Crossing an ocean without sails (but with a budget)
Discussion
We made it to Vuda marina in perfect conditions for towing our friends on REAO.
They hooked on to a mooring ball just outside the marina entrance and a long boat came out to tow them the last 200m in as we wouldnt have made it through entrance with the 75m rope that we used.
Waiting at the dock for us were Prasad Marine Services and our new hardtop !
Currently being fitted to replace the shade sail at rear, pics soon.
I have pulled covers off genset and located the AVR, have one on order now which, hopefully will fix issue.
Also bought from a friend a wind generator which we will try and get mounted whilst here.
Massive provisioning runs going on over next couple of days as we want to head north again for a few weeks .
They hooked on to a mooring ball just outside the marina entrance and a long boat came out to tow them the last 200m in as we wouldnt have made it through entrance with the 75m rope that we used.
Waiting at the dock for us were Prasad Marine Services and our new hardtop !
Currently being fitted to replace the shade sail at rear, pics soon.
I have pulled covers off genset and located the AVR, have one on order now which, hopefully will fix issue.
Also bought from a friend a wind generator which we will try and get mounted whilst here.
Massive provisioning runs going on over next couple of days as we want to head north again for a few weeks .
Sheetmaself said:
Can’t wait to see the pics of French Polynesia. A place that will be incorporated into my retirement 3 month holiday in a few years.
Third attempt at writing/answering , not sure whether its my laptop or Vodafone to blameAnyway, yes we are very keen to see the beautiful sights in FP but may have to do them in a hurry as it is now unlikely we will obtain visas prior to arrival so will only get 3m. We could fly out/in for a costly extension or motor to Rarotonga and back (equally costly), time will tell.
The more we hear about the intolerance of cruisers in FP then 3m may be all we need. I know some cruisers push boundaries but it sounds like they/we are being painted as the bad guys and there is a general dislike now.
Looks like we will have buddy boats in Tonga too, REAO going that way when their engine is fixed (met with mechanics today) and another motorboat we have been hanging out with is thinking of joining us.
There will be plenty of NZ boats there as the fishing is sooooo good (I have been stocking up on stainless trace, lures, hooks, etc).
I will get back to the main story soon, promise.
Sheetmaself said:
Not meant in a nasty smug type way at all, but it’s good to read it as a real life story with all the pitfalls and mundane issues combined with the fun.
That's good, I'm trying to give an honest story as some of the blogs I have read give the impression that every day is a holiday and nothing ever goes wrong.As thread title , we don't have an unlimited budget (far from it) and , most months, we don't reach it. But we do eat a lot of fish
JeremyH5 said:
Just a thought. When I sailed with Tall Ships Youth Trust from Barbados and we took on stores there all cardboard was removed and left on the quay before the contents were stored away. When I asked why it was to avoid a cockroach infestation on board. Apparently they lay their eggs in cardboard packaging and during the voyage the buggers hatch. 
That is true and most cardboard packaging is removed, however having 300+ cans rolling around is no fun and you can guarantee that I will put them somewhere where they need to be moved quickly at the most inopportune time.Obv my life wont be worth living if we do get an infestation from MY beers (as they will be known if it happens).
The only real bug issue we have had is ants, picked up at Vuda marina and took a while to find nest.
Unfortunately we are there at moment and certainly for the next few days while work continues.
1 September 2022
With a decent amount of fuel and nicely provisioned we left Suva harbour aiming for Beqa (Benga) island, its only a short hop and took 4 hours.
We anchored in about 15m with several other boats and lounged around, it felt good being back on anchor and not tied to a dock.
There was a resort a short dinghy ride away but we didnt feel the urge to socialise (after so much at RSYC) and stayed onboard with a few cans.
During this relaxing time we got on to the subject of the Musket Cove Regatta, this is a must do for yachts/boaties/cruisers but our plan had always been to slip away to the Lau group while it was on so it would be relatively quiet there.
Obv our plan had failed on several counts and we made the call to be there for it. Having been told how busy Musket gets we decided to bail out of Beqa the next day and cruise round.
We left around 10am heading for Cuvu Harbour, it was an overcast day but still warm and with calm seas. Nothing much to report except for the lovely wahoo that I caught, filleted and made Kokoda from before we got to Cuvu.
Ah, anchoring in 5m of water for a change, lovely. It was only when anchored that I took a closer look at the resort in the bay, the Shangri La Fijian. It was where I used to come with my ex wife when the kids were young, probably 5 years on the trot. Just then a dinghy arrived and it was a member of staff from there asking our intentions. I said we were just planning on anchoring for one night and asked if we were able to visit their restaurant (it was unlikely we would but best to ask just in case), he advised that the resort was full and they would rather we didn’t use their facilities. No problem I said and off he went, maybe a Covid thing ?
Up early and we aimed for Musket, hmm I might be getting good at this fishing lark as after 40 min we had a decent Spanish Mackerel onboard to be shared amongst other cruisers on arrival.
We arrived and decided to pick up a mooring ball so we would be closer to the resort/bar/yacht club, $20 a day but having heard how busy the bay gets we thought it was worth it.
Well the yachts just kept on coming ! The bay was packed, I think someone said there were about 150 boats at one point.
We were lucky enough to be invited on to Akonga (a beatutiful 40ish foot yacht) as crew, we had met the owner at Opua, NZ but he had gone straight to the east side and our paths hadn’t crossed since. Nick and his crew are serious racers and this race around Malolo island was taken very seriously . It was a hell of an experience and, although we were only ballast, are proud to have come third in the monohulls only beaten by much larger vessels.
Nick and his co pilot Vaughan (#sorryaboutvaughan) went on to win the hotly contested Hobie cat racing, although supposed to be a bit of fun I think this was the most serious racing of the whole regatta
.
The week flew by and the partying slowed up, thankfully as I just cant do it every day anymore. We relaxed by the pool, kayaked, etc and started making plans for our next trip, we wouldn’t be going too far as we had to be at Denarau in a couple of weeks to pick up friends from NZ.
Lots of boats were leaving Fiji now, most heading to Vanuatu and New Caledonia but some heading back to NZ or Oz.
We decided to just head back up towards (but not to) Blue Lagoon and check out some different bays so we had lots of different options when friends were onboard. It was a pleasant couple of weeks, mostly just us hanging out in bays but I did get some maintenance jobs done.
One of the bilge pumps in the sugar scoop had stopped working so I replaced that and the pre filter in our watermaker looked like it had seen better days so out it went.
I took the covers off both impellors (raw water cooling system on engines) and they looked in great condition. I ummed and ahhed about this but decided not to change them despite the hours and put it on the list to do at next full service.
Off to Denarau to collect Neil, Karla and the extra 30kg suitcase they had for us – hurrah ! Neil is a very keen fisherman and had invited me out many times over the years I had known him. As mentioned fishing in NZ had never been of interest to me so I had never taken him up but now …….
We did have an issue though, Karla was not a big boating fan and was worried that she would get sick. Neil had been convincing her since booking the flights that LS was a 50’ cat and would be impossible to get sick on but we knew we would still have to carefully pick the days that we moved around.
We needn’t have worried as everything was fine, she loved it and not once felt the slightest bit queasy, actually they are coming out to visit again soon.
Musket, Namotu, Mana, Navadra all great spots while they were onboard but not a single bite on a lure, both Neil and I were gutted. His dream was to catch a mahimahi so next time they come we will head to the top or East of Fiji to try and make it happen. The week went so fast with all the laughing (and drinking) and it was such a shame that we were back at Denarau dropping them off.
Oh yes, the extra suitcase contained approx. 10kg of eye fillet & Scotch fillet, cheese, cashews, macadamias, engine parts, etc, etc. The only thing they had taken from them at Customs was some pate as it contained pork.
What to do now ? The weather wasn’t looking great for the next couple of weeks so we made the call to hang out on the west for a little longer, it would also give us the opportunity to say goodbye to all those we had met who would be gathering to wait for a weather window back to NZ (the cruising season is May to October, cyclone season officially starts 1st November).
We sat down (with a beer obv) and chatted about our plan, we knew what we wanted to do but whenever we told anyone there were pursed lips and sharp intakes. We wanted to go back to Fulaga, when no one else would be there, but we knew it could be risky.
What if our Iridium Go (sat phone) didn’t function or we had engine problems or I got impaled on a marlins bill ?
There is a cyclone hole marked on the charts in Fulaga but we hadn’t been in there to check it out so………
Off we went ! Slowly I seem to be wearing down my darling wifes concerns about safety, soon she will have the same cavalier attitude as I and we will be swimming with sharks, wrestling crocodiles and not renewing any of the safety items onboard when they expire (OK she wont agree with the last one).
We headed past Cuvu aiming for Namatakula bay, we had been told of a resort called Beach House which was very casual and boat friendly so thought we would call in for a drink or two.
Yeah nah, I wasn’t comfortable leaving LS as there was a big swell coming into the bay and we were getting thrown around, we stayed onboard and got one of the worst sleeps so far !
Sonya had the contact details for one of the daughters of our host family in Fulaga who lived in Suva. She messaged her and asked if there was anything she would like delivered to her parents/siblings as we were calling in to Suva for provisions.
About an hour later she rang asking we could take some things – them ! Her (Ju) ,her husband (Tu) and their 12m old daughter hadn’t been to Fulaga for over 5 years and it would be a wonderful surprise for their parents. Well we couldn’t say no to that could we ?
We worked out it would be easier to moor in Lami bay to collect them so we couldn’t spend any time at our fave bar at the RSYC. I dinghied ashore at 7am and met them getting out of a taxi, with slightly more luggage than first indicated but it was OK, it was baggage not people. We got everything onboard after 2 dinghy trips and headed off.
It turns out Tu worked on container ships and was doing his skippers ticket so would be good to have onboard as he could help with night watches.
Again, nothing much to report on the 26 hour passage other than two wahoo, a mahimahi and a tuna.
With a decent amount of fuel and nicely provisioned we left Suva harbour aiming for Beqa (Benga) island, its only a short hop and took 4 hours.
We anchored in about 15m with several other boats and lounged around, it felt good being back on anchor and not tied to a dock.
There was a resort a short dinghy ride away but we didnt feel the urge to socialise (after so much at RSYC) and stayed onboard with a few cans.
During this relaxing time we got on to the subject of the Musket Cove Regatta, this is a must do for yachts/boaties/cruisers but our plan had always been to slip away to the Lau group while it was on so it would be relatively quiet there.
Obv our plan had failed on several counts and we made the call to be there for it. Having been told how busy Musket gets we decided to bail out of Beqa the next day and cruise round.
We left around 10am heading for Cuvu Harbour, it was an overcast day but still warm and with calm seas. Nothing much to report except for the lovely wahoo that I caught, filleted and made Kokoda from before we got to Cuvu.
Ah, anchoring in 5m of water for a change, lovely. It was only when anchored that I took a closer look at the resort in the bay, the Shangri La Fijian. It was where I used to come with my ex wife when the kids were young, probably 5 years on the trot. Just then a dinghy arrived and it was a member of staff from there asking our intentions. I said we were just planning on anchoring for one night and asked if we were able to visit their restaurant (it was unlikely we would but best to ask just in case), he advised that the resort was full and they would rather we didn’t use their facilities. No problem I said and off he went, maybe a Covid thing ?
Up early and we aimed for Musket, hmm I might be getting good at this fishing lark as after 40 min we had a decent Spanish Mackerel onboard to be shared amongst other cruisers on arrival.
We arrived and decided to pick up a mooring ball so we would be closer to the resort/bar/yacht club, $20 a day but having heard how busy the bay gets we thought it was worth it.
Well the yachts just kept on coming ! The bay was packed, I think someone said there were about 150 boats at one point.
We were lucky enough to be invited on to Akonga (a beatutiful 40ish foot yacht) as crew, we had met the owner at Opua, NZ but he had gone straight to the east side and our paths hadn’t crossed since. Nick and his crew are serious racers and this race around Malolo island was taken very seriously . It was a hell of an experience and, although we were only ballast, are proud to have come third in the monohulls only beaten by much larger vessels.
Nick and his co pilot Vaughan (#sorryaboutvaughan) went on to win the hotly contested Hobie cat racing, although supposed to be a bit of fun I think this was the most serious racing of the whole regatta
.
The week flew by and the partying slowed up, thankfully as I just cant do it every day anymore. We relaxed by the pool, kayaked, etc and started making plans for our next trip, we wouldn’t be going too far as we had to be at Denarau in a couple of weeks to pick up friends from NZ.
Lots of boats were leaving Fiji now, most heading to Vanuatu and New Caledonia but some heading back to NZ or Oz.
We decided to just head back up towards (but not to) Blue Lagoon and check out some different bays so we had lots of different options when friends were onboard. It was a pleasant couple of weeks, mostly just us hanging out in bays but I did get some maintenance jobs done.
One of the bilge pumps in the sugar scoop had stopped working so I replaced that and the pre filter in our watermaker looked like it had seen better days so out it went.
I took the covers off both impellors (raw water cooling system on engines) and they looked in great condition. I ummed and ahhed about this but decided not to change them despite the hours and put it on the list to do at next full service.
Off to Denarau to collect Neil, Karla and the extra 30kg suitcase they had for us – hurrah ! Neil is a very keen fisherman and had invited me out many times over the years I had known him. As mentioned fishing in NZ had never been of interest to me so I had never taken him up but now …….
We did have an issue though, Karla was not a big boating fan and was worried that she would get sick. Neil had been convincing her since booking the flights that LS was a 50’ cat and would be impossible to get sick on but we knew we would still have to carefully pick the days that we moved around.
We needn’t have worried as everything was fine, she loved it and not once felt the slightest bit queasy, actually they are coming out to visit again soon.
Musket, Namotu, Mana, Navadra all great spots while they were onboard but not a single bite on a lure, both Neil and I were gutted. His dream was to catch a mahimahi so next time they come we will head to the top or East of Fiji to try and make it happen. The week went so fast with all the laughing (and drinking) and it was such a shame that we were back at Denarau dropping them off.
Oh yes, the extra suitcase contained approx. 10kg of eye fillet & Scotch fillet, cheese, cashews, macadamias, engine parts, etc, etc. The only thing they had taken from them at Customs was some pate as it contained pork.
What to do now ? The weather wasn’t looking great for the next couple of weeks so we made the call to hang out on the west for a little longer, it would also give us the opportunity to say goodbye to all those we had met who would be gathering to wait for a weather window back to NZ (the cruising season is May to October, cyclone season officially starts 1st November).
We sat down (with a beer obv) and chatted about our plan, we knew what we wanted to do but whenever we told anyone there were pursed lips and sharp intakes. We wanted to go back to Fulaga, when no one else would be there, but we knew it could be risky.
What if our Iridium Go (sat phone) didn’t function or we had engine problems or I got impaled on a marlins bill ?
There is a cyclone hole marked on the charts in Fulaga but we hadn’t been in there to check it out so………
Off we went ! Slowly I seem to be wearing down my darling wifes concerns about safety, soon she will have the same cavalier attitude as I and we will be swimming with sharks, wrestling crocodiles and not renewing any of the safety items onboard when they expire (OK she wont agree with the last one).
We headed past Cuvu aiming for Namatakula bay, we had been told of a resort called Beach House which was very casual and boat friendly so thought we would call in for a drink or two.
Yeah nah, I wasn’t comfortable leaving LS as there was a big swell coming into the bay and we were getting thrown around, we stayed onboard and got one of the worst sleeps so far !
Sonya had the contact details for one of the daughters of our host family in Fulaga who lived in Suva. She messaged her and asked if there was anything she would like delivered to her parents/siblings as we were calling in to Suva for provisions.
About an hour later she rang asking we could take some things – them ! Her (Ju) ,her husband (Tu) and their 12m old daughter hadn’t been to Fulaga for over 5 years and it would be a wonderful surprise for their parents. Well we couldn’t say no to that could we ?
We worked out it would be easier to moor in Lami bay to collect them so we couldn’t spend any time at our fave bar at the RSYC. I dinghied ashore at 7am and met them getting out of a taxi, with slightly more luggage than first indicated but it was OK, it was baggage not people. We got everything onboard after 2 dinghy trips and headed off.
It turns out Tu worked on container ships and was doing his skippers ticket so would be good to have onboard as he could help with night watches.
Again, nothing much to report on the 26 hour passage other than two wahoo, a mahimahi and a tuna.
Going back to the race, I had never sailed before and Sonya had only once before (in a light breeze for an hour with no other boats around) so we really had no idea what to do or expect.
We went aboard Akonga a couple of hours before the start and headed out for some practice, there were 7 onboard in total. The others were all experienced yachties/racers and we were happy to take orders from any of them but there was only ever Nick (skipper) giving the orders, suggestions would go to him then he would make the call.
Come race time and all the boats were circling around the start line (marked by large yellow buoys), getting closer and closer to each other as more boats arrived and start time got closer.
Obv I know nothing about sailing etiquette but I was very surprised when a many million dollar, 60 odd foot, catamaran came steaming by us making Nick swerve as the start horn went off. Its something to do with windward/leeward and who has the most money (lie) apparently !
Well it was chaos as everyone headed for the narrow channel out (bear in mind this was all within the reef passages around Musket/Malolo just to add another challenge).
Soon we could see the racing cats out front, followed by some cruising/performance cats then our group of monohulls. I think it was around this time that Fenice (a 62' Beneteau) came past us, they went on to win the class.
We seemed to be in a class/race of our own, staying between the groups and looking good . Some other cats had started making ground on us and soon one was alongside. The problem was we were about to change course (tack?) and they were where we wanted to be, and there was a reef approaching. Nick called out to the other skipper and was ignored. Again he tried and eventually the guy answered saying he would not be changing course. I was busy making mental notes about his boat name and what he looked like so I could find him in the bar later ! Nick was forced to change plan and slipped in behind them to avoid a reef.
Another 30 mins and our big race arrived, a 50+' monohull who had carved throuh the pack from the back. It became a very exciting game of tactics with some incredibly close (having to lift legs from sitting over the side as we passed close) racing. We were infront then they were, etc but it was all about tacking and finding wind ( prob a terrible description to any of you who know about sailing).
Eventually we crossed the line behind them but were 3rd in class, an amazing achievement in my mind on a comparatively small boat (apparently).
We went aboard Akonga a couple of hours before the start and headed out for some practice, there were 7 onboard in total. The others were all experienced yachties/racers and we were happy to take orders from any of them but there was only ever Nick (skipper) giving the orders, suggestions would go to him then he would make the call.
Come race time and all the boats were circling around the start line (marked by large yellow buoys), getting closer and closer to each other as more boats arrived and start time got closer.
Obv I know nothing about sailing etiquette but I was very surprised when a many million dollar, 60 odd foot, catamaran came steaming by us making Nick swerve as the start horn went off. Its something to do with windward/leeward and who has the most money (lie) apparently !
Well it was chaos as everyone headed for the narrow channel out (bear in mind this was all within the reef passages around Musket/Malolo just to add another challenge).
Soon we could see the racing cats out front, followed by some cruising/performance cats then our group of monohulls. I think it was around this time that Fenice (a 62' Beneteau) came past us, they went on to win the class.
We seemed to be in a class/race of our own, staying between the groups and looking good . Some other cats had started making ground on us and soon one was alongside. The problem was we were about to change course (tack?) and they were where we wanted to be, and there was a reef approaching. Nick called out to the other skipper and was ignored. Again he tried and eventually the guy answered saying he would not be changing course. I was busy making mental notes about his boat name and what he looked like so I could find him in the bar later ! Nick was forced to change plan and slipped in behind them to avoid a reef.
Another 30 mins and our big race arrived, a 50+' monohull who had carved throuh the pack from the back. It became a very exciting game of tactics with some incredibly close (having to lift legs from sitting over the side as we passed close) racing. We were infront then they were, etc but it was all about tacking and finding wind ( prob a terrible description to any of you who know about sailing).
Eventually we crossed the line behind them but were 3rd in class, an amazing achievement in my mind on a comparatively small boat (apparently).
Fishing news
We sst off from Vuda but our friends had to turn round as their hydraulic stabilisers wouldnt work (65' trawler style launch) so we went straight to Navadra to wait for them. No bites on the way despite going through a couple of large 'boil ups'.
When they arrived we decided to move on the next morning but go out into deeper water for a better chance of catching.
Dean is a very experienced fisher but hasnt caught anything since being in Fiji as his wife has only recently got used to the controls on their boat.
Anyway, we got out to the drop off I was looking for (300m one side, 750m the other) and motored along it. First bite only took about 50m of line before it got off, no idea what it was.
About 30 min later the reel screamed and by the time I got to it (20 or 30 seconds) about 250m was gone and even with max drag it was still taking line. I looked out and saw a beautiful marlin leap from the water then crash back in, Sonya saw it too and shouted 'oh my god look at it'.
Alas, 5 minutes (and several leaps) later it spat my lure out and disappeared.
Gutted I looked over towards Wakamouri and saw they were stationary too, must be hooked up.
We carried on and it didnt take long for the line to go again, this time I wasnt letting it get away !
My rod was bent over and line was going out, I suspected a tuna was on because it was diving.
10 minutes later I got him up close enough to see, yes a decent size yellowfin tuna.
Another few mins and it was at the surface alongside the sugar scoop, I went down with the gaff and got it first swoop.
Funnily enough it didnt like having a big hook stuck in its back and went berserk, I pulled it hard against the side of LS and leaned over with a knife to cut between its gills. The water was turning red and its thrashing slowed. I handed the gaff handle to Sonya asking her to keep it against the side, I went and got the fish bin from the other side and took the gaff back.
I really must get some fish scales but my guesstmate from the pain in my back trying to put it in the bin would be in the 15 - 20kg range, not going to win any prizes but will taste good.
Push the lid down on its tail and set the lures again.
We got to our destination without another strike and went over to Wakamouri, Dean was gutted, he got a BIG tuna (30 - 40kg was his guess) up to the duckboard but when he turned to grab the gaff it dived one last time and pulled the line taut on the duckboard snapping it and freeing the fish.
It took a few beers for him to get over that !
We sst off from Vuda but our friends had to turn round as their hydraulic stabilisers wouldnt work (65' trawler style launch) so we went straight to Navadra to wait for them. No bites on the way despite going through a couple of large 'boil ups'.
When they arrived we decided to move on the next morning but go out into deeper water for a better chance of catching.
Dean is a very experienced fisher but hasnt caught anything since being in Fiji as his wife has only recently got used to the controls on their boat.
Anyway, we got out to the drop off I was looking for (300m one side, 750m the other) and motored along it. First bite only took about 50m of line before it got off, no idea what it was.
About 30 min later the reel screamed and by the time I got to it (20 or 30 seconds) about 250m was gone and even with max drag it was still taking line. I looked out and saw a beautiful marlin leap from the water then crash back in, Sonya saw it too and shouted 'oh my god look at it'.
Alas, 5 minutes (and several leaps) later it spat my lure out and disappeared.
Gutted I looked over towards Wakamouri and saw they were stationary too, must be hooked up.
We carried on and it didnt take long for the line to go again, this time I wasnt letting it get away !
My rod was bent over and line was going out, I suspected a tuna was on because it was diving.
10 minutes later I got him up close enough to see, yes a decent size yellowfin tuna.
Another few mins and it was at the surface alongside the sugar scoop, I went down with the gaff and got it first swoop.
Funnily enough it didnt like having a big hook stuck in its back and went berserk, I pulled it hard against the side of LS and leaned over with a knife to cut between its gills. The water was turning red and its thrashing slowed. I handed the gaff handle to Sonya asking her to keep it against the side, I went and got the fish bin from the other side and took the gaff back.
I really must get some fish scales but my guesstmate from the pain in my back trying to put it in the bin would be in the 15 - 20kg range, not going to win any prizes but will taste good.
Push the lid down on its tail and set the lures again.
We got to our destination without another strike and went over to Wakamouri, Dean was gutted, he got a BIG tuna (30 - 40kg was his guess) up to the duckboard but when he turned to grab the gaff it dived one last time and pulled the line taut on the duckboard snapping it and freeing the fish.
It took a few beers for him to get over that !
Apologies for delay in continuing our tale, no excuse other than socialising
Approaching the reef pass into Fulaga conditions couldnt have been better, flat water and a sunny day, so our entry was easy compared with our first visit.
Noooooooo ! The first thing I saw when we were in the lagoon was a mast, that meant another boat. Someone else brave or stupid enough to visit the furthest outreach of Fiji in cyclone season – damn, we were expecting it to ourselves. Our VHF radio burst into life, it was them welcoming us in, we said we were off to the village and would catch up later or the next day.
As we approached Mosquito/SevuSevu bay we could see activity on the beach by the boat shed (an old shack that the locals used to store equipment). It turns out the surprise visit was not to be and our passengers family had got wind of their impending arrival on LS.
We walked over the hill to the village and met the rest of their family (our host family) and visited the chief with our sevusevu. Technically (I believe) we didn’t have to do/give sevusevu again but the place is so magical and the people deserving of it we happily handed over a bundle of cava and $50.
We left the village and strolled back to our dinghy, we had decided to up anchor and get out of the bay before being overrun by mosquitos like last time. As soon as we got over to the other side of the lagoon our VHF crackled into life again, would we like to come over for drinks ? Is the Pope Catholic ?
OK, now I understand that there are all different types of cruisers out there doing it but we weren’t expecting the hard sell of pearl jewelry and electronics work that we got over a couple of drinks. They were a mid 30’s European couple who had been aboard for 9 years and their income was derived from those income streams and some magazine articles (from which I may have taken the hint and sent in the first few pages of this to a couple of NZ publishers).
Being a sailboat and the winds not being favourable it had taken them many weeks to get to Fulaga, zig zagging from island to island before arriving so hadn’t seen any other boats for a couple of months as they had left the main cruising areas before the mass migration of boats back to NZ and Aussie.
Anyway, we only waved at them a couple of times after that as they up anchored and left a couple of days later.
Hurrah ! Alone in paradise !
We moved to where they had been anchored and enjoyed the crystal clear 2m deep water, watching turtles playing and groups of squid/cuttlefish hanging around in the shade of LS. The locals never came out to this spot so we were naked most of the time, only putting rash shirts and shorts on for snorkelling or paddle boarding where the sun was going to burn the white bits.
It didn’t last long as a couple of days later the mast of a sailing cat came into view, with binoculars I could make out the name. ‘Better get dressed darling’ I called out, ‘it’s a kid boat’. I recognised the name and knew there were three small children onboard, so now it was paradise lost.
Actually we needn’t have worried, they went off to do Sevusevu and when they came back round they anchored on the other side of the lagoon, we met up every couple of days for a drink but our lives didn’t entwine.
Another few days and we headed over to anchor infront of the other village, we hadn’t visited before but knew Tu would be there with his family. We did the decent thing and took the chief some cava and Tu’s family some small gifts which all went down very well.
While over there we checked out the cyclone hole which is marked on most charts of the area, it looked capable of protecting us and a couple of other boats should something nasty blow in. It wasn’t just a safety zone though it was very beautiful so we anchored in there for a couple of nights and paddle boarded around looking for spots that we could back into and tie off to the mangroves.
Back over to the sandspit and as we were anchoring I really f**ked up. I had been lazy and was dragging my kayak around behind us whenever we moved within the lagoon. When we were anchoring Sonya radioed saying to reverse (as usual) which I did, we let the anchor settle and she asked me to go into reverse again, not thinking about where the kayak was I did and soon heard a terrible grinding noise and big thuds coming from under LS. Oh s
t, I killed the motors immediately as I knew what had happened. I ran down and sure enough the kayak was upside down between the hulls and wedged tight. I jumped over and had a look, not good, not good at all. The rope had gone round the starboard prop which had dragged the kayak down and underwater, the stainless carabiner I had used to attach the (worlds strongest) rope to the kayak had cut through the fibreglass drive shaft support – bo**ocks !
As mentioned before I’m not really a swimmer so Sonya attempted to free the rope but she couldn’t, time to put my skills/bravery to the test and also give our new Powerdive system a proper workout. I went down and managed to get the rope and carabiner out but the shaft support was destroyed underneath and fell away in one big piece. I went up to the surface (not far) and asked Sonya to fire up the motor in neutral, I then got her to put it into gear and watched the shaft and prop bounce up and down about an inch/25mm each way. Not good as we had 200 odd miles to cover back to the mainland for any chance of a repair. I got out and started thinking, how could I bodge this so we didn’t have to go back at 4 or 5 knots with only one motor ?
That afternoon I leapt back into the water with two aluminium sections, some tech screws and a screwdriver. I screwed these into a v shape on either side of the remaining support so the shaft couldn’t go more than about 25mm down from its normal position. I came back up and had another brainwave, I knew there was some webbing in a box full of ropes so grabbed that and some more screws. Back down and I screwed the webbing to the shaft support, pulling tight on the cutlass bearings that had been set loose by the fibreglass falling away – this was starting to look like it would work !
I used up both batteries on the Powerdive so was underwater for about 2 hours in total, lucky the water temp was 30C. Finally done I got Sonya to fire up the motor and put it into gear again, hurrah, hardly any movement but would it last to Suva ?
The next morning we pulled anchor and went for a chug around the lagoon then across into some deeper water and got up to 8 knots, apart from a little more vibration than usual it appeared to be fine. Great, we don’t have to rush off now !
After three amazing weeks we found our passengers and told them we were starting to look for a weather window to leave, it was looking good to go in a few days time but we couldn’t confirm to them until the evening before we left in case forecast changed. They said they would be ready and late notice was no problem, Tu would come over each evening in a long boat to check.
The forecast remained good so after almost four weeks in paradise we loaded them and their belongings (plus a 20hp Suzuki outboard, a box of bananas, a sack of coconuts and another full of smoked fish and crabs) onboard and set off at 7.30am into very calm looking seas. Only 24 hours (and 2 mahimahi) later we pulled into Suva where we said our goodbyes, obv we got stuck into the cheap beer at the RSYC as we could and I patted myself on the back for the amazing job I had done sorting the driveshaft !
We didn’t even try for a berth on the marina pontoon this time as we were only going to reprovision and move on so we clipped on to a mooring ball just outside.
From memory we stayed a couple of days as we had to make several trips into town by taxi, food, alcohol, electrical items, paint, fishing stuff wouldn’t have all fitted in one car and definitely not all into our dinghy to get back to LS.
Approaching the reef pass into Fulaga conditions couldnt have been better, flat water and a sunny day, so our entry was easy compared with our first visit.
Noooooooo ! The first thing I saw when we were in the lagoon was a mast, that meant another boat. Someone else brave or stupid enough to visit the furthest outreach of Fiji in cyclone season – damn, we were expecting it to ourselves. Our VHF radio burst into life, it was them welcoming us in, we said we were off to the village and would catch up later or the next day.
As we approached Mosquito/SevuSevu bay we could see activity on the beach by the boat shed (an old shack that the locals used to store equipment). It turns out the surprise visit was not to be and our passengers family had got wind of their impending arrival on LS.
We walked over the hill to the village and met the rest of their family (our host family) and visited the chief with our sevusevu. Technically (I believe) we didn’t have to do/give sevusevu again but the place is so magical and the people deserving of it we happily handed over a bundle of cava and $50.
We left the village and strolled back to our dinghy, we had decided to up anchor and get out of the bay before being overrun by mosquitos like last time. As soon as we got over to the other side of the lagoon our VHF crackled into life again, would we like to come over for drinks ? Is the Pope Catholic ?
OK, now I understand that there are all different types of cruisers out there doing it but we weren’t expecting the hard sell of pearl jewelry and electronics work that we got over a couple of drinks. They were a mid 30’s European couple who had been aboard for 9 years and their income was derived from those income streams and some magazine articles (from which I may have taken the hint and sent in the first few pages of this to a couple of NZ publishers).
Being a sailboat and the winds not being favourable it had taken them many weeks to get to Fulaga, zig zagging from island to island before arriving so hadn’t seen any other boats for a couple of months as they had left the main cruising areas before the mass migration of boats back to NZ and Aussie.
Anyway, we only waved at them a couple of times after that as they up anchored and left a couple of days later.
Hurrah ! Alone in paradise !
We moved to where they had been anchored and enjoyed the crystal clear 2m deep water, watching turtles playing and groups of squid/cuttlefish hanging around in the shade of LS. The locals never came out to this spot so we were naked most of the time, only putting rash shirts and shorts on for snorkelling or paddle boarding where the sun was going to burn the white bits.
It didn’t last long as a couple of days later the mast of a sailing cat came into view, with binoculars I could make out the name. ‘Better get dressed darling’ I called out, ‘it’s a kid boat’. I recognised the name and knew there were three small children onboard, so now it was paradise lost.
Actually we needn’t have worried, they went off to do Sevusevu and when they came back round they anchored on the other side of the lagoon, we met up every couple of days for a drink but our lives didn’t entwine.
Another few days and we headed over to anchor infront of the other village, we hadn’t visited before but knew Tu would be there with his family. We did the decent thing and took the chief some cava and Tu’s family some small gifts which all went down very well.
While over there we checked out the cyclone hole which is marked on most charts of the area, it looked capable of protecting us and a couple of other boats should something nasty blow in. It wasn’t just a safety zone though it was very beautiful so we anchored in there for a couple of nights and paddle boarded around looking for spots that we could back into and tie off to the mangroves.
Back over to the sandspit and as we were anchoring I really f**ked up. I had been lazy and was dragging my kayak around behind us whenever we moved within the lagoon. When we were anchoring Sonya radioed saying to reverse (as usual) which I did, we let the anchor settle and she asked me to go into reverse again, not thinking about where the kayak was I did and soon heard a terrible grinding noise and big thuds coming from under LS. Oh s
t, I killed the motors immediately as I knew what had happened. I ran down and sure enough the kayak was upside down between the hulls and wedged tight. I jumped over and had a look, not good, not good at all. The rope had gone round the starboard prop which had dragged the kayak down and underwater, the stainless carabiner I had used to attach the (worlds strongest) rope to the kayak had cut through the fibreglass drive shaft support – bo**ocks !As mentioned before I’m not really a swimmer so Sonya attempted to free the rope but she couldn’t, time to put my skills/bravery to the test and also give our new Powerdive system a proper workout. I went down and managed to get the rope and carabiner out but the shaft support was destroyed underneath and fell away in one big piece. I went up to the surface (not far) and asked Sonya to fire up the motor in neutral, I then got her to put it into gear and watched the shaft and prop bounce up and down about an inch/25mm each way. Not good as we had 200 odd miles to cover back to the mainland for any chance of a repair. I got out and started thinking, how could I bodge this so we didn’t have to go back at 4 or 5 knots with only one motor ?
That afternoon I leapt back into the water with two aluminium sections, some tech screws and a screwdriver. I screwed these into a v shape on either side of the remaining support so the shaft couldn’t go more than about 25mm down from its normal position. I came back up and had another brainwave, I knew there was some webbing in a box full of ropes so grabbed that and some more screws. Back down and I screwed the webbing to the shaft support, pulling tight on the cutlass bearings that had been set loose by the fibreglass falling away – this was starting to look like it would work !
I used up both batteries on the Powerdive so was underwater for about 2 hours in total, lucky the water temp was 30C. Finally done I got Sonya to fire up the motor and put it into gear again, hurrah, hardly any movement but would it last to Suva ?
The next morning we pulled anchor and went for a chug around the lagoon then across into some deeper water and got up to 8 knots, apart from a little more vibration than usual it appeared to be fine. Great, we don’t have to rush off now !
After three amazing weeks we found our passengers and told them we were starting to look for a weather window to leave, it was looking good to go in a few days time but we couldn’t confirm to them until the evening before we left in case forecast changed. They said they would be ready and late notice was no problem, Tu would come over each evening in a long boat to check.
The forecast remained good so after almost four weeks in paradise we loaded them and their belongings (plus a 20hp Suzuki outboard, a box of bananas, a sack of coconuts and another full of smoked fish and crabs) onboard and set off at 7.30am into very calm looking seas. Only 24 hours (and 2 mahimahi) later we pulled into Suva where we said our goodbyes, obv we got stuck into the cheap beer at the RSYC as we could and I patted myself on the back for the amazing job I had done sorting the driveshaft !
We didn’t even try for a berth on the marina pontoon this time as we were only going to reprovision and move on so we clipped on to a mooring ball just outside.
From memory we stayed a couple of days as we had to make several trips into town by taxi, food, alcohol, electrical items, paint, fishing stuff wouldn’t have all fitted in one car and definitely not all into our dinghy to get back to LS.
McGee_22 said:
Tuna every day - tough life!
Loving your tales - please keep posting.
It sounds ideal until it happens !Loving your tales - please keep posting.
I just want a wahoo for Kokoda and then to crumb !
We do have meat onboard (frozen) but obv would rather eat fresh fish when we have it but ......
We are at Musket at the moment so I went ashore and bought a frozen chicken. Defrosted/brined in sea water then roasted on bbq with veg and couscous.
Chances of a wahoo between here and Vuda next week are slim but lines will be in !
Power update
Another couple of days of cloud cover left us on 70ish% at 3pm so I fired up the genset and switched on the 60a charger (I really need a 100a but couldnt find one at the time), after 45 mins the genset stopped producing elec so I switched it off to let it cool down.
6.30pm and we were back onboard after Margarita Monday so I fired up genset and switched on charger, boiled kettle, used induction hob and generally threw volts around the place.
Hmm, it only lasted 30 mins this time.
Yesterday we dinghied ashore and taxied into Lautoka for some provisions and I wanted some engine coolant as thats something that will get changed before we leave for Tonga.
I spotted an auto parts shop and asked our driver to stop, as luck would have it he parked outside Generator Parts Supplies so I popped in.
I had self diagnosed the genset issue as being the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) and had ordered a couple of them in NZ that my wife would bring back when she is there in May but if they had one here ......
As always I know there is a language/accent barrier but it took four people and a phone call to work out what a generic AVR, 140mm between mounting holes, for a 5500W diesel genset was and where.
It appeared on the counter, looked like the part it was replacing (from my cloudy memory) so I asked how much.
The two in NZ were $35 each , would you like to guess the Fiji price ?
We motored back to Musket yesterday so power levels were up plus it was raining so I didnt fancy working in the front locker with the hatch closed. Up bright and early this morning I removed the old AVR (after taking pics of position and wiring) and set about connecting the plugs on the new unit.
I am def not the best electrician/mechanic/ and have the patience of an angry pitbull so, of course, there was swearing and I managed to stab myself in the thumb with a pointy thing whilst trying to reuse a connector.
At 9am it was done, I pushed (with much effort) all170kg of generator into a position that I could hook up the exhaust and fired her up.
Running beautifully I switched on the elec power and watched the display light up with 244v and 51hz, OK thats not bad I can live with that I thought but maybe I should Google how to adjust it.
I neednt have worried as 10 seconds later it was 240v at 50hz, presumably thats the Auto part of AVR - duh !
At 10.30am I switched it off and it was still running/producing power at 240/50 so I am now sat here patting myself on the back and polishing my medals for doing such an incredible job.
I'm even planning on installing a fan/blower somewhere in the locker to increase the life of this AVR even though I will have two spares soon.
Did I mention before that I bought a wind generator ?
Our friends with the engine issues (currently on the hard at Vuda with only half the parts required) were having a clear out and had never used it.
I have had a stainless tube added to the dinghy arch for it and will run cabling, etc while S is in NZ then get a sparky to do the final wire up/switch on as I dont want to toast my lithiums.
Actually cant finish the job until she is back as she is bringing a fuse holder and fuse to match the ones used on our solar mppt's.
So hopefully that will reduce further the genset run time, although 109hrs in over a year as liveaboards is pretty damn good I think.
Our friends on Waikamouri (65ft trawler style launch) run theirs for at least 3 hours a day and a sailing cat that we know have theirs on almost continually as they have aircon !
Until the next time .....
Another couple of days of cloud cover left us on 70ish% at 3pm so I fired up the genset and switched on the 60a charger (I really need a 100a but couldnt find one at the time), after 45 mins the genset stopped producing elec so I switched it off to let it cool down.
6.30pm and we were back onboard after Margarita Monday so I fired up genset and switched on charger, boiled kettle, used induction hob and generally threw volts around the place.
Hmm, it only lasted 30 mins this time.
Yesterday we dinghied ashore and taxied into Lautoka for some provisions and I wanted some engine coolant as thats something that will get changed before we leave for Tonga.
I spotted an auto parts shop and asked our driver to stop, as luck would have it he parked outside Generator Parts Supplies so I popped in.
I had self diagnosed the genset issue as being the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) and had ordered a couple of them in NZ that my wife would bring back when she is there in May but if they had one here ......
As always I know there is a language/accent barrier but it took four people and a phone call to work out what a generic AVR, 140mm between mounting holes, for a 5500W diesel genset was and where.
It appeared on the counter, looked like the part it was replacing (from my cloudy memory) so I asked how much.
The two in NZ were $35 each , would you like to guess the Fiji price ?
We motored back to Musket yesterday so power levels were up plus it was raining so I didnt fancy working in the front locker with the hatch closed. Up bright and early this morning I removed the old AVR (after taking pics of position and wiring) and set about connecting the plugs on the new unit.
I am def not the best electrician/mechanic/ and have the patience of an angry pitbull so, of course, there was swearing and I managed to stab myself in the thumb with a pointy thing whilst trying to reuse a connector.
At 9am it was done, I pushed (with much effort) all170kg of generator into a position that I could hook up the exhaust and fired her up.
Running beautifully I switched on the elec power and watched the display light up with 244v and 51hz, OK thats not bad I can live with that I thought but maybe I should Google how to adjust it.
I neednt have worried as 10 seconds later it was 240v at 50hz, presumably thats the Auto part of AVR - duh !
At 10.30am I switched it off and it was still running/producing power at 240/50 so I am now sat here patting myself on the back and polishing my medals for doing such an incredible job.
I'm even planning on installing a fan/blower somewhere in the locker to increase the life of this AVR even though I will have two spares soon.
Did I mention before that I bought a wind generator ?
Our friends with the engine issues (currently on the hard at Vuda with only half the parts required) were having a clear out and had never used it.
I have had a stainless tube added to the dinghy arch for it and will run cabling, etc while S is in NZ then get a sparky to do the final wire up/switch on as I dont want to toast my lithiums.
Actually cant finish the job until she is back as she is bringing a fuse holder and fuse to match the ones used on our solar mppt's.
So hopefully that will reduce further the genset run time, although 109hrs in over a year as liveaboards is pretty damn good I think.
Our friends on Waikamouri (65ft trawler style launch) run theirs for at least 3 hours a day and a sailing cat that we know have theirs on almost continually as they have aircon !
Until the next time .....
I'm currently solo on LS, S has gone back to NZ (again) as, unfortunately, a very good friend has had some awful health news and we needed a few things before leaving for Tonga that are not available here.
The anchorage I was in turned into a shocker the day she left so I had the choice of going into the marina or heading off somewhere else for a week.
I chose to head off and set about lifting the anchor, easy with a windlass you would think but someone has to be at the chain locker as it comes in to distribute the chain as its not very deep and the chain just piles up otherwise . So I was at the front using windlass remote then running up to the flybridge to put her into gear then run back down, back up to take out of gear, etc, etc. Luckily not tripping and breaking a leg or falling overboard in the process.
I chose good old Musket for my weeks solo holiday but chose the slightly longer route so I could put the lines in the water but there were no bites.
Yesterday I spent the whole day running cables (think average quality jump leads) from the dinghy arch, across hardtop, into salon and through to battery bank in preparation for windgen to go on.
What a c**t of a job that was !
When S is back I should be able to finish the job as she has the correct fuse holder, fuse and Anderson plugs in her luggage .
Today I am going to attempt to mount a 'whale tail' to our 15hp Yamaha outboard and if that fails (prob should be done with motor off and on a stable surface) I will be polishing stainless steel.
Have fun everybody
The anchorage I was in turned into a shocker the day she left so I had the choice of going into the marina or heading off somewhere else for a week.
I chose to head off and set about lifting the anchor, easy with a windlass you would think but someone has to be at the chain locker as it comes in to distribute the chain as its not very deep and the chain just piles up otherwise . So I was at the front using windlass remote then running up to the flybridge to put her into gear then run back down, back up to take out of gear, etc, etc. Luckily not tripping and breaking a leg or falling overboard in the process.
I chose good old Musket for my weeks solo holiday but chose the slightly longer route so I could put the lines in the water but there were no bites.
Yesterday I spent the whole day running cables (think average quality jump leads) from the dinghy arch, across hardtop, into salon and through to battery bank in preparation for windgen to go on.
What a c**t of a job that was !
When S is back I should be able to finish the job as she has the correct fuse holder, fuse and Anderson plugs in her luggage .
Today I am going to attempt to mount a 'whale tail' to our 15hp Yamaha outboard and if that fails (prob should be done with motor off and on a stable surface) I will be polishing stainless steel.
Have fun everybody
Whale tail mounted !
I really should have done it ashore instead of while it was hanging from dinghy arch, trying to drill holes whilst the wake of longboats was coming through made it tricky.
New lures rigged with ss trace ready to go and hooks replaced on a couple of old lures.
Just done my GST (VAT) and tax returns now its time to go kayaking
ETA for those that think this is a glamorous lifestyle I have just hand sanded the yellow calcium build up from both composting loos
I really should have done it ashore instead of while it was hanging from dinghy arch, trying to drill holes whilst the wake of longboats was coming through made it tricky.
New lures rigged with ss trace ready to go and hooks replaced on a couple of old lures.
Just done my GST (VAT) and tax returns now its time to go kayaking
ETA for those that think this is a glamorous lifestyle I have just hand sanded the yellow calcium build up from both composting loos
Edited by NNK on Monday 1st May 23:01
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff