways. Still, I felt “out of my gourd,” disconnected from my roots, be they French of American.
- CURE? Take frequent and/or long breaks from cruising to get back in touch with our cultural roots.
 |
| Cruising with friends helped. Here, in Lifou (Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia) with the CNC |
- Too Much Ocean – Did I just write this? Could there be such a thing as Too Much Ocean? Truth be told, we had become lazy, trying to be satisfied with our daily snorkeling sessions, fishing excursions, and walks on the beach. We had hardly taken any hike, visited any village, walked through any town, or even sampled any restaurant. We thought we were content to stay on the boat. Obviously not and suddenly there was Too Much Ocean.
- CURE? Get off the boat, one way or the other, and experience LAND.
 |
| It always comes down to just the two of us. Would we be reduced to just one? No worries, I fixed this silverbeet and potato salad for JP, home-baked bread, in the Bay of Islands yesterday! |
The 44-Year Wall — As if this 7-Year Cruising Itch weren’t enough, JP and I were hitting the 44-year wall! Oh yes, there is such a thing! I’m convinced that, in relationships, there is the 22-year wall, the 44-year wall and (we’ll see) the 66-year wall. I felt I couldn’t do anything well enough or fast enough for the “Kapitan” and JP was convinced that I could no longer tolerate his presence. Ouch… our relationship was headed for Davey’s Locker!
JP had the solution, to sell the boat and go our separate ways, each one doing what we darned well pleased.
– CURE? Take a break from each other… easier said than done.
 |
| Hope… in Ile des Pins, New Caledonia. |
CURES, SOLUTIONS, and SOUL-SEARCHING – So, we did the most drastic thing of all; towards the end of July, we put DOMINO for sale. Soon, we realized that our powerful DOMINO is not a boat for everybody. She is a powerful and fast Passagemaker—in the purest definition of the term— an ocean-crossing motor yacht for a couple and occasional guests. It was clear that we were not going to get many offers. Meanwhile, what did we do? Go cruising, of course!
 |
| HOME is where the boat is. Here in the “Back of the Barrier,” Barrier Island, NZ |
This logical step brought us to New Caledonia, where JP and I made a big effort to put into practice some of the “cures” we had identified, starting with getting off the boat and going to the movies. In Noumea, we caught up with “The Calypso” and Cousteau’s life story, cruised with a flotilla of friends and made sure to go on a hike in Hiengiene. We even went on “date” walks and restaurant lunches.
 |
| Hiengiene, New Caledonia |
This was an improvement and we started to enjoy cruising again. To make things even better, our passage from New Caledonia to New Zealand in 3 days flat (average 11.5 Kts) made us appreciate what an ocean-crossing beast DOMINO really is, really good at dodging weather and storms. But she was for sale and we were done with cruising, right?
 |
| Cruising with friends is fun… we meet Claude & Annie again in N.C. |
 |
| Christmas at Great Barrier Island, NZ … Santa found us! |
By New Years, we had shown the boat to prospective buyers who wanted to break this and rebuild that, turn her into a Gin Palace, a Bridge Club, a Charter, perhaps even a coastal cruiser or a hotel room downtown Auckland. But none would use her as she was intended: to cross oceans. We were tired of showing her and started to have second thoughts.
 |
| At Norsand, JP supervises the re-configuration of our anchoring system. Brought the anchors lower and more forward |
What did we really want? We had no idea yet, still debating whether we should return to the landlubber state (but where?) or build a smaller, trailerable boat (but what? and where?) or even if we should go back to work (God forbid!) JP left for France and I left for the US.
 |
| What we want more of? Fun with grandchildren on board |
Soul searching is hard work. In our separate ways, in our separate countries, we searched our hearts, consulted with our families, and emails flew constantly between JP’s iPhone and my iPad. At last, we came up with a plan, written in the sand, of course, but a plan nonetheless.
 |
| This is what we want more of: family on board |
Here it is: bring DOMINO closer to the US, possibly to the Sea of Cortez, where we might be able to leave her a few months of the year and travel by land (leaving a motorhome somewhere?) or receive our grandchildren for vacations… re-connecting with our families. For, in the end, they matter most.
 |
| Wherever the boat is, we’ll find a way. |
Did we re-kindle The Dream? Possibly… For now, we are cruising again! Wonderful, I admit, as we are taking advantage of a splendid Fall season in New Zealand, planning our passage to Vanuatu where we will spend the next 3-4 months. And then? Looping the Pacific Loop, via Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and the 3,500 NM Transpac to Alaska… July 2018!
 |
| What next? |
====
Till next time,
dominomarie
Rekindling the Dream
Rekindling the Dream
|
| Skies over Ovea, The Loyaute Islands, New Caledonia |
Pahia, New Zealand
April 21, 2017
A few months ago, on the 4th of July, I thought that the earth had caved in, that the “Sky had fallen on my head,” and I posted “When Cruising Ends,” as JP and I were sure that we had seen enough water, enough islands, enough palm trees and sand beaches and enough of each other.
|
| DOMINO awaiting her fate at Port Denarau, Fiji |
We hauled the boat out at Norsand in New Zealand, and took a break from cruising. JP worked on the boat for a month, then went to visit family in France. For my part, I rushed to the US and spent 10 weeks enjoying the family in 3 States, cradling newborn Isabelle and chasing after toddlers, playing “Nini” and loving it. Still, people kept telling me, “You’re living The Dream!” and “So lucky!” Yes indeed, we had spent 7 years Living the Dream. But I kept wondering, how did the DREAM die? How do we get it back?
|
| Pacific Dolphins commonly play around us at anchor, here in Nagles Cove, Great Barrier Island, NZ |
The 7-Year Itch — We had been cruising seven years and we were getting weary… of what? Not sure, but it all was becoming “Blah!” A malaise was descending over us and we could not define it. So, we looked at our lifestyle and tried to find answers.
|
| What I love most in cruising? Diving, snorkeling, looking for species new to me (No worries, this triton went right back where it came from – Belep Islands, New Caledonia |
– No Breaks– In all these years, we had taken only short breaks to visit family, always whirlwind visits, too short, too shallow, to unfrequent. While I spent these breaks with our California family (neglecting our Arizona and S.Carolina children) JP had to split his time between his French roots and his U.S. offsprings. We were both itching for quality time with our 13 grandchildren and could not see how this would happen while cruising full time.
- CURE? Take frequent and/or long breaks from cruising to get back in touch with family and friends.
|
| Had we gotten tired of talcum-powder beaches? Here, in Ouvea, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia |
- Cultural Aftershock – What would I give for a night at the Opera, or the Theater, or even just a movie in a comfortable seat! Not that we are short of Cultural experiences. From Latin America to French Polynesia to Indo-Fijian, Kanak and Maori cultures, our lives have been enriched in many ways. Still, I felt “out of my gourd,” disconnected from my roots, be they French of American.
- CURE? Take frequent and/or long breaks from cruising to get back in touch with our cultural roots.
|
| Cruising with friends helped. Here, in Lifou (Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia) with the CNC |
- Too Much Ocean – Did I just write this? Could there be such a thing as Too Much Ocean? Truth be told, we had become lazy, trying to be satisfied with our daily snorkeling sessions, fishing excursions, and walks on the beach. We had hardly taken any hike, visited any village, walked through any town, or even sampled any restaurant. We thought we were content to stay on the boat. Obviously not and suddenly there was Too Much Ocean.
- CURE? Get off the boat, one way or the other, and experience LAND.
|
| It always comes down to just the two of us. Would we be reduced to just one? No worries, I fixed this silverbeet and potato salad for JP, home-baked bread, in the Bay of Islands yesterday! |
The 44-Year Wall — As if this 7-Year Cruising Itch weren’t enough, JP and I were hitting the 44-year wall! Oh yes, there is such a thing! I’m convinced that, in relationships, there is the 22-year wall, the 44-year wall and (we’ll see) the 66-year wall. I felt I couldn’t do anything well enough or fast enough for the “Kapitan” and JP was convinced that I could no longer tolerate his presence. Ouch… our relationship was headed for Davey’s Locker!
JP had the solution, to sell the boat and go our separate ways, each one doing what we darned well pleased.
– CURE? Take a break from each other… easier said than done.
|
| Hope… in Ile des Pins, New Caledonia. |
CURES, SOLUTIONS, and SOUL-SEARCHING – So, we did the most drastic thing of all; towards the end of July, we put DOMINO for sale. Soon, we realized that our powerful DOMINO is not a boat for everybody. She is a powerful and fast Passagemaker—in the purest definition of the term— an ocean-crossing motor yacht for a couple and occasional guests. It was clear that we were not going to get many offers. Meanwhile, what did we do? Go cruising, of course!
|
| HOME is where the boat is. Here in the “Back of the Barrier,” Barrier Island, NZ |
This logical step brought us to New Caledonia, where JP and I made a big effort to put into practice some of the “cures” we had identified, starting with getting off the boat and going to the movies. In Noumea, we caught up with “The Calypso” and Cousteau’s life story, cruised with a flotilla of friends and made sure to go on a hike in Hiengiene. We even went on “date” walks and restaurant lunches.
|
| Hiengiene, New Caledonia |
This was an improvement and we started to enjoy cruising again. To make things even better, our passage from New Caledonia to New Zealand in 3 days flat (average 11.5 Kts) made us appreciate what an ocean-crossing beast DOMINO really is, really good at dodging weather and storms. But she was for sale and we were done with cruising, right?
|
| Cruising with friends is fun… we meet Claude & Annie again in N.C. |
|
| Christmas at Great Barrier Island, NZ … Santa found us! |
By New Years, we had shown the boat to prospective buyers who wanted to break this and rebuild that, turn her into a Gin Palace, a Bridge Club, a Charter, perhaps even a coastal cruiser or a hotel room downtown Auckland. But none would use her as she was intended: to cross oceans. We were tired of showing her and started to have second thoughts.
|
| At Norsand, JP supervises the re-configuration of our anchoring system. Brought the anchors lower and more forward |
What did we really want? We had no idea yet, still debating whether we should return to the landlubber state (but where?) or build a smaller, trailerable boat (but what? and where?) or even if we should go back to work (God forbid!) JP left for France and I left for the US.
|
| What we want more of? Fun with grandchildren on board |
Soul searching is hard work. In our separate ways, in our separate countries, we searched our hearts, consulted with our families, and emails flew constantly between JP’s iPhone and my iPad. At last, we came up with a plan, written in the sand, of course, but a plan nonetheless.
|
| This is what we want more of: family on board |
Here it is: bring DOMINO closer to the US, possibly to the Sea of Cortez, where we might be able to leave her a few months of the year and travel by land (leaving a motorhome somewhere?) or receive our grandchildren for vacations… re-connecting with our families. For, in the end, they matter most.
|
| Wherever the boat is, we’ll find a way. |
Did we re-kindle The Dream? Possibly… For now, we are cruising again! Wonderful, I admit, as we are taking advantage of a splendid Fall season in New Zealand, planning our passage to Vanuatu where we will spend the next 3-4 months. And then? Looping the Pacific Loop, via Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and the 3,500 NM Transpac to Alaska… July 2018!
|
| What next? |
====
Till next time,
dominomarie
DOMINO 20 2017-01-14 01:07:00
ADIEU NEW CALEDONIA
December 6, 2016 – Ile des Pins
 |
| DOMINO at anchor in Baie de l’Orphelinat, Noumea |
This is our last day in New Caledonia, after 10 weeks and a fantastic circumnavigation. Still, there is so much we haven’t seen! But New Zealand calls and there is a small—very small— weather window… so, off we are.
 |
| NOVEMBER RAIN at anchor in Baie de l’Orphelinat, Noumea |
Who showed up 3 days ago in Noumea? None other than our Kiwi buddies Garry and Lori, the fisherman/woman extraordinaire on board their Malcolm Tennant Powercat “November Rain.”
 |
| DOMINO and NOVEMBER RAIN side by side |
We’ve been buddy-boating with these guys for over a year, off and on. We first met them at Port Denarau in Fiji over a year ago. We bumped into them again last year in New Zealand as we were on our way around the top to meet the Ski-NZ Rally. We knew they were in Vanuatu all season, hooking up Marlin and big game. But how fun it was to hear them honk at us as they idled on our stern in Port Moselle. Yes, they were going to take advantage of the weather window; yes, we would do a bit of seaway together; yes, we were all going to Opua.
 |
| NOVEMBER RAIN at Ile d’Ouen |
Rushed for time, we realized that we could not hit all the southern anchorages we had planned on: forget the Baie du Prony (oh, supposedly fantastic diving) – Forget the Phare Amedee – Forget all the natural reserves of the Great South — we forged on and overnighted at Ile Ouen where JP started to clean the hulls and props in preparation for the crossing.
 |
| Ile des Pins |
ILE DES PINS – This, according to cruisers, is a favorite destination. Yes, the island is beautiful, dotted with columnar pines. The sand is talcum-powder quality. The turtles that cruise around are gigantic. We stopped there for a few hours to finish to clean the props as “November Rain” was already on her way to NZ.
 |
| DOMINO at anchor… between stops |
Just like that, it was time to go… we got slammed a bit with wind in the 20’s and beam seas as we exited New Cal, but the wind soon calmed down to 10-15 and the seas flattened out to give us another marvelous ride at 11-12 Kts all the way to New Zealand.
What next? New Zealand for the season, haul out, a visit to the US… then… who knows?
Until next time…
 |
| Adieu, New Caledonia |
dominomarie
DOMINO 20 2017-01-14 00:07:00
ADIEU NEW CALEDONIA
December 6, 2016 – Ile des Pins
|
| DOMINO at anchor in Baie de l’Orphelinat, Noumea |
This is our last day in New Caledonia, after 10 weeks and a fantastic circumnavigation. Still, there is so much we haven’t seen! But New Zealand calls and there is a small—very small— weather window… so, off we are.
|
| NOVEMBER RAIN at anchor in Baie de l’Orphelinat, Noumea |
Who showed up 3 days ago in Noumea? None other than our Kiwi buddies Garry and Lori, the fisherman/woman extraordinaire on board their Malcolm Tennant Powercat “November Rain.”
|
| DOMINO and NOVEMBER RAIN side by side |
We’ve been buddy-boating with these guys for over a year, off and on. We first met them at Port Denarau in Fiji over a year ago. We bumped into them again last year in New Zealand as we were on our way around the top to meet the Ski-NZ Rally. We knew they were in Vanuatu all season, hooking up Marlin and big game. But how fun it was to hear them honk at us as they idled on our stern in Port Moselle. Yes, they were going to take advantage of the weather window; yes, we would do a bit of seaway together; yes, we were all going to Opua.
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| NOVEMBER RAIN at Ile d’Ouen |
Rushed for time, we realized that we could not hit all the southern anchorages we had planned on: forget the Baie du Prony (oh, supposedly fantastic diving) – Forget the Phare Amedee – Forget all the natural reserves of the Great South — we forged on and overnighted at Ile Ouen where JP started to clean the hulls and props in preparation for the crossing.
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| Ile des Pins |
ILE DES PINS – This, according to cruisers, is a favorite destination. Yes, the island is beautiful, dotted with columnar pines. The sand is talcum-powder quality. The turtles that cruise around are gigantic. We stopped there for a few hours to finish to clean the props as “November Rain” was already on her way to NZ.
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| DOMINO at anchor… between stops |
Just like that, it was time to go… we got slammed a bit with wind in the 20’s and beam seas as we exited New Cal, but the wind soon calmed down to 10-15 and the seas flattened out to give us another marvelous ride at 11-12 Kts all the way to New Zealand.
What next? New Zealand for the season, haul out, a visit to the US… then… who knows?
Until next time…
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| Adieu, New Caledonia |
dominomarie
NEW CALEDONIA – West Coast
NEW CALEDONIA – West Coast – An Underwater Paradise
October 2106
Oh, I suppose it could take for ever to explore the West Coast of New Caledonia and we certainly could have spent many more weeks in that area. The snorkeling is superb, especially in the reserves that have been set up along the outer reef. We purposely skipped all land stops, even Koumac, to concentrate on observing the reef.
Most of the west coast can be navigated inside the lagoon, except for about 90 miles between Baie de Chasseloup and Baie de St Vincent. But the fishing outside is splendind, as we hooked up a 200-lb black marlin and lost another marlin, that one enormous, in the 400-lb range! So, I’ll take you along our route.
1st Stop: Ilot Yande – 20*03.639S – 163*47.354E – This is one more day anchorage given to us by “Spirare” and we gave it a shot. I guess Serge is a more daring sailor than we are! JP scanned the bottom to drop anchor and all we could see was coral heads under the hull.
The swell rolling in through the pass would have pushed DOMINO towards the reef and we felt uncomfortable dropping anchor at that point. Off went.
2nd Stop: Neba – 20*09.384S – 163*54.890E – Much better!! Sandy bottom, protected from the roll, and nobody in sight. We found the best snorkeling at the SW end of the island. For hours, I let myself get lost in soft coral, gardens of anemones, and a kaleidoscope of tropical fish. We spent 2 days, caught spiny lobsters (the locals allowed us 2 per day) and just filled our eyes and hearts with colors.
3nd Stop: Baie du Croissant – 20*16.779S – 164*01.882E – You’re gonna ask me, how many dives does it take before you get sick of it? Every dive is different. Every snorkeling experience is special in its own way. Here, the reef extension at the south end of the bay sports an amazing anemone and soft coral forest in pastel colors of mauve, pistachio, pale yellow, soft grey… colors that we’d not seen before.
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| A weary octopus is eyeing me! |
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| Juvenile yellow boxfish |
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| Lobster time! |
Snorkel around and you might find yourself in a hot pool springing from the sandy bottom, and suddenly black and rust algae are all around. You never know what you will find: spiny lobsters love to hide under coral flowers… go find one!
DO YOU KNOW YOUR BUTTERFLYFISH? ID These!
4th Stop: Ile Tanle – 20*18.785S – 164*04.824E – The Poum Peninsula offers good protection from weather… and weather was upon us, so we tucked into Tanle Bay to weather a stormy night. Don’t expect much in terms of snorkeling: we hoped to find good stuff at Little Tanle, a sand island covered with low brush, but we found it entirely surrounded with a tangle of purple staghorn coral: pretty but no fun to snorkel! The entire bay is somewhat marred by the scars of mining, the hills dry and dusty, but it was a good stop in a blow.
5th Stop: Chasseloup – 20*57.773S – 164*39.238E – We exited Tanle in the morning and, taking advantage of a no-wind situation, exited the lagoon and went fishing… yes! Hooked up 2 black marlins, caught a wahoo, and had a load of fun!
The anchorage at Chasseloup is enormous, good holding, and again an easy stop. The shore offered no interest to us, another mining harbor, but easy in and out. Actually, we were in a rush to get to St. Vincent Bay as bad weather was on the horizon.
6th Stop – St. Vincent Bay – Ile de Puen – 21*57.827S – 165*57.431E – St Vincent Bay is a large complex of islands, peninsulas, bays and nooks where one can spend weeks exploring, fishing, hunting, crabbing, clamming, or just do nothing at all!
Just drop anchor in front of the old campground and horse ranch. This is another good anchorage in a blow. We tried to snorkel the Canal de Puen: the worst ever!! Zero visibility, totally dead coral heads, no fish. Better to snorkel the west end: much to see there!
7th Stop – Ile Tenia – 22*00.115S – 165*56.567E –
NATURAL RESERVE – NO FISHING/HUNTING –
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| Juvenile Clown Coris |
By far one of our favorite spots to snorkel, especially the north-east end of the island. Home to massive spiny lobsters, this is a good anchorage by calm weather.
 |
| “Big Ben” – The biggest ever |
Lots to see… including the banded black and white snake!
On our second visit, we took the dinghy out and snorkeled the outer reef (22*00.720S – 165*55.811E) – To find the exit through the reef, find the 2 sticks/flags on the western end of the island!
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| How well do you know your coral? |
8th Stop: Baie des Moustiques – HURRICANE HOLE – 21*59.948S – 166*03.052E –
Another storm was upon us and we hid in that hole for 4 days… no mosquito, though! We found an excellent harvest of cockles and rock mussels along the sandy beaches of the bay. We tried to snorkel the wester end of the island, but the visibility was nil after 4 days of heavy winds and swell. YES< excellent hurricane hole!
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| Reef is everywhere |
9th Stop: Ile Ndukue – 22*.06.062S – 166.07.039E – OUR FAVORITE!!!
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| Ndukue… what is there not to like? |
Our absolute favorite. You can snorkel every day and never see the same thing… plenty of shells: cowries, tritons, Murex, fusiform conch, and then some!
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| Pipefish |
The outer reef of Ile Mathieu hosts all kinds of coral, while its inner reef is all about sand and seaweeds.
The shore at the anchorage is lined with mangroves, and locals line up to find mangrove crabs, those large black crabs that have such a sweet flesh (not in season while we were there…)
 |
| Nudibranch |
 |
| So many Murex |
T
hat same shore is home to all kinds of mud creatures, including the elusive CROCODILE fish!
The reef between Ndukue and Ile Moro is an unbroken coral garden with incursions of anemones and soft corals.
How well do you know your coral?
Across the channel, the large reef is yet another experience in soft corals in psychedelic colors. and more Fern Starfish
And again, many cruisers drift-dive the pass (but not for us). And so many colorful giant clams!
Found another Triton!
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| Oriental Sweetlips |
10th Stop: Ile Moro – 22*07.008S – 166*09.862E – Another cool little anchorage by calm weather.
11th Stop: Ile Ronhua – 22*03.963S – 166*01.841E – Yet another lovely snorkeling spot by fair weather – Two great snorkels: along the C-shaped reef, and (for a different experience with snakes) the shallow reef to the east.
So much …. so much… so lovely…
Even eels and snakes and lionfish look fine!
And now, it’s time to think of our next destination: the Great South… but will we have time?
Until next time…
dominomarie
NEW CALEDONIA – West Coast
NEW CALEDONIA – West Coast – An Underwater Paradise
October 2106
Oh, I suppose it could take for ever to explore the West Coast of New Caledonia and we certainly could have spent many more weeks in that area. The snorkeling is superb, especially in the reserves that have been set up along the outer reef. We purposely skipped all land stops, even Koumac, to concentrate on observing the reef.
Most of the west coast can be navigated inside the lagoon, except for about 90 miles between Baie de Chasseloup and Baie de St Vincent. But the fishing outside is splendind, as we hooked up a 200-lb black marlin and lost another marlin, that one enormous, in the 400-lb range! So, I’ll take you along our route.
1st Stop: Ilot Yande – 20*03.639S – 163*47.354E – This is one more day anchorage given to us by “Spirare” and we gave it a shot. I guess Serge is a more daring sailor than we are! JP scanned the bottom to drop anchor and all we could see was coral heads under the hull.
The swell rolling in through the pass would have pushed DOMINO towards the reef and we felt uncomfortable dropping anchor at that point. Off went.
2nd Stop: Neba – 20*09.384S – 163*54.890E – Much better!! Sandy bottom, protected from the roll, and nobody in sight. We found the best snorkeling at the SW end of the island. For hours, I let myself get lost in soft coral, gardens of anemones, and a kaleidoscope of tropical fish. We spent 2 days, caught spiny lobsters (the locals allowed us 2 per day) and just filled our eyes and hearts with colors.
3nd Stop: Baie du Croissant – 20*16.779S – 164*01.882E – You’re gonna ask me, how many dives does it take before you get sick of it? Every dive is different. Every snorkeling experience is special in its own way. Here, the reef extension at the south end of the bay sports an amazing anemone and soft coral forest in pastel colors of mauve, pistachio, pale yellow, soft grey… colors that we’d not seen before.
|
| A weary octopus is eyeing me! |
|
| Juvenile yellow boxfish |
|
| Lobster time! |
Snorkel around and you might find yourself in a hot pool springing from the sandy bottom, and suddenly black and rust algae are all around. You never know what you will find: spiny lobsters love to hide under coral flowers… go find one!
DO YOU KNOW YOUR BUTTERFLYFISH? ID These!
4th Stop: Ile Tanle – 20*18.785S – 164*04.824E – The Poum Peninsula offers good protection from weather… and weather was upon us, so we tucked into Tanle Bay to weather a stormy night. Don’t expect much in terms of snorkeling: we hoped to find good stuff at Little Tanle, a sand island covered with low brush, but we found it entirely surrounded with a tangle of purple staghorn coral: pretty but no fun to snorkel! The entire bay is somewhat marred by the scars of mining, the hills dry and dusty, but it was a good stop in a blow.
5th Stop: Chasseloup – 20*57.773S – 164*39.238E – We exited Tanle in the morning and, taking advantage of a no-wind situation, exited the lagoon and went fishing… yes! Hooked up 2 black marlins, caught a wahoo, and had a load of fun!
The anchorage at Chasseloup is enormous, good holding, and again an easy stop. The shore offered no interest to us, another mining harbor, but easy in and out. Actually, we were in a rush to get to St. Vincent Bay as bad weather was on the horizon.
6th Stop – St. Vincent Bay – Ile de Puen – 21*57.827S – 165*57.431E – St Vincent Bay is a large complex of islands, peninsulas, bays and nooks where one can spend weeks exploring, fishing, hunting, crabbing, clamming, or just do nothing at all!
Just drop anchor in front of the old campground and horse ranch. This is another good anchorage in a blow. We tried to snorkel the Canal de Puen: the worst ever!! Zero visibility, totally dead coral heads, no fish. Better to snorkel the west end: much to see there!
7th Stop – Ile Tenia – 22*00.115S – 165*56.567E –
NATURAL RESERVE – NO FISHING/HUNTING –
|
| Juvenile Clown Coris |
By far one of our favorite spots to snorkel, especially the north-east end of the island. Home to massive spiny lobsters, this is a good anchorage by calm weather.
|
| “Big Ben” – The biggest ever |
Lots to see… including the banded black and white snake!
On our second visit, we took the dinghy out and snorkeled the outer reef (22*00.720S – 165*55.811E) – To find the exit through the reef, find the 2 sticks/flags on the western end of the island!
|
| How well do you know your coral? |
8th Stop: Baie des Moustiques – HURRICANE HOLE – 21*59.948S – 166*03.052E –
Another storm was upon us and we hid in that hole for 4 days… no mosquito, though! We found an excellent harvest of cockles and rock mussels along the sandy beaches of the bay. We tried to snorkel the wester end of the island, but the visibility was nil after 4 days of heavy winds and swell. YES< excellent hurricane hole!
|
| Reef is everywhere |
9th Stop: Ile Ndukue – 22*.06.062S – 166.07.039E – OUR FAVORITE!!!
|
| Ndukue… what is there not to like? |
Our absolute favorite. You can snorkel every day and never see the same thing… plenty of shells: cowries, tritons, Murex, fusiform conch, and then some!
|
| Pipefish |
The outer reef of Ile Mathieu hosts all kinds of coral, while its inner reef is all about sand and seaweeds.
The shore at the anchorage is lined with mangroves, and locals line up to find mangrove crabs, those large black crabs that have such a sweet flesh (not in season while we were there…)
|
| Nudibranch |
|
| So many Murex |
T
hat same shore is home to all kinds of mud creatures, including the elusive CROCODILE fish!
The reef between Ndukue and Ile Moro is an unbroken coral garden with incursions of anemones and soft corals.
How well do you know your coral?
Across the channel, the large reef is yet another experience in soft corals in psychedelic colors. and more Fern Starfish
And again, many cruisers drift-dive the pass (but not for us). And so many colorful giant clams!
Found another Triton!
|
| Oriental Sweetlips |
10th Stop: Ile Moro – 22*07.008S – 166*09.862E – Another cool little anchorage by calm weather.
11th Stop: Ile Ronhua – 22*03.963S – 166*01.841E – Yet another lovely snorkeling spot by fair weather – Two great snorkels: along the C-shaped reef, and (for a different experience with snakes) the shallow reef to the east.
So much …. so much… so lovely…
Even eels and snakes and lionfish look fine!
And now, it’s time to think of our next destination: the Great South… but will we have time?
Until next time…
dominomarie
DOMINO 20 2017-01-13 18:44:00
NEW CALEDONIA – The Great North
October 2016
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| The Great North Reef at Ile Pott |
We had been advised not to cruise the Great North, supposed to be a cradle of violent independentists. But the lagoon looked too stunning and we just ignored that warning. In each village, we took care of presenting the “Coutume,” ask for permission to cruise, snorkel, hunt and fish, and we took care to meet the locals.
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| Our Great North Circuit: from Baie de Pam to Balabio and the Beleps (Ile Art, Ile Pott) |
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| Balabio Reef and Island |
1st stop: BALABIO – 20*03.500S – 164*09.800E – The Balabio Reef is extensive. Our friends Serge & Joann (S/V “Spirare”) had advised us to anchor west of the Ilots Saint-Phalle (20*06.632S – 164*06.239E) and walk the reef at low tide, but the tide was not with us: high at mid-day, the tide would be low by late afternoon and there was no way we were going to anchor in such an exposed area and walk the reef at night. We had to pass on this excellent stop.
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| Between Balabio and the Beleps: The Daos |
Instead, we proceeded directly to Fine Bay and anchored easily in 7 meters of water over sand. SAND! Blue water! At last… Quick in the water!!!
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| The reef is quite beat-up and home to big jellyfish (rather inoffensive) whose large white disks dot the way into Balabio |
The reef on the north end of the bay was a bit beaten up, still it was lovely to snorkel amid anemones, find giant clams again, spot a few spiny lobsters and look for the little creatures between the rocky crags. On shore, though, is where we were blown away by the geology. Quartz in all colors, mauve, orange, purple; amorphous glass; so many pretty granites that I wanted to load and bring on board!
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| Unlike the smooth giant clams we’d seen before, these have scallopped shells |
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| In Waala, the local girls are the ones going up the coconut tree! |
We didn’t see anyone on shore, no building, no village. But the snorkeling wasn’t quite what we were looking for, so we moved north.
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| Waala Bay, Ile Art (Beleps) – The inner mall-boat harbor. |
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| Waala Bay: red sand and gravel shore |
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| Ile Art (Beleps) Waala Bay anchorage |
2nd stop: ILE ART (Belep Islands) – Waala Bay 19*42.841S – 163*38.566E – This is a MUST STOP – In Waala, you must present la “Coutume” to the Grand Chef. He controls the Great North. His hut is easy to find: anchor in Waala (see point above) and land your dinghy while aiming towards the mark planted on shore.
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| Waala Bay… see the yello mark on shore, left of the pangas? That’s the Chief’s compound. Make sure to head towards the church before turning left toward the mooring balls |
Make sure to favor the east end in order to avoid the reef (save your dinghy’s prop!) The Chief is cool. He took us to the great “Case” and accepted our gifts, chatted for a while… and off we were, OK to visit the entire Great North!
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| The Chief clears us in! |
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| The conch rang: time to go for bread, hand-worked and wood-fire baked! |
Waala Bay is not a good spot for snorkeling. Again, the water is very minerally charged, visibility not so good… however, there is a small boat harbor and a regular ferry service from Koumac (main land.) It’s a sheltered anchorage and, in a few days we would have to return to seek shelter while another front passes.
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| In October, the water is not too warm… and the spiny lobsters plentiful! |
The town is quite lively and divided between clans. Each clan has its own bakery and grocery store. If you’re waiting for bread, you’ll know that it’s baked when you hear the baker sound the Triton conch!
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| Snorkeling the top of the reef, you can find these giant Tritons. Take pix and put them back. Not only are they illegal to take, but they are the only natural predators to the reef-eating Acanthaster |
3rd stop: Ile Pott – 19*34.687S – 163*35.132E – That’s what I’m talking about!!!! Completely surrounded by reefs, this fantastic anchorage is a slice of Paradise.
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| The way into Pott’s anchorage |
There is not a lot of room and DOMINO certainly filled a fair slice of the anchorage. The entrance is narrow, best entered at low tide for best visibility over the reef, and better favor the southern shore: it has fewer underwater surprises!!
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| Striking purple coral |
We spent 4 days in Pott and would have spent more if a front and bad weather had not called us back to Waala Bay. What can I say about this place but that it’s some of the most pristine snorkeling we’ve ever found. I let you enjoy the pictures.
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| Add caption |
Next? The West Coast and its reserves and sancturaries… you ain’t seen anything yet!
Till next time…
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| Fern seastar: this starfish sports up to 20 arms and buries its body into coral holes and between rocks |
dominomarie
