Port Moselle, Noumea, New Caledonia (S 22.16.815 E 166.25.963) http://maps.google.com/maps
We had 15 to 25 knot winds with fair weather the whole trip. On September 27th we made for the Southern Grande Terre through Havannha Pass after waiting in the early morning hours for the sun to come up. I didn't want to navigate the reef in the dark and wanted to enter on a flood tide. New Caledonia is surrounded by the world's largest enclosed lagoon and has some of the best diving in the Pacific but like any lagoon there are coral heads everywhere so you need to pick your course carefully and not do it in darkness. This was another French territory and like French Polynesia they've done a great job in marking the channels. The pictures below are some of our first sights from the famous New Caledonia pines to their modern fishing vessels
At 11:20 we got our first glimpse of Noumea and knew we had arrived back in civilization. We'd been told Noumea was the Monte Carlo of the Pacific but didn't really understand what that meant. After months of reading cruising guides and then experiencing the reality we learned to take all the reports with a grain of salt. As it turned out Noumea is more like Monte Carlo and the French Riviera.
It is remarkable to know that roughly 400 miles behind us is a place where they have no electricity except flashlights; they live in huts; and travel in hand-made outrigger canoes. We tried to get a slip in one of the several marinas but they are all full. So, we are out here among several dozen boats that are anchored or tied to mooring balls. It is actually quite nice. The water is smooth and the breeze blows. The word is if you put yourself on the marina's waiting list maybe you'd get a slip in a few days. That would really help our electrical situation as we could plug in at the dock and not have to run the engine to charge our batteries.
The crew wanted to see the sights but I wanted to end the mystery about whether I could get the generator repaired here or not, so it was off to the Panda dealer. I found the dealership but the own was in the hospital having broken his arm just a few days before. I found a French generator mechanic who said he'd come by the boat the next morning to take a look. He did and said the electrical part of the generator was destroyed having been flooded with salt water. He wasn't certain about the diesel engine. but wasn't optimistic. He said Panda generators were "merde". I knew now the only place I was going to get it replaced or fixed was in Australia.
We soon learned the running joke around here is that the odds of getting a slip in the small guest slip area are pretty low There are lots of locals that have boats around here and this is a good destination spot. Not only is it scenic, modern and comfortable it is also a stopover for boats on their way to and from Australia. We soon gave up hope on getting a slip.
The two Dave's took a bus ride to the next bay over. We are currently in the older industrial, commercial section of Noumea and they wanted to see the newer side. They have catered it to the tourist crowd with small hotels, manicured beaches, shops and restaurants. Most of the development here looks well planned. They have done a fantastic job of keeping the beach area open with minimal buildings and the food is excellent just like in California.
They also had an aquarium that as you can see is world class. It was clear we were back in the developed world.
One evening we visited a street festival that was jammed packed with locals sampling the food stalls, buying local crafts or getting their faces put on. New Caledonia is a real melting pot of virtually all the races. They owe their prosperity to the nickel and other unique metals mines.
The museums are world class and they're trying to preserve their heritage and culture although the native one is basically gone.
What would the tropics be without rain? And, it is that rain that needs to be pumped out of the dinghy every once in a while. If you look closely at the pump technician you’ll notice that there is some new ink on his forearm. Yes, I got tagged with graffiti, just kidding. I really did get a tattoo of a standing turtle that according to nautical tradition signifies having sailed across the equator.
On October 3rd at 1:36 in the afternoon after having fueled up headed out to sea bound for Australia.
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