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 turned on engine. Started drizzling. Entered Oneata Passage at around 7:00 a.m. Moved clocks back another hr. Shortly after we entered Oneata Passage a sizable flock of sea birds began hunting baitfish in front of use. Every once in a while you would see a larger fish that was apparently hunting the same baitfish from below jump out of the water in pursuit. Pretty cool. It’s almost as though the baitfish think we are a predator because they have been moving in front of us for the last few hours, evidenced by the same flock of seabirds hunting them from above. We pass through the Southern Lau Group of islands spelling our entry into “Fiji Territory” and miraculously get phone and internet service in absolutely the “middle of nowhere”. Made 130 n.m. in second 24 hr. period since leaving Tonga.
October 12 - Midnight to 3:00 a.m. shift a real pleasure. First time I could read my Kindle on watch since 7 days after leaving PGI. Of course nothing good can last. Am awakened at 5:30 a.m. by electronic alarm. Helm has lost AIS, wind speed indicators and connection to Autopilot. Plotter finally stops beeping “no AIS” and then loses external GPS. We switch to internal plotter GPS and regain boat location and cursor location, and alarm beeping stops for no apparent reason. After multiple attempts at reset, resign ourselves to no wind speed. We connect my Android running Navionics to boat battery power and mount it on its bracket at the helm as backup to plotter. Made 93 n.m. in third 24 hr. period since leaving Tonga. Ran engine from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. but turned it off when allowed us to sail and because excess vibration from dripless shaft seal coupling signaled possible future seal failure or shaft damage. Point of sail and sea conditions are difficult and coupled with morning instrument failure difficulties it’s a long day. I don’t finish doing dishes until 9:45 p.m. and I’m wondering how I’m going to manage my midnight to 3:00 shift? Tristan offers to allow me to sleep as long as it takes to recover, but I know he’s just as tired, just younger and tougher. Anyway, I manage to get a good hour and a half sleep and finally “figure out” how to manage the sail plan and conditions we’re experiencing and am surprised to complete my full watch in more or less comfortable fashion.
October 13 - Well, we’ve already negotiated the Lau Group of islands and today we make the approach to Viti Levu and Vuda Marina. Thought we would get to Vuda Marina by the afternoon, but yesterday was slow going and we will only make it through the Navula channel into the approach to Vuda Marina late tonight. Made 122 n.m. in fourth 24 hr. period since leaving Tonga. The day is overcast and seas choppy, and after sailing yesterday and last night with a conventional sail plan we switch back to using only the reefed jib and whisker pole and make our way “threading the needle” of outlying islands to Viti Levu and the Navula Passage. Conditions are blustery and choppy and whisker pole set up with 2 reefs in jib and storm reef in main very hard to control, a lot of energy expended and a lot of cussing’” we negotiate the Navula Passage (very wide and easy to pass through) around 1:00 a.m and we anchor in Momi Bay around 2:00 a.m. We’re safely inside in Viti Levu and will transit to Vuda Marina tomorrow morning.
October 14 - We wake to an overcast sky and a humid day. Shortly before we get underway it starts to drizzle. Welcome to the rainy season I guess. We power up to Vuda Marina, enter around 3:00 p.m. and clear customs. We are trailed by a sizable cargo ship heading for Lautoka the last half of the trip and have to jog to get out of its way. They greet us at Vuda Marina with a garland of fresh flowers and a group of staff, one with a ukelele, singing greetings in Fijian. Very cool. Everyone is very nice. Made 88 n.m. in fifth 24 hr. period since leaving Tonga. 8,379 n.m. from PGI to Vuda Marina Fiji. That’s the end of this trip log. We’ll be putting the boat in a cyclone pit at Vuda Marina for the cyclone season and returning in late April/early May to continue our journey, at present, next destination will be Australia, perhaps Sydney. Est. engine hours at Vuda 2,068