Nov 12, Moala to Momi bay
Flat calm, overcast. We motored our way out through the reefs again and turned south towards SuvaWe were expecting light winds and that is what we got. A couple of times we put the sails up but it just was not worth it. For whatever reason our autopilot was not working. Possibly because we are too close to the date line? I don’t know if that makes a difference or not. Need to check it out. So that was our day, taking turns on the helm with the engine on, no wind, overcast sky but warm. Towards evening it started to get squally and we got a few rain showers. Since the mizzen sail was not up I was able to rig the little awning over the cockpit and provide at least some protection from the rain for whoever was driving. As the sky got dark in the evening, we started to see a glow off in the distance which we finally figured out was the city lights of Suva. Suva is not really a very big city and it was amazing how far out to sea the lights could be seen. It actually made a nice target to steer by.
All day, all night, taking turns. Our plan was to sail past Suva since it is not a very nice harbor and stop just up the way. Serua Harbor looked good on the charts, a narrow entrance which opened up into a wide, protected bay. It was even labeled public anchorage. But as we got closer we could see no sign of the opening. Instead there was spray flying everywhere as we sailed along the outside of the reef. The wind had come up by now and it was also high tide. We were ready for a break but this was not going to work. Once again caution won out over adventure. If we had a decent cruising guide to Fiji we might have chanced it but since we did not we decided to move on. As we headed back out away from the reef we were approached by a large tug boat which gave us a call on the radio. They were just checking to be sure we were OK. Nice.
There was possibly another harbor a little way up the coast but we decided to just keep going until we were off the the main entrance in the reef and then heave to for the rest of the night. Meanwhile the weather had gotten worse. Wind had picked up and there were thunderstorms over the land. Once again, all of the electronics went into the oven for safe keeping. Luckily the lightening stayed over the land and we stayed well off of the coast. Just about dark we decided that we had gone far enough. We hove to off Sigatoka for dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Next morning we woke to find Rhapsody tossing all over the place on very rough seas with 2 meter swells. We had drifted three miles the wrong direction overnight, not towards land ,thank heavens, but away from our destination. Apparently there is a very strong current here. When you heave to the tiller and the sail are in opposition so that the boat does not sail away with the wind but it is still at the mercy of the current. Sails and motor on we spent the next few hours regaining the ground we had lost overnight, tacking and jibing to avoid the many reefs. About noon we finally made it to the entrance to the mail reef which surrounds the western side of Vitu Levy.. Usually any time we get into close quarters or tricky situations Alan takes the tiller but I decided that this time I was going to do it. The channel was reasonably wide and very well marked and the iPad was working fine. Thirty minutes later I brought us into Momi Bay and Alan dropped anchor. The only glitch was that we had both forgotten that the reefed mizzen sail was up and when the anchor struck we immediately started swinging wildly. Luckily there was very little wind in the bay and it only took a minute to get the sail down. I did it. Ok, not really such a big deal, not really a very tricky passage but still I was feeling pretty proud. Hopefully we will have more chances this season to get out of the marina so that I can practice more.
Mom Bay is a lovely anchorage just inside the reef. It s about 25 feet deep with a good bottom, the bank is thick with mangrove trees and seems very deserted. No wide sandy beaches here. There are a few small houses on shore and what looks like it might be a resort over on the point but really very quiet. We had a swim, dinner a good night’s sleep and the next day we were in Denerau. We tied up to the wharf just as about a dozen of our sailor friends were gathering for a party on another boat. Cold beer at last. The perfect end to the trip.
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