At sea, 790 miles to Australia
And we’re out … after only two weeks in this fine corner of the South Pacific, this morning we threw the dock lines off and set Dragonfly’s course for Australia’s Queensland Coast. While our time here was short, we are not ones to take a weather window for granted.
It’s easy to enjoy one’s time here in Noumea, as just a simple walk about town yields rewards: fabulous tropical foliage, Kanak carvings, french bakeries, art galleries. We so enjoyed our wanders to the aquarium, where we got to look a nautilus in the eye, and say hello to our sea turtle friends and tropical fish. A night festival that showcased international troupes of acrobats, magicians, dancers, and musicians was an unexpected cultural delight. Finally, the food … phew, good thing we are leaving before we can no longer fit through Dragonfly’s doors.
Unlike past visits here, we spent the entire time in Noumea. We were held at the dock longer than we wished due to a failed hydraulic ram on one of our stabilizers. This repair literally took five days of intense labor, but all appears to be working again. The shake-down of power cruising continues!
While we wrestled with the complexities of our very luxurious ride, we were reminded of the simplicities that sailing can offer. One day we looked out to see a very small and curious boat coming into the harbor in Noumea. The French single hander, Yann Quenet, was sailing his tiny boat Baluchon, barely the size of dinghy, past our bow. Here is a guy who so wanted to sail the high seas, he built this 4 m boat himself, kept it simple with one sail, an oar for skulling, no electronics, no plumbing, no galley, no auxiliary power … (his diet consists of canned sardines and ramen; crackers and cookies if it’s rough out). Impressive will, skill and desire! He has already circumnavigated once, and as happens once you’ve circumnavigated, you get done and say, now what? Off to sea again! We know that feeling…
So off we set on a five day passage to Bundaberg, Australia. In contrast to Yann Quenet, when we feel the urge to relive these sweet delights and inspirations from our time here in Noumea all we need to do is reach into our freezer for a pan au chocolat!
22 21.6 S 166 14.7 E
at sea from New Caledonia
I wish you light winds and flat seas! I took a look at your weather and it doesn’t look too far off from that! Enjoy the passage!!
Safe passage guys. Looking forward to welcoming you to Australia. 🇦🇺 😊