Destination- Vanuatu

by Sail-World Cruising on 5 Mar 2006 The South Pacific has long been the stuff of dreams for sailors: a vast collection of tropical islands, a great spread of coral atolls over thousands of square miles, a real paradise of sailing experiences – white sand beaches, volcanic mountains, clear coral waters, tropical jungles

– but none are more romantic than the 83 tropical islands of Vanuatu.

Vanuatu means ‘the land that always existed’. From volcanic beginnings, it is now known for its romantic tropical landscape, the world's most accessible volcanoes, turquoise blue ocean with lots of amazingly coloured fish, and crystal clear waterfalls. It stretches over some 800 km of the Pacific, about two thirds of the way from Hawaii to Australia.

The capital, Port Vila, on the island of Efate, sits high over a lovely harbour, and the French influence shows in its stylish food and old architecture. This contrasts with the gentle natural chaos of the hilly town bursting with vegetation – tropical vines and trees, palms and flowering bushes. Then of course there’s the local market, with fresh local produce and handcrafted wooden bowls of rich red wood, wonderfully asymmetric. And there’s the big handed salute and smile – the place seems never hurried, and neither do the people - a gentle, peaceful people who seem to know just how blessed they have been by nature.


LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE:
With amazing diversity, the culture and traditions of the people of Vanuatu are divided into four main groups. The smart cruising sailor will appreciate some of these differences in advance to ease the way through the different cruising Learn more here about the History,Lifestyle and Culture of Vanuatu

YACHTIES RESPECTING LOCAL CULTURE:
One of the most important aspects of travelling through the islands is to recognise that land tenure, and many other aspect of live, do not work as they do at home. For instance, property rights do not end at the high water mark. Learn more here in ADVICE FOR YACHTIES about protocals and courtesies from the Vanuatu Cultural Centre

DIVING:
Formerly called the New Hebrides, Vanuatu is also a Mecca for those who love diving. The waters surrounding the islands provide some of the most spectacular and varied underwater exploration in the South Pacific and experienced divers come from all over the world to swim amongst the WW2 wrecks that lie scattered over the Learn more about the diving in Vanuatu

THE ROCKET GUIDE:
For comprehensive information about Cruising Vanuatu, there is no better resource than Richard Chesher's Cruising Vanuatu, which contains a huge quantity of free information about whatever you need to know about sailing in Vanuatu. There's speedy access to Vanuatu Weather, and you'll also need to refer to Vanuatu Tides. Yes, there are Vanuatu Marinas waiting to receive you, and you will also need to know about Vanuatu Ports of Entry and Clearance

CRUISING GUIDES:
However, you won't want to leave home without purchasing online Richard's CD pilot to Vanuatu, called A Cruising Guide to-Sailing in the South Pacific Islands of Vanuatu. This is an extremely effective guide using satellite images of the islands. One of the greatest advantages is that you can actually see the shallow water in the anchorage you are about to visit.

If you prefer to have a paper Cruising Guide on hand, then the locals recommend Alan Lucas's Cruising Guide, which is available at Boatbooks

CHARTERING A SAILING BOAT:

There is a good selection of boats to charter. Browse through the list on the http://www.vanuatutourism.com/vanuatu/cms/en/activities/yacht.html!Vanuatu_Tourism_Site_for_Yacht_Chartering.

Of course, if you want a sailing holiday but not the responsibility of sailing the boat yourself, there's always the skippered sailing boat. A skippered cruise offers you the best of both worlds... the fun of sailing without the worries. It also means the luxury of no cooking, no washing-up and if you choose, no need to be actively involved in sailing the boat. Try Cotton Blossom Charters, or Musique. There are others on the Vanuatu Tourism site.







To learn more about the tourism aspects of visiting Vanuatu, go to the Official Site of the Government of Vanuatu

Whichever way you decide you will holiday in Vanuatu - visiting as part of a Pacific crossing, taking a hotel holiday and just cruising for a few days, or chartering a boat for the holiday of your dreams, we know that you'll come back from Vanuatu - wanting to return!

www.sail-world.com/send_message.cfm!Click_Here!same to comment on this article