Solomon Islands ( Leg 23)

December 2023

December 1^st was filled with the usual delights of the first day of a leg. Claudia and Michael re-joined us at around 10am and we all went reprovisioning. Today seemed even hotter and more humid than usual, with very little breeze to help cool us down…it was very uncomfortable and we were all literally dripping! We had a lunch time interlude at Fred’s place, Breakwater Café, before Shawn and Ally went to collect their newly stamped passports and we then carried on with the task of finding items that we didn’t find in the first couple of stores. Maree flew in that afternoon and so we met her at 15.00 and we all returned to Imagination for the rest of the day. After breakfast on Saturday 2^nd, we moved onto Fred’s mooring outside the café. We did this for 2 reasons, firstly to ensure our chain hadn’t wrapped and snagged on anything on the bottom over the last week of going around in circles with the on shore and off shore breezes, and secondly so that we could leave easily and quickly in low light. Shawn had been watching the weather forecast ( as per usual) but it was becoming clear that we had another system heading our way that had the potential to develop into something ugly. We had originally planned to leave at 5am on the 3^rd for another nearby anchorage, but having spoken to Fred and listened to his knowledge of the anchorages in the islands, we made the decision to leave after dinner that evening for a sail that would take us up to 36 hours. We all went ashore and finished the shopping with Ally and Shawn returning to Imagination for the afternoon whilst the others remained ashore doing their own thing. We were off the mooring by 18.45 and we motor sailed through the night with very little wind but surrounded by lightning, hearing the occasional clap of thunder and travelling through the odd downpour. It’s a little bit disconcerting trying to find shelter from a system by sailing straight into it’s predicted path, but Fred had informed us of the safest places and so we were aiming to get to a spot nestled between several small islands off of New Georgia. The conditions on the second day and night were very different to the first. The wind picked up and as a consequence so did the waves and along with that came heavy cloud and a fair bit of rain. Despite that, we safely arrived on the outskirts of the islands late morning on the 4^th and very slowly wound our way through to a very protected area in the mangroves near an area called Diamond Narrows. Our anchor was well set in the murky waters with the sky heavy with rain, but it was hot and humid with very little breeze – these type of conditions always make it seem a little ominous….waiting for something to happen. The following day remained much the same and so we all relaxed on board and we were visited a little later on by 2 jolly ladies in a canoe. They had come to say hello and to invite us to visit them in their tiny family settlement consisting of just 4 houses a little further through the small islands. We were all keen to spend some time on land to stretch our legs, so we told them we would come across after having something to eat. Michael and Claudia gave them some toiletries that they were very happy with and just after they left us, the heavens opened and it rained and rained and rained and so we didn’t get to go and visit them which was a real shame. That night we had some stronger gusts of wind along with the rain, but as we were so protected in our little mangrove corner, it wasn’t bad and by the morning of the 6^th the worst of the system had gone through to the South, although the heavy rain continued on throughout the day which meant we had to run the generator for several hours to charge our batteries. On Thursday 7^th, the thick cloud remained with us as did occasional heavy downpours but despite this, we motored around to the town in Munda. It felt good to have a change of scenery and to have a few beers at Agnes Gateway hotel, just on the waters edge. We were going to head off East on the 8^th to try and visit a few places we had missed out on due to our “run” to a safe anchorage. However, we were either going to have to weave our way through shallow coral reefs in poor light or exit the reef system and sail in bad sea conditions caused by the passing of Cyclone Jasper so we collectively decided to head into the multiple small islands near to where we had been anchored, We arrived at Lola Island by lunchtime having seen our first crocodile in the shallow waters off of one tiny island as we wound our way through. As we sat chatting in the cockpit after eating lunch, we felt strong vertical vibrations through the whole boat which caused the rigging to vibrate. We all looked at each other and tried to figure out what had caused it a little while later we went ashore and enjoyed a drink or two and a walk about at the cute resort there. We were told we had just experienced a 5.8 earthquake and we were basically at the epicentre! As the motion had been up and down ( and being in shallow water is how we felt it onboard) as opposed to shaking from side to side , there had thankfully been very minimal damage. We all returned to the bar/restaurant for a great lunch the following day followed by a wonderfully chilled afternoon.

Sunday morning (10^th) we returned to Munda as there was going to be a local festival on the 12^th. Shawn and Ally went for a walk during the afternoon to try and locate a WWII museum owned by a local guy, Barney. It was a hot and humid afternoon, but it was good to do an extended walk and we located the Peter Joseph museum, but weren’t sure if it would be open as it was a Sunday. Barney lives right next door and we called out to say hi and he came out to see us full of smiles and a lovely welcome. We asked about the museum and he said he was more than happy to open it up so we could see inside. It’s a very small outhouse with wire mesh on the open sides, but it is absolutely crammed full of memorabilia and artefacts that Barney himself has found on the island (New Georgia) over the years. The museum is named after the US Soldier, Peter Joseph whose dog tags were the first ones that Barney found – he now has many, many more. He was an absolute mine of information and so likeable and easy to be with so we asked about doing a WWII walking tour with him and so the following morning, we met up with him again. We walked along roads built by the Americans, along dirt tracks and through jungle where it is believed the Japanese had camps, with Barney pointing out various battle grounds and explaining the events – his memory for details, names, dates and times was phenomenal. We saw the remains of one Japanese aircraft that was in thick undergrowth and we also visited the area where hundreds of US soldiers had been buried during the heavy conflict here. Thankfully, they have all since been returned home and given a proper burial. On the way back to town, Barney took us to his brother, Matson’s home on the edge of the water. He was another very friendly chap and we sat chatting for a good quarter of an hour and he showed us a crocodile that he has had for the last 24 years! It was as close as I’d want to be to a croc that size ( 2 meters), that’s for sure. Matson did explain that it was too late to let it go as it would just be shot by others, so there it stays, in it’s small tidal enclosure underneath a small building. Crocodiles only venture into this area at night time when human activity has reduced, so taking a dip in the daytime is safe…the children were definitely having a whale of a time climbing and jumping from a triangular wooden frame in the water. Having walked 11kms, we returned to Imagination for lunch whilst Claudia, Michael and Maree remained ashore where there was a lot of activity with the Festival being opened by the Prime Minister that afternoon.

Munda is a small area and the town consists of a few very small ( Chinese run) shops, a bread shop, a kava bar, market area, Police Station, several accommodations and an International Airport. When Shawn and Ally went ashore on the 12^th, although there were lots of people around with various stalls selling carvings, clothes and food, they didn’t see any events happening and there seemed to be nowhere they could find a schedule of events and so they went to the Bread Shop for a great local lunch. It was a scorching day with no breeze and so after returning to Imagination, they went snorkelling on some reef between two smaller island towards the edge of the anchorage in order to cool down a little…although the thought of crocodiles was never far from Ally’s mind lol. Once again, our crew spent time ashore at the bar of Agnes Gateway hotel, watching the comings and goings from the waterside area. At 08.00 the next morning we were on our way to our next destination. It was another beautiful, still day and going through the narrow 100 metre wide channel between Diamond Narrows and Noro ( the Port of Entry on this island) was absolutely gorgeous. The water was crystal clear and it was amazing to see coral reef along the edge that dropped of sharply to create the 50ft+ deep passage and we got hello’s, waves and smiles from the people living modestly at the waters edge…..simply stunning. Because of the lack of wind, which has been the case for most of the time since the cyclone passed through, we had to motor for 5 hours over glass like water to Kolombangara Island and Kape Harbour. This is a very tranquil, lush lagoon and very soon after we anchored Michael spotted a small croc lurking on the perimeter and we watched for a while as he meandered along and disappeared. Shawn, Ally, Claudia and Michael went ashore in the dinghy to a very small settlement to say hi and to ask if anyone could tell us where the bat caves were that we had heard about. We were told be the ladies there that they were outside of the lagoon and along the coast a little and so they said they would ask one of the men to come and see us to talk about them guiding us…but noone came. We returned to the boat and later on, while Ally and Maree remained on board, the others went to another home in a different area where they met Robert who went with them to show the remains of some Japanese anti-aircraft guns and 155 guns. Robert came with us all ( Maree stayed onboard again) the following day to show us to the bat cave area which was a 10 minute dinghy ride away. We met and spoke to a family that had just settled off the beach there over the last year and they had already made a very lovely home for themselves. We were escorted to the caves which were a 5 minute walk away, by several guys and small boys. We were told that they believed the Japanese had used the caves as a camp as there was ammo and the remains of shoes lying around. Claudia remained outside and as soon as the rest of us were passing through the entrance, we had bats flying at us as they made their escape from the disturbance. They were so close we could feel the breeze of their wings as they flew past our faces and arms. They were only small, but the caves were huge and as we got a little deeper in, we also saw larger fruit bats. We thought we could hear water running, but when a torch was shone upwards, we saw hundreds of bats flying around – it was this collective sound we could hear! After lunch, having been reassured the crocs don’t leave the lagoon, we all went snorkelling on a reef outside the lagoon and saw 3 sharks between us, many Crown of Thorns starfish and Pink Anemonefish.

Gizo Island was our next destination on the 15^th and we all went ashore to look around, do a little shopping and organise some diving. We had read and heard that Gizo was a great place to visit, but think they must have been talking about the Gizo area in general which is quite pretty, because for us, the town wasn’t as pleasant as Munda. It was busy ( but Friday seems to be market day in the islands), dirty and didn’t seem as friendly, not that anyone was unfriendly. Again, we were told provisioning is better here, but the shops are still tiny with many things behind counters so you have to ask for what you want. I guess theft is a big problem here due to poverty. All the shops sell the same stuff, which isn’t necessarily what us foreigners are after , but then we are very spoiled. The anchorage is ok, but is busy with small speed boats zipping backwards and forwards and we had also read theft could be a problem so everything was taken in overnight, just in case, although we didn’t seem to have any issues and noone heard anything untoward overnight. On the 16^th, we moved Imagination to Imagination Island where we snorkelled twice on two different areas of pretty reef in shallow, clear, warm water and we found Orange Anemonefish for the first time ( as you can tell, Ally has become quite taken with these little fellas and gets very excited when finding a species she hasn’t seen before!). We moved again on the 17^th, to Mbangabanga Island where everyone but Ally went snorkelling before all but Michael went to the guestless Fatboys Resort for beer and lunch before motoring back to Gizo. The 18^th was Monday and Shawn, Michael and Claudia were picked up by the dive boat at 09.00 to take them off for their 2 dives. It was a full day for them which consisted of a great wreck dive ( Toa Maru), a BBQ lunch and then another dive called Central Station. They didn’t get back to Imagination until around 17.30 and in the meantime, Maree had found a ride to take her to Sanbis Resort for a few hours back on Mbangabanga Island and Ally enjoyed quiet time onboard.

Thursday 19^th started with refuelling as we were unsure how easy this would be back in Munda by the time we got back there due to Christmas, the weekend and crew leaving. This meant Claudia and Michael went with Shawn in the dinghy with all the jerry cans, across to the fuel dock where it was a long process of syphoning fuel out of one container to pour into the jerry cans. In the meantime, they had cheeky ice-cream!! Making the most of the time, Ally did some cleaning in the saloon and downstairs until the others got back and we then motored to the pretty Olosana Island. Maree and Michael swam ashore to see if it would be a suitable place for a BBQ. Ally spent the next morning making bread rolls and coleslaw ready to take ashore for a mid afternoon burger. Maree stayed onboard whilst the rest of us went ashore, found a spot for a fire and relaxed in the warm water, floating, snorkelling, drinking beer etc. It was a very pleasant, chilled time and we returned to Imagination at around 5pm. It wasn’t long before another yacht, Tengah, anchored nearby and the Captain, Scott came across and stayed for a few hours whilst his partner Mie remained onboard making calls and working. We were on the move again the following morning and on approaching the lagoon near Nusa Ghana Island, we had a large pod of dolphins swimming calmly through the flat waters and they popped up every now and then throughout the rest of the day. Before getting to the anchorage, we came across a number of buoys in a row with two fishermen in a boat a distance away. We weren’t sure if the buoys had rope or fishing line between them so didn’t want to cross, so headed toward the fishermen who also motored towards us. We came side by side and they waved and said hello and told us we could cross through the buoys safely, but we were all completely distracted by the fact that they had two large Tiger sharks sat in the boat with them, one still alive! After anchoring just off of the reef, the rest of the day was spent relaxing and Michael went for a snorkel. He reported that the coral immediately behind us was pretty much dead, probably due to cyclone damage/storm surge and so the following morning, we all went to the outer reef. The reef here was wonderful, teaming with life of all varieties and another new Anemonefish was spotted by Ally – the White-Bonnet Anemonefish as well as the regularly seen Clark’s Anemonefish, but this family was living within a gorgeous purple anemone! Ally stayed on board for the rest of the day, but the others went for another snorkel in yet another very pretty area. We really have seen some of the prettiest and healthiest reefs in both Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, but the warmer water in the Solomon Islands as well as the presence of Clownfish, gives the Solomons first place on the leader board!

We were back in Munda on the 23^rd where Ally and Shawn did a little bit of reprovisioning for next month ( as shopping day will fall on New Years Day). Claudia, Michael and Maree returned to the bar at Agnes, as they did again on the 24^th to cool down after an active, very hot morning cleaning cabins and the cockpit. Shawn dropped them all ashore at 09.30 on Christmas morning, Maree to fly back to Australia and Claudia and Michael to go to their accommodation. Ally and Shawn spent the day catching up with friends and family and had a wonderful Roast Lamb dinner complete with roast veggies, mint sauce, stuffing and mince sauce….weird combo, but it was very lovely lol. From the 26^th to the 31^st, Ally and Shawn spent time doing provisioning ( in numerous trips) which included a visit to Noro that entailed a bus ride reminiscent of the Caribbean – everyone crammed in, chicks in the back chirping away, everyone saying “morning”, pretty scenery, scary driving and some not very pleasant smells!! It was great to find a store that sold mostly Aldi products….kinda made Ally a little homesick ( more than usual, that is). Noro is a port of entry, but as it’s only a very small town, it’s not attractive and so when we had bought what we needed, we returned to Munda. As well as spending time on prepping for next month, blogging, cleaning, sorting stuff out and scrubbing the bottom, we also met up for a few beers with Laura and Brennen who are joining us for next months adventure. They very kindly bought a pump for the watermaker with them, which we are massively grateful for.

New Years Eve day was a busy one. Shawn finished cleaning the bottom and Ally did some food prep as well as sweeping and mopping floors, getting cabins ready and finalising this blog. Shawn caught some squid yesterday afternoon, so during one of many downpours, he fished for some more today. Not quite sure what meal he is going to create with them yet, but they have been dispatched and are in the freezer. That evening, we went ashore and had a BBQ meal before partaking in a little karaoke in the company of Claudia, Michael, Laura, Brennen and Renate before the clock struck midnight and we celebrated the arrival of 2024

Happy New Year, One and All! 🙂

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