Pacific Islands - Adrian Davis

Cruising areasAmerican Samoa, Palau, Philippines
Adrian Davis reports from Puerto Galera:

SHANELLE had been left in the care of Raiatea Carenage for the cyclone season following our cruise last year from Jolly Harbour, Antigua.

We found her very ‘moist and mildewy’, but after a week’s hard work she was ready to continue westwards, leaving on Friday, 21st September via Passe Rautoanui.

We had purchased enough fuel/cans to double our range, because the forecast was not encouraging for a fast passage to Pago Pago. However, we covered 450 miles in the first four days, so our tails were up – soon to be dashed though, because the next 450 miles took nearly a week and that only by dint of many hours’ motoring.

Two days out we sighted Isle Manuae, otherwise known as Scilly Island, and, because we hail from The Isles of Scilly, we had to make a photo record, even though we were some miles off.

We reached Pago Pago in the evening after a slow passage of 11 days and after some running repairs to our whisker poles and restocking the larder etc, we pushed on, because we had arranged to pick up further crew in Apia.

For once we had wind for the passage between the two Samoas, so had to loiter through the night. Nevertheless, though we reached the reef-bound entrance before dark, the heavens opened in a tropical squall that cut visibility to a few yards, just as we were to experience a few weeks later on reaching Palau.

On reaching the harbour, we were directed to a very new and safe marina, which was a total surprise, but made picking up our new crew easy and is a short walk from Aggie Gray’s Hotel – even in the dark and after the odd jar.

Our new crew member, Alan, had to be back at work in a month, so we had to press on. However, the trade winds had clearly departed for the year and we had a slow, squally passage to Tikopia.

We had read Peter and Katharine Ingram’s account of their visit in 2003 and our expectations were if anything exceeded. The island has evolved a lifestyle unchanged in many ways for generations, but despite its isolation, or perhaps aided by it, it’s a vibrant, happy and healthy community. We left reluctantly, but much wiser.

Five days later, we arrived at Honiara, a poor harbour for the capital of the Solomons where we found signs of much poverty.

On 9th November we left for the Florida Isles, some 20 miles away, but after 90 minutes’ motoring, hit some underwater object that reduced our speed to 2kn with intense vibration.

There are no haul out facilities for several hundred miles, so with heavy hearts we carried on to the Sesape Boat Works at Tulaghi, where our pilot book said there might be help.

We arrived in the dark, anchoring in 22m some 30-40ft from the quay, realising in daylight that we were right over a Japanese WWII wreck.

It was now Saturday and the yard looked derelict, but a passing native canoeist kindly informed us that come Monday we were second in the queue for help. With that news, my stalwart crew donned mask and snorkel and removed a large bag of very western type female clothing from around our prop shaft, so we were on our way again.

On 12th we crossed Munda bar and anchored off the Wharf, a safe and scenic place. We visited the school where the children were having a celebration of their heritage, parading their various tribal dresses. We also visited the hospital, our guide being the lab technician from whom we had purchased some excellent carvings to add to our collection started in Tikopia.

Gizo was our next destination, which we reached via the tranquil Snake pass, a calm and fascinating trip leading to the eastern entrance to the second town of the Solomons via Hathorn Sound.

We left Gizo on the 18th intending to visit some of the islands to the east of New Ireland. but after a slow start on 22nd the wind picked up and we suffered 20-30kn touching 35kn on the nose for three days with the usual frequent squalls in between.

We approached Lihir Island when it moderated, but decided to push on when we saw the extent of the mining operations and the associated shipping and industrialisation. Smoke from the thermals added to the chimney smoke gave a dismal look to the harbour.

Kavieng was a total contrast and we spent a relaxed week there, though our arrival in the dark was far from relaxed, mainly due to the vagaries of C-Map.

Palau is almost 1200 miles from Kavieng, so we left on 4th December to be there for Christmas. With 120 miles to go, we were running in 20-25kn of wind, so elected to use the western entrance, but on rounding the island had the worst weather yet – 35+kn squalls – so had another night at sea and an anxious beat back to catch the tide. We found the gap in the reef with the help of a local dive boat, the markers being invisible with the sun in our eyes, though with hindsight we found C-Map to be spot on this time. The inside passage is well marked, but another heavy downpour held us up just as we entered Malakal harbour.

Palau has stunning scenery and is a diver’s paradise. It has a similarity to the Galapagos islands with unique wildlife and much ‘eco pressure’. We snorkelled some of the dive sites on a guided tour and I doubt we missed much. We came away with memories that will last.

After a sober holiday, we went to the Philippine Embassy for our visas and gained three shipwrecked Filipino fishermen for the leg to Tacloban. After some initial trepidation (they were worried that Shanelle would fall over with her tall mast and no outriggers; all the Philippine bankas are ‘trimarans’ with bamboo outriggers) they were soon a great asset, getting the MPS in and out of it’s sock with gusto, so that we made a fast trip to Tacloban, first city of Leyte.

Here we had an amazing reception from all the ‘authorities’. When they found out that we had given a ride to three of the 22 wrecked fishermen they just could not do enough for us. We were taken on sightseeing tours in their official cars, entertained to lunch, dinner and tea by senior Customs officers and the Port Manager. When we asked the senior acting Pilot for advice about timing etc for passing the tricky San Juanico Strait, he insisted on taking us through, which was just as well, because we had the now usual tropical downpour just as we reached the narrows at the north end, cutting visibility down to a few yards.

From San Juanico we cruised through the Visayas, calling at Maripipi Island, Sibuyan and Romblon before reaching Puerto Galera where we are tidying up the boat and varnishing etc prior to the last hop to Hong Kong and Shanelle’s new home.