Pastime of Sydney- 2006 Adventures

On Wednesday 28th of June, we waved goodbye to the Police who had kept an eye on Pastime and also to the friendly folk on the boat next to us. We had no wind (which was blocked off by Guadalcanal) and had to motor all the way to a beautiful Bay called "Visale" near the top of Guadalcanal. Here we met a nephew of Fr Geve (A Solomon Islands politician) who was murdered by Harold Keke. James identified his body and had also had to testify in court. We had been in the Solomons when this tragedy occurred and it was unnerving to hear it again from someone so close to the situation. We visited the teacher training school, another school and other parts of this beautiful place. It also has a huge church, which used to be packed to overflowing according to James. Behind Visale are high, very steep mountains. It would take a huge effort to climb them. 13,000 Japanese troops were evacuated from a similar hill/mountain nearby and a number fell to their deaths trying to descend the steep slopes. We saw the remains of a WWII Zero fighter on the reef (but we've seen others in much better condition elsewhere) and snorkelled in the rather unclear water. James came out to the boat to chat some more, but first he had to locate his canoe which had been taken by five boys who paddled out and spent most of the time hanging off the side of our rubber ducky. The next morning, after a good sleep-in, we set off in light winds for the Russell Islands. Once we were out of the shadow of Guadalcanal, we had winds of 30-40kts (again!) and handling the boat was a little tough. We arrived at our destination quite quickly but the suggested (from a cruising guide) anchorage was way too dangerous in the howling wind. We could see rocks sticking out of the water all over the place. This could only be described as a calm water anchorage and it was anything but calm. So, we set off for "Faila Island", some 10 miles away, with just the headsail, again in gale force winds. We got to a suitable Bay, but again the suggested anchoring spot was way too exposed. We searched the whole bay and after two failed anchoring attempts, finally found a suitable spot. Locals visited us from an abandoned plantation and we traded for some coconuts. Since the plantation workers have been processing their own small quantities of Copra, they have been making more money than as salaried employees. It had taken us almost three hours to get anchored and we resolved to move to another bay next day. This we did after a pleasant snorkel. It was easy to anchor in the new Bay and we passed two shipwrecks on the way in. Upon arrival, Penny and Charlie went snorkelling while David started this blog. A short while later, we were visited by the son of the chief from a nearby village. Charlie was soon out of the water when he learned about the resident crocodiles and that a couple of people have been eaten in the past few years. Charlie then asked Penny to come to the boat so that he could tell her something special (he did not want to alarm her). Of course, Penny wanted to know his secret before getting out of the water. Once she learned of the danger, she was also quickly out! Ah well, no swim for Dave. Some of the locals have been out and we now have local oranges, Ngali nuts and other delicious food to supplement what we bought in Honiara. Now, we need to decide where to head next. Should we stay here with no swimming or move to another bay or head off to the Marovo Lagoon. Decisions, decisions. The CREW