Having a blast (literally) in the Loyalty Islands and Vanuatu
As happy as two people standing a foot away from a 1,000 foot drop into a live volcano can be! As loyal readers remember, L'ORIENT pulled into Scarborough, Australia for a what was to be a five month refit in November. After a ton of work and kilo-dollars of expense we left "Oz" about two months late in the season for our four month "test drive" of the new L'ORIENT. Destination: New Caledonia. Mariners going back hundreds of years have carefully recorded the routes and best times to come and go across the oceans. As we were forced to ignore this because of vendor delays, we've paid for it with rough passages. Generally speaking, 30 knot winds and 10-12 foot seas has been the rule vs. the exception. Not being fond of huge conditions, we've gritted our teeth and trekked on. After our time in Ile des Pins (isle of Pines, for you French-challenged folks), the Loyalty Islands beckoned. Lifou and Ouvea. The problem with the Loyalty Islands is that during t...