Port Denarau - Lautoka
Port Denarau - Lautoka in Google Maps (Webbrowser) und in Google Earth (separates Programm)
Port Denarau - Voli Voli Point
I don’t have much time to get Blue Bie ready for the arrival of Michelle after my dad’s departure. Michelle and I ‘met’ on the website Find a Crew and are planning to cruise Fiji for the next two months and then to New Zealand.
Michelle
After getting acquainted in Port Denarau for a few days, we sail to Musket Cove to go kitesurfing with Paolo from Supermario and Peter and Christina from Nymph. Michelle brought me new kites from the States and we’re all kitesurfing behind a sandbar, which appears only at low tide. But for once it doesn’t really work well: Michelle overextends her knee at one of her first kite-attempts and I catch a persistent cold.
Back from kitesurfing
We’re exploiting a weakening of the trade-winds to sail against the wind to Nananu-I-Ra. We’re power-reaching in a beautiful sea-breeze behind the high mountains, where it would normally be a 12 hour up-wind motor-sail. We see a small fishing boat waving in the distance with a cardboard and head out to the reef to see what’s happening: Their engine failed and we tow the a few miles to the shore, where their uncle is picking them up with his fishing vessel. The remainder of the journey in the narrow and winding channel between the reef and island is tiring, but beautiful.
Rescued fishermen
We’re arriving just in time for the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup at the Voli Voli Resort. We’re watching the games together with the young hosts from New Zealand, the local staff, other cruisers & travelers. During the day I can even go kitesurfing while Michelle is icing her knee.
Voli Voli Point
Nananu-I-Ra & Voli Voli Point
The rugby players can recover and I can go kitesurfing in Nananu-I-Ra with the rugby games being played only over the weekends. It’s only a half hour between the two and we’re ‘commuting’ for three weeks. For once it’s us staying in a place, where other cruisers are migrating through and we’re meeting for a drink. Over the next few days, Peter & Christina, Paolo and Petr with his son are all arriving in Nananu-I-Ra and we’re all kitesurfing together. While the wind is not blowing very consistently, we’re having a great time on and off the water.
Nananu-I-Ra
Voli Voli - Yasawa Inseln
My good friend Wayne has dry-docked his Learnativity in Vuda Point Marina and we’re sailing over to meet him before his flight to the US. It’s a fast passage with strong trade winds on the stern and we’re very happy in hindsight that we could exploit light tradewinds a few weeks earlier on the way to Voli Voli. We’re catching up on each other’s adventures and spend some lovely time together.
Vuda Point Marina
With the cyclone season approaching, we’re getting ready to sail to New Zealand as many other cruisers. But there’s no weather window in sight and we decide to sail to the Yasawa Islands for ten days. We’re sailing via Vono Island to Waya, where we find a beautiful bay all for ourselves. We’re seeing three other boats in the Blue Lagoon – all from Switzerland! We’re meeting Fredy and Chantal, with whom we will spend some lovely times over the next few weeks in Fiji and New Zealand.
Pig transport
We’re sailing around the island with a Swedish family, who is vacationing in the near-by resort and go ‘shopping’ in a vegetable farm. We learn how juicy-sweet fresh sugar cane tastes and how ‘Blue Lagoon’ with Brooke Shields has been filmed and their uncles have appeared as background actors in the film.
Yummy sugarcane
Robinson Crusoe Insel
The weather forecast shows tantalizing opportunities for a passage to New Zealand. Four yachts, who tried, had to return after few days. We (impatiently) prefer to wait for better weather and sail for a few days to the Robinson Crusoe Island. It’s rough upwind sailing in re-inforced trades and we arrive thoroughly soaked but happy after two hours. It’s my third time here and I always love it: We’re lazing in the sun, watch the great fire-show with Michael und Birgit from Mariposa and for the first time, I go kitesurfing here. The spot between the island and the reef is much better than it looks!
Robinson Crusoe Island
Port Denarau - Lautoka
It looks once again as if there would be a weather window and we sail to Port Denarau for another last provisioning:) But the weather window postpones and we sail to Musket Cove for a night. I have a reef in the mainsail and don’t think much when Blue Bie gets faster and faster in the flat water. The unreefed genoa parts with the sound of a pistol shot. We furl it in and return to Port Denarau and the sail maker.
Rainbow
The modern design of the genoa prevents further damage and sail maker has to re-stitch only some spectra loops of the sheet attachment. Not the best start into the passage, but better before than after the start! The sail is ready the next morning and we sail a few miles to Lautoka to clear out for the passage to New Zealand.
Blue Lagoon
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