Why knot?: New Caledonia

After what was arguably one of our worst passages to date with 35 knot winds on the nose and short steep seas, we finally arrived in Ouvea, a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France. It lies about 110nm east of the mainland and was reported to have the nicest beaches in all of the Pacific - we'll be the judges of that!

On our 2 night passage Megan didn't have much enthusiasm for fishing given the winds and sea state but unable to resist the lure, Mike oddly reeled in this squid at dawn.

Our on-board cookbook suggested slicing it into rings, battering it with flour, eggs and seasoning it with sea salt and frying it. We whipped up a quick side of aioli for dipping and served it with fresh lemon for lunch. The result was a bit chewy and could have used a bit more tenderising. We'll know for next time but full points for effort!

Ouvea is not an 'official' port of entry into New Caledonia but since it was 'on the way' to the capital of Noumea we couldn't resist stopping off to enjoy this amazing atoll. We took our chances that the officials wouldn't notice us and anchored here for 4 excellent days of rest and relaxation. Worth every bit of risk. It was AMAZING!

25 kms of uninterrupted, white sand beach. Out of all the beaches we've seen on this trip - Ouvea takes the cake as number 1 for beauty!

We only saw 3 other boats during our time in Ouvea. A cruiser's paradise.

Ouveau is a very traditional Melanesian island, which is occupied by the indigenous group known as the 'Kanaks'. They are quite insular and are resistant to any exterior influences or change. There is only 1 hotel on the entire island and all water activities are regulated - jet skis and kiteboarding are not permitted anywhere. They want to maintain a peaceful and traditional existence.

Wishing we could stay in the Loyalty Islands for at least another week or two, we had to press on to meet our friends Rob and Nicola who were joining us in Noumea for a week of sailing in the southern islands, followed by our final passage to Brisbane.

Rob Fynn was our private safari guide in Zimbabwe when we hired a catamaran and sailed on Lake Kariba back in July of 2012. View our blog post of Zimbabwe here. Being such a wonderful guy who has lived an incredible life and is a fabulous story teller, we invited him to join us for a portion of our trip.

We began with a fast sail to the Baie of Prony in the far south of Grande Terre. It was an old penal colony with crumbling buildings and evidence of the areas dark past is still present.

Another random solar powered phone booth in the middle of nowhere!

The old prison.

The trees were literally growing over the buildings.

Even the dogs were a little depressed at their surroundings

The building where convicts were sent for solitary confinement.

We continued to an uninhabited island in the Baie of Prony called Isle Casy. A very small but beautiful island with interesting topography and great walking trails.