Ilovent

Heading for the “Rock”

After waiting several weeks for a weather window to finally open up so they could set sail for New Caledonia (see MW 203), the crew of Ilovent finally cast off for Nouméa. Although they had initially planned to make only a brief technical stop in New Caledonia, they ultimately had to revise their plans.

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Published on 27/11/2025

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 205

Published: Jan. / Feb. 2026

Discover this issue

Who: Fabienne & Jean-Charles
Where: New Caledonia
Multihull : Outremer 45
Blog : www.blog-trotting.fr/u/ilovent

Nearly 900 miles separate Opua, New Zealand, from Nouméa, New Caledonia. We are very happy to be back at sea for several days. We need to get back into the swing of things, and the sail adjustments are taking longer than usual. Our muscles have also weakened considerably. The sea is still rough, and during the first few days, the wind couldn’t quite decide whether to blow from the east or the west. There were many boats setting sail, as weather windows allowing us to leave New Zealand are few and far between. But once we set sail, we quickly found ourselves alone, as most of the boats that left at the same time as us headed for Fiji. From the very first days, we appreciated the warmer air; as we headed north, oilskins and sweaters were put away in the lockers. We still have some work to do on our suntans though. Then the overcast skies of the first few days gave way to our first sunset in a long time. Towards the end of the passage, the squalls battered us more, even though they offered us the spectacle of splendid rainbows. We arrived in Nouméa, where we restocked our supplies, alternating between periods of rest and cultural visits, notably to the Jean-Marie Djibaou cultural center. We then set off to explore the lagoon. It’s good to be back in warm waters and picture-postcard landscapes (for Multihulls World!), to take a dip in crystal-clear waters, and to rediscover the joys of snorkeling. We also got out the paddleboards. On the islands’ beaches, but also in the water, strange “Sea Krait” snakes abound. They are not reassuring because their bite is deadly. But apparently, they have very small jaws that are not adapted for biting. Thank goodness! After four days of wandering, a perfect weather window seems to be opening up for us to leave for Vanuatu. We returned to Port Moselle in Nouméa to complete the exit formalities with the authorities. Every time we enter a country, we have to declare our entry and present our clearance from the previous country. We need New Caledonia’s clearance to enter Vanuatu. We then anchored one last time in Prony Bay before setting sail for the open sea.