It was fun coming back to Port Vila again and showing Luciana around. Interesting when you come back to a foreign place for a second time, it’s happened to me quite a few times over the years, I instantly feel like a local??! This was particularly so this time around as the Nivan people are very friendly and welcoming. They come to life when they see a familiar face and go out of their way to welcome you back.

I introduced Luciana to Willie the security guard at the Waterfront bar who had taken me around to some ‘local’ Kava bars, Alice the mama who ran one of the many food stalls at the markets, Justine and her daughter and a number of others.

There was a lot riding on this trip, it’s no secret that I have had a lifelong ambition to sail around the world, and a big part of this trip was about introducing Luciana to extended living aboard a yacht to see if she would begin to share my passion for sailing.

18 days & 250 Nautical miles later and Luciana’s not only smiling but more relaxed and at ease than I have seen her in a long time. A definitive success!

Our trip started with a 45 minute, low altitude flight on a small 6 seater charter flight with Unity airlines to Lamen Bay on Epi Island. We picked a relatively clear day and it was yet another unique way to see some of the beautiful islands and reefs of Vanuatu.

Luciana settled in almost instantly, and within 3 days she had successfully completed her first offshore passage (25Nm) in up to 25 knots of wind and a decent swell, we’d caught a big Wahoo, had sashimi, anchored in a less than ideal place in 30 knots of wind, dragged anchor, visited a local village and ‘survived’ it all – we were having fun and loads of it!

The strict details are documented by Elise, our resident blogger on Moksha’s  blog http://mokshasmessages.blogspot.com

There are a number of resources worth sharing that made our stay in Vanuatu a great one:

Unity airlines – Affordable Charter airlines in Vanuatu

Sam Bell – local yacht agent in Vanuatu

Yachting world – Yacht Marina in Port Vila

Rocket guide to Vanuatu – Interactive Travel guide to  Vanuatu

Michener’s restaurant – Best Dinner in Port Vila, Vanuatu (it was a well contested category)