Sailing Holidays | South Pacific Sailing Adventure

Vanuatu Discovery 2011 - Santo to Port Vila

V338 - Southwards from Santo - Marsha's Blog Part 2 The Volcano at Ambrym

As I write this we’re spinning around trying to untangle our two anchor chains. It’s not always smooth sailing… or anchoring. Two nights ago we came here to Ambrym, an island in Vanuatu known for its mystery and magic. During the night… around 3am actually… the wind picked up and our anchor dragged along the bottom. Dragged right off the small shelf we had put it on and was now dangling in a fair bit of water. The crew were all up with engines roaring and the windlass struggling to hoist the heavy anchor and chain. Around 5am we dropped both anchors and everything went quiet for a tiny while.

Wake ups were at 5:45 sharp. The days events required a very early start. Water bottles and brown paper bagged lunches were lined up on the main hatch as people finished their coffee and managed to find their one pair of socks. After laces were tied and sunscreen applied we did 3 boat runs into shore. What were we up to on Ambrym?

Ambrym
Climbing a volcano of course! Ambrym is unique in that most of the island is a massive crater of ash and lava fields. There are now two active volcanoes on Ambrym, Mt Benbow and Mt Marum. (which is where our hikers were headed)
Through the thick jungle. Up! Up! Up! It didn’t take long for the heat of the day to catch of with the hikers. But soon they were up to the rim of the caldera. It’s hard to describe a hardened lava field to someone who has never seen one. It’s sort of like an paralyzed ocean of waves made up of the strangest black rock; sparkling and shining away in the mid days sun. There is no vegetation here just bare rock. No shade just sun.

The last part of the climb to the summit of Mt Marum was the worst. Those packed lunches and 3 liters of water never felt so heavy. But it was worth it. Every step. After reaching the top instead of looking up (which had gone on for far too long) it was time to look down. Down into a boiling lake of red hot lava. There is was just bubbling away. Bursting every now and again throwing a spray of scalding hot earth onto the walls of the crater. I have no idea how many pictures and videos were taken up there on the lip of the volcano but it must be into the thousands. After lingering for over an hour, they started their decent back to the waters edge.

For those of us left on board for the day we were visited by Isaiah’s son-in-law who brought beautifully crafted wood carvings out to the ship. The rest of the day we spent napping and we spent hours watching dolphins play around the boat.
Just after 4:30pm the call came that the very tired, very sore hikers were back in the village and more than ready to be picked up. After three boat runs everyone was sufficiently collapsed on deck, trying to peal off shoes and socks with minimum effort. No one could stop complaining but when asked if it was worth if every single person said yes. After a lot of splashes in the water and a lot of showering it was time for dinner.
And a special dinner it was too. Isaiah, who as you may recall is from Ambrym, and his family put on a feast for us. Oh the food! So much food. And of course no feast is complete here in Vanuatu without a string band.

String Band Inferno

Unlike all the other feasts we’ve done this one was different in that we packed everyone and everything (including the string band) right here on board the Søren Larsen. At midships a massive buffet was set up and a string band of 12 or 13 squeezed into a corner and started jamming away. On the aft deck beautiful carvings were set up and the bartering began. My bag is going to be SO heavy when it comes time to go home! At least half the village was on board and all of Isaiahs family. Laughter rang out and kept the whole island awake I‘m sure. Sione, our cook, is always the best dancer with his slick moves mixed with traditional island style dancing. Too hilarious. We danced and boogied till well after 9pm. As the tired volcano trekkers started to find their way to bed the string band found their way to the small boat and as Isaiah and Darren drove them home they played on into the darkness till we could no longer hear them. What a great night.

Now we’re on our way to a place for those tired, sore bones to soak for a bit. Being a volcanically active island there happens to be some hot springs. Right on the beach and in the ocean. Salt water hot springs. I’m sure somewhere someone is paying big money to sit in one as a super special spa treatment. Here it’s just a part of every day life. After a nice long soak we’re going to head over to the island of Malekula. We’ll see what lies in wait for us there.

Till next time, Fair Winds my Friends

Marsha Book, Purser.

Gallery See the whole V338 Image Gallery HERE ..