Back into Fiji, Nov 1, 2015
So here we are, back again. Because we crossed the date line twice we lost track of what day it is, but we think it is Monday. We hope it is because the Customs/Immigration offices will not be open on Sunday 8am. There should be a cruisers net on the radio. Nothing. Oops. I get on the radio and call the marina office. No answer. Finally another cruiser answers my call. It is Sunday after all. Now what. We are not supposed to moor or dock or even anchor until we have permission. The other boat tracks down marina security to ask what to do and, lo and behold, we are instructed to take a mooring ball. But we are not to get off of the boat until Monday when Medical and Biosecurity will clear us. This is fine. All we want is a lazy day anyway. We have eggs left, and there is even a bottle of champagne waiting for a good occasion so we treat ourselves to a lovely breakfast. I go over for a quick swim and then we settle down for a long nap.
Sometime in the afternoon, there is a knock on the hull and a voice shouting “Rhapsody” The customs officer is there, very upset. He had commandeered the dingy of one of the other sailors and come to see what the heck we were doing moored with the yellow Q flag up on a Sunday. Luckily the other sailor had heard the whole thing on the radio and corroborated our excuse that we had been told to moor by the marina security guard. After a bit more yelling we were told to launch our dingy forthwith and show up on shore with all our paperwork where we would be met by a customs officer to check us in. No argument from us. Off we went and an hour later, after the usual filling out and stamping of papers, we were legal. Except not really. We were allowed to buy a cold beer but once we were back on the boat we needed to wait for medical and biosecurity. Once they cleared us we need to present ourselves at the customs office again for further paperwork.
Next morning, bright and early, we were told to move from the mooring to the dock but not leave the boat until medical and biosecurity came, Once again, lots of papers were filled out and stamped. Then back to Customs to finish the paperwork Finally legal. There was one other boat at the dock which had just returned and 2 other boats came in while we waited. All three had to be towed in because of various problems. The worst was a boat which had hit something which damaged the prop so badly that they had no steering.
But I think we left a mess in our wake. We should not have been told to come in and moor on Sunday. We were supposed to anchor someplace offshore. So this is an issue between the marina security and customs Once we were in, we should not have been told to come ashore to be cleared by customs. We were supposed to stay on the boat until cleared by medical and biosecurity So all the parties involved will have to sort it out. Meanwhile, we are cleared to be back in Fiji again.
As an interesting footnote, I ran into the customs officer on a walk around the town later and we spent a pleasant hour drinking kava and eating papaya and pineapple. He acknowledged that we had done nothing wrong, but he had strong words for the marina staff who never should have told us to come in and take a mooring.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Futuna and back, Oct 25, 2015
Futuna and back
Finally, the weather is good and all of our paperwork is in order We are off to Futuna, a small island country about 200 miles north of Fiji, that is a French Protectorate The sole purpose of the trip is to renew the visa for Rhapsody so that she can be in Fiji another 18 months. Everyone who stays in Fiji more than one season does this trip and there are several boats going this week. The traditional wisdom is to leave in the afternoon, sail up the Koro sea all night and arrive at the pass in the morning, at the ebb tide which should sweep you through. During the last week, we have talked to the other sailors and collected waypoints which are input into our navigation program so it should be a fairly smooth passage. The really narrow part is only about 10 miles long.
As soon as we cleared the bay, we knew that this was not going to be an easy ride. We were facing choppy seas, swells, a headwind and a strong current It seemed impossible to make any headway, no matter what tack we tried, even with the motor on. And I immediately got seasick. After several hours, I finally put on one of the patches which gets rid of the nausea but makes me very sleepy. In these conditions Alan would have done the driving anyway, but the face that I was seasick meant that he was not going to get hardly any breaks. It was a long night but by daybreak we were finally in sight of the pass and I was feeling better.
Luckily, the tide was with us and we cruised through Somosomo Pass with no problems and into a lovely bay between islands. All day we sailed through reefs and past island, following the waypoints we had been given. By the end of the day we were mostly out of the trick parts. Now it was a straight sail of a day and a half to Futuna. The weather programs had predicted an easy south east wind, and it was. What we had not counted on was choppy, confused seas and swells coming at us sideways, so that we constantly rolled back and forth and water crashed over the bow. It was not dangerous, just very uncomfortable. We finally put the lea cloth on the settee so that we could sleep without falling onto the floor. We settled on a watch schedule of 2 hours on and 2 hours off. Not much sleep but better than nothing. And it is only for a day or two.
As the sun came up, we could see the island in front of us, not very big, and the entrance to the harbor. As we had been warned, the harbor is very small and surrounded by reefs. It looks to be big enough for 2-3 boats at the most. It is not a very well protected harbor and we have heard horror stories of how uncomfortable, not to say downright dangerous it can be in bad weather. Luckily there was no one else there so we had our choice of anchorage spots and the sea was calm with few swells and a light breeze. We dropped anchor and turned in to get some sleep until the customs office was up and running.
Although they spoke only French, the Customs officers were very friendly and efficient. When we finished with Customs we walked up the road to the Gendarmerie where the process was repeated on behalf of immigration. Paperwork was filled out and we were stamped into the country and out again for tomorrow. So we have the rest of the day to explore Futuna. It reminds me a lot of the Marquesas. The houses are much more substantial and European looking than they are in Fiji. There is one main road that runs along the coast and steep green cliff rise just behind. Everyone seems to drive a new Toyota pickup truck. There is not much of a town here. Eventually we came to a hotel that advertised a restaurant. Knowing that Futuna in French, we had been looking forward to some good french food, or at least bread so we went in and ordered a petit dejeuner . It consisted of a small cup of coffee and several pieces of very good bread, with butter and jam for $20 US. Next stop was the market, just up the street. While they would take credit cards but the minimum was $5000. Unfortunately no one could tell us what the exchange rate was, but after browsing for a while we decided that it was probably 100-1, same as French Polynesia. We found out later that we could have used out FP francs. Unfortunately, other than a few jars of pate and cornichons, there was nothing that we really wanted. So reluctantly we headed back to the boat and left for Fiji the next morning.
Next morning, time to leave, ready to go and the engine won’t start. We have been having problems on and off with the starter battery. One more thing that will have to be sorted out when we get settled for the hurricane season. Meanwhile, Alan started the ever faithful Honda generator and used it to charge the engine starter battery. An hour later, the engine started right up and we were on our way back.
The sail back was as different as night and day from the sail up. The seas were calm. the swells were running with us. the wind was perfect. We put up the yellow Genoa and raced along at 6+knots. I was feeling great and Alan actually got a good nights sleep.
We were back among the reef of Fiji by the next afternoon. The moon is just past the full, which mens that it will come up about 10pm. We typically average 4.5 knots which would have put us entering Somosome straight just at moonrise. I am not wild about going through in the dark but with a moon it should be OK. Unfortunately, we made such good time that we are here early. Not only that, but the wind should die when we get in among the island and it was not dying, in fact, we are gong faster than ever, 7.3 knots at one point. I think we must have a current. i finally insisted that we take down the main sail. I don’t like the thought of a sudden blast of wind knocking us off course in a narrow channel. So here we are. It is pitch black The moon won’t be up for several hours. There is a strong wind blowing and we are in the narrow pass. Alan says not to worry, we will just follow the waypoints back. they worked perfectly on the way up so it should be fine . And then the navigation program starts acting wonky. We have two iPads and neither one of them are working right. They show the position, but not the direction that we are going. We can’t figure out what the problem is. Luckily I had noted the compass heading just before all this started and it is pretty much a straight shot through. Turned out that we were exactly on the 180 meridian and all of the navigation/weather programs go crazy there. After about 20 minutes we were on the other side of it and everything started working again but it was pretty hairy for a while.
After all the drama, we actually made it through rather neatly, as Alan had promised. But when we hit the other side it was a different story. It should have been an east wind to take us quickly back to Somosome Bay. Instead we found ourselves battling what must have been a 3 knot currant. The tide had changed after carrying us through so nicely. Even with the engine going full blast, we made no headway for hours. Alan turned the tiller over to me and I immediately did a 360. The eddies spun us all over the place. It was impossible to keep a course. After several hours, we finally got clear of the island shadow and picked up some wind. The current eased off and Alan could take a break while I drove. It still was not easy sailing. Once again the swells were coming sideways making the boat rock from side to side . By 8:00 in the morning we were entering Somosomo Bay.
Finally, the weather is good and all of our paperwork is in order We are off to Futuna, a small island country about 200 miles north of Fiji, that is a French Protectorate The sole purpose of the trip is to renew the visa for Rhapsody so that she can be in Fiji another 18 months. Everyone who stays in Fiji more than one season does this trip and there are several boats going this week. The traditional wisdom is to leave in the afternoon, sail up the Koro sea all night and arrive at the pass in the morning, at the ebb tide which should sweep you through. During the last week, we have talked to the other sailors and collected waypoints which are input into our navigation program so it should be a fairly smooth passage. The really narrow part is only about 10 miles long.
As soon as we cleared the bay, we knew that this was not going to be an easy ride. We were facing choppy seas, swells, a headwind and a strong current It seemed impossible to make any headway, no matter what tack we tried, even with the motor on. And I immediately got seasick. After several hours, I finally put on one of the patches which gets rid of the nausea but makes me very sleepy. In these conditions Alan would have done the driving anyway, but the face that I was seasick meant that he was not going to get hardly any breaks. It was a long night but by daybreak we were finally in sight of the pass and I was feeling better.
Luckily, the tide was with us and we cruised through Somosomo Pass with no problems and into a lovely bay between islands. All day we sailed through reefs and past island, following the waypoints we had been given. By the end of the day we were mostly out of the trick parts. Now it was a straight sail of a day and a half to Futuna. The weather programs had predicted an easy south east wind, and it was. What we had not counted on was choppy, confused seas and swells coming at us sideways, so that we constantly rolled back and forth and water crashed over the bow. It was not dangerous, just very uncomfortable. We finally put the lea cloth on the settee so that we could sleep without falling onto the floor. We settled on a watch schedule of 2 hours on and 2 hours off. Not much sleep but better than nothing. And it is only for a day or two.
As the sun came up, we could see the island in front of us, not very big, and the entrance to the harbor. As we had been warned, the harbor is very small and surrounded by reefs. It looks to be big enough for 2-3 boats at the most. It is not a very well protected harbor and we have heard horror stories of how uncomfortable, not to say downright dangerous it can be in bad weather. Luckily there was no one else there so we had our choice of anchorage spots and the sea was calm with few swells and a light breeze. We dropped anchor and turned in to get some sleep until the customs office was up and running.
Although they spoke only French, the Customs officers were very friendly and efficient. When we finished with Customs we walked up the road to the Gendarmerie where the process was repeated on behalf of immigration. Paperwork was filled out and we were stamped into the country and out again for tomorrow. So we have the rest of the day to explore Futuna. It reminds me a lot of the Marquesas. The houses are much more substantial and European looking than they are in Fiji. There is one main road that runs along the coast and steep green cliff rise just behind. Everyone seems to drive a new Toyota pickup truck. There is not much of a town here. Eventually we came to a hotel that advertised a restaurant. Knowing that Futuna in French, we had been looking forward to some good french food, or at least bread so we went in and ordered a petit dejeuner . It consisted of a small cup of coffee and several pieces of very good bread, with butter and jam for $20 US. Next stop was the market, just up the street. While they would take credit cards but the minimum was $5000. Unfortunately no one could tell us what the exchange rate was, but after browsing for a while we decided that it was probably 100-1, same as French Polynesia. We found out later that we could have used out FP francs. Unfortunately, other than a few jars of pate and cornichons, there was nothing that we really wanted. So reluctantly we headed back to the boat and left for Fiji the next morning.
Next morning, time to leave, ready to go and the engine won’t start. We have been having problems on and off with the starter battery. One more thing that will have to be sorted out when we get settled for the hurricane season. Meanwhile, Alan started the ever faithful Honda generator and used it to charge the engine starter battery. An hour later, the engine started right up and we were on our way back.
The sail back was as different as night and day from the sail up. The seas were calm. the swells were running with us. the wind was perfect. We put up the yellow Genoa and raced along at 6+knots. I was feeling great and Alan actually got a good nights sleep.
We were back among the reef of Fiji by the next afternoon. The moon is just past the full, which mens that it will come up about 10pm. We typically average 4.5 knots which would have put us entering Somosome straight just at moonrise. I am not wild about going through in the dark but with a moon it should be OK. Unfortunately, we made such good time that we are here early. Not only that, but the wind should die when we get in among the island and it was not dying, in fact, we are gong faster than ever, 7.3 knots at one point. I think we must have a current. i finally insisted that we take down the main sail. I don’t like the thought of a sudden blast of wind knocking us off course in a narrow channel. So here we are. It is pitch black The moon won’t be up for several hours. There is a strong wind blowing and we are in the narrow pass. Alan says not to worry, we will just follow the waypoints back. they worked perfectly on the way up so it should be fine . And then the navigation program starts acting wonky. We have two iPads and neither one of them are working right. They show the position, but not the direction that we are going. We can’t figure out what the problem is. Luckily I had noted the compass heading just before all this started and it is pretty much a straight shot through. Turned out that we were exactly on the 180 meridian and all of the navigation/weather programs go crazy there. After about 20 minutes we were on the other side of it and everything started working again but it was pretty hairy for a while.
After all the drama, we actually made it through rather neatly, as Alan had promised. But when we hit the other side it was a different story. It should have been an east wind to take us quickly back to Somosome Bay. Instead we found ourselves battling what must have been a 3 knot currant. The tide had changed after carrying us through so nicely. Even with the engine going full blast, we made no headway for hours. Alan turned the tiller over to me and I immediately did a 360. The eddies spun us all over the place. It was impossible to keep a course. After several hours, we finally got clear of the island shadow and picked up some wind. The current eased off and Alan could take a break while I drove. It still was not easy sailing. Once again the swells were coming sideways making the boat rock from side to side . By 8:00 in the morning we were entering Somosomo Bay.
Oct 20, 2015 Savusavu
Savusavu Oct 20, 2015
We have been hearing about Savusavu ever since we have been in Fiji. People say it is so different than Vuda, that we will love it, but they don’t really describe it. We finally made it and they were right. It is very different and we do love it. First off, we are moored it a narrow bay amongst green hills, right in front of a charming town. Not is a marina miles from the town. It reminds me for some reason of something out of the old west, with arched colonnades supporting a roof over the first floor shops and wooden stairs leading to the second floor. There are hardware stores, video stores, clothing shops and Fiji crafts shops and one of the best grocery stores in Fiji with lots of hard to find items, like tortilla chips and dill pickles and drip grind coffee. but without the frantic tourist vibe of Nadi or the hustle and bustle of Lautoka. Very laid back and relaxed. As always in Fiji, everyone is very helpful. We don’t have the luxurious hot showers that we have in Vuda but there is laundry service so i don’t have to spend all day doing the laundry. The restaurants are small, funky, good and cheap; chinese food, indian food, wonderful cassava chips instead of french fries. It is easy in and out of the marina without the major production of docking in Vuda so we can go out for a day sail any time. If we end up staying in Fiji another year, I think we might spend the cyclone season here, rather than Vuda.
Unfortunately, it took us so long to get here, because of the weather, that Alan’s visa expires tomorrow. We had hoped to be here a couple of days ago, so that we could check out before it expired. However, we just don’t want to leave immediately. We need a couple of days to regroup and wait for a good weather window. So Alan is off to throw himself on the mercy of the Immigration officials. Luckily, he found a sympathetic officer. Several days later, after numerous phone calls to immigration headquarters in Suva and the payment of a substantial fee, he is legal for another 6 months. And the of course the next thing that we do is check out of the country . The hard won extension is useless. It will all start over again with 4 months when we re-enter Fiji. Very frustrating but part of the cost of sailing.
We have been hearing about Savusavu ever since we have been in Fiji. People say it is so different than Vuda, that we will love it, but they don’t really describe it. We finally made it and they were right. It is very different and we do love it. First off, we are moored it a narrow bay amongst green hills, right in front of a charming town. Not is a marina miles from the town. It reminds me for some reason of something out of the old west, with arched colonnades supporting a roof over the first floor shops and wooden stairs leading to the second floor. There are hardware stores, video stores, clothing shops and Fiji crafts shops and one of the best grocery stores in Fiji with lots of hard to find items, like tortilla chips and dill pickles and drip grind coffee. but without the frantic tourist vibe of Nadi or the hustle and bustle of Lautoka. Very laid back and relaxed. As always in Fiji, everyone is very helpful. We don’t have the luxurious hot showers that we have in Vuda but there is laundry service so i don’t have to spend all day doing the laundry. The restaurants are small, funky, good and cheap; chinese food, indian food, wonderful cassava chips instead of french fries. It is easy in and out of the marina without the major production of docking in Vuda so we can go out for a day sail any time. If we end up staying in Fiji another year, I think we might spend the cyclone season here, rather than Vuda.
Unfortunately, it took us so long to get here, because of the weather, that Alan’s visa expires tomorrow. We had hoped to be here a couple of days ago, so that we could check out before it expired. However, we just don’t want to leave immediately. We need a couple of days to regroup and wait for a good weather window. So Alan is off to throw himself on the mercy of the Immigration officials. Luckily, he found a sympathetic officer. Several days later, after numerous phone calls to immigration headquarters in Suva and the payment of a substantial fee, he is legal for another 6 months. And the of course the next thing that we do is check out of the country . The hard won extension is useless. It will all start over again with 4 months when we re-enter Fiji. Very frustrating but part of the cost of sailing.
October 13, 2015 waiting out the big blow
Oct 12-17, 2015 Big Blow in Yanutha and on to Savusavu
The weather system that we have been watching is getting bigger and closer. It now has an official tropical depression number, although it is not a cyclone yet. We are not moving until it is well and truly gone. The clock is ticking on Alan’s visa but too bad. We are not going anywhere.
Rewa, the big boat that passed us on the way over, is also anchored here but they plan to move on down farther south tomorrow, before the weather gets really bad. Early in the morning they take off and several hours later they are back. Apparently when they got out of the shelter of the island it was really nasty. By the end of the day, one more boat arrives. So here we are and here we will stay.
The weather is grey and cloudy. We can hear the wind howling in the rigging occasionally strong wind gusts toss us around but the water is calm, smooth, no swells. From time to time it rains. There is nothing on shore except the green of the mangroves. Across the bay is a small cluster of cottages with a pier and a couple of boats. It is just quiet here, very quiet. For 4 days we sit here, reading, playing internet games, cooking, eating, checking the weather reports checking the anchor. Luckily we have a good, strong internet signal. The anchor is in tight and we do not move. It is actually a very odd time. There is nothing to do and not much we can do so we just take a vacation from all of the stress and crazyness of the past weeks.
Finally it looks like the storm is gone. There is a glimpse of brightness in the sky and the internet shows the wind easing off. Rewa is gone early and this time does not come back. We decide to give it one more day. No point taking off while it is still gloomy.
Next morning is glorious. Glad we waited. Blue sky, bright sun, brisk wind. Anchor up and off we go. It is about 40 miles across the notorious Bligh Water to the other main island of Fiji. Once we are out of the reef it is a straight sail across and we settle back and relax and enjoy sailing again after all this time. Of course after all that storminess, there is very little wind and I start to worry that we will not get anchored before dark so we decide to alter course just a little to stop at an earlier anchorage. We have never been here before so we do not know anything about any of them. On the chart one looks as good as the other. However, when we get there it and try to anchor it turns out to be horrible. After 2-3 passes looking for a good spot we give up decide to go on to the next place. It can’t be worse. It is now 4:30. It gets dark about 6:30 and the next anchorage is 7 miles away We should just make it. The coast here is beautiful, so green with steep hills rising up from blue water, very different from the other island.
The anchorage when we come to it, is very different from the earlier one. That was just along the edge of the island. This is up into a deep bay. There is what looks like a boarding school on the side of the hill but other than that there is no one around. Once the anchor is down and the engine stopped it is quiet, absolutely quiet, the quietest I have ever know. Just quiet. There are a few bird calls but once the sun goes down even those stop. Quiet. Tomorrow is another long day so we turn in early and sleep soundly in the quiet.
Next day the course is across the bay and through a very narrow passage through the reef into the next bay. The day is clear and calm, the sea glassy. A quick motor across the bay and we are in among the reefs. We absolutely love our Navionics app on the iPad. It is absolutely spot on. We have totally come to rely on it in Fiji with reefs everywhere. This passage is one of the trickiest we have had. There are reefs on both sides as we skirt along the edge of the bay. Sometimes they are visible as lines of surf or bits of rock sticking up. Sometimes they look green through our orange polarized glasses. Sometimes we cannot see anything. I take up my position on the bow, just in case and we cruise right along. Takes about an hour to get through and then we can hoist sails and head across the bay and into Savusavu at last.
The weather system that we have been watching is getting bigger and closer. It now has an official tropical depression number, although it is not a cyclone yet. We are not moving until it is well and truly gone. The clock is ticking on Alan’s visa but too bad. We are not going anywhere.
Rewa, the big boat that passed us on the way over, is also anchored here but they plan to move on down farther south tomorrow, before the weather gets really bad. Early in the morning they take off and several hours later they are back. Apparently when they got out of the shelter of the island it was really nasty. By the end of the day, one more boat arrives. So here we are and here we will stay.
The weather is grey and cloudy. We can hear the wind howling in the rigging occasionally strong wind gusts toss us around but the water is calm, smooth, no swells. From time to time it rains. There is nothing on shore except the green of the mangroves. Across the bay is a small cluster of cottages with a pier and a couple of boats. It is just quiet here, very quiet. For 4 days we sit here, reading, playing internet games, cooking, eating, checking the weather reports checking the anchor. Luckily we have a good, strong internet signal. The anchor is in tight and we do not move. It is actually a very odd time. There is nothing to do and not much we can do so we just take a vacation from all of the stress and crazyness of the past weeks.
Finally it looks like the storm is gone. There is a glimpse of brightness in the sky and the internet shows the wind easing off. Rewa is gone early and this time does not come back. We decide to give it one more day. No point taking off while it is still gloomy.
Next morning is glorious. Glad we waited. Blue sky, bright sun, brisk wind. Anchor up and off we go. It is about 40 miles across the notorious Bligh Water to the other main island of Fiji. Once we are out of the reef it is a straight sail across and we settle back and relax and enjoy sailing again after all this time. Of course after all that storminess, there is very little wind and I start to worry that we will not get anchored before dark so we decide to alter course just a little to stop at an earlier anchorage. We have never been here before so we do not know anything about any of them. On the chart one looks as good as the other. However, when we get there it and try to anchor it turns out to be horrible. After 2-3 passes looking for a good spot we give up decide to go on to the next place. It can’t be worse. It is now 4:30. It gets dark about 6:30 and the next anchorage is 7 miles away We should just make it. The coast here is beautiful, so green with steep hills rising up from blue water, very different from the other island.
The anchorage when we come to it, is very different from the earlier one. That was just along the edge of the island. This is up into a deep bay. There is what looks like a boarding school on the side of the hill but other than that there is no one around. Once the anchor is down and the engine stopped it is quiet, absolutely quiet, the quietest I have ever know. Just quiet. There are a few bird calls but once the sun goes down even those stop. Quiet. Tomorrow is another long day so we turn in early and sleep soundly in the quiet.
Next day the course is across the bay and through a very narrow passage through the reef into the next bay. The day is clear and calm, the sea glassy. A quick motor across the bay and we are in among the reefs. We absolutely love our Navionics app on the iPad. It is absolutely spot on. We have totally come to rely on it in Fiji with reefs everywhere. This passage is one of the trickiest we have had. There are reefs on both sides as we skirt along the edge of the bay. Sometimes they are visible as lines of surf or bits of rock sticking up. Sometimes they look green through our orange polarized glasses. Sometimes we cannot see anything. I take up my position on the bow, just in case and we cruise right along. Takes about an hour to get through and then we can hoist sails and head across the bay and into Savusavu at last.
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