Te Puke canoe under sail, photo by Wade Fairley
The Vaka Taumako canoe project aims to preserve the
building knowledge of large size sailing canoes,
which use to passage across the pacific and transcribe
and understand the traditional navigation techniques
of Taumako inhabitants.
Cutting the timber for transverse beams
If you'd like some information
on this , please check www.aloha.net/
This has been
the 14 years dedictated work of Mimi George and team, American
based in Hawaii who spent every tradewind season on
the island and even sailed there twice with her yacht
29' Gryphon. The canoes have these amazing crab shape
sails which apparently are the best aerodynamic design
to go upwind. I yet have to sail on them to confirm this as I remain unconvinced this beats kevlar!
A remote island spoiled by money...
And Solomons cash, there is no more onboard the KUNA!
As it turned out, the cost associated with the BBC
filming went down to even using our personal cash. A canoe sailing session for
filming did cost 1000US dollars (prepaid!), and a sequence
on sewing the sails would only happen in exchange
of a pig being purchased, let alone every canoe
ride, for which two 44 gallons were ordered (much
more than needed for a few canoe rides up and
down a 2km for 5 days!)
Unfortunately, the fuel
planned for the job did not arrive in time, so
KUNA is down to its last drop of outboard fuel
for having donated most of it too. Not good when
the only life raft onboard is the dinghy!!!
The "cash cow" culture seemingly hit in amongst
the islanders who have been accustomed to have a "project" bringing fuel and money. The traditional navigation/canoe project has certainly progressed but it has changed the mentalities by introducing money to the island, and the fuel they desperately need to run their motor canoes, their primary mode of transport between the small islands of the Duff group empowered the project leaders. It is a bit paradoxical, given that the project is ALL about sailing!!! It has also created some tensions on the island because only one or two villages directly benefit from the work activities/money and the villages on the other side feel left out and as a result, I may have missed out on a good anchorage (see further). Other educational and health community development projects are also ongoing and may definitely be of more benefit to the islanders: for example, an American eye surgeon visited Taumako for a few weeks this June to help people with their vision (cataract, etc..)
Anchorage on the extreme NW of the island, where swells of either side meet...
Despite having local crew minding the boat in 12 hours
shifts, I have been bound to stay on the KUNA, especially
as we have had to re-anchor on the NW side of the island
due to the wind shifting to the East. A little bit of
protection was found on the extreme North end of the
island(S 09 deg 51.65 E 167 deg 09.41). The locals say
there is even kind of a passage into a protected lagoon anchorage
but the village opposite does not allow anchoring
unless extortionate amounts of money are expanded. Saying this, for future yacht visits, one should enquire in advance and something can be worked out with the man of the land, for sure.
a nice bit of geology
So here I am bobbing around on the other side of
the island now.
