Logbooks:
Fiji 2014 Part 2: Lau Group
Back in Suva
| Date: | Nov. 4, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 18 7.45 S, 178 25.49 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
On the morning of Tuesday the 4th of Nov we left at 7am and had an uncomfortable motor to get outside the reef. We timed it to motor with the outflowing tide which is quite fast (~2kts) however the wind against the tide created very choppy and uncomofortable conditions. Fortunately it was only 3nm and going with the tide we were doing close to 7kts into the wind... so it was only 30minutes of pain. We then were able to crack off on a reach and averaged about 6kts all the way to Suva. It was another great day of sailing.
We pulled up in Suva harbour at 4pm with just enough time to have a quick shower each and drop the dinghy to get into the Royal Suva Yacht Club to watch the Melbourne Cup at 5pm Fiji time. The same couple from Viani Bay and Leleuvia were there also!
On the way I played with the autopilot settings to try to get it to "hunt" less and thus use less of the electric motor. After an hour or two of fiddling with various settings I ended up getting it set so that the motor runs MUCH less... I would say about 20% of what it was previously doing. That should help with our power consumption on the passage down to New Zealand in a week or two.
Moored off Leleuvia Is.
| Date: | Nov. 2, 2014, 9:15 a.m. |
| Position: | 17 48.62 S, 178 43.16 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
After a night in Naigani Is it was time for Guava Jelly and ourselves to go separate ways. They headed west over the top of Viti Levu while we headed south through the Moturiki channel (between Ovalau and Viti Levu) to the tiny island of Leleuvia.
We were planning to spend only the one night at Leleuvia but it turned out to be a fantastic little resort island, one of the best we have seen so far. We also had the bonus to coincidentally meet up with some West Australians who we met previously in Viani Bay while diving the Somosomo Strait. We hung out with them for the next day and took them out for a fish in the big boat. The fish weren't biting but we had a nice sail back to Leleuvia after motoring out to the edge of the reef.
Leleuvia is an extremely exposed anchorage/mooring but the shallowness and extent of the surrounding reef seems to kill any chop and its surprisingly comfortable there even though it was blowing 20kts or so from the ESE.
Anchored off Naigani Is.
| Date: | Nov. 1, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 17 34.31 S, 178 40.68 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
After spending a few days in Makogai we moved on to Naigani Island and anchored on the NW corner tucked in close to the beach (again) to get out of the way of the 20kts or so of easterly. The sail there was absolutely lovely with 20 kts of ESE we were on a broad-reach most of the way at 6.5kts with only the jib out. We decided to head there at the last minute as Guava Jelly was heading that way too.
Anchored at Makogai
| Date: | Oct. 30, 2014, 7:21 p.m. |
| Position: | 17 26.49 S, 178 57.12 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
We moved on from Namena yesterday and had a better sail here to Makogai in 15-20kts of wind. We are in the company of Gauva Jelly and Apogee, both of whom we met up around Qamea a few weeks ago.
The weather looks like it might close in again with more overcast, rain and squalls so we might be here a few days before moving on again. We'll try to get to Suva in two more day-sails breaking the trip in Leleuvia Is if we can.
Back in Namena
| Date: | Oct. 30, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 17 6.70 S, 179 5.61 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
The weather in Savusavu was very overcast and rainy for the whole week we were there. The weather generally is feeling a lot more tropical monsoon and nice days with blue sky are getting fewer. Meanwhile the weather in Opua is starting to clear up and the days are 20-25 degrees. All this is telling us that its time to start to prepare to head back to NZ for the summer.
We left Savusavu on Wednesday the 29th and went to Namena. We had a boisterous sail with 20-25 kts most of the way and even up around 30 as we were entering Namena lagoon. Overcast and rainy conditions. It wasn't ideal weather but we felt that if we didn't take it then we could be stuck in Savusavu for another week or so with rain and squalls. The plan was to continue on and do an overnight-sail to Suva if the anchorage was untenable. Fortunately we were able to tuck right up into the beach using anchors at the front and stern to keep us close and parallel to the beach and the conditions in the lee of Namena were surprisingly very nice.
Diwali in Savusavu
| Date: | Oct. 24, 2014, 9:15 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 48.60 S, 179 17.31 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
It was a nice afternoon for a sail so after a quick bite of lunch we decided to make a dash for the anchorage in from of Cousteau's Resort. We arrived at Dusk and the shoreline was ablaze with small fireworks displays. The next morning we headed for Savusavu to enjoy the main day of the Hindu Diwali Fesival (Christmas meets Firecracker night). It felt like a homecoming after all the time we've spent here and on our mooring buoy we had front row seats for the festivities. The fire crackers go all day, 6am until midnight with impressive flare ups as the richest houses try to outdo each other. There are some very professional displays and every shop and home was lit up with colourful lighting, quite a sight. Mark was a little crushed that our favourite Indian restaurant, The Taste of Hidden Paradise, was closed but we consoled ourselves with some excellent dishes at the Wok recommended to us by SV Apogee (Don't miss the Eggplant Buns and Blackbean Squid) We are now getting two months of Laundry and rubbish sorted out and will do some jobs on the boat until (hopefully) the opportunity to dive a Namena comes up.
Fawn Harbour
| Date: | Oct. 22, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 43.50 S, 179 43.74 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
After bidding farewell to Jack we left Viani Bay for Fawn Harbour. Some small long nosed acrobatic dolphins put on a show along the way and we enjoyed a smooth easy passage outside the reef to Fawn Harbour. The Island was shrouded in misty rain when we come in but we had good visibility and a well marked reef entrance to an easy anchorage. We ducked in to do a Sevusevu that afternoon and met some of the Pickering family. We first encountered Victor their son, a marine scientist, had just returned from working in Amsterdam with Greenpeace. He was on holiday from his role which involves periods of serving as ship crew and doing research work. The English portion of Pickering heritage has not at all diluted the Fijian hospitality and friendliness, they are particularly welcoming and love having Yachts visit. Arthur Pickering is quite the fisherman and showed us a photo of a much younger him sitting on a unnervingly large hammerhead shark which he had killed with a spear! Nowadays Victor has put a stop to the fishing of certain species in his community, particularly turtles, and as he is sending home financial support. In the long term he is hoping to set up a marine preservation and breeding facility, similar to Makogai, in the area.
With time to kill, Victor generously offered to take us for a walk the next morning to the hot springs we'd heard about from other cruisers. Getting ashore was a little challenging at low tide but with the aid of our Gumboots which we have not worn since NZ, we navigated the muddy inlet in the mangroves. After a few false starts we discovered that the trick is to walk counter intuitively, right in the middle if the channel as the mud has been compacted and it is much easier to wade through. It was a steamy day this late in the season and we were definitely ready for a swim after the easy half hour walk to the spring. I would be very impressed at anyone who found it without a local guide but although small, it was well worth it. The temperature at the top pool is perfect but in case you do find it a little warm there is a cascade of three pools the lowest of which mingles with a cool freshwater stream, very much to Mark's liking. It would be pretty easy to spend all day there, indeed Victor reminisced about his childhood where they would do the laundry swim and relax for hours. We enjoyed the excellent mangos that are in season now, before dragging ourselves away back to the boat. We learnt along the walk that Victor is one of the Greenpeace Activists who was jailed by the Russians recently. It is just incredible the interesting people you meet in the most unexpected places.
It was a nice afternoon for a sail so after a quick bite of lunch we decided to make a dash for the anchorage in front of Cousteau's Resort.
19 Oct Viani Bay
| Date: | Oct. 19, 2014, 9:15 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 45.06 S, 179 53.60 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
The weather was far too nice to leave Viani Bay today, so instead we hung out with SV Apogee and Jack Fisher. With glassy conditions and slack-water tide during the middle of the moon phase, Mark and I decided to give diving by ourselves a go. Jack took us out to the Cabbage Patch which was a nice easy dive in the conditions and very spectacular. After that we all headed over to the Fish Factory for a bit of snorkeling & free diving. A perfect day and easily the best $10 I have spent in Fiji!
Dolphin Bay Dive Resort
| Date: | Oct. 18, 2014, 9:15 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 45.38 S, 179 55.43 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
We Anchored close in front of the Dolphin Bay Dive Resort in 20m of Sand, next to a turtle so large he had a honour guard of Remora. We met the friendly resort team and booked Jim and Alina in for a few nights and all four of us for some diving. Then we headed back to the boat for our final night together. It was very windy the next day so Mark and I got going soon after dropping off Jim and Alina, we headed around to Viani Bay which from all accounts was a good anchorage but the unusual wind direction had the bay whipped up and frothing with no calm areas to be found. We headed up North around the headland to check out Naqaiqai (Nagaigai) and Nasau Bays. Both of which had reasonably calm water but wind bullets of 35 knots made the muddy holding of Naqaiqai more attractive and we were fast running out of light. Unfortunately no phone reception was to be had so it was a short hike up the hill to the East or a dingy ride out to finalise tomorrow morning's dive booking.
Dolphin Bay picked us up with our gear to reunited us with Jim and Alina for some terrific Diving. We saw some nice soft corals at Nuku Reef but the highlight was definitely the aptly named Fish Factory with an indescribable number and variety of fish. It was hard to know where to look. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the resort and booked in for the next day diving and a final dinner with Jim and Alina. The wind had calmed and shifted so we were able to move back around to Dolphin Bay to anchor for sunset drinks. Day two of the Somosomo strait diving took us to the famous White Wall and it did not disappoint by now Mark and I were getting the hang of our new dive equipment and we had a load of fun. The second dive, Rainbow Reef was also aptly named and particularly photogenic.
We had a lovely dinner at the Resort that night but it was bitter sweet saying goodbye to Jim and Alina, they really helped make the trip special.
We made an early start before the wind kicked in and are now tucked up in Viani Bay (nice and smooth this time.) We had a fun morning meeting cruiser-legend Jack Fisher and his wife Sofi. Jack looks after all the yachts, even providing mooring buoys out the front of his house. As one of the original dive boat captains of this area there is little he does not know about it and he will pilot your boat out to some of the best spots for snorkelling, diving or just passaging. It was great fun to leaf through his fat old Guestbooks to see my parents entry on Que Barbara as well as our many old and new sailing friends who have passed through Viani Bay. We will wait and see what tomorrow's weather brings for snorkelling and/or passaging to Fawn Harbour as the microclimate here makes the forecasting highly inaccurate.
Anchored in Naqaiqai (Nagaigai) Creek
| Date: | Oct. 17, 2014, 6:07 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 43.10 S, 179 53.51 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
Had to move anchorage as a strong SE wind was blowing into Viani and Dolphin Bay
Dolphin Bay Resort
| Date: | Oct. 16, 2014, 6:05 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 45.38 S, 179 55.43 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
Anchored off Dolphin Bay Resort to drop off Jim and Alina.
Waiyevo Natural Waterslide
| Date: | Oct. 15, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 46.14 S, 179 58.41 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
We could not resist the sound of the rumoured 'natural water slide' near Somosomo town on the West coast so the next day we got an early start and made our way down there. The calm conditions made the anchorage comfortable and we finally found a 4WD taxi to take us out to the slide. It was a 10 minute cab ride and 10 minute walk along the watercourse until the slide emerged. We crossed to the opposite bank at the final pool and managed to convince the skipper that he had to test it first. With the heavy rains last week we had heard that it had been too treacherous a couple of days ago but our timing turned out to be prefect after a couple of dry days. Finally we all plucked up the courage to do it and it was awesome. Crystal clear water and serpentine curves in smooth rock to ride up, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the rest of the day. We then sailed across the Somosomo strait back to the Vanua Levu completing the round trip for Jim and Alina who have been with us for an incredible couple of months.
Anchored of Restaurant, Taveuni
| Date: | Oct. 14, 2014, 5:57 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 41.59 S, 179 53.66 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
Anchored off the restaurant. Taveuni.
Matai, Taveuni
| Date: | Oct. 13, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 40.80 S, 179 52.48 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
On Monday morning we sailed up to Matai near the airport at the North of Taveuni. We anchored in front of the Coconut Grove Resort using Curly's waypoints. We had heard great things about their Burgers but discovered they were a lunchtime event so we taxied around to enjoy the pretty good Pizza, cold beer and spectacular setting of Tromotos for an early dinner. Our taxi driver kindly advised us that it was best to take the dingy over near the concrete boat ramp if you were staying out at night as some of the local misfits get drunk under the trees at the other end of the beach. The grog shop and two grocery stores are very close by. Luckily for us the rugby 7's final kept everyone glued to the TV until we were back on board the boat. The next day Jim and Alina had to deal with the shock and chaos of the real world as they arranged flights, surfboard transit and accommodation for the end of their Fiji adventure. We enjoyed the Coconut grove burgers which lived up to their reputation, though I think Mark could've eaten three. In the afternoon Mark and I took the boat around to anchor on the West coast next to Tromotos as it was getting quite windy at the North point. That way we were more conveniently located for sunset drinks at the bar. Throughout the day we met many of the semi-local expats and locals who were all really friendly. It's a lovely patch of the world and easy to see why there are a number of little resorts and Palangi (foreigner) houses there.
Vurevure Bay, Taveuni
| Date: | Oct. 12, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 47.86 S, 179 50.80 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
The rain was starting to set in as we got to Vurevure Bay on the East coast of Taveuni so Mark did some sounding in the dingy to work out a good spot to anchor. Apparently there is a mooring bouy for boats but we could not quite decide which it was and the bay was nice and muddy so the anchor was not going anywhere. We ducked in quickly to do Sevusevu as it was a Saturday afternoon and we did not want to get roped into church if we went in the next day as the weather was clearing for a hike to the waterfalls at Bouma National Park. Taveuni seems to always be covered in it's own personal raincloud and is dotted with rainbows from a distance. We were invited back to watch the Rugby 7's that evening but it was just as well we didn't, apparently Fiji thumped the Aussies. It took us an hour and a half to lazily walk to the Bouma Park the entry fee was $15 per head but the park is well maintained. It was very humid and we only made it to the first and biggest waterfall (10-15 minutes easy walk.) We met some others who had done the round trip to the lookout and other waterfalls but they indicated that other than a little birdwatching they could take or leave the steep climb. So we decided to swim and relax at the very beautiful big waterfall only. We were lucky to find a taxi on Sunday who took us back to the bay so we were still feeling refreshed when we got back on the boat. James 'Coconutter' Arnold even managed to score some big juicy green coconuts to drink. Taveuni is bursting with produce, everywhere you look there is something edible amongst the lust rainforests, even after the huge drought they have been experiencing, it must be incredible normally.
Nadilo Bay, Qamea
| Date: | Oct. 11, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 47.78 S, 179 46.60 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
The next morning we moved around to Nadilo (Nandilo) Bay closer to the Maqai (Mongai) Surfbreak and the Boys enjoyed a great session as the wind had swung North. They were appalled at having to share their waves for the first time in two months. No less that 14 resort guests turned up as well as a couple of other yachties who had arranged a local longboat. They made the best of the situation by getting us all invited to drinks at a new Nadilo Bay Sustainable Resort that evening.
Aussie surfer Peter has just set up the first stage of a lovely little eco-resort compete with traditional Bure architecture. He has battled through the bureaucracy and regulation as the result is remote, relaxed, elegant accommodation next to a terrific surf break and overlooking a lovely shallow sandy swimming beach. The bay is exposed to the South but in the right conditions is quite nice anchoring in 18m of sand between the small Nadilo (Nandilo) village and the resort Bures. (Going in a low tide would be best as there are a few sharply rising rocks closer into the beach which can be seen then.) Peter and the village are keen to install yacht moorings in the future. The Boys surfed the now diminishing waves again the next day with the crowd while Alina & I did Yoga and paddled into the village to socialise, a lovely relaxing morning. After a monster Brunch Jim sold his second surfboard to the resort as a rental and we departed Qamea.
Naivivi Bay, Qamea
| Date: | Oct. 10, 2014, 1:24 p.m. |
| Position: | 16 45.92 S, 179 46.86 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
We enjoyed a very relaxing few days lolling around in the perfect lagoon bathtub of the Bay of Islands, Vanua Balavu. We spent a large potion of each day lounging in the water around the boat with the turtles and snorkelling nearby. A playful porcupine fish made a very cute highlight as did getting to meet the crews of SV Lady Carolina & Guava Jelly on the first night. We had the place to ourselves for a few days and felt very spoilt indeed. Exploring further afield in the dingy was great fun as there are some spectacular narrow passages and caves, the weather was very kind to us and we got to experience the renowned Bay in all its aquamarine glory. Luckily for the locals there was some heavy rain forecast so we decided to take off early one morning for Qamea (Garmea) to the North West before that set in.
The passage to Qamea was nice but there was a huge Southerly swell rolling in, apparently it made a mess of some of the Southern Fijian Islands and the wave at Cloudbreak was enormous. Luckily for us it was fairly polite by the time it got up North, though it did make the passage through the reef at Qamea a little messy. Rick on Guava Jelly, who knows the area very well, had elaborated on Curly's waypoints, so armed with his additional knowledge we got comfortably into Naivivi Bay in spite of the thick cloud cover rolling in. We did a quick Sevusevu with the friendly locals but it was quite clear we were back in civilisation with resorts aplenty. The next day it rained so heavily Jim showered outside and Mark had a spa bath inside the dingy. (Both tender and skipper are now much cleaner than they have been in a long while.) We enjoyed some quiet time catching up with the emails and other business. Guava Jelly turned up the next morning and once they had recovered from their passaging we had a nice evening with them.
5 Oct Anchored at Vanua Balavu (17:10.528 S/179:01.014 W)
| Date: | Oct. 4, 2014, 6:11 p.m. |
| Position: | 17 10.53 S, 179 1.01 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
We left Lakeba Is at 0300 on the 3rd of Oct and had a fantastic broad- reach with calm seas to Vanua Balavu. We caught a reasonable mahi-mahi on the way as well as a huge Barracuda which we released. We entered the lagoon into Vanua Balavu on the western passage and made our way to Dalaconi for Sevusevu and anchored nearby for that night. On the 4th we made our way up to our anchorage here at the Bay of Islands.
This is a very beautiful anchorage which reminds us very much of Luncheon Cove in Duksy Sound. There are lots of small islands which you can navigate between almost touching the trees on either side of the boat. Dusky had denser vegetation and narrower and deeper channels but in a lot of ways very similar.
1 Oct Anchored at Lakemba Is. (18:12.652 S/178:50.522 W)
| Date: | Oct. 1, 2014, 6:41 a.m. |
| Position: | 18 12.65 S, 178 50.52 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
We arrived in Lakemba at 3:30am and just hove-to off the northern side of the island while waiting for the sun to come up. The overcast conditions unfortunately did not clear and we had terrible visibility in rain along with 20-25 knots from the south as we probed the anchorage. Fortunately this anchorage is just an open gap in the reef so we had no problems finding the spot and dropped anchor at about 11am.
It is certainly an open roadstead anchorage with the two left-hand waves breaking within a few hundred meters of the boat and we can pretty much paddle to them from the big boat. Quite a roll at the anchor though. Weather was not suitable for going ashore today so we'll wait to do sevusevu tomorrow.
30 Sept en-route to Lakemba Is. (18:46 S/179:17 W)
| Date: | Sept. 30, 2014, 6:21 a.m. |
| Position: | 18 46.00 S, 179 17.00 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
We left Matuku this morning in quite overcast and blustery conditions as we wanted to catch the southerly winds that came after a trough moved over. The seas were quite confused for the first few hours but then things settled down and we now have 10-12 knots and calm seas but still overcast conditions. We're making 5 knots with 45nm to go to Lakemba. We'll likely arrive in the middle of the night and just drift off the reef until we can find our way through the reef in the morning.
The big Penn Reel hooked up something absolutely massive earlier. We presume it was a Marlin but can't be sure. Jim managed to halt his progress and we were starting to reel him in when the line broke at a knot near the end - shame we lost one of our good big lures but it was still an impressive fight for the 15-20 minutes we had him. He took nearly all of the 1000m of line on the reel!
26 Sept Anchored at Matuku Is. Lagoon
| Date: | Sept. 26, 2014, 7:13 a.m. |
| Position: | 19 10.00 S, 179 44.23 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
Still at Matuku Island but it looks like we will have good weather to leave here on Tuesday and head back up to Vanua Balavu and towards the mobile-connected world again. We'll keep an eye on the wether for that.
On Monday the guys from Wunderlust, Privateer and the other from our boat climbed the tallest peak in Matuku which gave great views of the anchorage and surf breaks. I elected to give it a miss as I wanted to stay on board running the generator and making water.
That night we did a third kava ceremony at yet another village which was the village where one of the chiefs sons took them up the mountain. We didn't realize it was a separate village. They seem to love the kava- ceremonies here because it is mountainous enough to grow kava so they seem to regularly carry out ceremonies when even just visiting neighboring villages. I got kind of roped in to fixing the villages' only long boat which had a hole in it. I fit this in over the following days between surfing sessions.
The swell forecast to come in on Tuesday happened according to forecast. We have occupied our time mostly paddling out morning and around sunset (at high tides) to try to ride the waves.
Fortunately there are two other very good surfers on the catamaran "Rongo" who were there to demonstrate that these waves are actually ride-able which gave us the confidence to give it a go. They have surfed all over and firmly believe that this left-hander is the heaviest wave in Fiji.
There is pretty much no option to ride the wave without getting a barrel. You either make it or you are on the reef. The shelf of the reef falls off into the deep-blue and being on the western-side of the island the swell is clean and the wind offshore. When the wave strikes the reef, the lip of the wave throws itself forwards very fast creating a hollow and heavy wave that breaks fast to the left. You really have to have exactly the right spot at take-off; confidence in your wave selection; and confidence in your abilities - three things that Jim and myself were somewhat lacking but the "Rongo boys" had in buckets.
The take-off is steep and very scary. As the water sucks over the reef shelf it goes glassy and shallow. From the steep face of the wave looking down from a height of 2-3 meters all you can see is the beautiful variety of corals that make this a world-class diving and snorkelling location extending out like a field of flowers in front of you. The water is transparent to the point of invisibility. There is not much paddling to do, the wave rather picks you up and throws you. All you have to do is hope you have the three ingredients listed above, grab the outside rail of your board, and head as straight and fast as you can down the line - trying not to get hit by the water cascading over your head (which is normally where things go pear-shaped form me).
I've never surfed a reef like this where failure equals a definite strike on the reef. All four of us have a huge amount of scratches and dings on the boards but no major injuries fortunately - Jims legs are mostly brown with Betadine all the time. One wave where I swept down too low after the take-off resulted in the lip crashing down and exploding on my head and somehow instantly blowing-away my left-reef-bootie and nearly tore my wetsuit top completely off. The bootie was instantly lost forever. One of the Rongos broke a board yesterday.
The upside of all the pain and effort is that - if you make it - then every wave will be the best wave of your life.
We keep commenting that we will probably never again have an opportunity to surf a world-class wave like this with only 4 friends. All other waves like this in the world such as Cloudbreak and Pipeline are over-crowded with pros and semi-pros who would never give us a chance to get on one.
On Tuesday Jim and myself managed to get only 2 waves each for our 6 hours of effort. Wednesday was slightly better with me getting about 4. We sat Thursday out as the swell peaked and we were happy to watch the Rongo boys taking monster sets that were making our yacht shake half a mile away. This morning (Friday) was the best session yet with the swell easing and our abilities improving I took 6 of the best waves of my life this morning.
16-21 Sept Anchored at Matuku Is. Crater
| Date: | Sept. 21, 2014, 7:47 a.m. |
| Position: | 19 9.68 S, 179 45.15 E |
| Track to here: | Download |
After a fantastic 2 days at the uninhabited Marabo Island we left on midday Monday the 15th and headed for Kabara Island in order to do the right thing and perform sevu-sevu at the owning island. We were considering to stay at Kabara for the night however the anchorage is not great, deep with a lot of bommies, so we decided to head off at sunset before the wind came up. Visiting the village at Kabara turned out to be well worth while. We were the first boat to stop so far this year and they were genuinely thrilled that we visited. Suli the school teacher (with the best English) was roped into an impromptu tour and we got to witness all the local industries, Pandanus weaving, carving, coconut husk rope making, sea cucumber collecting et al. It was by far the most authentic insight into local life and a lovely surprise.
We motored the full 10 hours here to Matuku Island although the wind did come up to 15 kts from the SW I continued to motor on account of the close- haul sailing we would have done and the guests on board who were new to sailing and might have struggled with the squally conditions under sail. The passage was not so comfortable in the end because although the wind was moderate the seas became quite confused and rough so we all had a tough night.
We arrived at Marambo at around 7am on the morning of Tuesday the 16th. Once behind the reef on the western side of the island (about 0.5nm from the breakers) the sea became very flat and we decided to hold there until the sun was higher in the sky to enter the passage. The cmaps charts were offset by 0.75nm and with the rising sun directly into our eyes it would not have been wise to proceed into Matuku harbor. We ran the water maker to a full tank and the batteries all received a full charge.
At 11am we could see the deep blue of the passage in front of us and we started heading in with Jim on the first spreaders and Cat at the front. The passage was wide and deep and free of obstructions. The google earth charts are spot on. We followed the google earth charts right into the anchorage inside the crater and dropped the anchor at (19 09.6792 S, 179 45.1462 E) in 10m mud.
We did sevusevu at the village of Lomati inside the crater and spent two days at that anchorage and getting to know the village. Cat did some trade for eggs and vegetables and we organised a guide to the top of one of the mountains for the following week (tomorrow). The ladies of the village have been particularly welcoming and Cat and Alina have had some fun hanging out with them.
Once the weather had cleared a little we moved around to the village to the SW of the island called Makadro which is where we are currently anchored. Coincidentally Wanderlust, Privateer and Rongo arrived that same day as the village was having a big traditional banquet fundraising event for the church with all the neighboring villages attending at a big community hall. They were very excited to have us along (possibly because they might have thought we were wealthier than we actually were). In any case it turned into a big event and we did sevusevu, drank kava and had a massive feast.
Oddly enough, the donations made by all families (and boats) were displayed publicly on a blackboard which seems to be the norm to name-and- shame other families into donating more. Cat, as the official "Cultural Liaison Officer" for Tuuletar covertly managed to work out what the average family donation was and put our on a par with that. I was surprised at the size of the donations with some families going up to $120 but the average being around $50. We figured that as it was $50 per boat in Fulanga and the average was $50 per family then $50 seemed a good amount, plus we had four of us to share the cost. They all seemed very happy with that amount and donations that night exceeded their target by $75 which was on account of the boats' contributions. They seemed very happy with the situation and made a big speech welcoming us and thanking us for getting them over their target.
The village of Makadro seems very genuinely happy to welcome new boats as it seems like they do not get many. I asked a local and they indicated that they had had three boats so far this year (as opposed to Fulanga's 55 boats). On account of our contacts in Fulanga and enthusiasm to stop at this island we now have 6 boats from Fulanga that are anchored here. The locals seem over the moon about it and seem keen to try to encourage more boats to come this way. The fact that they have a great amount of local fresh produce to trade and/or buy and a cooperative store which even sells petrol I thought would certainly attract more yachties here. Furthermore the selection of surf breaks and proximity to first-class snorkelling and scuba diving as well as the hiking makes this, for me at least, a more interesting island to explore than Fulanga.
On Thursday Jim and I paddled out to the famous left-hand surf break which is on the west-coast however the swell was a bit too small the waves were breaking in ankle-deep water. Our feet were scraping the bottom of the reef while we were sitting on our boards waiting for set-waves. The next day we headed around to Daku passage on the SE of the island where the waves were catching a bit more of the southerly swell but still quite small. We had a good surf that day but when we returned on Saturday it was too small and we were back to ankle-deep water. I threw in the towel after catching a great wave but dinged my board when it put me on the reef and I spent 30 minutes trying to scramble off.
Very sharky down at Daku passage. Unfortunately the locals were spearfishing when we turned up and they were all standing on the reef seemingly to get some respite from the sharks. I asked if there were any sharks the locals just nodded their heads. They always seem to just laugh and never respond when we ask if they are "friendly sharks" which makes me quite nervous. They indicated that they were quite large and pointed indicating they were all around our anchored dinghy and them. I figured that its probably best we don't see them so just paddled away towards the surf break. They are likely just overly-friendly white and black tip sharks which expect a feed from the spearfishermen.
Calm weather today so Privateer came over and rafted up to clean the bottom using our hooka underwater breathing kit. Pete from Privateer seemed to be going for a new hooka record when he was down for 5.5 hours. Unbelievable. Jim and Alina went snorkeling out at the reef and we fixed the new dings in our boards. Charged the battteries and ran the watermaker. And in the middle of everying had an impromptu visit from some over-keen locals who dropped some kids off at the boat in exchange for some mangoes while the parents went out to pick up supplies from the monthly supply ship. Resultingly, pandemonium and noise of all kind persisted for most of the afternoon.
Bush walking to the top of a mountain tomorrow morning. Surf should be coming up with a swell coming up from NZ tomorrow and Tuesday.
Anchored briefly at Kambara
| Date: | Sept. 16, 2014, 5:03 a.m. |
| Position: | 18 55.12 S, 178 57.42 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
To do a sevusevu for our time at Marambo (which belongs to Kambara).
14 Sept Anchored at Marambo Is. (18:58.769S/178:49.853W)
| Date: | Sept. 14, 2014, 7:08 a.m. |
| Position: | 18 58.77 S, 178 49.85 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
For our final day in Fulanga yesterday we took our host family Tai, Koro and Jasmine out with three younger girls (ages ~10-12) for a ride in the boat and lunch at the sandbar. We went outside the reef and only after we went out the pass did we learn that it was the first time the girls had been outside of the lagoon. They were terribly seasick in what was motoring in very glassy conditions and we had to turn around after only 10 minutes. However everyone forgot their seasickness when we hooked up a 15kg 130cm mahi-mahi about 5 minutes from the pass. It was not as long as the previous big mahi we caught off Kadavu on the way up but it was heavier. Tai reckoned it was the biggest mahi-mahi he had ever seen! Anyway we obviously gave that all to the village and they loved it.
We set off this morning at first light and shot the pass at 0630 at slack water low tide. I had made several tracks from the previous days of motoring through the pass so we got through without a problem. Also at low water the reef is clearly visible even in poor light.
We motored through calm (<5kts) conditions today to the small island of Marabo (pronounced Marambo) which is 17nm WNW of Fulanga. This is an uninhabited island about 1nm in diameter. It seems nobody comes here and we had no information on anchorages or anything. We only had a small bit of info indicating that there was a left-hand surf break on the island. We ended up motoring around the island and probed the reef in a few spots. We found a sandy patch with a steep dropoff on the NNW side of the island. The sand extended at a depth of about 10m but did not leave much room to swing. We ended up anchoring about 30m off the reef in 10m of sand with a stern-anchor in about 30m off the back. Lucky we had good practice at stern-anchoring from Fiordlands so it was pretty much same- same... but tropical.
We checked out the surf break which was not breaking very large today but we could see the potential. We returned with our boards at close to low- tide however it was a bit too small-and-close-to-the-reef for comfort so we aborted that mission.
Water clarity here is absolutely unbelievable and the sea-life is very rich. We caught a yellowtail kingfish just before dinner and just about to sit down with that for some sushmi and namas.
10 Sept Vulaga (Fulanga)
| Date: | Sept. 10, 2014, 6:23 a.m. |
| Position: | 19 9.22 S, 178 32.37 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
Every cruiser who makes it to the Lau group tells you not to miss Fulanga but none have ever managed to covey its beauty. A huge, impossibly aqua- blue lagoon is created by a horseshoe shaped island and some smaller islands make up a broken eastern edge to the circle. The tricky little pass through the fringing reef is only to be taken in calm conditions at the right turn of tide and provides a great excuse to prolong your stay. Inside, the lagoon is studded with mushroom shaped islands all lush with vegetation, and occasionally slashed with a blazing white sand beach at the base. Coconut trees stud the natural vegetation but there has never been a plantation here this is traditional subsistence living in paradise.
Many of the Yachts who have spent years sailing across the pacific from the Americas have exclaimed that this is the most beautiful anchorage they have ever seen, rivaled only by some in the Marquesas. One boat has extended a two week stay to over 10 and are still not hurrying to leave now that another yacht has brought them more supplies. It is an intoxicating black hole.
The island is home to approximately 400 people spread over three villages. When we arrive we take the half hour hike across the island to the main village on the Western Side. Once our Sevusevu is presented to the chief we discover that the village has created a host-family system, billeting out each yacht to a different family. Our observation is that this is a very prudent way to deal with the increasing number of yachts coming now that the Lau has been opened up to cruisers. 55 this year so far. However we later discover that this system was created after a large village meeting where some families where accused of hogging the cruisers! These people love the interaction and are the most humbling-ly generous hosts. The true beauty of Fulanga.
Anchored in Fulanga (19:09.029S/178:33.918W)
| Date: | Sept. 5, 2014, 6:01 a.m. |
| Position: | 19 9.03 S, 178 33.92 W |
| Track to here: | Download |
After leaving Savusavu Wednesday night we motored around the reef at Cousteau's Resort into the Koro sea and got slammed by stronger-than- forecast 15-20kt winds and quite choppy seas.
I had been warned that the area just off Cousteau's was rougher but I hadn't expected it to be quite that bad. I started having serious doubts about whether we could sustain that for the 100nm (20 hours) that we need to make to windward. We ended up motoring directly east towards Taveuni Island for two reasons: a) it gave us a chance to abort and head to Viani Bay if things deteriorated; and b) I was hoping for some protection from Taveuni islands to come into effect. Fortunately after about 3 hours of slamming into it at 4.5kts and using a lot of fuel we ended up getting some sheltering effect from Taveuni and our speed increased and conditions calmed so we decided to try pushing on further.
Coupled with a south-setting tide through the Somosomo strait we started ripping along in calm conditions at 7-8kts. At about 3am we shot out the bottom of Taveuni and the conditions had calmed somewhat so we continued motoring into it heading roughly ESE. We ended up motoring right through for another 12 hours until we were within about 20 miles of Vanua Balavu by 4pm on Thursday.
At that point we felt we had enough easting and we turned south and started reaching under sail at 6kts in 12kts of wind and flat seas. The sailing was fantastic but shortlived as the wind dropped off so we hoisted the iron sail again and were able to motor at about 7kts. As it turns out with the calm conditions we could have followed the rhumb-line however given the forecast the wind could have just as easily turned the other way and, without our easting, conditions could have easy become untenable for windward progress on the rhumb-line.
We picked up a nice 110cm Mahi-mahi off Vanua Balavu on one of Curly's lures that we bought in Savusavu. Cat harvested about 4-5kg of prime fillets off it which we have having tonight on the Webber.
We arrived at the passage entrance for Fulanga at 7am this (Friday) morning. Santa Paz followed the rhumb line in its better-windward- performing Halberg Rassy and got here at 4am although they also motor- sailed most of the way. Our fuel consumption was probably roughly equal in the end though because we seemed to get flatter conditions in the lee of the northern Lau islands and once we turned south and motor-sailed our fuel efficiency was quite good.
We had heard that slack water for entering the passage was 2.25 hours after low-tide which was around 9am this morning. So we both ended up floating around in the calm seas and both had a pancake breakfast while we waited for the tide ripping out of the passage to abate. We ended up coming in at around 10am when the current had come down to about 2-knots. The passage was clearly visible at around low-tide and we made it in with no issues at all.
Went ashore and did sevusevu at the main village at around 2pm. We became quite the celebrities once the villagers worked out that Cat was Ian and Desley's daughter from Que Barbara last year. We met up with Tai, Alfretti and many others who Ian and Desley would know and got adopted by Tai's family (which was kind of a promotion in the billeting ranks apparently).
Noting to do now but have a rest and may head out fishing over the next couple of days. We got asked to come to church on Sunday which it appears most boats are attending so that should be fun to catch up with everyone.
Departing Cousteau's Resort
| Date: | Sept. 1, 2014, 1:47 a.m. |
| Position: | 16 48.60 S, 179 17.31 E |
Heading off at 2000 aiming to get directly to Fulanga in one hit.
Anchored off Coustou Resort
| Date: | Sept. 1, 2014, 1:22 a.m. |
We checked out of Savusavu yesterday after almost exactly 6 weeks. The transmission rebuild only took 2-3 days in the end however diagnosing the problem; getting the transmission out; ordering the parts and waiting for them to arrive took about 4 weeks. By that time some good friends James and Alina were due to arrive within 1 week and also the SE trade winds were quite set-in so we decided to just wait it out for their arrival.
This week looks like there is a disturbance in the trade winds due to an intense low moving through the Tasman. The forecast for most of the week is SE winds around 10knots or less. Hopefully Cat's dive gear will arrive from the US tomorrow and we will be able to head off tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon for a 2-night and 1-day passage (mostly motoring) to Fulanga. Fingers crossed!
