Ambrym is full of many lovely anchorages and bays. Several are listed on charts and cruising guides and some we explored based on their beauty on the satellite charts.
Double Bay
We left Lonwolwol and headed for Double Bay which is not on any of the guide books. But it looked super pretty on the satellite charts and it was on the way to North Ambrym (where we needed to be in a week). Super short motor, 8nm and we dopped the hook. It is as beautiful as it looks on the satellite images.
Black sand beach with lots of volcanic rocks and shelves, bright green hills and multi colored rock faces. The “shelves” are made of volcanic rock, sand, and debris and crumbles under your weight near the edges. We found several unusual fallen trees with other trees wrapped around the trunks and lots and lots of flies and spiders.
It rained a lot here, so we had a lot of rainbows. For the most part this is a great anchorage, but probably better in settled weather conditions. Both Moana and Sugar Shack woke up at 5am to our anchor alarms going off as we were dragging. We both had to reset the hook but then all was good. The other bummer part of this bay is that you get lots of black debris on your boat (either black sand or the volcano dust) and you get a yellow rim around the water line from the sulfur in the water.
On our way out of Double Bay we drove by the other half of the bay and it was gorgeous. The colors on the rock mountains were astounding and the caves are so mysterious. We could not anchor here as it was too deep (30meters).
Ranon Bay
We make it to Ranon Bay which is where we need to be for the very famous Fanla Festival. It is a small village with lots of very friendly people. We visit the school, pass by a church, see many colorful houses, and discover a new nut (yellow flower below).
Can you understand what the writing is on the wall on bottom right photo? Answer at the end of the post.
Ranon Bay is known for its carvers (both wood and stone). So, we organize a display of carving work by all of the carvers at one time. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and only one carver showed up. We also meet with the chief to discuss our plans for the festival which is held at the neighboring village of Fanla.
These giant, 4 meter tall logs are the start of the famous Tam Tams. Ambrym is famous for its magnificent tam-tams (or slit drums) sculpted out of the breadfruit family tree trunks. They are the some of the most impressive items of art in Vanuatu. The dancing areas in the traditional villages are decorated with Tam Tams planted in the ground, which can measure several meter’s high. They are used to beat the rhythm for the singing and dancing during ceremonial rituals. Stay tuned for pictures of complete Tam Tams in our Fanla Festival blog post.
What is a Dinghy Wash?
Back in the states, when I had a car, I used to love going to the car wash. Mostly because I loved a clean car but also because it was fun for me (I know weirdo). Well, since I no longer have a car there has been no need for a car wash….but Matt found us a dinghy wash :0
We found a waterfall that fell directly into a bay and was deep enough to drive the dinghy through. There is a super funny video on Instagram so be sure to check it out on sv Sugar Shack’s page.
The day before the Fanla Festival we had Chief Sekor visit, he organizes the Fanla festival. He came in from Olal which is another village at the north end of Ambrym. I also met Chief Felix of Ranon and a lovely lady who had me giggling.
Coming up next is a series of blog posts on the very famous Fanla Festival.
Answer: Cyclone Safe House
Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events. This blog post occurred in mid-July. We shared the history of Ambrym in our last blog.