Our anchoring system has been getting a good workout, keeping the crew from working too hard when we decide to raise anchor and try a different bay when the holding is not good enough. Steve is very pleased with Adagio, in spite of several problems with systems installations and several failures, but nothing to spoil our enjoyment of cruising. Professionals and tourist staff speak English, so one way or another we are able to make ourselves understood. The people are more relaxed here than in Paris, and as a result my French flows more easily. I am enjoying conversing with the locals. Yellowfin tuna, Mahi-Mahi and many other fish delicacies are available at reasonable prices, but Steve really wants to catch our own seafood. Susan and I restocked our fresh supplies at the morning vegetable and fish markets near the marina. We consider these delicacies to be an essential part of our Mediterranean diet. Steve has become our pastry “chef” as he has located the best Boulangeries in town, and brings to the boat strawberry tarts, cookies dipped in chocolate and filled with honeyed hazelnuts, baguettes and creme brule’. We bought a few supplies at the chandlery and some natural history books. An Internet Cafe enabled Steve to update our satellite receiving software and communicate with vendors and our boatbuilder. We looked forward to traveling inland in October to see the forest and indigenous villages. We enjoyed exploring the city of Noumea, “Paris of the Pacific”, population 69,000 (of a total of 150,000 for the entire country), but tired of the traffic, noise and dust. We were told that the two submersibles were ashore for servicing, and the huge crane on the stern of Deep Ocean Odyssey appeared adequate to handle them. The interior of the steel ship was rough and rugged, and definitely a work boat. A crew member described the mission of the vessel as “making underwater videos for the American television audience.” The main sponsors are from the US and Canada. In order to safely board Allegro, the crew graciously allowed us to walk through the huge research vessel to the ladder down to the water and our dinghy on their seaward side. When we returned to the Cousteau boat, Allegro had been moved to the other side of the ship along with the ship’s dinghy. Accounts of the early Melanesian and Polynesian discoverers, followed by Captain Cook’s landing in 1774 and the French explorers, dozens of shipwrecks and underwater archaeology, the US Navy bases during World War II, the nickel mining industry and native piroques used to catch turtles for food are all beautifully illustrated and explained at the Maritime Historical Museum. The workers generously allowed us to tie up our dinghy Allegro alongside their dinghy for an hour. The Cousteau Society research vessel Deep Ocean Odyssey () was tied up to the wharf at the Maritime Museum. We will have it serviced when we arrive in Australia in November. Not a problem, as we have fewer than 3 hours on it. Steve had spent the morning at the Yamaha repair shop, but did not succeed in getting the 10 hour service on our four-stroke outboard engine. At a French cafe’, we lunched on the plat du jour (Blue plate special), followed by a cappuccino and tarte aux bananes. We had hoped to make our departure on Thursday morning, but because of the 15 to 25 knots of wind and associated rough seas predicted by the Meteo (meteorological) Service, we spent the day in the Tjibaou Arts & Cultureal Centre and the Maritime Historical Museum in Noumea. The bioluminescent corals glowed eerily and photographed well. Even the chambered nautili in their dimly lit display show up well in the film. We took hours of videos in the good lighting conditions. Each tank was artistically arranged, balancing colors, shapes and variety of marine life. The aquarium fills its tanks with water pumped directly from the nearby sea, so the fishes, sea turtles and corals were in very healthy condition. The SE tradewinds bring a constant source of wind power to these shores. Borne by the tradewinds, windsurfers and para-surfers zip back and forth in the protected waters near the beaches. The Noumea Aquarium was high on our list of sightseeing, so we piled into a public bus which followed the shoreline to the east of Noumea.
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