Fixing Stuff Fiji Style July 9
It’s been a while since the last installment, as usual. Sadly, however, not an awful lot has happened in the interim. We seem to be doing the same thing in Fiji as we were in New Zealand – sitting around waiting for parts.
The passage to Fiji was a rough one. It seems everyone gets hit going either to or from New Zealand; we got it on the latter. We left Opua May 13 with “the best weather window in 5 years” (it’s worth noting at this juncture that when Lizz and I left for New Zealand “the window was closed” and we had the best passage out of anyone heading south). There’s no denying that the first 3 days were very pleasant (check out the royal albatross picture). The weather was a little cold but we had a nice breeze from astern and made good time. On May 16th, the log reads “wind came up in morning – so much for predicted SE… bumpy ride, hope it improves.” The weather forecasts seemed not to be deterred by the change in conditions – they remained admirably loyal to their “best weather window” predictions for nearly the remainder of the passage. The wind, not paying any attention to the forecasts, picked up to 40 kts and, over the next five days, came all the way through north to west on the 21st, the day before we got into Savusavu, the town on Vanua Levu where we wanted to clear customs. Ellen and I had our first go at heaving to at sea and were very impressed with how well Heretic managed it. The difference in motion from pounding into a head sea to hove-to was dramatic: the few hours we spent with the staysail backed and helm lashed provided some much needed rest for both of us.
Upon arrival here in Savusavu we addressed a few boat chores (only after a well earned beer and plenty of sleep, of course) and headed north to Viani Bay, adjacent to the island of Taveuni. We had planned on doing a fair bit of diving in the area, but Ellen came down with a bad ear infection so we spent our time hiking, exploring the mangrove forests, and getting to know the residents of Ndakunimba, just to the south. While we weren’t initially thrilled with the 10 day holdup, we would certainly not have been able to spend as much time with George, Bertha, David, and the extended Fijian family as we did. We got a glimpse into Fijian life when Bertha showed us how to plant taro, and when the whole family invited us and the other three American boats in the bay (Whisper, Gosi, and Waterdragon) for Sunday brunch. After a fun but unspectacular dive on the southern end of rainbow reef we headed out for Savusavu again. The day sail was very pleasant and Ellen landed a tasty Mahi which, thanks to the self contained fridge unit we picked up in New Zealand, we were able to enjoy for a week after we caught it. After filling water at Savusavu we pushed of for Koro.
The sail to Koro, an island 40 miles south of Vanua Levu (the island where Savusavu is located), was a bit of an upwind battle and resulted in the maintenance holdup from which we are currently suffering. Just before getting to the island our hydraulic backstay tensioner decided it had had enough, popped a pressure seal, and spilled its fluid all over the aft deck. The slackened back stay didn’t pose an immediate threat to the mast, but we cranked on the running backs and reduced sail just to be safe. Our time in Koro was very enjoyable with spectacular snorkeling, decent diving, and great walks. Being fans of critters, as we are, we were excited to see a pair of endemic hawks and a host of parrots on the beach.
We made the trip back to Savusavu, the closest place we could get anything fixed, under stay and double reef to keep pressure on the running backs and not the backstay. It made for a slow but not unpleasant sail. The one fish we hooked en route was clever enough to get himself off the line before we could get to him. We decided it was a privilege to see evolution at work and put some beans to soak for dinner.
Since our return here to rainy Savusavu (apparently it’s the “hidden paradise” but we haven’t yet discovered where exactly they hid it) we’ve been pestering the people at the post office about a package from New Zealand which doesn’t seem to exist. Once we get things sorted with the backstay it will be a straight shot to Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, a quick stop, and another passage to Australia in order to make our flights back to the US, where Ellen will complete her one last semester, and we both will work and get a bit of skiing in before returning to Heretic next spring.
