Day 110, Year 2: Overnight Passage from Tanna to Efate
Date: Sunday, August 12, 2007
Weather: Sunny Day; Winds ESE 15
Latitude: S 19 Degrees, 00.640 Minutes
Longitude: E 179 Degrees, 01.924 Minutes
Location: Passage to Port Vila, Efate Island, Vanuatu

We are sailing wing and wing dead downwind in winds that vary from 10 to 20 knots. Right now our speed is about 6.5 knots, but that varies with the strength of the wind. We will arrive in Port Vila in the morning and the really good thing is that we are sailing, and not motoring, and we are enjoying the easy roll north. Leaving Tanna was difficult for me. We did not have the time to do everything that I wanted, but we were very fortunuate to be able to pack most of the “must sees” into our five
days there. Cannibalism was still alive and well on Tanna not all that long ago (sometime in the early to mid 1900’s) and living where a live volcano is constantly spewing forth fire from the center of the earth must have an effect on people. It is a very special place. We were given a wonderful introduction to Vanuatu and we look forward to our trip north through the islands. As we left Port Resolution this morning, Dianna on White Swan was blowing her conch shell to wish us well. Hopefully
we will see them in a week or so further north. They are staying to savor Tanna’s wealth just a few more days. In fact, they are making a second trip to the volcano this afternoon.

Tanna is an absolutely fascinating island. It is definitely the most primitive place we have visited in the South Pacific. Outside of the West Coast towns of Lenakel and Isangel, there don’t seem to be any sea going boats other than outriggers. There are none of the village fishing boats with 50-horse Yamahas that we saw in Fiji. There are also no concrete structures, only traditional housing with thatched roofs and bamboo sides, outside of the Lenakel-Isangel area. We did not see villages with
generators, but we did see villages with big solar panels, so there is some electric power in the larger villages. The mix of Christianity (mostly Presbyterian’), the Jon Frum cargo cult, and the kastom (old custom) believers, makes for a most interesting cultural mix. We had some absolutely wonderful village experiences in Fiji, but I can see that our experiences here will just as wonderful, just very different. We were so lucky to meet the young woman, Mary, who took us to her village of Ianumei
Nisori yesterday. This was a village of only four or five homes, just one family, but it gave us a real feel for what it is like to live here. We are going to have culture shock when we arrive in Port Vila on Efate island tomorrow. Port Vila is one of the more picturesque towns in all of Oceania. It is a mix of English and French and has all of the modern services. It even has an American restaurant, Jill’s Cafe. I’m sure we will enjoy it for what it is, a hub of services, and will quickly
be on our way further north. But there is a lot of history to see in Port Vila and some wonderful excursions around the island if we have the time. We are planning on spending only three days there (including the day of arrival) and then heading to an anchorage on the north side of Efate called Havannah Harbor. Port Vila and Havannah Harbor were both US military bases during World War II and over 100,000 US soldiers passed through these ports on their way to destinations in the North Pacific.
From there we will head north to Epi. But between now and the time we leave Port Vila, I know we will gain information that will probably change our agenda for the trip north.

It is time for night watches to begin, so that means I have to shut down and go to sleep. It looks like we will be able to continue sailing wing and wing through the night, or at least that is the hope. More tomorrow from Port Vila.

070812 Day 110 Tanna, Vanuatu–Leaving Tanna Island