Tim had gotten some previous intelligence that there were some wrecks near the anchorage that were shallow enough to snorkel on. He had gotten confirmation from some locals, but he still didn’t have precise GPS coordinates to go find them. He studied the satellite imagery and had identified a couple spots he thought might be one of the wrecks, so I was game to go out with him for an afternoon excursion. We dinghied here and there, and Tim tried so hard to find the wreck, putting a mask on and sticking his head in the water having a look at the various places we stopped. We never did find any wrecks, all ship shaped dark blobs on the satellite image turned out to be just coral. But I appreciated his effort, and we ended up having a pretty nice afternoon together.
The boat Menkar had a father/adult son crew from France, and it turned out that the son, Sylvan, really liked to spearfish too. So, one day Tim, Sylvan, and Brenden went out hunting. I don’t remember what Tim and Brenden came back with, but Sylvan shot a snapper, and everything we had heard was that Rotuma has ciguatera, so in that case, snappers are not really the fish you want to eat. He ate it anyway, and sure enough ended up with ciguatera. Apparently, he had just recovered recently from a previous bout with it, so he already had quite a lot of toxins built up in his system, so there’s no telling if this fish itself was severe or not. But Sylvan ended up with a pretty severe case and was in and out of the hospital there in Rotuma and their departure to Tuvalu had to be delayed.
Also, when they came back from spearfishing the dinghy had a leak, and Tim was totally blaming Sylvan (privately, of course), and I believe Menkar loaned us some of the adhesive needed to apply a patch to the dinghy. Later, Tim figured out that it was his own spear tip on his own gun that had caused the offending abrasion, and even though he hadn’t blamed Sylvan directly, he did go over and let Sylvan know how it happened after all.
The nearest town to the wharf is called Oinafa, and on our first day we went ashore to pay our respects to the chief. There’s no sevusevu ceremony practiced here, but we thought it would be good form to go introduce ourselves and all. We quickly learned from the people in the village that this wasn’t necessary at all. We are free to explore the island and come to the village whenever we want.
So, when the supply ship, that only comes once a month, arrived and was docked at the wharf, we figured we should go check it out. There were so many people gathered around that we thought it would be a great opportunity to meet some people. Everyone was very nice and friendly, and we found out that it’s not just a supply ship but also a passenger ship taking people to/from Suva. There were tons of kids on board, because there was a sporting tournament they were going to participate in. We were approached by many people curious of where we are from and how we like Rotuma so far, but later, as I reflected on all those we had spoken to and most were in some official capacity like police officer, marine safety person, self-designated yachtie chaperone, etc. So, I have to say my favorite person from that day was Freddy. Freddy is just an old guy who lives in the village who wanted to come and welcome us and find out about our story. He’s never left Fiji, and when Tim asked him if there was phone service on the island, I’m pretty sure he had no idea what he was talking about. Freddy seemed particularly interested in the boys, and later I had to chastise them because they didn’t engage at all. They were grouchy at us for making them go ashore, and they couldn’t see past that and give Freddy the interaction he so obviously wanted. We were there talking to people for some time, so the boys went to run along the beach, an absolutely beautiful beach by the way. They came back to let us know the storm was coming, and by the looks of the sky they were right, so we ran to the dinghy, but it was too late, we got caught in the downpour on the way back anyway. So, already wet, we decided to take advantage of the torrential rain and have showers. Well, three of us anyway, the fourth spent the time setting up rain catchers so then our tanks and jerry cans were full.
Rotuma is an isolated island located about 250 nmi north of the rest of the islands of Fiji. Although it is administratively part of Fiji, culturally it is like a different country, and the Rotumans are Polynesian rather than Melanesian. Rotuma is a young enough volcanic island to not yet have a fringing reef and lagoon, so the anchoring situation can be somewhat precarious depending on the weather. The main anchoring location is near the main wharf on the northeast side of the island. There is a little bit of a lip of land that can just protect you enough from the prevailing trade wind direction. Anything from the north and forget about it.
The Island of Rotuma
When we arrived (with very little light), there was one boat anchored outside of the main wharf area (s/v Navire), and one boat anchored inside the wharf area almost on the beach (s/v Menkar). We ventured inside and were promptly visited by a couple guys in a dinghy warning us that the groundswell from the north was causing breaking waves on the beach in the little harbor and it wasn’t that safe to be anchored in there. What about the boat already there? It turns out they have a retractable keel and they were able to tuck way up into the shallows behind the wharf, which was an area less affected by the swell. With not much daylight to work with we decided to just go anchor out and reassess in the morning. It was a bit rolly out there, but certainly not as rolly as being on passage, so we still all got a good night sleep. After two days the swell had subsided and we safely moved Exodus inside the little harbor.
Exodus anchor locations at Rotuma
Rotuma has got to be one of the nicest places that we’ve visited. The geography reminded me a lot of Hawaii, with dramatic black volcanic rock and fine white sand beaches. Seriously, the beauty of this island cannot be overstated. The people here are consciously and actively resisting development and tourism. This place could easily have resorts all over it, but they don’t want it that way, and you just have to respect that. We were absolutely loving the warmer water too! It was a perfect 85 deg F, and I went swimming almost every day.
After our Rabi departure, the wind helped us out a bit by shifting to the SE making it easier for us to get up and around the NE corner of Vanua Levu. After that, the wind settled into a more ESE direction and it was dead downwind sailing the rest of the way. Exodus and crew love this point of sail. It’s not our fastest, but it’s by far our most comfortable.
It was sort of strange because this was our first offshore passage on which we were alone since our very first passage down from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. We had grown so accustomed to having buddy boats around that we were feeling a little alone and isolated. The mahi mahi livened everyone’s spirits, though. Well, except for mine, because we caught it on the reel rather than the handline, and I really hate having to slow the boat down under sail. So, Tim and I got into our usual “playful banter” that goes something like, “Slow Down, you’re killing me!” “I’m doing my best, I don’t know why you use the reels anyway!” “Well, I’m so sorry that catching fish annoys you so much!” Yeah, yeah, playful banter. Good times. After the mahi there was a fishing ban in effect for all fish except yellow fin tuna. And we didn’t use the reel.
The morning of our second day on passage, I realized that we didn’t stand a chance of making it to Rotuma before dark, and this sort of realization can be quite dejecting. Even if a passage is mostly comfortable, it’s always better to be snug in an anchorage as the sun goes down. However, after Tim got up the wind really picked up and we were flying along. But it was still quite frustrating, because even at this windspeed we wouldn’t make before dark. Unless… we fly the spinnaker! Our spinnaker is not a light wind sail as some are. In fact, it won’t even stay full in less than 10 kts of wind. However, the last time we flew it in 20 kts of wind, as were the current conditions, Tim ended up with a broken toe during the dousing process. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so out came the chute! The worst part of the whole operation was turning into the wind (and 2-3 m swells) in order to drop the main. We even eventually got the spinnaker down without any drama. And thanks to the spinnaker, we were having safe arrival drinks in the cockpit as darkness arrived.
However, we barely made it in time. We were pulling into the anchorage with only the lighting of dusk to see by. There isn’t a fringing reef or pass to worry about, but there is a little bit of reef that sticks out here or there as well as some scattered bombies, so there is no way we would have been able to approach the island at that late hour without satellite imagery to navigate by.
Our intention was to leave Rabi in the early evening for the two-day passage up to Rotuma. We got a bit of a late start due to an issue with the port engine. And now, since I am the one who writes these narratives, I get to be the one to tell my side of the story. I would like to take the opportunity now to say that I had been telling Tim since Savusavu that the port engine was exhibiting off-nominal behavior at start up. What I had noticed, and what I had communicated to him, was that it would take much longer than normal for water to start coming out, and that the first burst of water wasn’t a burst at all like it normally is, rather it was more of a trickle, and it would take some time for the bursting behavior to build up. Tim’s response to this was to lecture me about how the impeller and water-cooling system works, and the behavior I was observing was clearly consistent with the way it works. Well, that may be, but all I know is I have been starting the engines for almost three years, and what I observe now is different behavior than what has always been “normal.”
Anyway, this time, when we were ready to depart Rabi and I started the engine, no water at all came out of the Port side. When it became obvious to me that no water was going to come, I quickly shut down the engine. Tim had me restart it so that he could see for himself, and then he went into trouble shooting mode. Luckily, this wasn’t too hard to troubleshoot, since the intake impeller is the obvious first place to check. Sure enough, our impeller had pretty much shredded to pieces and had only one of its original 12 “blades” still fully in tact. We had a spare, Tim replaced it quickly, and off we went. And I didn’t even say “I told you so.” (Not then, anyway.)
Tim in the engine compartment changing the impellerOld and new impellers
Rotuma is administratively part of Fiji, but geographically and culturally it is totally separate. We only stayed 5 days but easily could have stayed a couple weeks.
1505 Engines on (Port engine no water. Turned off. Changed impeller, that fixed it
1605 Engines P engine on
1613 SB engine on
1640 engines off main + genoa
Daily notes
T/D – before leaving went to shore to say good-bye, Teri brought us a lobster, shot w/ pole spear
Rabi to Rotuma
Logbook – November 1, 2015 (Rabi to Rotuma)
Passage Log Highligts
0540 Main + genoa, wing and wing
1645 Fish on Dorado (2m)
1814 Main + genniker
Daily Notes
360 deg sunset
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 1, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Late departure and downwind sailing
We got a bit of a late departure yesterday because when we started the port engine it decided to not spit out any water, which is very bad. It turns out that the cooling water intake impeller was, let’s just say tired, and needed to be replaced. Luckily, Tim had the spare and was able to swap it out quickly. As a bonus, while Tim was in the engine compartment one of the local guys from shore brought us a lobster for the passage. Brenden called dibs, but he’s a little bit crazy. The wind helped us out yesterday by going a little SE to make it easier for us to get up and around the NE corner of Vanua Levu, and since then it’s been dead downwind sailing. Exodus and crew love this point of sail. It’s not our fastest, but it’s definitely our most comfortable. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – November 2, 2015 (Rabi to Rotuma)
Passage Log Highlights
0301 Main + genniker
1115 SB engine on to speed up (realized we could make it before dark)
1114 P engine on to drop main
1207 Both engines off, spinnaker run!
1745 Engines on
1827 Engines off Rotuma
Daily Notes
Thanks to the spinnaker, made it before sunset
Huge ground swell in anchorage, warned by other boats, so we moved out. Rolly but OK
Approaching the island at the end of the day. We just made it into the anchorage before dark, relying on satellite imagery to avoid the reef as we entered.The Island of RotumaAnchorage on the Northeast side of the island
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 2, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Dorado!
No one would do the naked tuna dance yesterday, so we had to settle for a… Do-ra-do. Do-ra-do. Mahimahimahimahi Dol-phin Fish! We were trying to remember the last time we’d caught one, and we think it was back near Minerva Reef. So, tonight it’ll be grilled Mahi Mahi on the barbie! We’ve pretty much given up hope of having a chance of making it to Rotuma before nightfall today, so we’ll hove to and have a peaceful BBQ dinner at sunset. Right now we’re zipping along at 7.2 kts, but unfortunately, it’s in the wrong direction. Oh well. This is our first offshore passage that we’ve been on our own since our very first passage down from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. The Mahi Mahi livened everyone’s spirits though. Well, except for mine, because we caught it on the reel (not a handline) and I really hate having to slow down under sail. So, Tim and I got into our usual “playful banter” of, “Slow Down, you’re killing me!” “I’m doing my best, I don’t know why you use the reels anyway!” “Well, I’m so sorry that catching fish annoys you so much!” Yeah, playful banter. Good times. There is now a fishing ban in effect for all fish except yellow fin tuna. Love and miss you all, -D.
The geography of Rotuma was stunningHauling the dinghy up the beachThe monthly supply ship/ferry was there, and there was a lot of activity at the dock, so we joined in to see what was going onTim doing some work on the generator
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 3, 2015
Subject: Exodus – A race before sunset
As soon as I wrote the words yesterday that we had given up on arriving with daylight, the wind picked and we were flying along at 8-9 kts, but it was frustrating, because we weren’t quite pointed at our target, because our target was dead downwind, and we just don’t go that fast on that point of sail. Unless… we fly the spinnaker. Our spinnaker is not a light wind sail as some are. In fact, it won’t even stay full in less than 10 kts. However, the last time we flew it in 20 kts of wind, Tim ended up with a broken toe, but desperate times call for desperate measures, so out came the chute! The worst part of the whole operation was turning into the wind (and 2-3 m swells) to drop the main. We even got the spinnaker down without any drama. And thanks to the spinnaker, we were having safe arrival drinks in the cockpit as darkness fell. Well, first we took showers, because it is HOT and HUMID here. The anchorage here is quite large, but there is only one small area that is typically protected from the trade wind swell. However, right now there is a huge ground swell coming in from the north, and when we arrived yesterday, we were warned by another boat here that the tiny, protected area is getting breaking waves sometimes. So, we opted to anchor out further, and although there is quite a large swell, it’s far superior to hoving to all night. It’s raining now, but hopefully that let’s up so we can explore Rotuma a bit today. Love and miss you all, -D.
Email to Family and Friends dated Nov 3, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Rain Showers
After a lazy morning on board for three of us, and dinghy repairs for one of us, we decided to venture ashore. The supply ship, that only comes once a month, was at the wharf and there were a lot of people crowded around, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to meet some of the people here. Everyone was very nice and friendly, and we found out that it’s not just a supply ship but also a passenger ship taking people to/from Suva. There were tons of kids on board, because there was a sporting tournament they were going to participate in. We were approached by many people curious of where we are from and how we like Rotuma so far, but later, as I reflected on all those we had spoken to and most were in some official capacity like police officer, marine safety person, self-designated yachtie chaperone, etc. So, I have to say my favorite person from yesterday was Freddy. Freddy is just an old guy who lives in the village who wanted to come and welcome us and find out about our story. He’s never left Fiji, and when Tim asked him if there was phone service on the island, I’m pretty sure he had no idea what he was talking about. Freddy seemed particularly interested in the boys, and later I had to chastise them because they didn’t engage at all. They were grouchy at us for making them go ashore, and they couldn’t see past that and give Freddy the interaction he so obviously wanted. Hopefully they will be more thoughtful next time. We were there talking to people for some time, so the boys went to run along the beach, an absolutely beautiful beach by the way. They came back to let us know the storm was coming, and by the looks of the sky they were right, so we ran to the dinghy, but it was too late, we got caught in the downpour on the way back anyway. So, already wet, we decided to take advantage of the torrential rain and have showers. Well, three of us anyway, the fourth spent the time setting up rain catchers so now our tanks and jerry cans are full. The beauty of this island can not be overstated, and we haven’t even seen it in the sunshine yet. The people here are consciously and actively resisting development and tourism. This place could easily have resorts all over it, but they don’t want it that way, and you just have to respect that. Today, we will go pay our respects to the chief at the nearest village and then hopefully explore the island a little more. Love and miss you all, -D.
Tim and I went out for a dinghy excursion looking for a sunken ship to snorkel on. Here is Tim with his head in the water looking for the ship. We never did find it, but it was a nice afternoon off the boat.
Logbook – November 6, 2015 (Rotuma)
Daily Notes
D/T – set out to get to the market near gov’t building, met people along the way and ended up getting rides all the way around the island
Met Bula & Betty, very nice
“Cleared out” – no customs – TBV was right!
The womping willowAlex and Brenden went to shore to swim and play with some kids and here thay are on their way back with a gift of some bananas
Email to Family and Friends dated November 7, 015
Subject: Exodus – Tuvalu Bound
Sadly, we departed Rotuma early this morning. We were really enjoying ourselves there and ideally we would have liked to stay for 3 or 4 more days, but the weather forecast wasn’t cooperating. If we didn’t leave today we could be stuck a week or longer waiting for wind again, and we really didn’t want to motor this leg of the journey. The next leg from Tuvalu to Kiribati puts us in the convergence zone, and we want to save the diesel for that. It’s a very nice sail so far, light enough wind to be comfortable but strong enough to go at a decent speed. Rotuma has got to be one of the nicest places we’ve been. The geography reminded me more of Hawaii, with dramatic black volcanic rock and fine white sand beaches. And don’t get me started on the water temperature! It was a perfect 85 deg F, and I went swimming almost every day. We met some really nice people in the village nearest the anchorage and they invited us for a grog (kava drinking) and music. The people here are polynesian, not micronesian like the Fijians, and there is no tradition of sevusevu, but they like drinking the grog, and it was very relaxed and fun. And it was also a relief to make some new cruiser friends, since we have separated from most of our usual gang. There were two other boats, and one of them is also on passage to Tuvalu and we are doing evening SSB checkins, so once again, we are not alone out here. Yesterday, Tim and I set out walking to check out the Friday morning vegetable market. It is 12 Km from the anchorage, but we were told it’s easy to get a ride. We ended up meeting many people, accidentally getting a ride the other way around the island, and never did make it to the market. But no worries, people along the way gave us bananas, papaya, and kasava. I am feeling really far away from everyone since I got so spoiled with internet in Fiji, so don’t hesitate to send us a note to say hello and let us know what’s going on with you from time to time. Love and miss you all, -D.
For obvious reasons, we got a late start leaving Somosomo for our daysail up to Rabi Island. So, after making our way through the reef system labeled “Florida Reefs” on our open CPN charts we knew we wouldn’t make it any further than Katherine Bay on the south tip of the island before darkness set in. Neither Open CPN nor Navionics are very accurate for all these reefs, so we relied mostly on satellite imagery and our own eyes for all of our navigation.
Rabi Island
Katherine Bay is a beautiful, lush, green bay lined with hills and mangroves. Our first anchor attempt was way up into the head of the bay, but it did not seem like good holding and the anchor didn’t dig in after a couple tries. So, we moved out a bit to the anchor waypoint listed at the end of this post. We had a quiet evening in Katherine Bay without even leaving the boat, and in the morning, we were off to make our way up to Albert Cove.
A church on the hill at Katherine Bay
On our way up to Albert Cove we made a brief stop at the main village, called Nuka. We had gotten the impression either from something we had read or something someone told us that we needed to go to Nuka to check in with the local police and request permission to visit the island. It turns out that really wasn’t necessary. In fact, they asked us why we come to check-in; don’t we know that Rabi is part of Fiji? So, maybe now is a good time to explain that the people of Rabi are not native Fijian. They are from an island, which is now part of Kiribati, called Banaba and formerly known as Ocean Island. They were relocated to Rabi shortly after WWII because their island became barely habitable due to phosphate mining by the British and then the invasion by the Japanese during the war. Their story is a sad one as they seem to have gotten screwed from every direction. This website is a good one for more information if you are interested: http://www.banaban.com/contents/en-us/d17_Banaban-historical-overview.html
Today, they seem to be doing OK being administratively part of Fiji, however their infrastructure was a bit tired as it was obviously decades old. During our brief visit to Nuka, we found the people, on the surface, to be much less friendly than the Fijians we had grown accustomed to interacting with. They reminded me much of the Tongans; it’s not that there’s any ill feelings towards you, it’s just that they are not so extroverted as the Fijians. We seriously could have walked through the whole town without anyone talking to us, but we know better than that by now, and we stopped and talked to several people, and they were all nice, helpful, and curious about us. It’s just that we had to make the first move. They seemed pleasantly surprised when we greeted them with, “Mauri,” which is how you say hello in their language, Gilbertese, instead of the well-known Fijian, “Bula.” The “anchorage” at Nuka isn’t ideal, so we didn’t want to leave Exodus unattended for too long, but we visited a couple shops and stopped to talk to some moms who were gathered near the school. We also had a short conversation with a teacher, so we learned that their school system is integrated with Fiji, so in addition to their own Gilbertese language, the kids learn English AND Fijjian.
The wharf at Nuka villageThe primary school in NukaA tribute to the Island of Banaba
As we transited between Nuka and Albert Cove, we stayed inside the reef, and it was easy to navigate and spot the bombies, since we just kept a lookout the whole time. As we arrived at Albert Cove we saw two boats already in the anchorage, so I can’t say that we got a prime anchor location. And as luck would have it, a squall blew through and it poured down rain on us just as we were dropping anchor. Oh well, I guess Tim needed a shower anyway.\
Exodus anchored at Albert Cove
One of the boats already there was one I had briefly met in Savusavu. They are a memorable couple, because they are from Israel, and you don’t meet many cruisers out here from Israel. They invited us over to their boat, and it’s always nice when people love their boats, but this guy was way over the top. The whole afternoon turned into a “look how cool my boat is” session. It was a very nice boat, and he has obviously put a ton of thought into it, but he has also obviously put a ton of money into it. As he was borderline lecturing us on safety and how he has redundant EVERYTHING in his boat, I wanted to say, “you know most people don’t have the budget for that sort of redundancy and they have to put careful thought into their prioritization rather than achieving safety by brute force spending…” but I held my tongue. Anyway, after we were back on Exodus, Brenden asked, “Where’s Israel?” and I realized perhaps I needed to step up on the geography education. I told a friend about Brenden’s lack of knowledge about Israel, and the response was classic, “what kind of American are you?”
In Albert Cove there is a family who lives on shore: husband, wife, and wife’s father. Their two kids live and go to school in Nuka, and some weekends they come to stay with their parents here in Albert Cove. There also seemed to always be a group of fishermen there with them, and they liked for us to use the binoculars to look for birds before they headed out to fish. The woman’s name is Maria, and she was quite friendly, and I went ashore a couple times just to hang out and chat. One day she took us on a guided hike to the other side of the island. It was a pleasant hike, and on the other side we met a family who had just arrived and was going to establish themselves on their family land. The man’s name was Tarawa (easy for me to remember because that is the capital of Kiribati). He has had a long career in Suva, and now, you could say, he is retiring and settling here with his family. Even though they had just arrived by boat the day before, their hospitality was impeccable, and they served us what I think was warm, sweetened milk.
Having a rest during our hike with Maria
One evening, after dinner and after the darkness had set in, one of us, I don’t remember which one, noticed a fire on shore. Now, people often burn trash, so we are used to seeing fires and smoke coming from the kind of places that might make you a little nervous back home. But this fire seemed different. It grew quickly in intensity, seemed quite uncontrolled, and seemed to be coming right from where Maria’s house was. “I’m sure it’s fine,” was our first split second reaction, but then that was quickly overcome by, “but what if it’s not?” So, we rushed to shore with all the buckets we could find hoping we would get there in time to help before everything went up in flames, and when we got to shore Maria calmly came out to greet us. Everything was fine, of course, and her father was just burning some trash. Silly palagis.
On the morning we were planning to depart, we went to shore to say good-bye with a few thank you gifts in hand. Maria and her husband weren’t there, it was just Maria’s dad and a man called Teri, who also lives nearby in Albert Cove. We left some magazines and a cleaned-up, fixed-up pole-spear that Tim had once found while out diving. Later, just before we were ready to depart, Teri swam out to Exodus in order to give us a lobster for the passage. Brenden called dibs, but he’s a crazy kid.
When we finally had a good wind angle, we made an early morning departure for a day sail up to Somosomo, Taveuni. It was a fast sail, close hauled with 20 kts of wind, and I have to admit that after a late-night drinking rum with Breeze I was just a tad bit hung over for this passage. Finally, we got in the lee of Taveuni, and the wind totally died, so we motor-limped up through Somosomo straight (between Taveuni and Vanua Levu) and anchored off the town of Somosomo.
As we approached, we got a VHF call from Fluenta, and they were anchored just a little ways north, and we arranged to meet up in the morning to hit the veggie market and say one last good-bye. Immediately after that call, we got a call from a boat called Ariel IV. They are a Swedish couple who cruised before with their kids when they were young and are now doing it again just the two of them. We had heard about them from both Breeze and Field trip, because they were also planning to go up to Marshall Islands. It was great to make contact and exchange email addresses so we could hopefully meet up somewhere on the way north. (Spoiler alert: it turns out to be a very good thing we had “Dr. Eric” in our Northbound Fleet.)
We spent the evening getting our last internet fix for a while, and then in the morning we went ashore to see Fluenta. Liz and I rode with Max’s parents down to the next town to the south, I think it was Waiyevo, to buy some fresh fruit and veg. It was no Savusavu market, but it did the trick.
The vegetable stalls near Somosomo
In the meantime, the kids hit the MH grocery store and shared one last tub of ice cream together, for old time’s sake. I found myself focusing on the little bit of provisioning I wanted to do instead of on my last bit of time with Liz, but fortunately email reaches us wherever we are, and we’ve been able to stay in close contact as they headed south back to New Zealand, and we headed north to sweat our butts off.
Finally, we had to say good-bye to Fluenta. And a sad good-bye it was, indeed. It was especially sad to think that little Benjamin likely wouldn’t remember us. The boys had grown quite fond of him, and I think the feeling was mutual. Benny, as the kids call him, loved to come to Exodus and play with “Aggie” and “Bummie.” As he was just beginning to talk, these were his personal versions of “Alex” and “Brenden.” He had an extra special name for Tim which originated from our time in Suva together. One night at a yacht club happy hour Tim took Benjamin around looking at the geckos on the walls and ceilings, so of course Benjamin knew Tim only as “Gecko.” (He never did say my name while we were together, but Liz assured me that we separated he would often randomly list off our family members, and sooner or later my name was included too.)
Close as cousins, this group. Victoria, Brenden, Alex, Benjamin, and Jonathan
On approach to Somosomo – VHF call from Ariel IV. Swedish couple Eric & Brigita, also going to Marshals. They know Field Trip & Breeze.
Anchor off Somosomo. Internet afternoon.
Koro Island to Taveuni (anchored roadside at the town of Somosomo)
Email to Family and Friends dated October 25, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Koro to Taveuni and Brenden’s first dogtooth
We had a fast sail up to Taveuni today close hauled with 20 kts of wind. Fast, that is, until we got into the lee of Taveuni, and then the wind dropped to nil, so we motor-limped the rest of the way. We are anchored off a small town called Somosomo that has an MH grocery store and a market, so we will make a quick trip to shore tomorrow morning to restock our fresh fruit/veg supply before heading up to the island of Rabi. Rabi has an interesting history, as the inhabitants aren’t even Fijian, but I’ll write more about that when we visit there. Our last few days at Koro were quite memorable, especially for Brenden. His first milestone is that he can now load his speargun himself. I guess all those pullups he’s been doing are paying off. But the real memorable milestone is that he speared his first dogtooth tuna! Photos already posted to facebook. The dogtooth is a prize among spearfishermen, so Brenden was quite pleased. We all were, actually, because it’s very tasty sashimi indeed. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – October 26, 2015 (Somosomo to Katherine Bay)
Passage Log Highlights
1148 engines on
1215 P engine off, main + genoa
1227 SB engine off
1405 engines on
1530 engines off Katherine Bay Rabi
Daily Notes
Shopping (and eating ice cream) with Fluenta in Somosomo
Passage over to Rabi
First anchor spot at end of bay – not good holding
Beautiful green, lush bay lined w/ hills & mangroves
We made a one night stop at a roadside anchorage off of the island of Taveuni to do just a little last minute provisioningIt gave us a few final hours with these monkeys!Vegetable market in SomosomoSchool in Somosomo, not a bad view from the playgroundTaveuni to Rabi IslandThe Island of RabiKatherine BayWe spent one night at Katherine Bay on the south side of Rabi Islandunset view from Katherine Bay
Logbook – October 27, 2015 (Katherine Bay to Albert Cove via Nuku)
Passage Log Highlights
0905 engines on
0933 SB engine off
1048 SB engine on
1115 engines off Nuku
1300 engines on
1410 engines off Albert Cove
Daily Notes
Lots of safe track waypoints in the chart plotter
Rain while anchoring at Albert Cove
Warmer water
Katherine Bay to Nuku to Albert Cove (looks like I forgot to start the inReach between Nuku and Albert Cove)Tucked in tight at Albert CoveWe made a stop at the main town on Rabi Island in order to check in with the police. This is Tim setting the stern anchor at the “wharf”A view towards town from the wharfThe school at RabiA tribute to the island of Banaba. For those who don’t know the history, the inhabitants of Rabi Island are not actually Fijian, they are Banaban, from the island of Banaba, aka Ocean Island. They were relocated here after their natural resources were exploited by Europeans. Their story is a sad one, google it if you’re interested.Entering Albert Cove on the north side of Rabi Island
Logbook – October 28, 2015 (Albert Cove)
Daily Notes
T/D – go to shore to visit Maria
T/B – spearfish – coral trout – gave to Maria
Dessert & tea on Amosea Island
Email to Family and Friends dated October 28, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Rabi Island
After a brief shopping trip on Taveuni, which pleasantly turned out to be an opportunity to spend a few more hours with Fluenta, we made our way over to Rabi and we are now up on the NW side of the island in a small bay called Albert Cove. It’s lovely here and well protected. We made a stop at the main village called Nuku on our way up in order to check in with the Rabi police and request permission to visit the island. The inhabitants of Rabi are not Fijian, not even Micronesian, they are Polynesian, and they are from the island of Banaba (formerly known as Ocean Island). They were relocated here shortly after WWII because their island became barely inhabitable due to phosphate mining by the British and then the invasion by the Japanese. Their story is a sad one as they seem to have gotten screwed from every direction. Now, they seem to be doing OK although you can tell most of their infrastructure here is many decades old. On the surface, the people here seem less friendly than the Fijians, but like the Polynesians of Tonga, it’s not that there’s any ill feelings toward you, it’s just that they are less extroverted, less outgoing. We seriously could have walked through the whole town without anyone talking to us, but we know better than that by now, and we stopped and talked to several people, and they were all nice, helpful, and curious about us, it’s just that we had to make the first move. They seemed pleasantly surprised when we greeted them with, “Mauri,” which is how you say hello in their language, Gilbertese, instead of the well-known Fijian, “Bula.” I’ve already written more than I intended, because the boys have some stuff to contribute today. Love and miss you all, -D
Brenden’s Beat
Dad and I went spearfishing along with Per from Breeze hoping to shoot a tuna. We went diving a couple of days before then and I was finally able to load my gun. But this time I wasn’t able to. I had to have dad load it for me. I probably just didn’t have the gun in the right spot on my chest.
Swimming along with my gun pointed in front of me, I watched dad dive down and lay on a rock. Turning my head to the left, I saw a school of about 20 tuna, but they swam faster once they noticed me chasing them. That was the first tuna sighting that day.
After seeing the tuna, we swam a bit farther away from the dinghy. I was just about to dive down when dad unexpectingly dives, aiming his gun at something. Then, just before he shot, I noticed it; a walu had swam up to him. Bang! The walu was ours to keep.
We dropped the walu off at the dinghy, then headed in the opposite direction. Dad and I traded guns, me with the big one, him with the not so big one. We swam a bit farther, then dad dove down and shot a trevally. Most of the fish scattered but one fish didn’t; a dogtooth tuna. I had the big gun, so I dove down straight on top of it, and once I got close enough, I shot. It missed just to the left. If only I hadn’t missed…
Later, after putting the trevally in the dinghy, we went back out. Dad shot a baracuda to use as bait so another tuna might come. After waiting about five minutes, another tuna appeared and started circling the baracuda. This time I was taking my time. I didn’t want to miss this one. I dove down, took my aim, and fired. I hit it, but only pierced its skin and it swam away.
I shot at two tunas and both are still swimming freely. “The next one I see,” I think to myself, “is going to have a new home in our freezer.” Dad continues to jig the baracuda up and down. Then out of the distance, another tuna came and inspected the fish. I then dive down, scaring it away a little, and keep going down. Patience should get me this one. I wait until it gets close and bang! Finally, after all this time, I was so happy to have my first tuna.
Alex’s Alcove
I had never realized how much I needed a fiberglass surfboard until I tried one. Although I haven’t tried real surfing on it, the dinghy surfing is pretty awesome. The first time I tried using one I knew that I would either have to steal one or get one of my own. Luckily, thievery didn’t win that one.
Before I got my own, I tried using the big foam surfboards, but it wasn’t the same. The carving abilities were far more limited, and I found it even harder to stand up on.
To be honest, I’m not in favor of going to The Marshall Islands. Hopefully, there are some surfing spots!
Logbook – October 29, 2015 (Albert Cove)
Daily Notes
T/B spearfish – trevally + sweet lips
D – paddle, visit on shore w/ Maria
A few people live on shore at Albert cove, and this is one of the guys borrowing my paddle board, so he didn’t have to swim out to his boat. All the other buys got quite a laugh out of this
Logbook – October 30, 2015 (Albert Cove)
Daily Notes
Hike over to other side, met Tarawa and his family
“Fire” on shore – we rushed w/ buckets. Maria’s dad was just burning rubbish
Gresham Family Exodus 