Budi Budi (Laughlan Islands)

Our photos

Stories from our visits

We arrived after the best crossing of the trip, an easy downwind sail. Denise paddled out on a kayak he had found floating at sea, guided us to a good anchorage and asked the children to let us rest (24 Mar 2024).

Boys here learn to climb coconut palms at about five, so the family can still eat if their father is away at Woodlark (Mar 2024).

A smiling old lady brought coconut oil to trade and gave Poppy a beautiful basket (Mar 2024).

During Cyclone Jasper in Dec 2023, people told us, a crowded dinghy coming back from Canac islet flipped in the rough seas. Only three people swam the 10 nm back to the atoll. Small open boats are risky in heavy weather here (Mar 2024).

The guide

Position

9°17.13'S 153°40.75'E

Depth

10–12 m

Wind shelter

good in SE, S, SW

Our visit

Arrived 24 Mar 2024 after an easy 3-day downwind sail from Feni (left 21 Mar), on the way back from Micronesia via Kavieng and Nuguria; stayed to about 28 Mar.

Shelter

Swell gets in at the top of the tide.

Getting in

Enter by entry "B" beside the small sand island (visible at all tides) rather than the NW entry described in the Pacific Islands Pilot. Stand clear of the NW end reef.

Notes

Excellent boat-builders and sailors (women too). Avoid anchoring off Budi Budi village - crowds of canoes; the Bulang (Wabulak) village end is quieter and closer to the best diving and fishing. Older cruiser advice (2023 notes): don't miss Budi Budi between PNG and the Solomons - very welcoming; bring lollipops, light lines and small hooks. SV Obiwan (2022) stayed 5 days: most needed were dive masks, clothes for children and adults (trousers, underwear, skirts - not just T-shirts), biros, exercise books, dictionaries, books, AA batteries and pain killers.

Anchoring (us)

We arrived in daylight (Mar 2024). Denise met us at the entrance on a kayak, guided us to a nice anchorage and asked for nothing.

Ashore (us)

Canoes all day: coconuts, greens, pumpkin, bananas, pawpaw, eggs, coconut oil, baskets and carvings. With a guide you can look for coconut crabs at night on the islet nearby; islanders may only take them to sell or for visitors. Cyclone Jasper (Dec 2023) hit the atoll hard, and a dinghy with 15 people capsized coming back from a nearby islet; 3 survived. Shark fin is the cash trade (top grade K180/kg, 2024).

Trading (us)

Some canoes come with a written list, some just ask; others give freely. We traded more than we needed as a way of giving with respect (2024).

Notes (us)

On the far side of the island a guide will show you the rocks where, the story goes, a lost child is trapped: the waves in the blowholes make its crying sound, and the faithless husband stands turned to stone on the cliff above. Coconut crabs hide in limestone holes and fig trees by day; our guide pushed a burning stick into the hole until the crab backed out (Mar 2024, Budi Budi episode).

Our sketch map

Drawn by us from OpenStreetMap, Sentinel-2 and our GPS. Not for navigation.

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