Hi All,
Hmmmm….I just looked and it has been almost 3 weeks since I last updated the Blog…..wow, where does the time go:))))
The last 3 weeks have been mainly dodging some boisterous, windy conditions and avoiding very rolly anchorages…..AND, fighting a pesky watermaker….ugh!!!
The last blog left off after we went to the Caves. From there we went back to Manta Bay Resort to visit with Seta again. That anchorage was untenable so we went though Manta Pass and around the corner to Navatula Bay. Well…..we had 2 traumatic events happen in this neighborhood. First, the Pass in front of the resort is narrow and not so deep. Just as we went through the Pass and were committed, the Ferry decided to also enter from the other direction…..and he was heading right across our bow maybe 2-300 yards away at full throttle…..WTH….Kathy hailed him with no response…..yikes. So, we just stopped and both of us were waiting for the crash. We could not go any further to port as we were hugging the reef on that side and we were unsure of the depths on our starboard side and in any event, had not enough time to cut in front of him. Finally at the last moment (we think maybe the Captain finally looked up or someone yelled at him, we don’t think he was paying attention when he started to come through the pass) the Ferry saw us and quickly turned to pass on our starboard side. As we passed maybe 10-20 yards with him going full throttle and yes we got waked big time, he was staring at me from his bridge like we were idiots. WTH???!!! That had to be one of the worst cases of pathetic seamanship we have experienced in our 10 years of being aboard…..double arghhhhhhh!!!!
The other event happened the next morning. The winds shifted overnight to come right into the Bay and built to 20-25kts….yikes, and no this was not forecasted…..Kathy woke at 2:30am and me around 4:00am. The seas built from 2-3′ to a good 4-6′ wind chop in the anchorage…..while we did not bury the bow, we certainly came close. So, at the crack of dawn when we could see, we weighed anchor and scooted around to the other side where we had anchored before. We had to go back through the Pass but at 6:00am there were no Ferries to worry about at that hour!!!!
AND, the mantas had gone….they leave the end of September and during our 5 day stay there were no sightings. But, we did get in a good dive as well as visited with Seta, Tara’s son. We learned that Tara is going to make Seta’s wedding but they will all be in Suva, so it is not possible for us to see her…..drats!!!! On a positive note, we had a great opening ceremony with Caz on Somerset. We had not seen her since June in Viani Bay so it was good to see her and catchup on all the adventures. Brett and Stacey on Bella Vita were also there, and it was one of those come over for a beer and champagne in the early afternoon (Caz and Kathy are Champagne Sisters from our Mario days in Guatemala)…..then it was past 11:00….you get the picture:))))
From there we went to Waya Island and the Octopus Resort. This is another iconic setting, beautiful beach and resort but the anchorage is once again exposed to the swell and eventually became untenable. But, we had a very raucous opening ceremony with Interlude…again we had not seen Cheryl and Karen since Viani Bay, so back to back opening ceremonies……Note: Do not
try this at home alone as back-to-back OC are only for true professionals:))))
Finally we thought the anchorage was getting too much swell and it was forecast to increase, so we went around the corner to get out of the swell…and yes, the swell was gone, but the winds backed to NE so once again we had a very exposed Bay and lots of wind chop. We spent a quiet evening aboard and the chop stayed <2′ but the next day Kathy said “no mas”….must find a quiet calm anchorage. So, along with Bella Vita, we poked into about 3-4 different islands on our way south but did not find peace until back in an old favorite, Mana Island, some 33 nm south. And oh yes…..it was so rough we could not lift the dinghy, plus the cobble together winch did not sound right, so we dragged poor Moon Lite in a 2-4′ wind chop, blowing 15-25kts on our beam! Yes, that was indeed dinghy abuse, but thankfully, she did not get swamped and started right up the next day…..whoa!!!!
Then, the watermaker had issues. Yep, the infeed vane pump gave it up. No problem, we have a spare…..WRONG!!! We had kept the Procon pump from our HRO watermaker as the tech said it was the same pump, which it is, but it has a different motor coupling so not compatible. But wait, we also have the old pump from 2010 when the magnet cup blew and sprayed water into the motor. So, into hole I go, scrunch up my body and legs and finally get the pump off and the old one on. But…..it is going in reverse…..how does that happen…..so, after much gnashing of teeth, we just reverse the wires….yes, the pump is going in the right direction but sounds horrible…..and it makes no water. By, this time Brett has come over to lend us a hand…..we decide to rebuild the old pump with the new parts from the HRO pump….ok, sounds good, but many hours later…..the rebuilt pump sounds bad and no water!!!! We go to sleep that night defeated.
The next day, we go back to the original bad pump, clean it as best we can, reverse the motor to the direction it should be going and yes, we have flow, but no good product water. So, we give up, order a new pump from Spectra, work all day on logistics to get the pump to some friends of Bella Vita who are coming to Fiji in a few days!!!! And, we contact the marina and thy have space. So, on our last day or so before we run out of water we go into the marina and get the part and voila we have WATER…..YES!!!!!
So, now we are back out of the marina and at anchor, but first we filled up on fuel, only to meet with some 20-25G32 kt winds and a lot of chop with very full fuel tanks…..fortunately we did not spill any out the vents nor any out the top tank hatches!!!!! We are in a very quiet anchorage on the northeast side of Malolo island next to the 5-star Likuliku resort. Jim has now returned from his 4-month duty abroad, and Somerset is having opening ceremonies tonight to welcome Jim back!!!!
And, we may have found a weather window for our return to NZ. We are now tentatively planning to leave next Monday (3 days from now) for our ~6 day passage to Marsden Cove!!!! We will make a GO” decision on Saturday!!! These can be treacherous waters and the weather is somewhat unpredictable so yes, it is indeed pucker time as we get our game faces on!!!
Well…that’s it from Fiji…..hope all is well with everyone!!!
John
Mystic Moon
Malolo Island Fiji
