PNG – COASTING NEW IRELAND

16 March 2025

Unfortunately, shortly after I had anchored in the Albatross Channel my fishing rod and fishing gear were stolen from the back deck.  I always remove any tempting items from the cockpit when at anchor.  I had already removed the binoculars, navigation tablet and other bits and bobs safely below.  I then put the kettle on for a cuppa and was filling in the logbook at the chart table when I heard sounds outside.  I jumped up into the cockpit and saw a canoe with two guys in it paddling away downstream, then I noticed my fishing rod was missing.  I shouted after the guys but they had suddenly developed selective hearing, their paddling picked up a pace.  My fault entirely, they probably only came along to say hello (as everyone does here) but the sight of a fishing rod unattended was just too much temptation.  Oh well, one less thing to worry about and fishing with a rod from Truce has always been a dangerous game, I hope they have better luck with it than I had.

The day after the fishing gear incident I sailed the short distance across to Mission Bay on Djaul Island.  A lovely enclosed and calm anchorage.  The locals came out in canoes to trade and were very shy.  A young girl gave me a masterclass in topping coconuts for the juice and then splitting them for the flesh. 

From Mission Bay I coasted along the south coast of New Ireland.  Lovely sailing in light breezes and calm seas.  What a contrast to the struggles I had on the north coast.  I stopped at Katherine Harbour and had a riotous welcome from the schoolchildren who all swam out to the boat.  They were all very excited and were very vocal, too many decibels for me but all good fun.  They said they hadn’t seen a yacht for a couple of years.  Eventually they became exhausted swimming around and treading water and headed back to shore.  A couple of canoes came out later and I stocked up on fresh coconuts and some beautiful sweet potatoes.

The next stop was Kalili Harbour, a lovely anchorage in calm weather, again locals came out in canoes to greet me.  Here I was able to fill my jerry cans with fresh water from the stream ashore, some of the local children running the bottles ashore in their canoe, they were rewarded and both parties were happy with the deal.   As usual I did some barter for fresh fruit and veggies.

My next destination was the Duke of York Islands.  The wind went light and the tidal current held me up, I was unable to make the entrance through the reef passage before dusk so laid off for the night.  I found the currents here very strong and it was a restless night sailing back and forth trying to hold position off the island.   

In the morning I anchored in a small, almost enclosed pool by the village.  I was encouraged to put a line ashore, I declined.  Being tied ashore can hinder a fast getaway, its also easy for the locals to cut and steal the line.  Here I was promised good security from the headman and he posted a watchman on shore overnight.  This was all very well but I missed having the locals visit and interact, it was all a bit overbearing and I departed the following morning. 

From the Duke of York islands I sailed over to Port Sulphur on the mainland.  I arrived at the anchorage at night and was surprised to see bright lights and activity onshore. Here there was a big logging operation going on run by a Malaysian company.  What a huge pile of timber they had ready for export and what a mess they were leaving behind in the forest. 

I started to get a bad feeling about security.  It was only men who came out to visit in canoes and they were asking too many questions, things like was I alone, did I have a gun onboard, where was I going next etc. The vibes had changed slightly, I was not feeling comfortable.  With this in mind, I decided to head out early the next morning before dawn and move along the coast. 

Next on the route is Bouganville, but the wind is not quite right and a strong current is flowing down St. Georges Channel to the south.  I had planned to anchor in a bay (English Cove) at the southern end of New Ireland before crossing over to Bouganville. But, I still had a gut feeling that the security situation didn’t feel right.  As I approached Cape St. George the wind picked up to a good twenty knots.  I decided not to anchor overnight but to take advantage of the breeze, sailing onwards towards Bouganville and clear of any possible troubles at English Cove.