24 October Blue Hole
We, Michael and Megan (M&M), went to the Blue Hole this morning by dinghy. It is a great trip following the river to the Blue Hole. There was no rain today so we spent quite some time there. In the afternoon we went snorkeling on the outside of an island next to Oyster Island. That was fun too…just a another day in paradise.
M&M
P.S. The second crew member, Tom, is on the way from Port Vila. He should arrive sometime tomorrow.
23 October Larabeck has Crew
I found crew and it looks like a fun tip to Australia is in the works. More details in the next couple days.
Thanks,
Michael
21 October sewing
Hi,
From Oyster-island, did some sewing today and made some progress on the crew search. We will see how it all will turn out. Not much sun but a bit of wind. The wind generator was helping to minimize running the genset (generator).
Bis Morgen,
Michael
19 October more in Richmond
18 Oct Vanuatu and Richmond
It is sure nice to just relax and enjoy a nice place. Today there was light rain in the morning; the rest of the day was dry and sunny .
Have a nice day.
Michael
17 October Larabeck relaxed and rainy
Michael
16 October Larabeck Landcrew Lola
15 October Oyster Island
Michael
14 October Cave Details
Hallo
Had 2 loads of laundry, went shopping, and am still looking for crew.
Here are some details on the cave. First we (a cruising couple from Australia, a resort guest named Deti from Austria, and Me) went by van to the Namble Village. From there we hiked with a guide to the Vanaspef Village. You only can reach this Village by foot (no street). In Vanaspef we had break and a briefing on the rest of the adventure. A new guide led us then to the cave (1 hour). On the way we stopped to get our face painted . Also after the face painting we received the light (LED) and a life-jacket. From there onwards, a 2nd guide carried all our bags so they would not get wet during the trip thru the cave. The next part was the cave. There was a stream going thru the cave so we had to walk in the water. Inside the cave were a lot of swallows including their nests. We spent 30 minutes walking thru the cave. The cave was long and tall the stream is slowly carving is way in to the rock. It was my first time walking thru water inside a cave, and it was lots of fun. At the exit of the cave we got our bags back and had our lunch break. After lunch the 2nd guide carried our bags back to the Vanaspef Village and we followed the river by hiking/climbing and swimming for about 75 minutes. This was even more fun and beautiful than the cave. There are lots of waterfalls feeding in to the river–just unbelievable. At the end of the trip we climbed up a waterfall and a trail led us back to the Vanasef Village. At the Village we received coffee (instant) and had time to talk about the experience. After all that, we still had to hike back to the first Village where the tour van was waiting for us to get back to front beach resort (that’s were Larabeck is anchored). It was a muddy and wet day but nevertheless we had lots of fun. You have to be somewhat fit to do this. If you ever get to Vanuatu you need to do this trip.
There will be pictures coming soon on the webpage. Most of the pictures were taken by Deti from Austria with his waterproof camera. Many thanks to Deti ( I am not sure his name is spelled right, I am sorry) for sharing the photos of our adventure.
alles gute,
Michael
13 October crew change
Hi everybody,
There were a lot of things going on today; the details of cave and river trip will come soon, and with pictures, so get ready.
Crew change. Today we went to Customs and Immigration to take Mari of the crew list. Mari and I have decided that we spent a lot time together and need a change. There are no bad feelings, it’s just time to move on.
Mari is flying back to Fiji and I will sail in north Vanuatu till the end of the month. Then I’ll sail the Larabeck to Bundaberg, Australia via the north end of New Caledonia. I am looking for crew. If anybody out there would like to join me for the last month on his South Pacific sail please let me or Sharon know.
I want to thank Mari for her help sailing and crewing Larabeck for the last month and I wish her lots of good and safe dives.
Thanks,
Michael
Hei kaikki! (Hi everybody!)
This is the last time I’m writing my bit to the daily mail and just wanted to have a few words before heading to new adventures. It’s been a great trip and I have lots of good memories of it. I learned a little bit about sailing, saw some awesome places that I maybe wouldn’t have visited otherwise and in general had lots of fun. I also want to thank Michael and Sharon for giving me this opportunity to sail and crew Larabeck and I wish Michael good winds on his journey to Australia!
Kiitos! (Thanks!)
Mari