2008.
08.15-29
(English
translation: Károlyi L)
I lost this page and I write this after a month
from my recollection.
Morning: work around the boat then went to shop in the
city. In the afternoon I anchored outside the marina. This way it is cheaper by
10 kina (kina is the name of the currency in Papua New Guinea). Later I went
back because a kind friend of mine paid the dues for a few days.
In the
harbour I got acquainted with a few sailors from Brazil and France and talked
about ships, sailing and the Torres Straight.
I could not
hear Freddy on the radio today.
Gábor a local Hungarian invited me to supper in the Royal
Yacht Club’s restaurant.
In
the morning at 8 Faye took me to Gordon and there I took the local bus and
traveled to the edge of the Jungle and back with Kepi. Kepi is a good friend of
mine and I would like to see his village where he was born. It was only 4 hours
from here and we floated down with a motorboat. Around here 20% of the
traveling time is waiting. People around here do not bother with organizing so
things get organized by themselves, which is not a bad thing except it takes
more time. The 20% is rest time: chewing buja, eating
and taking care of things out in the meadow.
Even
with the motorboat we stopped at least four times in one hour.
At the river and in the jungle the mosquitoes
dominate the malaria danger is quite real. All of the locals already got it.
Fortunately there is a pharmacy nearby and that help to keep down the mortality
from malaria.
In the 60’s quite a few missionaries were
killed and some of them were eaten (cooked) too. Some time after though the
surrounding villages accepted the catholic religion. The bibles were translated
to the local dialects (there are quite a few of them). The chief system in the
villages was discontinued in the 80’s so the chief’s house is not even there anymore.
Witchcraft was officially done away with,
but the older generation still knows it and secretly practices it. I know how
to recognize these people (with a little practice it is easy), but maybe if I
don’t talk about it.
We got to the village late afternoon where I
got acquainted with Kepi’s family and his neighbors.
Supper: Saigo and
fish from the river. Saigo is a local dish and made
out of saigo palm. They grate the palm and let it dry
a few hours on the sun. The fish get smoked most of the time. They use their
traditional canoes to go out fishing (sometimes with nets) and they build their
fire in the canoe and use sand to insulate the bottom.
In the evening I was getting acquainted
with the ’local nightlife’ and with the local young people.
We were late this morning for church services
so instead we roamed around the village. Part of the village is under water.
They say the global warming is the cause of this. Half of the village already
moved out to a place that is farther away.
I was shooting a lot of pictures because
everybody wanted one. These people were never photographed… So it was easy to
get acquainted (for me it’s easy anyway). I spent the whole day in the village,
on the seashore and on the riverbank. The young people were curious about me
and I was curious about them. All afternoon and evening parting with the local
young people: music and ‘home bru’ (home made hard
liquor). They do that every Sunday.
In
the morning the rain was coming down hard so there was no chance to go out to
the garden, only later. In the garden we gathered big bags of bitunat and other fruits. To pick bitunat
is not easy. You have to climb a long palm tree. Woksi
one of the most likeable fellow was the best in this. Later we went to fish on
the river and hunt at the edge of the jungle. The jungle is thick with foliage
and thorny, but for me the long and unbelievably narrow bridges and the
millions of mosquitoes gave the most trouble. I met up with some neighboring
villagers and chewed some bitunat with them. Later
the hosting family (Kepi’s cousins) gave me a gift, a medallion full of
’magic’. This kind of village life is a totally different world. They think
differently and they live in a totally different civilization. Maybe theirs the
only one left next to that other ’big, global environmental polluting, forest
wrecking, over populating, warring and greedy civilization’ we live in. Their
agriculture is very simple and non-spreading – gives a nice feeling and timeless.
Up
in the mountain one can find people who still live in the Stone Age. My opinion
is that these people cannot be gagged with our standards. Everyone correlates
and compares something or someone, but in this instance it should not be done.
To live up in the mountains in full freedom is a pleasant life.
Early morning we made baskets (see picture
gallery) using the traditional way. They are quick and easy to make but lasts
only for a couple of weeks, after that they break up. By 9 we said our
goodbyes. They were very kind to me and a few families even gave me gifts (coconut,
papaya, bitunad, seigo). The reason for this that I was the first
white man in the village or as they said they never seen a white man chewing buaj. I travelled a half a day by ship and a truck, until I
reached the capital. While on the road I sampled a few local delicacies like
caterpillar, buaj and fish. The PNW is the long
distance bus – it is a truck with seats, about 30-40 people can travel in it
with their luggage. Some of them stand or cling to something and some of them
sit on the top of the luggage. Every little space is used. The ticket costs 30
kina. Faye and her husband picked me up at the station and took me back to the
Royal Yacht Club. I spent the evening with packing, writing my log and
discussing with Ralf the witchcraft. This is my main topic here. .
In the morning I spent time with route planning
and assayed the wind maps. Irvin gave me a few books to have something to read
during the long trip and Geri donated a few PNG (Papua New Guinea) music discs.
Unfortunately the weather will be too windy (30-35 knots or more) so I have to
wait. Too much wind and Carina in the
Torres Straight could be complicated.
In the
afternoon I got on the Internet in the city (1 hour – 10 kina) then back to the
Royal Yacht Club. Disconnected the switch for the masthead light (probably the
problem is on the very to).
Carina is ready to start!
This evening I had supper on a Spanish sailboat
named Nicole in the company of Kurt and Elena. Kurt is quite a good guitar
player. He even made a CD: Captain Kurt: My songs from the Sea. He is 70
years old but his mind is comparable to a 20 year old. The reason is the sea
air, the sea life. That Spanish mood was excellent; I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In the morning I travelled to the city to go on
the Internet and to buy food for the journey (40 kina).
I cleaned the bottom of the boat for a while
(2-3 hours). I found quite a bit of shells and algae. The custom official did
not want to come out today and to go there to check out personally is not
allowed, so it will be tomorrow morning around 9 PNG time. I did some small
repairs and later went with Ralf in his motorboat (100 HP) to look around. I
strolled over to a settlement next to the yacht where a local acquaintance,
James, lives. There is a great difference how the locals live and the way the
whites live. It’s a different world!
In the evening I got together with the local
Canadian, French and Australian sailors to have a few beers at the Royal Yacht
Club. Meanwhile I was also watching the Hungarian women’s water polo finals.
Unfortunately the Hungarian team lost, but a silver medal sometimes shinier
than the gold.
: Go Hungarian Olympic
In the morning a customs officer put in an appearance. I could not find
my passport so I asked for a little more time. I looked all over the boat, but
I could not find it. I was not happy. There is no Hungarian Embassy nearby and
the locals are not flexible enough when things like that happen. In the
afternoon I went back to the Internet Cafe and it was there. I called the
customs again, but this tine they did not want to come out. One of my secrets
is that I am ever so patient when it comes to dealing with the
authority. The authority is not always good for civilization.
In
the city I did buy a few things for the last time. Mostly
greens and fruits. In the afternoon on Peter’s air-conditioned yacht
watched the Olympics, This time I did not see the Hungarians. In the evening I
visited a place next to the Royal Yacht Club where I met a few acquaintances.
In
the evening I visited a few acquaintances next to the Royal Yacht Club. We
chewed bitunat and talked with a city councilman. The
topic, among other things was the future of Port Moresby. Then I took a walk
with a few local gang members. They call themselves 'Big Boys’. I talked with a
few interesting people. Then I met Lili. We watched a
movie late at night on my boat.
Papua New
Guinea, Port Moresby – Torres Strait, Thursday Is.
(400 NM, 6
days)
The marina charged me about 600 kinas for two
weeks, They did not want to give me any discount because either this boat is
too small or they can’t see that it is tiny.
Before I left I accidentally met up with Ratoos the local spiritual painter. I already talked to him
about to make some cabin drawings, however now just before my departure he
started to draw inside the cabin. Those were PNG akores:
Kauri, Huarava, Havari and Kaikara the son of the ocean. These figures are the sons of
the four points of the compass and they defend the local fishermen. They are
difficult to explain, but to me they are the local deities. I started in the
morning from the Royal Yacht Club. Leaving the entrance I stopped at the boat
of Ivan and Brigitta and said our goodbyes. Then the
Duck Soup, Brian’s yacht, went by me. We made pictures and shouted goodbye.
Their destination was a local yacht race.
After
about 1.5 hour motoring I reached the Basilisk Passage. First I chose the Liljeblad Passage, but the wind was not favourable so I
chose the larger passage. Map: AUS621
From
this point steering 270 degrees to Bramble Cay, the entrance of the Torres
Straight, is 200 nautical miles.
1009 mbar, 30 deg, C, wind
bf. 3. Direction: from 150 to 270. Speed 3 knots and full
sail. Breakfast: local pastry.
16 LT
(06 UTC) Radio on at 14290 KHz. POS (9-36S; 146-58E), 184 NM from Barmble Cay. There
is no answer for my calls on the radio. I heard a voice but I could not
understand it.
17 LT (7 UTC) still nothing on the radio…
In the evening with full sail
I’m making 3 knots and the direction is 270. Later the wind is getting stronger
(Bf 5-6) so I quickly take down the main sail. The wind is getting stronger
with rain and the visibility suffers quite a bit. Dark clouds are coming behind
me…
Supper: bread, canned beef
and pastry.
1017 mbar, 28 deg C, Bf 4.
Wabes are rough.
In the morning I set the main sail again.
Breakfast: chips and I was reading while eating.
It is raining constantly and rainbows are all
around me. The sea is very rough. I am very tired and the fact that I had to
leave PNG made me sad.
Lunch: bread, yesterday’s beef leftover, pepper, tomato.
Afternoon: I’m sailing next to the Eastern Fields Reef. This is a 24 NM
long reef. I slept a little. This way the night watch will be easier.
16 LT (06 UTC) I heard Freddy on 14290 KHz. His
transmission was weak. It was a poor connection. Weather information: SE 20-25
knots. POS (09-30S; 145-32E).
98 NM from Barmble Cay and I sailed 86 NM in 24
hours. Direction 280-300, speed: 3-4 knots. In the evening the wind is 5-6 Bf.
I take off the main sail again. Several birds are following me and a few land
on Carina.
Supper: noodles
At night I left the guarding of the boat to the birds, this way they
can work a little since they are here.
Midnight: Strong wind. Jib down
and the storm-jib up.
The short waves are getting bigger; a few times
they even slam into the cabin. My transparent door is missing. I lost it a
while ago.
1016 mbar, 29 deg C, Bf.5-6
SE, 3-4 knots. Direction 270 with storm sail.
POS (9-06S; 144-40E)
Breakfast: canned mutton, bread, pepper, and
tomato.
After 10 the sun came out. Everything is
sopping wet. Because of the waves I can’t dry them out.
Around noon I sail by the Portlock
reef.
Today I read E.G. Perrault’s
book: The Twelfth Mile. Its subject is hurricane, tsunami and a Russian spy
ship. Good subject. In comparison my position is quite comfortable.
13 LT:
2/3 of the main sail up. This way in BF 6 everything is more stable. The
autopilot, when the wind and the waves are great, unusable. This time steering
with hand is the best way. When the wind is BF 5 the autopilot is OK. When the
wave action is considerable than those waves put pressure on the boat making
her go every which way but straight. That means that I either slow the speed
(less sail) or I steer by hand.
15 LT: 2/3main sail, big waves and constantly
changing, buffeting type wind.
16 LT (06 UTC) 14,290 MHz I heard Freddy on the
radio (S 4,0).
In the evening I went by the East Cay
Reef and the Tot Reef. From this point on the current is 1-5 knots depending on
the ebb-tide. In the evening the big shipping traffic increased. Two big ships
passed me quite near. They can’t see me because my mast light is not on and I
don’t have much faith in my radar reflector. I have to watch out for them.
It was dark when I woke up and
something happened. I was sleeping and something happened! I turned on the
cabin light Then quicly
moved outto see what startled me. The autopilot
dropped off from the pilot-wheel. This caused the boat to turn and the sails
were slapping loudly in the wind. I can’t find the two buckets that were here
in the cockpit. The fuel tank is in the water and only the fuel hose keeps it
from floating away. The motor’s leg is in the water, The
ropes in the cockpit are all tangled up, there is water everywhere, the whole
kitchen is on the navigational box. The compartment on the right side is nearly
full of water, the middle one is almost half full. I
do not have time to check the rest of the compartments – everything is in a
jumble and full of water… WHAT HAS HAPPENED!? The water is at least 100 liters. Everything has been soaked: my sleeping bag, my
blanket, my clothes, my gas burner hangs from the gas pipe. The boat due to a
large wave ‘overturned’. Thr angle was 80-90 degrees.
The mast must have been under the water. Whatever was not tied down wenr overboard. The mentõtutaj always safely tied
out.
For 30 minutes
I was checking the boat and tried to organize things. Not a complete
organization but enough to be able to control the boat. Meanwhile I again
steered the course with my normal speed.
Lessons for
the future:
At night ship traffic had increased. Two ships
passed me close by so I get up every 30 minutes to check the traffic. Because
of bad visibility I can’t see the nearby lighthouse. The wind dies down. I
pull-up the main sail (2/3) at 0100 and at 0300 I’m at the entrance of the
Torres Straight. This is the Bight entrance. I’m going into the world’s most
dangerous straight. Characteristically this place is always windy, the average
wind speed is 25 knots, but quite often it is 30 knots. There are strong
currents at places, some of them 7-8knots. The place is full of reefs and many
of them are not lit up. Ship traffic; the place is not too deep therefore the waves
are short and very unpleasant…
Torres Straight:
It links the
Bramble Cay:
The place got its name from a ship in the1800s. The ship’s captain, Lieut. C.B. Yule,
was making maps in the area.
My maps
from this area: 2929,2321,AUS376, 3782, 3783
1015 mbar, 27 deg. C., Bf.5-6 SE, direction: 260, speed 4 knots.
At the
entrance of the Torres Straight the current is 1.5 knots. Later these currents
get stronger,
08 LT: The western edge of Stephens reef is 10
NM away (09-30,4S; 143-29,6E).
Currents are getting stronger so I reduce sail.
Breakfast: canned chicken, cracker, pepper,
tomato and multivitamin.
In the morning the currents are favourable, in
the afternoon unfavourable. In the morning I got rid of 70% of the water that
seeped in during the night and I raised the cabin habitable again. I
concentrated my attention on the tools and on the kitchen. My HF radio got wet
too; I dried it off, but have no idea if it works at all.
At 11 I passed Chambelle
and it is also a good place to anchor: 11- 09-33,0S; 143-29,5E
Bf.5-6 -> Jib, mainsail
2/3. The boat is
overloaded and the mast shudders, but right now the max. speed
is important. The reason is that when the waves are active I cannot use the
inboard and the outboard ‘s propeller hardly reaches
the water.
I’m sailing at 3-4 knots towards
At
Bf. 5-6. Wind SE. Course 220 and I’m sailing in
half wind.
Lunch: canned chicken, cracker, pepper, tomato
and multivitamin.
16 LT, 17 LT. I can’t use the radio. I have to continuously navigate.
There are many reefs around and the wind is constantly changes.
Before
Supper: noodles. It’s simple, good tasting and
quick.
I rarely write something like this: finally I
had a good sleep!
There are ships that are designed to anchor
well. It’s funny, but it has never been mentioned, however the design concept
is always to have a ship that anchors well.
1018
mbar, 28 deg C, Bf.5-6 from 140, Strong, short waves.
It is not
very far, but probably I will stop again before I get there.
I started in twilight after 6. Speed 2-3
knots and the course is 200.
There are a
number of reasons to anchor at night:
07 LT POS(9-48,1S;
143-13,6E)
In the morning: bad visibility and rain.
Everything is wet. I keep the anchor in the cockpit in case there is a
disaster; this way I can drop anchor immediately. Around
Breakfast: cracker,
canned liver paste, pepper, tomato, banana.
Due to the strong current I cannot stay by
My compass says 190, but this is because of the
current.
09 LT: current decreasing, 4.6 knots; course
225.
In case of problems this place is a good anchorage
point. Position: 09-59,6S; 143-02,2E.
The next goal is
The old gift from
After
Lunch: crackers, liver paste, pepper, tomato.
On my rite is the Bet reef lighthouse and later
I can see
Supper: Noodles and canned chicken.
In the evening I checked my ebb-tide table and prepared a rout plan.
I wrote down about 20 WPs and several rout
possibilities. I sailed 47 NM from Rennel.
1020 mbar, 28 deg C, Bf.5-6,
I started at 6. I could not pull up the anchor
so I had to go underwater to free it.
The best time for swimming and
diving is before sunrise, in the twilight, when the Ocean and the fish waking
up. At time like these I wake up with the Ocean and I feel closer to it, and
that is good!
The
Fishing boat started shortly after me and while my 5-6 knot speed lasted we
sailed side by side.
I had the full sail only for an hour after that
I had to reef it in. Now only the jib and 2/3 main sail are up.
Made a few pictures of each
other. We had good wind so both our ‘yachts’ galloped like
steeds.
At 11 I left
Good anchorage point on Twin Is.: 10-27,6S;
142-25,9E
From
I nearly ran over a turtle, but it went under
in time. I saw many turtles around here. The water is very clear and it is nice
sailing although the current is getting stronger again. I have to hurry because
in the afternoon the currents will be against me.
At
This is how I passed
through the straight.
I talked to the custom people on VHF and in 10
minutes they were right by me. The quarantine officer, Joseph, came up to my
boat. He confiscated several bamboos because he said they had bugs in them; and
he took my last onion. The custom official did not dare to come up on the boat.
Even Joseph had a rough time. Actually after
five minutes he became seasick. Carina is small and the frontal waves tossed
her back and forth. The quarantine cost 240 AUS dollars, which I thought was a
bit too much. But you cannot make deals this place is not
Switched on the radio at 06
UTC on 14,290 MHz. I heard Freddy but he was weak. He
did not hear me. At 07 UTC I did not hear anybody. Supper: cream soup with
greens from
Today I did not use sun cream (I forgot) and
got burnt. Everyday I use it, put some on my head and wear a hat!
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with onion.
Today’s reading: Catherine Gaskin, Sara Dane
The Water taxi on channel 16 (VHF radio) did
not answer so as usual I stopped a motorboat to tame to shore.
Sightseeing:
Tourist Bureau,
Cultural Centre, where Frank deposited films
about the local history and culture, then told me a few stories as well. I did
a little shopping too (17 AUS dollars)
Internet in the city library, 30 minutes costs
5.6 AUS dollars and that is very expensive!
I stopped by the custom and the quarantine office. I wanted to check out. I would like to start tomorrow morning.
The weather: wind from SE, 20-30 knots and the
current goes the right direction.
On shore I chatted with a few
sailors. Among those was one who went around the world twice, but he does not
know what to do now, so he is going to sail to
In the afternoon I met up with James and
Joseph; they were going around and around the island with a car. Joseph’s
daughter was driving and they invited me to go with them in their ‘car-tavern’.
They are not allowed to drink in the street so everybody does it in his car.
There is no city lighting and there is no traffic. We drove to a few nice
lookouts. For example: Lions Lookout. They showed me TI (
TI kitchen:
Namas:
vinegar, garlic, tomato and fish and kup mari is similar to the Fijian lolo.
In the Torres Straight there are 14
inhabited islands and 3 different languages. Joseph was born on
The danger here is the big sharks and the
crocks. There are many dolphins and turtles these are national symbols here.
Until the end of the 19th century
Cannibalism was accepted here. They kept the head as a trophy, but they are the
brain. That meant that the dead person’s spirit and knowledge was theirs. Then
the church started to change the old cultural habits and now, after 100 years,
many things were forgotten, but many secrets still remain. There are many
secrets left, those that the white man should never know.
James went home with his motorboat. His house
is on a small island. On this settlement there are about 50 people and
everybody is motor boating. It is like in the big cities the automobile. I
think it’s even better here.
Joseph
Lives in TI. He invited me to visit him in his 2-storied house. It is in the
middle of town
Friday night in TI the best place of entertainment is on the military
base. There I was today.
There was music here and inexpensive beer with
no tax. Who were there? Solders, sailors, custom officials,
quarantines, shore patrol and many more military types. This
entertainment and others are the same the world over.
It was great! Thank You!
Supper was at Josephs: beef steak. Later I took
a nice shower and
slept there.
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