We made it! The Horizon PC52 arrived in Port Vila and we got the anchor down at 14:00—though it wasn't without some frustration.
The anchoring area isn't exactly massive, and a few other yachts were already claiming the prime spots. The worst part is the surrounding area drops off to about 30 meters, which is definitely a little outside my comfort zone for an overnight stop. We found one pinnacle that came up to 12 meters, but it was tricky to get the anchor to sit nicely on top; it kept slipping off! After some patient juggling, we finally got properly set and secure for a safe night's sleep.
On the plus side, the officials have moved from the main port area into town, which actually made clearance pretty straightforward. Most of them remembered me from previous visits, which always smooths things over!
We conducted the entire clearance process right on the fuel dock. Given the dock is only about 12 feet long and the PC52 measures 52 feet, it took a bit of careful maneuvering and rope work to get the catamaran sitting securely enough for the paperwork.
Being tied up to the fuel dock, it made perfect sense to dispense the duty-free fuel right then and there. Of course, that wasn't allowed. The marina office needs to physically see the completed customs form first, and I can't get that signed off until tomorrow morning. I briefly started pointing out that it's the same fuel and whether it comes out of the pump today or tomorrow makes zero difference, but quickly decided that was a hill not worth climbing. We'll top off the tanks with duty-free fuel tomorrow instead.
The anchoring area isn't exactly massive, and a few other yachts were already claiming the prime spots. The worst part is the surrounding area drops off to about 30 meters, which is definitely a little outside my comfort zone for an overnight stop. We found one pinnacle that came up to 12 meters, but it was tricky to get the anchor to sit nicely on top; it kept slipping off! After some patient juggling, we finally got properly set and secure for a safe night's sleep.
On the plus side, the officials have moved from the main port area into town, which actually made clearance pretty straightforward. Most of them remembered me from previous visits, which always smooths things over!
We conducted the entire clearance process right on the fuel dock. Given the dock is only about 12 feet long and the PC52 measures 52 feet, it took a bit of careful maneuvering and rope work to get the catamaran sitting securely enough for the paperwork.
Being tied up to the fuel dock, it made perfect sense to dispense the duty-free fuel right then and there. Of course, that wasn't allowed. The marina office needs to physically see the completed customs form first, and I can't get that signed off until tomorrow morning. I briefly started pointing out that it's the same fuel and whether it comes out of the pump today or tomorrow makes zero difference, but quickly decided that was a hill not worth climbing. We'll top off the tanks with duty-free fuel tomorrow instead.
Planning the Final Push to Queensland
We have a key crew member arriving tomorrow, and the plan is to leave almost as soon as he gets here.
The weather forecast for the final, long leg to Queensland is currently fair to average, but there's some very poor weather beginning to form around Tuesday next week. To ensure a safe margin and avoid those strong winds, we'll be planning to burn a little more fuel than normal, pushing to get into Queensland around Sunday. It’s a classic delivery scenario: enjoy the stop, but keep a nervous eye on the forecast and prepare to run!
The weather forecast for the final, long leg to Queensland is currently fair to average, but there's some very poor weather beginning to form around Tuesday next week. To ensure a safe margin and avoid those strong winds, we'll be planning to burn a little more fuel than normal, pushing to get into Queensland around Sunday. It’s a classic delivery scenario: enjoy the stop, but keep a nervous eye on the forecast and prepare to run!