And it was a begging to behold. 3 long, sickening (we didn’t see deckhand Chaney for 60 of the 62hrs), rolling days putting from Cairns to Papua New Guinea put Le Vessel and crew in a sorry state for their arrival. However nothing was to stop the thrills that would unveil over the first 4 days in this wonderful and remote paradise.
With the return of the Musgrave Royals, Jethro and Marianne, the crew was at 5 strong. A relatively easy crossing of a 1-1.5m ESE swell and a 15-20 knot NE wind which was non stop over the 62 hrs, had us all incredibly tired and craving a decent meal. Arriving in to PNG waters around 7pm Monday the 3rd, we saw only faint outlines of land hidden behind shaded mist and fading light. Making slow progress to Logia Island we dropped anchor at 8 and were relieved.
Awakening the following morning was the closest I’ve ever felt to teleportation. Palm lined shores and dense tropical bushland sheltered the Village of Logia Pwata only 150m from where we lay unveiled by the large imposing sunshine. Palm huts held the unusually large gathering of locals who gathered under their roof’s and we had a feeling something was up. A traditional funeral was taking place on our first day. Watching with incredible interest from the deck the deceased was taken by long boat in a traditional coffin back to his home village and the remaining mourners were left to be together for the day before returning to their own villages that afternoon. Cptn Watson and Jnr (Watson) went on land and introduced themselves to the councillor (chief) and the crew was invited for a tour of the village and their adjacent beach for a snorkel. Sharing grifts of clothes, pencils and balls a true respect and revelation came to all as we wandered the huts and waved to the villagers. We were in as much awe of them as they were of us. Children were in abundance due to the funeral attendance and brought an unfathomable amount of joy, excitement and laughter to us as we walked to the beach. 1 adult and 2 teenagers accompanied us and the approximately 20 children over and supervised as we all swum, dove and snorkelled in the crystal water. Truly a humbling experience never to be forgotten. The rest of the afternoon involved further swims from the boat and trading with the few canoes that came to visit in to the night.
Waking early for a swim and soaking in of the surrounds (a staple in our life now) we cooked up some banana coconut pancakes using what we had received in our trades the previous day and slowly (island time) moved west along the coast of Logia Island to our next anchorage, Logia Kai and Kwoto Island. We found our anchorage (or so we thought until the tides disagreed) out front and went to meet the councillor. Didi was a welcoming man and had his friend Eskelli take us for a tour of Kwoto island. Famous in the region for its stone church built in 1941, a 360 view of the surrounding waters and islands was its ace and we could not believe its existence. A truly incredible building among the basics huts and houses it revealed to us the european influence the country has seen in the last century and the importance they place on their religion. After the tour Didi and Eskelli joined us for lunch on the boat before we were to be taken on one truly sacred walk. Eskelli had his house 500m from Logia Kai along the coast and took us to his village. Then, with the children of his village we trekked up the hill behind their houses, past their plantations and through the dense jungle. Sweating out every ounce of liquid we trudged through the vine laden jungle path to his ancestors cave in which they left the skulls of their people. Not much was said between us as a respect for these people and their past echoed through us. Thankful for his trust and sharing we wandered back to his village where he (and one very brave climbing local) gave us coconuts to drink as we walked home. With our arrival at the boat we were lucky to have it still in place as a 4-5 knot tide was sweeping the shore. With the anchor in a solid hold we took to making a game of it and begun jumping from the bow and swimming against it before being dragged to the stern for another round. Exhausted and stoked we settled in for a lazy avo and evening reflecting on what we have been doing. All this. And It had not yet been 48 hours.
Beginning with our staple we had been invited for a tour with Didi of Logia Kai but first Captn and Jnr Watson went to meet the customs officer at Samurai Island. Tying up, we asked for Felix and were walked through the seemingly deserted island (enriched with history and old buildings but now almost forgotten) to his house in town. Slightly concerned on introduction we asked for clearance and after mentioning his friend Stefan, whom we had met on Magnetic Island he couldn’t wipe off his smile and we would be back on Le Vessel that afternoon to do the formalities. Back to the boat and after some more living on island time (doing a little lazing) we went for our tour with Didi. A village of around 150 permanent locals, Logia Kai also has a primary school, yrs 3-8, with around 200 daily students from surrounding villages. With a view I don’t think we have ever seen from any school ever (one which certainly would inhibit most Aussie children’s learning abilities) it was a credit to the village as the children all pride themselves on their privilege of going to school there. A walk through the extended village lying in the foot of the dominating mountain we saw some incredible gardens and beautifully simple huts that were picked from the postcards. Saying our goodbyes and thanking the villagers with more gift bags, we were off to see Felix. After our paperwork was done and getting some good tips from Feilx about boating in the surrounding islands (and being stuck in another ferocious tide) we went back to Logia Pwata for a night before making the trek to Alotau.
Today the 7th, is a week from leaving Cairns and was the arrival in the main port of the Milne Bay province, Alotau. A 5:30 start we aimed to beat these the mischievous and troubling tides and take a fast ride through the China Straights in to the main harbour and over to Alotau. We got it wrong. Punching through another killer current we made a slow passage through and even picked up a crew of floating hitchhikers whose long boat had ‘broken down’ on the way to the Kenu and Kundu (Canoe and Drum) Festival. This Sing-Sing of the Milne Bay area is one of great importance and had the town lit up with thousands of Milne Bay people all showing off their tribal dances, produce, canoeing and sailing skills. Makeshift huts huge market areas filled and town waterfront and has another 3 days of festivities still to run. A easter-show like feeling, the people are incredibly proud of their traditions and are all heavily intrigued just as much as us dim dims (white people) in each others cultures and skills.
Sorry for the lack of images (internet dilemmas) however the imagination and expand upon my deighful adjectives (or google?).
On Sunday the 9th we aim to leave from Alotau and visit the Louisiade Islands for a 2-3 week expedition of epic epiphanies and ecstaticness, Stay posted until then.
See ya,
