GPS: 17 45.422S 177 23.314E
Run: 12.4nm (22.4km)
We have moved back to Denarau. We ran out of data so we had to come back here on Thursday afternoon so Andrew could bus into Nadi to buy more data.
Shit, shit, shit (not just from Sue) rang out most of yesterday, as unpredicted high winds and half metre waves hit the bay. A catamaran dragged anchor first. As he was resetting the anchor we saw another ketch start moving. The crew from the ketch had gone ashore earlier so Andrew jumped in the dinghy and went to see what could be done. He was met by someone in a dinghy going to do the same thing. The two of them had enough time to work out that the ketch had no more anchor chain to put out, when Sue radioed Andrew that Imagine was dragging. Andrew left the ketch for the other guy to figure out and headed back to Imagine. By this time Imagine had dragged 100m and was almost on another boat and getting closer. Sue had already got the motor running and headed into the wind and waves while Andrew hauled up the anchor. Three attempts later to re-anchor we got the anchor to hold. 4m of water with over 40m of chain out.
Over the radio we heard two guys off different boats were trying to save another boat heading to the sandbar. We then saw another ketch on the move. Andrew jumped back in the dinghy and off to the ketch. There was only a young guy on the ketch who wasn’t sure what to do. The skipper was one the we had heard on the radio saving another boat. Dropping another 30m of chain out seemed to get the ketch under control.
Heading back to Imagine Andrew saw yet another yacht sliding back. As he approached he could see a woman at the helm starting to motor forward and getting it under control. It turns out her husband was the other one saving the boat from the sandbar. It wasn’t long before the two skippers were back on their boats and hauling anchors. They came and anchored either side of us.
With the fun over and the wind slowly dying, Sue stayed glued in front of the helm the rest of the day and then semi slept in the cockpit checking on our position regularly. Sorry no pictures, we were a bit too busy.