The Western Pacific - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 413

New Caledonia
Namani set off for New Caledonia in early September, guts wrenching not only at the
thought of what we'd be missing in Vanuatu, but also at the rough seas. Twenty knots on a
close reach and sloppy seas do not a pleasant passage make, short though it may be at 330
miles. We consoled ourselves with the knowledge that our heading of 192° from Efate still
beat the grittier 182° from Luganville to New Caledonia. When the weather didn't develop
quite as expected, we found ourselves right in the path of a messy frontal passage, marked
by a rather (ahem) exciting night of lightning. With the wind on the nose at our arrival at
Havannah Pass, Namani - all thirty-five feet, six tons, and thirty-five horsepower of her -
chugged slowly in toward her destination.
If the passage left much to be desired in terms of comfort, New Caledonia surpassed all ex-
pectations. Our memories will forever be saturated with the aquamarine hues of the incred-
ible lagoon, where we claimed many a lovely anchorage for ourselves. For two months, we
savored idyllic, short-distance sailing from tiny, uninhabited islet to islet, not to mention
plenty of water playtime - drinking our fill, so to speak, before heading on to the crocodile,
shark, and jellyfish-infested waters of Australia. Often, we felt as remote as we've ever
been, despite being within a day's sail of Noumea. We were also delighted to find sailing
friends, old and new, in New Caledonia - and set about a full schedule of dinner parties and
beach outings with up to six kids.
Throughout the month of October, we had our eyes open for a weather window west.
Without an intermediary stopping point along our 865-mile route, we wanted a good, stable
window on which to depart. Our chance came on October ninth, when we slipped the pub-
lic mooring at Ile Amedee, waved goodbye to the historic lighthouse, and headed out
Boulari Pass for the Coral Sea.