Shore Team Update - Tom on Panawina

But of course Maiwar, when Tom had no choice but to abandon you in the eastern Coral Sea, you had no choice but to make your own way ashore. And that you did.

In Tom’s most recent blog he explained that he had discovered, with the help of the locals, that Maiwar was on Panawina Island – a remote part of Papua New Guinea some 300 kilometres to the east of the Milne Bay town of Alotau. Tom went on to say that he hoped that Maiwar would be able to be salvaged and towed to the PNG mainland. At the same time, he did caution that Maiwar may be damaged and without some of her vital equipment. He said privately to friends and family that, barring entanglement with the numerous coral reefs in those parts, he expected that Maiwar would find her way to the far north coast of Queensland from where she might be recovered. He also said that he had an alternative dream in which Maiwar would find land much further north in Papua New Guinea where, in a small village community, Maiwar would be remembered as the curious little vessel with interesting items on board that appeared unexpectedly one day.

The outcome was not so different from that alternative dream. When Tom arrived at Panawina, via Port Moresby where he just missed the civil unrest, he discovered that Maiwar was in much poorer shape than he had been led to believe. Two feet of her bow was missing; the cabin house had mostly disappeared as she ground her way upside down across the outer reefs that protect Panawina and the other islands of the archipelago; all but one of her oars were gone; and her valuable equipment had been shared among the islanders.

Tom quickly determined that Maiwar was unsalvageable. With the help of the Islanders he then set about trying to recover valuable possessions. At this stage, we know that he recovered the manual water maker and, amazingly, his iPhone which, after he removed it from its aftermarket waterproof case, worked perfectly and still had photos and data intact.

Tom is hoping that Maiwar can be repurposed island style so that she can be used at Panawina for sailing, fishing and recreation. Time will tell.

We must thank Tom’s new-found friends who helped this stranger in paradise make his way to Panawina, and who looked after him while he was there. These helpers included the staff of the boatbuilding yard in Alotau, the people of Panawina, and the authorities there who assisted with recovery of some of his valuables.

Tom reports that he has had an exciting time at Panawina. He's had a great time meeting and greeting, enjoying the surrounds, and observing the large-scale local sailing canoes. In his own words “he has enjoyed the whimsy of going to Panawina, not knowing what he would find.” He says the outcome is a load off his mind as he has been saved the stress of getting a badly damaged vessel towed safely to the mainland across 300 kilometres of mostly open water, arranging safe storage in Alotau, and shipping to Australia - to say nothing of the months of work involved in rebuilding the hull and cabin.

What’s next?

- The Shore Team

PS   We spoke to Tom this morning. He is still waiting for a vessel to take him and his PNG companion, Jon from the boatyard, back to Alotau. He reported that under the influence of the developing low in the Coral Sea, the weather has been atrocious with strong winds and falling trees keeping people indoors, and boats in the harbour. He hopes that he can get a boat to Alotau by the end of this week.