Blog Posting from Vanuatu via Ham Radio (hence no photos)

We have spent this week in a lovely anchorage just off the island of Anieityum, which is the southernmost island in the Vanuatu Archipelago. Fortunately, it is an all weather anchorage which has served us well this past week, as every day (except one) has been stormy, overcast and blowing in excess of 25 knots.
I was just so happy to drop anchor that the unsettled weather hasn't bothered me a bit. After arriving we waited on our boat for the customs officer to come out and clear us in to the country. Richard was super relaxed and the whole process was a breeze.

After we were "free" to explore we headed in to the village, which sits on a horseshoe shaped beach. The villagers are very shy and when they speak, they almost whisper. However, they are very friendly and if we initiate a conversation, they are happy to speak with us. The village is very remote and there are virtually no services here at all. They grow their own food and rely on a once-monthly freighter to bring them supplies. This took place while we were here and it took literally two days to unload the freighter since there is only one small boat for transferring the goods. The villagers then line up on the beach and manually take the boxes to the various families.

We brought school supplies for both the elementary school and the high school and we were warmly received. The kids are active, healthy and happy, as are their parents. There is no employment in the village, so they all work together to build houses, grow crops, fish, make soccer fields, etc. There are always daily soccer games going on in the afternoon.

A short dinghy ride away is the uninhabited island called Mystery Island. The villagers believe it is haunted with ghosts so will not even spend a night there. It is an amazing island that is about 2 miles in circumference with a sandy beach surrounding it and sandy paths throughout to meander on. Peter & I walked all around it (and snorkeled) and we felt like Robinson Crusoe as we were the only ones on the island. It has a grass airstrip that is used twice a week from Port Villa, the capital. There is only one guest house on Anieityum, so most of the plane traffic is for government officials to go back and forth. Currently the guest house is accommodating 12 student archeologists from Australia who are digging up the foundations from the old mission structures. So far they have found pottery that dates back over 2,000 years. Very interesting to talk to them and watch the little kids helping them "dig".

Mystery Island is popular cruise destination and this past week Carnival Cruises originating in Sydney stopped in for a day visit. Luckily for them, it was the one gorgeous day we had, so they had a great time. Today a P & O cruise ship was supposed to spend the day but because the weather was so bad, they just cruised on by - which is too bad for the locals who set up markets, photo opportunities, etc. This tourism revenue is the only "cash" source that the villagers have.

Our friends Glenda and Eddy from Helena caught up with us here, and kindly gave us one of the three fish they caught on the way over. Glenda was also quite sea-sick on the passage, so although not great for her, it made me feel a little better.

We had hoped to move on today, but the weather isn't cooperating. With sailing, you have to be very flexible as the sea deserves your respect. We are heading off to a Kava bar (supposedly much more potent than in Fiji) this afternoon with Eddy and Glenda (where we will drink a cup or two to celebrate our friend Joe DaPonte's birthday).

We will be out of internet range for another week or two. I'm enjoying being unplugged! Until next Friday….carpe diem!