Saturday, August 12, 2017

FareWell Fiji - Bonjour New Caledonia - August 2017


August 2017 Vuda Marina Fiji to Noumea, New Caledonia

We spent our final week in Fiji doing the many tasks that need be done to prepare the boat and crew for an extended time at sea.  After provisioning and final preparations were complete we had one item left on our Fiji bucket list.  We had heard much about the wonderful folks at Robinson Crusoe Island and their hospitality.  We made our reservations and enjoyed our last Fiji feast entertained by true native Fijians doing what they do so well.


Welcome to Robinson Crusoe Island


...a taste of Fiji.

After our final visit to Vuda Marina to fuel up, enjoy a wonderful House Special lunch of fresh caught Waloo fish’n chips (without a doubt some of the best EVER),
Manager of Vuda Resort Restaurant…Mr. Keith!


we checked out with Customs and said our Bula Bula Goodbyes to the staff who have been so good to us during our 3 yr stay in this beautiful country of Fiji.

Vuda Marina Staff…some of the friendliest EVER!

  As we were ready to drop our mooring lines, the staff sang a Fiji Blessing to us in their native language with harmony that is so wonderfully FIJIAN…

a mix of sad and happy emotions of our final Fiji Farewell. 

   Vuda Marina Staff Singing Fiji Farewell!

We made our way south to Port Denerau for our last overnight stay in this enchanted land before our 700 mile passage to New Caledonia. 
After patiently waiting for a 6 day weather window we departed early morning Aug 5 with clear sunny skies and the exotic fragrances of Fiji wafting over the stern.  As the late afternoon breeze freshened we looked back for our final glimpse at our native home for the past three years. 

Farewell Fiji!

It was time now to look ahead to New Caledonia, a French outpost with a foreign language and some of the tastiest pastries on the planet…mmmm :o).
Our first two days were uneventful with clear skies and almost a full moon and comfortable sea state.  We had one encounter with a fishing boat that was not transmitting on AIS, and seemed to be making an effort to intercept us.  As we are ever mindful of unwelcome guests on the high seas, we turned off our AIS, sped up and left them behind…no worries.
Day 3 brought about our first real challenge of the passage when ‘Otto’ (autopilot) decided he was taking a break.  This proved unfortunate for us as the wind and seas continued to build and hand steering for the final 350 miles was not going to be fun.  Along with the heavier winds came the rain and squalls which forced us to shorten sail in less than ideal conditions, but despite the challenges, Capt and 1st Mate rose to the occasion and ‘got er done’.

Day 4 was more of the same with some of the biggest seas we have experience in our 15 yrs of cruising.  When we say ‘house sized swell’ we do so to provide some visual image of the conditions we were in.  Thankfully, the wind and swell were somewhat in harmony coming from the stern which allowed us to surf along making good speed and time.  If there was any good news it was that hand steering in these conditions can be classified as extremely exciting…albeit challenging and exhausting.
Day 5 we were approx. 4 hrs from the eastern reef entrance to the south lagoon of New Caledonia and doing our best to make time to coincide with the incoming flood tide when the wind decided to back around to the nose.  This necessitated firing up the ‘iron genny’ (engine) and driving headlong into a very boisterous sea with waves now cascading over the bow and along the deck.  As the sun was fading over the hills of New Caledonia we made our way thru the reef into the southern lagoon and a petite bay and safe anchorage and dropped the hook.  It was dark, time to lick our wounds and get some rest.  Assessing the damage would have to wait till the light of another day.
As morning broke, and we awoke, as yet our eyes still blinking…we took stock of the damage.  We discovered that our mainsail had torn out a couple of cars and our headsail was torn and would need some serious repairs and one of our deck dorades (those wind scoopy things on the deck) was AWOL, obviously washed away by one of the many large waves that pummeled our deck during the last few hours at sea.  This in itself was remarkable considering it had been held in place with 7 stout deck screws, a reminder of just how forceful and savage the sea can be. 
But no worries,   we were safe and all of the above could be repaired or replaced.  As we enjoyed our first morning coffee in this new land we noticed that the name on the chart for the bay in which we were anchored was Cap de Canibales.  Haha…perhaps a good idea not to linger. 
We set sail and made our way towards Noumea feeling stronger and ready for the final few miles to the capital city of New Caledonia, for our check in and introduction to this exotic French paradise.   
 Traditional indigenous Kanak Tribal carvings
 One of many French Roman Catholic Cathedrals of Noumea.

We have read and heard much about this French Colonial outpost and we look forward to experiencing it first hand.