Friday, April 27, 2012

Lautoka, Fiji

En Route to Fiji
 We had been told that before we left New Zealand, we were required to email Fiji with an Advance Notice of Arrival - essentially saying that we were on our way and our arrival destination was blank.  Since we're kind of hard to pin down, we put both Suva and Savusavu, two of the three ports in Fiji which allow foreign vessels to check in.  However, since we chose to run before the huge seas that were slapping us around, neither of those two ports were options, so we headed to Door Number Three, Lautoka.  As I was sitting in the Customs office, whose furniture must have dated from the 50's, the huge Customs officer looked up from his computer screen and said, "It says here that you were either going to Suva or Savusavu . . . "  I was prepared for that and just told him the winds made it impossible to which he just grunted and continued on with the check in process.  After many forms and a trip out to the boat with a Customs officer, someone from Biosecurity and a man from the Health Department, Rutea was given permission to stay for four months.

However, if we wanted to cruise any of the outlying islands (which we do), we needed to get a cruising permit, which had to come from the District Office in downtown Lautoka.  There were some concrete steps near the Customs office and we tied our dink up there and, almost as if he was waiting for us, sat Ravin in his taxi.  Ravin probably tipped the scales at 140 or so kilos and his little Nissan Sunny would lean badly whenever he got in.  But he knew exactly where we had to go so instead of walking as we usually would have done, we climbed in and let Ravin take us everywhere we needed to go.

Buying Kava

A new policy prevented us from getting the cruising permit that morning (we were told that they now have to come from Suva and it would be faxed in the next day) but it was only a minor glitch.  Ravin took us to the Vodafone store where we got new SIMs for our cellphones, iPad and a 3G data stick for our on-board PC.  Even with FD$65.00 of usage for two cell phones each, our total bill came to just over FD$200.00 and the current exchange rate is FD$1.00 to USD$0.56.  After that, it was time for lunch and Ravin took us to a small restaurant that serves Indian food (the population of Fiji is almost half Indian) and the meal was quick, delicious and inexpensive.  From there it was off to the vegetable market.

Spices
My New Sulu

In many of the outlying islands, you cannot anchor your boat unless you get permission from the chief of the village.  In order to get permission from the chief, you need to bring a gift of kava, a root that is pounded and mixed with water to make an awful-tasting drink that's a mild narcotic.  We bought lots.  We also bought beautiful fruits and vegetables and soon we were struggling under the weight of all the packages, even though Ravin had taken the kava with him back to the car.  On our way back to the boat, the topic of laundry came up (laundry is a hot button with most cruisers as extremely few have any way to wash clothes on board - in the tropics it's even more of an issue as it's easy to soak through 3 or 4 shirts in a single day) and Ravin said he could take care of it - all we needed to do was bring him the laundry and he'd have it back to us the following day.  Since we needed to get the cruising permit anyway, we sped back to the boat, pulled the laundry together and sped back to the waiting Ravin.

The quarantine area where we were anchored had a very muddy bottom and our anchor had dragged slightly during the night so Ruthie stayed on board while Corie and I went to town with Ravin.  The first stop was the District Office where I got the cruising permit but it was written in Fijian.  The clerk seemed a little apologetic and translated it to me.  I was wary but there wasn't much I could do.  From there we drove to get the laundry, heading out of town to a very rural area.  It seemed like a long way to go to get laundry.  Finally we came to a ramshackle set of small, low buildings and pulled into a driveway - Ravin honked his horn a few times and parked the Sunny.  A heavy woman met us as we got out of the car and directed us to an area where a few pieces of corrugated roofing provided shade over a small slab of concrete.  She produced chairs for Corie and me then poured us lemon-flavored water from a dirty picture.  There were lots of 5-gallon plastic jugs around and Ravin explained that there had been no running water there for the past two weeks.  The women doing our laundry had to haul the water by hand in the 5-gallon jugs.  Ravin started to spread out a tarp in front of us and explained that he was doing this so we could inspect the laundry.  Corie spoke first and said it wouldn't be necessary so we loaded up the laundry and headed back towards town.

Rutea at Musket Cove, Fiji

With my cruising permit in hand, I then had to go back to Customs to check out of Lautoka.  "This is written in Fijian," the Customs officer said as I handed her the permit.  I shrugged my shoulders and glanced at the ceiling.  Several other Customs officials came to examine my permit and there were a few grunts and some head-scratching.  After more forms and many rubber stamps, we were cleared to leave. We pulled up the anchor in the early afternoon and headed out towards Musket Cove, one of the more popular destinations for cruisers.  Unfortunately, we hadn't prepared well and it wasn't until we were underway that we realized that it was going to take us almost four hours to get there, putting our arrival at dusk.  With all the reefs around and the poor charting, many cruisers only travel between 1000 and 1400 when the reefs are easy to see but almost no one travels when it's dark.  We pushed the engine harder than we usually do and wound our way through a circuitous route to finally get to the anchorage.  It was a relief to get the hook down.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Arrival in Fiji

At 0630 this morning, we entered Navula Passage, giving us access to the lagoon on the Fijian island of Viti Levu. The water is flat calm and the wind has dropped to less than 10 knots.
Even though the forecasts had said we were going to have lighter conditions yesterday, the wind was still blowing 25-30 all day and night. The seas continued to be in the 3-4 meter range, frequently completely awashing Rutea's decks. It was less than comfortable. We were trying to time our approach to the pass entrance for dawn but we were going too fast. We reduced sail to just our storm trysail and we were still doing five knots!
Poor Rutea! Large, dark rust stains now mar her hull at every scupper and all the deck hardware looks old. It's going to take weeks to get her back in shape.
We've just got about 20 miles to Laukota, where we can check in with Customs. But first come showers - I can't remember ever going this long without one.
Our thanks go out to all who wrote while we were whining about our conditions. Your emails really bolstered our spirits.
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At 4/22/2012 9:27 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 20°13.00'S 176°42.16'E
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Sunday, April 22, 2012

New Zealand to Fiji - Day 7

Less than 20 hours to go! The winds have dropped off some and the seas aren't quite as big and we're very happy that this passage is almost over. I had almost forgotten the tropical weather with the warm, moist air and 80-degree water. It's overcast today and we have seen some squalls but that's life in the tropics.

All is well on board Rutea - her systems continue to operate flawlessly and she's pulling like a team of mules. We're excited about reaching a new destination; showers, hot food and a calm anchorage tie for a close second. Frankly, I wonder if we'll ever be able to get the salt off this boat - it's everywhere!

We'll write more when we arrive and get settled.
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At 4/22/2012 9:15 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 20°14.49'S 176°41.89'E

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Saturday, April 21, 2012

New Zealand to Fiji - Day 6

Corie was on watch this morning at about 0230 when an incident occurred with our autopilot. She and I were able to get it straightened out without too much trouble but it was enough commotion to get Ruthie up too. Since it was only a half hour until Ruthie's watch, she relieved Corie. As Ruthie and I were in the cockpit, protected by our snug enclosure, a wall of water smashed the starboard side of the boat and in a split second I was completely soaked - not a dry stitch on me. The only thing that kept the situation from being completely awful was that the water was about 78 degrees. I dried off, changed clothes and went back to bed. When I got up for my watch at 0530, Ruthie said that we hadn't been 'pooped on' like that since. She went down to her bunk and I took my post in the cockpit. Less than 5 minutes later, I got pooped on again - twice in succession. I'm running out of dry clothes and besides, I'd just get them wet again.

The wind continues to blow between 28 and 32 knots; the seas still running between 4 and 5 meters. It's supposed to let up once we arrive in Fiji. We had done a sail change yesterday morning but it didn't give us enough speed. Instead of making yet another change, we just put the engine on - which is kind of ridiculous with all this wind but it did make the ride more comfortable. To be completely honest, I find the constant drone of the engine to be somewhat comforting.

What is amazing is how well Rutea is bearing up under all this. True, we've found some leaks that we didn't have previously but nothing has broken. We've had no injuries. And finally, I'm losing weight!

I'll try to post more tomorrow.
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At 4/21/2012 9:10 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 22°52.32'S 176°10.32'E

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Friday, April 20, 2012

Rutea Day 5

Well it's a beautiful Saturday Morning! The good news is that we have been able to change our course and we are now headed towards Fiji- the Port Denerau side of Viti Levu, anyway! This has been a good lesson in "where you think you are headed, might not be where you end up"!

We still have 25 to 30 knot winds and we had squalls all night. The seas are still four meters and since we are still sailing under try sail and staysail, we are only making between 5 and 6 knots an hour. If things calm down later, we will take down the trysail and put up a double reefed main, but I don't want to do it now... :) Chart Plotter says we have 475 miles to go which will put us in on Tuesday. I'm going to pull up the gribs now and see what they say.

We are eating pretty simply- like saltines with hummus, granola bars and apples. What are you having for breakfast??

R of Rutea
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At 4/19/2012 8:00 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 28°08.12'S 175°13.30'E

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

New Zealand to Fiji - Day Four

We're still running off before some very big seas on a course of 330 degrees magnetic. Earlier this morning I tried to head higher but the big seas right on our beam was too intimidating. The drawback to our current course is that we're heading for New Caledonia, a nice place but not our destination.

Our sailplan right now is still the storm trysail, a bright orange scrap of a sail, and our staysail, which I've always thought of as being a very large handkerchief but between the two of them they're moving Rutea right along at 5-6 knots.

The forecast is for more of the same for the next four days so we're just going to ride it out and see where we wind up. Our spirits are pretty good and we're doing a good job of managing our seasickness. The boat is doing great - the cabin is dry (but kind of a disaster with almost everything that was on the shelves now on the cabin sole) and the only failure we've had is the fiber optic link between the SSB control head and the transceiver broke (a wine bottle smacking it for too long was to blame). So, no single side band radio until we can get a new cable but we've still got the sat phone to send and receive emails. Or to make calls.

We're all fine - just a little pissed off that the forecasters were so wrong about the conditions we were going to face. We'll try to do another posting tomorrow.
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At 4/19/2012 7:55 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 28°08.53'S 175°13.52'E

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Rutea Update

Since midnight last night Rutea has been sailing in 30 to 35 knot winds and nine to twelve foot seas. As of six this morning the winds dropped from 25 to 30 knots. However, the wind seems to be building again and the seas are big so we have decided to just run with it until things calm down. We are sailing under the tri-sail and staysail going about 8 knots and our compass heading is 330m. Looks like we are heading to Vanuatu! As soon as the wind or the swell dies down we will head back on our course to Fiji. The boat is doing great and all is well with the crew.

Cheers!

R of Rutea
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At 4/17/2012 10:25 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 33°00.95'S 174°53.50'E

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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

1st 24 Hours Out!

From 10:00 yesterday to 10:00 today S/V Rutea covered 146.5 nautical miles! We did a combination of motor sailing and sailing as the wind rose and declined but as of now it looks like we will have steady wind up to Fiji. It also looks like we are going to have some big swells come through.... The big, yellow horns of the harvest moon rose on my watch last night and even though it was only 24% it lit the whole sky. Before the moon rose it was a starry, starry night!

Everyone is in good spirits this morning as we all got "some" quality sleep. Had grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast!

R of Rutea
Eb Route to Savusavu, Fiji
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At 4/17/2012 10:03 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 33°02.99'S 174°52.80'E

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New Zealand to Fiji - First Day

After two trips to New Zealand Customs, we finally got our clearance papers and our friend Norm shuttled us back to Rutea once more. At 1000, we pulled up the anchor and motored out of Opua and the Bay of Islands. It was partly sunny and almost warm as Rutea's bow met the Pacific. The wind was light out of the south and we were forced to motor until 1800 hours when the wind clocked more easterly and filled in slightly. With the genoa unfurled, we were making 5.5 knots which isn't great but sure beats the hell out of running the engine.

Both Ruthie and Corie had headaches so dinner was a few saltine crackers, despite the fact that there was a large container of Ruthie's famous chili waiting to be heated. I took the first watch and even though the seas were without any significant swell, it still seemed as though we were rolling around pretty good. Maybe it was because it had been so long since we had been off shore but everything down below seemed to be banging around.

Corie just came up for her watch and the wind is lightening again and we're down to less than 5 knots. If it drops below 4 we'll put the engine back on. Other than that, all is well aboard Rutea.
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At 4/17/2012 12:09 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 34°01.86'S 174°32.68'E

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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Good Bye

With Mark and Jason    


As we prepare Rutea for the almost 1,200-mile passage to Fiji, we have long lists of tasks and chores that must be completed.  From the simple, like running the jacklines, to the more arduous, like scrubbing the hull and prop, each item gets checked off when completed.  Everyone pitches in to prepare meals for the first few days (after being tied to the dock for five months, it can take two or three days to get our sea legs again and it can be preferable to keep the time spent in the galley to a minimum - to just heat a previously-frozen meal can be a godsend.)  We pour over the weather forecasts, often checking half a dozen websites or more to see if there's any discrepancy between the forecasters - there usually isn't.

One of the things that we have to do but usually isn't written down is saying good-bye to friends.  This may be to people we met here in New Zealand or to people that we've traveled with for the last 10,000 miles.  Either way, it can be bittersweet.  Perhaps it's because of the shared experiences that creates a unique bond that develops between us and the other cruisers we meet but the friendships often become intense quickly.  After sharing adventures, anchorages, meals and stories the time comes when our courses diverge and we say good-bye, possibly forever.  Of course, with cheap and easy communications, we can stay in touch with just a few mouse clicks but there is something poignant in the knowledge that you may never see someone again who was once a close friend.

We did a far more modest provisioning for this passage as compared to previous ones as this one isn't too long and many things are less expensive in Fiji.  Also, since we'll be leaving for San Diego not long after we've arrived, there's no point in having the lockers filled with food  while we're gone..  But our fuel tanks are full (hopefully we'll have to motor very little - the forecast is for 20-25 knots of wind for the entire passage) and we've recommissioned our watermaker.  The jacklines are attached, the running backstays rigged, the main boom preventer installed, the trysail bent to the mast and the rest of the items on the list are checked off.  Once we clear New Zealand Customs, we have to depart within a few hours and that will happen tomorrow.  We're excited to be underway again and look forward to our new adventures. 

Good bye.

Friday, April 6, 2012

South to North



Fox Glacier
The balance of our trip through the South Island included a quick visit to Fox Glacier but we skipped Franz Joseph Glacier altogether.  After four weeks of traveling, I was starting to become a little jaded by how it appeared that New Zealand leveraged even the smallest attraction into a tourist destination, complete with café and gift shop.  Boulders on the beach?  Gift shop and café right there.  Old suspension bridge?  Another café and gift shop.  I’m not cynical towards gift shops or cafes but I was beginning to tire of it.  I almost let my cynicism get the best of me as we were pulling into Pancake Rocks (more rocks by the beach, right?  Great!  I haven’t seen those before!) but I found the formations fascinating and beautiful.
Pancake Rocks


We worked our way up to the famous Abel Tasman Park which is a huge chunk of the northwestern corner of the South Island.  We found a funky holiday park, rented a very small cabin and booked reservations on a water taxi to take us deep into the Park.  We had to walk quickly to the water taxi depot which was a small store front on the main road that runs through town.  Shortly after we had checked in, an old agricultural tractor pulling a 20’ launch on a trailer pulled into the parking lot and we boarded the boat.  The tractor and driver then drove us through the town to the boat ramp, backed the boat with all the passengers into the water and while he climbed aboard to become the captain of the launch, someone else from the company drove the tractor and empty trailer away.  The ‘taxi’ had several stops to make along the way to our drop-off point and we got familiar with the routine:  The launch would power in close to shore, anchor the bow out and back down, tilting the 200-horsepower outboard up and then deploying a passerelle (gangway) once we were up against the beach.  If you timed it right, you could jump off without getting your feet wet.



The water was a beautiful color and we really enjoyed our hike but much of the trail went inland where the scenery was no different than the daily hikes we take around Whangarei.  Once back aboard our ‘taxi’, the wind and rain had filled in and we were glad to have the minimal shelter the boat provided even though we were being bounced around pretty good.  The tide had receded substantially by the time we got back and the ramp that we had used on the way out was now useless.  But there, out in the middle of the bay was the same tractor that had launched us, sitting in water that came up over it’s axles.  How the skipper was able to find the trailer was a mystery to me but we were soon underway, the bow of the tractor creating a wake as it motored towards shore.  It rained very hard that evening and we felt smug with our decision to not pitch the tent.


The next day we drove back to the Fromm Winery in Blenheim where we bought a case of wine.  From there we caught the ferry at Picton that took us across the channel and back to Wellington, the rain pouring heavily the whole time.  Arriving right at the height of the afternoon’s rush hour, we navigated our way to just north of town and rendezvoused with our friends, Fred and Cinda, from the steel sloop, Songline.  We talked for a couple of hours and then got back on our way north but driving in the heavy rain at night on the narrow road was tiring so we found a cheap motel.  A nine-hour drive the next day and we were back on board Rutea.  Corie had gone on a surf trip so we were still alone for a couple of days, other than our cruising friends on boats nearby.