Mr John in New Caledonia

7/31/2019 Mr John in New Caledonia

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Mr John

in

New Caledonia

2011


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We arrived in New Caledonia from Port Vila, Vanuatu on the 27 th

September 2011.

New Caledonia turned out to be a fantastic Cruising Ground; by

which I mean it has secure anchorages at intervals that do notrequire overnight sailing, there are things to see and do ashore, andthe locals are hospitable. To us, a cruising ground is a relaxing

area; we dont need deep anchorages, poor holding, or getting rolledaround. We are a small boat with no anchor winch and weve been

around enough that the thrill of crashing to windward in big seas has

worn off. So in reading my little guide, please do not be surprised if

we missed lots of great reef anchorages (and other places)mentioned in other guide books; this is just an account of what we

did (a little of what we wanted to do) and the way we saw it.Whilst New Caledonia was nice and relaxing, it was not without

problems, careful planning and attention to weather information is

important. Tides and currents can be fierce in places so it pays to

have them in your favor; then there is the bureaucracySometimes one has to choose between the regulations and the spirit

of the regulations; however at all times we are masters of ourvessels and you should consider always safety before bureaucracy!

THE FIRST REGULATION and the one that causes most pain:

Yachts arriving from overseas or departing New Caledonia can

only enter in Noumea and may not stop anywhere else within the

territorial waters of New Caledonia before clearing into Noumea:Clearance is only possible at the Visitors Wharf of Port Moselle

Marina or Port Sud.

You must fly the yellow Quarantine flag and the French courtesyflag on entering New Caledonia waters.

The yellow flag must stay aloft until after you have finished allformalities.


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That is what the official site says at the time of writing, it may besubject to change, and thus you should check this information

before you set sail.

We were told all sorts of stories about yachts getting a temporaryclearance at other ports and indeed this may have happened;however in each case the yacht had to get to Noumea within forty

eight hours or they had to fly there to make a temporary clearancebefore proceeding onwards to Noumea with a set time allowance for

the journey. None of which appealed to us!

We do not go to windward in strong headwinds!

The only exception may be to arrive with a Rally Group whereclearance is arranged for the group at another port. When we did

our trip the Island Cruising Association (ICA Web Page) weredoing a run from Port Vila to Ouvea where they were all cleared in

as a group. It was possible to join the rally for this leg but they did

need a few days of advanced notice. The main reason we did not

join them was that I was uncertain that we could even get to Ouveaand as it turned out some of the Rally boats had quite a bash getting

there. Again, the Rally date is set in advance and they have awindow for the clearance in Ouvea; if its blowing like stink you still

have to try and make it and that is not a situation we can handle in

our smaller than average cruising boat.

I should add, that all the rally boats did make it and the ones thatdelayed their departure a little had a fair trip; they all seemed of the

opinion that it was well worth it and had a great time (being legal)

in Ouvea.

We left with some of the rally boats on the second day when

conditions seemed to be improving; however, we hadnt got muchpassed Pango Point when we collected a small head in our cockpit

and were forced to bear off in such a direction that I thought wedbe lucky to make New Caledonia at all!!!.


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Actually, the first sixty miles south of Mele Bay are well known tobe a washing machine and in anything more than light trades most

boats get a rough ride here; We were fortunate that the weather

continued to improve for the rest of the trip, not that this by chance;wed been carefully monitoring WWW.PASSAGEWEATHER.comand had sorted out a suitable weather window (it just hadnt

moderated quite as fast as predicted).

We left Vanuatu for Noumea with the intention of getting there as

soon as practicable bearing in mind the weather conditions, hazards

to navigation and the safety of our vessel. In the spirit of theregulations, on arrival in New Caledonia waters we hoisted our Q

flag, made no attempt to go ashore until cleared and retained allgarbage on board. At every safe opportunity, we made best possible

progress towards Noumea.

Having said the above, we also kept as low a profile as we could

and took into consideration that the Clearance Officers in Noumeawould look at our departure clearance from Port Vila and ask

questions were our passage to be exceptionally long; as it was wetook almost a week and they didnt seem too worried about it.

Our main aim on leaving Vanuatu was to get to the coast of New

Caledonia just as fast and as comfortably as we could, before theweather decided to change against us. We left on a good forecast

with conditions improving but that means little out here so I figured

that once we had gained the coast, we would move on just as muchas the weather allowed but if it went sour wed hole up until there

was another break. The plan worked well and we had fair weather

on the coast which allowed us to day sail towards Noumea withouthardship. It would be unsafe to sail this coast at night (though it is

well marked and well charted) so we moved between safeanchorages during daylight; it was regrettable that we could not

linger as most of the anchorages were delightful (and empty!).


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Before we left, I programmed into my GPS all the things that wewanted to avoid and all the Passes that we could use to get through

the reef on arrival, then we just kept her going as far south as the

conditions would allow

The optimal track would have been nice however we had little

chance on pointing it and the actual track is shown. In the end we

had two nights at sea and on the third day, in failing winds wemotored for the coast entering the reef at Passe de Touper and

coming to anchor off Ile Nemou in Port Bouquet; 279 out of Vila atan average of 4.83kts.

It was a very easy arrival in beautiful weather conditions


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GETTING THERE


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Once you get on the coast and inside the reef, there are plenty of

good anchorages with short runs between. Even in a fresh Trade

Wind, a well found cruising boat could beat south inside the reef

without encountering big seas; there is nice clear water, plenty ofnavigational aids (well marked) and its all well charted. Personally,

I might crash a short leg or two but in general Id wait forconditions we could handle in one of the many anchorages. If you

do the Rally and clear at Ouvea, you have the advantage of being

able to cruise this entire coast and take your time over it It is a

beautiful coast with few boats, great cruising and plenty of walksashore IF YOU ARE LEGALLY CLEARED IN.

Doing what we did, worked out good as a sampler but in retrospect

it would have been far more relaxing and we would have seen muchmore had we joined the Rally..and as it turned out, I would

probably have made it to Ouvea in time to be cleared with the rest

of the boats. The Rally had been scheduled to go from Ouvea roundthe north end to Noumea, doing it anticlockwise They didnt do

that in the end and probably made a good choice as all the localguides say its a tough beat or motor to get down the West Coast.

The protection of the reef on the East Coast cannot be overstated.


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ARRIVAL ON THE EAST COAST

The most northern pass that I looked at was Passe de Canala, there

are several good passes further north if you should be unlucky

enough not to make it here however we should hope conditions arenot that bad!!!

This pass is well marked and once inside it should be an easy reachacross to Baie Laugier which is so well marked Id consider it asdoable at night; its only about seven miles from the pass to the

anchorage.


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A little more secure (from almost any direction) is Port Mackau,which is on a more southerly heading and a little further from Passe

de Canala. It is a little more difficult to get into and less well

marked; however it would be a good place to hang out if theweather was turning foul.

This area is very quiet and it is unlikely you would be bothered

here; there is some fishing and the friendly fishermen wave as theygo by but unless you actually go out of your way to visit one of the

small villages / towns, the whole coast is all yours. It is a great and

unfrequented cruising ground for anyone who shuns the crowds.

Being this far north and not yet being Cleared, would mean that

you have quite some distance to do to get around to Noumea in areasonable amount of time, so if you get anything like decent

weather you should be using most of the day to make progress.Leaving any of the bays in the morning will have the sun in your

face as you move out and conversely, as you arrive in the evening


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the sun sets early behind the steep hills so whilst it is not in youreyes, there is a sudden darkness that can make reef spotting more

difficult. As it is so well charted, this should not be a problem,

however it would be best not to get in too close in the anchorages.

There are plenty of passes that you can use to get through the reef

into the eastern lagoon and if you are Cleared, there are plentymore anchorages off / near small towns and villages. In writing this

I have assumed that you are not cleared and like we did, are trying

to get to Noumea without coming foul of the regulations. Thus you

will be looking for a pass that gives access to a quiet anchorageand when you move down the coast, you will be looking for quiet

overnight anchorages. I really dont think the authorities expectyou to move when there is insufficient light and it is unsafe to sail

through the reefs, so out of normal working hours, if you are

anchored you will probably not be bothered; during the day, when

you are underway towards Noumea (with you Q flag flying at all

times!), no one is likely to stop you. My advice however, is to notpush your luck and to keep moving every day you can, under nocircumstances launch a dinghy or try to go ashore; because you

dont see anyone does not mean there is no one watching!

The next good entrance to the south is Passe Toupeti and this is the

one we entered at. We passed close to Ouvea and found ourselves

with little wind about thirty miles off the reef, the coast is quitemountainous and was in full view so we motor-sailed the rest of the

way thus saving ourselves a third night at sea. The pass is deep andwide, the electronic charts were spot on all the way in and we had

no problem coming to anchor offIle Nemou in Port Bouquet. Thewater was clear and the anchorage was calm, the little island was

invitingly attractive and it looked like there was information ashore

regarding the park area, which regretfully we could not visit.


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Our anchorage position was: 21 40.445S 166 22.888E (16 sand)

Well protected in normal trades, anchor where indicated.


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As you can see, this is a huge area and there is quite a selection of

available anchorages with protection available from almost anywind direction; Whilst we were here, we saw only one small fishing

boat in the distance, otherwise it was quiet.

One thing we did note was the absence of the Pacific swell, the

various reefs take most of that away, leaving nice calm anchoragesin normal conditions, though we suspect that if the trades are

developed there will be some wave action that gets into the less


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protected bays. If you look closely at the above picture, you can see

the swell getting in however there are plenty of anchorages withinthe bay that will remain flat in almost any conditions.

On leaving here we had not gone a

great distance before catching alarge Spanish mackerel; there

seems to be no shortage of fish on

this coast. BEWARE however, thisfish was way too big..it turned

out that this whole area has

ciguatera and we came close togetting caught..The fish tasted

great but we noticed some tinglingsensations in our extremities over

the following days!!!


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The next good anchorage south is Baie de Kouakque and wed had

this in mind had we been able to point south enough to make Passe

de Kouakque as it would have been a short clear reach across to

this easily accessible bay once into the lagoon.

On the way down to

the head of the bay,there is a small wharf

and a couple of houses,

this area is private and

you should just go intothe SE bay until you

get 20 to 30 feet; goingin too far would bring

you to coral whereas at

twenty feet and more

its all mud.

During developed trade winds, it can get a little gusty as the wind

funnels through the valley however the holding is good.


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Just a short distance further south and also accessible from Passe de

Kouakque is Baie de Quinne

This bay has several good anchorages, we chose it as our wind had

become onshore easterly during the day and offshore westerly at

night (we were still enjoying a nice long weather window).As the sun vanished behind the mountains, we felt our way into the

northern bay anchoring first in Position: 21 57.802S 166 42.176EThis was not a great

success as it was thick withcoral and I didnt want any

delays with an earlymorning departure, so we

shifted to the NW arm andfound it much better,

anchored in mud and sand

just short of a few coral

patches in Position : 21 57.801S 166 41.887E.


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In the Southeast extremity of Baie de Quinne is Cap Tonnedu

and whilst we did not stop here we sailed close and checked it out. It

looked like a good spot for Southeast Winds although in developed

conditions a little swell might make it around the headland; it iscertainly more convenient and less of a detour than having to go

right into Baie Quinne, which you would have to do in SEly winds.

Had the winds been in the SE for us, we would have come here to

anchor and missed Baie de Quinne ..

Moving south from here the next reasonable passage through the

reef is at Passe de Yate which is right across from the inlet and

small harbour of Yate; a beautiful and more remote part of New

Caledonia. If you are cleared in already then this port offers a good

secure anchorage and access to some lovely walking trails. We had

light winds going passed here and without proper clearance, weelected to push on. However I include some details in case you stop.


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Yate is a secure anchorage in

anything other than an easterly; it

is easy to get into and once there,

you can explore some of the bestwalking trails and some of the

nicest areas of New Caledonia.

There is a small store and basic

provisions can be obtained.


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South of Baie de Quinne and in the area of Yate

you have to have good regard for the state of tide

and current flow.. There are strong currents in

Passe Havannah and when opposed by a fresh

trade wind, it can get rather lumpy!!!!!

A few miles south of Yate

we picked up some currentas the tide was ebbing south,

however a breeze came upfrom ahead and this caused

quite lumpy conditions for usto motor-sail into. We

hugged the shore all the waydown the coast.

At Touaourou there was a

bay formed by the reef and itlooked quite a nice spot to

anchor.however we pushed on


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Its time to mention the tide; especially as we are approaching Passe

de Havannah, where most yachts (aiming for Noumea) from out of

the Pacific will have to transit.

This is what the US Pilot has to say:

5.1 TidesCurrents.New Caledonia is nearly surrounded bya barrier reef at about sea level with narrow openings; its coasts and

anchorages are affected only by the tidal current. Outside the barrier

reef the main oceanic currents are encountered, but close to the reef

these become unpredictable.

Within the barrier reef the tidal currents are moderately regular,though they are accelerated or retarded by a strong breeze. Theflood current runs NW and the ebb SE. On the E coast, during

strong SE winds, the ebb current runs out through the passes and the

flood sets in.

5.1 During 50 per cent of the flood and 50 per cent of the ebb, thecurrents are setting in directions almost at right angles to each other

at the entrances of Canal de la Havannah and Passe de la Sarcelle.The result is violent eddies and a heavy breaking sea across the

entrance of each passage, rendering it difficult to steer a ship except

at high speed. At springs, the currents run at the rate of 4 knots

through each passage and 2 knots in the offing.The velocity of the tidal currents in Canal de la Havannah and

Passe de la Sarcelle is high, and the S subtropical current impinging

on this area renders the currents in these passages the strongest andmost irregular in the vicinity of New Caledonia.

To cut a long story short; that means its a nasty area, particularly if

you dont get the tide in your favour!!!

Arriving from the east with a fresh Trade Wind astern and meeting

the full force of an ebb tide in the Passe de Havannah will be sure toleave you with a long lasting impression of New Caledonia!


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Regarding Canal de la Havannah, the Pilot goes on to say:

.The flood current sets SW, and the ebb NE; they have a velocity

of 3 to 5 knots. The flood is established about 1 hour before LW,

and the ebb about 1 hour before HW. About the time of the changeof tide, there are violent eddies, and caution should be exercised.

Great care should be taken in approaching Canal de la Havannah.

Strong and variable tidal currents may be encountered

setting NW towards Banc du Vandegou (2220'S., 16703'E.) orSE towards Recif Komekame, where several wrecks have occurred.

When there is a strong NE wind during ebb current, the sea is often

very heavy in the entrance to Canal de la Havannah. It sometimeshappens that the current eddies, extremely violent and constantly

shifting, make the sea very rough and choppy, and give the reefs

between New Caledonia and Ile des Pins an unbroken appearance.Small vessels and boats should then wait for the flood current before

navigating the E part of Canal de la Havannah.

The flood current is stronger on the N side of Recif Ioro, and

the ebb current is stronger on the S side.

5.8

Thus. I worked out when LW was going to be at the Goro Light

and aimed to be there for Low Water, we would have the current

with us going south down the coast and when we turned the corner

at the bottom the current would already be running SW down the

Canal de la Havannah.. Nice plan, didnt quite work!!!!!

We did have the current with us headed south but when we roundedthe Goro Light, through the Passe de Havannah, it was firmly

against us and we had to hug the reef edge to make progress (mind

you, we were a little early). It took us an hour and a half to make it

down to Port Boise (just over 4), however as we arrived there thecurrent had all but stopped.

Thus, I tend to think that the Flood in the Canal de la Havannah isestablished about 35 min after LW at Noumea, after which the

current is setting to the SW through the Canal de la Havannah.


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This is of course splitting hairs, it did all happen within an hour of

LW and with the vagrancies of the tides round this area it may just

have been an anomaly for us..If in doubt, go with the Pilot Book

and if you see a big tide race up ahead as you approach, stand offuntil it subsides.

If, like us, you return to the South Coast after clearing in Noumea,

you will appreciate the strong ebb to take you through Canal

Woodin and back to Baie du Prony.

We had a good look at Port Goro as we passed by, couldnt see

many cruising boats going there as there is no real shelter from the

SE Trades and at HW there would be some wave action.HOWEVER, just south of the western entrance to Goro we came

quite close across a pod of WHALES; all having a great time, so

keep a lookout and you may also get lucky!

It was for us, running late into the afternoon and we decided thatPort Boise would be a good anchorage for the night. Safety

declared that we were not going to continue in the dark!


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The South

Coast

Port Boise

Anchor Posn:22 21.220S 166 57.197E / 166 57.177E (2nd time).

We visited Port Boise twice and on both occasions were able to

anchor in the bay as shown due to the normal Trade Wind doing

something other than normal..which goes to show that there are

regular breaks and with patience, there is no need to crash to

windward whilst exploring New Caledonia..we never did!


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We never had wind from the SE whilst in Port Boise, conventional

wisdom says you can anchor up in the north end when it goes east

of south; it may work for a bigger boat than us if you dont mind

anchoring in forty feet of water. There is a (National Parks) Walkover on the NE side of the bay, we didnt get to do it but the details

are available from the Tourist Office in Noumea.

The trip up the river in the SW corner was well worth while, we

were impressed with the amount of wild life we saw, the total

silence and the overhanging tree branches..a very recommendablelittle outing. The little river that came out in the centre of the bay

was not so great but could be explored at greater depth if done either

side of HW.

Entry to Port Boise was certainly well marked (so that the Pilot

Boat can operate night and day). The Pilot Boat has an anchor light

whilst on his mooring and would be a good aid to anchoring should

you arrive in the dark.


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Out of interest.. we left here at 0630, three hours after LW in

Noumea, once clear of the bay we picked up the strong flood tide

which zipped us through Canal Woodin and on to Noumea where

we arrived six hours later (36 miles), quite a good average for asmall boat like ourselves under power.. we had flat calm for

most of the journey and would have appreciated some SE Trades to

push us along, I would normally have waited for wind however we

still had to get cleared in and we could not justify further delay.

Besides, it was a Friday and we just had to get cleared before theweekend.

Although we went to Noumea before coming back this way, Ill

continue to lay out the ports in the direction of Noumea

Baie de Prony


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From Port Boise to Baie de Prony is only about five miles however,

which ever way you are going it does help to have that current

running in your favour. A point to note here is that the reef Recif de

Prony goes out a long way and the marker on its western extremityBonne Anse.B. du Prony seems to stick out quite some way south

of where you would expect it; this because of the lay of the land.

Beware the Reef!!

Once inside Baie de Prony it can be a fair distance to find your first

anchorage.this is a BIG bay! It is however well marked and you

would have to try quite hard to come to grief.I guess it is laid outfor the French Charter Boats that come down from Noumea (where

they also have a Moorings operation).

Did I ever mention. where there is a Moorings Operation

there is a Cruising Ground.a nice place where even an idiot

could sail in a carefree fashion.

In saying this, Im not knocking the Moorings.. They do pick

good locations.


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The most used part of Baie Du Prony is the Eastern Arm, Bonne

Anse (Baie Est). It has numerous bays and there is protectionavailable from any direction of wind; it is however most protected

from the South East Trades and when they are honking this is areally good place to hang out. There is something for everyone.

Divers can hang out behind the reef at the western end and there is

some good snorkelling (safe for the kids) a little further east.

The Windsurfers and Kite-boarders would also love the westernpart. There is a special hole for one boat (or two that dont mind

being close) where you could literally have a bay to yourself.

We went further east as we like to walk.. well, I like to walk andPaula likes to walk on the flat.She does however like great

views but these unfortunately always seem to come at the price of

altitude. I was not number one popular when this track startedoff in much the same direction as a space shuttle launch; however

the views were well worth the effort ( but to capture it all with the

camera you should plan one visit in the morning and one late

afternoon.


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Our next destination was Rade du Nord where we anchored to the

SW of the river which wed come to see. The bay is quite shallow

and there is no need to go right in. There is a mooring which I (now)

think is put there by the Parks Authority for the yachts touse.without knowing much about the mooring, I avoided it and

went in a little closer before dropping my hook. it was probably a

little too close as when sounding around at LW the next morning I

discovered an isolated coral head about a foot below my rudder. I

guess it is best to use the mooring or anchor close by it!We had a great little river trip, once Id dragged the dinghy over the

shallow bar. we didnt take the outboard and didnt need it. Therewas a nice stretch of river and a small waterfall at its head with a

fresh water pool where you could take a soak and cool off.We didnt venture far up river but it looked like you could walk up

to the bridge where the road to the Mine crosses.


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The River trip .

Calm anchorages abound in Baie de Prony


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Rade de lOust.. The western arm is not that used as the ESE

Trade Wind normally blows right in making it uncomfortable (or

worse). There are some tracks ashore (which we did not do) and

yachts generally wait for light conditions before trying this out. Weused it when a fresh westerly came in and for this it was perfect.

The pilot books all stated that it was deep..and it was when we

tried to anchor where they suggested; there were a few bigger yachts

already in the anchorage but after two attempts of anchoring close

by them I worked up the courage to go in and explore the bay. Itwas mainly mud (we didnt see any coral) and it shelved quite

steeply on the southern side and the shallower water was plainlyvisible. We ended up in sixteen feet with good holding and there

was plenty of room for more boats around us.


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The Carenage is well thought of as one of the local Cyclone

Holes, in my opinion, you would have to be careful here in a

cyclone as we got some heavy downdrafts in just normal conditions!

Another problem is that there are areas of rock and coral where aboat could rapidly come to grief should she be parted from her

anchors. When choosing a Cyclone Hole (given the choice) Id look

for somewhere in the mud or the mangroves as in Cat 4 or above,

unless you have almost zero fetch, the chances are you will drag!!!!

This is however a great place to hang out and a great place to relax

and should not be missed; there are walks and 4x4 trails as much asanyone could withstand. and there are some nice views along the

way. It is a rugged beauty. but we liked it!!!!


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The Eastern Arm.

Our anchorage Position: 22 18.137S 166 51.372E.This put us somewhere around where the cat is in the photo; wherethe small boat is beyond the cat it starts to shallow up rapidly

although there is deep water ahead of her towards the mangroves. Itis on that southern side, close along the mangroves, that the channel

lies for taking your dinghy up river to explore; be warned however,

once you are around the corner and up a little more, it gets shallow

and youll have to watch your prop!

The dinghy

dock soon

comes into view

but there are

shallow areas

even before thedock


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When using the dinghy dock a stern anchor or weight may help

keep the dinghy afloat.more often than not you have the whole

place to yourself and its really quite nice.

The dock and the FW pool are nice provisions; the Parks people in

New Caledonia have gone to quite some trouble making good

facilities and well marked trails and we were suitably impressed.

They have most of the information on whats available in English

and French however we noted that you are much better informedif you have some command of the French Language.

We found that walking / hiking here was much more relaxing than

in places such as Vanuatu and Fiji; here you can just wander offdown any old track and no one will bother you, we liked the terrain

also, we never returned to the boat covered in bites and we always

got a photographic view somewhere along the way


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You can carry on some way above the jetty (although there is a

walk from there) and tie your dinghy to the bank on west side justbefore the waterfall..not much of a Falls but a rock blockage to

the river that produces some nice deep pools where many of theyachties go for a dip / cool off.

It is particularly nice

for when you returnafter a long (and

often dusty) walk.

There are severalways you can walk

from here but the

best is a three hourhike up to a small

lake.. Just follow

the trail (its a 4x4

all the way).


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The Western Arm

The Western Arm was also a good anchorage the shallows are quite

easy to see as water visibility is generally good; just be aware thatyou can get breezes from any direction here regardless of what thetrade wind is doing outside There is a little bit of a problem finding

a place to leave the dinghy whilst ashore so you should payattention to the tide, especially if away for some time. There are

several walks at this end of the Carenage and more exploring

available in the dinghy..Another delightful and relaxing spot to

spend a few days!

This is typical of the

4x4 tracks that criss-

cross this area. Note

the damage caused

by the heavy rains of

the previous cycloneseason


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lilot Casy

We passed this island on our way north to the Carenage and I

counted the moorings (national park moorings); now Ive lost the

information but I think there were eight in the western bay and twomore on the north coast (all subject to change anyway!).

Ipicked up the leaflet below from the tourist office in Noumea, they

have these handy leaflets on most of the walks (free).


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There are lots of walks here, most of them short as it is only a

small island; we did a few until rain stopped play..The thing I

remember most however was this fantastic Lab/Retriever Cross that

welcomed us on arrival, then dived off the dock head first in searchof a fish hed seen swimming by. He led us around the island on

our walk but lost interest when we stopped too often to take

pictures.


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There is much more to Baie de Prony than what we saw and

reported, you could easily spend a month up here in very relaxed

sailing conditions however, there are no provisions, water or fuel

available and youd have to make a day-sail back to Noumea if youneeded to stock up.

One sticking point that bugs a few people is the lovely red mud

that holds you so firmly in place. it also firmly attaches itself to

your gear and leaves some impressive deck stains that will remind

you of your visit for some time to come.There were a couple of bays on the western shores that we would

have liked to visit where they have more trails and even an exhibitdemonstrating some of the history of the bay. The French had

several Penal Colonies around the bay and the ruins still remain. Atfirst there was logging and much of early Noumea was built from

trees felled in this area. Mining followed with the discovery ofNickel and the prospectors arrived, most of the equipment was

shipped in and the ore shipped out. Mining is still in full swing over

on the eastern shores where there is a deep water terminal (bestavoided).

Old mine workings are visible all over the place and one has tomarvel at the ingenuity of these early miners and the dexterity of the

shipmasters that brought

sailing vessels (then

steamships) into this bayand delivered cargoes

from here all over theworld.

The old ore loading

dock of Port Gouin


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The Trip between B de Prony and Noumea is

generally much better than the trip going the other wayThe

ESE Trade Wind funnels through Canal Woodin then swings to the

SSE as it runs northwards up the coast. On both sides of NewCaledonia you get the land effect as it heats up during the day and

cools at night. Early morning the winds are generally at their

lightest and in the afternoon they tend to honk and take a slightly

more onshore slant. Once the sun goes down the wind eases back

down, often resulting in a morning calm; which, if you simplyhave to get to windward, is a good time to get out there and motor

like crazy!Fortunately, New Caledonia has lots of bays, islands and small

headlands to hide behind when the going gets tough.

From Ilot Casy (well inside B. de Prony) to Port Moselle Marina

was thirty miles and in general you can sail all the way. It is

however advantageous to catch the fresh flood tide to give you a

good push through Canal Woodin and onwards towards Noumea.

On route there are several places that you can duck in for shelter,

however we never had the need.


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Baie Ire in Canal Woodin, we saw several boats in here on the

occasions when we went passed, however the Pilots and charts

indicate it is deep.(we dont do deep) and there seemed little on

shore were you able to get ashore. A quite place to relax though andthe swimming could well be good. During developed trades there

could be some bullets and you would have to be certain of not

dragging off into deeper water.

Baie Ue provides shelter from the Trade Wind however a small

swell can work its way into the bay hitting you on the beam and

causing rolling. The time that most boats cruise here coincides with

the winter storms in the South Tasman Sea and anywhere exposedto the south can cop the swell which eventually works its way north.

Baie Uie is more sheltered and more often used, by working well

inside the swell can be avoided.

There is a nice river to explore with the dinghy (up in the NE

corner) and some walking can be found for the adventurous.The bottom shelves easily and is muddy clay (good holding).


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Baie Ngo faces almost south however, for some reason it is

generally unaffected by swell although if the wind goes to the south

it can blow in.. In which case there is a hook in the SW corner

you can shelter behind. There are disused wharfs on both sides andplenty of old mines around walks can be found that lead into the

interior and further old mining operations. Beware of going too far

past the second wharf as there is some coral towards the head of the

bay.

Ilot Maitre is a big hang out for the locals from Noumea and at

weekends you can see a forest of masts anchored off the island.

There must be something good here to see but Id wait till all thelocals were at work..

There are plenty more places I have not mentioned along this

stretch; going north with a fair wind you are unlikely to need any of

them but having cleared in at Noumea and headed for the SouthCoast, they could help break up the journey.

I should point out however, that we went from Noumea back to Baie

de Prony with twenty knots from astern, and having also got the tideright, had a faster trip than going north! This situation does happenand if you watch for it coming, you can save yourself a lot of

crashing to windward.

When you first sight Noumea, the high rise Hotels and all thetrappings of modern civilization, you realize that your Pacificadventure is coming to a close. From here on westwards, things are

going to be very different for a while, not that its going to getbetterjust that it will be different!


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NOUMEA..

First lets get to Port Moselle and get Cleared In


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What looks like a barrage down the centre of Port Moselle is NOT.

They have a row of Piles and you can comfortably pass between

them at any point.

The Q dock and the place they (normally) keep berths for visiting

cruising yachts is the furthest one away from the entry. Contact theMarina on VHF for berthing instructions before arrival, you can also

send an ETA and request a berth by E-mail once you are throughCanal Woodin and have a good idea of arrival time.

Being up in the corner, the dock is quite sheltered and they have a

great dock team that will show you in and take lines (during normal

hours!). The people in the office were extremely helpful throughoutour visit and any problems, you should check with them first.


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The score on arrival..

You get a berth and get tied up

The skipper and only the skipper takes the ships papers to the

Marina office and fills in a load of forms.Skipper returns to boat and awaits the arrival of Quarantine /Agg &

Fish who will come down and inspect the boat. they will also do

most of the Clearance formalities.

The Customs will have been informed by the Marina and they May

or May Not come down to visit BUT, you have to give them threehours to do what they want to do before anyone can go ashore.

(They did show up for us almost three hours after arrival but by thenwed completely washed down, filled up with water, dried out and

got all the awnings up..so no time was wasted. You may just wantto sit in your cockpit and have a quiet beer!).

Clearance cost nothing and all the officials were most courteous and

friendly.

If the customs do a no show, hoist down the Q flag and go see theOffice again, they will have your remaining paper faxed in and youare good to go ashore!

I assume that the above is also the case if you go to Port du Sud

PORT MOSELLE:

[email protected]

ph.(687)277197 fax (687)277129

VHF 67 Port Moselle

PORT DU SUD:

[email protected]

ph.(687)274777 fax (687)274666


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You may have to anchor..

Sometimes they have no room on the dock, especially if you are a

large Cat.. In this case you will be instructed to anchor and

youll have to use your dinghy to pick up the officialsAnchoring however is another problem, all the space allocated toanchoring has been taken by locals with moorings so you have to

really hunt round to find a spot to drop the hook.

Being small and of shallow draft we were able to squeeze in and

anchor on numerous occasions.West Bay de Moselle: 22 16.605S 166 25.645E (14feet sand/mud)

When we returned again here, one of the locals offered us a mooring

close by for a couple of days.they are a good crowd here!Just outside the Marina : 22 16.827S 166 26.024E (12feet sand)

B.de LOrphelinat: 22 17.231S 166 26.407E (8feet sand/mud) thiswas for two nights whilst the Trades blew 25/30 at times!


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As you can see, Noumea is full of boats, the Marinas are full, the

mooring areas are full; cruising boats passing through are expectedto use the Marinas (where there is space) or make do. It is aninteresting town with plenty to see; there is a nice colonial feel to

the place. The modern tourist area is to the south along thebeaches of Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons and there is a good bus

service between there and the city centre.

I got the impression that the City Centre had seen better days and

that maybe the struggling economy in Europe had turned off muchof the funding that was keeping this place chic

Still, its a great place to visit, the Marina was actually quite cheapcompared with Australian prices, the Markets had plenty of good

produce and whilst it was expensive compared with say Fiji, we

didnt have the quality problems, there was less waste.

There are a couple of Ship Chandlers and several Haul OutFacilities in the Noumea area, everything to help the average

cruising yacht pass through without problem.


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Clearing Out..

The Marina will give you a little map and instructions on how to

clear out when you arrive.

Clearing out is much like clearing in, no problem and everyone

most helpful..

Again, it is up to you how you play it; the officials will be quiteflexible but only to a point. We cleared with great intentions but

then the wind increased and shrieked through Baie de lOrphelinat

so we remained until it seemed safe enough to leave.

If the weather does a major change on you, do not hesitate to goback and see them. they are quite reasonable about these things.


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North of Noumea..


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See also next photo.


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See following photos


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There are lots more anchorages I have not mentioned and you could

cruise just this area, on the west coast, for many months. Much of

New Caledonia, both ashore and in the lagoons, is a nature reserve

and protected. Unfortunately I was unable to find any informationon local regulations that were in English however a Guide du

Lagoon et des Marees is widely available if you can translate. In

the meantime we should follow common sense and not anchor

anywhere on the corals. Moorings are available at many of the

better reefs and they have lots of small yellow buoys markingprotected areas.

From Noumea there are more than a dozen anchorages that canday-sailed to and several more where you could go for an

overnight. The local weather forecasts are quite good and you canplan to have easy sailing where ever you want to go.

We were very impressed with the water clarity all around NewCaledoniaWriting this from a cruisers point of view, having just

left the Whitsundays and now in the middle of Australias Great

Barrier Reef; the waters here are not a patch on New Caledonia, infact, New Caledonia may well be the last clear water you see beforeyou reach Asia. Make the best of frolicking in the water when you

are there because you wont be in it much over here; its murky,unappealing and full of things that can kill you!

On the subject of Clear Water, well move on to some of the Jewelsof New Caledonia, they are some of the offshore islands. For a

charter boat they can be difficult to reach, being some distance towindward of Noumea; however the normal cruising boat, with the

benefit of more time in hand, the passages can be made with fair

breezes in both directions or even motored in calms All of

which do occur if you have a little patience, watch the forecasts onwww.passageweather.com and be prepared to move when

conditions are right.


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Llle des Pins Isle of Pines

Getting There

The best plan is to get onto Baie de Prony and start exploring there

whilst watching the weather; leave for Isle of Pines when theweather is right and then return to Baie de Prony to finish it off

when you have had your fill of the southern lagoon.

As can be seen, the trip to the Isle of Pines is a dead beat to

windward when the trades are blowing so if you really want to getthere your choices are limited.

Have patience and wait for a shift in the wind.Leave early, hoping for a long morning calm and motor like crazy.

Bash and crash into a strong head wind and lumpy sea.

Some of the Charter Boats dont even wait for calm; they just floorthe throttle and motor into it, leaping out of the water over every

wave. So it all depends on your comfort level..

Anchor to Anchor its about 43 miles B.de Prony to Kuto


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Having arrived in Baie de Kuto, which you could do right through

to twilight without any problem and in the dark if you have some

experience of this; it is well lighted and the electronic charts are

good..Many people do arrive after dark as when motoring into thesea coming down, their expected (hopeful) six knots becomes four!!

The only problems are the two coral heads in the SE corner (but one

of them is in so close to the beach that you should not be thereanyway) and the number of boats without Anchor Lights

Whatever, give the ferry dock a wide berth.

Another regulationWhen I spoke with the local Police, it was made clear to me that, at

night, all yachts were expected to anchor in either B.de Kuto or Bde Kanumera. You can do day trips to almost anywhere but this was

where they expected you at night.

Of course, very few people pay any attention to that, probably

because they dont know anything about it and to be honest you

may want to forget this yourself however, if you get a boat

coming over to move you on from where ever you are, smile, plead

stupidity and comply.If you dont do this, you will miss a lot of this area that you would

really like to see.

It is not unusual for large groups of yachts to be anchored off, and

in the vicinity of, Gadji. Ile Menore is a favourite anchorage for

many (although there are some that will tell you horror stories ofpoor holding and dragging in the night!). If in doubt, hire cars are

available and they will get you to most places without the worry ofhaving to take your boat. Please be aware that the wind tends to

shriek around this beautiful island an awful lot of the time, it may

not be quite so romantic but take the car, youll see more!!!


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Baie de Kuto gets quite a few boats in at times but there is plenty of

room for all. If you get the chance to move into the SE corner some

more, it is best to do so.

The beautiful white sand beach is often empty, it gets a few peopleon it at weekends and when the ferry is in.. We never suffered

from Mosquitoes or sand flies and used to sit out and watch thebeautiful sunsets every evening (for almost a month!)


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There is a tap at the head of the dinghy dock but it has not worked

for some years..

They dont want you to block off

the head of the dock as they pick uphotel guests here with the launches.

Best use a stern anchor and moveyour dinghy down some ways.

Trying to get Wi Fi from

the Hotel Kou-Bugny

We contracted for amonth with a company

in Noumea the PortMoselle staff will clue

you up on that if you ask

them when you check in.


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There is some very pretty walking and driving ashore.Taking a

day (or longer) to get around the island is most rewarding.

Take the walk up to

Pic Nga, the highest

peak. From here you

can see all the wayback to the mainland

and there are somereally stunning

views


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The other Jewels are in the Loyalty Islands and in the Northern

Lagoon.. Unfortunately we missed them (and left them for you to

explore).

For us that was about it.. We would have liked to spend moretime and looking back now, I wish we had!

There is a whole world of cruising at the northern end of New

Caledonia that very few yachts ever get to cruise and the bays Ididnt mention on the East Coast are numerous. Still, the thing about

cruising is to leave places that make you want to go back..Maybe

next time around. We really enjoyed our stay and we hope you do

to.

We left Noumea on the Port to Port, departing on 8 th Nov. It was a

little lumpy for the first day out but the rest of the passage went very

well. It was 828 miles to Bundaberg and we averaged 135

miles/day on a twenty-seven foot waterline.

Exit was taken through Passe Dumbea, which was an easy

downwind sail from the harbour.

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Mr John in New Caledonia

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