Sailing was intermittent on the way from the Solomons but we did make some miles without motor. It was a very beautiful week at sea.

We arrived into PNG, returning to an isolated submerged reef that we had dived in 2002. Here we had found a truly pristine environment, stacked with fish, sharks, healthy corals and behaviours indicating that the reef was untouched by man. This reef has become iconic on Heraclitus, representing to us all that a reef can be when it is left undisturbed. But our return here, three years later, was ominous.

A fibre glass boat pulled up beside us from an island more than 50 miles away. Their boat was heavily loaded with seven fishermen and the dead bodies of thirteen sharks. Some of the larger ones (silvertips) had already had some of their fins removed. These fishermen are not shark fishing continuously but were on a week long expedition to this area.

During our dives on the reef, we found a change in the underwater population. There were still plenty of dogtooth tuna and other predatory pelagics, but very few sharks. In 2002, the water had been clear enough for us to see sharks circling around our anchor chain and the sharks plentiful enough for us to have second thoughts about swimming. In our Dive Log we wrote:

'Dive aborted because of very large sharks at about 20 metres. Michel went to investigate - 8 sharks, grey reef and whitetip, very curious, inspecting him at close range. Unexplored underwater territory, no divers here, no fishermen. These animals are not intimidated.'

'All reefs are natural but this reef is nature in its purest form. The corals are pristine, the fish unphased except for the smaller prey fish and territorial damsels.'

It's not that this reef is now finished, but it is certainly not in the untouched state that we left it in three years ago. On our last dive of the day, Kitty came across three sharks – juveniles, dead with fins removed.

A mile away at the next-door seamount we were greeted by a much more exciting underwater scene – swarms of great barracuda circling around us, big eye trevally in mating circles, sharks – eight on one dive, five on another (very much alive!), schools of unicornfish gathering around, several very large Spanish mackerel and the largest and most plentiful dogtooth tuna we have ever seen.

In Alotau, we found signs hanging for the purchase of shark fins. These were not hanging when we were last here in 2002.

We found Alotau as delightful as we remembered it - a bustling town filled with islanders from all around Milne Bay. Bare feet tread the pavements and packages are carried gracefully on the head. Red shell necklaces adorn and smiles beam at us - the black ship has returned.

the bustling harbour in Alotau where islanders congregate to take passage

carrying supplies to the fresh food market

We spent a weekend across the bay from Alotau in Discovery Bay and watched cyclone Larry zoom across our weatherfaxes, crashing into Australia with the most intense winds they have felt for 30 years. It was a category 5 cyclone and there were reports of 180 mph winds when it hit land, just south of Cairns. Cyclone Waita trailed in its wake but stayed kindly offshore.

All this action contrasted strongly with a very peaceful few days for us, meeting the villagers of Wagawaga. We dived the wreck of a ship that has developed beautiful coral formations and hosts an array of interesting ‘critters’ - from the unsuccessful search for seahorses to the pajama cardinalfish, a juvenile harlequin sweetlips and some rather aggressive clownfish!

The mountainous slopes are covered in wild forest but it is not untouched. A joint venture between Malaysia and PNG has stripped bare several areas visible from our anchorage, persuading landowners to sell their timber for just 12 Kina (about $US 4) per tree. We visited the sawmill and saw large old trees stacked up and ready for processing.

The light at the end of the tunnel was a man called Warren who has found another way to make money from his mother’s forest – building an eco-lodge with a backpacker style building and a beautiful house up the hill, views to die for and a vivid animal life. Hornbills, pidgeons, parrots, cockatoos flow through the treetops at dawn and dusk, in large numbers as the forest begins to disappear around. Butterflies abound.

While here, we listened to stories of an incredible sailing canoe festival that takes place in Alotau in November. It began only a few years ago but has already reached national fame, and what started as a kula region affair has begun to attract sailing canoes from islands far and wide across PNG. We very much hope to be back here in time to catch it at the end of this year. Down by the sea in WagaWaga, canoes from last year’s canoe festival sit covered in coconut palms. They will be used again in this year’s races. The tree that they carve into canoes is also being cleared in the general forestry destruction but it is valueless to the logging companies and only fit for weatherboard.

Milne Bay was described to us by the Chairman of the festival as a maritime province. Andrew, from Kitava where we spent a month in 2002, came to visit us on board also. Old connections renewed, new connections launched.

our anchorage in Alotau