Mahina Expeditions offers offshore sail-training expeditions, offshore cruising seminars and boat purchase consultation.
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Several guys were still working (two years and 6 million euros later!) on the wharf redevelopment, but it looked like very little additional progress had been made since last year. Our gang took off exploring the town and found dinner ashore. Early Saturday morning several of us headed ashore for a run where we found a veggie market in the women's handicraft center and stopped by the supermarket to stock up on still-warm delicious French baguettes. After swim and breakfast we set sail for an open area in the lagoon where we practiced Lifesling overboard retrieval before sailing five miles back almost to the lagoon entrance, anchoring off Ile Faioa, in what we think has to be one of the prettiest anchorages in the world.
Sunday morning four of our crew was in the dinghy to head ashore at dawn. What at lower tides would have been a beach run turned out to be mostly a beach scramble and hike. When we finally got clear beach on the rugged windward coast we covered a considerable distance expecting to have to back track, only to be surprised to fine a clear trail across the island from ocean side to the lagoon. With ESE winds, our 240 mile passage to the entrance of Nanuku Passage, the entrance to Fiji was a perfect close reach. The moon was full, the seas forecasted at 1.6 meters were about the flattest we ever see in the Pacific and Mahina Tiare zoomed along with winds reaching 29 knots. The weather charts showed we would be passing through a trough and sure enough, we got a couple of real gully-washer squalls. Our goal had been to reach Walangilala Island which marks the entrance of the difficult Nanuku Passage before dark but with the excellent conditions we sighted the island just after dawn Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, neither the lighthouse nor the RACON were working this year.
It had been a week or so since we'd last heard from Robert and Lesley, Amanda's parents, so we very quietly and cautiously started checking out names on the stern of any boat that looked like a Beneteau Oceanis 423. Sure enough right off the Copra Shed Marina dock we found them. By this time it was 0200 so we resisted my original plan of shooting a raucous flying monkey toy through their open hatch, instead we tied to one of only three available moorings and celebrated a safe passage and landfall with hot chocolate and cookies.
Savusavu's two "marinas” are shore-based establishments (Copra Shed and Wai Tui Marina) with a total of about 60 moorings. Copra Shed has always had space for a few yachts to Med-moor stern-to the bar and restaurant deck but last year they added ten floating marina berths along the foreshore. Kind of funky, but we're always delighted to moor in a way that allows our crew to come and go without needing to use the dinghy. At the head of the gangway crew were especially pleased to discover showers and loos along with Setari; the most helpful laundry lady, plus in the Copra Shed building the yacht club bar, two restaurants, marine store, art gallery, travel agent and foreign exchange office with internet cafè. On the 8 am morning cruiser's net we had learned that it was "Fiji Night” at Wai Tui Marina, http://waituimarina.bebi-electronics.com/, so we enjoyed an excellent Fijian dinner and the chance to meet cruisers from all over the world for the reasonable price of F$15, or US$7. Stewie, whose father had been born in Labasa, the sugar mill town on the opposite side of the island (his grandfather had been the accountant for the mill), hired a mini-van and driver and Thursday morning after Diesel Engine class all of the guys took off for Labasa. Meanwhile Amanda worked on a mainsail repair and I applied for our cruising permit and cleared out with customs. Our last chore was reprovisioning and it is always a delight to renew friendships with the lovely Indian and Fijian women in the town public market. Thursday evening we organized a "Curry Night” at the Indian café across from Wai Tui where we enjoyed an amazing selection of dishes that just kept coming and coming plus the company of crews of two Austrian yachts and of Robert and Lesley.
After anchoring Robert and I went ashore in the late afternoon to meet Kameli, the head of the Fisheries station, to ask permission to anchor and offer sevusevu, the traditional gift of a bundle of kava roots. Kameli had already recognized Mahina Tiare and said that Beth and Norm who had sailed with us to Makogai on Leg 4-2010 had just visited two weeks earlier. When we asked if he'd rather we'd present our kava that night or the next night, he said, "This is Friday night! Bring it tonight and we'll all share some bilos of kava”. The five Fisheries staff guys had taken one of the skiffs 1.5 hours to Levuka, the nearest town, to pick up supplies, and were supposed to return that evening. As it turns out, they stopped by the pub and also picked up beer and wouldn't be back until the morning so we enjoyed an evening of kava with their wives and Kameli and his wife. August 16, 2012, 053000 hrs, 17.40 S, 177.23 E, Log: 158,531 miles
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That evening our crew watched Pacific Rescue DVD of the Queen's Birthday Storm and Sunday morning we raised anchor early to set sail on a 50+ mile passage to Nananu-I-Ra, as small island just N of Viti Levu, Fiji's mail island.
Our passage started with light winds which built to perfect broad-reaching tradewinds perfect for celestial practice. Stewie, our navigator had his hands full dodging numerous reefs and even managed to sail us through the narrow pass and right to the idyllic anchorage.
We were all fishing but Lesley won the prize landing two trevally which Paul did an excellent job of filleting for our pot luck dinner aboard MT with the crews of Option One and Gracias. We had landed a large barracuda, but tossed it back because of concern of ciguatera.
Tuesday we were underway in the moonlight by 0530, arriving off Lautoka's commercial wharf by 0800 when all but Amanda headed ashore to the downtown immigration office to sign off crew. I was amazed how uncrowded the office was and in just minutes we were done with the paperwork and headed out on a little taxi tour of Lautoka town.
We stopped and walked through the huge public market covering one square city block, stopping to buy kava and pineapples and see the fish market. Normally when Amanda and I go to this market it's jammed and bustling but at 9am it was quiet, the vegetables were beautifully organized and nearly all of the vendors greeted us.
We had heard that Vuda Point Marina http://www.vudamarina.com.fj/ had been totally packed to the gills, but were pleasantly surprised to find several open Med-mooring berths. That evening we had an excellent graduation dinner next door at First Landing Beach Resort http://www.firstlandingfiji.com/ where Stewie's father, John and friend Bridie plus Robert and Lesley joined us. There were a few tears in the group when the Fijian band came over and sang Isa Lei, the Fijian farewell song.
Wednesday morning was a busy one, cleaning and packing, but once ashore, our Leg 4 guys were already making plans to sail with each other on their own boats and to sign up together for Leg 3-2014, Rarotonga to Hawaii. I think that means they really enjoyed each others company!
For us, Vuda Point Marina makes life easier than any other port in the Pacific with power, water, fuel, propane, a marine chandlery, small grocery store, self-service laundry all in one friendly and very reasonably-priced location. Additional bonuses are Lautoka town just a 15 minute cab ride away, and Malololailai Island, where we got married on the beach just a two hour sail away. How can you beat that?
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Here's our excellent Leg 4 crew:
Paul, 54 from San Francisco area
Paul must be very organized as he manages 22 passenger trains and crews and is very excited about retiring and cruising on his Bristol Channel cutter that he has been busy refitting.
Maciej, 58 originally from Poland, now living in Texas
Maciej told us amazing stories of watching the tanks roll into Poland, then emigrating first to Sweden, then Canada and finally the US, working as a software engineer. Now retired, Maciej has been looking for a cruising boat.
Peter, 47 now lives in Sydney, but previously lived and flew out of Dubai, where he kept a 30' sloop. Peter now captains A330 jets to exotic places like Bali, Paris and Honolulu and is preparing his Jeanneau 40 for a sail north up the Australian coast, with stops planned in Surfers Paradise to visit Stewie and Paul.
Stewie, 60 from Coolangatta, south of Brisbane, Australia
Last year on Leg 5 Stewie earned the name "Vegimite Kid” for his near-fanatical love of the vile Australian toast spread made by Kraft. This year Stewie earned the moniker "Labasa Boy” when it was revealed his father was born in this sugar mill town and educated in Suva. Stewie is a keen surfer, runner, SUP boarder and yogi and has promised to teach us how to surf if we visit him again this year.
Paul, 61 is a surfing, running and yoga buddy of Stewie's whom we met last year when visiting Stewie. He has recently designed and imported a line of SUP's (stand up paddle boards) and is involved in real estate.
Zane Laser, 41 from Ohio
A keen dinghy sailor, Zane and his wife joined us for our Chicago Offshore Cruising Seminar and we could tell instantly that both had been seriously bitten by the travel and adventure bug. Zane is an eye surgeon that is making plans to possibly buy a boat to keep nearby on the Great Lakes and then eventually start moving it further south each summer.
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