Anatom, Vanuatu to New Caledonia

On Passage

We have had clear skies for 3 days now, or mostly, which is a treat. With very little moon, we had stars to give us some light last night.

With regards to the wind, we are in famine!! Had a bit of a SE wind yesterday and last night, but have been motoring since 0400 this morning. Slow!!! The swell is down to under a meter which is good, although it will bounce back up to 3-4 m by Monday as a big low goes through NZ. We expect a little or a lot of rain on our approach to New Cal with troughs and the like. The trough that was between Vanuatu and the Loyalties (60nm east of New Cal) dissipated as we approached it! You have ot be happy with that!

I have been busy baking to use up the supplies and Peter is going to make some pasta sauce to use up the onions. Good practice for Aus!!

We anticipate our arrival at Havannah Pass, on the east side of New Caledonia sometime around 0600 tomorrow morning, Saturday. We are hoping for slack water, but have conflicting info on when this might be. However, with calm conditions the pass should not be too boisterous. It is a 2 mile wide passage but with lots of currents. The plan is to go about 6 miles after the pass and anchor in Baie de Prony until Monday when we can then make our way the remaining 30 miles to clear into Noumea.

We would have had a rest by then from our 36 hour passage (!!) and get the flood through to Noumea. Its very tiring going so slow! Today we have decided on a Max Prop!!!

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Fiji to Vanuatu

Fiji to Vanuatu.

Feast or Famine..we chose feast! Troughs and lows aplenty that run from the SPCZ near the Solomons down to the intense lows charging through NZ.

We departed Fiji with a forecast of 15-20 knot SE winds knowing that they would be around 25 knots at times and a 3-4m swell kicking in from the south for at least a day. Just what we want..a cross swell!!

Fiji was wall to wall grey which is what we had the whole way..seeing stars and the sun only briefly. However, in our different shades of grey (!!) we had only a few showers and maximum squall (wind only) to 35 knots, only briefly. A bit of green water across the deck and unfortunately two bits of a wave down below!! We did not eat much for two days, but now are eating constantly!

All in all a fast run which was not uncomfortable as the apparent wind was between 90 and 120 off the bow. 467 miles in 72 hours and that included slowing down for the last 60 miles so we did not arrive in the dark. Had we kept our speed, it would have taken us only 64 hours to do the run. Not bad! The boat handled the seas remarkably well, which is why we bought a Hylas and it being an S&S design.

Our final departure from Fiji was a relief as we had been waiting to miss fronts coming across..which we did! The boat that left a day behind us got caught in one. Beware of NE winds shifting to the SE as they only go one way and its not through the east!!!!

Waiting in Suva was a treat as was staying a the Novatel in Lami Bay, just around the corner. A protected anchorage so we had yachts to gaze at in case we were homesick!!!

The food was to die for............

and we just enjoyed the ambiance of the old port town.....

On our return from Suva we did have a very embarrassing moment aka night on the putty coming back into Port Denarau (from Lautoka) ... at night....following our track, we relaxed once inside the marina...a little too early it seems with one of the green markers missing its light (this was replaced the next morning) and us missing the marker!!! A comedy of errors on both sides. We did not quite make it to the mooring. John from Red Sky called us in the morning and said 'Hello Eileen'...and yes, we did lean........(we enjoy their humour). Other cruisers commented that we all do silly things from time to time. Shite happens! The only thing wounded was our egos!! Does not do well having the 'naviguesser' going aground!! First time in over 40,000 miles!!!!

We arrived in Anatom Is Vanuatu in the early morning, coming through the pass around 0800. Our electronic charts were accurate and the pass is wide and deep. The wonderful policeman on the island came out about an hour after putting the hook down and cleared us in and out! How easy was that!

Anatom is a beautiful island; stunning lagoon, white sandy beaches, and crystal clear water to boot. It has wet our appetite for cruising Vanuatu in the future.

Many ruins around the villages..

No vehicles; lots of sandy tracks to exlore

We did the usual and took lots of school supplies....new books for their library, exercise books, pencils, paints...

This boat sails really well in the lagoon....

Mystery Island nearby is where the cruise ship punters go. It is well set up by the locals and a wonderful deserted place to hang out when the cruise ship is not in ..........

Peter is in a little hot water!!!!!!

A two day passage will see us through Havannah Pass, New Caledonia, and into Noumea. Not thinking about that today but it will have to be soon.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Rain Stops Play

Wet, wet, wet!!! We were all set to check out and then, after a discussion of the weather with Gulf Harbour Radio on their HF Sched, we took their advice and decided to wait another 5 days!

Fiji is hiding behind the green and blue spots on the LHS between 0 and 30S..the above is today (the Pacific chart looks like a pair of eyes looking at you with a frown!! At least the squash zones are to the south!

....... and below is for Thursday...Fiji now under the blue and the red spots on the left! Courtesy of NZ met office. If the low does develop, they are talking cyclonic winds, albeit not very strong but packed with thunderstorms. YUK!

We have a stationary front that has been sitting over Fiji (caused by the jet stream) for a few days now, bringing rain and localised strong winds and a massive electrical storm with others threatening. The weather pattern has changed!! We can see how nice and clear it is in southern Vanuatu and New Cal.....we just have to get there.

With a kink in the isobars to the west of Fiji, there is a possibility of a tropical low developing, or not! Also possible is that it could develop early and head south over our track ESE towards the Neeshams. Needless to say we do not want to be out there in a tropical low if it does develop!

Having a dry Pacific crossing so far, the rain has finally caught up with us!!

So plan B is to leave the boat in Denarau Marina and go to Suva for a few days...$20 Fiji on the bus!

Meanwhile we have watched the whole BBC series of Gavin and Stacey! Thoroughly enjoyable!

Our Cruising Facts on Fiji

For the cruisers……………………….

Due to our limited time here, we will unfortunately miss many great anchorages.  Too much to see with such little time. Be sure to keep an eye on the weather and travel in good visibility to eyeball the reefs and plan your travel!

      From Tonga we decided to take the more northerly route in Savu Savu. Reasons being to miss the stronger, reinforced wind and bad weather that seems to hang around the southern Lau group, Suva and the bottom of Viti Levu.

      Koro Sea has mostly re-inforced winds as well due to the funneling effect between the islands. Same for Bligh Water and between the two major island s of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. This often extends out to the Yasawas. Be aware of this in the forecasts.

      Koro Sea kicks up steep sharp waves when wind picks up.

      We entered into the Koro Sea via Lembaka Passage; wide and open at night. From there you can clear the islands, turning north around 17 56 S 178 40 E and aim to keep Vatuvara Island to Stb and then towards Savu Savu. Look for Maafa Rock on your chart as it is not on some, although it is not on the track towards Vatuvara, but off to the WSW.  We did find information on an uncharted reef around 18 40S 174W but we were not near there either. Savu Savu Light is not on the end of Point Reef so be aware of this.

      Coming into Savu Savu, we called Copra Shed Marina who came out to meet us and took us to a mooring. Cost was $10 Fiji/night and have cyclone moorings. They also have a small dock. Waitui Marina has moorings also and they will do the same. They are a little more down market than Copra Shed but very nice. Their moorings are helix moorings which are booked out for the cyclone season. Savu Savu is a hurricane hole and there are many others around Fiji. Both marinas are right in town, which is fantastic and a great place to hang out. Amazing food for such little money! Washing at the Copra Shed was only $10 Fiji per large bag, compared to $80 USD they wanted in Bora Bora!!!!! We got our alternators fixed in town. They did a brilliant job!

      Best cruising seems to be around to the NE of Vanua Levu towards Viani Bay and Taveuni. We were very sad to have missed this.

      In Savu Savu, there is a guy called Curly who provides a lecture on suggested anchorages around Fiji. He also gives the low down on how to do the SevuSevu or Kava ceremonies. Curly and others also smooth the troubled waters where other cruisers have done wrong in the villages. This year a German Yacht was caught catching Iguanas on one of the islands with intent to them smuggle out of the country!!!!!!!!!!!! Hence yachts are now banned from the island. For the Yasawas, download the Moorings Cruising Guide from the internet. (Although reports from other cruisers….it’s inaccurate!) We picked up a current Fiji Marine Guide in Tonga which gave excellent contact numbers of services, marinas etc. A yacht called Soggy Paws has spent some time here and elsewhere and has an excellent website with lots of info on specific areas.  Look for their Fiji Compendium. The most comprehensive guide to Fiji is A Yachtsmans’s Guide To Fiji by Michael Calder, which is a little outdated but still used.

Anchorages we used. (Waypoints are where we were sitting, not where we dropped anchor!)

     Just south of Savu Savu is Cousteau Resort. We came in at right angles to the beach just north of the jetty, keeping the jetty clear. Nice flat sandy bottom, 14.4m

16 48.612 S 179 17.264 E

      From there we did the bash south to Makongai Island. A stunning island where we did our first Sevu Sevu, which was very relaxed. Good protected anchorage. We anchored in sand around 17 26.472 S 178 57.171 E

      From there we could have stopped at Naigani Is but due to good winds and excellent visibility, we decided to go on to Toba Basaga Bay. Nice village. Anchor in mud 15.2m 17 32.496 S 178 22.831 E.  Maybe not so flash in strong easterly winds.

      From there it was a short hop to Viti Levu Bay. We could have anchored another 300m or so closer to the village and tucked up in the corner, but we lost visibility as we went to find an anchoring spot. Nice sticky mud…anchored 10m

17 27.079 S 178 15.432 E

      Many anchorages to choose from when around Nanana Island. We chose to anchor near Voli Voli  resort due to the weather. Most yachts anchor off the resort but it was a little windy when we got there. We anchored a little south of there. Calm but a little gusty to keep us cool. Watch out for the rocky reef coming off the shore.  Nice sticky mud, 10m 17 19.435 S 178 10.530 E

      In order to break the trip, we anchored in a no-name bay. Wind comes off the shore every night so nice and calm! Easy to get into. Anchored in 4m mud

17 25.717 S 177 44.966 E

      Another hop around to Seweni Bay in the Loutoka area. NW breeze in afternoon but swings onshore at sunset! 7m mud 17 38.596 S 177 23.589 E

      From Seweni Bay, it’s a short 6 miles around the point to the south to Vuda Point Marina, (Ch16) 17 40.87S 177 23.2E. There is a yellow buoy that marks the entrance to the channel, which can be difficult to see as yachts sometimes tie up on this buoy. The gap through the reef is an all tide gap if you draw under 6’6 and is marked by sticks. Like everywhere else, Vuda staff are very helpful and welcoming. They have outdoor movie nights 3 nights/week and live music on Sundays. Bit of a challenge getting off and on the boat in springs!!!

      Musket Cove also has a marina and moorings. Call on Ch 68. On your approach at approximately 17 47 659 S 177 12.813E look for a red marker on your port side in the binoculars and Black Rock (reef) on your stb side. Both are a little tricky as there is a reef which extends to the WSW behind the red buoy and the reef continues to run past the rocks you can see to stb. There is a very small stick (NOT the one on top of Black Rocks) in the water marking the end of the reef that is VERY difficult to see. A Kiwi who frequents Fiji has marked some such reefs as many yachts have hit them. Always….eyes out the boat!! You can see the reef coming into Musket Cove off the point of Malolo Is, which is marked by two green markers, and the rest of the reef between the point and the anchorage, moorings is marked by sticks. Go in there for the first time with good visibility. Lots of anchorage space but we hear from NZ yachts that frequent here that anchoring over to the west by the mangroves gives better holding in bad weather.

      Port Denarau Marina has moorings and berths and can be contacted on Ch14. Very westernised but handy for bits and pieces and getting into Nadi and Lautoka. Lots of restaurants that are more expensive than the towns but still a good price, and cheaper than the east Pacific. At the time we were there, September 2012, they had introduced a booking system, which works fine until the problem of you wanting to stay longer and someone else has booked your mooring. When the weather changes for the worst…….people really don’t want to go!!!!!!!!!

      Clearing out is relatively easy. However, you are required to anchor off the wharf in Lautoka to do this. A bit bumpy in NW winds but relatively good holding in mud. Leave the dinghy in the corner of the wharf by the slippery steps. Customs and immigration located there....a little tricky to find as once in the corridor, customs is the door marked 'keep closed'!! You have to leave Fiji within 1 hour of clearing immigration. Reality is left to your imagination!!

All is all, paradise has its cost! Look out for the reef and the weather and all should be fine!! Not the most relaxing place to cruise for your first time there. Wonderful places to explore ashore and awesome places to eat!!!

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Bula Fiji

Although a wonderful experience and not to be missed, Fiji is not the most relaxing cruising ground as you need to keep one eye on the weather every day and four eyes on the reefs!!! The people are so welcoming, helpful and just generally friendly and full of smiles that it is often very humbling.

Paradise has its price as there was one yacht lost to a reef and 5 others we heard of hitting the bricks. Although wonderful anchorages, not many are for all wind directions and if you have to get out quickly, you have to have good visibility. Make sure your track on the charts updates at least every 30 seconds!! Around the Nadi area, the best all round anchorage appears to be behind the island off Port Denarau.

As the charts for the Yasawa Islands are not accurate and there are lots of things that go bump, yachties are now using google earth charts with a GPS. I am almost at the stage of understanding how to set this up and will work on this next year. Good old Valhalla..'The General' for keeping us updated!  We met him in Boat Lagoon, Phuket. http://yachtvalhalla.net/navigation/googleearth.htm#geocpn

We were very happy to have sailed up to SavuSavu and missed the horrid weather that often plagues the southern coast of Vitu Levu, the main island of Fiji and where Suva is located. We did have a wet and wild bash for a day in 25 knots to get south when we left, which reminded us of why we came north to start with!! The Indian food we found was just sensational and of course so was the cost….we could both eat for under $12 Aus, with the occasional meal costing a total of $16!!

One of the reasons for visiting SavuSavu was to visit Bebi Electronics which make LED lights. So now we have an LED cockpit/anchor light and Peter has made globes for all out lights using their LED lights. Peter lusts after the spreader lights on the Super Yachts and has now purchased some LED's for our spreaders!!

There are moorings in the SavuSavu anchorage that cost around $5 Aus/night with a choice of 3 ‘marinas’; we chose the Copra Shed. 

They also have cyclone (Helix) moorings in the marina next door and many yachts stay here for the cyclone season. It is a very protected anchorage and a truly wonderful town to enjoy. Peter had the two alternators fixed for a good price; probably less than half the price of what it would cost in Australia.

National Youth day for the Fijians is celebrated with much gusto. 

Whilst we were waiting for the weather to clear to get out of SavuSavu, we hired a car with Carillon and drove over the mountains....

to the north of the island to Labasa, the major town and port on the north coast of the island, Vanua Levu. Being in the lee of the weather, it is a lot drier with vast sugar cane farms.

At the end of a very bumpy road we took as a side trip, we found an eco lodge, Palmlea Lodge (not the hut above!!) which is a wonderful place to stay to get away from all that you wish to get away from!! Labasa was very much an Indian town and you could have been in India!!! 

In SavuSavu, there is a guy called Curly who has cruised Fiji for over 20 years. He offers a short lecture and gives suggested waypoints for some cruising around Fiji. We went along, as only having a short time here, we felt it would give us a good overview and help us get our head around the ‘how to’ of getting from A to B. Java came along too, and it was fabulous meeting up with them again. Curly also liaises between the villages and the cruisers when any of the cruisers do the wrong thing and an area is taken off the cruising list. Like this year when a yacht was caught taking Iguanas off an island!! The stupidity, ignorance and arrogance of some cruisers is unbelievable. We see and hear of this so often!! 

It was a useful talk, but with all waypoints, you are responsible for your own navigation. We did get the low down on how to do SevuSevu; a kava ceremony with the local Fijian villages when you anchor in their water. Doing such a ceremony, invites you into their village and surrounds. They are then responsible for your safety whilst you are there. We did this once at Makongai Island and Viti Levu Bay, both wonderful, relaxed experiences. 

We were relieved that we did not have to actually partake in the drinking of the kava.

The kava is made from the roots of a pepper plant and can be bought in the market or small outlets. You wrap it in the latest newspaper as the village chief likes to read the paper!!!

Given the weather, we opted for the route to Makongai Island, then across the north side of Viti Levu to Nadi, in company with Carillon.  

Due to the 18-22 knot SE winds, we actually day sailed (not motored!!) all of the way......a very wet and wild bash for the first 22 miles and a fast sail the remaining 22 when we could free off a little. A little pucker factor approaching all the reef as the engine over heated and we were in the lee of the island. We now know the temperature alarm works!!! It appears we had something caught in the intake, which fell off when we stopped the engine. Interestingly, we were higher and faster than the Tayana in heavy winds, but they have us pegged downwind. We think it's their folding prop!!

We had a wonderful, long walk along a jungle track to the south side of the island. We were happy to be on the lee side!

Fiji was a time for catching up with cruisers we have previously met….Westward II from Fremantle and Java whom we had spent time with in La Paz, Baja, Mexico.  We had been in Darwin with Westward II and found them in Makongai Island, travelling with another Fremantle registered yacht, Cable’s Length II, the owners of which are from Mandurah. In Vuda Point Marina we also met up with Paul and Karen from Gigi. They are from Darwin and were next to us in San Carlos, Mexico.

Makongai Island would have to be one of the most beautiful islands we have seen. No vehicles, so nice and quiet. The ruins are from the Leper Colony; the old theatre screen is still standing and the old Lister generator from the early 1900’s is still in use.

 Makongai is now sponsored by the fisheries department for a giant clam and turtle breeding program for Fiji. This giant clam was over 2m long and had a little fish guarding it!

We anchored in Toba Basaga Bay for the night so did not go ashore. Some of the girls and later some boys came out to visit on their bamboo rafts. The girls did find it amusing at Peter’s joke about their village being very very nice, as its name was VereVere.  Lovely young people. 

We did not want to encourage the culture of the children coming out to yachts asking for things (which is what the cruising community has inevitably encouraged in Indonesia), something which the village chiefs also want to avoid……so being kill joys, we said no to the request for sweets (not that we had any…) but did give them a string of small Australian Flags for their school. The young boys were delighted at this, which was a good thing!

The village in Vitu Levu Bay is quite large and run like a commune, with the men from each of the 70 families coming together to make decisions. Traditional lives are led with the weaving  done by the women and cocoa beans dried for sale.

We had a few more stops before reaching the Nadi area on the east coast. Weather is very localized and the reef, easy to see as it dries! The marks are not very frequent and in different states of disrepair. However, the reef is easy to spot as a lot of it dries!

Lucky for us each day the skies cleared and we had excellent visibility with calm seas behind the reef!! The local fishermen are happy to see us and love to pose!

Our anchorage just south of the VoliVoli resort is gusty but calm! The Tayana and the Hylas at anchor!

The resort itself is very low key and welcomes us grotty yachties. Meals are well priced and not over the top. The islands around VoliVoli funnel the wind, hence attracting great windsurfing and kite surfing. However, we didn’t see any!! Peter and Steve did their kava tasting here! They did not opt for seconds!

Lautoka will be our clearing port and unfortunately we have to anchor in the harbour to clear out. Chilli Bites is the most awesome place for lunch...Indian food..can't go past it!!! Of course Peter's first stop off the bus was the Indian 'Swits'; street vendors were a dime a dozen around the market and bus station.

Whilst in Vuda Point we also met up with Peter Atkinson (and his wife Darin), who is Peter's second cousin. We last met them on Pollen Path in Phuket, which was a surprise as at first the Peters did not realise they were related!!!!! They now live in Phuket.

Vuda Point Marina is a good affordable place to do work and hang out. We can use the resort next door, First Landing; pool, restaurant and bar. Of course there is the cafe and yacht Club at the marina who provide entertainment in the form of live music and outdoor movie nights. One film we did enjoy was The Lady (Aung SunSuu Kyi and her life in Burma), which was all in French!! Despite this we sat through it all with Karen and Paul and understood what was happening! Needless to say we were the only ones watching the film!!

Marina life Pacific Style.... Vuda Point....how close is too close???

Vuda Point Marina is a great place to hang out. However, it gets very hot!! Its a circular basin with a large ring on the bottom in the centre that yachts shackle their chain to during a cyclone. Entrance is via a channel through the reef, but don't expect it to be on your charts!!! The boat (on the screen) ends up in a swamp!!

The other alternative is to be partially sunk into a pit, supported by tyres. Apparently this works well.

Musket Cove was another 'tick the box' for Peter. Although still busy following the regatta, Musket Cove was worth the visit with a very laid back approach to life and nice sand tracks between bars and pools!! We are now life members of Musket Cove Yacht Club!! 

As you would expect, some stunning real estate...

The anchorage and mooring field open to the SW, albeit behind a reef or two. According to those who have spent time there, it gets a little lumpy there in 50 kts of breeze....which they had on a few occasions this season..but not while we were there..we had calm to very light conditions!

We met up with Red Sky again before checking out and also Malarkey, whom we met in Tonga briefly and who have crossed the Pacific at just a little head of us. Leanne (Red Sky) and Jenny (Condesa)..what did we all do before technology??????? Vodafone's 3G stick has enabled us to have internet access in almost every anchorage. Too easy to keep an eye on the weather!

We had an amazing chunder and frightening show our first night at Denarau Marina. Comfortable to be on a mooring ($15 Fiji/night)! We are waiting for a few days for the trough to clear and SE winds to return before we push on. We need to take the boat to Lautoka Harbour to clear out, which is not a good anchorage in NW winds and you get a sticky film on the boat from the sugar refinery! 

Anatom Is, Vanuatu, which should be a 3 day sail. At the moment we have lots of troughs in between the Highs, which gives us light winds, lots of rain and chunder and frightening!! Yuk! We are aiming to get between the troughs!

We are very sad to be leaving Fiji in our wake but excited about the big island that is now 1400 miles away!