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08/30/2006: "Chaotic Harmony Solomon Islands"

It has been a long time between entries. No pics with this one as I am sitting in an internet cafe in Honiara and the web is a tad slow. What follows is an update on the adventures of Chaotic Harmony and crew

We spent a month in the Louisiades islands, far eastern Papua New Guinea. The islands are very isolated and off most trading routes. As a result life is very much subsistence - surviving hand to mouth. The cruising yachts are a source of trade and the locals are not interested in money - mainly clothing. The outermost islands rarely see a yacht and clothing is optional or, through necessity, grass.

The crossing from Cairns was rough. It has been a very windy winter season and after three nights we laid for the duchateau islands for a welcome rest. The cat handled the reach well although the two cats - Tuska and Matilda - throught otherwise. It took them about four days to get their sea legs.

In the Louisiades we dived on a Japanese Zero, toured villages, socialised with other cruising yachties and attempted to keep the kids schoolwork somehow up to date. Baden managed to score a bay crossing of some 6 miles on a ten metre dugout sailing canoe. We visited the island that makes them - and on enquiring the price of one I was told either 15 pigs or ten necklaces. The islanders sail everywhere in outrigger canoes. As we crossed to the Russel group at one stage there was 20 visible sails - I thought it was a regatta but was probably just another day at the office for the locals.

Chaotic Harmony then attempted to cross to the Rennel Islands. We got about two thirds of the way and were hit with strong easterly winds and confused seas. We deferred to comfort and turned north. The wind swung with us! We turned North west and ran down to Gizo, Solomon Islands.

We have been in the Solomons for a month and are loving it. Again, very much a subsistence culture but with pockets of wealth from logging and some commercial activity with handicrafts. We scuba dived on the Kasi Maru - a 700 tonne Japanese supply ship that still carried very large and very live bombs aboard. The islands are very dense tropical jungle and riddled with war relics - large guns, landing barges, ammunition scattered on beaches (even after sixty years!). The headhunting days are past but the remains persist - on one small island we saw over 60 heads - one cache holding about 20 skulls demonstrating the power of the local chief warrior.

In Morovo Lagoon we spent a week in a carving centre. Baden, Estelle and Fletcher caught the carving bug and we now have a boat covered with shavings... We traded for carvings and the boat suddenly got lighter as the excess supplies were swapped for shaped wood. Catherine had 'John Wayne' - a famous carver at Telina - make a 50cm ebony mermaid scuplture for her. Our south pacific beauty.
We enjoyed the 'canoeing' and the locals were always friendly and polite. When we had had enough they understood and respected our time.

Honiara is busy, dusty, noisy and a crummy anchorage. We dragged at anchor and put a small cosmetic ding on the back of one hull. Our first cruising scar. We have cleared customs here and are about to leave for Santa Cruz and then Vanuatu where I hope to do the next update.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone has sent.

People ask me where I am heading with my family. I say that we are already there. Here. Now. The trip is the destination.