GALE!
Well, we did not get to Port Bouquet as planned. The wind really got up and we dragged anchor in the small hours of the morning. It was pitch black and the wind was howling. The direction was such that we were being blown back towards a beach less than 100M away. So, scantily clad (but we WERE wearing clothes), we re-anchored successfully.
Next morning, we headed out the passage through the reef. The wind and waves were so strong that we could only manage 2kts with full engine power. On top of that, the wind had not come around enough to lay our course. So, back we came and selected a different part of the bay in which to anchor. This was protected from the sea by the reef but the wind howled around a nearby island. Noumea Radio started broadcasting gale warnings due to a tropical depression. We had winds between 40 and 50kts for the next 24hrs, intermixed with driving rain. For the first time in 18 months we took down the cockpit canopy to prevent damage and reduce our windage.
We were comfortable enough and read books, watched DVDs and played Scrabble. Penny equalised the overall Scrabble score with a narrow win over Dave.
A fisherman who lives in an abandoned village where we were anchored the first time kindly came in his boat and checked we were okay. Very kind of him.
Mid morning today, the wind had dropped considerably and we made our way down to Port Bouquet. It was good sailing though we got wet a number of times in the frequent showers.
Tomorrow, we will probably head the 50NM down to Yate towards the "bottom" of Grande Terre.
The fishing continues to be poor (non-existent) but perhaps tomorrow will be better as we are passing through numerous shallower reefs.
All the best,
Dave & Penny
