Hi from Papua New Guinea

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
It appears you've found some good company.
Well done on Walter.
kind regards,

[Currikee]

Originally Posted by FraidNot

Glad you guys posted...
In the years ahead I'm keen to get my Benny up your way.
Madang and New Britain really catch my interest.
I'm assuming that part of the country is still quite OK ?

FraidNot, depends on your definition of "quite okay"! Cops have admitted that they don't have the resources to control the escalating issue of pirate activity in the coastal regions of PNG. The crims have bigger, faster boats and are typically better armed. Up Kavieng way recently pirates stole a dive boat with five tourist divers still under water. Took the boat boy and made him swim ashore; fortunately he had the presence of mind to grab another boat and go back to collect the divers...

I can't see pirates raiding a moving yacht the way the Somalian's do, but they are known to visit moored boats. Safest option is to make sure that you go ashore pretty much straight away and "pay" for mooring for the night. The local village will then be quite keen to make sure that any pirates keep away.

At the end of the day PNG can be a very violent place and unfortunately this has tanscended into the coastal areas (a relatively new development). However it is an absolutel stunning place, with scenary and culture like you will never see anywhere else. 99.9% of the people are absolutely fantastic and have the same issues as anyone else in the world - providing food, shelter and a future for their families. My family and I have had some absolutely wonderful experiences in PNG and we have had some bloody scary ones, but the good by far outweigh the bad. Hence we keep on going back (oh and the money aint too bad either).

If you approach the country with your eyes open, take proper precautions about where you go and how you go, and are prepared if anything should go wrong, then I would suggest you will have an amazing adventure...

My sixpence worth.
Callum

[Andrew M]

<P>Walter Mitty 's sea trial some issues but getting there slowly</P>

[Andrew M]

Not to mention I cant get a photo on here

[Andrew M]

Woo Hoo. . . Yes I can

[Currikee]

Looks wonderful Andrew, hope it is all going well.

[Andrew M]

It was going well for a while UNTIL..... I booked the boat on the slipway, this is a Luship slipway and I am only able to use it when not in use by them and only because I have beers with the manager so take the time when available... BUT I needed to be in Lae at the time so had the boys pull it up, BUT as it was up I had then antifoul, BUT using the High pressure cleaner and blowing out the putty and oacum from some of the seams was not good, but I will fix that when I can get another go on the slip, AND closing the exhaust valve and starting the motor to drive it home was not a good thing , but I have fixed that after DHL ing another Venti up from Oz, ( The lowest muffler/ water trap in the boat requiring pulling out drive shafts etc), NOT to mention the closing with extreme force of a hatch with the stay locked on and a subsequent smashing of hinges and surrounds..
But I am now back in sunny madang, and all is good again, My dear wife just came back from Oz and brought back a Raymarine Radar, Depthy, and chart plotter.. a 120W,,, looks very nice... But the manual looks bigger than Lord Of The Rings..
I knock off work at about 5 so we go for a sail /drink some evenings as Walter is moored right out the front of the house..
Catch up if ever in Madang.....71786955

[Currikee]

Mate, have you not learn't anything about letting the boys loose unsupervised? ;-) Oh well at least she still floats.

Sailed in the pre-season regatta in POM weekend before last which was a lot of fun. Looks like I have found a small boat (26') in POM for the right price that I will be able to sail when we visit.

Surely will give you a call if coming over your way, even if it is to Ramu (sister company). Cheers Callum

[john jeffrey]

Hi Andrew.
We are sailing to PNG in August and plan to clear in at Alotau or Samarai (if Dept of Immig ever get back to me). After that we either go right (to the Louisiades) or left to Madang.
We only have a couple of months (leaving from Townsville & returning to Cairns).
Any suggestions?

j.j.

ps what sort of timber is Walter made from?

[Andrew M]

Hi JJ
Walter is made of jarrah built in WA.
Given your time factors I would hang a righty.. But maybe that is because I want to check out the trobs and lousiades.. I think you clear in Samurai.
Cheers
Andrew

[EBCAU]

I agree with Andrew. Keep right. I've seen PNG from border to border, top to bottom (not sailing though, flying) The only parts that I would bother with if sailing in PNG is that eastern sector. The rest you will find anywhere in the tropics, and without some of the "social problems" that you might find in PNG. Always be vigilant with your security however, but the Milne Bay and eastern areas are still probably better than the rest in this regard.

[derku]

Hi Andrew,

How nice to read about "Walter Mitty". I used to live on her with my parents many years ago, in Australia. She's a good boat. I'm happy to hear that she's been restored back to her old self again. I'd be interested to hear what has happened to her after all these years. My parents owned her from 1985 up untill 1991, we bought her in Townsville and went down to the sunshine coast and she was moored there for many years, up untill we sold her. After that I lost track of her.

Hope to hear soon.

Regards,
Derk.

[Unicorn Dreams]

A late Welcome Aboard Cruisers Forum Andrew

[Greg4cocokai]

Andrew, Saw your post here and had to say Hi. We met you back in Feb. when we were anchored in front of the Madang Club on the schooner Cocokai. Your boats looking good. Dave's cat (Ten?) is here in Townesville but haven;t seen him yet. He's the one robbed off Wewak. Another friends boat was robbed at Kokopo shortly after we were there. I have to say we only felt safe in PNG either in front of resorts or once we got down to the Louisiades. Leaving here in Sept. to be in Thailand by Xmas. Cheers, Greg

[Andrew M]

Hi Greg,
Yes dave sailed down to Oz in April via the louisiades took them about 12 days. He went with another motor cruiser but it broke down and put in to Alotau where I think dave went back up, did some repairs and I think he is now working on it in Townsville. PNG ...what can you say...they stole the chairs out of my haus win last week..