Cruising Info

Pacific Cruising Info

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• It's an island paradise, with 6 major islands and over 900 smaller ones.  Several huge lagoons of fully protected water to explore.
• It's rich with World War II history.  Ship and airplane wrecks to dive.  Guns and tanks in the jungle to hike to.  Museums (and interesting museum caretakers!) to enjoy.
• It's a birder's dream with hundreds of tropical species, and many endemics to search for.
• It's filled with welcoming, smiling people, most of whom speak English, so even the language‑challenged cruiser can communicate.
• In addition to wrecks to dive, it has beautiful wall dives and a plethora of hard corals and nudibranchs to find underwater.
• It has mountains to hike, where waterfalls cascade down jungle‑clad cliffs.
• It lies mostly outside the cyclone belt, at least in the western province.
• If you like cruising solitude, you can find it here in spades.  If you like cruising company, consider sailing in tandem with another boat.
• It has at least one good haul-out yard for boat work, and it's easy to bring in duty-free spares and repair parts if needed.
• It has pretty well‑stocked supermarkets, with more than the basics, including beer, meats and cheeses.

SE Shortlands, Shortlands, 7º04.82'S 155º52.82'E, 45' sand, Weak cell

The Shortland Islands look like they should be part of Bougainville (PNG) but they're really the NW‑most islands of the Solomons.

SE Shortlands anchorage and approaches

We were originally hoping to anchor in a small atoll just NW of the Shortlands (Tuluve Island on our CM93 charts) but we couldn't find anchoring depth there.  Our friends on Berserker had been attacked by drunken locals at their anchorage in the NW corner of the Shortlands, so we elected to sail all the way around to the more populated SE side, even though it would mean arriving after dark (we'd come down from Cape Torokina that day, about halfway up Bougainville).  Luckily, the anchorage presents no real hazards when approaching from the north.  Just nose in until you find anchoring depth.  But we would class this as an emergency, calm‑weather only anchorage, as the Shortlands offers many nicer and more protected anchorages.  There are no supplies beyond local vegetables.  You can buy phone top‑ups in town, but not SIMs.

Soggy Paws in early morning light

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Shortlands Police station, Shortlands, 7º04.65'S 155º51.37'E, 50' mud, Weak cell

Early on the morning after our 9pm arrival at SE Shortlands (above), 2 police boats greeted us and asked us to follow them to the anchorage in front of the police station for clearance, since Benzily, the immigration officer from Choiseul, was there.  He came out to the boats and cleared us all in quickly and cheerfully, which was a pleasant surprise.

Shortlands Police anchorage and approaches

This is actually one of the better anchorages in the Shortlands.  It's protected from all directions, has no currents, offers lots of space, is close to several wrecks to dive on, and it's very safe.  The approach is easy coming up the channel to the NE.  Going through the gap to the SE one should favor the SW side, as a sandbar extends SW from the small island to the east.

There are several wrecks in the main bay to the south, including some of the big Japanese float‑planes against the southern shore.  Perhaps even better is to take a trip out to Balalai Island, 5nm to the NE.  The old Japanese runway there is still used, and there are LOTS of WWII planes (& bits of planes) there.  Someone apparently tried to collect them all in one place to put up a museum, which makes examining them convenient.  Unfortunately, they didn't finish the project, so most of the planes are out in the open and deteriorating.  But there are several 2‑engine Betty bombers as well as a mostly intact Zero and lots of engines and other bits and pieces.

Berserker anchored in front of the Police Station

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Nuhu Village, Shortlands, 7º06.40'S 155º97.74'E, 14' sand, No cell

One of our local visitors was a man called Joseph, and he invited us to his village of Nuhu for dinner.  Getting there was reasonably straightforward, although all of our satellite imagery is obscured.  There's a reef to avoid that sticks out to the west as you come around the corner, but that shows on the satellite view.  The rest should be done in good light.  There's a reef in the middle of the bay, but it's easy to see and avoid if you hug the coast.  It actually might have been easier (& shorter) to take the channel over the top of Magusaiai Island, but an election was pending and the village had strung a banner across the channel (which is probably gone by now).

Nuhu Village anchorage and approaches

Unfortunately, Joseph hadn't checked with the leaders of his village, and the dinner never materialized.  The villagers were friendly, but our only activities were to explore the northern channel by dinghy, although the reefs looked inviting.

Our fleet anchored off tranquil Nuhu Village

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Stirling Island, Treasury Islands, 7º24.78'S 155º32.89'E, 42' mud, No cell

The Stirling Islands hosted a fairly large air‑base and PT base during WWII, and many relics are still around (although no PT boats, as they were mostly plywood).  You can enter the inner lagoon through any of the 3 gaps to the NE with good light, but the northern‑most is a bit tricky, as a reef sticks out to the east.  The middle pass has 20' (6m) and the southern pass about 35' (11m).  The anchorage provides room for several boats and is completely protected.  When we were there in 2019, there was a weak cell signal from the tower above the village on Mono, but no data.

Stirling Island anchorage and approaches

Roy (Junior) apparently owns much of the area, and can give an interesting 4 hour tour to many of the WWII relics, including a HUGE pile of WWII Coke bottles, 2 Avenger torpedo bombers, a twin‑engine P‑38 Lightning, a junk‑pile, the airport, a nice viewpoint, etc.  When entering, it's considered polite to stop west of his village on the small peninsula that sticks south from Mono Island and ask his permission to anchor, and to arrange a time to pick him up for the tour.  Trade items are often more valuable to them than money, and we gave some to the village chief as well.

The anchorage itself is beautiful, with lots of coastline to explore and lots of birds filling the air with their songs.  We arrived in brisk SE winds after a long 60nm sail from Vella Lavella, and were happy to find such a well protected anchorage.  It's 1.7nm from town so not many locals come out that far.  Those who did were courteous and friendly.

Ocelot and Soggy Paws in Stirling Island

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Vatoro Bay, Vella Lavella, 7º41.11'S 156º30.24'E, 60' mud, No cell

Vatoro Bay anchorage and approaches

Vatoro Bay was really just a convenient anchorage on our way to Stirling Island, 60nm to the NW.  We entered coming up from the south, between the fringing reef and Vella Lavella, which should really only be attempted with good light or satellite‑based charts, as there are few reef markers and at least 2 narrow bits.  Our exit through the fringing reef was much easier.  The bay is relatively deep, but 2‑3 boats can anchor there.  The cell signal was too weak to use, and there were no villages nearby.  There are several other bays along this NW side of Vella Lavella that should also provide good anchorages.

Soggy Paws at Vatoro Bay, looking south

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Surepelo Pt (Sandfly Bay), Vella Lavella, 7º45.13'S 156º34.59'E, 45' mud, Weak cell

Again, this was just a convenient place to anchor as we were coming south towards Liapari.  We'd originally planned to anchor further north, but we'd made better time than expected so we pushed on.  Approaching the bay is straightforward as long as you avoid the reef at the mouth of the bay.  The bay is huge and very well protected, and can host many boats.  Although there are several villages nearby, nobody came out to us, but we only stayed the one night.  Contrary to the name, we saw no flies.

Sandfly Bay anchorage and approaches

There appeared to be several logging operations raping and pillaging Solomon's natural resources, but none of them were active when we were there.  We saw many logging operations while we were in the Solomons, and it made us sad to see the locals selling their children's inheritance.  We saw posters in Munda telling the locals (in Tok Pisin, their national language) not to sell their trees.

Our pretty Sandfly Bay anchorage

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Sand Bank, Vella Lavella, 7º54.02'S 156º39.17'E, 31' sand, Cell

This anchorage is small, but the approach is easy and the bottom seemed like good sand.  Still, we'd class it as a day‑anchorage only unless conditions were very settled.  The sand fan anchorage is just big enough for 2 boats, but Sue and Sherry from Soggy Paws remained on board to keep an eye on things.  The boats often swung towards each other as the currents shifted them around.

Sand bank anchorage and approaches

We stopped here for a short hike up the hill to see a WWII DC‑3 (R4D) that crashed into the mountain with 22 passengers aboard.  There's lots of wreckage, including both engines, and one wing still has the US insignia.  There's also what appears to be the remains of a Japanese Zero down by the water.

From here it's also possible to visit Yawana Dive resort, which lies about 1 mile further south, and has no anchorage.  Andrew, the owner, can take up to 4 divers out in his powerboat, and he knows some nice dive sites nearby.  A sea mount north of Bega Island was newly explored by ourselves and Soggy Paws (with Andrew), and we declared it worthy of more dives.  It is now on his list as "Two Cat Reef" in honor of our 2 catamarans.

Soggy Paws at our Sand Bank anchorage

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Bega (Mbava), Vella Lavella, 7º49.00'S 156º33.59'E, 65' mud, Cell

This anchorage is on the eastern side of hilly Bega (aka Mbava) Island, and has good protection in all seasons.  Entering from the SE presents no real problems.  You can also come down from the little bay to the north if you're careful, as the reef has 18' (5m) over it.  The southern bay got deeper to the SE, so we anchored as soon as the bottom showed smooth mud.  We anchored here during the SE season and although the wind came in, the sea swell did not, as a fringing reef blocks it.  Soggy Paws anchored SW of tiny Inia Island, but we chose the smooth mud and somewhat deeper area south of the coral finger in the southern bay.  The cell tower on Bega is visible from the anchorage and provides good data.

Bega Island anchorage and approaches

We awakened on our first morning to the surprising sight of a 10' (3m) crocodile, just lounging on the surface, not 20' (6m) behind Ocelot.  OK, No Swimming.

Birds are plentiful here, with blue and white Beach Kingfishers perched on low mangroves, and pigeons and red Cardinal Lories in the coconut palms on Inia Island.

There is some history to Inia: it was owned by a German whose wife and child were murdered in 1902 in a random act of retribution, but he remarried, stayed on the island and raised another family, setting up a dock and a local trading post.  The remains of the family home, and the family cemetery plots, are still there to be seen.

Soggy Paws and reef in front of Inia

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Liapari, Vella Lavella, 7º56.83'S 156º42.79'E, 57' mud, Cell

Approaching Liapari is pretty straightforward.  The reef to the north is not marked, but the reef to the south that one turns around has a red pole.  Getting into Liapari involves going through a well marked gap in the reef, blasted out by Marines during WWII.  It usually has at least 7' (2m) of water over it, but if we see reef exposed on both sides of the channel then we anchor in the SE corner of that bay until the tide returns.  Once inside, there's a huge anchoring area, but watch for the reef to the east.  If you don't want to anchor, there are 1‑2 moorings available, or you can tie bow‑in to the dock, with stern‑lines to buried moorings.

Liapari Island anchorage and approaches

Noel (+677‑749‑6021) and Rosie Hudson own 309 acre Liapari Island.  They're knowledgeable and welcoming to yachts.  Noel is quite energetic and has his fingers in many pies, the latest of which is a Noni plantation and processing station, which should bring more money to the locals.  But he also has the only yacht‑friendly dock for leaving a boat, and 2 slipways for hauling, one for monohulls (only) and the other for much larger boats (and cats).  We had saildrive problems and were able to employ Noel's mechanic, Peter, who worked with Jon to move the engine(!) forward 8" (20cm) so we could get to the bearings and seals on the input shaft of our saildrive.  Peter was able to drift the old bearings out safely and competently, and then use the massive hydraulic press to put the new bearings in place.  Noel has a fairly extensive machine shop, and helpful, qualified machinists.  He even has a MIG setup for welding aluminum.

The extensive, protected Liapari anchorage

In August 2019, we hauled Ocelot on the big railway, a fairly long and complicated process, but then Noel cut us a deal on staying on the hard longer than expected when we found we needed more saildrive parts flown in from Singapore.  At present, cats are lifted on their keels if they don't mind being at an angle, or under their bridge‑decks if they want to remain level, but Noel's planning to build a ramp so cats can be lifted on their keels but stay level.

Ocelot on Noel's big slipway

Note that Noel does very little to haul boats except to drive the winch.  It's up to boat owner to find where your boat can be supported and to place the supports appropriately.  His workers will happily help, and will cut whatever blocks or wedges or carpeting are needed, but Liapari assumes no liability for lifting your boat, and they don't have much experience with cats (I think we were #5).  We lifted out from our bridge‑deck, but then used blocks, wedges, and sledge‑hammers to take as much weight as possible on our keels.  Noel has no way to pull the cars down the tracks, so launching happens rather ... abruptly.

Noel and Rosie enjoy 5pm sundowners with visiting yachts at their covered BBQ spot just to the north of their dock.  He recently started a tradition of cooking pizzas at noon on Sundays.  He provides the crusts, and the yachts supply the toppings.  There is also a building with toilet, cool shower, and big wash sinks for doing laundry, and 3 complete bungalows if you don't want to stay on your boat.  Every Friday women come from a village on Vella Lavella to sell fresh produce.  Big pineapples, green peppers, tomatoes, whatever they have grown.  The prices are better than in Gizo.  Transport can be arranged to both the airstrip and Gizo town by powerboat on a day‑rate basis, or you can ride with Noel on his weekly Thursday jaunt to town for less.  Oh, and the birding and walking is great!

Noel's dock, & future bar/restaurant

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Loga Island, Gizo, 8º05.41'S 156º50.50'E, 60' mud, Cell

Getting in to Gizo involves winding between numerous reefs, and satellite imagery is extremely useful.  Approaching Loga from the north, there are numerous poles showing where most (but not all) of the reefs are, but there's a small, unmarked reef just to the NW of this anchorage that you can see in the satellite photo that needs to be avoided.  The approach from the south is somewhat easier.

Approaches to Gizo

On our first visit to Gizo we had 4 boats in our little flotilla and we decided to anchor here, about 0.7nm from town, because we'd heard of boats being boarded while anchored off town.  Like many rumors, the ugly ones seem to go the furthest and the fastest.  We later anchored off Gizo Town for several days with no problems, so our fears probably weren't fully justified.

Loga Island anchorage and approaches

This is a protected anchorage with good holding, but it is not as quiet as it would seem.  Apparently this is a popular place for the local transport boats (ferries) to pull in to let their customers go ashore to pee!  Perhaps Gizo is short on public toilets (we used the ones at PT109 Restaurant, but we ate meals there).  We decided not to go ashore to investigate.  But it does mean there is a pretty steady stream of powerboat traffic in the morning and evening.

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Gizo Town, Gizo, 8º05.98'S 156º50.34'E, 42' mud, Good Cell

The classic anchorage in Gizo is in the protected bay within sight of the PT109 Restaurant and Bar.  There are no problems approaching except the general issues of navigating the jigsaw‑puzzle of reefs to get into the Gizo area in the first place.  The first time we anchored here we were concerned about leaving our boat unattended while we had dinner, so we anchored such that we could watch her while we ate at PT109.  The restaurant is only open on weekdays but has delicious food, large servings, and a nice choice of seafood or burgers or fish soups.  And cold beer!  You can leave your dinghy tied to the inlet walls right by the restaurant.

Gizo anchorage and approaches

PT109 is at the western end of Gizo, next to the fuel‑dock and a banana‑boat builder (who is considering importing epoxy), but it's a pleasant walk along the one main street to get to a number of hardware stores, grocery stores, the public market, ANZ & BSP banks, and the offices for Customs.  If you need to clear in with immigration here you have to contact the office in Noro and pay SD500 (US$63) for the Immigration officer (Billy) to take the boat over from Noro to Gizo.  The "Yamaha shop" carries a number of hardware items and also frozen meats, and some imported food.  Nearby in the "Bulk Store" you can find cheese, butter, more frozen chicken, plus baking goods in bulk.  Chicken is always frozen, but usually just legs or wings.  At the eastern end of town is the Gizo market and the Gizo hotel.  The hospital (a tall new, white building) is located at the far eastern end of town.

Freighter entering Gizo past (blue) PT109

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Epangga (Apanga) Island, Gizo, 8º06.69'S 156º52.40'E, 50' sand, Cell

The satellite image shows a lovely rectangle of sandy protection inside a shallow reef, just east of Epangga Island.  For settled weather, this is a lovely place with clear water.  The cut is 110m wide, so make sure you anchor as close to the middle as possible unless the wind is very constant.

Epangga Island anchorage and approaches

Unfortunately, some large yachts have caved to the demand to pay a "kastam" fee to anchor here, an extraordinary amount of SD800 (US$100) per night, so the villagers sometimes try and demand the same of small yachts.  It is always best to be friendly but firm that we don't pay to anchor, and that we were told by officials that there are no official anchoring fees and we are not to pay fees as it's bad for tourism.  If that doesn't work, ask to see some paperwork that authorizes the person to accept anchoring fees and that they own the land (water) and can they provide an official receipt.  As a last resort, ask to go ashore to speak to the chief.  If it comes to that, take gifts of sugar, canned meat or tuna, cloth, fishing gear or whatever, and be prepared to thank the chief, in advance, for his permission to anchor there.

The upscale Sanbis Resort just to the SE on Mbambanga Island doesn't want kids ashore, but they do have a dive operation.  There's a sunken fishing boat just outside their dock, marked with buoys.

The local sailing canoes are amazing

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Fat‑Boys Resort, Gizo, 8º07.54'S 156º54.03'E, 60' sand, Cell

Fat Boys is well known as a yacht‑friendly resort, with a bar and restaurant at the end of their long dock and some paths to wander ashore.

Unfortunately, it's all pretty deep &/or coral on the bottom, so not many choices for a good anchorage.  There is sand inside the arc of pretty reef to the SE, and we anchored there for lunch, but the sand slopes steeply enough that we'd class this as a settled‑weather anchorage only.  We stopped for only a short recon ashore, then moved on into the protection of Vona Vona Lagoon for the night.

Fat‑Boys anchorage and approaches

In north or east winds, a better (shallower) anchorage can probably be made on the SW side of the island, at about 8º07.52'S 156º53.36'E or possibly 8º07.75'S 156º53.81'E.  Getting into this long, thin bay involves a narrow gap at the western end that shouldn't be attempted without good sunlight and satellite charts.  Unfortunately, this bay does not offer an easy way to get ashore.

When we talked to the folks in the restaurant, we tried to encourage them to put in a few moorings to encourage more yachts to visit.  If more folks do this, they may actually do something.  Ask the resort about snorkeling the reefs, and enjoy the birds ashore, too!

Fat-Boys (far right) from our anchoragee

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Vona Vona Lagoon, Vona Vona, 8º11.94'S 157º04.90'E, 30' mud, No cell

Most charts show all of Vona Vona Lagoon as "unsurveyed" and provide only minimal information of dubious quality, but we found the extremely numerous bommies and mud‑flats pretty easy to negotiate with satellite imagery, and we wouldn't attempt to navigate in the lagoon without it.  Where we stopped was really just an anchorage of convenience, a shallow mud‑bank off to the side of the main channel.

Vona Vona Lagoon anchorage and approaches

There's a village just south of the anchorage, and that evening several carvers visited us, wanting to sell their wares.  This is extremely common in both Vona Vona and Marovo Lagoons.  These carvers were actually from Boboe Village to the north, and they invited us to visit.  One of them was Rena Billy, who acts as a tour‑guide and boat operator, and we worked with him for several fun expeditions.

As with most anchorages inside the lagoon there is NO swimming.  Crocodiles patrol the area and are the top of the food chain.  Just as well, for the water in much of the lagoon, while clean in terms of debris and trash, in neither clear nor appealing.

Kolombangara from Vona Vona Lagoon

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Boboe Village, Vona Vona, 8º09.09'S 157º05.58'E, 50' mud, No cell

We've only approached Boboe village from the south (Vona Vona Lagoon) but one can also come through from Blackett Strait by using the 8' or 2.5m deep cut in the reef 0.3nm NE of Boboe.  The entrance from the south is all deep and less nerve‑wracking, but only useful if you're already in the lagoon.

Boboe Village anchorage and approaches

The villagers in Boboe are welcoming and Rena Billy seems to be the town's guide and spokesperson.  He can arrange to take you in his open speed boat to WWII relic sites, (tanks, hospital caves, wreck diving), or on jungle walks for birding and waterfalls on Kolombangara.  We negotiated his pay at about SD100 (US$12.50) per half day, with some trade goods thrown in.

Rena Billy (+677‑743‑6577), an older Billy, Tony, and other men in the village are good carvers and have fair prices for their workmanship.  We came here before we went to Marovo Lagoon, and we later realized that finer workmanship (and higher prices) are often found in the villages of Marovo.

Boboe has a primary school, a small soccer field, and welcomes yachtie families to visit and interact.  We were not bothered by many canoes to our boats, probably because we were already in touch with Rena Billy.

Coming through the cut, with Boboe on left

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Lola Island Resort, Vona Vona, 8º18.39'S 157º09.77'E, 26' sand, Cell

The approach image below shows the necessity of satellite‑based imagery for navigation through Vona Vona Lagoon.  Getting into Lola Island is just this side of impossible without them.  The anchorage itself is glorious, in good sand, with complete protection.

Lola Island anchorage and approaches

This is another little home away from home.  Joe, an ex‑pat American (from Seattle) has lived here for decades, and raised a family here.  His daughters and grandchildren are often at the resort on weekends, and it was here that we brought our friends with their 4 little kids to play on the beach in front of the resort.  Joe says that they do not see crocs in the anchorage.  In fact, in the clear water over the white sand beach there were 4 small (1' or 30cm) black tip reef sharks circling as the children played on the rope swing and practicing paddling a small dugout canoe!

You can get drinks at the bar, pass the time with the fishermen who frequent the resort (it's a fishing resort, not a diving resort), or order dinner if you remember to do so by about 2pm (ask at the bar about ordering).  From here we were picked up by the dive boat from Dive Munda and taken on a day‑trip for some good wall dives.  We also visited Skull Island.

Beautiful and friendly Lola Island

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Nununggara Is, Vona Vona, 8º17.67'S 157º12.28'E, 57' mud, Cell

Just 3.5nm south of Noro and more accessible than, say, Lola Island, this anchorage makes a nice quiet get‑away from the business of Noro or Munda.  Well protected and with internet, it has been used by a number of yachts.  Anchor as close to the middle of the bay as possible, to get a full swinging circle.  The only tricky reef to watch out for on the approach is the one just visible at the top of the satellite photo.

Nununggara Island anchorage and approaches

The people of the local village are respectful and pretty much ignored us.  There may be some nice walks on shore if you talk to the locals and get permission.  Despite the relatively clear water, we were not tempted to snorkel due to the constant concern about crocodiles, but we had fun exploring nearby islands and bays in the dinghy.

Local family paddles past in the family car

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Noro, Vona Vona, 8º14.46'S 157º11.75'E, 33' sand, Good Cell

Ocelot entering the narrow cut to Noro lagoon

The Noro anchorage is inside a small lagoon just south of the docks.  The entrance is narrow but is marked with stakes on each side, green to the south (see satellite photo) and red to the north.  Controlling depth in the channel is about 10' or 3m.  Anchor in the bay to the right (south) to avoid wakes from the local boats that use the cut all day.  We used the local fuel dock at the extreme north as a dinghy dock, but we bought some fuel from him.

Noro anchorage and approaches

Noro is pretty spread out, and has few amenities for yachts, but it does have both Customs and Immigration offices, BSP Bank with ATM, good hardware shops, a good grocery store, some restaurants, an active local market, and cheap diesel.

Alfie Nelson (+677‑740‑5607) is your man if you need at least 200 liters (55 US gallons) of diesel.  The price is then duty‑free at about SD6.56 (US$0.82)/liter, as opposed to over SD9 at Gizo.  After arranging a time, take your boat to the big concrete dock just north of the anchorage.  You'll want good fender placement to avoid rubber marks from the big black bumpers.  We've also just taken our jugs in the dinghy, but it's difficult and requires at least 2 people, as the dock is high and jugs have to be lowered by rope.  Fishing boats usually have first priority to bunker or offload their catch.  The diesel is much better quality than anything in Indonesia (but that's not saying much).

Alfie, with Jon filling diesel jugs at the dock

The thriving local market is just next to the anchorage, so an easy walk from any dinghy dock.  They usually have lettuce(!) wrapped in banana leaves(!!), watermelons, tomatoes, bananas, small capsicum (green peppers), and all the normal greens.  Prices are marked and there's generally no bargaining.  Immigration is just across the street, upstairs in the big orange building.  On the right (south) side of that building, down a short alley is a store selling butter, chicken wings, and (expensive) ice cream, and at the end of the alley is a Chinese restaurant that we enjoyed a few times (ask for a private room if you want to avoid cigarette smoke from other patrons).  The BSP Bank is just north of the market.  Next to it is a store that will fill propane tanks with US/Oz/Kiwi fittings (the filling station is through the gate to the north).  We were charged SD210 (US$26.25) to fill our 9kg/20lb tank.  There are also a few small grocery stores in the area, and the Noro Restaurant next to where we leave our dinghy.  The "medical clinic" there is a bit of a joke, however.

Noro has the only full‑time staffed immigration office in the area, and Billy is most helpful.  You'll find him upstairs in the large (three‑story) orange building just across from the public market.  To clear in or out, see Billy first, then go to the Customs office in the blue building at the top of the hill to the north, past the Telecom ground station.

The hardware and grocery stores are fairly close to each other but a SD20 (US$2.50) taxi ride from the public market.  Best to get the driver's cell number to call for a pick‑up or you'll have a long walk back.  The grocery store is fondly known as "Blue Container Shop" because that's what it is: several blue containers built up together.  They import directly from Australia and you can find wraps, pickles, jams, whole frozen chickens, and other specialty food items.  Just before the Blue Container are 2 hardware stores.  Island Enterprise is the first, and it's excellent.  About 100m further is "The Chinese Shop" which has big signs outside for APCO paints.  They have less variety, lower quality products, and cheaper prices, but it's worth a wander through.

Big building with Immigration and restaurant

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Munda, Vona Vona, 8º19.93'S 157º16.14'E, 38' sand, Cell

A tiny town with a big airport which, as of April 2019, had an Airbus jet bound for Brisbane once a week.  Most of the reefs on the approach are marked, including the final turn into the anchorage, but satellite charts will help a lot.  Controlling depth for the cut across the reef is 10' or 3m, and there are a few bommies to avoid once you get in.  The anchorage is well protected from sea swell, but open to winds from the south. We found the best anchoring to be off the blue roofed buildings (above cat in photo) of Agnes Gateway Resort.  The resort allows you to tie your dinghy at the wooden dock for chores ashore.  The small daily market operates just west of the entrance to Gateway.

Munda anchorage and approaches

In town are about 5 small shops on 3 streets, with a variety of hardware (including fan‑belts!), frozen chicken wings, all the staples like flour, etc. and cell top‑up.  There is one BSP bank next to the red Telecom peaked‑roof building near the airport. There is a bakery on the southern‑most street with white bread daily.

A small cafe on the road to the airport (which is 3 blocks from the market!) serves ice cream, coffee, and nice fried rice dishes.  As a new international destination for tourists, Munda is striving to be a clean, welcoming town, and teens volunteer on the weekends to clean the town up.

Market (far left) and dive shop in Munda

Activities include diving with Dive Munda, which operates out of the Agnes Resort.  We found their guides a bit unprofessional, as they often didn't interact with the group, and just swam ahead to the exit point, sometimes getting out of sight of their group.  But there are lots of lovely dives in the area, both natural beauty and WWII plane wrecks.

Barney (+677‑714‑9188) is trying to run a WWII museum just north of the airport, which is well worth a visit.  He has LOTS of stuff and he's extremely knowledgeable, but not enough space to display it all.  How do you show off a turbocharged V12 from a P‑38 Lightning?

Munda fleet at sunset

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Egholo Bay, Rendova, 8º24.83'S 157º22.37'E, 58' mud, Weak cell

We entered here without much information, but were pleased to find the large anchoring area, well protected from strong trade winds.  Once in, there are no hazards except the shoals far in on the right (west).  Several men came out in canoes, one older gentleman who was very welcoming and said that we were free to anchor there.

Egholo Bay anchorage and approaches

We arranged with some young men to take us on a hike to some "rusty‑bits"  (WWII relics in the jungle) and a waterfall at the SW corner of the bay.  The young men were personable, spoke good English and were fun to be with.  As usual, traipsing through the jungles of the Solomons is a difficult business, with mud, branches, downed trees to cross, streams to negotiate (we usually gave up trying to step from rock to rock and just waded in) and sharp karst rocks that can rip shoes and toes.  Oh, and it will likely rain, as well.  Mosquitoes, surprisingly, were rarely a problem on the hikes.

Friendly visitor at Egholo

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PT109 Bay, Rendova, 8º24.61'S 157º19.70'E, 55' mud, Weak cell

DO NOT leave the anchorage directly to the west as our track shows.  We hit a bommie there.  Best to exit to the north of the small islets, then turn west in deeper water.

We anchored in a bay protected from the SE Trades, and within easy dinghy distance to Lubaria Island, where JF Kennedy was based with other officers at the PT Base.  There are also several wreck sites nearby to be dived on.

PT109 Bay anchorage and approaches

Lubaria Island (about a mile west of the anchorage) is staffed by Friendly and his wife who are caretakers and guides to the area.  He is creating a small museum of artifacts and relics from the war.

Friendly walked with us on Pao Island (north of the anchorage) to show us the concrete slabs left from the Allied PT base in WWII, and a "trash heap" deep in the jungle, where we found old unbroken Coke bottles, beer bottles, and other bits and pieces from 75 years ago.

Young men wanting to trade for WWII relics

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Viru Harbor, Tetemara, New Georgia, 8º29.64'S 157º44.00'E, 55' mud, Cell

We were lucky and had calm seas the day we entered this incredibly protected harbor on the south coast of New Georgia.  The trick is feeling enough confidence to pass the narrow, reef‑sided entrance under high hills.  Once inside, there are villages to both port and starboard, and the way is fairly clear, and there are even some visible aids to navigation!

Viru Harbor anchorage and approaches

When entering, there is a large white leading line, and just above it, on the hillside you can make out an old WWII gun emplacement and gun pointing out to sea.  We would have liked to take the time to hike up there, but we weren't able to.  Next time.

The bay was flat calm, with the sounds of village church gongs and bells.  No one bothered us here, and we felt safe and secure.  No swimming, of course, as these are crocodile waters.

Looking back at the entrance to Viru Harbor

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Seghe, Marovo, 8º34.58'S 157º52.82'E, 33' coral, Cell

There is no good anchorage off this outlying airstrip, but if you need to stop to pick up or drop off passengers, you can find a small place north of the runway to safely stop for a few hours.  A strong current runs down that channel, and fights with the winds, making a very squirrelly anchoring spot.

Seghe anchorage and approaches

Unlike Munda, with it's larger airstrip, Seghe village offers nothing to the cruiser except a crew‑change airport.  The small planes that serve the strip may be very late, or leave early.

Off the end of the runway are apparently 3 P‑38 Lightnings that overshot the runway during WWII.  One is in only 20' (6m) but the currents can be strong.

Soggy Paws anchored at Seghe

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Mase Islands, Marovo, 8º30.64'S 157º55.86'E, 38' mud, Cell

Mase Islands anchorage and approaches

This was a spot we chose for its proximity to Seghe Airpstrip, so that we could anchor safely for the night after Soggy Paws picked up family who had flown into Seghe about noon that day.  We found protection from SE trades and muddy, anchorable depth well offshore of the small islands.

Typical Marovo Lagoon island scene

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Pelevo Island, Marovo, 8º29.17'S 158º05.51'E, 18' rubble?, Cell

Searching for nice coral and good protection, we ended up at Pelevo Island group for lunch and a snorkel.  Not the most secure place to anchor, but for a lunch stop it was lovely.  In the clear water we found hard corals decorated with Christmas Tree worms of every color, some bright feathery crinoids, and anemones hosting a variety of anemonefish.

Pelevo Island anchorage and approaches

Some locals or cruisers refer to this island group as Lulu's Island.

Nice snorkeling on the north side of Pelevo

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Lumalihe Island, Marovo, 8º27.77'S 158º03.56'E, 18' sand, Cell

We sailed 2.6nm NW from Pelevo for the better protection offered in the crook of the reef at Lumalihe (aka Karikana East).  The approach involves transiting a narrow (50m) cut in the reef, so good sunlight &/or good satellite imagery are a must.  If the wind had had too much south in it, it would not have been so comfortable.  Unfortunately, the heavy seas outside the pass made it uninviting to venture out with the dinghy, or even to snorkel or dive the pass, though we imagine it to be quiet interesting.

Lumalihe Island anchorage and approaches

We took a short snorkel adventure along the reef near the boats.

Lovely snorkeling at Lumalihe

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Telina, Marovo, 8º31.37'S 158º04.11'E, 45' mud, Cell

Approaching Telina involves passing between unmarked reefs just offshore.  The anchorage itself is large and well protected, although only by reefs to the north.

Telina anchorage and approaches

Telina is a welcoming village that is well‑known for its good carvers.  We saw one other cruising boat here when we anchored, and learned that the owner had left it for some weeks!  That shows trust not only of the villagers, but of the protection of the anchorage.

You will be visited by villagers in canoes, eager to say Hello and to trade fruits and veggies.  Ask permission to go ashore if you wish to see their well‑kept village.

Telina anchorage and dock

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Checke, Marovo, 8º31.50'S 158º05.02'E, 45' mud, Cell

Very near Telina to the NW, getting in here involves a narrow (70m) gap between reefs.  The bay shoals to the south, so be careful how far you go in.  The mud bottom is quite soft, but there's room for 2 boats if they're friendly.

Checke anchorage and approaches

Checke is another welcoming village with good carvers.  Lulu, a sort‑of local Rasta, is an excellent carver, and a hard bargainer.  His wood carvings and bone scrimshaw show excellent workmanship, and he commands high prices.  But maybe you have something from the outside world he would like to trade... like an old cell phone, digital camera, or something.  Don't be afraid to bargain, starting at about half his "first price", and ask him for a "second price",  and then a "final price", all the while converging your offer with his asking prices.

That bargaining technique applies not just to Lulu, of course, but to all trading in the Solomons!  They love it, expect it, and are pleased to work a deal with you.  But it's part of their culture, so they're probably better at bargaining than most westerners.

Pretty Checke Anchorage

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Sarumara, Marovo, 8º79.28'S 158º08.89'E, 24' sand, Cell

A little touch of South Pacific reef enclosed paradise.  We stayed 2 nights here, enjoying snorkeling in the clear water, far from the muddy crocodile anchorages in the lagoon.  The approach involves crossing the reef to the west, as it's continuous, but the 2 points where we crossed, chosen by examining satellite imagery, were both over 14' (4m) deep.  The anchorage itself was in beautiful sand.

Sarumara Island anchorage and approaches

The SE Trades were blowing, but we had ample protection from sea swell.  In settled weather you could do a lot of dinghy exploring here, and perhaps some dives along the outer reef, but watch the current as it can run strongly.  Best to do the cut to the east only when the current is coming in (and the water is clearer).

We did snorkel the pass to the east of the anchorage, and over the protecting reef to the south.  We found many hard corals, some soft coral, and a few nudibranchs.

Beautiful Sarumara anchorage

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Uepi Resort, Marovo, 8º25.72'S 157º56.81'E, 15' sand, Cell

Uepi Resort has been here for decades, and cruisers who came through the Solomons in the 1980's and 1990's still talk of it.

Uepi Resort anchorage and approaches

There is protected anchoring on sand flats to the east of the resort, although some cruisers were asked to leave and anchor farther out, which gets not only deep but very near coral bommies, with coral seafloor.  The 3 reefs that we went over on our approach all have at least 15' (4.5m) over them.

The resort holds a local "Carvers' Day" each Thursday, and we made it a point (with US visitors aboard Soggy Paws) to show up for the event.  Wow.  What incredible carvings were on display!  The "first price" prices were sometime ridiculously high, but then again they are used to selling to dive tourists with jobs back home, not cruisers with limited budgets and limited space on the boat!

It is probably possible to negotiate a dive deal with the resort on a "space available" basis, but we didn't have time to dive.  There is a wall dive/snorkel in the channel to the east of the resort (out it's "back‑door") which was highly recommended.  Next time, maybe!

Approaching Uepi Resort

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Mindeminde Islands N, Marovo, 8º29.37'S 157º54.72'E, 40' sand, Cell

Mindeminde Islands anchorage and approaches

Chosen not for its beauty, but for convenience.  We wanted somewhere to anchor within easy distance to Seghe Airstrip to be able to drop Soggy Paws' family visitors off for a 10am flight without having to spend the night at the Seghe anchorage.  So Mindeminde Islands it was.  We had to nose around a bit, watching the fish‑finder for clear sand and no coral.  We found some spots, but there's lots of (probably dead) coral on the bottom.  A strong current ran here to the west of us.

Mindeminde could be anywhere in Marovo

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