We anchored in 10m in mud just west of the wharf. It’s an amazing anchorage with shelter from pretty much all directions and absolutely no rolling. The reef pass is a nice easy one, breakers either side of the channel, but plenty of width.
Confed surrounded by Canoes in the Anchorage
Coordinates of anchorage 10 deg 39.453 S, 166 deg 03.517 E
Highlights
- Surfing with the kids from the village, them on their homemade surfboards, bad ass. I wish we had some photos! But here’s a photo of some of the fellas we met up with ashore another day.
Our gang of tour guides
- Landing a huge Mahi mahi as we came in the passage
- Trading, trading and more trading, we have been short of nothing here. We gave half the mahi mahi to the village when we arrived which was well received and got us off to a good start with people. This is a super friendly place.
A typical veggie hall
- Meeting Joselwyn who became our local tour guide eager to show us ALL the sites of Kala bay. He’s a Chinese football player? Will have to google that one when we get back to civilisation.
- Spending the day fixing our kite gear in preparation for the Louisiades. Many intrigued onlookers.
- The anchorage – so calm!
- A walk around to black beach (about 4km from anchorage) where there’s a wide pool of a river opening onto the sea. A competitive stone skimming competition ensued with the local kids. Unfortunately they were vastly more skilled than us. We ended up watching them go head to head at a variety of games that they’ve clearly been playing since infancy. One involved a large group of boys throwing stones as high as they could at the same time. First stone in the water loses, last stone wins.
Throwing competition
They’re all so at home in their surroundings, climbing up trees and jumping/somersaulting into the river
Shooting birds with bows and arrows
Dude
- Snurfelling – It’s a new sport that involves attempting to surf at low tide whilst checking water depths and fish life. A bit about the surf break – it’s a right hander on the edge of the entrance channel, easy paddle out, pretty shallow at low tide so you need to know what you’re doing. At high tide two wave patterns add together and it doesn’t break as cleanly. Apparently the best months are January – March when Joselwyn tells us it breaks like the photos he’s seen in magazines in Aus. Sorry no photos!
- Visiting the kindergarten.
With Doris the kindy teacher
The kindy
Coconut birds made by the kids
Cute uniforms!
Kala Bay turned into one of our favourites of the trip so far
Getting an early morning canoe ride
Mass beetle nuts
Migs and Andrew the unofficial chief of the village
The gang waving goodbye after their tour of Confederate
School
Medical center
Typical House Kala Bay
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