singers | Where in the world is Riccardo?

Panapompom Island, Deboyne Islands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), photograph # 1 — a very typical Papua New Guinean sailing canoe, a Sailau, based on the original Pacific Islanders’ sailing canoes; they are hand hewn wooden outrigger canoes with one mast, with sails that are suspended between a yard and a boom almost the length of the mast

From the Conflict Islands Group, we sailed about 50 nautical miles east to Panapompom Island, one of the Deboyne Islands, an atoll, composed of a group of reefs and islands in the north of the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea — east of the southeastern tip of the island of New Guinea. “The Deboyne Islands were discovered in 1793 by Antoine Bruni d’Entrecasteaux. He named the islands after Pierre Ètienne Bourgeois de Boynes, who was the Marine and Colonial Minister of France at that time. During World War II, the islands were used as a seaplane outpost by the Imperial Japanese Navy, from 5–12 May 1942.” – Wikipedia

Our first photograph shows a very typical Papua New Guinean sailing canoe, a Sailau, based on the original Pacific Islanders’ sailing canoes. “Sailaus, as sailing canoes are called in Misima, the common language of these islands, are hand hewn wooden outrigger canoes with one mast. Sails are suspended between a yard and a boom almost the length of the mast. They are made of nylon, plastic or canvas tarpaulins, or bits of rice bags sewn together. Often, they are a combination of materials.” — http://www.tenayatravels.com/

Panapompom Island, Deboyne Islands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), photograph # 2 — at the small village of Nulia (population of several hundred), we were very enthusiastically met by the cheerful residents who were dancers and singers in the local traditional dances and sing-sing groups

Midday, on our arrival ashore (a Zodiac wet beach landing) at the small village of Nulia (population of several hundred), we were very enthusiastically met by the cheerful residents. We found out that we were the first ship to visit the island in over five years! Some of our greeters and the dancers and singers in the local traditional dances and sing-sing groups had traveled to this side of the island from the northern, more populated side. This was a school holiday, so the children were all around and gave especially warm and friendly greetings. We were accompanied and “guided” across the long shore walk to the construction site of a new ocean-going outrigger canoe by two lovely high-school age girls from the village. The Intrepid Traveler thanked them by opening up the I.E. Nail Salon at the landing site and doing manicures (pink and bright red were the “customer” chosen colors of the day). Mid-afternoon there was a series of games on the large field by the landing spot for the local children to compete with the few children on board and some of the “young-at-heart” Residents and their guests.

Just before sunset we took Zodiacs to the nearby Nivani Island (uninhabited) where we had “almost the end of the expedition” sunset cocktails ashore and watched a large bonfire on the beach in celebration of a wonderful three weeks in Melanesia.