We raised anchor in Suva at about 9pm and navigated by sight around all the boats in the harbor. Then, we followed our track all the way out of the harbor, and once outside, it was a difficult upwind bash until we could clear the corner of the Viti Levu (the big island where Suva is) and head more NE towards Gau. There were Bellini family members piled all around the cockpit trying to get some sleep, but as far as I know, no one got too sick. Tim, the boys, and I stood our normal watches, and it was a tired crew that entered the lagoon at Gau the next morning.
There are three passes throught the reef on the NW side of Gau, and we went through the middle one, which is unlabled on our Navionics charts. The pass was easy and we dropped anchor in Herald Bay, south of the village of Sawaieke.
Fluenta and Caminante made the passage with us, while Nautilus came the next night, and Lumbaz a couple nights after. Caminante caught 3 Dorado just outside the pass, and they generously gave one to us, which fed our entire crew of 9 for two nights.
Gresham Family Exodus 