Friday 6th
We all headed into Denarau this morning at 7.30am. It took till 9.30 to clear customs because there were so many boats leaving, there was a que.
Once cleared we hauled anchor and set sail. At 12.00 we came across a local boat in trouble. There outboard motor had stopped and they needed help. We called for help on the VHF radio and the Fiji Navy boat was soon on its way. Before it got there another local boat came along and was able to tow the small fishing boat back to shore. It was after 1.00pm when we were able to get back underway.
As we ventured out into the 3m swell and 30kt winds Julia and then Austin discovered the swell is different out here and they took a bucket each. By evening the swell had dropped to 2m and the wind was a comfortable 20kts.
I was the only one game enough to eat dinner (spaghetti Bolognese). B had crackers.
Yesterday’s blog
Yesterday was a big day. We went to Nadi to get fresh fruit and veggies for the trip. The bus we took to Nadi had a sign saying the bus is registered to carry 31 passengers and didn’t quite have that many. The coming back had the sign missing. That must mean there is no limit and that’s what he did. I counted 63 people onboard.
We met Austin back in Denarau and all climbed into the dinghy to head back to Imagine. Imagine wasn’t where we had left her and there was a couple of guys on her. Imagine had dragged and they were putting out more chain. We anchored in 3m of water and had put on 30m of chain and had dragged. We reanchored this time with 60m of chain out. We had just settled down when there was another boat dragging. It collected the anchor of another boat and now both heading towards us. Austin and I jumped in the dinghy and went to help. Others joined in as the first dragging boat had nobody onboard. After an hour we were able to get the anchors untangled, just in time for the owners to come back. Over the next few hours several boats started to drag and then moved out of the bay.
While we were in Denarau I went to customs to book out but they wouldnt let us book out and leave in the middle of the night when the wind died down a little.
Getting ready
This morning was spent setting up the boat ready for the sail to NZ. Setting up Jack lines, the drouge, fastening everything down, etc. This afternoon we headed back to Denarau where we will pick up Austin in the morning and get fresh fruit and veggies for the trip. On the way to Denarau, B made a banana bread (we have to wait till tomorrow to try it).
This evening B took lots of photos of the beautiful sunset.
Getting ready
As high tide was this morning, so we went across the reef to shore and walked around to Musket Cove. Julia caught up with a couple on a boat that she had thought about joining before Imagine. Then we all had showers before having a drink at the coffee shop. On the way back we got three coconuts from a palm tree.
The afternoon consisted of resting, reading and doing a few jobs getting the boat ready for the journey to New Zealand on Friday.
Bula
This morning we welcomed Julia onboard. Austin left us to discover Nadi and sort out some internet downloading. We sailed back to Malolo Lailai island, had a swim and chatted the rest of the day. We went through all the safety procedures with Julia and spent the evening drinking a bottle of wine on the foredeck watching the sun go down.
Denarau
This morning we set off back to Denarau to do some shopping and get ready to pick up Julia (new crew) tomorrow. B helmed as Austin hauled anchor, leaving Musket Cove behind. Austin took over the helm and sailed us most of the way to Denarau. Once we had anchored and had lunch it was chill time. In the afternoon we all went ashore. B and I looked around the shops and got some supplies, while Austin found free WIFI and caught up on the internet. Austin saw that one of the boats anchored near us was the same type as his, so he took the dinghy across to have a chat. Back on Imagine it was time for cards before dinner.
Productive morning
This morning the wind was up so we decided to get a few jobs done on Imagine. The first was to splice a new snubber as our spare. Austin and I got stuck into that while B worked on making her jewellery and accessories based on recycling.
Next it was dive and clean the hull. Austin and I did the work while B took the photos. It wasn’t very dirty so it didn’t take long. After lunch we had a lazy afternoon, reading, resting, drinking coconuts and playing cards. Austin is on dinner duty tonight.
No ice cream
The wind has been up all night and all day. So this morning after breakfast we all went ashore and walk around the island to the marina. Austin kept his shirt on all day, to cover up his sunburn from yesterday. After walking around the resort we went for a shower. We may as well use their water.
After showering we sat on the veranda and had lunch. Austin then went off to take more pictures while B and I sat on the grass killing time.
When Austin got back we headed to the shop for our ice cream tasting. OMG they were out of Kapiti ice cream. Call the authorities! How dare they run out out of our ice cream?
Reluctantly we trudged back to the dinghy via the coast. On the way back I attacked a palm tree with a long stick, obviously loosening the coconut, because when Austin had a go, the coconut fell to the ground. The tide was still out by the time we got back so I had to drag the dinghy across the reef. Back on Imagine we all went for a swim.
It only took one day
He has only been on the boat one day and Austin has already blocked the toilet!This morning the toilet blocked just after Austin had used it. The problem as with all salt water toilets was calcium build up in the system. It didn’t take too long to fix but as you can imagine it’s not a nice job to do straight after breakfast (or any time).
After that was sorted we all went across to the reef and spent a couple of hours snorkelling. Today the water wasn’t as clear, but the fish were still there, swimming through the colourful coral.
After lunch was nap time. We went for a walk along the beach late in the afternoon, then sat on deck and watched the sunset
Something strange
We returned to Denarau five days ago to restock fresh fruit and veggies and wait for the arrival of our new crew. While waiting a strange thing happened. The weather wasn’t good. Overcast and raining.
We had a break in tbe rain one day so we went into the marina and fueled up. That was a mission. We had to radio in to be in the queue. Once in the marina we had to go around in circles for more than hour because every time the fuel dock was cleared and we were called in, a little motor boat would cut in front of us to fuel up. When we finaly got to the fuel dock we discovered the pump was on a go slow. It took another hour to fill up.
The next day day we had winds reaching over 25knts and plenty of rain. Yesterday we braved the rain and did a little more shopping. When we got back to Imagine she had moved. There was a boat anchored very close to where we had left Imagine and the guy on it was waving us over. We went to see what he wanted. He told us that not long after he had anchored Imagine dragged anchor and hit his boat only causing a small scratch. He jumped on Imagine and was able to stop Imagine from drifting onto the reef. Strange because there was only 5kts of wind yesterday, but we were not there to say wether he had anchored across ours and dislodged Imagine, or it was something else. A guy from the catamaran anchored aside us for the last 3 days came over to help them rescue Imagine and also mentioned to them how strange that was since we have been both boats aside each other in 25kts winds with no problem.
This morning we picked up Austin, our new crew and headed out to Malolo Lailai island for a few days. The weather still cloudy but we jumped in the clear blue water as soon as we anchored and we have been lucky to get a couple of hours of sun.
