CRUISING NEW CALEDONIA
 |
| DOMINO and the CNC Fleet in Lifou |
January 11, 2017 - Whangarei, NZ
It’s been months since I’ve posted any report on this blog. Last you heard from me, we were through with cruising, were going to become landlubber again, spend time with the grandchildren, and—of course— sell DOMINO.
Six months have past and DOMINO is still looking for a new owner. Meanwhile, what can we do? Not abandon her in a marina, that would be too sad. The only thing we can do is keep on cruising, taking more time off the boat to satisfy our family needs, and… eventually… bring the boat back to the North American continent.
As a first installment on that new plan, we spent the last few months cruising New Caledonia, then back to New Zealand for a haul-out and some small improvements (I keep some surprises under my vest!)
Six months have past and DOMINO is still looking for a new owner. Meanwhile, what can we do? Not abandon her in a marina, that would be too sad. The only thing we can do is keep on cruising, taking more time off the boat to satisfy our family needs, and… eventually… bring the boat back to the North American continent.
As a first installment on that new plan, we spent the last few months cruising New Caledonia, then back to New Zealand for a haul-out and some small improvements (I keep some surprises under my vest!)
 |
| The New Cal coast is dotted with Columnar Pines |
NEW CALEDONIA — Well, I didn’t expect much, really. I had heard of muddy waters, rivers, nothing very positive. But what a surprise! NEW CAL is one of the best cruising and fishing grounds we’ve experienced, pristine lagoons and an extensive and stunningly varied reef system. Yes, we did circumnavigate the “Caillou” , discovered The Loyalty Islands, and had a great time at it.
(Fixing lunch during crossing, JP asleep, no problem!)
NOUMEA— We left Fiji in late September, not willing to arrive too early in New Cal: October is spring time, when the air gets warmer and the water starts feeling good. What a lovely ride we had, winds staying below 5 Kts, absolutely glassy seas until we arrived within 20 NM of the ‘Caillou.” (70 hours for 700 NM, nice and easy!)
 |
| Noumea: No easy anchorage, packed marina, full mooring fields. |
We arrived Noumea with 15kts @WSW, smack dab amid hundreds of boats of all sizes! “Whoa! Those Caledonians really love their boats,” we thought, while hundreds of people lined the shore to watch a dozen yachts duking it out. Suddenly, the Committee boat was on us, pushing us out of the way. For sure! I turned around, and there was GROUPAMA barreling down on us! “OH! This is the “Round New Cal” race,” we realized, a race in which our friend Claude on “MOEMITI” was participating. Yup! Clumsy as we are, we had stumbled on the start of the biggest yacht race in the country. What a sight (and DEFINITELY NOT the time to snap pictures)! To appease the irate on-lookers, I innocently raised our “Q” flag and admitted to be a very "ignoRrrrant damn-ed AmeRrrrican."
NOUMEA ANCHORAGE AND ENTRY PROCESS - The main problems for visiting yachts are the lack of berth at Port Moselle (the main marina), the non-existence of a “Q” dock, the difficulty to find any anchorage available.
 |
| If you don't want to pay for the dinghy dock at Port Moselle Marina, you can dock in town, in front of the market and watch the fishermen unload their catch |
 |
| Spiny lobster: $24/lb |
Baie de l’Orphelinat offers a bit more room and less scrutiny from the harbormaster, yet, at the height of the season, it’s a struggle to find any room.
Baie des Citrons is a large bay, and there is plenty of room. But it is rolly and is very noisy as the shore is lined with bars and night clubs and the locals anchor in that bay to party. In a pinch, though, it’s a life-saver.
 |
| Another lovely sunset! |
Upon exiting the country, repeat the process (minus phyto-sanitaire) but don’t forget to visit the harbormaster office for final clearance… and a gorgeous view on the entire port of Noumea!
On shore, Le Bout du Monde is a must: coffee, lunch or dinner, this is THE rendez-vous for cruisers… and whom did we find there, but none other than our “Consuegro,” (our co-in-law), Michel, who is a world-traveler in his own right. His son and JP’s daughter must think that their dads are of another breed, the “Pied Leve” kind.
We caught up on a few movies (“L’ODYSSEE,” Cousteau’s story: we liked), shopped for French stuff (Croissants, cheese), splurged at the produce market (oh, those olives!) and were itching to go to sea again. Three days on shore were enough for us!
Where to now? The Loyalty Islands!
 |
| New Caledonia + Fiji Cowries |
dominomarie