Passages

When we left Pentecost Island on Tuesday, June 10, we motored and sailed east across to Crab Bay on Malekula Island. It’s a nature preserve with just enough room for two or three boats. It was beautiful and tranquil and looked like a good place to explore in kayaks, if we were to return later. RaLa arrived just before us, and after we were anchored, we went in their dinghy over to a nearby island to walk around and explore. The island is uninhabited but once housed an education center.

The next day, we left Crab Bay around 8:00 a.m. and motored in less than 5 knots of wind south to Gaspard Bay in the Maskelyne Islands at the southern tip of Malekula Island. The bay is known for dugongs. Ian and Laura saw some on their way in, but we did not. We took a dinghy ride looking for good snorkeling and then hung out in this tranquil anchorage for the day.

On Thursday, we motored with the mainsail up west over to Lonwolwol Bay on Ambryn Island. We anchored there with RaLa, Pole Pole and Alia Vita with plans to visit the village the next day to see Rom Dancing, the traditional dance performed by men on Ambryn, which is an island known for black magic. Late in the afternoon the anchorage got very rolly so we all pulled up our anchors and moved around the corner to Craig’s Cove, which was much calmer. Jeff and I had a hard time finding a suitable spot to anchor but we finally did. We then joined the other crews for a brief visit on Alia Vita.

The next day, Jesse’s son came in a boat to take us over to Lonwolwol to see the Rom dancing. On the way, a large pod of small dolphins, with several tiny babies, swam beside our little boat. It was amazing, especially when the babies jumped out of the water.

Dolphin Video Courtesy of Ian Redwood

Once back at Lonwolwol, we met Jesse and his family and had a look around his place. Part of it was right there behind the beach at the anchorage, but most of it was a short walk from there to the garden and homes of his extended family, right beside a lake created during a volcanic eruption. He had pictures of the before and after. There had been a large hospital built by missionaries, which was wiped out by the eruption. After the Rom dancing, we had lunch at Jesse’s place before his son took us back to our boats in Craig’s Cove. We all had drinks on Pole Pole that night. We said goodbye to RaLa, because there was a possibility that we wouldn’t see them for a long time.

Rom Dancing

Hanging out with the Rom Dancers

Jesse’s Organic Garden

On Saturday, June 14, Jeff and I got up at 6:00 a.m. and headed back over to Malekula Island and anchored in front of Wala Island. (RaLa headed to Epi Island on their way back to Port Vila and Pole Pole and Alia Vita head to Port Stanley on Malekula Island.) At Wala Island, we met Charlie and Elizabeth and their family, and got a tour of the village. We gave some rope and other items to the family.

Then next day, we got up at 6:00 a.m. again and had a nice sail to Luganville on Santo Island. We anchored in front of the Beachfront Resort around noon. After lunch, we went to shore to the resort to ask about dinner and to arrange for a taxi for the next day. We had dinner at the resort that evening.

On Monday, we took several jerry cans to shore and a taxi took us to fill them up with diesel fuel. After we took the fuel back to the boat, we returned to shore and the taxi took us back to town to shop for provisions. We went to the vegetable market and then to the LCM supermarket. We also went to the ATM for cash. After we returned to the boat and had lunch, we pulled up the anchor to look for a better spot. We were expecting a wind event the next day, and did not want to be in that anchorage. After looking around without finding a suitable anchorage, we went out of the harbor and north to Pelakula Bay, which was very protected. Rhapsody was there as well.

On Tuesday, June 17, Jeff and I went for a walk onshore. Later we all four went snorkeling. We joined Bob and Sarah on their boat for a visit after dinner. On Wednesday, we pulled up anchor and headed north to enter Peterson Bay to anchor in front of the Turtle Bay Resort. There is a very shallow pass to get in, so we had to time it for high tide. It was tricky because we probably had mere inches between the bottom and our keel.

The anchorage in front of the resort was nice and calm. Rhapsody came in right behind us and Monsoon, another U.S. boat with a family of four was also there. We took our laundry and garbage to the resort, and then had lunch there. It was good, and we went back for dinner.

The next day, Jeff and I rented kayaks from the resort and paddled across the bay to the Matevula River. We went up the river to the blue hole. We had lunch and swam and visited with other tourists. Dinner was at the resort again than night.

Paddling up the river

Rope swing at the Blue Hole

The next day, Jeff and I went out to the main road and flagged a car down.The two young men were from a northern village. One now works in Australia and was home on a break. The other works in Port Vila and came to see his brother. They took us into Luganville so we could go to Immigration to get a letter for Johno to enter the country without a return airline ticket. We walked to multiple offices before we got everything sorted. Then we walked to town. We visited the World War II museum and had lunch. Then we went to the vegetable market and the supermarket. With all of our supplies, we coaxed a taxi to take us back to the Turtle Bay Resort, about an hour drive.

When we got back to the boat, Rob and Frances were there on Alia Vita. We stopped by to say hello and they invited us to dinner. After putting our provisions away, we joined Rob and Frances for a very nice dinner and visit. We joined them the next night for dinner at the resort.

On Sunday, June 22, it was very windy, but we wanted to get back out of the pass during high tide and daylight. We had lunch with Bob and Sarah at the resort. Then we pulled up anchor to go through the shallow pass at high tide. Once again, we had mere inches under the keel. To add to the stress, the wind was blowing in the high teens/low twenties. After checking out a couple of possible anchorages, we went back south to Pelakula Bay, knowing that it would be a safe spot for the night.

On Monday, we got a slow start in the morning, and then motored north with the jib up to Hog Harbour. On the way up, the seas were big, so we were relieved that the anchorage was pretty calm, although a bit rolly at times during the night. The next day we put the dinghy in the water and went over to see Champagne Beach and then snorkeled at the nearby reef. Then we worked on the inner forestay, which needed some attention.

Champagne Beach Near Hog Harbour

On Wednesday, we motored a few miles north to Port Olry. The anchorage was very nice. The next day, we put the dinghy in the water and went to shore. We found a small modest resort on the beach for lunch and then walked into town. When we returned to the boat, we saw that a French catamaran, Tuvau, had joined us. We went to say hello and agreed to return later for sundowners. I spent some time scrubbing the waterline of the boat and then we joined Marc and Elizabeth for drinks at 6:00 p.m. We had a very nice visit.

Rainbow in Port Olry

Lunch on shore in Port Olry

On Friday, June 27, we got up early and had the anchor up shortly after 6:00 a.m. We motored north for about ten miles before the wind came up. Then we had a lively sail to Gaua Island in the Banks group of islands. We were anchored by 3:00 p.m. in Lakona Bay. A couple of young men came out to greet us and we intended to visit the village the next day. But the anchorage was really rolly that night. So, the next day, we pulled up the anchor and motored a bit north to Bushman’s Bay, wish was much more comfortable.

In Bushman’s Bay, a man paddled out to welcome us. Later other people paddled out with fruits and vegetables to trade. We stayed on the boat on Sunday because we didn’t want to intrude on their church and family time. But before we could go ashore on Monday, we found out that all the villagers were going around the corner to another village for a religious festival. So, we got in the dinghy and hurried to shore to meet the chief, Willy, before he left for the other village. Afterwards, we did some chores and snorkeled in the bay.

On Tuesday, we went ashore to meet up with Chief Willy. He showed us around the village and took us to the primary school. We gave him some rope and 3 gallons of petrol. He gave us a papaya. After the visit, we pulled up the anchor and went around to the next bay, Matanda Bay. Chief Michel greeted us in his canoe and guided us to a good anchor spot. Then we went ashore and he gave us a tour of his village, which consisted of his extended family only. He showed us his house and his garden and we met his family members. After we went back to the boat, we snorkeled on the reef and I scrubbed the bottom of the boat a bit.

Primary school class in Bushman’s Bay

That evening, Michel returned to see if we could charge his phone and to see if he could make a call. They do not have cell coverage in his village. He came back a bit later with some relatives. We tried making a call for them but were not successful. The next day, Michel came back out and we returned his uncharged phone. We promised that we would call his sister in Luganville when we got to the next village, Losalava. Then we pulled up the anchor and went to Losalava.

Touring Chief Michel’s Garden

The trip over to Losalava was against the wind in big seas. Fortunately, it was not a long way. We were going there because we thought it would be a good anchorage for weather that we were expecting. It was okay, but not really protected. We had several visitors that afternoon. Then, the next day, we went ashore, looking for the chief. He wasn’t around, but a group of kids took us around the village and showed us the new clinic that had just been completed. As we toured around, we finally did meet the chief, but he was really busy unloading building materials from a supply boat. We said hello and then continued. The three kids who acted as our guides asked if they could come out to the boat. So, we took them with us in the dinghy. We gave them water and cookies and Jeff gave them a tour of the boat. Before we took them back to shore, we gave them gifts (a book and perfume for the girls and juggling balls for the boy).

School kids visiting the boat in Losalava

We waited out the weather for the next couple of days, doing chores and some cooking. Our plan was to head north to the next two islands in the Banks group. But we finally realized that the weather was working against us and that we wouldn’t have reasonable passages to the other islands or comfortable stays once there. So, we decided to head back south again.

On Monday, July 7, we pulled up the anchor around 10:00 a.m. and headed back to Matanda Bay. We anchored briefly and Chief Michel’s brother paddled over. We told him about our phone call with his sister and asked him to tell Michel that we were leaving. Then we pulled up the anchor again and headed to Bushman’s Bay for the night.

After a quiet night in Bushman’s Bay, we got up at 6:00 a.m. and headed back to Santo Island. Once we got passed the shadow of Gaua Island, the wind came up and we had a lively sail back to the tip of Santo. Once inside the northern islands there, we lost our wind and finally had to motor back to Port Olry. Without even tidying up, we put the dinghy in the water and went to shore.

The restaurant we had visited previously wasn’t open, but we found the small Serenity Resort next door and had beers while we visited with the owner, Angelique. Then we found another place to get an early dinner before returning to the boat.

On Wednesday, we got up at 6:00 a.m. and motored to the center of the bay before putting up the mainsail. Then we motor sailed around to the south and down toward Luganville, in big seas and light winds. Toward the end of the trip, we were able to pull out the jib and turn off the motor and have a nice sail. We returned to the anchorage at the Beachfront Resort where several boats were already anchored. We had dinner that night at the resort.

On Thursday, we did chores. Then on Friday, we took our jerry cans to shore and, after some difficulty, got a taxi to take us to the vegetable market, the LCM supermarket and the gas station. We had dinner on shore again that night.

On Saturday, we woke up early again and had the anchor up by shortly after 6:00 a.m. We motored east and then south to Malekula Island. Eventually we had a good enough angle to sail, and we arrived in Port Stanley bay around 1:00 p.m. We tried three anchorages before settling on one that would only be suitable for the night. We were expecting a strong southerly wind and needed protection from it.

After a very calm night and leisurely morning (with some chores involved), the southerly wind arrived. We pulled up the anchor and went over to the anchorage in front of the village called Litslits. We were happy with the way the anchor set and the protection we were getting there.

On Monday, we remained in that anchorage. The wind was calm at first but then started blowing from the east. After puttering around on the boat, we pulled up the anchor and went over to the anchorage in front of Uri Island. It wasn’t really protected from the conditions. We had a windy night. On Tuesday, it was more of the same, too windy to go snorkeling and too windy to move south to another bay.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday continued with winds in the high teens and choppy wind waves. There wasn’t really any better place to move to in Port Stanley and leaving the bay to go south would be very gnarly. Becoming more resigned to the fact that we were pinned down by weather, we entertained ourselves by polishing the stainless steel railings, cooking and reading. It’s very frustrating to be stuck on the boat without going ashore or getting into the water.

On Saturday, June 7, we pulled up the anchor at 10:00 a.m. for an overnight sail north to Pentecost Island. Pole Pole had arranged for a few boats to see land diving. The seas were big at first but gradually moderated. The wind was in the high teens and low twenties. We traveled at between 5 and 6.5 knots, mostly on a broad reach until we turned right at Ambryn Island to head into Wali Bay on Pentecost. At that point we could reach all the way to the bay. Approaching before daybreak, we slowed ourselves down to arrive in the daylight. Ral\La came in right behind us. Several catamarans from Australia were there, traveling in a flotilla. It made it a bit harder for the other boats in our group, Pole Pole, Alia Vita and Jiyu to find spots. But they did, and then the Australian catamarans left.

It was Jeff’s and Rowan’s birthday that day, so I baked a carrot cake before taking a nap. At the end of the day, all five boat crews gathered on Pole Pole for a wonderful dinner to celebrate the two birthdays.

On Monday morning, we all went to shore to see the land diving. We were greeting by Eileen, who has taken over for her father as the host for land diving in Wali Bay. She offered us fruit and told us the history of land diving, which is only performed on Pentecost (and was the inspiration for bungee jumping). Her story was similar to what the museum guide in Port Vila told us. In a nutshell, a woman and her husband were arguing. She ran away from him and climbed a tree, then tied vines around her ankles. He followed her but did not tie any vines around his ankles. She jumped and so did he. She survived. In the pre-missionary days, it was women who re-enacted his, jumping from a tower. But after the missionaries arrived, they limited the ritual to only boys and young men, mostly as a rite of passage into manhood but also for the benefit of visitors. We were there at the very end of the season. Soon the vines would not be moist enough to provide elasticity.

After the introduction, we walked up a hill to a seating area below the tower, which had been built using the support of a tree. A group of adults and children were dancing and singing in support of the divers. All the male participants were wearing their traditional “kustom” clothing, which consists mostly of a penis sheath. We sat and watched the diving in astonishment, because the landings are not soft.

Getting ready for the dive

Land diving video courtesy of Rowan Gormley

The land divers

After the divers finished, we climbed into the back of a truck and were driven to a waterfall, where we could all frolic in the pools at the base of the falls.

The waterfall

We capped off the day with a bonfire on the beach, courtesy of Eileen, our host, and her husband.

On Monday, May 26, we left the Anatom anchorage about 4:30 p.m. with the spinnaker pole out on the port side. We pulled the jib out with the sheet running through the pole, and motored for about three hours before the wind came up. Then we put the other jib up, with the sheet through the end of the boom, and ran downwind for about 75 miles.

The next day, we continued running downwind, and it was a pretty pleasant sail. When the wind shifted, we took down the second jib and put up the main, thinking we could reach. But that didn’t last for long. We took down the main and ran with just the one jib on the pole. We were way ahead of schedule, so going at about 4-5 knots was good. We ran that way well into the night. Eventually the wind got stronger and we needed to furl in the jib, which meant taking it off the pole and putting the pole away.

During this second night, our wind-speed indicator quit working properly. It only intermittently provided the wind speed and angle. Also, a cast-aluminum fitting on the end of the boom sheared off, so we had to wrap the boom topping lift around the boom. The preventer was attached to the fitting that sheared off, so we moved it to a boom bale.

AT 8:30 on Wednesday morning, we arrived in Port Vila on the island of Efate. It’s the capital of Vanuatu. We had moderated our speed so we wouldn’t arrive before the marina opened at 8:00 a.m. A marina worked guided us in his tender. We picked up a mooring ball on the bow and then backed toward a seawall, where two other workers were ready to catch stern lines. They gave us a gangplank so we could walk from the stern of the boat to the seawall, which was right in front of the marina restaurant.

I put on some decent clothes, and with the paperwork in hand, walked across the gangplank to check in with the marina office. I was wearing flip flops with no traction and I promptly fell off the gangplank into the water. I held up the paperwork for Jeff to grab before it got wet. Then Jeff helped me climb back onto the boat. I changed shoes and walked to the marina office soaking wet. Several people watched this little fiasco with concern, and the marina staff worked with Jeff on making the gangplank more secure. Meanwhile, I nursed my several wounds from hitting the gangplank in a few different places as I fell.

After we checked in, I showered and changed clothes and we had lunch at the restaurant, not great food but very convenient. Then we started to get acquainted with Port Vila. We found the ATM, the Digicel phone office and the big supermarket.

On Thursday morning, we took our laundry to the marina office. Then I walked to the Digicel office to get a SIM card and phone number for Vanuatu. Next, I walked to the welder with the cast-aluminum cap that goes on the end of the boom, but it was a public holiday, so they were closed. When I got back, Jeff went up the mast to take down the wind indicator for inspection. After doing as much as he could to get it to move more freely, he went back up the mast to reinstall it. And I ordered a new bearing for it that Johno could bring when he arrives in August.

On Friday, I walked back to the welder to drop off the the cast-aluminum boom cap, and  stopped for a few things at the supermarket. When I got back to the boat, we took 8 jerry cans over to the fuel dock to fill with diesel. Then I defrosted the freezer and cleaned the boat a bit. We picked up our laundry at the end of the day.

On Saturday, we defrosted both refrigerators and did other boat chores. Ian and Laura arrived from Erromango and we stopped at a nice little breakfast/lunch place behind the marina. We had dinner that night with RaLa and Rhapsody at Lalala, a restaurant that we had come to like very much.

The next day, Jeff made a broccoli salad and I made a black bean soup. Rhapsody and RaLa came over for dinner. After we ate, Jeff and I and Ian and Laura walked into town to the movie theater. We saw Mission Impossible, which was pretty bad, but it was fun to go to the movies.

On Monday, I went to the welder to pick up the boom cap. Back at the boat, we reinstalled it and it fit perfectly. Then we stood around the marina office for a long time, waiting for the Customs and Immigration officials to arrive to help us sort out some of our paperwork. The office had flagged an issue because the officials in Port Resolution had used the wrong process for our cruising permit. Once that was taken care of, Jeff and I joined Ian and Laura for lunch and then Ian and Laura and I caught a taxi to check out the marine chandlery. Finding very little of interest to us, we stopped in to see the diesel mechanic that Ian had been working with. I stayed a while and then got a taxi back to the marina on my own. While I was away, Jeff reinstalled the boom cap and reran the reefing lines.

The next day, Jeff pop riveted a new fitting on the boom for the preventer, so it didn’t have to be attached to the boom cap, which was not designed for that kind of stress. We did a few more chores, washed down the boat and had dinner with Ian and Laura.

On Wednesday, we walked to the national museum. The guide demonstrated sand art, where he drew in the sand while telling a story. He also told us several Vanuatu origin stories and showed us around the museum. Afterwards, we walked to a fruit and vegetable market and then to the supermarket, getting final provisions so we could take off again.

An example of sand art. The guide drew this while telling us a story.

On Thursday, June 5^th, we checked out of the marina and sailed out of Port Vila and around to the north side of Efate. RaLa and Pole Pole did the same. We ended up anchoring off of Lelepa Island. The snorkeling was good and we all gathered for tea on RaLa in the afternoon. At the end of the day, locals from the island came to tell us that we couldn’t anchor there. We protested that it was too late in the day for us to move. So we were all given permission to stay until the next morning.

On Friday morning, we got up reasonably early and pulled up anchor to go out the northern pass. As we exited the pass, we were hit with lots of wind and huge waves. It was hard to control the boat. RaLa was a head of us and anchored in a small bay. We motored around them and decided that it was too dicey to anchor there. We kept going around the top of Efate and found an anchorage that was better protected. RaLa arrived a bit later. Pole Pole also came around to that back but anchored in a different spot. We took RaLa’s dinghy to shore to walk around for a bit, then went back to our boats.

We arrived in Port Resolution on Tanna Island on Tuesday, May 20. Tanna is known for its active volcano, Mt. Yasur, so we made arrangements with a man by the name of Donovan to take us to the volcano on Wednesday evening.

Wednesday was Ian’s birthday, so when I awoke, I baked a chocolate cake for him and some vegan brownies that Bob and Sarah on Rhapsody could eat. Meanwhile, Jeff was troubleshooting our running lights and discovered that they had blown a fuse and when turned on used a staggering amount of amps – so he knew we had a short in the system. After a few explorations, he disconnected the compass light, which corrected the issue.

Ian and his birthday cake

In the middle of the afternoon, we all went over to RaLa for tea and birthday cake. After our little celebration, we went to shore to find Donovan. He had arranged for a friend to take us to the volcano in his truck. The road out of Donovan’s village was quite rough, but we soon reached a new paved road, in the process of completion by a Chinese enterprise. (We have heard that the Chinese are building roads in Vanuatu in exchange for fishing rights. And we saw huge Chinese fishing fleets near Vanuatu.)

Once on the smooth road, the trip to the volcano was easy. When we got to the volcano park, we paid our entry fees and then drove to the observation area. It was a pretty overcast day, and fog lay heavy over the caldera. But as the day turned to night, we could see small hot spots of red. And the volcano emitted very loud booms every so often. At one point, one of the hot spots erupted, venting a huge stream of red gas high into the air. I don’t have a picture of it.

At the volcano, video courtesy of Jeff Fredrick

We stayed at the volcano about an hour, breathing in the sulphury gases and chatting with the guides who worked there. Then we walked back to the truck for the ride back to the village.

On the ride up and back, Donovan was able to tell us his story. He lives in a very small village and they don’t have access to drinking water without walking quite a distance from the village, which is very hard for older and infirm people. Because he hasn’t been able to get any government assistance, Donovan has been building a solution on his own, funding it by taking people on treks up to the volcano. His solution is to dam a small river source and install pipes to move the water closer to the village.

Donovan also told us about the long-held beliefs about the volcano and how each of the hot spots was once a person. And when those people throw up stones, those stones can be used by some to change the course of nature.

On Thursday, Jeff and Ian and Laura and I went for a walk on the island. We ventured to a brackish watering hole where many women were washing clothes and children were playing. We then walked over to the windward side of the island. Jeff swam in the surf and we talked to a woman who ran a small backpacker resort. She told us that their village was completely out of water. Someone had broken the pump and they were waiting for someone to arrive from Australia to install a new pump.

Mama washing clothes, child enjoying the water

Jeff taking advantage of the beach on the windward side of Tanna

Talking to the manager of the little resort

All the other boats in the anchorage left, leaving just Aldabra and RaLa. Then Tanik, a boat from Israel, came to check in. That night, we went over to their boat for sundowners.

RaLa and Aldabra in Port Resolution

The next day, we got up very early, put the dinghy on the davits and pulled up anchor and started heading out of Port Resolution by 6:30 a.m. We motored part way around the island and then put up the main. But we still had to motor sail for a while before the wind came up. After using the motor for quite a distance, we were finally able to sail with main and jib, beating and reaching with winds in the high teens. That lasted until we arrived in the wind shadow of Anatom Island, at which point we came to a dead stop. We took the sails in and motored to the anchorage, right off of Mystery Island, arriving about 3:00 p.m. Rhapsody, RaLa and Pole Pole were already there. We went ashore to see if we could get some local currency from the bank and to arrange to hike to a waterfall. We all had drinks together that night on Pole Pole.

On Saturday, Ian and Laura, Sarah and Jeff and I went ashore to find the man who could guide us to the waterfall. We had thought someone had alerted him the night before, but that had not happened. Fortunately, his young cousin heard that we were looking for him and that cousin ran to his house to alert him. Meanwhile, we started walking in the direction of his house, which was about an hour walk. Ilisha intercepted us as we got near his house and guided us there. He showed us around his property, which was very well kept. He had put a lot of work into nice buildings and a large garden.

After hanging out at his place for a bit, we started our walk to the waterfall, along with Ilisha, his young daughter, his cousin Samuel and his young sister in law. It was a four-hour walk through a jungle path that hadn’t been cleared in a while. We did about twenty river crossings. The going was tough and slippery at times. Once at the waterfall, some of us plunged into the cold water and sat on boulders to have some lunch. Ilisha and the kids hunted for eel and shrimp and cooked them in bamboo.

Spear fishing for shrimp and eel

Sarah enjoying the waterfall

The return trip was shorter timewise, but it had started raining and the path was wet and slippery. I fell a few times, even though Samuel was generally by my side with a helping hand. Once back on the main path, we bid goodbye to Ilisha and walked with Samuel back to the village and to the dinghy on the beach. We were drenched and muddy but it had been a good adventure. We had gone 11 miles.

On Sunday, we tried washing our muddy clothes and shoes. Then Ian and I went to shore to give Ilisha some things we had promised him. He was very grateful for everything but mostly moved by a pair of shoes that Ian had given him. In the afternoon, we all walked around Mystery Island, which was abandoned for the moment. Three cruise ships had called in the last three days. The ships disgorge their passengers onto the island for the day. But no cruise ship was there that day so we had the place to ourselves for a quick circumnavigation.

Jeff in the soup pot on Mystery Island

On Monday, May 26, I stayed on the boat while Jeff and Ian and Laura went for a walk on the main island. I studied weather for a passage north. When Jeff returned, we discussed leaving for the passage at 5:00 p.m. that day. Later, Jeff and Ian and Laura attempted to snorkel off Mystery Island. It is supposed to be very good, but it was really windy and choppy. When they returned without much success, Ian and Laura had decided to leave as well. We were heading to Port Vila on the Island of Efate. They were headed to Dillon’s Bay on Erromango. Some weather was coming and we each made individual decisions about where we wanted to be in the weather. Rhapsody decided to stay until they could get some good snorkeling in.

On Saturday, May 17, at 7:30 a.m., we left the Denarau Marina in western Fiji, bound for Vanuatu. We motored out of the Navula Pass with the main up. We motored for a couple more hours after exiting the pass. Once we left the wind shadow of Viti Levu, we turned off the motor and sailed on a broad reach on the rhumbline, with one reef in the main at first and a second reef put in before dark. The waves were 2-3 meters. The wind in the high teens and twenties. During the night, we got pushed more to the south to avoid having to jibe. Also during the night, a booby bird crash landed into the cockpit, right next to where I was sitting at the helm. I shrieked before I realized what it was. It used its wings to slowly climb out of the hole between two rails, then stood stunned on the BBQ. I nudged it to fly before I realized that it was injured. The next morning I found blood all over the BBQ cover and parts of the cockpit. I just hoped it wasn’t too badly injured.

On Sunday, conditions were improved but the waves were still big. We continued to be forced more south. Because we were on such a broad reach and the waves were so big, the jib kept collapsing. So we put the spinnaker pole up and ran the jib sheet through it, which helped the jib keep its shape. The wind was in the high teens and low twenties.

On Monday, May 19, the wind and the seas moderated. We pulled down the main and put up a second jib, with the sheet running through the back of the boom, which allowed us to run downwind. That meant that we no longer needed to worry about the main accidentally jibing and we could point more toward our destination. However, by that evening, we didn’t have enough wind. We had to take the second jib down and motor sail with the regular jib on the pole. When we turned on the motor, we also changed navigation lights, only to discover that the running lights weren’t working. We would troubleshoot them later, but for the night, we used our masthead tricolor, as if we were powered by sails alone.

On Tuesday, after motoring all night, we arrived in Port Resolution on Tanna Island in Vanuatu. It was mid-morning. Rhapsody, who left Denarau right after we did, was already in the anchorage. And RaLa, who left Vuda Marina a couple of hours behind us, entered the anchorage about an hour ahead of us. There were more than ten boats in the anchorage that had already checked in, many of whom had come up from New Zealand.

We had prior approval to check into Port Resolution, and the officials were there. They radioed us to come ashore, so we put the dinghy in the water and headed to the beach. All three boats checked in rather quickly. The officials were very friendly, giving the impression that they liked their jobs and that they liked having the yachts visit.

One doesn’t get much sleep on a passage, so after tidying up the boat and having beers on RaLa, we turned in early for a good night’s sleep.

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.

Patti and I left the Denarau Marina at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 7. We were headed clockwise around Viti Levu Island, first north and then east. As we passed Saweni Bay, Ndebt came out of the bay and sailed in front of us. They had done this trip before and were familiar with the course through the reefs. (They were waiting for a weather window to sail to New Zealand, so this trip was a way to be on the move instead of sitting at anchor somewhere.) Shortly after they appeared, the wind came up at 17-20 knots as we left the protection of Viti Levu’s wind shadow. As we rounded the island toward the east, we had one-meter seas. We got to our first anchorage (a small inlet to the west of Vatubuli Island) as it was getting dark and were a bit too far behind them to follow in their tracks. Patti went to the bow and could see the reef on either side so she was able to guide me into the anchorage. It was still windy in the anchorage but the water was flat. We had eight feet of water under the keel. We had dinner and retired.

On Friday, we got up at 6:00 a.m. and left the anchorage at 8:00 a.m., following Ndebt out. As we continued east through the reefs, we mostly motored against winds in the high teens. At one point we put up the sails, but the wind angle didn’t hold and we had to take them down again. We arrived in our next anchorage at 2:00 p.m, in the northwest corner of Nananu-I-Thake. RaLa was there. After we anchored, we went with RaLa over to Ndept for tea. I was tired and turned in early.

On Saturday, I got up at 6:00 a.m. and ran the motor because the battery voltage was low. I ran the watermaker at the same time. I also put fifteen gallons of diesel into the fuel tank, from jerry cans. At 9:30, RaLa picked us up in their dinghy and we went to the beach at the island. Brad and Tari from Ndebt joined us and we walked on the island.

The three crews on a hike

Afterwards, we sat with Ian and Laura to discuss routes to Savusavu and which day to leave. I had planned to leave on Sunday but I agreed to wait until Wednesday. I rested on the boat that afternoon while Patti went kayaking.

Patti in the kayak

It was windy on Sunday and I stayed on the boat all day. Brad and Tari came over for sundowners. The next day, we all went back to the island for a longer walk. The caretaker allowed us to walk all the way through to a different beach. He gave us fruit and later took us back to our dinghies. The rest of the afternoon was very rainy. Tuesday was a windy day, and in looking at the weather, we decided to delay our departure until Thursday. So on Wednesday, we went to a nearby point jutting out on the island and swam and had a picnic. That evening, we all went to RaLa for sundowners and said farewell to Ndebt. They would return to the Denarau area as we proceeded northeast to Savusavu.

Aldabra at anchor

On Thursday, November 14, we pulled the anchor up at 6:00 a.m. after freeing the anchor from a coral head. We followed RaLa out through a winding course that took us south, then east and then north out of the reef system surrounding Viti Levu. We then crossed Vatu-I-Ra Channel which is open ocean. During the sail, we had a lot of wind, mostly on the beam so the sailing was boisterous but good. The seas were big but not too big. Eventually we sailed on a close reach until we arrived at the opening of the reef protecting Vanua Levu. Once inside the reef, we made our way to an anchorage just north of Nasonisoni Passage. It was windy but the water was flat.

Aldabra sailing across the channel

The next morning, on November 15, we got up early but our anchor was stuck around a coral head. We freed ourselves and were underway by 7:00 a.m., following RaLa out to the east through the Nasonisoni Passage. The tide was going out and the winds were in the high teens against us. A bad condition because it creates standing waves. The passage was long, and even after we got outside and into the bay, we were motoring up and over big waves for more than an hour. If the motor had quit, we would have been doomed. Once we finally got far enough into the Koro Sea, we could turn northeast a bit so the waves were at a slightly more favorable angle. We slogged our way across the sea and into Savusavu Bay, and then up Nakama Creek to the Nawi Island Marina. The guys escorted us into a slip, which was a couple down from our previous slip.

From Saturday, November 16 until Friday, November 22, I worked on decommissioning Aldabra for cyclone season. These are some of the things that needed to be done:

• Rinse, dry and fold the mainsail, cover it and then spiral-wrap line around it to keep it from getting blown in strong winds.
• Rinse and dry the jib, take it off the furler, and fold it and put it down below.
• Take the dinghy off the davits on the stern and stow it upside down on the foredeck, cover it and lash it down.
• Wash and rinse lines, sheets and jacklines. Dry them and stow them down below.
• Fill the diesel tank with remaining jerry cans.
• Give food away.
• Rinse the entire boat, including the anchor locker.
• Pickle the watermaker.
• Change the oil and oil filter on the diesel motor.
• Clean the interior of the boat, wiping all surfaces down with white vinegar.
• Lean cushions on their sides to allow airflow, stow all exterior gear down below.
• Take all bedding and clothing to be laundered.
• Defrost two refrigerators and one freezer.
• Clean the stove.
• Set up dehumidifier and a couple of computer fans that will run continuously.
• Rinse and dry kayaks, fold and store below.
• Remove blades from the wind generator.
• Close several thru-hulls.
• Turn off most switches on the electrical panel.
• Communicate with the caretakers who will look after the boat.

On Friday, November 22, Ian helped me get my luggage from Nawi Island to the taxi stand in Savusavu, where I caught a short ride to the airport. I flew to Nadi and from there flew to Los Angeles, where I rented a car to drive to San Diego. I arrived in time to celebrate Thanksgiving and later Christmas with my family.

Aldabra in the marina, all buttoned up

On Sunday, we pulled up anchor at 7:00 a.m. to sail to Denarau. We arrived in the anchorage at 2:00 p.m. and relaxed on the boat that evening. It was a still night. The next day, we spent the morning preparing for Aldabra to be hauled out at 2:00 p.m. We emptied the lazarette so the guys could get in and drop the rudder as soon as the boat was hauled out but still in the slings. (Once the boat is on the hard stands, it isn’t high enough to drop the rudder.)

As we were pulling up the anchor to go in, the gear shift lever came off in my hand. I had to put a pair of vice grips on the small stub of a lever to shift gears. With that little snafu, we were a bit late to the haulout. I messaged Chase, our contact at Baobab, about the situation, hoping he would have assistance as we got to the dock. As we approached the dock, we came in a little too fast and I wasn’t able to put the boat in reverse. A couple of guys on lines could have easily halted our forward progress, but Chase was buy himself, handling both bow and stern lines. We bumped the dock with the bow, which was unfortunate, but they were able to buff out the scrape while the boat was in the yard.

After the guys at the Denarau Marina hauled us out, they pressure washed the boat bottom and then dropped the rudder. Then they moved us onto a hard stand and helped us get set up with a ladder to get on and off the boat. We then checked in with the marina, got gate keys, took showers and found ourselves a restaurant for dinner.

Believing that the rudder was in good hands, Pat and I set about the next morning looking for bolts to fix the shifting lever. We were successful in that endeavor. We then tackled what should have been an easy project. The solar panels on top of the dodger had moved to one side, which could only have happened when we were pulled sideways off the reef at Mana Island. Moving the panels back in place was a challenge that required a lot of patience. We had to unscrew hard-to-get-to screws and then replace them after we moved the brackets they were securing. It took far longer than we expected. I then scraped the barnacles off the bottom of the boat that weren’t removed by the power washing. We then walked a mile or so to the Fresh Choice store to buy groceries and a nice ex-pat woman gave us a ride back to the marina. We had good Indian food at Indigo that night after our showers.

Aldabra in the boatyard, second from left

On Wednesday, we finished the solar panel project and then worked on fixing a leak at the mast. Jeff and I had thought we had fixed it the last time we were in Denarau. But we still had a leak in really heavy rain. It rained most of the day so we worked during lulls. After during more boat projects on Thursday, we walked to the other side of the Island on Friday. Pat took pictures of various flowers so he could paint them later. We had dinner that night at an Italian restaurant with Ted and Jenny from Southern Star. Then I walked Pat to a taxi so he could go to Nadi airport to catch a flight back to California. After Pat left, I went over to Cardo’s to join some of the people on the Pacific Rally for drinks.

Dinner with Ted and Jenny

On Saturday morning I got up at 5:00 a.m. to do laundry at the marina. There are only three washing machines and two dryers so it’s often impossible to find them empty. Later, I made up the beds in each cabin and defrosted the refrigerator. I worked on tidying up the boat on Sunday.

On Monday, my friend Steve arrived in the morning. The plan was for him to arrive as the boat work was completed and to then help me take the boat back to Savusavu for cyclone season. We had breakfast with the crews from Southern Star and Opal Lady. Then we installed a couple of parts that Steve had brought from California, a block for the furling line and a filter housing for the watermaker. Then we went across to the other side of Denarau Island to check into our “Airbnb,” which turned out to be an apartment in a hotel that these people had booked for their children who left early. I was a bit confused by the arrangement but it seemed to work out. Even though it was a bus or taxi ride back to the boatyard each day, at least we had an air-conditioned place to stay at night. It was really hot in the yard.

That same day, a week after we had hauled out, I learned that absolutely no work had been done on the rudder. The guys at Baobab, who had been contracted to do the work, had not coordinated with the fiberglass guy, who was needed for the first step, which was to cut the rudder open. I was floored. This meant that there was now no clear schedule for getting the work done. The fiberglass guy could not move us ahead of his other projects. And it meant that the work would not be done before Steve had to fly back to California. I had him fly to Fiji for a sailing trip he would not be able to take.

On Tuesday, Steve and I walked from the hotel apartment to the boatyard to work on a few projects. Then we walked to the Hilton hotel, which had access to a walkable beach. The next day, we blew up the kayaks and paddled around the mangroves near on one side of the harbor before a rainstorm began. It was decided that Steve should go out to the Paradise Cove Resort for a few days to salvage his vacation.

On Wednesday, we rented a car and drove down the coast to Natadola Beach. There was a quiet resort there where we had lunch.

Looking at Natadola Beach from the resort

On Thursday, I did boat projects while Steve did laundry in preparation for his Island visit. Then on Friday, we checked out of the hotel apartment. Steve caught a ride to the ferry and I went back to the boat.

The rudder being built

For the next few days, I stayed on the boat and worked on it while monitoring the progress with the rudder. On Monday, October 28, I learned that the rudder would not be ready until the following weekend. I let Steve know and he decided to book a flight back to California earlier than planned. He returned to Denarau on Tuesday evening. We had dinner and then he took a taxi to the airport.

After Steve left, I booked an Airbnb in an apartment complex right near the boatyard. I moved in there for nearly a week, working on the boat during the day, having dinner with cruising friends at night and then sleeping in the air-conditioned apartment.

On Monday, November 4, I moved out of the apartment and put my gear back on the boat. The guys came to put Aldabra in the slings of the Travellift so they could put the rudder back in. But something had been measured wrong and the rudder didn’t fit. They removed it and took it back to the shop. I wasn’t sure what it would take to modify the rudder, but they completed it in a few hours and the boat was in the water and in a berth by the end of the day.

On Tuesday, Navin from Baobab came to test the autopilot, which had not been working properly even before the rudder was damaged. We did a sea trial and he discovered an installation problem. Navin’s team worked on it for the rest of the day, installing all new autopilot components and building a new mount for the installation of the sensor. They continued work on Wednesday and were ready for a sea trial by the end of the day but it was too windy. The sea trial was conducted on Thursday morning so they could do the calibraton of the autopilot. Once that was done, Aldabra was ready to leave to return to Savusavu.

Because Steve had to return to California, I had made arrangements for a woman to join me on the way to Savusavu. Patti arrived on Thursday morning in time for the sea trial. After we returned to the marina to drop Navin and his colleague off, I checked out of the marina, paid by bill at Baobab and bought some final provisions.

On Sunday, October 6, Pat and I got up early and left the Musket Cove anchorage just after 6:00 a.m. We motored at first, until the wind came up about two thirds of the way. We arrived back in Somosomo Bay at 4:00 p.m. and anchored. RaLa was the only other boat there. Ian and Laura came over to Aldabra for sundowners. It was a gusty, rolly night.

The next day we picked Ian and Laura up in the dinghy and went to shore. We walked through the village to a path leading to the other side of the island. On the other side, we visited the Marou village and saw the school that the older children in the main village walk home from every day. (They are taken there by boat in the morning.) We met villagers and chatted with them. Ian has a great facility for engaging people in good conversations.) After walking back to the main village, we talked with a group of people hanging out on the beach and eventually made our way back to our boats. We had sundowners on RaLa that evening.

With Ian and Laura on the other side of Somosomo Bay

Pat and Laura and me

Walking toward Marau Village

On Tuesday, we picked our anchor up at 8:30 a.m. and started out of Somosomo Bay for Champagne Beach on the farthest north island of the Yasawas. We were traveling up the western side of the Mamanucas and then the Yasawas, outside the reefs. It was really windy and with large wind waves. There might have been more protection closer to shore but I was trying to avoid having to negotiate reefs. We were, of course, hand steering, a half hour at a time. We were on a reach most of the time, with a reefed main and the jib. It was pretty challenging and kind of hard on the boat, but there wasn’t any really good place to stop and anchor, so we kept going. As we got closer to our destination, the wind came around on our nose so we had to take the jib down and motor sail with the reefed main.

Pat at the helm

RaLa had started out behind us and had cut in closer to shore and turned their motor on much earlier. They were now ahead of us as we slogged toward our destination. For the last two miles, we dropped the main and motored toward the anchorage. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. and anchored. RaLa was there, as was PolePole. Nereida came in behind us from the north but I didn’t realize who she was because she was anchored pretty far out. It was so windy that we didn’t leave the boat. Champagne Beach is a beautiful location with an expanse of white sand and vegetation, and no visible human presence.

On Wednesday, we tidied up the boat, folding the main and recovering from our little adventure of the day before. We dropped the dinghy in the water and went over and picked Ian and Laura up from ReLa. We stopped by PolePole to say hello and then went to the beach. After securing the dinghy on the beach, we began hiking in one direction and then changed our minds and started hiking inland and then north to the Yasawa-I-Rawa village, about four kilometers away. It was a nice walk.

Most of the villagers were away, at a funeral in a neighboring village. But a woman named Ma met us and took us to her house and to her husband Lazo, who performed the sevusevu ceremony.

Sitting with Ma and Lazo after sevusevu

Ma then took us to the school, where eight younger children were being educated. The teacher told us that they were very enthusiastic about meeting outsiders. Each one introduced themself and then we introduced ourselves. Then they did some singing and dancing.

Walking across the village to the school

As we began to head back to the edge of the village, Ma had us wait while she went and got each of us a coconut to drink. We gave her money for the rebuilding of their village church, which had been destroyed several years ago by a cyclone. We also bought some baskets and shells from some of the local women. We were told that in this remote village, these sales were their only livelihood. We also left the village with papayas. This village, at the northern tip of the Yasawas, isn’t visited by the ferry. To get to the mainland for supplies and services, they take their own boats south to Nanuya Island, and then catch the ferry to Denarau. It’s expensive so they don’t make this journey often.

The church that was destroyed by a cyclone

Hiking back from the village to Champagne Beach

After we hiked back and returned to our boats, we heard a call on the radio from Jeanne Socrates on Nereida. She had a rat onboard and was looking for help to catch it. I took some peanut butter over for bait but otherwise wasn’t much help. The rat was cornered but the space was too small to do anything to trap it. We chatted a while to catch up since we hadn’t seen each other since New Zealand. She decided to sail down to Nanuya the next day to catch a ferry to Denarau to buy better trapping supplies.

On Thursday, Ian and Laura, Pat and I went to the beach south of the anchorage to explore. We then had tea together to say our farewells for now. I would see them in a few weeks but Pat would not. (We had already said our farewells to Womble, who had sailed back to Viti Levu to prepare to sail to Vanuatu and then on to Australia.)

Exploring near the anchorage

Exploring

Aldabra anchored at Champagne Beach

The wind died during the night, and without it the swell became uncomfortable. Pat and I left the anchorage the next morning at 6:30. There was no wind and we motored in very flat seas with no swell. Dolphins joined us for a few minutes along the way, our first visit in Fiji.  

We arrived back at the anchorage in front of the Paradise Cove Resort at 1:30 p.m.  It had been a quick trip to the Yasawas but it was worth seeing, even briefly. The only boat in the anchorage was Jetwave Avalon, who we met in the Cook Islands. I’d seen them on AIS several times in recent weeks but had not seen them in person. The hundreds of fruit bats in the trees on shore were very vocal. It was a still night.

The bats at Paradise Cove

On Saturday, October 12, we put the dinghy in the water and later took it north a couple of miles to the pass where the giant mantas hang out. Again, we didn’t see any but the snorkeling was great. We turned around before too long because the dinghy was taking on water through the drain plug. Plus, the dinghy motor was acting up. We got back safely to Aldabra and had sundowners on Rhapsody, who had arrived that afternoon. Their new motor had been successfully installed in Denarau so they were on their way to explore the Yasawas.

On Monday, September 2, we left the Denarau Marina and headed west to Musket Cove, which is part of the Mamanuca Islands west of Viti Levu. We arrived in the middle of the day with lots of wind and chop and anchored until 4:00 p.m.  At that point, the tide was high and we could head into the marina. Knowing we had to med-moor in the marina, I was quite nervous. But there was plenty of room on both sides of us. I started backing the boat toward the dock and Jeff dropped the anchor when the harbor master signaled him to do so. As I kept backing up, fortunately in a somewhat straight line, Jeff ran back to the stern to throw the lines to the harbor master and Brad from Ndebt, who was there waiting as well. It went pretty smoothly.

Musket Cove is a very popular place amount the cruisers. Although we were on the dock, most people anchor or pick up a mooring ball. We were there because the Citizens of the Sea organization was about to hold a two-day workshop to share the findings of the data collection we had done on the way from New Zealand, and to get our feedback. But many other boats were there in anticipation of the Musket Cove Regatta, which was to commence the following week. The Musket Cove Regatta is a big party opportunity and even during the week leading up to it, things were very social.

Jeff and I both attended the Citizens of the Sea workshop on September 4^th and 5^th. On the first day, a coral-restoration scientist gave a talk and then took us out to an artificial reef where he was cultivating coral. It was so windy that day that we had to cancel other activities and have lunch back at the marina. The next day, we were in a conference room, hearing from local scientists about coral restoration in Fiji and about what they were learning from the very early analysis of our data collection. A very eye-opening day.

Coral growing on the artificial reef, the black algae has to be removed for the coral to thrive

The fish and the coral need each other

The next day, Jeff and I had lunch before he boarded a ferry to go back to the mainland to catch a flight back to the U.S. and then to his home in Mexico. He had been on the boat for eight weeks and had been a very valuable crew member

The next day, on Saturday, September 7, my sister Wendy arrived on the ferry. We stayed for a few days and hung out with the other cruisers. Then on Monday, September 9^th, we checked out of the marina and headed to Navadra Island, arriving about six hours later. It was quite crowded and we had to anchor in deep water. It was also pretty rolly. We spent one night there and didn’t go to shore.

The next morning, when we tried to pull up the anchor, we discovered that the chain was stuck on a coral head. Added to that, another boat had anchored too close to us and prevented us from being able to maneuver well. As we tried to motor and make turns to free the anchor chain, a couple on another boat came over to see if they could help. In the end, I put on my dive gear to investigate. We were in 70 feet of water and I had to go down once just to understand the problem. Then I went up to give Wendy instructions on what to do once I was down on the bottom again. (I needed her to let out about 20 feet of chain so I could quickly pull it off the coral before it got taut again.) I tried to surface slowly after the second dive, but once I surfaced, they told me that the husband from the other boat had dropped his phone. Without thinking it through, I went down to the bottom again to look for the phone. (If I had taken a pause and asked questions, I might have figured out that this was a bad thing to do. First, it was a cheap phone and he was used to losing his phones. Second, the chance of finding it was slim. Third, I needed to wait before doing another dive at that depth. But I was feeling guilty so I went down again. I searched and searched but could not find the phone. Finally, I started ascending slowly, crawling up the anchor chain and stopping for safety intervals. I didn’t have my dive computer or a watch on, so I was just guessing at the times. Fortunately, I surfaced without incident. But it was still not a good move on my part.

Once we were free and I removed my dive gear, we motored north to Yalobi Bay on the southern side of Waya Island. We tried anchoring three times and couldn’t find a spot that was shallow enough without being too close to a reef. As we were going through these machinations, Womble appeared from the south. Hearing our feedback, they detoured to the west side of Waya, to the Octopus Resort. We followed. It’s a bit tricky because you have to go out through a pass with submerged reefs on both sides, but we crawled along slowly and got to the anchorage in the late afternoon.

With stiff steering and no autopilot, we each steered for a half hour. Wendy got lots of practice at the helm. The bluetooth headphones are great for communicating when someone is on the bow.

The anchorage in front of the Octopus Report was windy and quite rolly and uncomfortable.  Womble was already there. We anchored and were followed in by Justina, a boat we had been on the radio with when we were in Yalobi Bay. They also had tried to anchor there and had given up.

The next day, we went ashore to the resort. John and Marsha from Justina were there and we chatted. Later RaLa, and Ted and Jenny on Southern Star showed up. All the boat crews went ashore than night for cocktails and dinner. On Thursday, September 12, we explored on shore and went snorkeling. That evening, after cocktails on Womble, I was down below and the watermaker and the motor were running. I heard Katrina callng my name and I rushed into the cockpit. Aldabra’s anchor had dragged and we were floating by Womble’s transom as Dale and Katrina looked on in horror. We gave them a tiny bump as I put the transmission in forward and drove away from them. I called Wendy into the cockpit and she drove the boat while I pulled up the anchor. We motored around the anchorage until we found a spot that was far enough away from other boats before we dropped anchor again.

During the next few days, we snorkeled, hung out on the boat and socialized with RaLa, Womble and Justina. Then on Sunday, September 15, we motored up to the anchorage in front of the Paradise Cove Resort on Naukacevu Island. Womble and RaLa led the way. After we anchored, we took a couple of dinghies north to a pass where giant mantas can be found. We didn’t find any mantas but the coral was beautiful in places. The next day we walked on the island behind the resort and had lunch with RaLa and Womble. We snorkeled near the boats after lunch. The Paradise Cove Resort is very nice. The food is good. The accommodations seem nice. The diving is good. And the staff is welcoming to cruising boats as long as we don’t inconvenience any of the guests.

On Tuesday, September 17, we got up early, pulled up the anchor, and followed Womble and RaLa north to the anchorage in front of the Nanuya Island Resort. It was windy and rainy so we stayed on the boat all day. Our friends Bob and Sarah on Rhapsody were already there, they had been anchored for a few weeks after their motor died. They were waiting for a new motor to arrived in Denarau from Australia, at which point they would get a tow from a local boat to Denarau.

On Wednesday, the crews from Womble, RaLa and Aldabra went to shore and hiked across the island to Lo’s Teahouse. We had juice and donuts and wandered around before hiking back to the resort for lunch. That night, Wendy and I joined a couple of other boats at a nearby house for a Fijian dinner, Semi and his wife cooked us a very nice meal and we chatted with Semi and the other cruisers (Peter and Susan from Opal Lady and Graham and Bev from Bellisima.)

The next day, Wendy and I joined Sarah from Rhapsody for a repeat of the walk to Lo’s Teahouse. After we visited Ian and Laura on RaLa during the afternoon, we joined the crews of a couple dozen boat on the beach for sundowners. We met a lot of boats from New Zealand and Australia. On Friday, we had tea on Womble with RaLa. It was a windy day and the anchorage was filling up.

On Saturday, Wendy and I went in the dinghy to meet the ferry that was bringing her husband Pat. They ushered him onto the resort boat, so we went to shore and picked him up there. He had had time to buy some veggies in Denarau before boarding the ferry, so he cooked us his chicken and vegetable curry that night. On Sunday, we walked on the beach, had lunch at the resort, and then walked over to Lo’s Teahouse, followed by a quiet night on the boat.

I should mention that it’s pretty hard to get fresh vegetables in these outer islands. The resorts serve fresh vegetables at the restaurants. And if you’re in one place for a bit, you can have them brought in on the daily ferry. Plus, you can buy papaya from locals who come around on paddle boards. But we felt lucky that Pat could shop for us in Denarau and get a few things.

On Monday, Pat, Wendy and I went to the resort to join a boat trip to the caves on Sawa-I-Lau Island. The open boat sped over shallow water atop gorgeous coral reefs. The trip also provided a beautiful view of the islands along the way. Once at the caves, we went with our group to the entrance, where we dropped into the water of an outer chamber. It was really crowded inside but the guides of the various tour groups cooperated to keep everything organized. To enter the inner chamber, you had to go under water and aim toward the beam of a flashlight held by one of the guides inside. The guides gave you a bit of a push so the underwater part wasn’t really that risky and you were at the surface in an instant. Inside the chamber, we explored the caverns and experimented with the acoustics. Exiting the cave was equally as organized. A guide gave you an all-clear signal, you took a breath and went under water, and he gave you a push to get you out to the other side. Another feature of the tour is a collection of vendors selling local handicrafts and Pat and Wendy found some gifts for their grandchildren. The trip back to the resort was as gorgeous as the trip out. We followed it with lunch at the resort.

On Tuesday, September 24, we motored back south to Somosomo Bay at the top of Naviti Island. Our friends Chip and Kristina on Second Set were anchored there, along with our friends from Rayfiki, and a boat we hadn’t seen since the Tuamotus, Infinite Grace. We visited with Chip and Kristina and then went to shore for sevusevu, along with Jeff and Michelle from Infinite Grace. A man named Fremmie escorted us to the chief’s house for sevusevu (the presentation of our kava root) and then helped us procure some fruits after a brief tour of the village. The village was bigger than a lot of the other villages we had visited and seemed more unkempt. Although we didn’t linger long enough to find out more, it is likely that many of the people in the village work in the local resorts and are exposed to the outside world far more than some of the other villages we have visited.

That night we had cocktails on Second Set, along with Infinite Grace and the family from Paradise Falls. The next day was windy and rainy so we stayed on the boat doing projects. Pat refined the wiring on a new radio I installed in Musket Cove. And we fixed the pump in the forward head. The night was calm and we had to run the motor a couple of times because we weren’t getting any wind energy and the day had been so overcast that the solar panels hadn’t been effective.

On Thursday, we picked up Kristina in the dinghy and went over to an area on the east side of the bay. We anchored the dinghy and snorkeled in a spectacular collection of coral on the reef. After lunch, we walked along the eastern beach. It was a beautiful sunny day with just a slight wind. That night, it got very windy.

The next day, we pulled up anchor and motored back to the Paradise Cove Resort anchorage. It was very windy. Second Set followed behind but didn’t find a good spot to anchor so they continued on to the Octopus Resort. Rainbow Child came in and anchored next to us. (Rainbow Child is the new name of Pulsar, which had been owned by Graham and Karri Alderson. When Ray and Debbie lost their boat Thursday’s Child, they bought Pulsar and renamed it. This was the first time we’d seen them since leaving Savusavu.)

Saturday was still windy and sunny. We went to the resort and had lunch with Ray and Debbie, then snorkeled in the anchorage with Debbie. The next day, Rainbow Child left and we went to shore and took a long walk over the length of the island, then had lunch at the resort. We stayed on the boat in the afternoon. Phil on Sliver came over and brought us some freshly caught Walu. We had it for dinner with rice and it was excellent.

On Monday, September 30, we motored sailed south with the jib out on a beam reach in 15-18 knot winds, arriving at the northwest side of Kuata Island. A small trimaran was in the best spot but we anchored behind them, between a moored boat and a reef. Peter and Susan on Opal Lady came in and anchored on one side of us. And Second Set came in and anchored nearby. After snorkeling on the reef, we all had sundowners on Opal Lady.

Cocktails on Opal Lady. Pat took the picture.

On Tuesday, Second Set left and Opal Lady and Aldabra took our dinghies around to the windward side of the island for lunch at a small dive resort. It was windy, and even windier on the other side, and getting through the reef to the shore was tricky. We got caught on some coral and got scolded by the local guys. Lunch was a buffet with more to sample than we could eat. It was good. We had planned to hike but ended up getting back in our dinghies and returning to the anchorage. We were the only two boats in the anchorage that night.

On Wednesday, we left Opal Lady alone in the anchorage as we motored south to Mana Island and successfully wound our way through the tricky channel to the anchorage. We anchored near Second Set. There were not a lot of boats there. We went to the beach with Kristina and walked around the island and found ourselves on the other side, at a beautiful spot called Sunset Beach, where we enjoyed a dip in the ocean. Then we continued walking around the island, stopping for beers at a small dive shop. Mana is well known because a version of Survivor is often filmed there. During our walk, we passed by areas where the TV show’s equipment was either being stored or abandoned. We walked through one resort that seemed somewhat uninviting. We never came upon any restaurants that drew our interest. Had we been there for diving, the experience would have been different. Other boats enjoyed many spectacular days here, but we were underwhelmed.

Sunset Beach on Mana Island

Walking around Mana Island

On Thursday, we pulled up anchor at 9:30 a.m. after waiting for enough sunlight to get through the narrow, winding channel. We had tracks to follow but Pat and Wendy were on lookout at the bow and I was at the helm. The channel markers were very confusing and we went too far to the left at one point, ending up on the reef. Second Set was exiting behind us so they went back and anchored and brought their dinghy over. They decided to go to shore to see if they could find a boat with a powerful motor to drag us off. Meanwhile a dive boat was coming in and offered to give us a tow. Unfortunately, the tow line snapped off their cleat and got wound around my prop. I was about to dive under to cut the line free when another dive boat showed up. A young man grabbed my knife and swam under the boat and quickly cut the line free. I then gave the main halyard to the first dive boat. They pulled Aldabra sideways while the young man in the water gave me guidance on which way to steer backwards. In moments we were free of the reef and underway, with no time to extend a proper thank you to the guys who had made it happen. Without their help, we would have had to wait several hours for the tide to change to float off the reef.

Once out of the Mana Island channel, we motored for the rest of the day around the reef surrounding Malolo Island and back into Musket Cove. It was really windy and the anchorage was fully populated with boats. We anchored on the far side with a reef between us an the shore. We took a wet dinghy ride to shore and had an early dinner with Rhapsody and Second Set. The ride back wasn’t too bad and we had a relatively calm night at anchor.

On Friday, we pulled up anchor really early and motored over to a mooring ball we had spotted the night before. It was right in front of the marina so dinghy rides to shore would be far easier. After visiting with Rhapsody for a few minutes, we went to shore to buy provisions. Later we went back to shore to enjoy a dip in the pool with Chip and Kristina, followed by dinner at the cafe.

Hanging out at the cafe at Musket Cove

Sunset in Musket Cove

On Saturday, October 5, we went to shore in the afternoon for showers and lunch and then to see Wendy off on the ferry. She would take the same ferry she arrived on, landing in Denarau and then making her way to the Nadi airport for a flight back to California.

Wendy getting ready to leave on the ferry

There is always a farewell song as people depart