A little behind schedule. The original plan was to spend all of August in PNG & here we are arriving at the end of Sept. There were no big deadlines just a proposed plan but it looks like we will be hitting Indonesia a little later than expected. Only problem being our cruising permit for Indo began on 1st Sept but hey we will just have to get another one!
We checked into Buka a small town north of Bougenville. At least I think it was small, I never got off the boat. In these parts we are concerned about the “rascals”, that’s what they call thieves in this part of the world. I can guarantee if I catch any of those “rascals” onboard Barraveigh the words coming out of my mouth will be far more explicit than that! Bougenville has suffered tension in the last few years. 20 – 50,000 islanders have been killed. You can now understand our concerns at being anchored close to the island. Originally anchored away from the town to avoid going through Buka pass but moved closer after being advised by the Port Captain that we would be guaranteed a visit from the local “rascals” with their guns during the night in our present spot. Buka pass had some serious currents, progress was slow at 2 knots under full engine power.
Still feeling uneasy about the area, ourselves & Emiela decided that one person from each boat should go to shore to complete the check in procedures & one person should remain on each boat for security. So I saw Buka from the water & never touched land. According to my sources I didn’t miss anything other than a 2 hour queue at the ATM!
After raising the PNG courtesy flag (made by my own fair hands & trust me for a non artist that bird wasn’t easy to paint) we got a good nights sleep & took off the following day. Minor drama on the way out, with Emelia hitting a reef. Luckily all was ok & we are on our way to Kavieng.
No comments:
Post a Comment