This morning, after a relatively restful night and a delicious cooked breakfast, we weighed anchor and enjoyed a slow sail / motor-sail to Ilot Amédée, where the iconic Amédée Lighthouse is situated, approximately 25NM from Noumea, thus completing leg 2 of our Australian passage.

Built in 1865, this 16-sided tapered cast iron tower with balcony and lantern is an impressive structure, standing at 184 ft / 56 metres tall, with a range of 20NM. It is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world and is still operational to this day.

The metal components were made by Rigolet in northeast Paris in 1862 and the tower was constructed in Paris as a demonstration. It was then disassembled into pieces and transported along the River Seine to the port of Le Havre for its voyage to New Caledonia. The foundation stone was laid on 18 January 1865 and it was first lit on 15 November 1865, the saint day of the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. Its light signals the entrance to the passage of Boulari, one of only three natural passages in the reef surrounding New Caledonia. On the other side of the world, the Roches-Douvres Light in the English Channel is the twin brother of the Amédée lighthouse.

Once we were anchored, we dinghied ashore, enjoyed our first swim without a wetsuit since leaving Fiji, then climbed the 247 steps to the balcony of the lighthouse and enjoyed the magnificent views.

Back on board, we completed our last To Dos in preparation for our final leg to Australia, but, unfortunately, a good night's sleep may elude us as this is one of the rolliest anchorages we've been in for some time. The winds have turned to the north and the swell is coming out of the east - Delightful - Not!