South West Bay : Profile

Location

The village of Labo comes recommended by cruisers (see report adjacent).

Clearance

Not a port of entry. Make sure you check in/out from one of the 4 ports of entry in Vanuatu on Efate, Santo, Banks and Tanna Islands.

Docking

SW Bay is well sheltered from the tradewinds (open to infrequent westerlies) and enormous (it can harbour over 100 yachts). Anchor in good sand in 10 to 40 feet. You can land your dinghy ashore in front of the different villages in the Bay and you can also dinghy into the lagoon.

Yacht Clubs

South West Malekula Yacht Club
See Chief Esrom inside the lagoon. 40 yachts inaugurated the yacht club in 2008 and the local villagers are very keen on welcoming cruisers into their community.

Related Reports

Cruising SE Asia - Security Tips (01 Jan 2012)

Warning: Ciguatera at Chesterfield Reef, Coral Sea (08 Nov 2011)

Cruising Notes for Boats Heading to Kupang (07 Nov 2011)

An Update to Clearing in with pets in Vanuatu (14 Sep 2011)

Passage from Vanuatu to Marshalls (07 Sep 2011)

Pacific - List of Radio Nets (01 Aug 2011)

Erromango Island - Charity Soccer Tournament (04 Jul 2011)

Vanuatu: Clearance Formalities Update (04 Jul 2011)

Vanuatu Festivals Coming Up (22 Jun 2011)

Heading to Australia later this year? (03 May 2011)

Espiritu Santo: Big Bay Cultural Festival July 2011 (20 Apr 2011)

Local Information for Port Sandwich, Malekula, Vanuatu (11 Sep 2010)

Delivering School books to Vanuatu (13 Jul 2010)

Port Vila Leading Lights (08 Jun 2010)

Vanua Lava Yam Festival - September (02 Jun 2010)

Port Sandwich Art and Cultural Festival - July (03 May 2010)

Malekula Arts & Culture Festival - August (23 Apr 2010)

Port2Port 2010 Yacht Rally - Vanuatu & New Caledonia to Port Bundaberg (14 Feb 2010)

Are Propane and Butane interchangeable with most boat systems? (19 Jan 2010)

Vanuatu, Vanua Lava - Kastom Festival (02 Jun 2009)

Vanuatu Islands: Festivals and Traditional Custom Ceremonies (20 May 2009)

Kava – Southern Pacific way of life (20 May 2009)

Amongst Used-to-be Cannibals (20 May 2009)

Volcanic Activity Causes Magnetic Interference (13 May 2009)

Un-Charted Sandy Banks in Coral Sea (04 Apr 2009)

Port2Port Rally 2009 (02 Feb 2009)

French Polynesia to NZ - the logical route (11 Dec 2008)

Labo Village, South West Bay, Malekula, Vanuatu (08 Dec 2008)

Rah Island Canoe Race - Annually every September (15 Oct 2008)

The Maskelynes: A Comment on the Locals (30 Sep 2008)

Langkawi to Vanuatu via Philippines (22 May 2008)

Hawaii, Honolulu to Brisbane, Australia (22 May 2008)

Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia by 55' Power Boat (17 May 2008)

Boat Storage in South Pacific (04 Sep 2007)

Port Vila Cruising Net Up and Running (09 Apr 2007)

New anchorage in Tanna, Vanuatu (16 Jun 2006)

Valuable Advice For Visiting Yachts On Custom Marine Tenure In Vanuatu (06 Apr 2006)

Memorable Visit To Banon Bay in Malekula, Vanuatu (23 Oct 2004)

25th Anniversary of Moon Handbooks South Pacific (24 Jun 2004)

Australian 4 year Multiple Entry Visa in Suva, Fiji (15 Dec 2003)

Related News

Vanuatu: Collecting Cans & Cots - OceansWatch Update (05 Aug 2011)

OceansWatch need Crew in Vanuatu and Yachts in Niue (14 Jul 2011)

ICA - Cruising Rallies for the SW Pacific (13 Jun 2011)

Vanuatu: New Clearance Port (03 Jun 2011)

OceansWatch - How Cruisers Can Help in 2011 (06 May 2011)

Vanuatu - Crew arriving on one way tickets - UPDATE (11 May 2010)

OceansWatch expedition sets sail for Melanesia (06 May 2010)

Sailing NZ to Vanuatu? You can help Project VEO (04 May 2010)

Vanuatu, New Source of Visual Information (09 Apr 2010)

Vanuatu - OceansWatch Project 2010 (17 Feb 2010)

OceansWatch to tour the Australian East Coast (30 Oct 2009)

Powerful earthquakes off Vanuatu trigger warning of tsunami (08 Oct 2009)

OceansWatch - Vanuatu Trip, opportunities to get involved (02 Jun 2009)

Correction Regarding New Port of Entry in Vanuatu (23 Feb 2009)

Oceanswatch: Bringing Yachts and Local Communities Together (25 Sep 2007)

Bizarre Story in Port Vila, Vanuatu (15 Jan 2007)

Tanna is a new port of entry in Vanuatu (30 Apr 2004)

Bundaberg Set to Become Australia's Favourite Cruising Destination (01 Nov 2003)