Oct 14th
Honiara. After 4 hours of motor sailing in calm weather the last 20 miles that separate Tambea from Honiara, it was a surprise to find a crowded Point Cruz anchorage with a total of 10 yachts squeezed along the seawall! Once the KUNA found her perfect spot just near the police and navy wharf (dropped the anchor in 15 m of soft muddy sand on a slope, good holding!), it was so crowded that it would be hard for any new vessel to park. Two stern lines are a must to prevent shifting side ways in strong N-westerlies, which seem to happen daily at this time of the year. The Vanuatu police guys were quite helpful in helping getting the lines in, as it was rather tight to reverse the KUNA in and their police boat is made of glass ☺!!!
Safety.
The rest of the anchorage at Point Cruz is windy and exposed with poor holding and the three moorings already occupied. It’s not unusual to see some largish fishing boats dragging anchor as they don’t park so carefully, ans sometimes right infront of yachts so watch out!!! The police wharf provides good light at night, so additional safety to the first few yachts on this side along the wall.
Recently ( as I write this, Nov 6th), Black Billy had the bad luck to anchor out in the open, in the middle of the canoe passage for only a short time and after dark got robbed all their electronic gear. So stay aware, it’s Honiara after all, as benine as the place may feel, it is not always safe!
Showing posts with label yacht safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yacht safety. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Ferry to Tulaghi and yacht safety
There are experiences that make you really appreciate having your own boat in the solomon islands: catching the ferry is one of them!
The ferry runs on a fairly regular basis between Honiara and Tulaghi (near Ghela): 3 times a week is a very good rate for transport in the country but time of departure shifts by a few hours depending on the day, especially on fridays when people form Tulaghi come to HOniara, want to go walkabout in the capital and then go back home. Dealing with a mountain of boat supplies and a surfboard was not that simple when we got there in the peach dark..
Warning: yacht safety in Tulaghi
It was a relief to get back to the KUNA and find out that it was mostly fine, despite for the thick layer of mould that had grown in the last two weeks: the carer had neglected to open the hatches. Also learned that there had been a boarding attempt in the middle of the night by the thief (well potential one, he got outed by the security man sleeping outside). ON this topic, in the last two weeks, KUNA was the only yacht that did not get robbed: it is important to pick the right spot to park in Tulaghi: the most secure place is right on front of the Tulaghi dive shop, which has a little wharf and a restaurant behind it. There are security men there all the time, and th epolice station is 100 m away. Inform the police that you are parking there, they are quite good cops over there and it will increase their vigilance. The anchorage is quite deep (30m 100m from the shore in slopy sand and coral) and not very well protected during the trades though large waves do not build up. If you are tempted to go and anchor behind the small island east of Tulaghi, which has a boat yard on it (only 12 m and coral), DON'T!. The village opposite this island is full of rascals which are known to rob yachts. In fact, just last week a catamaran parked there got boarded at night, with his occupants asleep. Money and camera gear went missing. The spot at the north of Tulaghi island is not good either for security so compromise to weather or go somewhere else on Ghela. apparently the rest of the island is fine, only the people near Tulaghi have a bad reputation of specializing in yacht robberies (solar panels, etc...) and sadly they give the whole place a bad reputation so don;t be deterred, there are some nice people out there too!
f;)
The ferry runs on a fairly regular basis between Honiara and Tulaghi (near Ghela): 3 times a week is a very good rate for transport in the country but time of departure shifts by a few hours depending on the day, especially on fridays when people form Tulaghi come to HOniara, want to go walkabout in the capital and then go back home. Dealing with a mountain of boat supplies and a surfboard was not that simple when we got there in the peach dark..
Warning: yacht safety in Tulaghi
It was a relief to get back to the KUNA and find out that it was mostly fine, despite for the thick layer of mould that had grown in the last two weeks: the carer had neglected to open the hatches. Also learned that there had been a boarding attempt in the middle of the night by the thief (well potential one, he got outed by the security man sleeping outside). ON this topic, in the last two weeks, KUNA was the only yacht that did not get robbed: it is important to pick the right spot to park in Tulaghi: the most secure place is right on front of the Tulaghi dive shop, which has a little wharf and a restaurant behind it. There are security men there all the time, and th epolice station is 100 m away. Inform the police that you are parking there, they are quite good cops over there and it will increase their vigilance. The anchorage is quite deep (30m 100m from the shore in slopy sand and coral) and not very well protected during the trades though large waves do not build up. If you are tempted to go and anchor behind the small island east of Tulaghi, which has a boat yard on it (only 12 m and coral), DON'T!. The village opposite this island is full of rascals which are known to rob yachts. In fact, just last week a catamaran parked there got boarded at night, with his occupants asleep. Money and camera gear went missing. The spot at the north of Tulaghi island is not good either for security so compromise to weather or go somewhere else on Ghela. apparently the rest of the island is fine, only the people near Tulaghi have a bad reputation of specializing in yacht robberies (solar panels, etc...) and sadly they give the whole place a bad reputation so don;t be deterred, there are some nice people out there too!
f;)
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