After going all the way to Lola Island (Vona Vona lagoon) thinking clearance and visa extensions were going to be possible in the nearby town of Gizo, Lisa, the very helpful and informed manager from Lola island resort, said that the only immigration officer recently retired, leading to closure of the Gizo office!!! Except for one small piece of advice a local friend later gave: if you don't intend to go in and out of the country, you can lodge your application in Gizo. It then sits on their desk and nothing is really done about it because of the communication problems. Whilst waiting for the application to be processed, you go travelling and come back only when it's time to clear out!!!
To deal with just a short three month extension to a cruising visa, it may also be possible to do it from Noro, but for an application for a temporary residence permit, there was no way around going back to Honiara.
A long fun two days of tacking and beating to go back to Guadalcanal in the SE corner of this pic: boats aren't meant to go upwind!!!
Meaning 115 miles from Peava, and because the SE trades have decided to have a relapse, after a month of calm weather in September, it took 2.5 days going in great zig zags into the swells and winds!
Interestingly enough, a lot of the very strong SE puffs were generated by squalls and lots of squalls hit the KUNA all the way! As the Kuna reached Tambea, in 20 knots of wind and large chop due the current running between Savo and Guadalcanal Island, the radio weather reports were claiming 3 knots of wind in Honiara, 20 miles further East.
Tambea Anchorage
S9º 15.380 E159º 39.840 Tambea offshore WPT
S9º 15.641 E159º 40.233 Tambea Anchorage
10 m in sand and coral But one could go a lot closer to the beach.
Once more, maybe Sieling’s cruising guide coordinate aren’t quite accurate. The Tambea resort was burnt down during the tension so it is hard to see which beach to anchor off and there is now a large logging camp to the NE of the resort. Given the hawling winds, the passage between the reefs/shoal provide good protection in anything but N to W. The shoals are not very obvious so best to approach carefully on a 120º True course from Tambea offshore waypoint.
After a decent night rest Kuna motorsailed the last 20 miles in early morning glassy waters, only to find the Point Cruz Anchorage absolutely packed full with 12, yes TWELVE yachts!! A tight sterna parking spot was
