Early morning today I had a guest on board - a lady from a local newspaper. I was very happy for the opportunity to thank all of the people who helped me out in Vanuatu. Starting from the beginning:

The YACHTING WORLD MARINA. Elsie, who manages it, offered me a mooring on the bulkhead so I could work on my boat easier. This was awesome and I'm very grateful, because it would be very difficult for me had I been on a mooring or at anchor. Since day one of my arrival the crew of the Yachting World was very helpful. Even though Elsie is not here right now and I had no chance to thank her personally she made sure everyone knew I'm coming. The guys helped me to the slip, and were very handy up to the point of helping me tie off and setting Tanasza up with a plank. Everything was done with a big smile on their faces and easiness showing their competency. The marina is beautiful, located close to the main street of the city. There is plenty of mooring spots located in the bay protected from wind by a little island. You have nice toilets, nice showers, and they can also do laundry for you, dried and folded, ready the next day. They let me use their address to have things sent over. They organized my quarantine check making my life comfortable. I’m very pleased with all their support and all that Yachting World has done for me. www.yachtingworld-vanuatu.com
Just a little note, for those who decide to visit Port Vila Vanuatu by a boat. On charts you will not find the current range lights. There are not two reds any more but green and white and also the Pango Point lighthouse has been gone for many years. I would recommend coming into the harbor by during daylight.

Another person I would like to tell you about is the Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Vanuatu, Ross Wilson. He has lived here for over 24 years and I believe he has been the Commodore of the Club for almost 17 years now. The Club is a comfortable laid back place with a nice barbeque area and bar for cold drinks after the races. They organize long-distance international races and hold their own local one every Sunday. Ross introduced me to many people, and showed me around. I want to thank you Ross for the help the other morning. (He knows what it is about).

Let me now tell you about the Moorings Hotel. Brian, the manager, was kind enough to sponsor me with a stay in a very very very nice suite for a couple of nights. This was a blessing. A nice, wide, soft and dry bed and a hot shower after a month at sea that is something I cannot even express in words. The room was on the lagoon, with fresh flowers, a wooden veranda, and mosquito nets!!! That was nice I’m telling you. I used a fridge for the first time in a very long time and a swimming pool that was just next to my room. From the places I saw while wandering around the city, this was seriously the nicest lodging. It was in a perfect location on the lagoon and wasn’t too big so has its own atmosphere. It had a pleasant, restaurant and bar in a garden area, open and cool and comfortable. There is also a fun nightclub for those with the dancing bug. If I ever come back here and look for a place to stay this would definitely be my choice. Another thing to mention is that they have dorm style rooms, at high standards, for the affordable backpacker. When you come to Vanuatu you must check this place out! www.mooringsvanuatu.com

But coming back to my sailing life....

Next morning when I arrived at Efate Island, Vanuatu, I met Greg and Leanne and their 5 year old daughter Georgia. They offered me a nice breakfast, coffee, and dry clothes. This was very special. I will remember this cup of coffee for the longest time. They live on their beautiful big boat named Liahona (first compass given by gods to people.) They like it here so much that they are thinking of staying here for good. Greg likes surfing and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to open some lodging for surfers here. Greg used to work north of Australia and gave me some charts and much needed information about that part of the world. Also they introduced my boat on the cruisers net held here in the mornings over the radio VHF channel. Because of this, that very day, I had people coming over and helping me out on Tanasza with my repairs. Rusty, Pamela, and Allan came over bringing with them their knowledge, tools and time. This was so nice. I even got invited for a breakfast with them. Life is beautiful, isn’t it?

Shortly after I met Matt and his wife Linda and their little one Lili - old friends of Liahona, very nice and helpful people. They helped me with repairs and one night had me over for a delicious dinner aboard their boat. Matt is a professional chef as well, and Linda is a natural cook so you can imagine our meal. One day Matt was repairing a part of his reefing system that was broken. He told me the part said made in Poland. I found that hard to believe. They told me of their visit Auschwitz, in Oswiecim, Poland years ago. Not too many people you know travelled to Poland during those difficult times. Matt is a singlehander, his wife flies over to the stops and they spend time together. What a good idea, don’t u think? To be free and to also have your closest. I must think about it…

What about locals you ask. Local people are dark skinned and have enormous big smiles all day long. I sometimes wonder if they ever get upset. When passing you by on the street they look into your eyes and greet you very friendly. They speak Bislama and English, and some also speak French. They seem to be very interested where you are from and where you go next. They also try to learn about your country as the conversation goes along. This I have not found in many places.
As an example of hospitality of the local people I can tell you about Dan and his Pacific Internet Cafe. It is located in Port Vila, just steps to the marina. From what I found, and believe me I was looking hard, it is the cheapest place for internet. You can bring your own laptop and get wireless. Also you can get a great breakfast or lunch there for not much. For example, for 350 vatu ($3.50) you get a big plate of vegetables with a steak, or an omelet with meat inside with a scoop of rice and a side salad. I’m getting hungry as I think of it. Dan really understood that working on my website would take a while and he was kind enough to give me a good deal for connection. Thank you ‘tu mas’, as they say here.
One day I met Maria. She makes medicines from rain water plants she grows. She has no fridge so all her laboratory is pretty much few bottles and canisters. Every day she makes fresh juices to heal people, growing special plants in her backyard. So much we can learn from those people… they use leaf baskets, for shopping, and coconut oil for generators… We definitely could use some of their happy and smiling attitude towards others... I will start by sending you a big smile right now!

When my work was done for the day I would look around for things I wanted to show you. Right away I got to know Michelle. She and her husband run a fishing charter, and as I can see by their flags after coming back they know what they are doing. The Crusoe Fishing Adventures www.crusoefishing.com.vu/ had me as a guest on a day fishing trip. On this day the sharks got the best of our fish, but the whole day was an adventure and fun. They have three state of the art boats you can choose from, and they offer multiple day, live-a-board, fishing excursions to really experience the archipelago. They have people coming back every year to fish with them. That says it all. Going out with them to the sea you will meet other people, you share experience and you learn from locals how to fish properly.

Via Michelle I’ve met Eloise. She is a very beautiful and interesting person. Once she rode on horseback around France, now she is the owner of Seahorse Ranch on Efate Island in Vanuatu. What a place! You can take a horse and gallop on a beach and in the water of a lagoon. After that often there is a fire dance show at her ranch, and horses take part in it too. After the show you can enjoy a really good burger and beer and maybe even get lucky enough to sit by a horse at the stable that turns into a bar and grill on Friday nights. It becomes the cutest little bar between trees. Have you ever seen a horse in a bar? Well I have, right there.

Now. The Nicolas. I came to visit him the other day. He is such a character, a real artist. He meets many people and has them sit down and tell stories. We spoke in Polish, English, French and some Russian (he spoke, I listened). I took footage for TV where he speaks about his visit to Poland for exhibitions long time ago. It turned out there was a package for me waiting in his store. It was beautifully packed with a bow, and his partner’s painting inside. This painting was no accident. I loved it when I saw it visiting his house for a lunch he invited me too when we first met. I also got one of his hand painted sarongs. This was sooo nice.

And all this would not has been possible if not for Kris Kaminski (www.inter-proauto.com) and Andrew Plocienniczak (www.mywdt.com), who supported me financially for this particular stop over. They both covered all the costs of Tanasza’s repairs, including ordering parts, and provisions, and purchasing a replacement computer because the old one broke down. Thanks Kris and Andy! By the way, as it turned out, I gave the old computer to a local repair shop who took most of the parts from inside, and as a goodbye gift or something, they left me the cover. How nice of them!