s/v Field Trip

It is amazing how industrious and patient the people of the Luf village are! Frieda and Nancy have been working to get a restaurant up and running on their tiny piece of paradise since a few years ago when Tom and Susie on SV Adina passed through here and made the suggestion. News spread among the cruiser community and the following year, Sara and Phil on SV Loch Marin contributed a beautiful set of plates and utensils to the culinary cause. By the time we arrived, a year later, the Seabreeze Restaurant (named by Phil) was ready for customers! I loved seeing such a culmination of efforts and resources between the cruisers and the islanders bring new opportunities. Sunset restaurant on water Frieda and Nancy had outdone themselves! I’m sure it was an all-day affair to cook the buffet of local fare that graced our table that afternoon - taro, fried fish, fish cooking in coconut milk, rice, fresh fruit, and even a sweet treat! One of my personal favorites was the ‘pudding’ ...

By the second day, the kids were getting along well with the Luf kids.  Shyness on both sides had subsided and the play began.  All along the beach were these perfectly round nuts that had fallen from a towering tree.  Soon enough, they were transformed into bombs and slung at each other in a full-on nut war.  I’m sure the parents who had just swept the yards were less than thrilled for the bombardment of the nuts they’d just gotten rid of, but no one seemed too bothered, so play continued.  This was typical boy play - why is it so easy for boys to just pick up anything off the ground, make a game, and become best buddies?  Elizabeth, being a twelve-year-old, took a bit more time to find some way to connect.  Often, she ends up tagging along with me until she finds that one girl who reaches out to her and invites her to play.  We each have to figure out our own way of interacting, and sometimes it just takes a bit more time.  Sometimes we n...

Luff Island Village As we’ve traveled, there have been a few places that become legendary in the cruiser circles.  For some reason or another, a location would be mentioned over and over by various cruisers, making it a “must stop” in our own plans. Luf Island in the Hermit Island Group is one of those such places.  Every time I emailed a friend who’d already sailed through PNG or read a cruising blog about this country, Luf Island village was always mentioned as a highlight. That’s a lot to live up to! Getting there was a slow slog.  We left New Hanover when all of our weather prediction models promised wind enough to sail.  SO, of course that meant that there was absolutely zero wind for the entire first day and a half!  It would be months before we’d be in a place to refuel, so Mark was going nuts, trying as many sail configurations as he could think of to catch even the slightest puff of breeze.  Finally, we decided just to take advantage of...

Clem’s Place - Just west of Kaveing at Three Islands Harbor (Dunung Island) Japanease armed freighter wreck and Mini-Submarine, both attacked and sunk by US bombers during WWII. Side Note - Before anchoring here, we stopped at Tsoi-Lik Island just southeast of here. They requested a $100 Kina anchoring fee.  Mark and Matt agreed the fee was crazy for one night, so, we raised the anchor and sailed onto Clem’s place instead! No anchoring fee, just $5 Kina per dive. This wasn’t a spot where we’d planned to stop, but while we were in Kaveing at Nusa Island Resort, the guy there said we couldn’t miss the wreck dive here. Chance to explore another wreck? Why not? The day we arrived, Paul canoed out to greet us and led us through the reef to meet Clement at his surf eco resort on the other side of the island. He and his wife Sylvia sat down with us for an hour or so, telling us all about how the place got started and how the meager amount of clientel that came Google Superyacht e...

The people of the Sunkiin Village were a lively bunch. It was obvious from their jubilant welcome that few boats anchor in their bay. These are the spots we love to find! Within moments of dropping the hook, we were greeted by young men and boys in dugout canoes, inviting us to come visit. There was an unmarked channel through the reef, so we asked one of the guys to hop in our dinghy and guide us in. On shore, Chief Linus (pronounced Lee-noos) greeted us with a warm smile while a small crowd surrounded us - curious and shy. One woman, Agnes, however, was not shy at all, and rather gave us all a good laugh when she would boldly speak to us in her broken English and then step back and cover her mouth with her hands, embarrassed. She was quite the personality, at one point nonchalantly walking around with a parrot perched on top of her head! Very few others were brave enough to speak to us, so it was a bit awkward to walk around surrounded by a giggling gaggle of people watching ...

The landscaping and cleanliness of this village were immaculate! Absolutely one of the more beautiful villages we’ve ever walked through. The array of plants that they have growing here is abundant and diverse. Walking along the sandy paths, I wonder how on earth they can get so many varieties to grow here! Everyone greets us kindly as we are led through the small village by some of the community officials. They are proud of their village, and I appreciate how much community effort must go into keeping it looking so pristine. As usual, I ask if we can please see the school and perhaps meet some of the teachers there. The school grounds are fantastic. A vast, flat playing field sits right in between the teacher’s housing and the classrooms. On the far end, palm trees line the beach in a single row, lined up like students ready for school to begin. We meet the head teacher and right away, he is eager to collaborate on some lessons. So, we set a time to meet the very next day with a...

One of the biggest concerns we had when leaving Vanuatu and heading to the Solomons was security.  We’d heard stories about items being stolen from the deck of boats in various locations, including some reports of items being stolen from inside the vessel.  These reports created a sense of unease as we planned our voyage NW to Asia. After living 8 months in the Solomons and four months in Papua New Guinea, I thought I would share some general thoughts for future sailors heading this way. There are three general categories of theft: Opportunistic ‘Grab and Go’ - Generally this consists of items stolen off the deck of boat left in plain sight and unsecured.  This includes snorkels, masks, clothes drying on line, fishing rods, etc.  This can occur at anytime, but usually at night while the crew is sleeping.
 Forced entry - Breaking a lock and stealing something that is secured on the vessel.
  This usually occurs when the owners are not onboard. Viol...

By: Michael Silverstein Kids playing 'Cat and Mouse' on the beach I loved playing with the locals in the Mortlock islands.  They are so kind and fun, I would never want to leave (except if I had to go to school😉).  My favorite friend was a boy my age named Mulani.  There was also (weirdly enough) Tarzan!!!!  (Not the Tarzan, of course, just a boy called Tarzan!).  We buried Mulani and Tarzan helped. When Mulani finally got out of the sand, we were already playing cat and mouse, which is when all the kids hold hands in a circle. Then you select a person to be the cat, and one to be the mouse.  The mouse starts in the circle, while the cat stays outside.  The cat tries to break into the circle to get the mouse.  The 'circle' can let the mouse out/in if the cat is out/in with him. It goes on until the mouse is touched by the cat. After a few rounds I have to go back to the boat for lunch, but I say, "I'll come back!"  It was like that f...

By: Elizabeth Silverstien              (Based on true events.) PROLOGUE:  Mom broke out the horrible news one day before it was going to happen, "I've talked with the teachers and they said we can read and help to the class throughout the week! Just think of all we can do!" 'NOOO!!!' I screamed inside my head. I looked over at Michael and our eyes met. It looked like all the life and energy was slowly draining from his face. 'At least I'm not the only one dreading this.' "Now go pick a book that you would like to read to the classes", she instructed. "Classes?! More than one class?" I questioned Mom.
 "Oh, quit your belly aching. There's only four classes." School assembly prior to classes beginning Chapter 1: Remember  As we went into shore, Mom went over what we were going to do, "Make sure to remember my rules. Do you both remember them?" When we were just about to answer, mom blurte...