After leaving Aldabra in Fiji for cyclone season (from November 2024 to April 2025), I returned to Fiji with the goal of going to Savusavu, putting the boat back together and enjoying a few last weeks in Fiji before heading west to Vanuatu.
I headed back to Fiji via LAX on Saturday, March 29, 2025, loaded down with gear in two large rolling duffles and a hand-carried duffle. I was pleasantly surprised to run into Ian and Laura from RaLa at the departure gate. They had arrived from the U.K. We caught up briefly before boarding the flight.
I was carrying items for workers at the Viani Bay Dive Resort. (I had met them when my friend Terry and I flew to Fiji at the end of February for a couple of weeks of diving.) When I went through Customs, they confiscated two iPhones and made it seem like it would be impossible for me to get them back. I was depressed and panicky, thinking that I would miss my next flight if they didn’t hurry up with the paperwork. (Turns out I was wrong, my next flight was an hour away but I didn’t know that yet.) As I scrambled to the domestic terminal, a man in the parking lot, typical of Fijians, helped me get my luggage to the terminal.
After a brief flight and taxi ride, I arrived back in the Nawi Marina in Savusavu, Fiji on March 31, 2025. Ian and Laura came in on the afternoon flight and we regrouped for dinner that night. The next several days were full of errands and putting the boat back together, with dinner each night at one of the two marina restaurants. The first afternoon I made a place to sleep by emptying out my cabin and making my bed. Then I tackled getting Starlink up and running so I could have Internet. The next morning, I went to Immigration to get a letter for my crew, Jeff, to enter Fiji without a return ticket. And I went to the post office to pay money for an application for a telecommunications permit so I could get the iPhones back. I sent all that information to Jeff so he could try to retrieve the phones when he arrived in Fiji a week later.
Aldabra decomissioned in the Nawi Marina during cyclone season
Getting the boat back together after cyclone season takes time. I had brought a new ignition switch and starter relay for the diesel motor and contacted Pillay in Savusavu to install them. Then I worked on all the jobs I could do myself, leaving others for Jeff to help me with when he arrived. I arranged for a haulout at the new boatyard so I could get the bottom cleaned. My haulout was scheduled for after Jeff’s arrival, but I joined Ian and Laura for their haulout so I could see where to go and understand the routine.
On Saturday, April 5, I went into town to buy some provisions and then met Jeff at the Waitui Marina shuttle stop just as he arrived from the Savusavu airport. (He was able to collect the two iPhones at the Nadi airport, so we put them in a backpack with other items for the Viani Bay dive crew, and handed them off to a charter boat that was heading over there.)
Jeff was allowed to get settled in on Saturday afternoon and then real work began on Sunday. We put the jib up. Jeff worked on getting Starlink running better. Jeff removed the non-working solenoid from the propane tank and bypassed the electrical system until we could get a new solenoid shipped in. We installed new flag halyards.
On Monday we started out at the Immigration office so Jeff could be added to the crew list. We also went to Customs to renew our cruising permit. Then we bought a few provisions so we could have breakfast and lunch on the boat. When we got back, we worked on the wind generator and put the blocks and lines for the davits back on the boat. On Tuesday, we took the boat over to the boatyard for haulout and got the bottom cleaned. It was actually in very good condition even after sitting in a marina for months.
Aldabra being hauled out to clean the bottom
On Wednesday we filled nine Jerry cans with diesel fuel, repainted the anchor chain, tested the anchor windlass, worked on the outboard motor and unpickled the watermaker. The next day, we went to town three times to provision and get gas for the outboard engine for the dinghy. Ian and Laura were kind enough to get our propane tank filled (I call it propane but in the South Pacific it gets filled with butane.) We repacked the lazarette and checked all the navigation lights. On Friday, we did final provisioning and projects, and checked out of the marina, leaving just after lunch.
We motored just a few miles to the anchorage in front of the Cousteau Resort and picked up a mooring ball for a couple of nights. While there we worked on a new system for securing the dinghy while on the davits and worked on routing options for the next couple of weeks. We had an appointment on May 2 for an insurance survey in the Vuda Marina on the west side of Viti Levu, so we just needed to plan our journey to get there.
On Monday, April 14, we motored out of Savusavu Bay and then east and north to Viani Bay. It was a long slog to get there so we didn’t go to shore that evening. The next day, we went to shore to say hello to the dive resort crew and to take a walk and go for a snorkel. We had a really nice dinner that night at the resort.
Catching up with the crew at the Viani Bay Dive Resort
In looking at the weather the next day, we realized that we couldn’t go to Paradise Resort Taveuni as planned, so we decided to go back to the Cousteau Resort anchorage. We got delayed because our anchor chain was wrapped around a bommie and I discovered that there was no air in my dive tank. So, we hired the divers from Viani Bay to free the anchor. By the time we got going, we had to hurry to get back to the anchorage before nightfall. The trip involved a couple of white-out squalls, but we did manage to get there and anchor right before dark.
The next day, Jeff and Ian took our dinghy back to Savusavu to buy permits to go to Namena Island and to get a few provisions. I stayed on the boat and made banana bread. When they returned, the prop on our dinghy gave out. Fortunately, I had a spare and they were able to install it quickly. They had been told that the permits had to be obtained at Namena Island, so we pulled up anchor and headed the 25 miles to get there. Arriving at the end of the day, we grabbed the one mooring ball and RaLa anchored.
We went ashore on Namena to buy our passes to be there
Boobies on Namena collecting nesting materials
The stay at Namena was lovely. We had a couple of days of nice snorkeling and nice weather. Namena is surrounded by a reef with reportedly great diving. The resort on the island was wiped out in a recent cyclone and is almost rebuilt again. It would be great to return there for diving at some point.
On Sunday, April 20, we were off the mooring ball at 6:00 a.m. and followed RaLa out the west side of the reef in very calm conditions. We motored in flat seas and no wind for more than 55 miles to Yadua Island. We anchored in a bay on the west side. We were the only two boats and the conditions were perfect. We stayed two nights and got in some very nice snorkeling. While we were there, Jeff went up the mast to check on the lights at the top and found everything in good shape.
On Tuesday, April 22, we left the anchorage at 6:00 a.m. to head west to the northern tip of the Yasawa Islands. The winds were light and we put up the spinnaker for a few hours. Later, when the winds were even lighter, we dropped the spinnaker and turned on the motor. As we got close to the Yasawas, RaLa discovered that they were taking on water. We stood by while they sorted it out and then both boats continued around the tip of Yasawa Island and around to Champagne Beach, which we had visited in October.
Aldabra flying the spinnaker
Champagne Beach in the Yasawas
The next day, RaLa headed out to quickly go south toward Vuda Marina so they could get their engine looked at to figure out where the water was coming from. We stayed and Jeff swam to shore to explore the beautiful Champagne Beach. When he returned, we pulled up anchor and started heading south. There was a fishing boat anchored in our path so we gave them some kava and some drinking water. We then proceeded to the anchorage in front of the Nanuya Resort near the Blue Lagoon. We were the only cruising boat there, unlike in October when there were dozens of boats. We stayed two nights and had meals at the resort. We also walked across the island to Lo’s Teahouse and had lemonade.
Lo’s Teahouse
On Friday, April 25, we had a nice sail south to Somosomo Bay and anchored in front of the village. We went ashore after lunch for sevusevu with the chief and then bought some bananas, papayas and greens from the village women. The next morning, we moved the boat to nearby One Dollar Bay, where we snorkeled and Jeff went on a beach exploration. On Sunday, we snorkeled in the bay again before pulling up anchor and motoring two hours south to the anchorage in front of the Paradise Resort. Once again, we were the only boat in the anchorage. We had two dinners and a lunch at the resort and hiked the length of the island. While we were there, Jeff worked on making the forward sump pump work and remounting the VHF radio. I worked on the wheel lock for the steering wheel, which had corroded.
On Tuesday, April 29, we sailed for about 6 hours to the Vuda Marina. It was low tide so we anchored outside the channel and waited until 4:00 p.m. to enter. We were guided to a dock near RaLa, thanks to their persuasion with the marina. We had been told that we would be going into the east basin, where you have to med-moor and it’s difficult to get on and off the boat. But thanks to RaLa, we were side-tied to a dock.
On Wednesday morning, we prepared the boat for the insurance inspection. We took everything out of the lazarettes and put it on the dock. We reorganized the interior of the boat so the surveyor could have easy access to compartments. Parts shipped from the U.S. were waiting for us at the marina so Jeff installed the new solenoid for the propane tank. A Yanmar mechanic, Ritesh came to look at the engine. He discovered three broken hose clamps and replaced them. He also identified where the exhaust elbow had a couple of small leaks and that two bolts for a motor mount were loose.
In the afternoon, Don Buckley, our surveyor, came to inspect the boat. We tore it up so he could see what he needed to see, then started reassembling things after he left. The next day, Jeff went up the mast to open up the radar dome to assess why our radar wasn’t working. He found, as we expected, that the small drive belt had broken. He came down and made a new, temporary drive belt with a piece of rubber from my o-ring kit. He then went back up the mast to install the new belt and the radar worked! Afterwards, we installed the new Zeus3 chart plotter that had been shipped in. We had trouble getting the tracks from the old plotter to transfer over, but we figured out a workaround. I then gave the old chart plotter away to another cruiser. Jeff tried to tighten the loose bolts on the motor mount but they were stripped.
Then next day, we motored the boat over to the hoist and it was hauled out once again. This time it really didn’t need a bottom cleaning but we had them do it anyway. Don, the surveyor, inspected the bottom and Jeff replaced a couple of zincs on the shaft while I walked to the office to pay the haulout bill. Then boat went back in the water and we motored back over and tied up to our dock. That afternoon, we went with Ian and Laura in a taxi to Lautoka, just north of Vuda. We went to a couple of hardware stores and then a good supermarket, where we stalked up on provisions. We also stopped by Baobab Marine to pick up new thumb screws for the outboard motor. I had ordered them before leaving Savusavu. We bought a cheap cordless drill because the battery on mine had quit charging. We also bought new inner tubes and tires for the dinghy wheels. When we returned to the boat, we took the exhaust elbow out of the boat so that Ritesh could pick it up the next day and reweld it.
On Saturday, we installed the new thumb screws for the outboard motor and greased them up to prevent rust, which is what afflicted the old ones. We lowered the dinghy to the dock and Jeff worked on repairing a hole in the bottom. He also put epoxy in the holes for the motor mount bolts so he could redrill them. And he replaced the tubes and tires on the dinghy wheels. I serviced several shackles that were getting a bit of rust on them. Bob and Sarah from Rhapsody stopped by for a visit. And Ritesh came by at the end of the day to pick up the exhaust elbow.
On Sunday, I did some loads of laundry early and then Jeff and I and Ian and Laura went to the nearby First Landing resort to sit by the pool and have lunch. I also defrosted the freezer. The next day, Jeff and I took nine Jerry cans to the fuel dock to fill them with diesel fuel. We then walked the propane tank to the nearby gas company and got it topped off with butane. We bought some fishhooks for trading in Vanuatu, and ordered a new drive belt for the radar in case Jeff’s homemade one quits working.
On Monday, Jeff redrilled holes for the motor mount and reinstalled the bolts. I worked on getting some rust off the motor. And Ritesh brought the re-welded exhaust elbow back, which Jeff re-installed with minor assistance from me.
On Tuesday, I filled out a ton of paperwork and sent it to Vanuatu to get permission to enter the country at Port Resolution, which is not a typical entry port. Jeff and I then joined Ian and Laura for a trip to Denarau. I wanted to check on the radar drive belt order and Ian needed some parts. We then stopped at the airport to exchange Fiji currency for Vanuatu currency. The next day, Jeff and I took the taxi back to Lautoka for another trip to a hardware store and the grocery store. We also bought motor oil for the diesel motor. For the rest of the day and the next, Jeff and I used our newly purchased provisions to make food to freeze so that we would have easy meals on our upcoming passage to Vanuatu. Then, on Thursday afternoon, we checked out of the marina and, near high tide, headed out of the marina to Musket Cove, less than three hours away.
We left Ian and Laura still in the marina. They had also had an insurance inspection and then discovered that they needed to completely re-rig their boat. The mast had to come out and all new standing rigging had to be installed. They also had some other issues to address. So, they would be in the marina for a few more days.
When we arrived in Musket Cove, we found a mooring ball to pick up, and Carl of our sister ship Sauce Sea came over to assist. Later, he and his wife Sarah came by for a chat. We stayed on the boat that night and then put the dinghy in the water the next day. We went ashore to pay for the mooring ball and look in the market. Then we went back to the boat, released the mooring ball and towed the dinghy as we motored out of the reef to anchor on an outside reef near Rhapsody. It was low tide and we anchored in about 11 feet of water.
We joined Bob and Sarah of Rhapsody on the nearby floating restaurant Cloud9 for a pizza lunch, and later snorkeled with Sarah on the reef. The next day, all four of us snorkeled on the reef again. Later, Jeff tightened the bolts on the saloon table, which had become very wobbly, and I made a passage plan for the trip to Vanuatu, and tidied up a bit.
The Cloud9 restaurant out on the reef
On Sunday, it was windy and rainy and not at all a good day for snorkeling. We sat on the boat all day riding out the conditions. That night, the wind and waves got worse. At about 5:30 a.m., the wind shifted and our anchor dragged. We only had 50 feet of chain out and we found ourselves in 60 feet of water. Jeff put out another 175 feet of chain, which stopped us. We then worked on fighting the wind and waves to hoist the dinghy motor onto the big boat and then hoist the dinghy up. By then it was light out. Jeff started pulling up the anchor chain as I motored us into the wind but we were stuck on a bommie. It took a few attempts but Jeff finally got the anchor up and we headed into deeper water and motored about three hours to Denarau, where we knew we would be protected from wind and waves. Rhapsody took off at the same time as we did, after having an equally uncomfortable night.
When we arrived in Denarau, we anchored out and had a nice comfortable afternoon and evening with calm, pleasant waters and wind. The next morning, we hoisted the dinghy up on the foredeck, where it would ride during the passage to Vanuatu. At about noon, we took the boat into the marina. After checking in, we took the dive tank to be filled, made a check-out appointment with Customs and Immigration and got some ice cream. We then disposed of our garbage and continued our regular exercise of assessing the weather for the passage to Vanuatu. There was a nice breeze in the marina, so it was very pleasant. We had dinner that night with Bob and Sarah.
On Wednesday, May 14, I did laundry in the early morning. Jeff got two cans of diesel filled up and washed the boat down, and tied the dinghy down and the anchor locker shut before working on Starlink and picking up the new drive belt for the radar. I went with Bob and Sarah in their rental car to the crafts and vegetable markets in Nadi and to a really good grocery store.
The next day, after looking at the weather, we decided to delay our departure from Thursday to Saturday. I arranged for two additional nights in the marina and a new checkout appointment with Customs, Immigration and Biosecurity. Jeff and I took a walk around Denarau Island. I bought a New Caledonia courtesy flag, and Jeff worked on Starlink. We had dinner with Bob and Sarah.
On Friday, I made banana bread. Jeff did some minor repairs. We did some hand washing. And we checked out of the marina. Finally, on Saturday, we checked out of the country at 7:00 a.m. and started heading south toward the pass through the reef that would lead us out of Fiji and toward Vanuatu. Rhapsody was a half hour behind us and RaLa, leaving from Vuda, was about an hour behind us.
