Crossing an ocean without sails (but with a budget)
Discussion
Hulls have now been jetwashed, antifoul (applied by myself !) has lasted pretty well in most places but its getting a light sand and another going over as I have no idea when we will be able to haul out next.
Now we have a PowerSnorkel hookah system looking after hulls/paint will be much easier and as the water temp is about 30C this time of year it wont be too much of a hardship
Next post will be a long winded story involving boats hitting reefs (not us !) I think
Now we have a PowerSnorkel hookah system looking after hulls/paint will be much easier and as the water temp is about 30C this time of year it wont be too much of a hardship
Next post will be a long winded story involving boats hitting reefs (not us !) I think
Whilst drinking coffee on the rear deck I saw a local kayak paddling towards us, she stopped and asked if we wanted to buy any fruit. She had a pile of coconuts and papaya onboard, we said yes and a deal was done. I cant remember what Sonya asked for but a couple of hours later she returned on her kayak with more fruit and some vegetables. We took the lot and off she went promising to come back in a couple of days. We were impressed, not having to leave LS to shop !
Not long after we saw another boat from our rally enter the bay, a small steel sailing boat. It went past us and weaved its way toward the front of the moorings, hmm I’m pretty sure there is a reef just there. Well I cant confirm but I believe that became the first of many ‘touches’ they had over the next few months (I think 6 was their tally for the season) one in particular causing quite a bit of damage to hull and rudder plus I dread to think how long it would take for the reef to repair itself.
The snorkelling around here was incredible, although I looked a bit foolish wearing my wakeboarding vest while floundering around, I’m sure I mentioned before I couldn’t swim !
The time had come to leave, we headed back to Denarau as we needed provisions and fuel plus we were collecting our first guest !
We decided to try the swing moorings rather than a marina berth, the savings are significant for a cat, $30 per night compared with $150, but you have to dinghy to and from land (about 100m so no real hardship but if its raining ……..).
It may not have been the best trip to use the swing mooring as this was our first big provisioning since leaving NZ. I was wondering how we would get everything from the small supermarket back to the dinghy dock but I needn’t have worried. The checkout staff are pretty quick to work out you are on a boat and they call for one of the young guys there to push your trolley(s) to the dinghy dock.
So with one trolley full of Fiji Gold (10x24 pack) and wine and another of groceries we left, our poor little dinghy (3.1m AB Ultralite w/15hp Yamaha) was full !
Our friend Glen arrived later that day so we got into the Golds then headed to Sails Restaurant for dinner, determined not to be too hungover for an early start the next day.
That didn’t quite go according to plan and it was a slow start for everyone in the morning, I think back to what I used to get up to and wonder how I survived, must just be an age thing.
It took us nearly five hours to get to Paradise Cove and we were lucky enough to be escorted by pods of dolphins for some of the way. We went ashore to the resort for some cocktails and to glean as much info as we could about the best snorkelling spots, we knew we weren’t far from the manta ray pass. Explaining to Glen that he could do what he likes while onboard and that he should just help himself to food and drinks was pretty easy. He understood that this was our lives (for a while) now and that it wasn’t just a holiday. We should have told ourselves this in stronger terms as we spent the next few weeks quaffing beer, wine and cocktails every day !
A couple of days later we were back at Boat House/Blue Lagoon, I got straight into filleting the 1.4m wahoo we caught on the way while Sonya and Glen headed to the beach.
They came back just as I was dropping the first of the crumbed pieces into the oil, maybe they saw me at the bbq on the back of LS ?
Sundowners is the term used by boaties around the world (Ithink) for an end of day drink, the buzz of dinghy motors starts around 4pm depending on the season and location. Either everyone meets at the bar, if there is one in the bay, or you see numerous dinghies tied to the back of the entertainers vessels. The NZ tradition of ‘buy your own’ means you don’t get involved in rounds when at the bar and you take your own if visiting another boat.
We only stayed a couple of days as the wind changed direction and what was a sheltered bay became exposed and quite rolly , we had an awful nights sleep (partially my fault as I hadn’t put the bridle on our chain so it was grinding on the roller) and could see lights coming on other boats and occasionally hear a motor fire up and boats moving. It’s a big bay but there were quite a few boats and, as previously mentioned, no one knows exactly where the anchors are or how much chain people have out. Add to that how differently boats swing when at anchor and you can have chaos.
Back to Octopus and that night we found out exactly why others had moaned about the roll/swell, it was awful.
Off we went again looking for the right bay for protection from the wind and swell, we headed into Navadra (also known as bikini island because of its shape). It seemed perfect, 15m deep anchorage, white sandy beaches all around, reef to snorkel – hold on, whats that in the water ? Hmm, a family or two of sharks were circling our boat. Closer inspection showed they were reef sharks (black tip) but still , there were a lot of them. We dinghied ashore and started exploring until we saw the signs advising us not to leave the beach, paddling it was then.
We went back to LS and as we were climbing onboard another boat entered the bay, all the sharks left us and headed over to greet them. We now know they are ‘friendly’ and are fed by the boaties and liners who visit, infact we have swum there several times now without issue.
Not long after we saw another boat from our rally enter the bay, a small steel sailing boat. It went past us and weaved its way toward the front of the moorings, hmm I’m pretty sure there is a reef just there. Well I cant confirm but I believe that became the first of many ‘touches’ they had over the next few months (I think 6 was their tally for the season) one in particular causing quite a bit of damage to hull and rudder plus I dread to think how long it would take for the reef to repair itself.
The snorkelling around here was incredible, although I looked a bit foolish wearing my wakeboarding vest while floundering around, I’m sure I mentioned before I couldn’t swim !
The time had come to leave, we headed back to Denarau as we needed provisions and fuel plus we were collecting our first guest !
We decided to try the swing moorings rather than a marina berth, the savings are significant for a cat, $30 per night compared with $150, but you have to dinghy to and from land (about 100m so no real hardship but if its raining ……..).
It may not have been the best trip to use the swing mooring as this was our first big provisioning since leaving NZ. I was wondering how we would get everything from the small supermarket back to the dinghy dock but I needn’t have worried. The checkout staff are pretty quick to work out you are on a boat and they call for one of the young guys there to push your trolley(s) to the dinghy dock.
So with one trolley full of Fiji Gold (10x24 pack) and wine and another of groceries we left, our poor little dinghy (3.1m AB Ultralite w/15hp Yamaha) was full !
Our friend Glen arrived later that day so we got into the Golds then headed to Sails Restaurant for dinner, determined not to be too hungover for an early start the next day.
That didn’t quite go according to plan and it was a slow start for everyone in the morning, I think back to what I used to get up to and wonder how I survived, must just be an age thing.
It took us nearly five hours to get to Paradise Cove and we were lucky enough to be escorted by pods of dolphins for some of the way. We went ashore to the resort for some cocktails and to glean as much info as we could about the best snorkelling spots, we knew we weren’t far from the manta ray pass. Explaining to Glen that he could do what he likes while onboard and that he should just help himself to food and drinks was pretty easy. He understood that this was our lives (for a while) now and that it wasn’t just a holiday. We should have told ourselves this in stronger terms as we spent the next few weeks quaffing beer, wine and cocktails every day !
A couple of days later we were back at Boat House/Blue Lagoon, I got straight into filleting the 1.4m wahoo we caught on the way while Sonya and Glen headed to the beach.
They came back just as I was dropping the first of the crumbed pieces into the oil, maybe they saw me at the bbq on the back of LS ?
Sundowners is the term used by boaties around the world (Ithink) for an end of day drink, the buzz of dinghy motors starts around 4pm depending on the season and location. Either everyone meets at the bar, if there is one in the bay, or you see numerous dinghies tied to the back of the entertainers vessels. The NZ tradition of ‘buy your own’ means you don’t get involved in rounds when at the bar and you take your own if visiting another boat.
We only stayed a couple of days as the wind changed direction and what was a sheltered bay became exposed and quite rolly , we had an awful nights sleep (partially my fault as I hadn’t put the bridle on our chain so it was grinding on the roller) and could see lights coming on other boats and occasionally hear a motor fire up and boats moving. It’s a big bay but there were quite a few boats and, as previously mentioned, no one knows exactly where the anchors are or how much chain people have out. Add to that how differently boats swing when at anchor and you can have chaos.
Back to Octopus and that night we found out exactly why others had moaned about the roll/swell, it was awful.
Off we went again looking for the right bay for protection from the wind and swell, we headed into Navadra (also known as bikini island because of its shape). It seemed perfect, 15m deep anchorage, white sandy beaches all around, reef to snorkel – hold on, whats that in the water ? Hmm, a family or two of sharks were circling our boat. Closer inspection showed they were reef sharks (black tip) but still , there were a lot of them. We dinghied ashore and started exploring until we saw the signs advising us not to leave the beach, paddling it was then.
We went back to LS and as we were climbing onboard another boat entered the bay, all the sharks left us and headed over to greet them. We now know they are ‘friendly’ and are fed by the boaties and liners who visit, infact we have swum there several times now without issue.
Shafts have been pulled out and fitted with new Vetus dripless seals, the design looks a lot better than the previous brand (unknown).
Fibreglass damage (rear shaft support) repaired (I'll tell you more about that later, my fault)
Props polished, new anodes on shafts, its all coming together.
I have just swapped out raw water impellers, nearly 750 hours on them (checked every service) and still like new but they must be starting to break down ??? We have strainers on the inlets and on hoses inside so very little debris gets through.
Fibreglass damage (rear shaft support) repaired (I'll tell you more about that later, my fault)
Props polished, new anodes on shafts, its all coming together.
I have just swapped out raw water impellers, nearly 750 hours on them (checked every service) and still like new but they must be starting to break down ??? We have strainers on the inlets and on hoses inside so very little debris gets through.
Oil and filters done on both motors
Gearbox oil done on Yamaha outboard
Sheet of ply cut into more manageable pieces and stored plus shelf my wife wanted is installed
Went to fit new anodes on shafts and found I have the wrong size, no stock in the chandlery here but Mrs NNK is in NZ at the moment so she can grab a couple.
My least favourite job next, emptying one of the composting toilets. Deliberately not used it for a week so everything should be broken down
Gearbox oil done on Yamaha outboard
Sheet of ply cut into more manageable pieces and stored plus shelf my wife wanted is installed
Went to fit new anodes on shafts and found I have the wrong size, no stock in the chandlery here but Mrs NNK is in NZ at the moment so she can grab a couple.
My least favourite job next, emptying one of the composting toilets. Deliberately not used it for a week so everything should be broken down
Today (Wed) is splash day !
High tide is 2.30pm so will go back in around then.
Only thing I didnt get round to is restaining the teak , couldnt be done while contarctors were working on hulls then it rained a lot. Oh well, the front deck I can do while moored but the strakes/rub rail will have to wait.
Overall very happy, contractors worked out less than I had budgeted, marina a fraction more.
Will probably come back here to refuel and provision in future instead of Denarau
High tide is 2.30pm so will go back in around then.
Only thing I didnt get round to is restaining the teak , couldnt be done while contarctors were working on hulls then it rained a lot. Oh well, the front deck I can do while moored but the strakes/rub rail will have to wait.
Overall very happy, contractors worked out less than I had budgeted, marina a fraction more.
Will probably come back here to refuel and provision in future instead of Denarau
Back in and tied on to marina.
Slight problem, neither motor would circulate raw water at start, loosened a strainer cap on port side and it started sucking/circulating but no joy on starboard. I had to use one motor and two dinghies to push LS out from ramp and into west basin of marina (whilst a squall came through, approx 25kn wind and lots of rain !).
Removed new impeller from stb and inspected, maybe it had not been pressed all the way in ? Filled all hoses with water and tried again - Hurrah !
Unfortunately broke the bleed screw on top of raw water pump so need to get that out today.
Excellent staff at the marina, nothing seems to phase them, one of them dived in the water whilst we were on the ramp to check there wasnt masking tape over the water intake !
Slight problem, neither motor would circulate raw water at start, loosened a strainer cap on port side and it started sucking/circulating but no joy on starboard. I had to use one motor and two dinghies to push LS out from ramp and into west basin of marina (whilst a squall came through, approx 25kn wind and lots of rain !).
Removed new impeller from stb and inspected, maybe it had not been pressed all the way in ? Filled all hoses with water and tried again - Hurrah !
Unfortunately broke the bleed screw on top of raw water pump so need to get that out today.
Excellent staff at the marina, nothing seems to phase them, one of them dived in the water whilst we were on the ramp to check there wasnt masking tape over the water intake !
Gary C said:
Fascinating insight to a different world.
One day it would be interesting to see the budget for such an adventure, but not now
I think everyone would be surprised at how frugally it can be done and also by how much COULD be spent.One day it would be interesting to see the budget for such an adventure, but not now
A couple of months ago we met a couple who own a powercat that holds the unofficial record for NZ to Fiji.
I believe they have done it in under 48 hours (we took 147) at 25 - 30 knots but they used 15,000L of diesel, 10 times our burn. Handy if theres some bad weather coming and you can afford it.
It sounds like our story will be published in an NZ boating mag soon, following up from a story they did recently on the prep of a new Maritimo 70 for the same adventure.
Very different ends of scale/budget !
And the weather warnings are coming thick and fast now !
Two cyclones building currently (cat 1 & 2) around New Cal & Vanuatu but expected to track south of Fiji.
Marina have started to move unskippered boats into their cyclone moorings by the sound of it but thats more so there isnt a last minute rush if anything does come close.
Two cyclones building currently (cat 1 & 2) around New Cal & Vanuatu but expected to track south of Fiji.
Marina have started to move unskippered boats into their cyclone moorings by the sound of it but thats more so there isnt a last minute rush if anything does come close.
For the first time in 10 days I have the seats out on rear deck !
Couldnt while on hard as they would have got filthy and last few days has been shocking weather (tail ends of big storms that luckily passed well offshore).
A very social crowd here and I have fallen in with a great crowd who meet at the bar every day at 5pm for a couple of hours.
Mrs NNK is back on Monday so Sunday will be spent cleaning and doing laundry.
Monday morning I will taxi into town for provisioning, leaving it late as fresh produce doesnt seem to last very long even when refrigerated. The taxis from the marina are expensive but they will wait for you while you shop and bring you back.
Subject to weather we will head back out Tuesday morning, better catch something while motoring as the freezer is running low on wahoo/mahimahi.
Couldnt while on hard as they would have got filthy and last few days has been shocking weather (tail ends of big storms that luckily passed well offshore).
A very social crowd here and I have fallen in with a great crowd who meet at the bar every day at 5pm for a couple of hours.
Mrs NNK is back on Monday so Sunday will be spent cleaning and doing laundry.
Monday morning I will taxi into town for provisioning, leaving it late as fresh produce doesnt seem to last very long even when refrigerated. The taxis from the marina are expensive but they will wait for you while you shop and bring you back.
Subject to weather we will head back out Tuesday morning, better catch something while motoring as the freezer is running low on wahoo/mahimahi.
Continuing main adventure -
Back to Denarau !
My daughter and her friend Michaelina were joining us for a few days, we collected them and their very heavy luggage from the commercial dock (we slipped in and out in about 20 mins) and headed over to Musket , I was tempted to say that they should jump on a ferry to and from LS but decided it would be more fun for them if we picked up and dropped off. In true ‘child of NNK’ style my daughter (then 19) got busted one night at Muskets main restaurant. Not exactly crime of the century but she had helped herself to some of the desserts at the buffet. The staff there are pretty switched on and asked her what room she was in, quick as a flash she said 16, unfortunately there is no 16 so she admitted she was on a boat and gave its name – first black mark ! She paid for one person entry to the buffet, $65FJD so lesson learnt.
A few days later and we were guestless again – hurrah ! We had no plan but did know that some of the other rally boats were heading to Vanua Levu, Fijis second largest island. We had done some grocery shopping at Den so thought ‘what the hell’ and headed north, staying reasonably close to the coastline so within the reefs.
Fish on ! No idea what it was but it took quite a bit of line before we stopped the boat and I started to haul it in, it took a while but then I saw it, a BIG mahimahi. Another 10 mins of battling and I was down on the sugar scoop with the gaff hook, I leant over at the right time to see it spit my lure out and swim away super fast – bugger.
Neednt have worried , an hour later I got another slightly smaller one onboard.
As we were motoring between reefs it probably wasn’t safe for us to do an overnight passage so we found a bay that had a marked anchorage on and settled in for the night. This part of Fiji is definitely not the tourist part, farming and industrial would probably best describe it so no beautiful pics for our album.
We hauled anchor around 7am and set off, very little wind and the sea was flat so we made very good time to our next anchorage which would allow us easy access to the Nananu Passage through the big reef and out into the Bligh Water to cross over to Vanua Levu.
That evening two other boats we knew arrived, we were invited over for drinks and to discuss plans. Neither were from our rally group but we had crossed paths several times and enjoyed drinks/chats together. One was heading to Savusavu and the other straight to the Lau group (more about that wonderful area later).
We all left just before sunrise, the other boats had previous tracks on their chartplotters so we just followed them very closely.
A couple of hours later and Fenice changed course for the Lau, we tucked in behind Knockando (a beautiful 53’ Jeanneau yacht) and plodded across the open water.
Previously I had asked Knockando for some tips on fishing but now I was a pro, within a few hours they were some way in the distance as we had dropped back whilst catching three nice fish. Sonya had been messaging one of the rally boats (Paws Time) to find out their plan but they didn’t really have one so we just kept Knockando in sight and decided to follow them all the way to Savusavu.
Its all sounding very easy now isn’t it ? We soon got a rude awakening though. Nasonisoni Passage is about 1.5 miles long (from memory) and not very wide with nasty reef either side. We went in at 7.5kn and I watched the speed drop and drop and drop, we were soon down to 3kn the current was so strong so I pushed the revs up and we plodded on. The auto pilot didn’t like it, I had been setting a new way point every few hundred metres and letting it steer. The current and the many whirlpools we could see upset it and the system had enough, sharply steering us to port and the nasty reef. Sonya was stood out on the deck when this happened and swung round to see what I was doing, there was some choice language through the walkie talkie.
We made it to Savusavu bay and anchored outside the Cousteau resort for the night, obviously a few drinks were had and some fishing stories told. The next day I decided it was about time I greased the rudder bearings, an easy job except for the emptying of two storage lockers to get at them. Whilst in there I heard a strange sloshing noise and lifted the floor boards, oh f**k there was about 200L of sea water under the first and about 100L under the second on the port side. The clown who surveyed LS and then carried out work to get it to a certain standard had put the emergency bilge pumps in a place where they would never be able to keep up. I went to check the bilge pumps that had been installed in the sugar scoops (another storage area that had previously been used as live bait tanks) and found the auto function had stopped working on both sides. At a rough guesstimate I would say we had around 500L each side which would explain why we had been sitting a little low at the rear in the water !
I manually switched on the sugar scoop pumps and set about unattaching and moving the others. A couple of hours later with the help of my trusty Ryobi wet and dry vac we were dry and sitting better.
I believe I thoroughly deserved the beer my wife handed me when I stepped out of the shower.
We radioed ahead to the marina and booked a swing mooring for the next night as we knew a number of boats were due in to watch the All Blacks game that night on the TV at Copra Shed (bar at the marina). What a great spot it is ! A small marina with funky bar and restaurant, the town has a couple of supermarkets, butcher, fruit and veg market plus a small bottle store/off licence that must have the best range of wine and spirits in Fiji. Owned by a Korean family (I think) who were incredibly nice to deal with, we stocked up with wine and Sonya found cheese and nibbles that she thought lost until our return to NZ/Australia.
Back to Denarau !
My daughter and her friend Michaelina were joining us for a few days, we collected them and their very heavy luggage from the commercial dock (we slipped in and out in about 20 mins) and headed over to Musket , I was tempted to say that they should jump on a ferry to and from LS but decided it would be more fun for them if we picked up and dropped off. In true ‘child of NNK’ style my daughter (then 19) got busted one night at Muskets main restaurant. Not exactly crime of the century but she had helped herself to some of the desserts at the buffet. The staff there are pretty switched on and asked her what room she was in, quick as a flash she said 16, unfortunately there is no 16 so she admitted she was on a boat and gave its name – first black mark ! She paid for one person entry to the buffet, $65FJD so lesson learnt.
A few days later and we were guestless again – hurrah ! We had no plan but did know that some of the other rally boats were heading to Vanua Levu, Fijis second largest island. We had done some grocery shopping at Den so thought ‘what the hell’ and headed north, staying reasonably close to the coastline so within the reefs.
Fish on ! No idea what it was but it took quite a bit of line before we stopped the boat and I started to haul it in, it took a while but then I saw it, a BIG mahimahi. Another 10 mins of battling and I was down on the sugar scoop with the gaff hook, I leant over at the right time to see it spit my lure out and swim away super fast – bugger.
Neednt have worried , an hour later I got another slightly smaller one onboard.
As we were motoring between reefs it probably wasn’t safe for us to do an overnight passage so we found a bay that had a marked anchorage on and settled in for the night. This part of Fiji is definitely not the tourist part, farming and industrial would probably best describe it so no beautiful pics for our album.
We hauled anchor around 7am and set off, very little wind and the sea was flat so we made very good time to our next anchorage which would allow us easy access to the Nananu Passage through the big reef and out into the Bligh Water to cross over to Vanua Levu.
That evening two other boats we knew arrived, we were invited over for drinks and to discuss plans. Neither were from our rally group but we had crossed paths several times and enjoyed drinks/chats together. One was heading to Savusavu and the other straight to the Lau group (more about that wonderful area later).
We all left just before sunrise, the other boats had previous tracks on their chartplotters so we just followed them very closely.
A couple of hours later and Fenice changed course for the Lau, we tucked in behind Knockando (a beautiful 53’ Jeanneau yacht) and plodded across the open water.
Previously I had asked Knockando for some tips on fishing but now I was a pro, within a few hours they were some way in the distance as we had dropped back whilst catching three nice fish. Sonya had been messaging one of the rally boats (Paws Time) to find out their plan but they didn’t really have one so we just kept Knockando in sight and decided to follow them all the way to Savusavu.
Its all sounding very easy now isn’t it ? We soon got a rude awakening though. Nasonisoni Passage is about 1.5 miles long (from memory) and not very wide with nasty reef either side. We went in at 7.5kn and I watched the speed drop and drop and drop, we were soon down to 3kn the current was so strong so I pushed the revs up and we plodded on. The auto pilot didn’t like it, I had been setting a new way point every few hundred metres and letting it steer. The current and the many whirlpools we could see upset it and the system had enough, sharply steering us to port and the nasty reef. Sonya was stood out on the deck when this happened and swung round to see what I was doing, there was some choice language through the walkie talkie.
We made it to Savusavu bay and anchored outside the Cousteau resort for the night, obviously a few drinks were had and some fishing stories told. The next day I decided it was about time I greased the rudder bearings, an easy job except for the emptying of two storage lockers to get at them. Whilst in there I heard a strange sloshing noise and lifted the floor boards, oh f**k there was about 200L of sea water under the first and about 100L under the second on the port side. The clown who surveyed LS and then carried out work to get it to a certain standard had put the emergency bilge pumps in a place where they would never be able to keep up. I went to check the bilge pumps that had been installed in the sugar scoops (another storage area that had previously been used as live bait tanks) and found the auto function had stopped working on both sides. At a rough guesstimate I would say we had around 500L each side which would explain why we had been sitting a little low at the rear in the water !
I manually switched on the sugar scoop pumps and set about unattaching and moving the others. A couple of hours later with the help of my trusty Ryobi wet and dry vac we were dry and sitting better.
I believe I thoroughly deserved the beer my wife handed me when I stepped out of the shower.
We radioed ahead to the marina and booked a swing mooring for the next night as we knew a number of boats were due in to watch the All Blacks game that night on the TV at Copra Shed (bar at the marina). What a great spot it is ! A small marina with funky bar and restaurant, the town has a couple of supermarkets, butcher, fruit and veg market plus a small bottle store/off licence that must have the best range of wine and spirits in Fiji. Owned by a Korean family (I think) who were incredibly nice to deal with, we stocked up with wine and Sonya found cheese and nibbles that she thought lost until our return to NZ/Australia.
Hmm, the fishing hasnt been that flash since being back in the water - one dirty, old barracuda !
Gave it away to the first long boat (locals) we saw after anchoring.
Could be a lobster feast tonight as already had a couple of approaches from local divers, lets see what arrives at the back of LS today.
Gave it away to the first long boat (locals) we saw after anchoring.
Could be a lobster feast tonight as already had a couple of approaches from local divers, lets see what arrives at the back of LS today.
We are back at Blue Lagoon , very quiet at the moment as one of the resorts is closed for a couple of weeks and not many brave sailors have ventured out from the safety of Musket, Vuda, Denarau.
Two other boats here, one of which we have been travelling with. A 45' Catalina sail boat being soloed by a 68yo Californian guy who used to own a brewery .
The other is a big cat who we have met the owners of but they seem to keep themselves to themselves.
Overcast and showers today (has been beautiful the last week) with high winds expected tonight/tomorrow.
We have let out another 15m of anchor chain in preparation for what is supposed to be 35 knot wind, that should put our scope at 5:1 ratio (75m chain : 15m deep).
Met some people on the beach yesterday who are staying at backpackers/homestay on the island then later at the bar -
/url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/B15CzJZS[
Two other boats here, one of which we have been travelling with. A 45' Catalina sail boat being soloed by a 68yo Californian guy who used to own a brewery .
The other is a big cat who we have met the owners of but they seem to keep themselves to themselves.
Overcast and showers today (has been beautiful the last week) with high winds expected tonight/tomorrow.
We have let out another 15m of anchor chain in preparation for what is supposed to be 35 knot wind, that should put our scope at 5:1 ratio (75m chain : 15m deep).
Met some people on the beach yesterday who are staying at backpackers/homestay on the island then later at the bar -
/url][url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/B15CzJZS[Edited by NNK on Friday 3rd February 00:09
If anyone is interested here is an email received this week regarding upcoming weather -
The cool waters of La Nina are predicted to relax. The warm zones in the far northern Pacific and central southern Pacific remain much the same while the waters around New Zealand have noticeably warmed. The majority of models predict a return to a "Neutral El Nino - Southern Oscillation" (ENSO) in February.
Supporting this prediction are signs that the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is starting to strengthen over our region, indicating that the established La Nina conditions may be breaking down. Any shift of the SPCZ to our north brings an increased risk of tropical disturbances developing to our north and potentially affecting us.
Climatologically, February is the month with the highest risk of tropical cyclone impacts on Fiji. Historically, Tropical Cyclones affecting us have been more frequent in El Niño years than in La Niña years.
In the short term, the monsoon is set to return to northern Australia in the coming week and its return will likely bring increased rainfall. Tropical lows may develop within it, most likely in the Indian Ocean south of the Indonesian archipelago and near the western Maritime Continent.
There is the possibility of a weak tropical disturbance forming to the south of Kadavu next week. The models do not agree on whether or not it will develop.
This all coincides with the predicted eastward movement of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) which is forecast to weaken from its current moderate to strong intensity in the eastern Indian Ocean as it tracks across the Maritime Continent region and into the Western Pacific. The MJO is likely to have an influence on our weather through to mid-February.
Note that the last MJO pulse triggered TD04F "Hale", TD05F "Irene" and TD06F. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/mjo/
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The cool waters of La Nina are predicted to relax. The warm zones in the far northern Pacific and central southern Pacific remain much the same while the waters around New Zealand have noticeably warmed. The majority of models predict a return to a "Neutral El Nino - Southern Oscillation" (ENSO) in February.
Supporting this prediction are signs that the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) is starting to strengthen over our region, indicating that the established La Nina conditions may be breaking down. Any shift of the SPCZ to our north brings an increased risk of tropical disturbances developing to our north and potentially affecting us.
Climatologically, February is the month with the highest risk of tropical cyclone impacts on Fiji. Historically, Tropical Cyclones affecting us have been more frequent in El Niño years than in La Niña years.
In the short term, the monsoon is set to return to northern Australia in the coming week and its return will likely bring increased rainfall. Tropical lows may develop within it, most likely in the Indian Ocean south of the Indonesian archipelago and near the western Maritime Continent.
There is the possibility of a weak tropical disturbance forming to the south of Kadavu next week. The models do not agree on whether or not it will develop.
This all coincides with the predicted eastward movement of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) which is forecast to weaken from its current moderate to strong intensity in the eastern Indian Ocean as it tracks across the Maritime Continent region and into the Western Pacific. The MJO is likely to have an influence on our weather through to mid-February.
Note that the last MJO pulse triggered TD04F "Hale", TD05F "Irene" and TD06F. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/mjo/
If you made it through that without falling asleep then you must care about us !
Have fun, take care, etc, etc
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