CRUISING LOG of ANIMA
  July - August 10:
From Vanuatu to Papua New Guinea
 

On July 19th, my young crew member Thomas arrived in Luganville airport, and of course planning to leave the country on Anima, without a return ticket. The immigration officers almost sent him back immediately, and it took us a fair amount of patient negotiating to convince them about the senselessness of this local regulation ("Every visitor arriving by plane must have a return ticket"). At one point I could even avoid an answer to the officer´s question "Would you agree to pay a fine of 5000Vatu?"(ca. 50€) with logical and reasonable arguments, and after half an hour of persistent diplomatic persuasion efforts, he finally let us leave without further difficulties.

The 885 nm passage to the Louisiades would eb ANIMA´s fastest one so far, averageing 6knots and at one time surfing down a wave with 13knots peak - a truly exciting moment!

The Louisiades, a part of Papua New Guinea, east of the mainland, is a remote and very undeveloped area. There are just a few yachts out there and the people come in their dug out canoes, asking for trading goods like T-shirts, excercise books, pens, tools, fishing gear, rice, flour, sugar. It was fun to provide them with all kinds of stuff, which I dug out from my engine room. They were happy with everything.
We were amazed by the sailing canoes, the peoples only means of transportation, with which they travel between the islands, sometimes remarkable distances.

After island hopping in this region for a week, we sailed to the capital Port Moresby, which was quite a contrast to the simple and basic life in the Louisiades. Nevertheless, after being cut off from civilization for three weeks, including the passages, it was good to spend a few days at the Royal Papua Yacht Club and enjoying their facilities, before proceeding to the Torres Straits and finally leaving the Pacific Ocean...

Zu den Fotos... (untranslated, to challenge your German)

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  July ...