A Taste of SavuSavu

23/6/2015

After all our motor sailing, it was really nice to be on a mooring buoy, in a quiet and sheltered anchorage, although when the wind filled in again, we found ourselves uncomfortably close to the shore…… and some other cruiser’s sad demise!

We enjoyed the peace, while it lasted, and had some lovely sunsets to remember.

We visited the local market, and found plenty of good fresh produce at prices cheaper than NZ… Not difficult! 

On one occasion we were entertained by the US Naval band from the “US Mercy”.

“Mercy” is the world’s largest hospital ship, which sails around the world offering first world healthcare, surgery, etc to many of the less fortunate countries. This was its first visit to SavuSavu, and the Ship was handling over 500 patients per day in their fully equipped operating theatres, X-Ray, Cat scan etc facilities, with launches and a helicopter ferrying patients from dawn to dusk, for the entire time we were there. (10days)

In the background, USN Mercy, lit up like an office block

On another occasion the Fijian Police brass band showed they were not to be out done, with a parade through town. I got some lovely video footage of a Fijian trombonist forsaking his instrument to do a “makarena” with a game old lady he plucked from the crowd.

One day we took a 2½ hr, $11.50, return bus ride to the island capital of Labasa. The trip took us over the mountains, through the rainforest, and down to the sugar plantation area, of which Labasa is the centre.

Oranges for sale at crossroad

Although mainly of Indian culture, we walked a few miles to the WASAVULA Ceremonial site, which we found to our shame, was in the middle of a little village, and we should have brought an offering of Yaqona (Kava) for the Chief, in order to request his hospitality, and be shown the site.

THE Monolith

Brain bowl on the left

Head chopping block

Legend has it that the Monolith pillars are in memory of the “Elders”, and we were shown the VATU ni BOKOLO, (or head chopping stone), on which victims were decapitated in earlier cannibalistic history. In addition, there was a bowl shaped rock, in which the “Chief” was served the victim’s brain!

All too much! We made our way back to the town, where we enjoyed a couple of cold beers and a Chinese lunch, before walking through the market, to the bus station , where we made sure we caught the only bus going back to SavuSavu.

Labasa market with its yaqona dealer

View of market over the river

The next day we went out and bought our yaqona roots, from which the Kava drink is made. Each bunch costs about as much as a bottle of wine….. and it apparently tastes a bit peppery and foul, numbs your lips, and is a calmative,…  but it is an age old custom , and tradition of Fijian hospitality.

Weighing out our yaqona bundles

We had all made our plans about where we were heading when the weather window opened up, so we said farewell for a while to Scott Free and Beez Neez, who were heading East, to Vianni Bay, and the Lau group, while we were heading South, and East to Makogai, Naingani, Nananu I Thake, Denarau, and Mololo (Musket Cove).

Drinks at the Copra Shed Yacht Club

 We will all meet up again there, in about 6 weeks, when we head out to Vanuatu.

On Sunday evening, we headed out to Cousteau resort, on the SavuSavu point, to knock off the first 6 miles of what would be a 46 mile trip south, for which we welcomed the 15kt Easterly.

As it turned out, it was just as well that we had decided not to head Eastwards…. two  nasty boat problems made themselves known to us.

Firstly, the autopilot jammed, and would not release. We had to steer ourselves into the anchorage using the autopilot, to drop the anchor, and then address the problem. Secondly, we experienced one of the cruising life’s worst nightmares….. the new and very expensive New Zealand black water holding tank blew up…. Not only depriving us of our loo, but covering ……….. well lets not go into too much detail!

Suffice to say, that the joys of being a skipper on a cruising boat are never ending!   

Bula Fiji!

10^th June 2015

When we left NZ, we knew we were taking on one of the trickier passages of our journey. It can be nasty and terrible, or have too little wind, or be a mixture of both! AS one cruiser told us, he always plans for a 9 day passage to Suva…. 3 days of wild crappy weather, 3 days of good sailing, and 3 days of motoring… and considers that par for the course.

I suppose that sums up our voyage, with our diversion to Minerva requiring a little more motoring, but being compensated by visiting a quite special, and unusual reef, only ever seen by a relative handful of sailors. Plus we were heading for the most northerly check-in point  in Fiji ( SavuSavu), which is about 100 miles further than Suva, which made our 10/11 days for the passage about what we could hope for.

Wahoo!

We have become experts at slowing down to make our arrival early in the morning, during office hours, to avoid the extortionistic bull about arriving in “overtime” hours! 

Scott-Free and ourselves checked at 8.00am at SavuSavu, using the services of the very friendly Coprashed Marina staff, The process was an absolute pleasure, and the Bio-Security, Health, Customs, Immigration, Cruising permit application handled quickly and efficiently by WARM AND COURTEOUS officials!! What a pleasure!

ST and SF still joined at the hip on the Q Dock!

It may appear to readers that we travel side by side for the entire passage.  Not so!

Frequently we are 20 -30 miles apart, with one taking the high road and the other the low. But somehow seem to find each other at least a few times in a passage! Quite amazing when one considers how different the 2 yachts are with their preferred points of sail.

By 10.00 am we were cleared in, out on a mooring buoy,  and putting the dinghy in the water, so that we could go ashore, explore, pay the fees, and track down a simcard for the dongle and cellphone.

Then it was Burgers and Beers with cruising buddies at the local “Surf and Turf”, before returning to Sheer for a Lo o o ng , and much needed kip!

Savusavu anchorage as seen from the Q
dock

Diesel Dilemmas and dithering old Dummy’s!

 04/06/2015

Diesel Doos!!

Not all premium quality diesel hose is up to spec!! We discovered this in Opua shortly before we left.

On Sheer Tenacity we have a 300lt fuel tank on the port side, a 180lt tank on Starboard, and a 60lt gravity feed day tank under the companionway. On deck we keep a further 80lts in jerry jugs. We are admired and envied by many a cruiser! Why so much???

The one complaint that I read about, while building Sheer, was from those sailors bemoaning their inadequate fuel capacities….. especially those cruisers who did the NZ  to Fiji run often! This 1160 mile passage goes from 35 degs South, up to 17  South. The weather systems come through in fairly regular waves, about every 7 days or so. The usual passage departs 1-2 days after the low front has passed through NZ, and the sea has calmed down a bit, and the next high moves in bringing SE winds.  This kick start only usually lasts for 2-3 days, before one gets stuck in the middle of the high with no wind. 2 days later, the next low comes through and clobbers you. Added to that, is the potential for the next low to meet up with another low emanating from the tropics, to the north, or stalling on the back of the departing high, which can produce a “squash zone”.

None of these scenarios are too welcome! So one of the common strategies is to motor north in the calms, and get the hell out of the risky zones……. Hence the diesel tank capacity. Yeah, I know that 600lts is a bit of overkill…. Sheer could motor for 1000 miles , or 11 days on that!

 Now our whole diesel system relies on a transfer pump and filter system, to move clean, filtered diesel from the storage tanks to the day tank.

What happens when the premium pipes start dissolving like overcooked macaroni? Well, when the pump sucks, the pipes collapse, and diddly squat reaches the day tank! Luckily, we picked up the problem in Opua, and replaced all the pipes….. except for the little one that links the two halves of the port 300lt tank.

Now with all our motor sailing, we were transferring diesel in 20lt amounts, from the 300 lt port tank. After 150 lts, it indicated Nada… empty! Impossible! I put in 280 lts just before we left! Oh hell, I reason, the little link pipe, which was inaccessible, and therefore not changed, must have collapsed, trapping the outer tanks 150 lts from draining into the inner tank!

So for the last two top ups, I had to draw from the starboard storage tank. But now we had to find some way to access the missing 150 lts.  But first I had to prove that my assessment was correct. So, we inserted a little engine oil vacuum pump, with a long hose, down through the filler tube into the bottom of the port outer tank…. And bingo , we find the missing 150 lts.

So, the first task was to extract 40 lts, and transfer it back into the starboard tank, so that it was full. We did that. Then we decided to check that the starboard tank was in fact full….so lets draw more fuel, and fill the starboard tank to the top!

After 20 extra litres have been transferred, we were worried! After another 80lts went in we were panic struck! The tank had at least 160lts in it, from which we had drawn 40… We should only have been able to fit max 40 lts to fill it up!

By this stage, we are also pretty exhausted, have used a little engine oil pump, (which sucks about 100ml per pump), to pump out 140lts of diesel.

Completely discombobulated by the situation, we sat down and checked all our ullage calculations over the past 4 years, searching in vain for some arithmetic errors  .

Then…….. the possibility dawned, that for the past 5 years, could I have been mistaking the port transfer position on the 3 way valve, for the Starboard one!

Was it possible that the 150 lts that I believed was siphoned out of the port tank in Brazil, by some little cretin…….. or that the 150 lts we believe had been accidentally pumped into our bilges, when the transfer pump was not turned off in the storm, and got pumped out by the automatic bilge pump into the sea…..

Surely it was not possible, that with my advancing years, that my brain had turned to porridge! 

Well, the truth must out! We did the tests, reversed the valve back to the previously empty tank, and found it full! The empty tank had been the Starboard one, which was now full again after hand pumping the 140 lts!!

Yes, Mary says, a definite case of your brain turning to mush!

No, I argue, with my advancing years, I have obviously discovered an unexpected , and surprising re -emergence of my analytical skills, and if that was not the case , how else could the problem have been solved ! I can now forgive you for not turning off the transfer pump in the storm, as it now appears that you did not cause 150lts of diesel to be pumped overboard! There now…. Doesn’t that make you feel better?

Popping out of Opua

03/06/2015

3 Reefs and leaving BOI, NZ

Well we got our southerly winds, that follow the low trough, but they ran out of puff rather too early! Winds of 18-20knots for the first day gave us a good send off, but the sea state following the low was somewhat uncomfortable. Especially for those of us who have been languishing around in the Bay of Islands for a while, and not doing much sailing!

Cruising buddy, Scott-Free, beside us as we leave

Before long, we were in the washing machine!

By day 3 we were motor sailing in 7-10 knots of wind, in much calmer seas, but it made for slow progress. After doing 397 miles in the first 3 days, we did between 110 and 119 for each of the next 3 days. 

Amazing.....still close after 300 miles as shown on the
 AIS image below!

By day 5, when it became clear that we would have to motor sail for the next 6 days to Fiji, in very light winds, we elected to “hang a right”, and make for Minerva Reef, where we could anchor for a few days, and wait for the winds to turn in our favour. To compound the problem, Scott Free didn't think they would have had enough diesel to motor the distance, while we had enough to spare them 60 litres.

Besides, one tires of the noisy Donk after 3 days! And what a good call it has been… thus far! Situated 700mile north of NZ, and 480 below Fiji, the Minerva Reefs are special.

The easy way to get to FIJI......Pacific Pearl passes closeby

 Minerva South is like a tilted figure of eight shape, with only the one half being accessible.  Even so, it has a tricky entrance, and has too many “bommies” for my comfort! Minerva North Reef, is circular in shape with a 2-3 mile diameter, and a single and easier pass.

There are widely different takes on how safe it is to anchor there in a real blow. Some people regard it as a “Venus Flytrap”, enticing you into the sanctuary within, only to lock you in, with no wind protection, and lee shores all around you! Others use Minerva as a staging post…. deliberately aiming to anchor there, and to wait out the next front for a few days, before continuing their journey with southerly winds again. A number of boats have been lost here in big blows, but equally, many have sat out severe storms, saying that although it was uncomfortable, it beat the hell out of being out there sailing!

In our case, a weak front is expected to pass over today, where after the winds should switch from Northerly, to South east, light at first, and then building to 20knots as we approach Fiji. So our plan is to wait until Saturday before resuming our passage. In the meantime, we are just taking time out to chill, rest, and appreciate this Magical Minerva. At high tide, all one can see is the waves breaking all around you on the outer reef, making the anchorage rather bumpy. At low tide, the reef dries out, and the inside becomes a peaceful lake! Yesterday we went ashore at low tide, and walked around the edge of a small portion of the reef, fossicking in the pools, and watching Moray eels slithering around in 10cm deep water.

Scott-Free at anchor in Minerva......
note the reef in the background

Sunset and moonrise in Minerva.
 Lucky to have a full moon while there

Expolring the reef at low tide with Chris and Steve

Camouflaged little crablet

 The sunset, and full moon rising over the reef made for some amazing sights, and we were delighted to have had this experience almost forced upon us!

Another very good reason for diverting to Minerva on 2^nd June, was to cross the dateline back into Yesterday…… which meant I could celebrate my birthday all over again! Not that there’s much to celebrate these days, apart from more aching joints, and suddenly advancing 2 years in 2 days! My mates now reckon I’m 67 , but hope is around the corner, as when we cross back over the dateline en route to Fiji, I will return once more to a more youthful 66!

Thanks Chris........my 67th?

When the wind turned south, after the front had passed, it was time to leave Minerrva.

Leaving through the pass with breaking waves on either side