August 28-30, 2008: South Pacific

Makogai Island, Fiji (S 17.26.556 E 178.57.095) http://maps.google.com/map

We left Savausavu Bay on August 28^th at 0830 and by 1700 we anchored off a small island called Makogai. At the turn of the century Makogai was the largest leper colony in the Pacific and the ruins and graves are still visible today

This was their outdoor cinema.

Now the government hatches giant clams. A picture is worth a thousand words. Keep in mind the clams are at least 3 feet wide, weigh several hundred pounds each and are located in 10-15 feet of water

Normally the clams were kept in giant concrete seawater tanks like these. Unfortunately, Makogai had not had any diesel for the last couple of months so they had been forced to put all the clams back into the ocean. The village chief whose home you see here was also responsible for managing the clam farm. His grandchildren were very creative in keeping themselves amused with what they had to work with.

We left Makongai August 30^th for Suva where hopefully all the spare parts we needed would be waiting for us. It wasn't easy leaving this island paradise.

In the Fijian waters there is an island on every horizon. If you transit between the islands as we have you can see at least one and usually several islands at all times. For instance, we left Makogai Island after sunrise heading for Levuka, Ovalau which was less than twenty miles away and was able to see it from the anchorage.

I have not written much about the sailing conditions. Since Rarotonga the sailing conditions have been pretty much all downhill, meaning, going with the wind and waves coming from our aft quarter. These have been ideal conditions until the wind stops and then the motor starts. We have not seen any seas worth mention or any high winds for that matter since leaving Tahiti. About the only thing of significance were the passages from Savusavu to Makogai and from Makogai to Levuka. We were quartering into the waves and these waves were a washing machine. They were coming from a couple different directions and there was lot of chop. The winds were strong and all this slowed the boat down and made for an uncomfortable ride.

A couple miles off Levuka we made a decision to keep going. Levuka is fairly exposed to the southeast wind and a weather system was forecast for the next few days. We decided that we did not want to he holed up in this small town when we’d rather be stuck in Suva. At least we could drive to get the mast parts that would be arriving in a couple days. There appeared to be more pros for Suva than cons. We calculated our speed and distance to go and determined that we would arrive at sunset if we kept the speed up. The best part about this passage is that our heading kept changing as we rounded the island and eventually were going with the wind and the waves in the mid 7 knots. We made it to the Royal Suva Yacht Club anchorage with time to spare having covered the 70 miles from Makogai Island.

After passing the standard shipwrecks upon crossing the fringing reef we dropped the hook in about 15 feet of muddy green no-see-thru commercial harbor water. Great holding in the mud but not swimming water. Foul weather was moving in so we where glad to have the hook in the mud..

August 21 – 28, 2008: South Pacific

Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji (S 16.46.661 E 179.20.067) http://maps.google.com/maps

The night before pulling into Savusavu bay the winds were starting to pick up to the low 20’s so we knew we were pressing our luck keeping the mainsail fully up. We arrived at 0600 in the morning under cloudy skies and were looking forward to our stay in Fiji despite our equipment problems. Little did we know this would only be the start of more breakdowns to come.

We moored at the Copra Shed Marina. You can see the town in the background and how we had to stow the main while the furler was broken. We were not alone.

This next part comes from Dave Burke’s blog. “Scuba diving has been on the schedule for quite some time and the pieces finally came together. We decided to go with a dive shop next to the marina we have been staying at for several reasons; Cousteau (a local diving resort) charges a hefty premium with lots of divers on the boat and the closest place was the most convenient. It was a little bumpy when we arrived in the morning to meet the boat as it appeared there was no boat captain. I’m pretty sure he never showed up as the guy at the desk drove the boat as well as led the dive as the guide. We’re pretty sure Cousteau would have been a much more professional outfit and we started having second thoughts. There really is no continuity between dive operations and it is pretty easy to see through the holes in the operation. The gear we used appeared to be competent and the panga we went out on was also in very good condition. This shop does not get much in the way of divers compared to Cousteau and it shows. Diving is just one of the attractions of this particular marina as they also offer many other things to do."

"It turned out we were incredibly lucky to have been at the right place at the right time. But, I need to backtrack first. We left the dock in the best of all conditions. The weather was warm, the breeze was slight and best of all the water was as smooth as glass. This meant we would be able to dive the sites in the middle of the bay since the water was calm. Oddly though, we motored to Cousteau to pick up 2 more aluminum tanks. The captain said it was because they loaned tanks to them but we think he doesn’t have a compressor to fill tanks and just gets them when he needs them. The transit to the dive site took us about a mile from shore to a place called Alice. It is a seamount with a mooring ball and a very popular spot. When we arrived there was a small boat with 3 local divers and they were just finishing their dives making it possible for us to take the ball."

"Immediately after entering the water and getting to our depth of around 35-40 feet several small white tip sharks were spotted in a large rock overhang. In these conditions they were docile and I felt it was plenty safe to get in close for pictures. They were all less than 4 feet and seemed calm as they continued swimming in small circles (not around us, I’m pretty sure).

I could not bring all the things I wanted to bring on this trip as I did not have the room. One of those things was an external strobe for my underwater camera. To capture the brilliant colors underwater a strobe is needed. So, some shots have some light colors but overall most of the shots will have the bluish tint to them and that is what we generally see while diving. If the sun is up and there are no clouds the shallower waters will produce some shots with better color.

The area we dove is blanketed with coral and teeming with small fish, cucumbers, stars, etc. We did not see any big fish and the sightseeing alternative is looking closer at the coral. It is amazing how many little odd creatures live on the coral and rocks. Even thought the camera does not pick up the colors we can see them and they are as brilliant as they are exotic."

"While I had my head in the sand and weeds taking pictures all the excitement was happening above me. I saw movement off to the side and up a little and it was the guide trying to get my attention. Swimming directly above us was a humpback whale about 35’ long. Bob was able to see it surface in a partial breech and got the best viewing. This is the first whale I have seen on scuba and it was breathtaking. I noticed how large it was in comparison to us but then again how small it was in comparison to water all around us. This was a very special moment. At the time I was not quick enough with the camera and it could not focus fast enough and I did not get the shots."

"Needless to say we were some very happy divers. We poked fun at the skipper and complimented him on his choice of sites and the whale element. We then challenged him to do better on the next dive. During our surface sit we motored to another site that was fairly close by called Wonderland. We had some water, papaya and peanuts and generally just chatted. Bob and I were the only divers on this boat as well as at these sites and it was quite nice to have a secluded dive site all to ourselves. The visibility was in the 50’ range and the surface water temperature in the low 80s; at depth in the very high 70s so we used 3m Shorty wetsuits."

"After back rolling out of the boat into the water fully geared I saw another white tip swimming out in the open, lots of fish and lots of coral. We covered a lot of ground on this dive and it seemed our route was similar to the previous dive of swimming the circumference of a sea-mount"

"Once again I had my head in the sand and weeds and was a bit startled when a large shadow blotted out the sun from above me. I thought it was a boat but knew that I did not hear a motor. I looked up in time to see the same whale swimming above me at a fairly quick pace. At the time my camera was in sleep mode and had no chance of getting the shots. This time I saw the whole whale and was able to really appreciate the moment. For all of us this was a very special day."

"Later that afternoon while we were keeping yacht club bar chairs in their place with our body weight, quite effective I might add, one of the locals paddled by on a handmade bamboo raft. We had seen several of these improvised crafts but this one had a wood pallet as a seat."

During our stay here at this mooring several things on the boat seemed to give up the ghost. It is inevitable that things will break or wear out or just simply stop working and recently we have had our fair share. Back on the boat during dinner the generator ran smoothly for a short period then all of a sudden the RPMs dropped to a sluggish chug. Long story short, we wrenched on it some that night and then quit until the next day. During this period Dave Berke went out on deck and looked up at the stars. C’mon there was literally nothing for him to do below or anything he could add to the problem. While on deck it was eerie. The wind was not blowing, the water was smooth, the boat was still and the only sounds were coming from the retail store on shore that placed speakers on its front porch. Smoke from shore wafted across the water and added to the character of this night. Fires can be seen on shore at anytime and anywhere as it is common to burn piles of leaves, coconut husks, etc. This waterfront does not emit too much light and the stars are still very visible. Once again Dave reported being able to see satellites transit the sky.

With Dave Smith's help I was able to solve the generator problem. A fuel linkage piece with a welded on spring that connected the bolt shaft to an end fitting had separated rendering it inoperable. The amazing thing was that I found someone on shore to weld it and it worked!

The Panda generator is sure keeping us on our toes, another part to order along with the furling gear to meet us in Suva Suva.

August 12 - 17, 2008: South Pacific Wallis Island (S 13.35 W 176.04) http://maps.google.com/maps

Wallis is one of the more remote islands in the Pacific and part of French Polynesia. The good news is we could get our fill of bagets. The bad news is that everything would cost a fortune. The passage was a dream. We left Asau in the late afternoon of the 12^th. Great winds were blowing in the 15-25 knot range with the seas running 4-6 feet. We made great way during the passage and never had to motor sail. Part of the way we were wing-on-wing. Midmorning we entered Honikulu Pass a well-marked passage way thru the reef and this is what we saw. The water in the middle of the pass was about 30 feet but on the edges it was knee deep. As I said the pass is well marked and wide enough for cargo ships yet still has breaking waves on either side of the ocean-side entrance. Once inside the fringing reef you get a sense of how safe and calm the water is from the protection.

We made our way to Gahi Bay and dropped the hook. It’s always nice to do nothing after a passage and we tried. We got in the water but the water was green where we anchored and the visibility was zero. So, sit in the cockpit it is. We heard lots of hollering and horns and general noise coming from the shore but could not figure out why. There were 2 other boats in the anchorage and 1 of them stopped by just before sunset. This turned out to be a great conversation. They were a French couple that had been here 2 weeks and loved it. They like to stay longer in fewer places and really get a feel for the people and place.

They shed some light on many things for us about Wallis Islands and this particular area. After reading a cruising guide we determined that it would be a holiday the next day and the gendarme, for checking in, would be closed. But, the French couple told us that Wallis adopted New Caledonia calendar and clock time as they are administered by them so the holiday was actually today since NC was over the dateline. The noise from the shore was spillover of Assumption Day celebrations including a kava induction ceremony for a new king. We missed this unfortunately. The French saw it but it rained heavily during the ceremony and they were unable to get up from the grass they were sitting on while watching the event. From many miles offshore we saw the rain blotting out much of the islands.

These two had so much to talk about related to the island and what they learned and of their other travels. It was an enjoyable time as they were quite animated and so eager to talk to other cruisers. We decided that we would stay the night here and pull the anchor and go to the main town the next morning.

We pick our way through the coral heads and anchored off the main town of Mata Utu.

Utu, Uvea, Wallis Islands (S 13.17.264 W 176.09.924) http://maps.google.com/maps

These motus sit off the shoreline of the main town called Mata Utu. We had to anchor out as the water is way too shallow further in. What you can’t see is that we are swinging on the hook just outside the shipping channel to the commercial dock .

We knew we were only going to be here a short time as the town was pretty much closed and we were not going to do an island tour.

This was really a quick walk thru the closest streets as it was very hot and there was not much to see or going on. The fabric tree was probably part of the ceremony decorations and most likely the center of the action. Dave Berke talked with a guy that approached him outside a grocery store and in his laid back way he told him that there was not much for tourism on the island and not much to do. We drank our sugar bombs (bubble gum flavored soda) and moved on.

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Our plan was to look around and then move to a more remote spot so we wouldn’t have to check in. The town was very small and pleasant enough but not a lot going on. The place looked more prosperous than Western Samoa as you can tell by the housing.

So after we’d seen all the sights, we up-and headed for a motu called Faioa that ended up being paradise. Believe it or not there were 3 or 4 other boats anchored off the motu but there was plenty of space to go around. But if you got too close you could easily go aground on the coral shelf.

Here is the reason we skipped through the other anchorages so quickly:

As you might expect the first thing we did was go snorkeling. This was definitely one of the best anchorages of this type I have seen since starting out on Present Moment. My inexperience in the South Pacific led me to believe all the beaches are like this, but they are far from it.

We ended up staying several days here and for good reason. On one of the days Dave and I took the dinghy to shore since we wanted to walk the shoreline and get a good look around.

This place is so special that even the locals come all the way out here for their fun days.

The greenery up close was pretty thick and we decided to walk counter-clockwise along the shoreline working our way to the other side of the island. Once you turn the corner the surface conditions change to an inhospitable place. The rugged reef extends from the tree line to the waterline with not much sand. The ocean is doing its best to disintegrate this island.

On the windward side of the island, despite being in the middle of the Pacific, the beach was littered with plastic for Australia and other countries in the Far East. It’s amazing how effective man has become at polluting the world!

For all of us, I think this anchorage and experience will hold many memories. In the picture above, Liberty is on the far right and we were invited to a fish dinner on their boat one evening. They are, Carl and Yvette and their two teenage boys Joel and Kyle. Lots of talk going through many different subjects and a fantastic meal. Somehow the 2006 Baja Haha, (a rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas in late October of every year) came up . They did the rally on Liberty and Dave Berke did the same rally on Sea Breeze, a 40’ Swallowcraft Swift 40. It’s a small world!

The next day Dave Berke and I had gone to the other side of the island we split up. We checked the time and agreed to meet at the boat. I backtracked along the shore and he took a compass bearing and gut feeling guess and headed through the center of the island. Once inside he realized just how dense it was but always found a sound footing. Lots of debris like coral washed deep into the forest and large piles of husked coconuts that appeared to have been harvested by the locals. Dave heard some birds, some rustling of leaves and possibly a pig grunting. Overall, it is fairly safe on this island to trek around.It only took about 16 minutes for Dave to get thru the island and back to the beach where I met him at our dinghy. There we came across Joel and Kyle on the beach as they were in the process of building some structures.

Somehow the conversation came around to husking coconuts and Joel offered to show us what he learned on how to do it. Drive a sharpened stick in the sand, stab the skin of the coconut and gently peel the husk in a few pieces from the nut. Then, crack it open on a rock. We tasted the fresh coconut milk, the fresh coconut and even ‘cotton candy’ of the sprouted growth inside. It tasted very rich, nutty and almost buttery. Dave preferred the regular coconut.

Wallis was one of those once in a lifetime kind of places, whose beauty one could never fully absorb. Believe it or not though even paradise becomes boring. We were eager to get to Fiji so we left Wallis on the 18^th of August with fair winds and calm seas. We caught a yellow finned tuna the second day out and had another feast courtesy of fisherman /chef Dave Smith. By the third day the weather changed. It rained and the ride became a lot more rolly.

In the middle of the night on August 20, I broke the mainsail furling. Now we couldn’t reef On the windward side of the island, despite being in the middle of the Pacific, the beach was littered with plastic for Australia and other countries in the Far East. It’s amazing how effective man has become at polluting the world!main if the winds picked up. We either had to have the main all the way out or all the way down. The good news was that Fiji had a fairly developed yachting industry and we knew we could get any parts need shipped there fairly efficiently. The trick was having fair weather us so that we didn’t need to reef the main. The adventure goes on but I was getting tired of equipment breaking.