Sailau Expedition

Come Come Come

“To all the white folks or dimdims, you will have a lot of fun and will enjoy yourselves sailing on a sailau or sailing canoe. So why not come to the Louisiades to spent your holidays or weekends sailing on a sailau instead of a yacht or motor boat.  COME COME COME” Mackenzie Noel, Little Panasia Island

We hope to run three sailau adventure trips in 2012. The first is planned as a ten day trip from 25 June. Please contact us if you would like to join us. If you have a group we can arrange a specific trip to suit you itinerary.

Adventure

If you have dreamed of a tropical island adventure this is for you. This is not organised tourism… this is adventure. With your fellow adventurers you will sail around the Calvados chain of islands in the Louisiades, just as the locals do.

You will join the crew of Hex and sail roughly south-west from Bwagoia on Misima island, across the open ocean to the Calvados chain of islands. Once entering the lagoon at WuriWuri passage or one if the “sailau” only passes through the reefs that the skipper Randal knows, the waters are relatively sheltered and an island is never far away.

Your Journey

The journey will depend upon the weather and tides… there is no set itinerary. Randal as skipper, you guide and the dimdims will set the pace of the trip. Close to Misima is Kamataal and Jimmy’s Yacht Club, this may be your first night, and is likely to be a good last night before heading back to Misima. From there to the west are a range of inhabited and uninhabited islands and you will stay in fishermans huts, camp on beaches and stay in villager’s huts.

Your Guides

Mackenzie Noel will be your guide and Randal as skipper will be involved in hosting you. The crew seemlessly go about sailing the sailau and ensuring there is food caught, traded for and cooked.  Guy Chester will accompany the group for the June 25 2012 trip. For other departures a dimdim guide can be arranged if required.

Community Support

This is not mass, nor organised tourism. After the 2011 trip Guy Chester went to the villages and discussed with them how the trip went and whether further trips should be arranged. The resounding answer was YES! Dimdims on sailaus are very welcome!  The trips pay for each nights stay whether camping on an island, sleeping a fishing hut or staying in a village hut. Food is caught by the crew or purchased and traded for by the crew, dimdims are welcome to get involved in this trading and this becomes a very enjoyable part of the encounters at each island.

In addition to paying our way for accomodation and food , the trips aim to have a community benefit and take with them goods for donation to the schools and clinics. Each dimdimn tourist is encouragesd the bring some donation items to contribute to this.

Safety

This is adventure tourism… the locals sail their sailaus around the Louisiades as part of their daily life. However such an adventure is not without risk.

Each guide has a satellite phone and marine EPIRB (position beacon). A handheld marine VHF radio is also carried. A modest remote area first aid kit is also carried.   Any medical evacuation would be organised using a local outboard powered dinghy to the Misima Hospital and then by flights back to Alotau Hospital, Port Moresby or indeed Australia. Dimdim tourists need to have comprehensive medical evacuation insurance for such an eventuality.

Personal Equipment

Each dimdim tourist needs their own sleeping mat, sleeping bag/sheet, hat, a hooded  raincoat, long sleeved shirts (UV rated) and “reef walker” type shoes. A small LED style torch is essential. Personal medical and hygiene items will need to brought to the islands as the shops in Misima have limited supplies and the island trade stores have only basic supplies (rice, tinned fish, sugar etc.). Bring your own high factor sunscreen and personal insect repellent and try it before your leave to ensure you do not have any adverse skin reaction! Lightweight snorkel gear is recommended, you will most likely trade these or give them away toward the end of the trip as they are highly valued.

Each tourist is supplied with a 60 litre dry bag for their use. It is recommended that a small dry bag or waterproof camera box be brought along to carry with you as a day pack (we can supply these if you need).

There is unlikely to be anywhere to charge a camera battery, so best to bring a few spares along.

Group Equipment

The group equipment including cooking pots, crockery, cutlery, camp light and basic camping gear will be provided. Two person tents will be provided in the event the group camps on an uninhabited island (either owing to navigation requirements or owing to group choice!). Water is limited to what can be carried on the sailau, so at some times may be restricted for washing.

Food and Meals

Meals will be a mix of simple “hearty” dimdim food and local meals. We will rely on fish and lobster for much or our protein, although we may arrange a feast with some pork. Fresh fruit and vegetables will depend on what is in season and can be traded for at islands.

A meal plan will be  advised prior departure and individuals dietary requirements can be addressed.

Trip Basis

The Louisiades sailau adventures are facilitated by EcoSustainAbility, however this is not a full commercial tour with definitive arrangements and itineraries. Essentially you are joining a group of Dimdims (whitefolks) who are chartering the sailau and its crew to sail around the islands. Your guide will facilitate payments for staying on islands etc. but you will be welcome to get involved in trading and bargaining for the supplies needed along the trip. Your crew will look after you, however you will most likely want to get involved from pitching you own tent (when camping) to having a go at steering (how strong is your big toe?).   

Your sailau skipper and guides cannot make the wind stronger nor abate, nor the  tides come and go, nor can they control rain..so expect the unexpected…the trip will literally go where the wind goes…when it goes…when the tides allow passage through the narrow reef passes.. you will get there and most likely even get back!