About to depart
We forgot to mention that with the pre-departure busy-ness, we decided to take a few days off. We sailed to Liapari Island on the SE coast of Vella Lavella. We went into the middle of three delightful lagoons. Getting in was a tight squeeze as the keel brushed the bottom. We were travelling very slowly due to the depth in the narrow access through the reef. We believe this was blasted by the Japanese in 1942. Also in evidence was a WWII bridge over the entrance to the second lagoon. This bridge (also made by the Japanese) effectively connected Liapari with Vella. It was quite hot, with even the lagoon temperature 29degC so we had plenty of swims and a good long walk ashore. This was an ideal spot to check the stitching on the sails and finish some other tasks requiring a calm spot. Dave & Penny
