Ambrym

July 10, 2007
coordinates 16.08.445S,168.07.169E

Ambrym, home to two active volcanos, Mt. Benbow and Mt. Marum. We anchored in front of the village of Ranon. The weather was with us again as we had a marvelous day sail there. Maybe just to celebrate our anniversary of 2 full years at sea, we had the luck of catching our very first wahoo. Actually we caught 2 of them, at the same time and they were each 4 ft. long. whew. Not wanting any to go to waste, we let one go and kept one for ourselves. There is enough meat on these massive creatures
to last us quite a while. Even with that, we gave half of it away to some local villagers out fishing, gave a bag away to the local harbor master Jeffrey and a bag to the Kelly's. What we had left, we feasted on for 2 or 3 days.

The weather was also on our side in terms of the anchorage. Due to the two volcanos so close to the shore, when the winds blow out of the S/SW, the air quality can become so bad with ash and fumes that we heard you may have to wear a cloth face mask in order to tolerate it. They can even have difficulties with acid rain that destroys their crops we heard. Our goal here was to head 45 mins. inland to the town of Fanla and witness the ROM Dance, exclusive only to this village. With light winds out
of the N, we would have no troubles.

Once anchored here you are immediately met by Jeffrey, the "harbor master". His house is the closest to the anchorage and he can get to you first in his outrigger, which is one reason why he got the job. Not to mention he speaks wonderful English and is quite a good will ambassador. Australia has a very significant volunteer force and had been instrumental in this community with helping them set up a visitor information center, and outlining various events and guided outtings that you can participate
in. It was here that we met Able, a kind young man who became our guide for our hike to Fanla. Enthusiastic and eager to tell us all about his island he was happy to do the talking, which was good. Our less than fit "yachty" bodies, which have spent more time sitting on boats than walking, focused on our breathing while hiked 45 mins. up through the jungle to the village of Fanla.

Vanuatu itself is famous for big and small namba dances. Namba refers to the woven pouch that fits over a males genitals, and big or small refers to how large and fancy the decorations are on that pouch. The Rom dance adds a new costume to it with men dressed from head to toe in giant costumes made of panadus leaves. It is difficult to describe except to say that they look like giant trees of sorts with intricately woven face masks that are pointy on top. Men throughout the islands go through
different "grades" as they call them. Usually by proving your strength and worth by how many pigs you can deliver. They go through different grades to reach the Rom dancer status. In the village they also did some exhibitions with playing their "tamtam" slit gong drums, bamboo flutes and sand drawings. Each act is used to call to and or appease the appropriate spirits for the occasion needed, such as a good yam harvest in December.

After the performances were through, we realized they had laid out all their hand made wood and stone carvings for us to purchase. It was difficult to decide as there were so many spectacular items to choose from. It seemed like we were encircled by the entire village while we contemplated how much money could we spend and how much room did we have on the boats to store trinkets. We would have taken it all if we could. As we chose our items, the maker and craftsman of that particular item stepped
forward. We didn't really put two and two together in the beginning that they were watching us appreciated or pass over each of their own artifacts. It broke our hearts to not take one of something from everyone. Each as deserving as the next. The joy though is getting to watch the money go directly to families and villagers that desperately need it. Especially inland, they live by such meager means, torn clothes, and barely cots on hard dirt floors for sleeping. We gladly left the village
a heavy purse and hiked our way home with fresh coconut milk to cool us on our way. It was amazing to see that as we walked out of the village, the women were already back at work, cutting more pieces of bamboo with their hack saws, in order for the men to begin carving more flutes. There is no wasted time or effort in these neck of the woods.

Once back in town, as the sky grows dark, the volcano can be seen glowing a red crown over it's crest. Impressive. We spent dinner on shore with Jeffrey as our host. We are growing quite a palate for laplap by the kerosene lantern, while sitting on woven mats on the ground. Always happy to sit and discuss each others cultures, they are generous and giving spirits.
until next time,
Lisa and the boys

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Malekula

July 7, 2007
coordinates 16.32.048S,167.46.181E

From Epi we head on towards the island of Malekula. Specifically we anchored in a small bay of the southern tip of Malekula at Awai island. We had read a story about magic rocks here that can be found by a particular tree, and if struck together at night in the dark, they create blue sparks, which in turn leads to sparks in the sky (lightning) and stormy weather. On our second day there we went in search of them and Matthew was the first to spot them. Gigantic quartz stones folded in the rocky
cliffs and mountain face. Many were just laying about on the ground. We collected our loot and were apparently bold enough to tempt fate that night, we struck them together in the dark. Low and behold, they do make sparks! Luckily for us though the winds and weather didn't turn on us, but I'd be lying if I said we didn't keep an extra ear out that night for the signs of change.

Our first encounter on the island though was a barrage of outriggers. We had grown accustom to the routine. As soon as you drop anchor they all row out to you in hopes of trading fresh fruits and veggies for clothing, smokes or whatever you may have to trade. And is custom in many of these islands, they grow their gardens on one island and row back across to live on another. So at sunset while we drop anchor they just happen to be finishing up their day tending their gardens. We weren't in need
of much so we exchanged smiles and photo ops of these creative outriggers outfitted with sails and carrying entire families. Then came our first true experience of someone trying to pull the wool over our eyes. In comes David. A local who kindly offered his goods. He had bananas, let me tell you, the only thing we never need. We politely declined, unless he had some yams or grapefruit to come back and trade later. He said he would be back at 5:30. He returned but brought only small reef fish,
dozens of them. The ones that you might find in a really nice fish tank in the doctors waiting room. Not wanting to be impolite we accepted 3 of them. He then tried to explain to us that his father was the chief of the island and it would cost us 1000 vatu's to anchor there for the night. He explained that is was not just us, but every yacht that stops here. We were instantly curious about this because we haven't heard of this anywhere before, we had already met a dozen of these locals including
David and no one made mention of it earlier. Why wait until dark and our 3rd meeting to give us this news. He said his father was the island chief and sent him to collect it. Slightly suspicious but wanting to do what it right we informed him that if this was true, we would meet with the chief personally in the morning and give him the money directly. He pitifully hung his head and said, "You don't trust me." Ahhhhh Admittedly, I (Lisa) am the biggest chump/sap/any other name you'd like to apply
there, and he was playing me like a fiddle. The Kelly's at this time were anchored a stones throw from us, so I sent him over there first to let them know of the news. Thank goodness for technology. We quickly hailed them on the radio to let them know he was coming and of his agenda. To make a long story a wee bit shorter, he gave them a slightly different story with a more demanding tone. He didn't know that you don't take those tones with Kelly girl. He even came back one more time in the
dark and brought the supposed "chief" with him. We said we would pay tomorrow in the light and that was the last we saw of them. They apparently didn't even live on this island.

Bruce and Kelly boy did make a trip to shore though to meet the real "chief" Marse. A delightful older gentleman who kept an immaculate village. He was happy to offer some fresh veggies for no trade and there was no fee for anchoring in the bay. We were free to stay as long as we liked. He even gave Bruce a beautiful nautilus shell. We couldn't accept it for free so Bruce gladly gave him the 1000 vatu's we had been holding onto for just such an occasion. In the morning as we were departing
the anchorage he rowed like a mad man to catch up to us and offered a large woven basket full of fruits and veggies. The kindness of strangers and the good in people will always prevail.
until next time,
Lisa and the boys

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Efate to Epi

With so much to see and so little time, we are on an "island hopping crusade" as Matthew puts it. Only 30 days on our visas and a new group of villagers on each island with a little different variety of culture and traditions to share. We have managed to visit 7 anchorages, 5 islands and many different experiences into the last two weeks. It is hard to chose sometimes which way to go. Luckily the winds are some help in deciding that for us and have been very favorable all along the way.

June 30, 2007
Efate, Port Vila - Really just a quick pit stop and customs check in for us. A nicely protected anchorage with all the amenities of home, surrounded by nice water side resorts. The main excitement there was the Kelly's boat getting hit in the middle of the night by an unmanned local passenger ferry boat. No damage but Kelly boy had to board this other vessel to try to move it away only to find out that they ALWAYS leave the engine running.
We did have the opportunity to connect again with a great couple that we had met in Tanna en route to the Mt. Yasur volcano, Trevor and Rhiannon from Southern California. Very adventurous spirits, here enjoying Vanuatu as much as we were. The second big event was our "Kava" experience. That could be an entire journal entry in itself, but suffice it to say, it is terribly nasty tasting. This opinion is coming from a crew that doesn't drink coffee though. As always, it is the people that you meet
that make it wonderful. Our host for the evening was Kenzie. A kind man with a small snake on his arm that caught our attention. Again we were blessed with meeting such people that have no other agenda than to share some time with and introduce you to their world. As they told us, "We have met now, now we are friends". He took us to a local nakamal (bar) of sorts. It was dark, muddy outdoors and relatively quiet as you sit under blue tarps on picnic tables in muddy dirt and listen to the kava
speak to you. (we never did hear it say very much) They did have a great string band to listen to in case you couldn't hear your kava talking to you. We also met wonderful young guy named Edmund, who is a peer counselor down at the local health clinic. He was just as excited to sit with us for the night and learn about life at home as we were to learn from him. Don't think we will try kava any time soon again but are so glad we had the chance to share it with our two new friends.

We attempted to anchor at Hideaway Island resort where we were hoping to visit the Mele-Maat water falls and mail some underwater post cards but the weather didn't cooperate. So off we sailed with 35 knots of wind and confused seas to find a more pleasant place to sleep for the night.

July 4, 2007
On to Epi in search of dugongs. A dugong is a mammal that looks nearly exactly like manatee with the exception of the tail which looks like a whale tail. We kept an eye out for them for they were known to be seen in this bay. Occasionally we caught a glimpse or two of their noses or tails as they sounded, until the last day. A calm, quiet and overcast morning left the surface of the water very smooth which made it very easy to spot these creatures. We were just about to leave the anchorage that
morning so we had already put the outboard away for the dinghy. Instead we all hopped in the dinghy and rowed out to where we last spotted them. Relatively uninterested nor afraid of us, they continued to feed in the area. Bruce and the boys quickly put on some snorkel gear and jumped in the water. In no time Tristan spotted one swimming directly under them. They swam with the dugong for just a minute or two until he decided he didn't want company anymore and swam away. You could hear the excitement
squealing up out of their snorkels and when they surfaced there were eyeballs the size of dinner plates. Very cool!
Also on Epi we had the chance to go ashore and meet Kenneth, minister of the village. He graciously gave us a full tour of his village, church, school and airport (a simple runway strip with a nice building). So full of pride and information about his island he was a wonderful host. The most dramatic difference between this village and others was the division between the houses and pieces of property. I almost looked like home with set yards and fence lines marking out beautiful jungle style
yards. They also have a boarding school in the village with a library to rival any of ours at home. It was very impressive. The children live there at the school and the tuition can be up to 1000 vatu's (approx. $10 USD) a quarter for the higher grades. The pride they show for their surrounding and the work they have accomplished is heart warming especially when you see it standing next to the meager means by which they live.
until next time,
Lisa and the boys

Vanuatu

A simply calm and boring 3 day passage from Fiji to Vanuatu found us happily in the anchorage of Port Resolution, Tanna Island, Vanuatu. We did end up motoring a bit due to the lack of wind toward the end but we'll take that trip over something breaking this time. It is amazing the difference four hundred miles can make. As far as introductions go to the Vanuatu islands, this southern island is absolutely pristine and fascinating. I will start it by saying that up to this point we had prided
ourselves on trying to learn the local language and get to know everyone by name, where ever we go. Vanuatu called us out and won. As a nation they speak over 100 languages. The island of Tanna itself speaks over 40, beyond English, French and Bislama. Thank goodness they are so kind and patient with us.

Port Resolution, Tanna, Vanuatu
coordinates 19.31.506S,169.29.788E
When we arrived we were greeted by kids in outriggers anxiously awaiting for the local supply ship to unload it's goods. The weather here is amazingly humid and of most interest to us, you can see the perpetual venting of steam around the edges of the bay from the hot springs that well up at the base of Mt. Yasur, their very active volcano. It too has it's own weather system of sorts with the continual release of large steam clouds and winds at the top of the mountain.
The four days we spent here were each an adventure in it's own right and each worth a page of writing so I will try to summarize. Walking the roads, tire tracks cut into lush grass, to find each village, a smaller community of families living together in woven huts was great fun. 20 to 30 people would live in each community, all family, surrounded by all the mango, papaya, banana, produce, etc. they need.

A local named Olsen rowed out to our boat and befriended us, trading produce for clothing and fish hooks. He even spent an entire day aboard our boat and answered every question we could come up with regarding their culture and ceremonies including their languages, he knows 27, the kastom (custom or ceremony) of Kava, the children chew the root up and spit it out, only the men are aloud to drink it, and they do, every night, magic rocks and potions, much preferred over western medicine and cannibalism
that supposedly stopped in 1969!
We were invited to a birthday party for a one year old in one of the villages and had a great afternoon sharing lap lap (a doughy substance made from bananas, yams or manioc, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked under ground with hot rocks), and snake beans, which taste much like thin strips of broccoli. We shared our stash of balloons and marbles with all the other children in the community and had a wonderful time being included in Leah's family.

Best of all was our trip up the Mt. Yasur volcano. You are only allowed to travel up the with guides when it is a level I or II and we were in luck with a level one. Truly I don't know if we would have wanted to stick around for a level II as the amount of lava we could see being spurt into the air, and the roaring sound that accompanied it was plenty exciting. Though it is plenty far away and much below the ridge we were standing on, there were moments where we would all look up and wonder if
that was the belch that may send the globs of glowing red stuff high above our heads. They actually have the only volcano post office box in the world up there as well.

Though the missionaries made their mark here long ago, and of course were then promptly eaten, Christianity is very strong here with an amazing mix of their own beliefs still held intact. The rituals for the coming of age for both boys and girls, weddings, circumcisions and funerals are alive and well. Luckily the wives are no longer strangled and placed in the grave with the chief when he dies, and for a woman it is no longer an honor to have your front 2 teeth knocked out by your husband. From
what we can tell though, each village let alone island is slightly different from the next and all the more fun to explore!

until next time,
Ata!
your crew on Ohana Kai

Erromango, Vanuatu

June 24, 2006
Dillon's Bay, Erromango, Vanuatu
18.43.401S,169.00.742E

A good day sail away from Port Resolution, Tanna Island and we were in Dillon's Bay on the east side of the island of Erromango. Named for the plenitude of mango's that grow on the island but darn it is they aren't in season. That's OK because everything else is and true with many of the islands, the locals are eager to trade for clothing, fuel and even DVD's or CD's for produce. We are even getting back into to world of grapefruits much to our delight.
We were greeted by David and Oliver in a vibrant red dugout(outrigger canoe). We would soon learn about David's friendly and entrepreneurial spirit. In many of these towns it is best to get permission before walking about the land because they do own everything are you are literally walking in their yards. David gave us the go ahead and even offered to give us the grand tour the next day. We sent them over to the Kelly's who were anchored next to us and much to David and Oliver's delight they
were soon invited aboard for their very first taste of pizza.

The village of Dillon's Bay sits along side the beautiful fresh water William River, aptly named for the missionary, John Williams who of course met the same fate as most other missionaries. Upon being killed they took his body to a rock at the edge of the river and chipped an outline of his body before they cooked and ate him. On our last day there we hunted for the rock. We think that perhaps the plaque we found now sits where the outline once stood.
David and his sons gave us a lovely tour of the town, following all the way up the river to where they grow their food and draw fresh drinking water from the river. Each family owns a plot of land that is theirs to maintain all the papaya, mango, grapefruit, coconut, bananas, manioc, yams, cassava and sandalwood they can grow. To the unknowing eye it all looked like luscious jungle to us. No fences, no marks, we asked how they know where their is. They just know of course. Down river is a peaceful
looking swimming hole and just below that is a shallowed area of river rocks where at any one time you could find villagers doing laundry together or bathing babies. Just up the hill overlooking it all was an impressive piece of property fenced off for the school grounds. The children on lunch break were eager to show us their classroom and teacher Marianne had to come and see why her students were so eager to be in their classroom on their break. They learn English in school and are soon to learn
French there as well. They are not allowed to speak Erromango or Bislama within the classroom. As always we were impressed with the material they are covering and the quality of their work. Despite this education, most Erromangans stay within the island. Few even venture up to Port Vila because they have found the cost of living there is barely outweighed by what money they may be able to make if they can find a job, especially when nearly everything they need is right there on their island.

On Erromango they only speak 4 languages and they rarely partake of the Kava. It was noticeable as many of the older men in the village looked much more bright eyed and bushy tailed. Long term Kava use must wreak some serious havoc on the liver. We met up with Chief William who welcomed us with open arms and wished us well. It was here that we began to learn again of David's hard working nature. He had been the first out to our boat and invited us to his home for a traditional dinner with his
family. First come first serve when approaching sailors it seems but you have to be careful not to step on local toes. You see, he wanted to charge us for our dining experience, fair by us since it is his food and time, but the village chief often likes to see the wealth the village brings in spread throughout the village. We seemed to make it through this one without causing too much strife, but you can see the importance on making sure you have all the information before you start committing.

We did meet back at David's home and that evening and shared a wonderful meal with his wife Rhoda and quite a few local children. Matthew and Tristan kept them giggling the entire time with silly charade games and some good ole' wrestling. The meal was delicious and we can easily say Rhoda's lap lap was the best we've tasted yet. They had even killed a pig fresh for us that day. What made the evening extra special was the importance David placed on the sharing of stories of our lives, home and
own cultures. They truly love opening their doors to meet folks like us. At the end of the evening we handed out our share of balloons again and I am afraid they may never ask us back again. Even as we rode our dinghy back to our boat, late in the evening in the dark, with the Kelly's, you could hear the never ending 6 balloon salute as the squeaky air continually leaked out of each in long wailing tunes. There are some tricks that kids just inherently know, no matter what part of the globe your
standing on.
Ata
your Ohana Kai crew

Done in Fiji

6/12/07
Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands
coordinates 17.36.029S,177.26.535E

We are all done in Fiji. We have a lovely last week. Rather relaxing time all together here which was just what we wanted. We filled our mornings with some great school work. The boys have been really motivated lately! We tried to keep the afternoons as fun as possible with swimming and wake boarding and of course, projects of one sort of another. We received our new water maker membrane and new fuel uptake valve. We even received a new hand held mic for the outside radio so we are back in
business. Unclogged a clogged head, cleaned the bottom of the boat a bit, changed the alternator again,
the list goes on.

A final field trip to the local school on Malolo Island was a fun treat. The island itself it connected to Malolo'lailai Island by reef at low tide so we had a choice. Either walk across the reef and around the island to the villages or time it just right with the dinghy to arrive around high tide. We opted, successfully, for high tide, with Kelly girl from s/v Moorea watching for depth and Laura from s/v New Dawn at the helm of her dinghy, and Lisa raising and lowering the outboard as needed
to avoid hitting the prop on coral. We didn't realize that when we met up with the head school master one day and asked if we could come for a visit we would end up being the "guests of honor" along with the villages minister. The whole school was celebrating their version of "Earth Day/Arbor Day" with oratory competitions between students, singing and a flag ceremony. All their art work and recent writing projects were hanging about on display for all to view just like at home. The theme of
the day was their environment and the protection of the resources. They are doing great work there, and head master Philipo runs a wonderfully fun and tight ship. We had the opportunity for view our first Kava ceremony.

Kava or yanoqa (aka grog), is a drink made from a local pepper plant. Although we haven't tasted it personally, we've heard it tastes like dirty water and makes your lips and tongues go numb. It is non alcoholic but we've heard different stories claiming it's tranquilizing capabilities. It is an integral part of their culture and daily lives and is passed around between the head men of the village with a bit of ceremony and lots of clapping. When entering any new village we were to brings gifts
of the kava, specially wrapped as an offering or sevu sevu the village's chief. Though we were never able to give any away either, it was still fun to witness the ceremony.

Officially checked out of the country, we are on our way to our next destination of the island of Tanna in Vanuatu.
until next time,
Lisa and the boys

Keeping ourselves busy

Bula,
We are keeping ourselves busy this week with projects. Still hunkered down in Malolo'lailai Island, one after another we are checking off items that aren't even on the list. The water pump began to act up, so that took a few days to diagnose and solve. The back head had sucked up a piece of pumice and refused to do it's job anymore. Thank goodness it was only that. We managed to break the shower nozzle on the swim step in the back. McGyver is alive and well on our boat. Next came the toys.
The wind has picked up around here so Bruce got a lot of kitesurf time in, which leads to wear and tear on equipment. Two holes in one bladder and a baton broke in two places. We are masters of tape and fiberglass.
The Kelly's on Moorea had a fun project as well. This time the master tool was a plunger. They needed a new through hole put in for their head. When you place a plunger on the underside of the boat in the water, you can actually drill new holes or in this case larger holes in your boat. We had done it a time or two before with Lawur in Mexico, so now we initiated the Kelly's into the club.
PE this week consisted of some great snorkeling and more wake boarding. We are looking forward to exploring the island of Malolo'lailai by bike today. Try out some new muscle groups and see some new sights. Last but not least we had a little visitor this morning on the swim ladder. While outside chatting we noticed a veritable aquarium developing in our backyard. We had left the plug out of the dinghy and it was half full of water. A little fish had jumped in and made it home for the evening.
Second, a beautiful black and light blue stripped sea snake coiled around the steps to rest before going on his way.
until next time
Lisa and the boys