Sailing the LOYALTY ISLANDS, LIFOU, DOUEOULOU
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Impi is a catamaran, Lagoon 440, sailing around the world, having left South Africa some years ago now. We have turned back to sail New Caledonian territory again - the place is amazing - and here we are cruising around the beautiful Loyalty Islands.
The island of Lifo is amazing and in our previous video you will have seen the friendly folks at Chepenehe, a villiage in the northern part of Baie de Sandal, but weather is coming in and we need to make way for shelter to the southern side of the bay at a traditional village called DOUEOULOU. The place is beautiful and is known to be one of the most authentic places left in Lifou, and although one readily sees a blend of new and old buildings, folks still live in the older traditional huts. We hope we can bring some of the vibe of this village into your homes and hearts ... cheers everyone
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Outstanding, you both sure know how to put a video together, like the world views and the zoom ins to show location and your chart plotting of routes. It's all great !
Awesome to know this - we sometimes wonder how this comes across ... being the inquisitive types we are, I know when we watch some videos that we are left wondering where they were taken ... so decided to share this in our vids whenever we can. Cheers and thanks for the comment .. Brent and Ana
Brent you have natural ability of presentations. Well done!So simple but interesting. It is like soap movie you want to watch more and more.Thanks for catching my attention for more than a year now.Let me thank you in your way - Thanks Man!
Al - why thank you kind sir :)
Thanks man !!
Sorry we have not kept the flow going - I really like to post as close to real time as possible so we do not have hoards of footage stored for continual releases and especially recently cruising around the southern lagoon area of New Caledonia there has not been any internet for us. Still, I will sit over the next 2 days and make sure to get another movie out there :)
Sharing is our pleasure and so happy you enjoy the vids ...
Cheers for now ... Brent
Brent/Ana,
"Thanks" for taking me along with you to LIFOU.
When people ask me what I did today..."I went to LIFOU"!
Keep 'em coming.
RW
Ha ha RW - we laughed hard at this one - folks must think you 'get around' ... He he
Thank you Brent.
Cheers George - our absolute pleasure :)
Well done!
Cheers - a short one and not too exciting but pleased folks enjoyed visiting this island with us :)
What a Ace film all we got to do is win the lottery so we can see it all live . Keep blowing with the wind
Mark - sail your new boat over here :)
Seriously, yes, I understand what you mean by winning the lottery - that would be nice :)
Cheers
Another fantastic video. Thanks!
Cheers Timothy
Beautiful Island described beautifully as usual. Happy trailsIMPI............
Thanks Glen - nice of you man !!! Cheers
Top Notch guy's....Brent and Ana..Ya'll are Rock Stars...Keep em coming..jonesing already for a new fix
Lol - thanks Kelly - wish we were rock stars - in monetary terms 😜
Cheers
Brent I love your enthusiasm, you are both caring and respectful people. I just don't know how you move on from some places.. These islands look like heaven to me.. Thanks for sharing your journey
Thanks for the comment - we totally known what you mean about moving on from places that seem to be paradise ... these islands in New Caledonia really are amazing and would certainly be a spot to 'root oneself in', but then again, we would never have discovered this paradise had we not been the kind of folks who like to 'move it, move it' :)
I think I did mention in one of my vids, that there are only 2 places in the world we turned back to for a second visit ... the one was the Tuamotu Archipelago (the longer one stays the more interesting and beautiful it becomes) and then here at New Caledonia - this place really has captured our hearts and the people are amazing! It does take some time though before folks will open up to one, so it really pays to linger longer :)
Always a pleasure for us to be sharing our experiences - even the mundane vids like this one hopefully have interest for folks who are curious about the destinations. Stay tuned - we had the flying vet drop in yesterday to sort out Moose the abandoned island dog - so we will get busy on that vid soon ... cheers for now ... Brent
Great work Ana and Brent. What a beautiful place, what a beautiful life. I envy you guys immensely. Keep 'em coming. The wife and I love watching your updates.
Awesome comment again - thanks :)
Oh man - we so wish no one would envy what we do - so wish everyone could be following their dreams too but also nice to know the sharing means something for folks back home, and wow - I really thought this was going to 'push the limits' and be a bit boring. I guess in the end we should just keep sharing our videos as we see the destinations - there will be some exciting, some mundane and some in-between vids but nice to know different things are appealing to different folks. Cheers for now ... Brent
Thanks Brent and Ana.
You need to remember that videos you feel are perhaps boring and mundane for you guys are incredibly exotic to a couple of Brits living in New England. We get to sail around the exotic isles of Boston Harbour and you guys get New Caledonia. Sucks being you!! LOL :)
I love the way you both are filming the journey, it is educating in many ways, technical historic and all of it in great quality and very nice addited.
Please keep them coming. I watch a lot off video blogs about sailing and you are definitly in my top 10 ,even top 5. Great!!
Thanks Henk - appreciate the feedback. I seriously do not know how some of the folks keep sharing week by week - sometimes we just sail and hang - LOL!
All good though - we will try keep the sharing alive as much as possible - the vids are also memories for us so we appreciate folks egging us on
Cheers for now
Brent
I can see why you guys love this area so much. Very beautiful island and a wonderful history.
Hey Ted - howzat going? (South African way of saying how are you doing)
Yip - New Caledonia is simply amazing us - We are going to find it so hard emotionally to leave this place. Ana and are sitting in a beautiful little cove writing to you - a cove not far from Moose as Ana wants to be at 'arms length from him so to speak', and this cove is just amazing. It is dark right now, but earlier on - left me describe it - There are beautiful sounds of birds in mass, the breeze through the trees and the gentle sounds of water caressing beautiful sandy beaches ... the beaches glistening in the sun contrasted by rounded dark but glimmering rocks sprinkled around, and then there is this backdrop - these beautiful mountains of green vegetation and red earth between that glows in the setting sun. Here there is peace, here there is beauty, here is paradise, yes Sir, here is New Caledonia :) I hope that painted a little midweek picture for you ... Cheers Ted and thanks for the comment ... Brent
Thank you Brent! I hope to visit there one day! You painted a wonderful image!
Great video Brent. What a wonderful island, and rare being off the beaten track, so very unspoiled. I think Anna is almost ready to "host" a full episode herself..
Thanks OW ... I have passed the message on to Ana - maybe it will happen :)
brent and ana , thanks for the awesome video :0)
Cheers - appreciate the comment
Wow, such a beautiful place. I can't believe that how few tourist are there.
Yes Vaughn - incredible to think very few tourists outside of the French get to the Loyalty Islands
o wow paradise is not enough to describe the awe in these vids.you produce for us land lovers ? keep em coming. some day in the future if you ever retire you,ll have to write a novel of your travels. it sure would be a hit thanks my friends
Hey Brian - nice comment from you. Yes, must say we are loving New Caledonia - the turn back for a second visit is the best decision we could have made. The place gets better and better the longer one stays and the more one explores - truly - this is so amazing and we are pleased we can capture some of it for you guys! Yes, maybe a book sometime would be good - lets see if we can get to that stage in our lives ... cheers for now - Brent
Am I jealous ? Hell ya...:-)
Enjoy it, very happy for you guys.
Oh man - jealousy is no good so hope to see you on the deep blue soon, soon mate :)
Thanks for the comment ... weekend is almost here :)
nice video very pleasant no waves. I like your new introduction. Safe journeys
Thanks Ariel - tranquility in paradise with those calm conditions. Cheers
Brett/ Ana , another great video.Something different. Many Thanks.
Cheers John - trying to 'mix it up' a little :)
another beautiful and uplifting vlog brent, safe passage and best as always
Thanks again - not the most exciting video to share but folks ask us to keep em coming - so hopefully those more interested in the destinations find this one appealing ... cheers and have a great week
Great video as always!! I love watching your videos as they let me escape an enjoy the natural beauty of these amazing places you go too! Cheers my good friend! Be safe and I look forward to seeing more as always!
Hey Ryan - all good mate - we have been thinking of you and the family a lot and hoping all is well. Pleased we could share this one ... take care and chat soon ... cheers for now
Great video. Its always interesting to see how others live they seem very happy on the island.
Hi Russ - thanks for the comment. The folks feel to be very relaxed on the island although everyone seemed busy here, which felt a bit foreign to us as usually the islanders are 'lingering around the beaches and so on' ... but here they seemed 'occupied' which is to be respected. The downside to this, for us, is that we did not get to engage with the folks as much as we would have liked to - and we like to get a 'vibe' by engaging. Still, the place is beautiful, splashed in bright colours of flowering plants, birds in song and truly is uplifting to walk through this bit of paradise.
Of course the chief was away at a conference in Noumea, so one wonders if the folks would have been doing different things had the chief been there. We did get the feeling that had we asked to photograph things instead of snapping away, we would have been told it was fine, but for a small fee ... so the folks do look for the opportunity to earn few extra bucks 'here n there' ... Cheers for now ... Brent
beautiful as always I didn't realize that terry was your son as seen on wynns I have been following them as well and ken is your cousin small world I was thinking they set terry a drift he just disappeared what a wonderful warm friendly family life is good
Hey Old Guy - nice comment - thank you!
Yes, Terry is indeed my son and Kent is indeed my cousin :) The Wynns are indeed an amazing couple and inspite of them casting Terry adrift he really speaks highly of them ... I get a feeling we may see them hook up in the future for the odd cruise.
Cheers for now ... Brent
Thank you for sharing this wonderful video.I am watching all your videos but have been unable for a few weeks due to traveling with work. Feel great to Watch your videos and I want to tell you that you give inspiration for other people to travel the World by boat.Now while you Cruise the South Pacific I hope you will stop by in Cook Islands next season.Cheers
Awesome comment and always our pleasure to share these experiences with others. We are sailing west so will do the Cook Islands on our next circumnavigation - we wanted to go off the beaten track for a while and the Cooks were not great with the weather patterns at time. We hope to see you on the deep blue .... cheers
another great video Brent, thanks for sharing...
Cheers Laurent - hope its a great weekend for you !!
Great video again Brent, every week I am looking forward to what you guys are gonne show next. Super!!!!! Now what about Fred.... I suppose I do have to consider him as my inspirator because at the time I think I will be able to set sail and explore the world, I'll be around his age. He seems to be doing great as a solo sailor. Has Fred ever thought about doing vids as well? With you as a video and editing teacher, he can't go wrong. Thanks for all the joy you are sharing, Robert
Hi Bond Bug - we try to put something out as often as possible, but really, we do not want to just share mundane things and I sometimes wonder if I should be publishing as often. A lot of the time sailing is just that - sailing :)
Fred is a guy we met down in NZ - and yes, a solo sailor who has some awesome stories to tell, but he says he remains tech shy.
I don't think he will make videos - but yes, we have been encouraging him to look at it and he does say it would have been an awesome memory for him to have the vids.He reminds me of how easy it is to visit many places in the world and forget how they looked because one is just absorbing so much stuff all the time. He does say he wishes he took more photos and recorded more events he can refer back to - I think Fred misses his daughter who used to sail with him - he carries her photos, treasures them and proudly shows them - and although he remains strong in attitude we believe it would be nice for him to have the company.
Had she been on the boat I think Fred would have encouraged her to go with the tech - but for now - he sails on.
Always a pleasure to share
Cheers for now
Brent
Great video Brent! ....like the technicals but enjoy the stories like this one a bit more.
Hey AMB - thanks for the feedback - trying to 'mix it up a little' so its good to know what folks prefer. We will keep trying to introduce variety where we can, but yeah ... amazed folks are not feeling this is 'same old, same old' you know ... Cheers
Excellent vid IMPI.
Thanks man - relieved the good folks are enjoying them - cheers mate and have an awesome weekend
Very Beautiful! Love the channel!
Thanks U Shine - We are pleased we could capture the island and share the place with you ... it's kinda scary getting requests to keep the vids rolling and we wonder if that would not be too boring for folks - and this is one of those where we thought ... 'Ok, beautiful for us to experience, but wonder how interesting the share will be on You Tube'.
So ... we appreciate the comments and also nice to get honest comments like the one which said 'we don't really like your technical stuff, we prefer the destinations' ... and yeah, we are trying to mix it up a little so there is something of interest for everyone. Thanks again - cheers from IMPI :)
You guys be your selfs! Great style!
I love love love that you guys are filming these out of the way places that it doesn't seem that too many are visiting. Are these villages often visited by cruisers/travelers? Are they used to/OK with people just dropping into the beach, and walking into the village? For the smaller islands/villages, it would feel (to me, with no experience) like pulling into a stranger's driveway, and asking to see their home or farm........ this may be my western bias/ideas of private property, etc. Sounds like it's mostly OK, but even you guys put the camera away now and again. Fascinating.
PNWesty - your comment is SPOT ON !!! You make a very valid comment and whilst Lifou is very open to visitors, we discovered an initial attitude you describe above at Ouvea which we have yet to share.
We always approach islands and villages with the utmost of respect we possibly can. It has worked well for us and being friendly and appreciative of what they have goes a long way.
The most southern village of Ouvea proved to be a tough nut to crack though, but in the end we succeeded - they want the money so they by extension want the boats to visit. Some local cruisers we met refuse to go there because they say the people are not very welcoming but on Lifo the folks were amazing to us. We have heard that acts of violence occur mostly when there is too much drink or similar involved. In the end, respect, friendliness and showing appreciation goes a long way with the folks and will bring out the best in them. It is unlike many islands we visit where the folks are so excited to see yachts that there is that instantaneous friendliness - here the first show (perhaps a first few shows) of friendliness has to come from us.
I just spent some time doing a tour with my brother in-law today at Q-West Boat Builders here in my home town... 2 x Whale Watch farriers under total re-fit. 2 x Fullers ferries under new construction each with 4x v16 engines... Absolutely amazing... Would love to be doing what you are doing...
Thats awesome - we LOVE Q-West !!!
You never know - perhaps one day your turn will come - I surely hope so :)
So do I, not all in my household are on the same page though... My Bro In law also made the Sydney Harbour Police Boats there... All from Wanganui New Zealand...
WOW - I saw a lot of boat building sheds in Whangarei but many also seemed to have closed down which is sad man !
Thanks you two, I would bring maple syrup from canada, LOL.
Nice video thanks, If I ever catch up to you two I will have some for you as well.
Terry
Hey Terry - now that sounds great - Maple syrup - yum :)
It reminds me actually, of a business transaction I was doing in South Africa where a Canadian fella had flown in to buy some earthmoving equipment we were selling as we rotated old for new. He flew in and started the meeting off by giving me a can (looked like an oil can) of Maple syrup. He told me he wanted to pay less for one particular machine and that I should go home, try out that syrup and then make my decision - lol. Needless to say, I so enjoyed the gesture that we discounted the machine to accommodate him, but yeah - that syrup sure was amazing man! Thanks for that :)
Cheers Terry
Yes I can see that, LOL
Absolutely love your videos, inspirational and informative !! Can't get enough of them, as I hope to be following in your and Ana's wake !Very interested in the lagoon 44, wondering about the raised helm and how safe you feel in rough weather.Wishing you fair winds.
Thank you Janet - Awesome - I think you missed our last release a few minutes ago. I will have to do an Impi layout video as many folks are asking me this question. The 440 flybridge is a topic of huge debate in forums and mostly by folks who have not actually sailed the Lagoon 440 yet - so the concept seems 'strange' but in reality it has proved to be an amazing feature of our boat and for extended cruising.
Ironically, in very rough weather, the flybridge is our 'go to place' as up there one is in touch with the surrounds and what is going on - it is 'boat silent' and gives the senses a chance to 'tune into the weather elements'. Most times, things are banging and crashing below and it feels we may 'die' - lol - head up for the bridge and all of a sudden we have everything under control and it is not as bad as it feels to be below.
I am one of those sailors who does not look for shelter in foul weather, so I choose mostly not even to put up the dodger not he flybridge which most owners I know of keep their dodgers up - I like to feel the conditions, hear every twitch in the rig and have my eyes on the sound immediately. Thos could be a result of us almost being dismasted once before - perhaps I grew up sailing hobie cats way too long - not sure but we really LOVE that fly bridge.
Another nice aspect when doing extended cruising is the added space. Boats can become small places over the years and it is nice to have the occasional 'getaway spot' and the Lagoon 440 certainly caters for this.
The Flybridge is awesome in reef infested waters and generally for spotting fish or whales - it really does open up ones visual ability whilst sailing around the islands.
My suggestion to you, is that if you are considering a catamaran - is to actually sail the ones you place on your 'short list'.
There are so many awesome boats out there ... this is our second cruising catamaran and we really are happy we bought Impi.
Cheers for now
Brent
Thank you soooo much for the response ! That fly bridge is very popular with charter productions - I really wanted your opinion as you are circumnavigating and respect your experience !! Thank you for all the great videos and the invaluable education you are imparting to me (and my husband) along the way !!!
Ana & Brent
Thanks again for another great video. I've never seen the sea so calm and flat . It looked like glass or a mirror . Is Frank a friend of yours ? How long will he be on board sailing with you for ?
Hey Bob - great to hear from you again. Frank is a solo sailor in his own boat called SV Serafina. We met him in New Zealand and happened to cross paths again in New Caledonia. The thing with sailors is that we all see each other as friends so when we anchor near folks they become friends over a short period of time - usually (LOL) and more so in the Pacific because the area is vast and sailors are fewer in some regions so it allows folks to draw closer to each other. Then we drift on and keep in touch via email, SSB and other forms of media and they remain friends in our hearts. Frank has sailed off - he is currently in Vanuatu which is territory we sailed previously. I think its going to be hard for us when we leave New Caledonia - a few friends have been egging us on to join them for other destinations but this place is one of those 'yet to be unlocked' places - the cruising here is AWESOME and it becomes more and more so the longer one lingers. Too many folks sail through this region way to quickly - in my opinion - they miss the treasure that lies in New Caledonia and we just can't pry ourselves away from it just yet, so - yeah - friends sail on and new friends arrive ... and thats sailing for ya :) Cheers for now
nice history lessons brent.
Awesome - we like to gather information before we arrive at a place since it makes it interesting for us to take our minds and imaginations back in time a bit ... to understand how the folks on the island came to be, to understand the impact of history on their lives and mindsets today and so on. Cheers
+Catamaran Impi its amazing how ancient polynesians navigated. www.hokulea.com/education-at-sea/polynesian-navigation/polynesian-non-instrument-wayfinding/
Hi Ariel - yes, we actually sailed along with these guys for a while - we swore they were following us - LOL
+Catamaran Impi lol
cat-impi.blogspot.com/2014/09/cruising-waters-of-raiatea-and-tahaa.html
At 2:30 that is one big jelly!
Awesome conditions hey Mark !!!
Amazing conditions! Thank you for sharing the adventure you and Ana are on. When i finally get the kids off to college i hope for this to be me :) be safe and fair seas.
Great video..love the history lesson mixed in with Google Earth. BTW, you show moving IMPI's anchor around the 5:00 mark. Was that do to southern wind/waves?
Thanks
Pleased you enjoyed this Douglas. We did not move anchor within the anchorages of Chepenehe or Doueoulou for wind, but as mentioned in the vid we left the anchorage of Chepenehe for that of Doueoulou on account of the predicted wind conditions (from the grib forecast data we downloaded) which would have made the anchorage in Chepenehe untenable i.e. the wind across the distance of surface area in the bay (we call it 'REACH') would have whipped up waves and made for uncomfortable conditions - anchor watches at night and so on.
At times like these we move to a location where the wind and water has less reach across the bay - a spot where hopefully the land shelters us from the wind and we hang in an area where wind is flowing over the top before reaching the surface area of the water - if that makes sense :)
At Doueoulou we skirted around the coral heads a bit so the approach to where we anchored may look a little 'twitchy' :)
Cheers mate - nice comment
Brent
Great vid, thank you both.....its just struck me that whilst I enjoy your SA dulcet tones it would be refreshing and different to hear Anna take the mic and narrate a vlog to give her perspective and thoughts.
Your a great couple for sure.....is Anna shy? 🙈
Oh yes - agreed. I was an earthmoving and mining man - so narrating videos is not something I ever thought to be doing in my wildest dreams. I prefer speaking 'in the moment' - I feel excited 'in the moment' so narrating through nights sometimes is not easy and since Ana sleeps fairly early I need to keep the sound levels down a bit - I am not always sure why we do this but we do enjoy that some folks take encouragement from it - we love to hear that it inspires some people - people who get inspired have a spirit of adventure in a world that otherwise could feel to be closing in on us.
I think Ana is slowly warming up to the camera - she does not feel the urge to speak about things and prefers writing - she is a 'quiet and reserved person' by nature.
LOl - I just read the comment to Ana and said 'explain yourself please - she came back with a one liner - 'I am a woman of action and few words' - ha ha - that so describes her :)
Would love those plants in my garden,stunning !!!!!!! Great vid, learning about other cultures of the world is so interesting.
Question: Do you just anchor where you want at these islands or is there a set place for visitors ?
Yes, amazing plants and so healthy for no sprays and so on ... the locals displaying a sense of pride as they maintain the terrain and keep propagating flowers everywhere. Its no wonder the birds love this paradise. We anchor anywhere on these islands - no set spot but of course the area is limited as there are many corals and reefs around. We generally try to find a spot not too deep as we set a scope of 1:4 - 1:5 taken from the top of deck level so one wants to avoid the chain getting snagged and of course one wants to protect corals. In some spots where corals and the sea bed are 'sensitive areas' the French have actually installed mooring balls to use free of charge - they are really good about that.
Thank you for the explanation swaer, makes total sense now, protect nature. *thumbs up*
Oldone's - all good swaar :)
Wow, how often do you see the sea that flat Brent?
Hi hitman :) - We often see flat seas - but this flat - not that often! Sometimes in the open ocean days from any form of land a weather system like a high pressure system will pass through and as the centre finds one it will be this glassy smooth until the opposite side of the centre finds one with the switch in wind. It's kinda like that saying though ... 'the calm before the storm', and yeah, truly it is amazing but there is also that feeling of 'what is to come'. Cheers and thanks for the comment
Facebook:Cat Impi I will look it up.Another good video.To bad we did not see some of the locals of the island.What does Impi mean?
Hi Moonman89 - All good - Impi is a Zulu warrior from Africa. They won many battles in the face of adversity and despite all the odds stacked against them. We felt our battle to be free, to own a yacht and sail the world was pretty much like that ... we were blessed when all the odds were stacked against us ... cheers
when u guys come to sydney ur invited over my house
Thank you Triphon - we so love meeting people like this. Here in New Caledonia we had some folks following us on You Tube and Facebook and when we arrived they immediately came down to Impi for drinks bringing Champagne and so on - now we have so many friends here as a result and such interesting people. We look forward to that - gonna do a braai (Barbecue) ?