Budi Budi & Misima Island: latest cruising news

Created by doina. Last modified on 2002-12-05 16:21:01
Contributors: Carsten Hede Rasmussen, s/y Camas
Countries: Papua New Guinea

Coming from Solomon Islands one is permitted to stop at Budi Budi before clearing in at Misima.If arriving in the morning DON´T continue into the lagoon because the sun will block your vision and a big reef runs a long way out and there are scattered coralheads. Anchor instead at the first little island in 9 meters and wait. At noon it's easy to enter the lagoon. When we arrived they had just sustained major damage from cyclone Upia and nearly all the bananas and papayas was on the ground. Many houses were gone and the church was quite damaged. We helped with rice, flour, canned meat and tuna, batteries and clothes. When anchoring Tau and Elsie will welcome you and they are happy to help. Budi Budi is inside the big, fascinating kula ring and their big oceangoing canooes with the ornamented splash boards are still common. I will never forget the beautiful sail across the sparkling lagoon in an authentic kula canoe!

Misima Island: clearing in is easy, you need visas for all crew and captain AND visum for the yacht. The town is small and there´s the usual stuff: one West Pac bank (in a container), some supermarkets, a market (but they hardly sell anything but betel nuts - it´s better to take a walk and talk to people, they all have big gardens), 2 restaurants. It seems safe and the people are very friendly, but break ins at night on yachts have happened, we had a nice time. Roni, the quarantine officer is happy to act as tour guide and he knows some interesting caves on the north coast with old skulls and bones. When clearing out the customs officer Charles will take you in his car for the 20 km ride to the gold mine where you clear out. I cleared for Cairns, Australia and immigration allowed us 3 weeks to cruise Deboyne Lagoon and Louisiade Islands.

Don´t use town water on your boat but an English man has a little shop some 300 meters down the road on the left, he will help and he's got internet access (sometimes!) Near Cape Ebola on the western end of the island is a very nice little anchorage,"Hole in the Wall" with a friendly village, Ebora Village. It's very deep right up to the beach so a stern line is essential.A local young man, Maybeeyo,was a good guide and introduced us to the village people. Not many yachts come here, CAMAS was the first yacht in 2002.

Carsten Hede Rasmussen, s/y Camas