August 15, 2016
We were trying to advise a friend about anchoring in Noumea and created this map. I’ll repeat what we told him…
The main marina in Noumea, Port Moselle, fills up at at certain times of the year – the end of the cruising season being one of those times. Normally, you call them on channel 67, they tell you to wait five minutes, then twenty-five minutes they call you back and tell you where to tie up. If you arrive after hours, or if they are full, it may be necessary to anchor. That’s a bit of a challenge. Here’s what we’ve done, and what we would do in the future.
Last time we arrived in New Caledonia, it was at night. We anchored at the northeast corner of the red area. We were outside the yellow, no-anchoring markers but we’d planed to call the marina in the morning and hopefully get a berth. When we woke up, we found a huge cruise ship passing not far off our port side. I think we’d anchored too close to their route for comfort. It was OK for the night, but I’m sure the harbor police or military would have hauled us out of there if we’d stayed any longer.
Next time, I think we’ll anchor in the blue area. It’s outside the yellow no-anchoring markers but again, probably OK for a night.
When we left the marina, we saw a boat anchored in the area we’ve colored yellow. They were pretty much in the channel going into Port Moselle, but even at that, it was probably OK for a night. It should be possible to anchor in this area without being in the middle of the channel.
If the marinas are full and you need to anchor for a few days, the green area is our first choice. It is sometimes possible to find a spot to anchor amongst the moored boats. It’s tricky as they swing differently on a mooring that we do at anchor.
The red area also has many moored boats but often has more room to squeeze in than the other areas. The disadvantage here is that it’s a long, and often wet dinghy ride to town.
Keep in mind that there seems to be no regulation regarding moorings. Who knows what’s holding those moored boats in place and what will happen if the wind blows. We know of no one who administers moorings and no way to get a mooring (even if you’d trust them) other than to find a private person who’s not using theirs.
Anchoring outside the yellow no-anchoring buoys: You’re not supposed to but many, many people do – even locals. We’ve heard various things. The harbor police will come by and ask you to move, which we’ve heard you can put off for a couple of days. Or the military will come by and ask you to move which you should do immediately. Or, some unnamed agency will come by with a tug boat and drag your boat, anchor and all, off to another location. I’m not sure I believe the last one – at least I hope it’s not true. Anyway, whatever you do, if you’re outside the markers, it’s a tenuous situation at best. -Rich
