Bonjour all!
We just arrived at Ile des Pins, or the Isle of Pines, which is about 70 miles east/southeast of Noumea. It was so named by Captain Cook because of the of Norfolk Island pines scattered about the island. As advertised, it is quite beautiful, and noticeably absent are the scars on the land from the mining that are so common on Grand Terre, the main island of New Caledonia.
We split the trip into two leisurly day sails. There are numerous reefs to negotiate and it is safest to travel in areas such as this between 10 am and 2 pm, when the sun is high and the visibility good so that we can more easily spot the reefs.
The weather was squally all day, and the wind shifty, between 5 and 25 knots. We did manage to sail about a quarter of the way.
We are having a good fishing season so far. Today we caught two. The first was a 20 pound barracuda, which we traded in on a 20 pound wahoo which came to us about 15 minutes later. It was a great swap, as wahoo is our favorite. The freezer is full and we are on a steady diet of fish once again. I’ve not heard any complaints from MaiTai.
Well, between sailing all day, filleting the wahoo and changing the oil in the main engine, I am smelling pretty ripe. It’s time for a shower!