Dalov Village to Losalava & Volcano 3
We left for Losalava on Thursday 8th June. It was a tough sail tacking up the West side of the island into North-Easterlies. Then, at the top of Gaua, we had to tack into strong Easterlies through a very rough uncharted area containing many reefs. Wally the Wahoo was gone, so we really wanted another fish. We hooked a good sized Mahi Mahi and got it within 15 metres of the boat and then lost it. THIRD time we had lost a fish- in a row. We had never previously lost more than one. Out came the pliers and we managed to partly repair the hooks bent by Godfrey the shark. 20 mins later, we hooked and this time retained, a decent 12Kg Wahoo which we have named "Wilma". We tacked for the last couple of hours with Wilma sliding around in the cockpit. The crew kept feet off the bloodied floor! We came through big seas into Losalava and were met by Geoffrey and his son Kenneth. We quickly got them on board as their dugout was sinking rapidly. It really was not capable of operating in the big sxceedingly well that night. Next stop is Waterfall Bay on the West Coast of Vanua Lava. Unfortunately, we think the winds will be rather strong, but we need to move along as our visas and cruising permit are running out of time. Until next time, The CREW
Bernard: Dont envy you those Easterlies. Been blowing prettty strongly this past week. But at least Solair is working again to schedule and half our visitors have arrived. Cheers, Bernard (06/14/06)