Passage from Opua to Savusavu, Fiji

We left Opua at 8AM on 6 May with our good friends, Wendy and Warren. They
have done several passages to the Pacific several years ago and so thought
they knew what to expect but probably got more than they expected.

We had three days of ideal weather and seas, SW winds of 15-25 knots and
Windspirit sailed beautifully. We made 150-160 miles a day. None of us had
any issues with seasickness and were able to eat normal meals.

We had a small bird fly in to the cockpit on our third day out, a Welcome
Swallow. He came and went several times but was not interested in any
crumbs, just wanting to have a rest. He flew back and forth on several
occasions.

On the morning of our fourth day out King Neptune decided to give us hell.
The wind picked up to 35 and then 40 knots from the west and the seas
rapidly built up. The bad weather was a result of a deep low over New
Zealand. The weather maps showed three fronts and we experienced each of
these - periods of one to two hours of consistent 42-45 knots with rain.
The boat was taking it all very well until the auto-helm packed up, taking
with it our wheel steering. We were not too concerned about that because we
had an independent hydraulic steering system all set up and ready to go, but
never anticipated that it would only last four hours (electrics affected by
salt water) and leave us wallowing in those rough seas. Also the hydraulic
fluid had leaked everywhere and was impossible to clean up at the time. The
boat was bucking around and very uncomfortable. We were using a very
reefed staysail and a small amount of mainsail (trysail size) and after a
while were able to set up the boat to sail on just those at about 5 knots
and only about 30 degrees off course. We kept that up for two days until
Tony was able to isolate the wheel steering once the weather eased a bit and
we were then able to take turns at wheel steering. The wind settled down to
20 knots average after 2½ days but the seas stayed high and gradually
deceased towards the end of the trip.

It seemed to take forever to get to Savusavu from when we first sighted
land. It took us another two days to get up the coast as we had either too
little or too much wind and needed to do many sail changes but finally
entered Nakama Creek, Savusavu at first light on 11 May, very tired but
happy to get in to sheltered waters.

We had no trouble with customs, immigration, agriculture or health
clearances. We just had to promise not to take anything off the boat in the
way of food etc. The authorities were very good to deal with.

We were all exhausted but spent that day tidying up the essentials and
getting settled in. On 12 May we spent most of the day in the town trying
to find spares etc and also looking in to our Internet options. W&W flew to
Nadi that day where they were staying for a few days before returning to NZ.

Several days were spent cleaning up the boat. The hydraulic fluid has
ruined the carpet and has filtered in to every nook and cranny. We also
took on quite a lot of water in the rough seas and are gradually flushing
and drying out.

Pacific Cruise 2008

Mary and Tony will be departing Opua bound for Fiji in early May 2008.

11 October to December 2004

We had a very relaxing stay at Musket cove. Did lots of swimming, snorkelling and socializing. There are some amazing coral reefs and fishes very close to Musket Cove. We were feeling quite sailed out by this time and were ready to have a rest before the long sail home. We also spent over two days cleaning our hull, the second time since leaving NZ. We had applied new antifouling in November last year and it failed allowing an enormous amount of barnacles and marine growth to attach itself to our hull. That was a big disappointment to us and of course we are now having to pursue compensation from the company who supplied us with the product. We will also have to lift the boat out of the water soon and do the job again. Not something we are looking forward to.

We decided that it would be prudent to have one extra person to help us on the return journey to NZ and John Goldsbury from Opua had offered to crew when we met back in May. We contacted John and he was happy to join us. He arrived on 24 October and as the weather pattern looked great for the next week so we cleared customs and immigration the next day. That was no easy feat because it was Saturday. But Tony was able to use his charms, some kava and cigarettes to move mountains.

We cleared Fiji on Sunday, making our way out of the Navula passage on the south west corner of Viti Levu at about 1 PM, immediately running in to short, sharp seas and winds of up to 47 knots, but mainly about 30 - 35 knots. We had a disgusting couple of days, not much food was eaten and we were drenched even in the cockpit, which is not normal for Windspirit. After a couple of days the wind and seas gradually eased we started putting up more and more sail but after three days even they were not helping and we had to motor. Now, we are a yacht and it goes against the grain to motor but when out at sea it is best to get to dry land ASAP before more bad weather arrives and so we motored for nearly three days, finally arriving at Opua at 2 AM.

We were thrilled to have John with us, even though we had a very easy trip back to NZ. He fitted in to our routine really well and he and Tony spent hours chatting. They have so much in common. It is always a worry when you get crew but we picked it right this time. It was a great feeling to tie up and open the bottle of Bubbles that Janet and Colin from Tara Dawn gave us for that special moment. It went down very well. We couldn’t believe that after all those years of dreaming, planning and also lots of hard work, that we had actually done it and in no worse condition than before we left. However we were ready to get back to a real life and job (for a while).

Everyone asks us the same question. Would we do it again? The answer is a definite YES. Despite the hardships and fears we had a superb time and learnt so much about the countries and the people. We don’t know when we will next get the opportunity to go cruising but right now we have embarked on a new adventure.

Just before we left NZ Tony was approached by a head hunter company about applying for a senior role at Industrial Research in Wellington. Well the long and the short of it is that Tony was offered the role, resigned from Navman at the end of July and within three weeks of returning to NZ we had shifted to Wellington to live. Tony has taken up the position of General Manager of Research and Development at Industrial Research Limited. It is the ideal job for him as it draws on all aspects of his qualifications and experience and he is very excited about leading a world class team of around 300 scientists and engineers. IRL head office in Wellington and have offices in Auckland and Christchurch. He will miss Navman where he built the engineering team from 8 to around 200 staff over five years during which the turnover increased thirty fold.

Mary will once again become the boat lackey for a while (she loves it!)and then apply for a part time nursing job early next year. At present we are living in an apartment on the Terrace waiting for the delivery skipper to bring Windspirit to Wellington. We ran out of time and energy and decided to get her professionally delivered when the weather looks right. However since leaving Auckland (we each drove our cars down) the weather over the whole country has been awful and so we have to wait. We have arranged to stay in the apartment until Christmas anyway. We are looking forward to having Spike, the wonder cat, back with us.

Many thanks to Dave Annett of Annett Computer and Navman who hosts our website and has kept the site up to date despite being massively overloaded with his business and development responsibilities.

Many thanks also to Greg Storz and Matthew Laws for their assistance and shore support during our cruise – it is invaluable to have people that will chase things up in the real (?) world for us.

Thanks are also due to the many people that have assisted us in so many ways before, during and after our great adventure. They all have a special place in our hearts – the adventure is not just the trip but the preparation and the people you work with on the journey.

Back to reality
Windspirit left Auckland on Friday 3 December heading for Wellington via the east coast. We have secured a berth at Chaffers marina on the overseas passenger terminal right next to Te Papa museum. Visitors are most welcome. Our mobile numbers are unchanged. Our shore email address is still: windspirit at annett.co.nz

16 September to 11 October 2004

Our trip to Nadi went very well. While waiting for the bus to go to the main road where we needed to catch the bus to Nadi we were offered a ride by one of the local Fijians. He owned a sand blasting business and we had a very interesting discussion with him about business, politics etc. He actually took us to the Lautoka bus terminal where we could get the bus to Nadi rather than waiting on the side of the road hoping that a bus would stop for us. It is so interesting speaking to the locals whether they be Fijians or Indians. The conversation always turns to politics and of course each culture has a different view. Many locals feel that the majority of Fijians are lazy but that a few have thrown off the hold of kava and done very well for themselves. However most Indians appear to be very hard working but say that they are hampered by the system which prevents them owning land and so they get stung by the high land rentals.

Anyway we had a very pleasant day touring the city of Nadi, which is very much a tourist town. The shops sell mostly souvenirs or Palangi (white people) food and clothing. Lots of touts trying to coax you in to their shop. There is also a small market. We also took an 40 cent bus to have a look at Denerau Island which is about 3 Km from Nadi. This is a totally artificial town of hotels and resorts. Not at all our cup of tea but interesting to look at. There is also and exclusive marina there.

On 20 September we left the boat at Vuda point Marina in safe keeping and flew back to NZ for six days. Our youngest daughter, Naomi was having her graduation from university and as proud parents we needed to be there. We had a great but extremely busy few days, just managing to cope with the cold. We had left Nadi when the temperature was 33'C but it was only 10'C when we arrived in Auckland. Although we often find the temperature in the Pacific overwhelming we think we may have become used to the warmth and will find it hard to keep warm when we return to NZ. We also used the time while in NZ to buy some of the things which we were finding impossible to buy in the islands. Therefore our luggage was very overweight on the way back to Fiji but we were lucky and not charged excess baggage.

We returned to the boat at Vuda Point on 25 September and spent the next couple of days stocking up with fresh fruit and vegs at Lautoka. We also spent a day washing and scrubbing the decks which had become filthy from a combination of leaves, bird droppings and soot (from the burnt sugar cane). Then on 1 October we set sail for Musket Cove on the South Western end of Vitu Levu. We had a pleasant sail in sheltered waters, just like the Hauraki Gulf, arriving at about 3.30 PM in time to see the reefs which we had to negotiate on the way in to the sheltered anchorage. At that stage we had decided that we would stay put for a while and relax.

It is a lovely place and you get the total run of the resort. We are enjoying swimming in the pool. Free use of BBQs and wood provided. A $3 bar runs from 11 am until late. Met up with a couple from Cambridge, NZ, and have had several good snorkelling expeditions with them. We also walked to the top of the island - pretty hard going but fantastic views once we made it. Also had sundowners on a 103 ft yacht - the people we had brought a large mat from Savusavu for. They had arranged for 3 containers of medical supplies to go to the hospital in the Lau group and the mat was the thank you card! What a boat. Two 5 cylinder 25 kw gensets and a 10 cylinder main engine - all Mercedes and immaculate. The boat is like nothing we had been on before. It was designed by Ron Holland.

Been pretty busy at Musket cove as the young Israeli couple next to us had their 9.9 Hp outboard motor fall off the back of the dingy while planing. The casting split across both screw holes for the securing bolts. It was quite a way away from the anchorage so I went to tow her back and ended up with me being boat boy while her husband used by dive gear and bottles to find the motor in 15 metres of water. Took 3 bottles of air over two days. he got it all going with a little help from me.

The bigger drama was a boat called Wayfarer (1936) from Dunedin that dragged her anchor in a blow (up to 41 knots from nowhere after several days of less than 10 knots, lasted about 8 hours) in the middle of the night. We were on anchor watch and saw it drifting past us so called on VHF and used the fog horn. They were in bed, got up but were too late to stop it going on the reef. A lot of the guys in the bay including me spent many hours the next day getting it off with expert help from the Fijian guys that work at the resort - turns out that they have done it many times!

We are trying to take things easy for the next week after which we will be waiting for a suitable weather pattern to sail to New Zealand.


Photos to September 2004

Whales at Nuitaputapu




Fire dancers at Apia


Vailimi - Robert Louis Stevenson's home in Apia


Wallis


Fish market, Upolo


Windspirit at Wallis Island


Police band at Apia


Rainforest on Upolu


Windspirit at Savusavu


Eastern side of Upolu



1 September to 16 September 2004

Samoa to Wallis Island
We arrived in the French territory of Wallis Island after a rather light and boring passage. We had to motor for the last 12 hours. Until then we were flying our multi purpose sail (poleless spinnaker), the first time on our trip and as you can see we finally got the wind behind the beam after 2000 miles of having ahead of the beam. Well after finally arriving at the entrance to Wallis Island the wind suddenly started blowing 20 knots and the seas built up within a very few minutes. The rain started over the island and the visibility dropped and we had trouble distinguishing the markers. After circling around several times and going in close to the reef we almost decided to head straight for Fiji but finally decided to give it a go and headed in to the pass. Apart from shaking in my (Mary)boots ( which I was not wearing ) and getting a huge wave break over the cockpit and dousing us we finally entered the calm waters of the lagoon. Even inside the lagoon the navigation is tricky, although true to French standards, very well marked, compared to all the other countries we have visited on this trip.

Wallis Island
It was nice to find a safe anchorage especially as it blew up more in the night and we would not have wanted to be out at sea. We went to the port and cleared in with the Gendarmery and Douane (customs)and got our passports stamped. They are very informal and don't even visit the boat. Then we want to do some sightseeing and expect stay here until the end of the week. If we had arrived a day later we would not have been able to enter the pass as the wind has been 25 knots since we arrived.

On Wednesday we had a great day ashore at Wallis. We need to know more French but everyone was very friendly and helpful and recognising the odd word helps. We printed off a couple of pages of French-English phrases and could point to them as well. Shopping was a challenge as the labelling is all in French. Bought some Baguettes and croissants as well as some French cheeses, pate and French wine. No trouble hitch hiking around the island. It has been blowing 25 knots since we arrived so a bit tiring on the boat and we do not feel that comfortable leaving the boat.

Wallis to Fiji
The trip to Savusavu, Fiji was a pleasure. We arrived in the river on Monday morning after a three day sail from Wallis Island. We made a seven knot average all the way with no motoring. There was a steady 20 -25 knot breeze and the boat just loved it, although the crew got a bit knocked about and bruised because it is hard to move about on a lively boat. Unfortunately we arrived too late to head in to a safe anchorage and at dusk the wind blew up and the sea state really came up. So we had to spend the night sailing 8 miles in one direction and 8 miles in another direction several times until day break and we were able to head in to harbour. Not good for one's nerves and temper! However it is really lovely here and despite all the information we had received, we had no problems with customs, immigration, etc. They were very pleasant and came out to the boat without us even calling. They even removed their shoes to come on board. Very respectful!

After a great night's sleep last night and were then ready to start exploring the town, looking for bakeries etc. We also visited the local hospital to collect a mat that we will deliver to Whirlwind, a super yacht that donated two shipping containers of medical supplies to the hospital in the Lau group. The mat was made by the ladies of Lomaloma to express their appreciation of his generosity. We expect to catch up with Whirlwind in Musket Cove soon.

Savusavu to Vuda Point
After an early morning departure from Savusavu on Saturday, we spent three days and two nights getting to Vuda Point. It was another annoying trip with the wind on the nose which ever way we went and then we arrived too late to enter the pass (that gains entry to the west side of Vitu Levu) and had to muck about all night again. That can be quite frustrating but it is too dangerous to enter passes when there is not good light and the distances are such that you just don't seem to be able to avoid it. It gave us a chance to play with heaving to, which worked quite well - lay about 70 degrees to the wind and slowly fore reached at 1 knot. Had the reefed staysail and heavily reefed main - wind was only 12-15 knots.

Vuda Point
We arrived at Vuda Point marina on Monday and are well settled in. Nice to have the power plugged in and unlimited water available, and being able to just step off the boat to land. It is not really a marina - each boat goes in bow first and has two bow lines to shore and two stern lines to mooring buoys behind with fenders between you and the boats on either side. It was scary coming in and so shallow and narrow.

We had a lovely time at Vuda Point on Tuesday after we were settled into the marina. It is not a true marina but you can get off your boat over the pullpit and water and power are supplied. There is a resort right next to the marina and for $25 everyone on your boat can use their very nice fresh water pool for a week and are free to use their bar, restaurant etc. We have paid for the pool and will have dinner there one evening - most nights they have special price deals. Last night we chatted to an American couple on their honeymoon staying at the resort and then had a shower and a drink (we have AFDs - Alcohol free days - when on passage)and then had lovely fish and chips with a bottle of Chardonnay (supermarket cheapie but cost $25 here). Then back to the boat and crashed - very deep sleep after two nights at sea doing 3 hours on and 3 hours off with the odd drama to get the other one out of bed.

On Wednesday we caught the local bus (90 cents Fijian for 15 km) to Lautoka where we explored the town and did a little grocery shopping. We had a nice Indian vegetarian snack for morning tea. The main market is very good - great selection of fruit, vegetables and fish. Everyone in Lautoka is very friendly. We only saw one or two other white faces all day - not exactly a tourist trap.

On Friday, we intend to get the bus to Nadi for the day - it is apparently very geared up for the tourists, having the international airport there, but should be interesting.

It is incredibly hot - 33C at 6pm and made worse by the lack of any wind - great for sheltering the boat but hell on the people.

We are looking forward to sailing around this western side of Vitu Levu as it is sheltered from the trade winds and has flat seas as it is largely enclosed by a barrier reef.