26 February, Day 52....at Sea

our route from bottom of chart

 

many islets in the straits

approach from our veranda

The passage last night was quiet enough that I almost overslept. At about 0635 I suddenly awoke and had a feeling something was happening. A quick look through the curtains showed a cloudy sky and tropical islands. Recalling the skipper's comments that we would be taking the inner passage, or “scenic route” into New Guinea, I greeted the silent arrival with whirring and clicking cameras. We passed South of the southernmost tip of the mainland and passed between the islands and the mainland into the China Strait. Ringed with tropical islands and immersed in history, this is a phenomenal view. This is Melanesia. I wish I could remember the WWII history of this area for I could picture a fleet of warships passing through these waters. I did see the remains of an airfield, now a plantation.

WWII airfield, now plantation

The sun came out and the wind died. The temperature climbed to 82 F and the humidity shot up. We turned NE and moved up the East side of the mainland passing Samarai and into the Solomon Sea, passing Baniara, Tufi, Buna then between New Britain and the mainland into the Bismark Sea. The only civilization we have seen has been the old government site at Samarai on the Southern end and a few houses and a couple of piers.

Samarai

Ship's navigational repeater. Heavy black is our course made good.

Compliments to Captain van der Waard and our pilot for taking the ship through the reefs and straits so we could see up close the beauty of this area, a route that is not often taken.

Early afternoon we passed out of the channel and continued up the coast with a few small islands popping up now and then on the starboard horizon. 

our course in red. Original course plan in black.

Our noon (or 1pm because I was late) report shows a total of 13,974 nm traveled, 575 from Cairns and 394 to our next port. The wind was NW at 5 knots, ship speed 20 knots, seas calm, depth 994.

Dress code for this evening is formal and we will dine with friends at a larger table tonight. As we now in 10º South, the white dinner jacket comes out. The tropics run from 23.5ºN to 23.5ºS, the sub tropics from 23.5ºN to 35ºN and 23.5ºS to 35ºS.

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