Thursday 13th September 2001
Today Soren Larsen is due to arrive in Port Vila at the conclusion of her 10 day voyage
from Santo. The ship will have 10 days in Pt Vila to for maintenance and painting before
the next voyage to Noumea, New Caledonia. Friday 6th September 2001 - Ambrym
Captain Tony reports in :
"Sailed Monday pm from Aore, Santo and proceeded over night north of Ambae to Maewo
with fine weather light winds under half sail/ motor.
Tuesday afternoon spent at Asanvari where the
snorkelling was very good . Wednesday morning the VC went ashore and enjoyed guided walks
through the village to the gardens & dip in the waterfall. Later in the afternoon the
village again put on a custom dance for us and this time ladies do their dance as well as
the men! This followed by the choir singing their church & welcome song and then it
was kava all round – its still very strong and there were a few staggering VC &
PC. Finally they presented us with a pig & yam feast accompanied by their string band.
As usual a great time and to mark our visit the ship left a painted flag of Søren for the
Asanvari yacht club.
Farewell to Chief Nelson and the village - Nelson
produced the spare outrigger for Ian's canoe which was loaded on the ship to take to
Auckland!
 Thursday motor/sail down west of Pentecost direct
to Ranvetlam . In the afternoon VC get ashore to visit Ranon village and later locals
arrive in canoes to trade carvings on the ship.
Today Friday 22 have set off to for the day's walk to
the volcano and on Saturday morning I aim to leave early and sail to Malekula. All's well
abaoard, will report more soon. "
 Sunday 2nd September 2001
Soren Larsen is at anchor in the Luganville Channel just off the Aore Resort. The
ship is back here for a 4 day turnaround and tomorrow starts the Vanautu Discovery South
voyage V.151.
This 10 day trip will take her south via Maewo, Pentecost, Ambrym and others.
Wednesday 29th August 2001
The ship is arriving back in Luganville, Santo this afternoon and tomorrow morning will
mark the end of their Banks Islands voyage.
++
Party Pictures Page: It is always a dilemma  whether to publish
images of Soren deck parties that may alarm the uninitiated, however as it was Don's
birthday ...
Warning! Contains un-adult themes
and scenes from the dressing up bag which may disturb. If you
are over 18 years AND have been a Soren Voyage Crew before -
click HERE
++
Sunday 26th August 2001
Soren Larsen has been north to Ureparapara via the Reef islands. Great
snorkelling and sailing and the village welcome and custom dancing at Ureparapara was
terrific. Today the ship is anchored off the west coast of Vanua Lava and will sail down
the west coast of Santo over the next couple of days.
Thursday 23 August 2001
The ship has sailed north up the east coast of Santo and on into the Banks
Islands (V.150).
Monday 20th August 2001
Soren Larsen is anchored at Lunganville on the south side of Espiritu Santo in
northern Vanuatu. She has just completed a 17 day voyage from Fiji and is today
commencing a 10 night cruise north to the remote Banks Islands. Soren Larsen has
been anchored in the company of the Canadian tallship Picton Castle, which paused in her
voyaging to greet us here in Santo. Captain Dan Moorland and our captain Tony Davies were
soon swapping yarns, comparing anchorages around the world and sharing (scornful) views of
Sydney compulsory pilotage regs - as tallship skippers will...
Dan invited the crew to a party on Picton Castle on Friday evening and they did us proud -
we thank them for their hospitality which we hope to repay in another port another time.
See their website here.
Read Voyage Crew Ruth Okey's account
of Tonga - Fiji HERE.
"I arrived on Tongatapu
the main island of Tonga, tired and apprehensive on Saturday
after a long flight from England. I managed to meet several
of the other voyage crew (VC) that evening and we all had dinner
together and discussed or imminent adventure......."
Ian is now back in the Auckland office, having returned
from a stint onboard and this WebLog should now resume normal service. Stay tuned!
 Voyage Crew Monica
Halvorson's account of FIJI on the voyage from Tonga:
As we entered Fiji’s waters, we
were once again following in Captain Bligh’s footsteps. As it turns out, Bligh and
the other 17 men who were sailing across the Pacific Ocean following the mutiny on the HMS
Bounty were in fact the first Europeans to truly "discover" Fiji. Captain Tasman
sailed to the northeast corner of Fiji in 1643 and Captain Cook anchored off the small
island of Vatoa on the southeastern edge of Fiji in 1774. These two men, however, did not
explore the full extent of this archipelago. Captain Bligh sailed through the entire group
in 1789 on his way from Tofua in the Ha’apai Group of islands within the Kingdom of
Tonga (where they were initially set adrift by the mutineers) over to Dutch Timor. As
Bligh and his men started to leave Fiji by sailing past Yasawa i Rara at the northwestern
extremity, they were pursued by a large Fijian canoe. The canoe came within bowshot and
several arrows were fired but Bligh and his men managed to escape.
We began our own exploration
of Fiji on the island of Ovalau on Friday, July 20. Once cleared by Customs, Immigration,
Port Health and even the Army (to ensure we weren’t smuggling any contraband to
support rebel factions within Fiji), we were allowed to go ashore. We landed at the wharf
in Levuka. Sailors have been coming to Levuka in significant numbers since the early
1800’s. By the 1850’s, the town had a reputation for wild drunkenness and
violence. By the 1870’s, there were about 3,000 Europeans living in Levuka which is
equivalent to its total population today. Levuka was proclaimed the capital of Fiji in
1874 when Fiji became a British colony by ceding itself to Great Britain to avoid being
taken over by other world powers. With the movement of the capital to Suva in 1882, and
most of the trading shortly thereafter, Levuka was basically frozen in time which gives it
its charm today.
Most of the buildings and
storefronts along the main thorough way of Beach Street date back to the late 19th
and 20th centuries and sit on the west side of the street facing east and
looking out over the Koro Sea. Directly behind the small village are volcanic peaks
covered in lush green foliage. One of the landmark buildings is the Sacred Heart Church,
built in 1858, whose bell tower supports one of the lead-in lights into the harbor. You
can walk the entire length of the town easily in 10 minutes but it takes us much longer as
we savor the view. Our attention is drawn to loud cheering from behind the main street. We
follow the sound along a beautiful canal until we reach a large open area at the base of
the towering hills where a rugby match is underway. Several hundred people – mostly
high school aged wearing their school uniforms – are seated in the small stadium and
along the sidelines cheering in unison with every play of the match. We watched until the
game ended but then couldn’t pull ourselves from the beautiful setting. As we sat
along the field watching everyone else pass by, we were joined by two teachers from a
nearby primary school. We visited together for a while and then walked with them to their
school – up 191 steps – which has a magnificent view of the sea.
CONTINED HERE.....
+++
Voyage Crew Monica Halverson recounts their voyage from
Nuku'alofa through the Kingdom of Tonga.
 TONGA:
Having spent four full days in Tongatapu enjoying the King’s
birthday celebration, tasting the infamous kava and local foods,
swimming in a cave by candlelight, watching the sunset over
a coastline of blowholes, and listening to the loud and harmonious
singing from the ubiquitous churches, it was time to set sail
again....
MORE HERE
[For Tonga Part 2 Click here
]
V146
: see pictures - on deck through French Polynesia! Here.
Here is 1st Mate Sally Anderson's Weblog report of the voyage from the Cook
Islands:
"The Cook Islands were an absolute delight.
Tranquil, easy going, relaxed and inexpensive. V.B at the bar
and a cinema!!! The crew were ecstatic. MORE....
VC John Anderson's account Part
2 of the previous voyage from Bora Bora to the Cook Island and
their stay in Rarotonga MORE
....... "Visually
Bora Bora is magnificent. It is probably the most photographed
island in the South Pacific, and rightly so. Entering the lagoon
is stunning, and as we did the cloud cleared revealing the island
in all its splendour.......
Also here is Voyage Crew
John Anderson's account (Part 1) of the voyage from Papeete
to Bora Bora - Click here!
But click
here for shots of Soren in dry-dock at Tahiti.
(A word about Crew
Mail here.)
Click
here for the Web Log report Pitcairn / Henderson to Marquesas.
Click
here for the Web Log report Easter Island - Henderson.
Below are links to Sally Anderson's Web Log reports from
the Galapagos to Easter island:
Part 1 tells of their passage from Panama
to Cocos island - 7/12th Feb. Click here.
Part 2 covers from Cocos
Island to the Galapagos - 13/18th Feb. Click here:
Part 3 recounts their journey
between Galapagos
and Easter Island, and their experiment in traditional navigation
methods, 22 - 28th Feb:
Part 4: Continues the passage
to their arrival at Easter
Island, 1st-19th March: Click here.
++++++
VOYAGE CREW RETURNING HOME: Scan and email
or post your pictures of your voyage! If you have an account of your trip or a special
moment then let us a know. Your tales can be included in the Voyage Log!
Email to escape%40sorenlarsen%2eco%2enz
(send max 4 or 5 picture per email)
Soren Larsen Voyagers Log: P.O.Box 310 Kumeu,
Auckland 1250 New Zealand
For a Feedback form to give us your thoughts and
suggestions on the voyage click here.
Contact our Auckland HQ:
Phone 00 649 411 8755
Fax 00 649 4118484
Email : escape%40sorenlarsen%2eco%2enz
Postal address P.O.Box 310 Kumeu
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