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Behind the front lay the southwest winds we had hoped to sit out in the Loyalties. Now
tacking was on the menu as
Namani
inched toward a dawn arrival at Havannah Pass. The
current there can reach four knots, so our timing was good for slack tide - with a little
help from the iron genny. And once through - poof! - the slamming and grinding ceased;
forward motion was no longer hard work but a pleasure. Having arrived on a Friday, we
anchored in the quiet Bay of Prony for a little R&R before continuing on to Noumea for a
Monday clear-in.
Suddenly, we were in a completely different world. Having ducked under the curtain of
clouds that cluster over Vanuatu, we emerged into a sunny new universe on the other side.
Gone were the gray-blues of Vanuatu and the open ocean; this world was a startling aquar-
ium of turquoise and pale blues. The lush, green heights of Vanuatu were replaced with
the weeping red earth tones of New Caledonia. These testify to the island's rich mineral
deposits, as well as man's greed in harvesting them. The tranquility and third-world charm
of Vanuatu were behind us; we were back in France and a somewhat less endearing ver-
sion of civilization. But New Caledonia's lagoon was a thing of wonder, and we were
thrilled to spend several happy weeks exploring its reefs and sandy cays.
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