Gale Gone

Coordinates:29 26 S 174 30E
Bearing: 171M
Boat Speed: 6 but squalls so not full sail up
Wind Direction:E sometimes veers ENE
Wind Strength: 16
Sea state:Cross swells still

Crew health: Great - Ted cooked a fine hot Lunch
Yesterday was an interesting time and enabled us to experiment with the storm jib on different points of sail as the wind gusted to a maximum of 59 knots . We were so surprised by the wind increase that we photographed the maximum wind speed recorded on the screen of the wind meter just for the record, although that reading is stored in the memory until it is exceeded at some future time - hope not!

The seas were very high late yesterday so we decided to jog along overnight with the storm jib up until the seas settled and also when off watch catch up on some needed sleep.
Today only moderate wind and sailing nicely but everything is wet and salty - so much spray flying yesterday and we have not had any sun for 3 days .
Its amazing what tiny gaps water sneaks in through.

Ted and I discussed the broken port trim tab ( like a small rudder on the back edge of the main rudder) of the wind vane self steering system. This one is only about a year old while the other on the starboard rudder is 16 years old. We can only think it was knocked by a log or other floating debri just off the Fiji coast that night at the start of this leg of the voyage
Nearing NZ bit by bit - It will be very exciting to shout "Land Ahoy' at last

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windy today

Coordinates: 28 16S 174 56E
Bearing:199
Boat Speed:4.1
Wind Direction:ESE
Wind Strength:40
Sea state:rough but long seas

Crew health: great

not what was forecast for this trip , or even on yesterdays forecast but it will settle soon. Wind peaked at 59 knots this afternoon but less now and sky seems to be clearing
Katipo handling seas and wind well with tiny storm jib set , Still managing to make some southerly progress
plenty of good supplies for easy meals today

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welcome to the real world

Coordinates: 26 48 S 175 33E
Bearing: 175M
Boat Speed: 5
Wind Direction:E
Wind Strength: 27knots
Sea state: very rough cross seas

Crew health: excellent

Last night I was dreaming about sunny Fiji and its cheerful people in my snug warm bunk below decks when he alarm clock went off at midnight . I was dressed and into my wet weather gear and sea boots in about 5 minutes As I slid back the hatch and thrust my head out, an ominous howl came from the wind in the rigging, and a large dollop of cold sea spray hit me in the face and ran down my neck - welcome to the real world. I felt my way in the pitch black night with safety harness clipped on to the safety lines to the cockpit. A low glow coming from the lights of the instrument dials was all you could see. " Brisk weather" I commented to Ted who was a faint shadow in the dark up one corner of the cockpit. Looking at the wind meter I saw it flash up to 40 knots. "Excellent news" he said "a wind shift backing 20 degrees to nearly East". It is surprising what you can be cheered up by when at sea. We had only a small yankee jib up and it meant we could run off at a better angle to the wind in greater comfort without crashing into the seas with the port bow. All went well , the self steering vane doing all the work. The wind moderated and it was only 25 to 35 all night and much of today .
Progress is pleasing and we are keeping on course. We hope to cross the half way point to Opua from Fiji this afternoon with this wind

We are sailing conservatively so as not to stress boat and sails , we dont want any more damage after the trim tab problem - it is also much more relaxing!!

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brisk wind

Coordinates:25 02 S 175 36E
Bearing: 176
Boat Speed: 6
Wind Direction:ENE
Wind Strength:25 to 35
Sea state: fairly rough

Crew health: great

we are well reefed down otherwise going this direstion in this sea is to uncomfortable - but making steady progress along course
too bumpy to type lots today , so more tomorrow

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my nose feels better today

Coordinates:22 58 176 10E
Bearing: 176
Boat Speed: 6kn
Wind Direction:ESE
Wind Strength:18 to 25
Sea state: moderate confuse swell

Crew health: great

blue skies . good steady progress in the right direction , eating Fijian pineapples and papayas, not bad !
Self steering working well on starboard rudder which is a huge relief - looking back it seems like a bad dream now.
Some things seem funny in retrospect. I forgot to mention yesterday that when hand steering we were so tired that we changed from 3 hourly to 2 hourly stints. I was almost at the end of my session seated on the new cockpit seat directly behind the wheel when I nodded off to sleep momentarily, slumped forward and woke with a start as I banged my nose into the wheel and knocked a slice off skin off. Good job I did not break my glasses. So there I was when Ted came on watch, still gripping the wheel with blood dripping off the end of my nose whilst peering at the instruments and looking out for shipping

I also should have said more about passing through the Navula passage in the dark - this is some thing I dont usually do round Fijian waters but we had to go after checking out of customs and there are leading lights. There are supposed to be port and starboard flashing lights on the edge of the reef too but one was broken and so only one on our Starboard side
we saw the leading lights on the hills behind though they were not too bright by the time we were in the pass. We set some way points in the chart plotter but you never can be sure whether the charts match them ( in the Cooks and Samoa if you followed way points off the chart you would likely end up on the reef because the GPS is more accurate than the chart!!)
So Ted steered and I watched the lights and kept nipping below to compare what I saw with the chart plotter. Currents and turbulence slewed Katipo about and Ted did a fine job holding a good course. It was pitchy black and you know sharp coral is waiting to get you if you make a mistake - all that glows is one light to starboard - then soon, after all the tension we were out and free - pity about the strong winds and short steep seas awaiting us in the next hour or so - but that is all behind us too.

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situation improving

Coordinates: 20 47 S 176 37 E
Bearing:176M
Boat Speed: 6.8
Wind Direction: ese
Wind Strength:20 to 28 x which did not work
Sea state: quite big swell and choppy cross sea

Crew health: great

We were tired today having hand steered in 3 hour spells for 34 hours by this afternoon. But now the wind and nasty seas have moderated we were able to set up the wind vane steering on the starboard rudder.
At present we are getting along well with yankee , staysail and a reefed main set - bit of a lumpy sea but good progress
When I turned on the laptop windows would not open and it advised an automatic fix which took ages and said sorry cant help
However I restarted it and now seems ok - what a relief
So all is well and we are ticking along ok

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South of Fiji

Coordinates: 18 56 S 176 56 E
Bearing: 176 M
Boat Speed:6
Wind Direction:ESE to SE
Wind Strength: 25
Sea state: confused short seas

Crew health: fine

Rough since left Navula pass last night after checking out occasionally up to 35 knots
some damage to port trim tab but starboard one ok
however plenty of wind to make progress so all is well

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bound for NZ from Fiji

Coordinates:17 44S 177 19 E
Bearing:190M
Boat Speed: 6 Kn
Wind Direction:NW
Wind Strength:12 and dropping in strength as evening approaches
Sea state: mild swell

Crew health: great

Today we sailed from Denarau to Lautoka to check out with customs. One is then obliged to sail immediately and you are fined if you stop anywhere on the way out !
It is late afternoon and we are half way down the coast heading for Navula passage through the reefs into the ocean again
Will write again tomorrow

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Denarau All change all change !!!!

Since arriving in Denarau Marina about a week ago it has been all go. This is a busy place with some berths for cruising boats in the marina, many berths for tourist ferries and charter boats, and a small number of swing moorings. While anchored outside in front of the hotels we came ashore and organised a mooring with the marina folk. We motored in the next day and Denise made a perfect pick up of the buoy in front of the hundred tourists waiting for ferries, the hard drinking holiday makers in the bars on the wharf and the other moored boat owners!! The D and D team made it! (better than the next boat in which had four frustrating goes at picking up their mooring)
It is good here with plenty of activity going on around the harbour all day. A new shopping area on the wharf, bread shop, small supermarket, water, diesel etc.
The town of Nadi is only a short bus ride away and is a busy place with a great fruit and veg market. Denise had made out a list of victuals we needed and we brought a big load back to the boat by taxi from Nadi.
New crew Ted flew in on Tuesday. We met him at the airport and it was great to catch up with his news especially as he had been in Canada for the last 4 weeks traveling round and also cycling for a few days there.
Denise flew back to New Zealand on Wednesday. I was sad to see her go as we have had such a great time cruising around so many interesting places over the last few months. She is a great navigator, crew, and her cooking skills are of the highest french cuisine quality!
However I know our family at home will be so pleased to see her. She is of course very excited to see them all and to see how our granddaughters have grown and changed while we have been away.
Today Ted and I went by bus to Lautoka to sign him in with immigration as my new crew. We had a look around Lautoka then went by bus to Vuda Point Marina. This is an amazing place with about a hundred boats in a circular Marina. We caught up with Tom and Janis an American couple who Denise and I had first met in Samoa. They will leave their boat on land there while they fly back to the USA until the cyclone season is over by next May. It is an interesting system used - a hole is dug in the ground to house the keel and the boat is taken out of the water, dropped into the hole and tires are packed around underneath the hull.
Ted and I are watching the weather files on the computer carefully and may leave early next week depending on the weather by then.

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Denerau

A friend told us if we went to Denerau we would have to face civilization again - and it is true. From quiet Saweni Bay we have motored about 11 miles this morning ( no wind ) and are the only boat anchored off the Westin Hotel, which is one of several including the Sheraton and Hilton along the frontage here. Still I suppose we improve the view for the holiday makers and add a little colour and interest. We have a good view from the cockpit too - of tourist boats nipping back and forth to the picnic island nearby, others towing paragliders and jetskiers roaring by. Not so many canoes these days!!

This whole area has been developed at an amazing rate and is certainly most impressive. Adjacent to the ferry berth, where one can catch the ferry to Musket Cove etc, is Denerau Marina. We booked a swing mooring there from tomorrow which will be very convenient for fuel, water, diesel, getting some washing done and close to the airport for Denise flying out and Ted flying in next week.

We told in the blog some days back that this whole area of Fiji is much drier than Savusavu. However we have had an enormous amount of unseasonal rain in the last week. Last Monday it rained continually for over 24 hours while we were in Saweni Bay. We got out the scrabble and I was beaten again a few times by Denise!
Yesterday we went into Lautoka by taxi and had a good day finalising some paperwork at immigration, snooping around the town, stocking up on fruit and veg and visiting the supermarket. I found a barbers shop and had a hair cut - the equivalent of $2.25 NZ amazingly cheap.

We saw an interesting local craft sail by us in Saweni Bay. It was a fishing boat, about 18 feet long, single hulled carrying a battered crab claw sail - looked like it was made of old plastic sheet. But it was sailing remarkably well and looked very elegant. So crab claw type sails do still survive in Fiji.

Late this afternoon the rain started again!

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Saweni Bay

We motored the 3.5 miles yesterday to Saweni Bay while the rain had stopped. It soon started again however and only stopped at lunch time today. There has been a slow moving trough of weather passing over Fiji!
We are now anchored in peaceful Saweni Bay along with one other yacht in 6 metres of water which makes a change from some of the deep anchorages of late.
This afternoon we went ashore and walked the 2.5 miles to Vuda Point Marina through the farm land, past sugar cane crops and small papaya plantations. Most of the way we walked along the narrow gauge railway track which carries the train and dozens of trucks loaded high with sugar cane to the processing plant in Lautoka. The only excitement was repelling a large barking, snarling dog which lunged at us as we went past one local's house. Fortunately I was carrying an old dried out sugar cane stick at the time which was most handy.
Vuda Marina is quite a place - about 100 boats in a circular basin all moored bow in and packed like sardines. It only has one very narrow entrance so is very sheltered from any rough seas outside. It is convenient to have water, power. butane filling station, and no worries about dragging anchors but it did not appeal to us - much more pleasant in Saweni Bay. We will be here two or three days until we have completed our boat paperwork in Lautoka then we will likely move down to Denerau Island which is nearer to the airport and said to be a good place to anchor for a few days and stock up with fuel, water etc and carry on preparing Katipo for the return Voyage to Auckland. We look forward to catching up with the internet and any e mails too.

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Bekana

Just a brief note today, still some northerly winds and rain at times. So we have not moved on yet. Instead we put the outboard motor on our dinghy and crossed the channel from Bekana Island to Lautoka and went into town!
An interesting place and many changes since we last came 35 years ago, en route by plane across the Pacific to Easter Island and South America. We did note that one can now obtain flat white coffee and chicken wraps if you wish.

The fruit and vegetable market was the best yet, lots of variety, clean, tidy and remarkably cheap. Then on to immigration to sort out the paperwork involved with Denise leaving Katipo this month to fly back to Auckland and Ted's arrival to sail on the voyage Fiji to Auckland. This took a while, two taxi trips and instructions to come back next Tuesday - but all is underway.

The wind should return to the more usual South East soon, then we hope to move on to Saweni Bay
We will send more news in a few days.

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catch up and rest day at Bekana Island

It was good to be able to get up at a more civilized hour today! The wind is gusting to 30 knots in squalls from the North so we are staying at anchor just off Bekana Island. A day for tidying up, cooking some bread, reading some books etc.
The last five days have been exciting sailing through a very different type of sea. When on ocean passages between islands, like for example Wallis Island to Fiji, once the sails are raised and the wind vane self steering gear set, it is a question of keeping a lookout for shipping and keeping an eye on wind strength and direction lest it changes.

Sailing through the reefs on the north of Viti Levu however is another story, nothing so relaxing! It means frequent changes of direction , resetting the sails, gybing at times and trying to spot reefs most of which are submerged not far below the surface. Also we have the binoculars at the ready to try and see the markers off headlands or on reef edges. Most of the markers are poles, some are missing and some have broken off leaving a stub just above the water. We take turns to steer while the other keeps ducking below into the chart room to check we are on course to the next GPS waypoint, marked as a cross on the chart plotter screen, or to scan ahead for markers using the binoculars. Also on straighter courses to fetch cold drinks ( it has been around 30 degrees most days), make snacks or tea. Never a dull moment!

In addition there is the interesting constantly changing scene as we cruise past the coast - sometimes close up, sometimes in the distance with a large reef area between us and the shore.

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Bekana Island

Coordinates: 17 35 563S 177 26 606E

It was another great sailing day today. Pleasant downwind sailing all the way, hand steering again through the reef passages. Unfortunately, the wind changed direction just as we were getting close to our destination of Saweni Bay, going round to the north with a weather forecast predicting it will stay this way for tomorrow too. So a quick decision had to be made to find a more sheltered anchorage. Hence, we are now anchored just off Bekana Island, which is close to Lautoka. In fact we are overlooking the large port and city. It is much bigger than we thought and does not look very appealing. Black smoke is pouring out of the chimneys of the sugar mill! The island of Bekana on the other hand looks to be a resort island with a lovely sandy beach. Perhaps we will make it ashore tomorrow.

We would still like to go to Saweni Bay and will make our way there in a couple of days when the wind goes back to the south east.

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Dodging the Reefs

Coordinates: 17 25 584S 17 44 874E

It was a brilliant, hot sunny day today. We have escaped the rains! Apparently this side of Viti Levu up to to the Yasawas is the driest part of Fiji. The prevailing winds tend to drop the rain on the south and east of this island. We were grateful for the sunlight to help navigate the many reefs on today's passage. When the sun is out the colours on the water are quite different over the submerged reefs. Deeper water is dark blue and water over the reefs is turquoise blue.

With favourable SE winds of 15 to 25 knots we sailed the whole way wending our way through reefs whilst hand steering. A couple of passages were quite narrow - you could not let your concentration lapse. We are following an 'inland' passage inside the outer reef surrounding the shores, which is well charted (some areas of Fiji are poorly charted) though one or two of the markers appeared to be missing. The waters are relatively flat making for pleasant sailing. It may be interesting for you to look up a google map of this area to understand the complexity of the reefs. It is always fascinating to sail along the coastline in new territory - there is always something of interest to spot. The journey today was very pretty, a mix of forested hills and craggy, dry hillsides, sandy beaches and mangrove fringed bays. We were surprised to see some large, luxurious looking houses scattered along some parts of the coast. We understand they are holiday homes for mainly rich Europeans.

We are are anchored in a small bay just past Vatia Wharf, just one more days hop and we should reach our destination of Saweni Bay, near Lautoka. The dinghy has been stowed upside down on the foredeck since we left Savusavu, so we have not been ashore for a few days. This is largely because it takes quite a lot of time and effort, using the spinnaker pole to winch the dinghy up and swing it out and lower it into the water and then we have to reverse the procedure when bringing it back on board Katipo. It has been good to relax once we put down anchor after our early starts.

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Crossing Bligh waters

Coordinates: Now anchored at 17 18 709 S 178 13 710 E

We had an early start, up at 5.30 am to leave soon after 6.00 am
We were to sail from Vanua levu across Bligh Waters to the other main island of Viti Levu to the South and it was best to arrive at Nananu reef passage in good time and good light. As it turned out the forecast was correct and we had a good breeze of 18 to 25 knots on the beam and bright sun as soon as the morning cloud had cleared. Perfect sailing weather - we could have even stayed in bed longer!
As we approached the pass the three pole beacons shown on the chart were all missing and it was not until we were up close that we could clearly see the reef pass. Again we were grateful for the list off GPS way points we had been given ( thanks Trevor and Lesley)
We are anchored in a very pleasant,deserted, sheltered bay off Nananu i- Cake Island, at the moment listening to Legend FM, one of the local music stations which plays lots of classic rock music, and eating honey on fresh bread which Denise has just cooked. We hope to hear on another station a rugby commentary tonight of the Fiji v Wales game.
It seems a small world!

PS We forgot to fill in the name of the place we were anchored by yesterday. N = Nambouwalu.

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A Damp Night

It rained quite heavily during the night. Unfortunately, Denise thought I had closed the for'ard hatch and she thought I had! At 3am we woke and went on deck to check things out only to find ,to our utter dismay, the hatch wide open!! The next hour was spent hauling out wet cans and bags of food from the large storage area under the bunk and drying out the bilges. The good news is no serious damage was done.

We upped anchor at 8.45am this morning, retraced our steps out of the bay and headed for Nasonisoni Passage, which is a 2 mile long very narrow path through the coral reef with swirling turbulent waters. It is the sort of place you hope your engine won't fail! Once through the passage, we hoisted the big red reacher sail. Again we had light winds of 8 to 12 knots. Denise was at the helm on this stretch and beaming gleefully as we overhauled an American keeler. We had to navigate through a few more submerged and dodgy reefs before anchoring just past Coconut Point at N. Thank goodness for GPS waypoints!

We have now thoroughly dried out and are relaxing over a beer and breadfruit chips celebrating another successful day. We are off to Viti Levu tomorrow.

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