Vuda Marina, Viti Levu to Brisbane Australia
1,709 nautical miles covered.
Crew is Andrew Schnier, William Farrell and James Gurr.

June 7 - Leave Vuda Marina at 1:00 pm after fueling and easy Customs/Immigration checkout.  (As a result, all entries for this log are for 24 hr. periods running from 1:00pm of the day noted to 1:00pm the following day.)  Weather is clear and warm with moderate seas in protected waters inside reef system of Viti Levu and… Read the Full Log Entry

October 9 - Slipped lines at 7:15 a.m. and had easy exit from Neiafu back to our course for Fiji. Had moderate wind and seas all day and night and made good time. 

October 10 - Made 123 n.m. good in first 24 hr. day. Weather as predicted in the morning. Moderate following winds, sizable but manageable swell. Stayed more or less the same for the rest of the day. 

October 11 - Wind died at 5:00 a.m. Took in jib and… Read the Full Log Entry

September 25 - I could have slept for at least a few more hours, but Tristan is up at our more or less our usual time of 6:30 a.m. so I get up as well for coffee. Very little wind yesterday once we arrived at Vavu’a, but it’s moderately windy this morning. Arrived here in clouds and rain yesterday although it cleared up around 1:30 p.m. but it’s clear this morning. Do a bunch of small boat projects and then walk around town to check out stores, restaurants, etc. Have lunch… Read the Full Log Entry

September 11 - Wind dies and gets “squirrely” around 1:00 a.m. and so the end of my shift and Tristan’s shift are not as we would wish them to be. By the morning there’s no usable wind and we furl the jib and proceed under power. We run the engine from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00pm when we try to sail wing on wing. We make very little progress and start engine up again at 3:00pm with intention of running on it through the night. We are concerned about forecast for possible gales… Read the Full Log Entry

August 30 - Motored to Bora Bora. No wind. Autopilot worked for half the trip and then kept blowing breaker. Picked up mooring at Bora Bora Yacht Club. Had excellent dinner at the Yacht Club right on the edge of the dock looking Westward to the open ocean. 

August 31- Went to Vaitape food shopping and otherwise hung out. 

September 1 - Wind is howling again. Took water shuttle from Vaitape to Conrad Hilton to visit… Read the Full Log Entry

August 15 - Wake up early to transit to Taha’a (sister Island to Raiatea to go to Baie Haamene to sit out very strong winds predicted for the next four or five days. No wind at all and seas are calm. Have to spend half hour untangling my two lines attached to the mooring ball as they are twisted around due to lack of wind for last two days. Lucky no wind now. Had to bring mooring float onto deck to do it. Couldn’t have done it if any wind of consequence. Transit to Taha’s (… Read the Full Log Entry

August 4-5 - It’s clear and warmer this morning and the breeze is relatively light and we do the few remaining things that need to be done to transit to Huahine this afternoon/night. Trip is approx. 100 n.m. so need to make it an overnight to arrive at Huahine in daylight. We begin to weigh anchor at 3:00 pm and are through the pass and in the ocean by 4:15 with the double reefed main and the double reefed jib. Idea of double reefing both is two-fold. Don’t want to go too… Read the Full Log Entry

July 25 - Well whatever repairs are going to be completed in Tahiti are done and it’s time for Kryss and me to be off sailing. We top off water and fuel and motorsail the 18 n.m. or so from Tahiti to Cooks Baie Moorea. Winds are generally very light and somewhat on our nose, but half way there they pick up a little and move to the beam. Seas are calm in the lee of the Island and entrance into the Bay is not difficult. Tried a number of times to anchor in narrow channel to… Read the Full Log Entry

June 28 - Taina Marina is not fancy, but it has four or five really good restaurants, a facility where you can drop off your laundry to get done, two dive shops, a chandlery, etc. Best of all is that there is a very high end market a very short walk from the marina where you can buy fresh produce, bakery, fresh, frozen and canned foods of any sort you may wish. Before Tristan and Burt leave we take a taxi into Papeete (everything, especially food, is very, very expensive)… Read the Full Log Entry

June 22 - It’s a beautiful sunny morning and the weather report is favorable for beginning our trip to Rangiroa. Weigh anchor at about 8:10 am and out of harbor by 8:30 on our way to Rangiroa. Wind and seas moderate and we start off making good time in sunny weather. We add the double reefed main to the reefed poled jib. As the morning progresses seas and winds lighten and it’s a little slow going, but not bad. Day is uneventful. 

June 23 - At 2:… Read the Full Log Entry