The two small uninhabited islands of Navadra and Vanua Levu (not that Vanua Levu) made for a great anchorage for several days.
Logbook – August 8, 2015 (Mana to Navadra)
Passage Log Highlights
1004 Engines on
1036 P engine off. Genniker
1148 SB engine + genniker + genoa
1339 P engine on
1355 Engines off Navadra
Daily Notes
Dinghy surf landing at Navadra
Hang out on beach, boys ride the surf on the paddleboard
Drinks on Et Voila
From Mana up to NavadraAnchored at NavadraThe tiny waves provided a fair amount of fun
Drinks with Et Voila
Logbook – August 9 (Navadra)
Daily Notes
No school – T/B spearfish with Et Voila
Alex to shore, brought back coconuts
Met m/v Domino, granddaughters on board
Tim helped another m/v look for their lost paddle – received a bag of mahi mahi
Tim and Brenden heading out to spear some fish (no fish here!)At least Brenden was prepared
Logbook – August 10, 2015 (Navadra)
Passage Log Highlights
1020 Engines on to reanchor
1040 Engines off
Daily Notes
Surf day! Mom swam to the beach, D tried to boogie board
Email to Family and Friends
Subject: Exodus – Navadra
It’s beautiful here at the anchorage at the island of Navadra, between the mamanuca and yasawa island groups. The weather hasn’t been great with strong gusty winds, but at least the sun is shining. The water is a few degrees warmer here, so even mom and I have been doing some swimming. There is some swell that comes through the anchorage, but it’s not terribly uncomfortable or anything. The boys love it because it makes some small waves on the beach at high tide, and they can surf on the stand-up paddle boards. Brenden is even small enough he can ride the small waves on a surfboard. Being fun size has its advantages sometimes! I tried to boogie board, but no success. Later, when I saw that Brenden couldn’t even catch a wave on the boogie board, I didn’t feel so bad. The surf dinghy landings have been interesting, but mom’s been a good sport. Yesterday I even dropped her off a little way from the beach and she had to swim in while I went back to Exodus and took a paddle board in. Like I said, she’s been a very good sport! Spear fishing on this side of Fiji hasn’t been so great, so mom isn’t getting to experience all the great fish we normally have, but Tim’s managed to get a couple small coral trout so she’s at least tasted our beer batter recipe. Yesterday, Tim put his good neighbor skills to work and helped some people on a fishing boat try to find their paddle board paddle that had found its way overboard. They didn’t find the paddle, but for his efforts, Tim was rewarded with a small bag of fresh caught Mahi Mahi, so we savored that for dinner last night. The first couple days we were here with our friends on Et Voila, who have a lagoon 450 catamaran, so it’s just like Exodus only bigger and nicer! We also met a nice couple from California on a cruising power boat who had their granddaughters with them, so Tim forced the boys to go over one evening to socialize. They never want to make new friends, but they are always glad when they do! We will stay here a couple more days and then go to the marina at Port Denarau to drop mom off. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – August 11, 2015 (Navadra)
Daily Notes
T – spearfish, no fish
Boys clean hull
Floated for 2 hours! (This refers to the health of the batteries)
The boys cleaned the hull…… and after cleaning the hull they had a little fun
Logbook – August 12, 2015 (Navadra)
Daily Notes
Games with Gramma
Play at the beach
Tim works on anchor windlass
Tim still hasn’t given up on our windlass chain counterSpoiler alter: when we return in a few weeks we will climb this
Mana is a small island not too far north from Musket Cove. There is a narrow, shallow pass, but with good visibility it’s really no problem. The weather wasn’t going to make it easy to move around a lot during mom’s visit, so we thought this would be a good place to say for a few days since it is a flat anchorage, and it has a beach and a village.
Logbook – August 3, 2015 (Musket Cove to Mana)
Passage Log Highlights
1123 Engines on
1142 SB engine off. Genoa.
1242 SB engine on
1325 Arrive Mana
Daily Notes
Move to Mana, 1.5 kts current in the pass
T/B/Hans spearfish, B shoots tiny fish for Gramma
Boys are enjoying Gramma Nay being hereThese are the kinds of photos grandmas take, right?Alex on the anchorCan you say “lee shore”?Spearfishing on this side of Fiji has been pretty dismal. Brenden just HAD to shoot something for grandma, though
Dinghy surfing, oreos (homemade), cake & ice cream, party w/ Nautilus and Nirvana
Making something yummy for Alex’s BirthdayThe annual tradition – homemade oreo cookiesDinghy surfing on Alex’s birthdayAlex and his new headphones that grandma brought him – just like Andrew’scake, cookies, and ice cream with Nautilus and NirvanaAlex and Fien are in some serious TV lala land!
Logbook – August 5, 2015 (Mana)
Daily Notes
T/Hans spearfish – not fish
D/Mom/Katrien – walk to the village and beach
Nautilus over after dinner
More dinghy surfing! Alex really enjoyed using Nirvana’s surfboardBrenden got his birthday presents early from grandma
Logbook – August 6, 2016 (Mana)
Daily Notes
First “writer’s workshop.” Not a huge success, but OK
almost 13, but playful as everSay it isn’t so! Nautilus is leaving us to go to Vanuatu. It’s a sad, sad day.Bye, kavakava!
Logbook – August 7, 2016 (Mana)
Daily Notes
Lunch on shore
T – spearfishing with Et Voila
Novae here
We weren’t alone for long… Mana became the cat corner when we were joined by Et Voila and Novae
Relax by pool with Nautilus (after Exodus cleaning day)
Gary (Nirvana) birthday celebration
Physical fitness day (lining up to run the mile). OK, this was a reenactment because I forgot to take the photo the first time.Alex and Brenden in the home stretchTotally wiped outMonkey-ing around after physical fitness day (Photo by Fluenta – http://sv-fluenta.blogspot.com/Playing on the beach
T – spearfish at pass, no fish. Took our dinghy behind Nirvana
Boys play on shore with Johnnie, Axle, Seppe
I took the ferry from Musket Cove over to Port Denarau to meet mom
Email to Family and Friends
Subject: Exodus – Mom comes today!
We are back at Musket Cove and later this morning I will take the ferry over to the mainland to meet my mom. We are so excited she’s here to cruise with us. Unfortunately, there is actually a tropical low-pressure system to the NW of Fiji and it’s going to dump some rain on us over the next couple days. But mom’s coming from hot, hot El Centro, so hopefully it won’t be so bad for her. Here at musket cove, we are back with a few other kid boats, and one of the other ones is also from California, and they had the physical fitness standards with them. So, we had all the kids participate! They were amazing! They ran a mile, did pushups, sit ups, and a few other things. Bottom line is that even without regular sports participation they are all well above the “healthy” threshold, and Brenden and Gigi (12-year-old girl from Nirvana, she and Brenden were actually born on the same day) scored presidential level in all categories. Tim is back with his spearfishing buddy, Hans from Nautilus, so they are going to go out fishing today while I go pick up mom, so it will be up to the boys to finish their schoolwork and chores without reminders. We’ll see how that goes… Love and miss you all, -D.
The kids organized a “September birthday party” because they may not be together on their actual birthdays. (Photo by Nautilus – http://nautilusatsea.blogspot.com/)They included Alex in the party even though his birthday isn’t in september, and here he is sporting his gift (Photo by Nautilus – http://nautilusatsea.blogspot.com/)
We had about a week to kill between the Bellinis departure and my mom’s arrival, and we certainly didn’t want to spend the whole time at Musket Cove. So, we explored a few places in the Mamanuca island group and enjoyed our family time.
Logbook – July 23, 2015 (Musket Cove to Yanuya to Monu)
Passage Log Highlights
1140 Engines on
1218 SB engine off. Genoa + P engine
1411 SB engine on
1431 Engines off Yanuya
1514 Engines on
1553 Engines off Monu
Daily Notes
Max wind on passage = 28 kt
Stop at Yanuya, T/A paddle to shore for sevusevu with “Chief’s son”
Move to Monu. Big swells and swirly winds
Musket Cove to Monu with a brief stop at Yanuya to present sevusevuYanuya is the island on the right and we stopped there for sevusevu and to obtain permission to anchor at Monu (which is the uninhabited island on the left)It was a bit blustery as we were leaving Musket CoveWe caught half a fish on the way (I guess we fed a shark)The anchorage at Yanuya island was exposed and bouncy, but we wanted to do sevusevu before heading to the uninhabited island of Monu. However, it was relatively low tide so we couldn’t get the dinghy through the coral. So….… no problem. Tim and Alex take the Yaqona in a dry bag on the paddle boards.
Logbook – July 24, 2015 (Monu)
Daily Notes
T/B spearfish after T helps B with math
D misses Marcus’s clean cockpit
French bread pizza for dinner
The uninhabited island of Monu was beautiful, but it wasn’t much of an anchorage. Quite rolly.
Email to Family and Friends
Subject: Exodus – Escape from Musket Cove
We left musket cove yesterday with the intent of spending a few quiet family days tucked away in some anchorage away from the resort scene. The problem is that there are very few anchorages you can “tuck away” in here in the Mamanuca island group. The fact that it’s blowing 20+ kts (we saw as high as 28 on our passage yesterday) doesn’t help much. We went to the island of Yanuya where there is a village and “did a sevusevu” and were told we could anchor where we wanted, go ashore, and fish where we wanted. The anchorage at Yanuya would be nice in settled weather but the wind chop over the reef made it pretty uncomfortable. So, we moved around to the north side of the island of Monu. It is an uninhabited island, but from what we’ve gathered it is owned or possibly just used by one of the resorts to bring honeymooners to a deserted island. The lady at the yacht club at Musket Cove said we couldn’t anchor here, which is why we went to the village to ask. Ok, back to the village. “Did a sevusevu” was in quotes because it was the weakest ones we’ve done so far. We couldn’t take the dinghy due to the reef and the tide level, so Tim and Alex hopped on paddle boards in 1-2 ft wind chop and took a bundle of Yaqona in a dry bag. According to Tim, they did sevusevu with a young guy who said he was the chief’s son. Or possibly we just gave the kava and the fish head to some kid in the village. The fish head? Well, it wasn’t just a head because we filleted the rest for ourselves, no… it was just a head because a shark took the rest of it before we reeled it in. It was pretty funny, the boys were reeling it in, and I said, “what is it?” and Alex said, “It’s not a fish. It’s half a fish!” A smallish skipjack tuna that would have made a nice sushi afternoon snack. Back to the island of Monu and our current anchorage… It has excellent protection from the wind chop but there are huge ocean swells coming in here rocking us this way and that. Oh yeah, and we don’t have internet. Oh well, at least we aren’t at musket cove! In addition to all the resorts in the area, another big difference of this side of Fiji is the dry weather. Being on the leeward side of the big island, the land and air are both drier, and it’s lost that tropical feel. Kind of like the difference between the Hilo and Kona sides of the Big Island of Hawaii. We’ve definitely had the most sun here than anywhere else we’ve been, but the trade winds still blow! Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – July 25, 2015 (Monu to Mana)
Passage Log Highlights
0940 Engines on
1043 Both engines
1140 Engines off at “The Pile of Sand”
1332 Engines on
1420 Engines off Mana Lagoon
Daily Notes
Nukuimana = “The Pile of Sand”
Drove past Monuriki, but didn’t stay
Wind really died in the day, stopped for lunch and a swim at “The Pile of Sand”
Met Eliza, tour boat operator, never met cruisers before
Entered Mana Lagoon
Resorts + 1 village
Boy on kayak came to ask for fishing hooks and food
Monu to Mana with a stop at a sandbar (“The Pile of Sand”)Just south of Monu is the island of Monuriki which was the set of what famous movie set?(Hint: Wilson!)The move set of Castaway. An Exodus selfie for good measureSo, we got the modeling clay out for science, to make models of faults, and what does Brenden do? Make a carrot, a pig, and a few other things.Hey look, a pile of sand. What should we do……go drop anchor, of courseAnchored at “The Pile of Sand”We went for a swimThe boys had fun playing in the waterwow, it kind of reminded me of……these guys!The Mana LagoonSunset at Mana island
Logbook – July 26, 2015 (Mana)
Daily Notes
Sunday on board Exodus
Project day. A – the moon. B – history of metal technology. D – scrambled eggs.
Alex was so happy to be doing his schoolworkand Tim was so happy to be doing boat projects
Logbook – July 27, 2015 (Mana)
Daily Notes
12 year old boy named Male comes to Exodus, wants to take Tim spearfishing
First we went to the village for sevusevu with Dan, the Taraga ni Koro
Village = Yaralevu and there are 2 backpack hostels
People were very nice, visited the school
After school we went back and A/B played with the 3rd and 4th graders (forgot my camera)
This is our friend Male, and he has a few of our fishing hooks.This was taken after our sevusevu on Mana. This is the son of the Taraga ni koro.The school in the village at Mana (we went back ashore after school so the boys could play with the kids, but regrettably I forgot my camera.)Growing carrot greens.
Logbook – July 28, 2015 (Mana to Qalito)
Passage Log Highlights
0950 Engines on
1118 Engines off – reef
1530 Engines on
1715 Engines off Qalito
Daily Notes
Stopped at the reef east of Mana to boogie board and fish. Yummy coral trout
Wind kicked up to 25 kts and we bashed under motor to Qalito
Wind died after we arrived
Mana to Qalito with a day trip out to the reef for some fishing and boogie boardingLeaving the pass at Mana. This photo was taken from Exodus, so yeah, it’s a pretty narrow pass. No current, though, so no problem if you’re a competent driver.A look back at the passI guess we were missing Minerva, because we just picked a random reef and anchored.Anchored at the reefThe resort island of QalitoPaddle boarding at Qalito islandNot one, but FIVE jet skiers coming to destroy my tranquilityCastaway resort on Qalito island. I called to see if we could come to shore for lunch at their restaurant, and they said no. Boo! Boo, Castaway Resort!
Warning: We have now entered Bizarro Fiji where modest villages have been replaced by mega-resorts. View at your own risk!
Logbook – July 20, 2105 (Yanuca to Musket Cove)
Passage Log Highlights
1654 Engines on
1725 P engine off. SB engine + genniker
Daily Notes
Last day at Yanuca. Fluenta and Nirvana arrive. Baby duck doesn’t follow when we leave
I didn’t know you could fit so many kids in our kayak……I guess you can’t.A final photo of this beautiful spot before we weighed anchorSlow, overnight passage from Yanuca to Musket CoveGood-bye to YanucaEating chili on passageHeading to the dark side (The west side of Viti Levu is known for its huge resorts. However, it’s not really the dark side, since it’s typically sunnier there.)
Passage Log – July 21, 2015 (Yanuca to Musket Cove)
Passage Log Highlights
0314 Genoa (2 reefs)
0735 Engines on
0937 Engines off Musket Cove
Daily Notes
Vetoed Namotu anchorage – too bouncy
Diverted to Musket Cove, joined yacht club
Lunch and beers on shore
Kids play at pool
Robin basket weaving
D – walk the trails scouting for running
Entering the reef systemWe did a drive by of Nomutu Island, but D vetoed it because it was too bouncyAnchored at Musket CoveThe dinghy dock at Musket CoveBurgers!Ice Cream!They say it’s less windy on this side, but so far it seems about the sameTim told the kids if they built a structure knee high at water level then he’d take them to the pool. They found a loophole and built a human structure!Running across the bay at low tide to the poolIt didn’t take me long to find the circuit of trails and I headed for the highest point to snap some photosA mega-yacht and a sea plane. Like I said… Bizarro Fiji.
Logbook – July 22, 2015 (Musket Cove)
Daily Notes
D – run along the trails at Musket Cove
Lunch on shore, Bellinis take ferry to mainland
Quiet evening on Exodus (Quiet was underlined 3 times!)
Bellinis last day… if you are wondering why Diego is holding a stuffed dog, well……we were reenacting this photo taken 5 years ago after our first charter weekend to Catalina. Miss these little cuties! Notice that Carmen wasn’t even there because she was only three at the time and stayed home with grandma.
Email to Family and Friends
Subject: Exodus – Musket Cove
We arrived in Musket Cove yesterday, and it’s like we are on a totally different planet. This certainly isn’t Fiji anymore. The Bellinis fly home today, and we were hoping to spend yesterday at the very small island of Namotu before dropping them off on the mainland today, but when we arrived at Namotu the anchorage simply wasn’t fit for staying. Tim was a bit annoyed that I “squashed his fun”, but seriously, if we had stayed it would have been possibly the worst anchorage we’ve ever stayed in. So, anyway, we find ourselves in Musket Cove and it’s basically a huge resort. Even the Fijians who work here seem caught up in Western Ways, too busy for a smile and a conversation. Yesterday, the woman at the yacht club was all business and obviously Tim was also feeling my need to slow down because he smiled a big smile at her and asked where in Fiji she’s originally from. She smiled, and it was like a switch was flipped as she told us she was from Kadavu and we were able to tell her that we had been there, but not to her actual village though. So, maybe it’s not that the Fijians are too busy for a conversation it’s just that most of their western patrons are too busy to care. There is a small marina here, and the owner of the resort has a soft spot for yachties, and there is a “yacht” club that costs only $10 to join for life, and joining gives us access to basically ALL of the resort amenities. Yesterday we enjoyed an expensive lunch and expensive beers, but on the plus side we also enjoyed nice beaches, the pool, and hot showers, and I also scoped out the circuit of trails, so I am already in my running clothes. Also, they have fast ferry service to the mainland, so the Bellinis will take that rather than hauling up Exodus and motoring upwind at under likely under 5 kts. So, now we just have to decide what to do until my mom visits and what to do while she’s here. I’m hoping there’s more to this side of Fiji than commercialism and big resorts. I would like to take her to a village and do at least one sevusevu. We shall see. Love and miss you all, -D.
Yanuca is a small island inside the lagoon of the larger island of Beqa.
Logbook – July 18, 2015 (Gau to Yanuca)
Passage Log Highlights
0352 Jibe ho! Genniker only
0404 Vessel – lights + large radar signature 6 mi dead ahead. No AIS.
0432 20 deg course change to SB. Other vessel is stationary.
0608 Genniker only
0623 P engine on to charge batteries
0719 P engine off
0848 SB engine on
1300 P engine on
1320 Engines off Yanuca
Daily Notes
Walk across island to village for sevusevu. Clean and well cared for village
Fish feast with Nautilus on Exodus
Overnight passage from Gau to YanucaThe Beqa Lagoon (Beqa is the larger Island)Anchored off the Island of Yanuca (the village was on the other side of the island, but we anchored here for protection from the prevailing wind direction)From the anchorage we walked over the island to the village to do sevusevu, and here is a view overlooking the village.I guess the kids needed a rest
Email to Family and Friends dated July 18, 2015
Subject: Exodus – En Route to Beqa
We are currently on a nice, slow, downwind sail on our way to the island of Beqa. We spent a couple days near the southern pass at Gau, and the consensus was that the diving and snorkeling was pretty amazing. I only snorkeled once, and I have to say that I didn’t think it was anything special, except for the huge school of circling barracudas and the giant grouper. We’ve certainly seen much, much better coral. Anyway, the wind is dying on us right now and we are limping along at under 4 kts but it’s quiet and no one is seasick, so there’s certainly nothing to complain about. It was a clear, starry sky all night and I spent the first couple hours of my watch monitoring a large vessel (fishing?) visually and on radar, and I’m not sure why they weren’t transmitting AIS. They were stationary for a long time, and I was going to pass it about 2 miles away, but then, of course, it started moving towards our track, probably on its way back to Suva. It’s long gone now, and the kettle is on, so I’ll be enjoying a cup of coffee and the sunrise momentarily. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – July 19, 2015 (Yanuca)
Daily Notes
Everyone except D/A dinghy to small island
Dinghy surfing!
Solo snorkeling in the anchorage
Jello & watermelon on Exodus
Tim took Brenden and the Bellinis to a small islet near Yanuca for the day to play.I don’t think the kids had fun.I love this photo of RobinEnough digging, let’s play in the waterMeanwhile, back at Exoudus, Alex was untangling our balls (we always try to drop our anchor in sand not right on the coral, but if there is a lot of coral nearby we will float the anchor chain so it doesn’t drag along the bottom killing the coral in it’s path. However, sometimes in light winds the float balls get wrapped around our bridle.)
After Suva we made an overnight passage to the island of Gau where we enjoyed a beautiful sevusevu in the village of Sawaieke. The weather was pretty crappy our first couple of days so we hiked in the mud and rain with only minimal complaining. The kids enjoyed a beach campout and then when the weather cleared, we spent a couple days near the pass for snorkeling.
Logbook – July 10, 2015 (Suva to Gau)
Passage Log Highlights
0318 Main (1 reef) + genoa
0746 Engines on
0915 Engines off Gau Herald Bay
Daily Notes
Caminante caught 3 dorado just outside, gave 1 to us. Fed all 9 of us for 2 meals
Walk in the rain to the village (Sawaieke). Very nice people and nice sevusevu & kava party. The children were very curious.
Overnight passage from Suva to GauThe island of Gau is close to Moorea (French Polynesia) in its volcanic island life cycleWe spent most of the time at Gau anchored near the village of SawaiekeDuring our sevusevu the kids were piled several layers high in this doorway to see what was going on. Mostly, they were all smiles, but once I brought out the camera they got a little more serious.The Exodus crew enjoying the kava ceremony.The boys had my camera for a while, so I have about 20 photos of this cute little guy. (Benjamin from s/v Fluenta with big brother Jonathan)Staring contest between Alex and JonathonMilling about in the village after drinking some KavaSaying good-bye to the kids of the village (photo by Bellinis)
Logbook – July 11, 2015 (Gau)
Daily Notes
T/B/Marcus – spearfish, Tim gives trevally to locals
Kids play on beach
Beers + mojitos w/ Nautilus on Exodus
Email to Family and Friends dated July 11, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Gau
We had a quick overnight passage from Suva to the island of Gau night before last. Our friends from home (“The Bellinis,” a family of five) joined us in Suva, and for some reason after the passage and then yesterday after walking an hour in the rain to the village to do sevusevu, and then after having to carry dingies over the coral and rocks because the tide had receded so much, they still seem like they’re having fun. They are getting the real deal with their cruising experience, that’s for sure. The weather has been crappy, but hopefully since they are with us for about 2 weeks they will get to see some sunshine. As usual, the people of the village were very nice, and after the sevusevu they served up the kava immediately. When we told them we wouldn’t be able to stay long because we wanted to walk back before dark we thought that would mean there would be no kava drinking, but no it just meant they hustled to get it ready and then were very understanding when we left after just one bowl. We are here with two other kid boats (Caminante and Fluenta) and there is a nice long beach here, so I’m sure there will be some on shore activities! Love and miss you all, -D.
Kids to Fluenta for movie, moms to Exodus for wine
Ready for a hike, but had to stop and see the pigs firstDrying the kavaThe view from the top
Logbook – July 14, 2015 (Gau)
Daily Notes
Kid beach campout
Fish potluck on caminante
Email to Family and Friends dated July 14, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Muddy hike and more camping
We are still having a great time in Gau, except that the weather has been pretty crappy. Yesterday, we went for a hike in the rain and mud, but most people still had a great time, and some of the kids took advantage of the conditions to get really good and dirty. Today, we’ve been lucky enough to have some sunshine and our friends who are visiting were finally able to do some snorkeling. The kids from all the boats are currently on shore setting up basecamp version 2.0, and they are making plans for a big campout tonight, no grownups allowed. I am starting to get a bit sad, because this kid boat flotilla will soon be breaking up, and I enjoy the company of all the other moms and dads just about as much as the kids all enjoy being together, but we will continue to enjoy it while it lasts. Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – July 15, 2015 (Gau)
Passage Log Highlights
1048 Engines on
Watermaker 4 hrs (+2)
1335 Engines off
1638 Engines on
1730 Engines off
Daily Notes
Move to the pass after collecting all the kids from the beach
T/M snorkel the pass
Move to anchor by a nearby village (Waikama)
Kids go ashore w/ Lumbaz to see the children
We moved down near the pass for the day (not the pass we originally entered but the one further south known for excellent snorkeling and diving). Then we move up near the village of Waikama for the night. Anchored near the passAnchored near the village of WaikamaWe anchored for one night off the village of Waikama and the kids on shore were excited to see us so our kids went ashore with Lumbaz to say hi.
Gustav (s/v Caminante) at the top of the mizzen mastBrenden using the kayak as a stand up paddle board. Wish I had that kid’s balance!Turns out you can fit 5 boys on a standup paddle board from the beach back to Exodus. I was shocked that no one fell in when they were disembarking.…and you can fit SIX girls on a kayakThree boys on a palm tree? First instinct is to snap a photo. Second instinct is to tell them to get down. (Photo by Bellinis)
Suva is the capital of Fiji, and it’s very much a big city, relatively speaking. We enjoyed our shopping and the happy hours at the yacht club, but we also more than happy to escape back out to the islands after about a week.
Logbook – July 2, 2015 (Namara to Suva)
Passage Log Highlights
0709 Engines on
Depart
0752 Engines off. Main + genoa
1225 Engines on
1330 Engines off Suva
Daily Notes
Dinner (yuck!) across the street with Nautilus. Kids play with local kids
Happy hour with all the kid boats
A day sail from Namara to SuvaThe city of SuvaSuva HarborEntering Suva HarborOur first dinner out…Playing with the local kids after dinner
Logbook – July 3, 2015 (Suva)
Daily Notes
D laundry and running
D/T walk to town, scout stores
A/B hunger games mine craft on Fluenta
Happy hour. Kids play cops and robbers
Suva Market!!!Somehow, I didn’t notice the happy guy waving when I took the photoUpstairs at the market they sell kava…
Logbook – July 4, 2015 (Suva)
Passage Log Highlights
0800 Engines on to fuel dock
0820 Engines off (depth = 6ft under keel)
0945 Engines on
1003 Engines off back at anchor
Daily Notes
Fuel dock at high tide (6 ft under keel)
D walk to MHCC
Drinks on Nirvana – mojitos & sipping rum. Up til midnight!
Kids on Exodus
Exodus at the fuel dock at high tideHoly shopping mall!Movie night on Exodus
Logbook – July 5, 2015 (Suva)
Daily Notes
Exodus cleaning day!
Boys play on Caminante (preparing a show!)
Sleepover on Nirvana
Some of our neighbors in the harbor are cruisers just like us (notice how we still like to anchor near Island Packets…)…and some of our neighbors are run down fishing vessels and sunken ships.And then there was this thing. Not sure what it is, but at least we didn’t have to worry about it dragging onto usWe’ve had pretty bad weather the majority of the time here in Fiji, which means low solar power production, which means this little guy’s been getting quite a workout
Logbook – July 6, 2015 (Suva)
Daily Notes
COST U LESS!!!
Logbook – July 7, 2015 (Suva)
Daily Notes
D/Boys MHCC
Lumbaz here! Late happy hour @ yacht club
Email to Family and Friends dated July 7, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Suva
Suva is a full fledged city, which has been quite a shock after being in The Lau Group for over a month. Here are the highlights so far: 1) Our first evening here we walked across the street to have a cheap dinner out. It was cheap, but it really wasn’t that good, BUT the highlight was that our kids almost immediately joined in playing with the local kids. They played some sort of tag and also did some relay races. 2) We are here with friends, four other kid boats, and while I write this we are waiting for another to arrive (they are within VHF range already). 3) Cost-u-less. It’s like costco with items in bulk but they also have a lot of US and NZ products. They even had Tim’s beloved vanilla coffee creamer! 4) The Suva market… holy fresh fruits and vegetables! And the second floor has kava and all sorts of indian spices. 5) Everything is cheap! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “that’s cheaper than Mexico!” Except for rum. 😦
Here are the downsides, not that I really feel the need to complain… 1) The weather has been crappy. In the 5 days I think we’ve seen the sun for a total of 4 hours. Luckily, we have access to gasoline so our generator has been humming, and Tim is working on version 10.0 of the rain catcher. 2) The Royal Suva Yacht Club showers are neither high pressure nor hot. 3) There is prison very near the Yacht club, but on the upside when we pass the guys in orange jumpsuits they are every bit as happy as your average Fijian. 4) Yeah, I can’t think of any other downsides.
Love and miss you all, -D.
Logbook – July 8, 2015 (Suva)
Daily Notes
D market
Another late happy hour
Logbook – July 9, 2015 (Suva to Gau)
Passage Log Highlights
2058 Engines on
2113 Depart
Daily Notes
D/A market
Yacht Club gives our laundry to s/v Another Adventure
After a day long hike that was really more of a mountain climb, a church fund raiser complete with kava drinking, and school presentations with the other kid boats, we left Matuku yesterday evening for another overnight sail. The passage was almost aborted when our starboard engine wouldn’t start but we finally got out of there just before dark. We still aren’t sure exactly what the issue was, but we know it was electrical. We fired up the generator in case it was a voltage issue with the engine battery and then Tim started inspecting the connections to the starter. Luckily, we were still able to make the trip last night, because our friends on Nautilus were already heading out the bay and we were going to travel to Kadavu. Love and miss you all, -D.
Through the Naigoro Pass to the Island of KadavuAnchored near a village on the island of Kadavu
Logbook – June 28, 2015 (Kadavu)
Daily Notes
T/B/Hans – snorkel in pass, unimpressed
D/Nautilus – walk over the hill
Happy hour on Nautilus
Email to Family and Friends dated June 28, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Naigoro Pass
The overnight passage was mostly pleasant with the exception of the variable winds which kept me changing heading and sail area throughout my watch (which started at 2am). We had a lot of squalls after the sun came up, which made timing our pass entry a bit challenging, but we finally made our move and entered the pass just a little after low slack water. We had about 1 kt of current flowing in, which meant we had wind and current in the SAME direction, which makes a huge difference. The pass water was flat calm and entry was about as easy as it gets, even with 20kt wind and swell coming straight at the pass. There is a write-up in one of the homemade cruisers guides we all use by someone who exited this pass with current and wind in opposite direction and had huge standing waves, and because of that description everyone thinks this pass is crazy. In our experience passes can be crazy difficult or totally easy, it all depends on your timing. Anyway, I think we are a little spoiled after Fulaga and Mutuku, because this place is pretty, but nowhere near. We are here with our friends on Nautilus, and Hans caught a couple of tuna just outside the pass yesterday, so we enjoyed another wonderful tuna dinner last night. I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for today, but I’m pretty sure it will involve Tim getting in the water to poke some fish. Love and miss you all, -D.
Pine trees with palms in the background. Classic!Las palabras del dia
Logbook – June 29, 2015 (Kadavu to Namara)
Passage Log Highlights
1001 Engines on
1054 SB engine off
1105 P engine off
1240 P engine on
1246 SB engine on
1348 Engines off Namara Island
Daily Notes
Bumpy sail to Namara
Everyone to shore for a bonfire
Day sail (motor) up to the small island of NamaraAnchored off the small, uninhabited island of NamaraAnchored at Namara islandHoly cruise ship!
Logbook – June 30, 2015 (Namara)
Daily Notes
T/Hans to Draveuni for sevusevu. Tea & bread with locals @ “store.” “spear dogtooth…” to everyone
Then spearfishing 7 fish!
D/Katrien walk on the beach
Fish cleaning party and drinks on Exodus
Email to Family and Friends dated June 30, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Navara Island
We navigated amongst the reef yesterday to make our way up to a small, uninhabited island called Navara. It’s nice and at least we have a beach again for the kids to play on, but I fear I am forever spoiled after Fulaga and Matuku. Would you believe there was a cruise ship anchored nearby yesterday? No, we are certainly not in the southern Lau group anymore! A brief follow-up on Matuku… I previously wrote about how I got a not-so-nice vibe from the chief of Matuku when he came aboard our boat our first morning there. Well, it turns out he’s not actually the chief but the chief’s spokesman since the real chief was in Suva. Also, I was not the only one who got the bad vibe from him. The good news was, he was at another village almost our entire time there, and the rest of the people in the village were amazing, and I liked that village maybe even more than in Fulaga. Everyone was pleasant, from the youngest to the oldest, men and women. Anyway, there’s no village here at Navara, but we will go do sevusevu today at the next island of Dravuni, because apparently they control this island. Love and miss you all, -Deanne
Editor’s note: In my email I wrote Navara and on Facebook I wrote Namara and in several other places I wrote Namena (which I know is another island in Fiji famous for diving, just south of Savusavu), so I started to question. Wikipedia lists 1 unihabited island in the Kadavu group called Vanuakula and Apple maps calls the island Ndelainamara. So, I’m calling in Namara.
Spearfishing jackpot!The moon rising above the island
Logbook – July 1, 2015 (Namara)
Daily Notes
T/H/B spearfish 3 fish! 2 x jobfish, 1 x coral trout
This was another lovely island in the southern Lau Island group. The anchorage was a tight fit for all of us, but we thoroughly enjoyed the small village of Lomati, especially the hike with our guide Jesse.
Logbook – June 21, 2015 (Fulaga to Matuku)
Passage Log Highlights
0940 Engines on
0948 Depart Fulaga
1047 Engines off, genoa only
1529 Genoa only
1600 Fish on! Went through a school of skipjack tuna. 3 hooked, 2 landed (1 got away)
1829 Genoa only
Daily Notes
Bumpy pass exit into the wind. No current registered. 3.0 kt SOG.
Buddy boating with Fluenta, Nautilus, Nirvana. Dijimos adios a Lumbaz 😦
Overnight, downwind passage from Fulaga to Matuku
Logbook – June 22, 2015 (Fulaga to Matuku)
Passage Log Highlights
0310 D watch. Genoa (2 reefs)
0737 P engine on
0750 SB engine on
0838 Engines off Matuku
Daily Notes
Crossed back to E hemisphere
Arrived Matuku poor visibility. Guided to anchorage by locals
Beautiful anchorage! Still with Fluenta, Nautilus, and Nirvana
Sushi party on Exodus
Sunrise as we approach the islandThe island of MatukuThe anchorage at MatukuMangroves along the edge of the bayExodus and Nautilus (we had to get quite cozy since there wan’t a lot of room in the bay)Sushi night on Exodus
The village of Lomati. It’s a small village of only 7-9 families, depending on who you ask.
Email to Family and Friends Dated June 23, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Arrived in Matuku
We had a very pleasant overnight downwind sail to get here, but our arrival was a bit nerve racking. We have no one to blame but ourselves, since we chose to enter the bay with poor visibility. Matuku is another volcanic island, but this time closer to The Marquesas in its life cycle, but a bit older. There IS a fringing reef but there ISN’t much of a lagoon at all. So, it’s younger than, say, Bora Bora. There is a pass in the reef into a deep protected harbor, and we got through the pass quite easily, but once we turned the corner and were staring down the bay we realized our difficulty. We could tell there was reef between us and the head of the bay, but in the poor visibility it was difficult to spot the edges. Then, a local fishing boat came out to us and guided us in. Our friends who, intentionally I might add, waited for a little better visibility had a much easier time. When the sun came out you could easily spot all the bombies. Anyway, we’ve managed to cram all four kid boats in here, and last night we had a big sushi feast on Exodus. We all met the chief yesterday as he came out to all of our boats in his fishing boat, and he invited us to all come in together for our sevusevu today, so we will be doing that around noon. The village here is small, with only 9 families, and the chief was very nice. He told us they have plenty of water so we can fill jerry cans and we are welcome to do our washing on shore. He also told us we were free to swim and fish and generally enjoy the bay yesterday, even though we hadn’t done our sevusevu yet. However, in stark contrast to how we were treated in Fulaga, I, the woman, was basically invisible. They came aboard our boat, but they didn’t introduce themselves to me and didn’t shake my hand. After I served them drinks, they thanked Tim and when they were leaving, they said good-bye to Tim. There may have been a slight nod in my direction when they mentioned doing laundry on shore, but that was it. I really only noticed it because that most certainly WASN’t the way in Fulaga. Simon, the husband in our host family, was the son of the chief, and he always addressed me, looked me in the eye, and shook my hand. Interesting. We will likely stay here just a few days before heading off to Kadavu next. Love and miss you all, -D.
They invited us to drink Kava with them immediately following our sevusevu ceremony.Even Brenden tried some kavaDuring our kava party it was pouring rain outside, so the kids were stuck inside with us.Fog hanging over the village
Logbook – June 24, 2015 (Matuku)
Daily Notes
T/B – spearfish
D – walk to beach w/ Nirvana & Nautilus
A/B – play & dinner on Fluenta
Email to Family and Friends Dated June 24, 2015
Subject: Exodus – Kava and Reanchoring
Wow, as much as I have raved about Fulaga, Matuku is pretty nice too. We went ashore as one big group yesterday to do our sevusevu, and we were met at shore by a couple of local young men and one of them went to get the “old people.” I’m sure he meant “elders.” We went to the community hall where there were women weaving mats and cutting fruit, and they were all very welcoming. As usual, they loved my chumba, but not nearly as much as they loved 1.5-year-old Benjamin in his little sulu. Can you blame them? We did the sevusevu, and then they invited us to stay and drink some kava right then and there, so of course we couldn’t refuse. We stayed for a couple of hours, and it was a really nice time. It poured down rain, but we were all nice and cozy in the community hall chugging kava and getting to know one another. It is a very small village here called Lomati, and all of their school age children go to a boarding school at another village on the island during the week, so our big group gave them the sound of playing children that they don’t hear every day. There was a young girl there, maybe 4 years old, and she was all smiles when Fien (girl from Nautilus) went over and took her hand and asked her to join them in their circle. We all went back to our boats for a quiet evening that started out not so quiet. The wind picked up fiercely from the south after the frontal boundary passed, and we had variable winds with gusts up in the mid 20s. Our friends on Nautilus found themselves with their stern only a few feet from the coral behind them, and of course this happens only moments after Hans went ashore to fill water cans. So, Tim jumped in the dinghy immediately to go help, and I got on the radio to ask Fluenta or Nirvana to see if they could go catch Hans. And right at that moment Fluenta was also reanchoring, so there was excitement all around. Another boat had joined the anchorage that morning very near to us and Nautilus, so there wasn’t a whole lot of room for finding a better spot, so we also ended up also reanchoring to move forward, because we all wanted Katrien to be able to sleep that night! It turned out a win-win, because we also ended up with a little more breathing room from the coral behind us. So, just as we were all feeling settled, we realized that the fun wasn’t over for our little fleet. Just as the last light was leaving the sky, Tim looked back and saw that Nirvana had dragged and was now going to have to reanchor as well. Luckily, Fluenta wasn’t in their flight path. After all the excitement, we enjoyed another tuna dinner, because Tim had managed to spear an elusive dogtooth tuna that morning. The wind eased during the night, and now it is a very pleasant, calm morning. Love and miss you all, -D.
We went for a walk over a hill to the beach on the other side of the island. This is the view from the top of the hill looking back ant the anchorage.…and this is the beach we walked to.Jesse made a basket so we could gather fruit on the way back.
Logbook – June 25, 2015 (Matuku)
Daily Notes
Hike to top of peak. Spectacular views
Handbombed filled water tanks
Church fundraiser in village
All ready for the big hike. It was about 2.5 hours each way and much of it was straight uphill.A quick restThere was a huge banyan tree along the way, so of course the kids climbed itIt was a tough hike, but the views from the top were so worth itWho needs a quad copter!There was some light rain while we sat at the top, but it was worth it for the rainbow.The church fundraiser dinner
Special project day with Fluenta, Nautilus, and Nirvana
Sorry for the out of focus picture… we did project day with the other kid boats (thanks to Lumbaz for the idea). Each kid picked a topic, researched it, and then gave a presentation. Here they are all smiles because they are done!
Gresham Family Exodus 